Why is social media presence significant?
Social media presence is essential for any brand, from small companies to big corporations. With 1,4B+ active monthly users, Instagram shows considerable potential for any marketing strategy. This article explains the main data-based reasons why putting effort into Instagram is worth it.
Why invest in Instagram?
#1 Visual Nature
Instagram’s visual nature is its primary advantage over other social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. With a decreasing attention span, people tend to focus more on the graphic side of content rather than reading plain text – and Instagram provides businesses with an ideal platform to capitalize on this trend.
Thanks to its visual form, Instagram offers a range of advantages regarding increasing brand awareness and building a solid online presence. For example, its various features, such as Stories, Reels, and IGTV, allow businesses to create diverse content that is much more immersive than on other platforms. By leveraging Instagram’s visual features and tools, companies can create an engaging and visually compelling presence that attracts new customers, builds brand loyalty, and drives business success.
#2 Improved Engagement with Customers
Engaging with customers is critical for building a strong relationship with them and, as a result, building brand loyalty. Instagram offers a range of engagement features that make it easier for businesses to interact with their customers and build a loyal following. They significantly stand out from other platforms’ features – all thanks to their emphasis on visual storytelling and user engagement.
One such feature is Instagram Stories, which allows businesses to share temporary content that disappears after 24 hours, creating a sense of urgency and encouraging the audience to engage with the content in real-time. Knowing that over 500M people use Instagram Stories every day, it’s clear to see how Instagram can increase reach and build a more engaged following.
Another feature that sets Instagram apart is its direct messaging feature, which enables businesses to have direct conversations with their customers. This ability fosters a more personal and meaningful relationship with the audience, allowing companies to address customer concerns and provide support, thereby building a positive reputation and customer loyalty.
#3 User-generated Content Opportunities
Compared to other social media, Instagram makes it much easier to encourage and showcase user-generated content. Why? There are two main reasons. Firstly, Instagram has the best engagement rate compared to other platforms, which means that followers are more eager to participate in creating content related to businesses. Secondly, again thanks to its visual nature, Instagram makes user-generated content much more attention-grabbing and attractive – and because of that, influential.
Instagram offers a variety of opportunities for sharing user-generated content, such as through branded hashtags, tagging, challenges, and contests. Amongst these, hashtags are the most significant advantage of Instagram, as they allow businesses to curate and share user-generated content easily. By creating a branded hashtag, businesses can encourage their followers to share their own content related to the brand or product, such as photos or videos. This not only generates more content for the business to share, but it also helps to build a sense of community among followers.
#4 Instagram makes it easier to get discovered
Instagram’s algorithm works in a way that helps promote valuable content to users that could potentially become interested in it. The algorithm uses a variety of factors, such as engagement and relevance, to determine which content appears at the top of users’ feeds. This means that if your content is engaging and relevant to your target audience, it’s more likely to appear at the top of their feed – even if they don’t follow you.
Instagram’s hashtags also make it easier for users to discover content related to specific topics or interests. So, by using relevant hashtags in your posts, you increase the likelihood that your content will be found by users who are interested in that topic.
#5 Increased Sales
70% of shoppers look to Instagram for their next purchase. The platform is perfect for researching products, reading reviews, or viewing products in real-life settings.
Thus, content published on Instagram is an excellent way of convincing people that they should buy your product or service when they’re not sure they want to.
With Instagram’s various features, it’s safe to say that you can easily create engaging content that will help you sell even to the biggest skeptics. Additionally, the ability to tag your products in your content through Instagram shopping makes it easy for potential customers to make a purchase with just a few clicks. This reduces the friction of the buying process and can increase the likelihood of conversion.
Stacking it all up
There you have it – it’s all clear why Instagram is worth the time and effort. Instagram is a powerful platform that offers numerous benefits for businesses looking to increase their online presence, engage with customers, and drive sales.
With its visual nature, engagement features, user-generated content opportunities, algorithm, and sales potential, Instagram is a must-have tool in any brand’s social media marketing strategy.
By leveraging Instagram’s various features and tools, businesses can create a visually compelling presence that attracts new customers, builds brand loyalty, and drives business success. So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to up your brand’s Instagram game!
Credits:
Martyna Inkielman, PhotoAiD