A digital strategist at Dubbo has wholeheartedly welcomed trial changes to Instagram that result in the number of 'likes' a post receives no longer being displayed to users.
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Leanne O'Sullivan declared the move "fantastic" and predicts it will have a positive impact, allowing businesses to focus on engagement with customers.
Instagram began the trial changes across Australia to "remove the pressure" on users.
Ms O'Sullivan, who is the founder of a digital marketing training school, says for too long people have been chasing the wrong metrics on social media.
"'Like' is not a metric that has a lot of relevance to your business," she said.
"Engagement is far more important... things like comments and reach, because Instagram knows when users slow down to look at a post. A true client is likely to engage with content but not show publicly they like something."
Ms O'Sullivan forecast more and more social media interaction was going to be private - by direct message, Messenger or Whats App.
"Business should think about what kind of content makes sense for [their] target client and share," she said.
Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy Mia Garlick said Instagram should be a place where people felt comfortable expressing themselves and telling their story, rather than judged.
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
