The 10 Compelling Reasons To Use Instagram Marketing

There is a strong visual element to Instagram that makes it stand out from other social media platforms, making Instagram Marketing a serious consideration if you want to grow your brand. 

Instagram is the ideal platform to showcase your business’s design or services with a visible end result.

The type and frequency of content you post will ultimately be determined by your marketing strategy. 

This platform works well with video, imagery, and illustration, but your marketing strategy will determine how you use them. 

Even if a platform works great for everyone else, creating a strategy will help you stay focused on your audience and your goals.

Instagram Stories, a visual-first social media platform, has over a billion monthly active users.

Social media is almost ubiquitous (literally), even for dogs, cats, and birds – that is no joke.

When we mean everyone it includes individuals, pets, and yes – businesses.

In the past few years, Instagram users have spent an increasing amount of time watching videos.

In other words, videos on Instagram receive as much attention as images do.

The frequency of Instagram video posts has steadily increased over the past few years as most brands now embrace video marketing on the platform.

In 60 seconds or less, businesses can show the world who they are and what they do with video marketing on Instagram.

The increase in brands establishing presences on the platform has led to an estimated 71% of businesses using the platform.

Do you think it’s worth your business’ time, and should you be a part of this platform as well?

In short, yes and here’s why:

• Over one billion users use Instagram every month, and 500 million people view Instagram Stories every day.
• About 45% of Instagram users are 18 to 44 years old.
• In the U.S., there are 140 million users actively using Instagram.
• It is estimated that 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business on the platform
• Instagram users browse for an average of 53 minutes per day.
• Instagram is used by 71% of US businesses.
• It is estimated that 83% of Instagram users have discovered new products or services through the platform.

Clearly, Instagram is no longer just for personal use. 

Using it, brands can humanize their content, recruit new talent, showcase products, and inspire customers.

Besides being active, users are highly engaged as well. 

Among active users, 59% spend at least 7 hours per week browsing content and interacting with friends and brands.

In addition to increasing brand awareness, Instagram can introduce your target audience to new products. 

Every month, 130 million users access Instagram’s shopping content. 

The use of Instagram allows you to establish a friendly, authentic relationship with your customers.

Why Instagram marketing is highly relevant

Even with all these Instagram statistics, you might not know where to begin. But perhaps later in the blog we can help provide guidance how you can get started.

Here are ten reasons why Instagram has grown so quickly and how your company can make use of it.

Instagram is becoming increasingly popular.

Instagram claims over one billion active users on their social media platform. 

The platform is used daily by over 500 million people.

A dedicated Instagram strategy can help a business reach no end of success with so many “eyeballs” available.

Thrive in any size business.

With so many users, Instagram is a great place for businesses to advertise. All businesses, large and small, are welcome, whether they are well known large companies or smaller boutique shops.

Instagram can also help marketing teams get their organization on the map, even if success doesn’t come over night.

Maintaining an active presence on social media and posting at least one post a day can raise brand awareness and reach target audiences. 

Several household names and small businesses use Instagram to thrive, including household names and slews of small businesses.

Grow your follower base and raise brand awareness by posting content consistently.

Instagram is a moneymaker.

Since Instagram began allowing e-commerce sales on its platform, it has evolved into a thriving channel for online sales. The emphasis on product placement is more prevalent today. 

Instagram’s Shop tab lets users discover and buy directly from brands through its home dock. 

Businesses can also create shoppable posts on Instagram by adding tags that include product descriptions, price and a link to their online store that will lead users to a specific product page.

Businesses can easily increase sales from their websites with these services. 

It’s hard to ignore the staggering results – 72% of Instagram users have bought products through the platform at least once.

Engage your audience with stories.

Using Instagram, you can display your personality and show your potential customers who you are. 

With live posts and stories, you can really make an impression. Many features of the app allow you to do this.

In order to use live stories effectively, you need to reveal the behind-the-scenes workings of your company.

There are many ways to do this, such as showing how products are made, showing office employees engaging with each other, and having live Q&A sessions with your audience.

Additionally, Instagram live posts can be a great way to show your followers that you are a human being as well as build trust and credibility. 

You may have a better chance of gaining the trust of consumers if you appear more than an entity that takes money from them.

Work with influencers.

