In the ever-evolving world of social media, platforms are constantly rolling out new features to stay ahead of their competition. If platforms do not evolve, they can expect to be the next name added to the extinction list.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat stand out as most popular. Whether following an influencer or a brand, users look to these platforms for everything from world news to fashion and fitness recommendations. As each of these platforms roll out new features, we continue to see the users grow. While Facebook comfortably leads the pack with its 1.23 billion daily active users, Instagram is not far behind with its 400 million daily active users. 

In 2016, Instagram rolled out their “Stories” feature in order to compete with the rise in popularity of Snapchat. This rollout proved to be quite a success for Instagram, with “Stories” now reaching 150 million daily active users – the same number of daily active users held by Snapchat’s entire platform.

As these platforms continue to evolve in order to compete, Instagram’s next evolution is currently in production. In late 2017, they are expected to release an appointment booking feature. This feature will allow its users, who are already making business inquiries through the platform, to book an appointment directly through a business’ profile. All the user will need to do is click on the Book button on the business page. This will lead them to answer additional questions about their desired service. Instagram views the potential for this feature to be endless, spanning food service, fitness, beauty or even floral delivery.

What does this mean for the 1 million monthly businesses that advertise on the platform? One can assume that a Book Now call-to-action button will be added to the options within their ad platform to monetize on this feature.

The possibilities within paid social continue to seem endless.