INSTAGRAM!! As soon as you hear the name, which among Images, Reels, Stories, IGTV comes first in your mind? Yes, you can make use of all of these on Instagram for Business.
The growth Instagram has seen in the past several years has been amazing. It has seen its users grow to 1 billion that puts it in the bronze medal position in the most populous countries in the world. One more advantage of this humongous growth is the number of youngsters on the platform.
Why Instagram?
Social Media platforms have become a norm nowadays. Everybody wants to be on these platforms. It has become like Facebook is for the elders whereas Instagram is for the youth. That’s the reason why young audiences have been joining it.
Approximately 75% of the people aged between 18-24 are already using Instagram on a daily basis. Thus making them the highest number of people from a particular age group. Among the new users, people from the age 25-30 have made this their social media home for now.
Businesses have also not been far from using Instagram. Instagram Marketing has become a profession in this tech world. The usage of the Instagram platform for business is left to the creativity of the business owners.
INSTAGRAM = INSTAnt camera + teleGRAM
Instagram was first called Burbn which was primarily a mobile check-in app that was similar to Foursquare. Here the founders had observed that photo-sharing was one of the most popular features of Burbn. Then they renamed the app Instagram which was built purely as a photo-sharing application.
Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 Billion In 2012. It was allowed to operate as an independent company. Till 2018 the founders continued to head this company and later facebook appointed a new head for Instagram.
Since the takeover, there have been many modifications and updates to the original application. The feed containing 5 photos was reduced to 3 photos. It also added an option to publish videos on the platform. A new modern, more abstract, colorful icon was designed.
For the past few years, Instagram has been adding features to support businesses, especially smaller businesses with a sticker called “SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS”. Apart from this, it has also added features like shoppable posts, separate business account options, business-specific analytics among other features to increase the use of Instagram for business.
Instagram Marketing
The biggest reason for Marketers to use Instagram for Business is the organic interaction that happens between businesses and it’s users on the platform. This is even backed by the numbers that say 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business.
The visual nature of Instagram is the biggest boon for marketers. They are given the freedom to showcase their products or services through visuals.
It also provides you with plenty of options for visual content like image posts, stories, IGTV, reels, and much more.
Engaging, funny videos are the sure shot way to draw attention for a relaxed business. On the contrary, a buttoned-up organization can go with clean, professional content that users can connect with.
An Instagram marketing agency is a new type of service-based business that has come up just to help brands milk the best out of Instagram.
How to market on Instagram?
The implementation of the 6 tips below can help you to market your business in the best possible way on Instagram.
1. Create a Business Account
Before implementing your Instagram marketing strategy, make sure to use a business profile. With just a click, you can switch to a Business account from your account.
Contact option, Insights, Instagram Ads creation are a few of the free perks that are associated only with an Instagram Business Account.
2. Take advantage of Instagram Stories
Stories are the easiest and shortest form of content that a user can consume. Instagram offers a wide range of features such as face filters, stickers, and location tagging.
Make sure to leave an impression in the minds of the users through short, quirky, eye-catchy stories.
3. Partner with Influencers
Influencers have made Instagram their home. They generally have a niche, highly engaging audience as their followers.
So if you’re targeting a specific set of consumers then Influencer marketing on Instagram is the best possible way to make some real noise.
4. User Generated Content
No brand ambassador can market your products as your loyal customer does!! They generally share their views on social media.
Yes, they are the ones who buy your products regularly and share them on social media with their friends and family. You can repost the same and tag them. Thereby recognizing them and giving them a shout-out.
GoPro has become more of a synonym every time we talk about user-generated content.
5. Hashtags
Instagram is one of the most effective social media platforms for hashtags. There are two main reasons to use interactive hashtags.
The first one is that it helps you to identify your customers easily, thus helping you generate UGC. The second one provides easy access to all the content related to your brand irrespective of the content type.
Having a branded hashtag is a necessity, especially if you’re using Instagram for business.
6. Analytics
Free marketing tools are the biggest takeaway for an Instagram Business Account. Make sure to track the right metrics using Insights and take necessary actions to improve the performance of the posts.
Follower Growth Rate, Engagement Rate are a few of the important ones that you need to keep an eye on.
10 must-know Instagram Marketing Statistics
◾ It has more than 1 billion active users in the world.
◾ The gender ratio is almost even at 51% of men and 49% of women.
◾ On average people have started spending 30 mins a day on Instagram.
◾ 81% of people check out a business on Instagram before making a purchase.
◾ 90% of the users on Instagram follow at least one business account
◾ Instagram is the product discovery for 70% of shopping enthusiasts.
◾ Stories have made 58% of people interested in your brand or products.
◾ Business accounts on Instagram have seen an increase in followers by 1.46% monthly.
◾ Monthly Instagram ads are used by 4 million businesses
◾ Instagram has been used for organic growth by 46% of B2B content marketers.
Sponsored Ads
All this while we have been talking about the organic growth that a business can achieve when using Instagram for business.
These ads give you the price power where you can control the budget of your ad spending. You can create a single sponsored ad or multiple ads with a carousel feature.
Ads on Instagram appear at almost all the places where you see content like feed, stories, IGTV, reels, and explore along with other various places.
The unique variety in the placement of these ads justifies the fact that Instagram ads have the power to reach approximately 1.16 billion users. To take a closer look, 4 million businesses are using Instagram Stories Ads every month.
Highly engaging posts can be your visual assets for your ads. A product teaser can be your best bet for a video ad not just to make heads turn but also to give a lasting impression in the minds of the users.
Key learning
Social Media Platforms have played a crucial role in the world of Digital Marketing.
Instagram has been a vital cog in the wheel of Social Media Marketing. It has amazed people right from its inception. Adapting itself to new businesses and their relevant features is what made Instagram for business usage a success.
Metromindz has been serving clients by creating a near-perfect strategy to optimize Instagram for business in the best possible ways.
Whether you choose organic or inorganic methods to market your products, a clear, brand-aligning strategy is a prerequisite.
The latest developments like shoppable posts, business-specific CTA buttons are proof that it is leaving no stone unturned to capture the attention of business owners.
On a whole, to get the best out of Instagram for business is to use high-quality photos, proper hashtags usage, and LAST BUT VERY IMPORTANT is to constantly ENGAGE and build a NICE RAPPORT with your customers.
