With news this week that Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has officially confirmed the launch of a new test that will enable Instagram users to choose whether they display post like counts or not within the app, we take a look at what a world without Instagram likes may look like.

Why is Instagram Hiding Likes?

Instagram state that they “want followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes you get,” and with cases in mental health rising, Instagram has taken this step to improve the quality and safety of people’s time on their platform.

The idea is to “try and depressurise Instagram, make it less of a competition and give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love and things that inspire them.”

The platform is hoping that with less pressure and scrutiny on likes, more people will post and less posts will be deleted as a result of low like counts.

How Will Hidden Likes Work?

Whilst like counts won’t completely disappear, they will be hidden. Therefore, if you post a photo, your followers won’t be able to see the number of likes any longer, but you will be able to see them within your own private view.

So, for example, where a post may say ‘Liked by SocialSoda and 55,600 others’ under the image, this will be changed to ‘Liked by SocialSoda and others.’

How Will Hidden Instagram Likes Affect Your Social Brand Strategy?

With the removal of public like counts, it will undoubtedly make it harder for brands to track their overall engagement rates without the right technology.

If you use influencers as part of your social media strategy, the removal of likes may also make it harder for brands to find influencers.

For this reason, many brands have already begun moving away from like counts as a success metric for their social and influencers strategies.

Instagram Strategies Going Forward

So, is there life after Instagram likes and what does this look like for your brand?

We won’t lie, it is going to be a different world, however if you’re worried that your Instagram strategy is going to struggle, here’s some adjustments you may wish to make to be successful in a ‘post-like world:

• Build loyalty – There will be a need to shift from a strategy of like-getting and follower building to a more community and relationship building one. Content and messages should be prioritised so that they are not only relevant to your audiences but also spark more meaningful conversations and connections with your followers.

• Create a more authentic content experience – With the constant pressure to get likes, brands can now focus on the quality, transparency and authenticity of the content they share. This makes way for more inspiring posts, which are truer to brands core values.

• Diversify content – It’s important to note that Instagram Stories has never shown like counts, yet they have continually grown in popularity with users and some of them have been decision-making factors on purchases. As like counts go away, brands will have the opportunity to focus on providing a broader mix of content experiences for Instagram audiences via Stories, IGTV and live videos.

• Focus on organic influencers – This is a fantastic way to build loyalty whilst creating a more authentic experience for your followers. Building a community of organic influencers can help you deepen 1:1 customer relationships, while simultaneously scaling your asset library with unique, high-performing visuals.

• Get rid of vanity metrics – If you haven’t already, now’s the perfect time to stop tracking vanity metrics — such as likes and follower counts — and start setting more meaningful goals around actions that indicate engagement, enthusiasm and intent to purchase. Instead look at tracking metrics like @mentions, comments, shares, saves, clicks and conversions.

It’s fair to say that for too long, brands have been prioritising getting likes over building meaningful relationships and sharing authentic content, which is what the follower yearns for.

Whilst it may take a while to get used to, we definitely think there will be life after likes and we can’t wait to create, share and see more real and meaningful content connections with consumers on the Instagram platform.

Are you worried about the removal of post likes on Instagram? How will this affect your marketing strategy? Let us know by sending us a message at hello@socialsoda.co.uk