Instagram is a social media platform that was initially ignored by most businesses, as it was deemed by many as a photo sharing site aimed at youngsters that wanted to share a thousand selfies a day. However since its humble beginnings back in 2010, Instagram’s popularity has increased, and with that so have its demographics. Instagram is no longer seen as a site solely for selfies and teenage antics, and is now recognised by businesses as a viable marketing tool.
I personally love Instagram and it is one of my favourite social media platforms to work on with my social media clients. It seems I am not alone when it comes to my passion for using Instagram as a part of social media marketing strategies. As thousands of BIG brands are taking full advantage of its low cost marketing benefits and investing time and money on profitable Instagram marketing strategies.
Here are 5 reasons why you should use Instagram Social Media Marketing for business too!
1. Increased Engagement
A report by Forrester Research discovered that Instagram users were 58 times more likely to comment, like and share a post than those on Facebook. And a massive 120 times more likely to engage with your posts than Twitter followers. So if you are looking for more interaction from your customers and potential customers, Instagram is the perfect social media platform to use to encourage this.
2. Brand Awareness
Instagram provides a visual image of your brand and is now so popular, your customers and potential customers will actually expect your business to have an Instagram account. Making your brand available to Instagram followers will increase your brand awareness, and will improve your online presence. Most of your customers will have Instagram accounts, and may search for you on Instagram. If they can’t find you because you haven’t set up an account, there is a good chance they will find one of your competitors, and follow their brand on Instagram instead! Don’t miss the opportunity! Instagram is also one of the more personal social media platforms, therefore you are more likely to attract the type of followers that will be keen to connect with your brand, and learn more about your business.
3. Brand Loyalty
When customers and potential customers follow your company on Instagram, they will be given access to parts of the business that they don’t normally get to see. This helps to build trust and loyalty, and creates a more personal relationship between your business and its customers/potential customers.
4. Product Promotion
Instagram is the perfect place to promote your products, you can take photos of your products and upload them daily. Unlike your social media followers on sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, who may become tiered of seeing images of your products in social posts, (and deem your content as over promotional) your Instagram followers will thank you for it! After all people are on the site because they want to see pictures! In fact the more the better! As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words, therefore a single Instagram upload could provide you with the same benefits as a 1000 word blog article!
5. Increased Website Traffic
If you are clever about what you upload, Instagram can help you to create traffic for your other business channels, such as your blog and website. Upload pictures with short descriptions that refer to your blog or website, and if your Instagram followers like what they see, they will visit the sites that you mention and allow themselves to be exposed to more of your content, and more of your products and services. If they visit your website having already liked what they have seen from your brand on Instagram, they are much more likely to become a (warm) lead or a customer.
I hope these 5 points are enough to make you at least consider how Instagram could benefit your business. As one of the fastest growing social media networks it has over 100 million users, and this number is growing daily. In my opinion, any business owner that chooses to ignore these figures and Instagram’s potential to attract customers, improve engagement, and build brand loyalty, should do so at their own risk.
As a social media manager that has managed many social media accounts for various types of businesses, I have found that Instagram can be a HUGE asset to any business whether your company is B2B or B2C. It is a social media platform that should most definitely be included as part of your businesses social media marketing strategy. To find out more about the benefits of including Instagram in your social media marketing strategy, and how Instagram can boost your engagement have a read of the following article. - The New Update To Instagram That Can Boost Your Engagement - https://www.jdrgroup.co.uk/blog/new-update-to-instagram-that-can-increase-your-business-engagement
