A series of research studies commissioned by Facebook, the results of which were recently shared on Instagram’s business blog, give some insight into what Instagram users are looking for from the brands they follow on the platform. The article’s main point is that you should be “pushing your brand’s creativity”—but Instagram’s tools ensure you don’t need to be supercreative to find ways to engage with your followers.

Those surveyed deemed Instagram one of the top places to express themselves, as well as one of the top places to keep up with their interests. They also feel advertisers on Instagram are trendy, popular, creative, relevant, and fun. So if that’s what a brand is going for, perhaps it should consider spending some ad dollars on the platform.

As for what to put on Instagram, one study showed that 59% of active users surveyed want to see lighthearted or humorous content, while 58% agree they’d like the brands they follow to share real, raw, unpolished content. If you spend any time on Instagram, you’ll have seen plenty of self-deprecating and refreshingly honest posts from individuals and brands that would easily blend these two descriptions.

Some good news for independent jewelers: 44% of those surveyed agree that Instagram is good for discovering local or small brands. Ideally that percentage would be higher, but one hopes it will grow. Another 44% said they use features like shopping tags and the Shop Tab on Instagram to shop on a weekly basis, which is certainly a high enough percentage to warrant making your business profile shoppable.

And now for the (maybe) not-so-good news: 91% of respondents in one survey said they watch videos on Instagram weekly, so if you’re solely posting pictures and not taking advantage of the platform’s video features, you may want to reconsider.

A few ways to get users to engage with your brand—quizzes, polls, and Q&As. These features, available in Instagram Stories, are fun, typically light, and could generate some valuable consumer insight on their own, plus they’re easy to do. A reported 57% of users surveyed said they prefer to see polls and quizzes on Instagram versus any other platform.

You can read the full summary from Instagram here.

(Instagram logo via Instagram)

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