It’s finally happening! Instagram has announced it will be allowing business profiles and opening access to Instagram analytics. Just like Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, these insights will give companies valuable information about who their followers are, where they are located, when they are online, and individual post reach.

This tool will allow companies to learn important information like the most opportune times to post on Instagram in order to reach the highest number of targeted followers. Companies can also get more specific user data like gender and age breakdowns, as well as track the number of followers.

Another highly anticipated feature Instagram will roll out is called Top Posts. Users will be able to sort their posts to see the top posts for insights and analysis. This is huge for brands and advertisers because it goes beyond simply showing how many people liked the post, but it will also show them how many people saw the post, what the engagement rates were like, and provide them with the ability to refine the content that they published. For me, the best function of Top Posts will be the ability to choose between 7 or 30-day periods, which will allow users to track how their content performs over both short term and long term periods. 

All of these analytics will allow companies to better and more effectively target and market to their audiences on Instagram, which is a huge win considering the role of Instagram in today’s online marketing world.