Instagram is stepping up its efforts to make the app more appealing to business owners and other individuals looking to monetize their social media activity. The Facebook-owned platform has launched a new professional dashboard that brings all its business-centric tools into the same space.
The dashboard will host shortcuts for branded content partnerships, ad-tracking features, account analytics, and tutorials to help influencers and businesses to manage their accounts more easily. There’s nothing particularly new on offer, but giving individuals the ability to see all the app’s business features together will certainly be welcomed by heavy users.
Instagram is far from the only digital tool to have amassed a huge user base while finding it more difficult to monetize this following. The app has more than one billion monthly active users, which represents a potentially huge audience for brands – whether these are celebrities, influencers, or ecommerce firms.
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All about the money
Back in December, Instagram added shopping features to its TikTok-esque Reels offering. At a similar time, Facebook announced WhatsApp Carts in an attempt to turn the messaging platform into more of an ecommerce hub.
The likes of Instagram, WhatsApp, and many other social networks are faced with a dilemma. The need to monetize their user base is significant – certainly, there is the potential for huge profits to be made – but this will necessarily involve changing how users interact with the app to some degree. Too many adverts and shopping options could ultimately push users away if they feel as though they are being sold to relentlessly.
For Instagram, the decision to launch a new professional dashboard may be a reflection of how competitive the social media landscape has become in terms of helping users make money. Last summer, for example, TikTok launched a $200 million fund to pay its most popular users.
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Via Engadget
