News broke recently that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg planned to merge the social network’s messaging services — WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger – came as a bit of a surprise and left marketers wondering what it meant for them.
In the short term, it will not mean any change—these things would take time to happen—and it might not require any change of focus in the long term, either. Sources said each would continue to operate as a stand-alone apps, but their technical infrastructure will be unified, allowing people to communicate across the platforms for the first time. It would also create the world’s largest messaging networks, with more than $2.6 billion users.
That’s a huge number that doesn’t mean much to you, locally. It does mean, however, that if you were planning on branching out into Instagram, it is still a good time do to it. Here are four apps that will help you find your way:
A Color Story will help you create vibrant visuals in Instagram by allowing you to add effects like flares, light leaks, and color fogs as well as edit your photos. You can lighten them, darken them, tweak the color and more. As an added feature, if you add #AColorStory or tag @acolorstory on Twitter, they may highlight your finished work—and expand your reach.
Splice is primarily a video app, created by the makers of GoPro. It helps you make videos that are optimized for mobile use—that is, vertical videos—from either a collection of pictures or your own video clips. You can also access an in-app library of music to add a soundtrack to your videos, giving them added appeal. You can find inspiration at #spliceapp.
Another comprehensive photo app is Unfold, which help you make collages that will tell the story of your brand through Instagram Stories. The app is ideal if you want to create a multi-piece story while remaining on-brand. The one down side is that you cannot flip photos once they’re placed in the app, so you have to make sure they are oriented properly the first time.
Over will help you create unique, engaging Instagram stories with text and graphic options that you can overlay—hence the name—easily onto photos and videos. It includes templates if you’re creatively-challenged, but allows you to start from scratch, too. You can create graphics in many different sizes quickly and easily with the app, making it a great tool for marketers. There is a free version, but a Pro version includes a shape tool and many other options.
Instagram alone has more than 300 million users and may be a good fit for you if you’re looking to reach out to a younger audience of consumers. These apps are just a few that will help you along the way.
Have you tried any? Let us know in the comments!