A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to using Instagram for business. The entirely photo and video-based social media platform gives you the opportunity to connect with your follower’s a thousand words at a time, a thousand times a day, if you should so please. Talk about customer outreach!
As the fastest growing, free social media app, Instagram provides a personal and creative platform for you to aesthetically promote your brand to the second largest audience in the world. In this week’s article, we’re going to discuss the 5 reasons why you should consider Instagram for your business.
1. Global Audience
Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has exploded into the mass market. As it currently stands, over 1/7th of the world’s 7.7 billion-strong population uses Instagram, with 500 million of those being daily users. The platform has slowly but surely over-taken its competitors, Snapchat and Twitter, with only Facebook topping its user base.
By creating a business Instagram account, you will have access to their expansive, global audience and thus, the potential to gain international brand recognition and break into new markets which would otherwise be inaccessible to you. In this interconnected world of shares, hashtags and likes, your business’ following can multiply indefinitely with some savvy posting.
2. Advertising
One of the most advantageous perks of a business Instagram account is the enormous advertising potential. Outside of hashtagging - the free and widely accessible marketing technique – paid Instagram ads are a huge source of revenue for businesses. There are currently just over 17.2 million monthly advertisers using Instagram as their main marketing avenue, since user engagement rates are so high.
With the option to do paid promotions, you can boost specific posts outside of your main list of followers. For instance, you can target specific demographics such as age, gender, occupation, location… the list goes on, but essentially, you can tailor who will be scrolling past your ad at any given time. With 60% of their 1 billion users using the platform to seek and discover new products, you don’t need to be Rain Man to calculate the benefits of Instagram ads for your business.
3. Creative Outlet
By virtue of being an exclusively photograph and video based platform, Instagram is all about aesthetics. Unlike other platforms which are more weighted towards information based content, Instagram provides the opportunity to get a tad creative with your brand.
You are able to clearly showcase your products and services in innovative and interesting ways using their numerous filters and colour editing options. You are able to effectively control your image as well as brand yourself through content. People can scroll through your page and get a feel for your brand without even looking at a specific picture.
4. Instagram Stories
Snapping at the heels of Snapchat, in 2016, Instagram added the ephemeral ‘Story’ feature to their platform. Stories allow people to post content for a maximum of 24 hours, after which it vanishes into cyber space. They offer a behind the scenes, day-in-the-life look at an account which isn’t always communicated on their main page. Many fashion brands use it to show photo-shoots, or sneak peeks of up-coming collections; it’s a taste of exclusivity that will build a more personal relationship with your followers, solidifying their support and keeping them engaged with your brand.
Another benefit of Instagram Stories for business is the interactivity they allow. Statistics have shown that 75% of users ‘take action’ through Instagram. For instance, you can include mini, one-tap questionnaires which encourage people to engage with your content in a hassle free, fun way. You can also include a ‘swipe up’ feature which will then direct the user straight to your web page.
5. Customer Insight
Business accounts on Instagram have the infinitely handy ‘Insights’ feature. The extent of the, well, insight, into your account’s activity is endless, so I’m just going to list a few of the really useful ones.
Reports are created weekly about your followers; what time of day your posts receive the most attention; which days bring the most traffic to your account; which age and gender interacts the most with your posts; where in the world/country you are being viewed; how many people have visited your profile; how well individual posts are doing.
All of these features allow you to market your services in a much more tailored and efficient way!
Instagram Marketing Services in Manchester
As a social media agency, we recommend Instagram for any business wishing to build their profile and better resonate with their audience. Instagram is on its way to being the most influential platform on the internet, so ensure you and your business are tapping into the wealth of resource that it can provide.
If you are looking for assistance in breaking into the Instagram world as a new starter, or simply looking for help managing your social media accounts, here at Christian Michaels, we pride ourselves on being able to boost our client’s profiles using targeted and tailored Instagram campaigns. Get in touch today to find out what we can do for you!
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