6 reasons your business should be marketing on Instagram.

Emily Marchak 06/25/15 - 1:31 pm

With more than 400 million active users, over 80 million photos shared daily and some five billion likes per day, Instagram is a strategic medium for brands looking to engage and expand their audience, notably mobile users. In short, it’s where the consumers are.

No matter the industry—retail, food, healthcare, non-profit, etc.—Instagram can be a powerful channel to build your brand community. According to Social Times, Instagram is poised to be the “most powerful social media network of 2015.”

Let’s count the reasons why.

1. Enhance visual marketing. Studies show that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text. Instagram is a visual social platform, so it can be used to share your story more efficiently and more memorably.

2. Increase engagement. According to Social Times, of the participating young adults around the world who regularly use Instagram, 52 percent said it provides users with a sense of community and 68 percent said they interact with brands on a regular basis. This means they are following brands, viewing and liking content and frequenting brand websites.

3. Repurpose content. Users are constantly posting their interaction with brands on Instagram. Brands can utilize this content by scrolling through photos they are tagged in as well as through branded hashtags. If this content positively reflects your brand’s message, it can be repurposed on your branded channel. For example, a user posted the image below with the hashtag #starbucks. Starbucks reposted the image on their channel, noting that they repurposed the content from user @pookapaik.

 

Time for adventure. #ColdBrew #WhereInTheWorld #Regram: @pookapaik

A photo posted by Starbucks Coffee ☕ (@starbucks) on

4. Monitor competitors. Wonder what your competitors are up to? Follow them on Instagram. Their posting behavior—frequency of content, focus and engagement—can provide insights into what your consumers like or ignore.

5. Promote. Instagram has rolled out many visual formats. Brands not only can utilize the standard photographic post, but they can experiment with cinemagraphs, video, and paid promotion with carousel ads and sponsored posts.

6. Generate leads. Want to drive more traffic to your website? Instagram is a proven path to lead generation. Simply put your URL in the bio section of your profile. Each time you post, reference the link in the bio to constantly encourage users to visit your website.

For more information on how to market your business on Instagram, stay tuned to this blog series. In upcoming posts, we’ll cover industry-specific best practices, share a few examples, define different types of posts and provide steps to launch your brand on Instagram. Meanwhile, take a peek at Brogan’s Instagram account for inspiration.

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