The regular users of social media are divided into influencers and regular users. Often, influencers promote brands and products and take them mainstream by promoting them online.

Increased returns on investment and access to demographics that you might not otherwise reach can be obtained through a dependable influencer. 

With just a few posts, an influencer can promote your product or company to millions of people.

Get more visibility with hashtags.

With the right hashtags, you can separate your company from the crowd even if you are a new business.

Online, Instagram hashtags have helped establish popular brands and companies as pop culture cornerstones, allowing them to stand out even more.

In order to make your business stand out from the crowd, hashtags can be used effectively.

Engage customers effectively.

The best way to gain customers is to let them know about you. 

What if you could interact with them every day? 

It is a universal truth that people like to speak their minds, especially when they are happy with something. A user can like, comment, and share their favorite posts on Instagram. 

The more likes and comments you get, the more visible your company becomes. A high-quality photo, a hashtag from the area, and a partnership with another company can help you receive more likes.

Engage your audience and increase visibility with high-quality photos, local hashtags, and partnerships with local brands.

Mobility rules.

Instagram was designed from the beginning to be an app, unlike Facebook and Twitter, which were both website-based. 

Your company should take advantage of the fact that 90% of mobile browsing takes place on apps, by allowing viewers to view your posts anywhere they have access to a mobile device. 

Considering the ten times higher engagement on Instagram than on Facebook, and the cleaner style on Instagram, you need to consider joining the platform.

Monitor your competitors.

You can use Instagram to observe how your competitors engage with their followers and stay one step ahead.

Pay close attention to how they engage with their followers, how often they post, and what they post. 

Your own personal strategy can be better defined based on the information you collect.

Instagram ads reach new consumers.

Advertise on Instagram for free and get new customers. Instagram ads are customizable and trackable, so you can reach a wider audience. 

Your social media marketing campaigns can be targeted by demographics, linked to your website, and you can collect valuable user data.

There is one thing that ties these 12 benefits together: more people are using Instagram than ever before. 

Millions of potential customers are not being reached if you don’t use this powerful social media platform. 

Get started building your Instagram presence by taking the tips you learned here. There will be a positive impact on your bottom line as a result.

So, why market on Instagram?

Compared to other social media platforms, Instagram is primarily a visual platform. 

Using Instagram as a platform for showcasing your business’s design or service with a visible result is ideal if you have a service or product that benefits from design.

The type and frequency of content you post will ultimately be determined by your marketing strategy. A good marketing strategy will depend on whether you intend to use video, imagery, or illustrations on this platform. 

Even if a platform works great for everyone else, creating a strategy will help you stay focused on your audience and your goals.

A lot of businesses are under pressure to be present across all social media platforms… and they forget to focus on strategy. This is a mistake you shouldn’t make.

How to get started on Instagram

A distinct marketing strategy is needed for Instagram, since it is so different from other popular social sites. 

Plan and set your goals.

Think about why you are using Instagram before you start posting (or asking your team to do so). 

Although it is popular, you shouldn’t just assume that everyone else is doing it.

Investing time, energy, and money in Instagram will only be worth it if you have a clear purpose and goal.

There is no right or wrong answer here, but your problem will surely arise when you start using the platform without a definite strategy or goal in mind.

Remember, if you want to sell your products on Instagram, you might want to consider using your Instagram feed as a sales channel.

It is important to define your Instagram goals first thing, regardless of why you want to use Instagram. You can post product images as well as user-generated content (UGC) on your Instagram. 

Rather than what you post, it’s more about why you share it. With the right understanding of why, you’ll be able to measure your performance and use Instagram Analytics tools effectively.

Identify your Instagram audience.

Prior to starting your Instagram marketing campaign, determine the audience you wish to reach. 

Be consistent with your marketing efforts if you already have another strategy in place. A person’s age, location, gender, income, interests, motivations, and pain points should be considered when making a decision.

Need a little help getting started? Keep track of popular events and interest hashtags relating to your business. Look at the profiles of those who are using these hashtags and engaging with them. If you want to know who your competitors are following, you can do that too. With Instagram, it’s easy to identify your audience.

Evaluate your competitors.

Identify your Instagram audience and then analyze what other marketers in your field are posting.

Take a look at the Instagram accounts of your top competitors if you know who they are. Search for similar accounts if you don’t find them through terms related to your business and industry.

