Facebook and Instagram use the Brands Collabs Manager to allow users for the platform to collaborate with companies that have like-minded interests. Not everyone gets to use the Brands Collabs Manager, but with the latest update, the number of people who have access to this service will increase.
Facebook and Instagram have also added the possibility for brands to see insights when they’re tagged in branded content in both Brand Collabs Manager and the Instagram app. Because influencer networks remain a critical part of branded content, the companies will also continue to support their access to the Instagram Graph API.
Instagram also noted that they would begin better enforcing its policies on branded content. These rules have existed for a while, but the rules weren’t consistently applied. Over the next few weeks, Instagram plans on launching new tools to help with branded content.
According to Instagram, “As we invest in ways to help creators partner more effectively with brands, it’s also important that we have tools and policies that provide transparency and protect our community. Across the Facebook company, we are updating our policies to include clearer rules for the paid promotion of certain goods and services such as vaping, tobacco, alcohol, and diet supplements.”
In the past few weeks, there have been a couple of instances in the past few weeks that have shown how bad things can get when Instagram users go too far when they go too far with promoting certain branded goods.
For example, though Instagram has banned vaping and e-cigarettes, British advertising authorities had to make it clear that such ads were in violation. These incidents are harmful to Instagram, especially since they already had rules that were designed to block vaping and e-cigarettes ads.
A similar situation can be seen with individual reality TV stars on Instagram. In an investigation, the BBC got these stars to agree to advertise poison products from their brands. The stars from Blindboy Undestroys the World have been caught auditioning to promote a poisonous cyanide drink.
According to the BBC, “The made-up drink – called Cyanora – included the ingredient hydrogen cyanide, which is a chemical that can kill you.”
As you can see, Instagram and Facebook have to update their toolset to prevent Instagrammers from using their channels in a way that violates community guidelines.
For more social media updates that can help marketers earn more money, read this article on the new Pinterest Trends that can help improve marketing efforts.