Today Hootsuite announced that it is bringing Instagram into the dashboard. This means, scheduling your posts to Instagram is now possible in the same place you schedule messages to Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and so many more networks.

Here are my 5 top reasons I’m excited about the news:

1.  Schedule your #TBT posts

People love #TBT posts and for me they get the highest amount of likes and engagements of any post (The exception is puppy photos). The sad truth is Thursdays are an incredibly busy day for most people. It’s the middle of the week and everyone wants less work for Friday. With the new Hootsuite scheduler for instagram you can schedule week’s worth of #TBT posts in minutes. All you have to do each Thursday is press the notification and publish away.

2.  Travel the World

With the new location search for instagram in Hootsuite you can now travel the world through the eyes of other instagrammers. Remember that beautiful beach you visited in Hawaii, go back and check it out. Can’t decide whether to visit Angkor Wat or Tuscany? Compare them both and see what pops out.

One of the most surprising things I’ve seen is that even in war torn parts of the world like Donetsk, Syria, and South Sudan people are still taking selfies, pictures with friends and having a great time.

3.  Find User Generated Content

If you run a location based business like a retail store or hotel the new Location search is an amazing way to find User Generated Content (UGC). Users often take amazing photos of your business but don’t mention you in the post. As shown in the photo, you can now get as granular as a specific Starbucks location to see what photos are tagged there.

4.  Pick a Restaurant

It’s probably an understatement to say I love food. As such, one of the hardest things to do is to pick a restaurant. While I like Yelp reviews, it’s good to actually see the food in person. Sometimes just seeing the food on a plate will convince me if I’m in the mood for a steak or tacos tonight.

5.  Engage with Fans

Instagram has been dubbed the “King of Social Engagement” as such I’d be a fool not to mention the fact that brands can now collaboratively engage with their fans. For community managers this means no more logging in and out of an account or replying from the wrong one. We’ve also included team workflows so messages can go through an approval process before being posts.

Hopefully these 5 ideas have opened your mind and given you some great ideas. Connect with me on Instagram: ReidOutLoud or on Twitter: @HootReid</a