Audit related accounts to see what posts have got the most engagement, what hashtags they’re using, what captions they use, how often they post, and how quickly their following is growing. If you want to grow your own account, you can use this information as a benchmark.

Analyzing your competitors’ content can help you identify opportunities they might have missed. The more unique content you include, the more likely it is for your business to stand out from the competition.

Create an editorial calendar.

Your Instagram presence can be managed and saved time by creating an editorial calendar. Create an Instagram calendar and plan captions, hashtags, and posting times ahead of time.

As you record key events on your editorial calendar, such as new product launches and special offers, you will also be able to highlight them on your Instagram account.

Instead of scrambling for last-minute posts, you can keep an eye out for real-time opportunities with an editorial calendar.

Create a consistent Instagram brand.

The disjointed or random nature of your content will confuse your audience and might lead to your followers disengaging from you. 

You can prevent this by maintaining a consistent Instagram aesthetic.

Think about your brand’s personality to determine what this looks like. 

Your brand values? If you were your customers or employees, how would they describe your brand? Whether you’re bold, playful, gritty, or adventurous, what type of personality do you possess?

Ideally, brands should have an aesthetic that is recognizable, meaning that someone could see a picture of yours and instantly recognize that it is yours … without looking at your name.

When you have determined the personality of your brand, refine your content to match it. The color palette used in your photos can also be affected by this.

There is more to brand aesthetic than just visuals. Don’t forget to think about the brand narrative when posting images. Making your brand more relatable can be achieved by including compelling captions.

Get more Instagram followers.

There is a lot of time and energy involved in growing your following. 

Don’t buy followers if you are tempted to take the easy way out! It isn’t possible to get engagement by purchasing followers, and engagement is what it really takes to get your posts seen. 

Those followers could also be automatically deleted by Instagram’s API protocols.

For a successful follower building strategy, here’s what you should focus on.

Be sure to use a recognizable and searchable username. 

People cannot follow you if they cannot find you! 

Your bio needs to be filled out. Remember, it’s the last thing someone sees before deciding to follow you, so make sure to include some information about yourself.

Start posting once you’ve optimized your profile. 

Adding ten to fifteen high-quality posts to your feed before you start interacting with users is a good idea. 

Leaving your profile blank will probably prevent users from following you.

Follow accounts that are relevant to your business and that you are interested in following. 

Utilize Instagram as a community to reach out to businesses or influencers in your area who may be interested in your product or service. 

In addition to suggesting related accounts to follow, Instagram will suggest them to you as you follow accounts.

Engage with the content of the account you follow after you follow it. Using this method will allow you to naturally attract attention to your Instagram account without spamming it. 

An account owner will receive a notification when you follow or interact with their account. Their interest in your account could prompt them to follow you.

Respond to your followers’ comments and engage with their content to show that you value them.

Promote your content by encouraging others to share it. Collaborate with similar accounts or sharing with brand ambassadors.

Make Instagram work for you

Here are some strategies.

Teasers

With Instagram, you can showcase new products before they’re available to the public. Even though you shouldn’t bombard your followers’ feeds with only product photos, you can build excitement with a few images.

Live launches 

Instagram Live is a great way to introduce new products and services. 

Then, in your bio, provide a purchase link so users can make a purchase.

Charity

It is expected that companies make a public commitment to charity, according to 81% of millennials in a high-profile survey.

As a result, you can build affinity for your brand and encourage followers to become customers. 

Promotions

You can drive first-time sales with Instagram by offering deals, discounts, BOGOs, and other offers. 

To create a sense of urgency, include a deadline and mention how your followers can receive the offer.

Contests

Giving someone a chance to try out your product can make them a customer. 

Encourage people to follow your account or share a post with a hashtag to enter your contests.

Don’t forget to include links to your website, blog, and product pages in your Instagram bio and Instagram Story Highlights.

Conclusion

Last but not least, you should spread the word about your Instagram account on other platforms. 

On your website, create an Instagram social share button and make sure that your Instagram is shared on other social media platforms as well. Getting more followers can sometimes be as simple as asking for them.

It is essential that businesses use Instagram as part of their marketing strategy if they haven’t already.

Make the most of the different features, share different kinds of content frequently, and engage with your audience by diving into the different features with enthusiasm. 

It may even surprise you how quickly you start seeing results.