Why Influencers Don’t Like Not Seeing Likes

Instagram has recently been testing hiding its “like” feature, and influencers have started to notice the changes.

As the test expands across the globe, influencers, individuals who work with brands for promotional services on social media, will have to change their focus.

Facebook-owned Instagram has long been the primary focus of influencer marketing, but the platform has recently gone through some changes. The social media platform has been conducting a test by disabling likes. The company said in April that it’ll be using this test to create “a less pressurized environment.” In areas where the test has been conducted, users can see their own followers and the amounts of likes on their own posts. Users are however blocked from seeing the number of likes on others’ posts, which is believed to be the right move when it comes to tackling cyber-bullying and fostering a less intense social media environment.

For Instagram Influencers, these changes roughly translate to a more serious focus on sales. A study conducted by influencer marketing agency Obviously surveyed Canadian influencers on how the changes were affecting them. The test to hide the likes of others’ Instagram posts was rolled out in Canada, where 62% of influencer respondents said they were still spending the same amount of time on content. When it comes to the wider influencer industry, the first thing this test will do is dry up the market for fraudulent likes. Likes have long been a very serious metric of social media influencer success, leading to phenomenons like “like farms,” which offer fraudulent likes on a post for a price. Going forward, you can expect to see influencers focus more on videos and other tools that convert more effectively and land more sales.

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5 years ago
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