How important is Instagram for businesses?

The aim of marketing is to reach a consumer and invoke a change in their behaviour by enticing them to take action. Yet, the only way to truly interact with consumers is to be where people are engaging and spending time, which means to be interactive on social media. The question is - Why is Instagram more important than any other social media platform?

Instagram has 400 million active users and over 60% of those users log in on a daily basis. Every day, 80 million photos are shared and 3.5 million photos are liked on Instagram. These are statistics that businesses cannot deny will help build and grow their brand. Without a doubt, Instagram is the best platform for brands to reach audiences that are willing to engage through visual content.

A study conducted by Forrester Research found that Instagram users were 58 times more likely to comment, like or share a brands post than Facebook users and 120 times more likely than Twitter users. The research demonstrates that users are moving away from Facebook and Twitter and becoming more engaged on Instagram. This absolutely proves that Instagram is the best social media platform for businesses and growth, as it is where users are mostly active.

The reason for this extremely high engagement is because it is easier for people to visually share their stories, reactions and experiences. Instagram offers a unique ability to highlight visual content. Imagery is relatable, easier to understand, sharable and far more universal in comparison to other types of content.

Instagram is needed for everyone

If your brand or business is not on Instagram, it absolutely needs to be. Instagram is a beautifully simplistic application and is the most personal in comparison to other social media platforms. Instagram gives you the full potential to connect your brand and business with people on a more intimate and intelligible level.

The importance of visual imagery for brands and businesses is that it is key to telling the brand’s story. Regardless of the industry, any company can create campaigns to utilise Instagram to reach their targeted audience, sharing alluring images and getting creative with captions and content.

There are many companies that already are massively succeeding in using Instagram because they are using the platform to creatively share their story, background and vision.

Instagram for Businesses

Instagram have noticed the importance and effectiveness of businesses utilising their social media platform. So much so, they have adapted their application with an option to update your profile to a business profile. Instagram has a strong potential for your business. The new business profile is beneficial for businesses as it captures engagement and it is easier for consumers to get in contact with you. Here are the three best things about the new Instagram Business Account:

1. Getting Found

Before Instagram business profiles began, the only way followers could engage with a business outside of Instagram was to click on the link to their website via their profile.

Now, however, once you provide contact information to your business profile on Instagram, a contact button appears on your profile. This has introduced a new way for Instagram users to get in contact with businesses. Once you click the button, it comes up with the option to email, call or find the location of the business on the map.

2. Access to Analytics

Instagram is one of the last major social media platforms to integrate and introduce analytic tools. The Instagram business analytics tool, which is called Insights, is a convenient way to check how your Instagram content is performing. Within the Insights section, you will see analytics for impressions, reach and follower information within the past week.

3. Instagram Ads

The Instagram business account makes ad creation easy. Before Instagram introduced advertisement, it could only be accessed via Facebook. Now, since the new Instagram business profile you can promote a post by clicking on it and selecting promote. From there you can select the audience you wish to appeal to, your budget and how long you want the ad to run for.

Summary

The demand of Instagram for businesses and brands is growing due to the popularity of the social media platform. Brands and businesses need to utilise Instagram if they truly want to reach and resonate with their audience. Visual content is what will truly engage audiences and lead to traffic and higher conversion rates. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

At UNBXD we believe that for businesses in any industry, the key to success is to know your audience. Social media makes this possible, and easier to accomplish than ever before. The world of Social Media and its platforms are forever growing and something you should take advantage of for your brand or business.

If you would like to discuss your social media needs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.