As the year is winding down, many social networks are trying to cram some last minute new features into their platform! One of the biggest social media platforms, Instagram has now added a feature for those of you out there who like a little more privacy but still want to keep your profile public. As we all know, Instagram was built to be an open platform for sharing your life with your followers, but now you can get even more specific as to who see what content on your page. This new feature is called "Close Friends" and I am here to tell you a little more about it, as well as how you may want to use it for your business!

What are Instagram Close Friends?

Instagram's "Close Friends" feature allows you to post to your Instagram story but only a select few that you have identified as your "Close Friends" will be able to view these stories. If limiting who can see your content sounds appealing to you then let me tell you how you can add select users to your close friends list. To add users to your list, all you have to do is navigate to your Instagram profile and click on the hamburger icon in the upper right-hand corner. Then you will see the option for close friends which will then allow you to search for users and add them to your close friends list.

When Would a Business Use Close Friends?

Now if you, like many of our readers are a business owner, you may be wondering when you would utilize this content on your own page. Well let me tell you a little secret, this new close friends feature gives your brand more control over how others perceive your brand and can even use it as a way to gain leads for your business. One of the easiest ways is to allow your customers to sign up for your close friends list. Now, this will take some time if you have a lot of customers on a daily basis but if you own a small business you could capture just about any information you wanted and in return, you can add the users to your close friends list and share exclusive deals and content through this. Talk about an easy way to increase lead generation!

Build Your List Today!

Now that you know a little more about Instagram's latest feature, it's time to start building those lists! Whether you will be using Close Friends for your own personal reasons or to grow your business, contact Red Shark Digital today if you have any questions! We can even help you build and this list via online advertising and can help you strategize the best way to utilize this list in your marketing efforts.