6 Reasons Why Your Company Should Use Instagram Marketing

Instagram marketing is critical to brand marketing success. Back in 2010, when the photo-sharing app was launched, no-one would have thought that in less than a decade, this platform would skyrocket its position to the top in social media marketing channels. Today, Instagram is undeniably one of the most important social channels; let’s look at the numbers. 

According to the social media marketing latest report published by Social Media Marketer, 73% of marketers are using Instagram, up from 66% in 2018. It’s the second most important social platform for marketing (behind Facebook) and surpassed LinkedIn for the first time. A significant 69% of marketers plan on increasing their Instagram organic activities over the next 12 months. Instagram is the number-one platform marketers want to learn more about, surpassing Facebook for the first time.

 

This is proof that any marketer who is not using Instagram marketing yet is missing out on a sizeable reach for clients. Whether you manage the social media of a big company, a mid-sized business or perhaps you are using it to promote your own brand, including Instagram in your overall marketing strategy is a winning strategy. 

If you are still wondering whether Instagram will add to your brand’s social ROI or not, take a look at these 6 reasons:

1. Jet set your business growth through desired engagement!

With a billion monthly active users, it comes as no surprise that Instagram can offer businesses a large pool of potential audience/customers. A recent study also confirms that more than 80% of the businesses consider Instagram engagement as the most important metric in their social media plan. So, not only is there a huge market but there’s an interested audience that you can reach without spending large sums of money.

Instagram also lays emphasis on monetizing your posts through product placements. It’s called shoppable posts and they allow businesses to tag the products with clickable links that direct the user to their online store and prompt them to ‘shop now’. And with the way the active users are increasing on Instagram, purchases through posts are pretty big. It is, therefore, an opportunity no marketer/business owner would want to miss.  

Quick guide: #Hashtags are the best way to put your content out there and increase the possibility of reaching the right audience. You can easily find the definition and beginner’s guide to using it effectively online.  

2. Share your brand story – it’s worth narrating!

Haven’t we all grown up listening to fairy tales, bedtime stories or happily ever afters? Storytelling is simply a part of human nature. And from a business perspective, telling an interesting story is a great way to create an emotional connection with your audience. That makes Instagram a great place to show potential customers that you are more than just a faceless company. This can be done through many of the app’s features, but you can really make an impression with live posts and stories.

Through these live stories, show some behind-the-scenes insights into your company and the people who work there. Some examples are videos that show how products are made, videos of office employees interacting with each other, and live Q&A sessions between you and your audience.

These posts are an excellent way to build rapport, trust, and credibility with followers, as well as showing that there’s a human side to your business. If consumers see you as more than an entity looking to take their money, then they may be more trusting of your brand.

Quick guide: Use Instagram Stories to share ‘behind-the-scenes’ clips that show the people & personality behind your brand!

3. You can partner with influencers!

Why tell the world how great you or your products are when you can get someone else to do it and make 100 times the impact? Right! These people who do that for you are called Influencers. By simple definition, influencers are online celebrities or thought leaders who will often promote a brand or product and take it into the mainstream. 

When an influencer recommends a product or service on their channels, it can come across as a trusted recommendation from a friend. This is obviously a huge advantage for brands as it gives them direct access to target markets for just a fraction of what they’d pay for a traditional ad. 

By partnering with relevant influencers who have an engaging and authentic voice also ensures that your business is placed in front of people who are already interested in your niche, so it’s easier to make a real, lasting impression!

Quick guide: When you are strategizing an influencer marketing campaign, ensure your brand image complements the influencer you’re looking to reach out to.

4. Keep an eye on your competition too!

With so many businesses coming to the platform, it’s important to keep an eye on your Instagram competitors to stay relevant and be able to compete. Researching your competitors can help you improve your marketing game and gain new followers and customers too.

Knowing the strategy of your Instagram competitors is essential for successful Instagram marketing. Your competitors target the same people as you do, so monitoring their approach gives you an opportunity to learn their tricks and avoid mistakes. What’s more, many of your potential new customers are following your competitors’ accounts.

Quick guide: One of the quickest ways to know about your competition is to follow their Instagram accounts and hashtags used by them.

5. A reservoir of useful feedback and insights!

As a smart marketer, you probably already monitor conversations about your brand and products on social media. A target market is comprised of real people and therefore all your marketing efforts have to stay as fluid and flexible as they are to stay in front of them.

But do you know what people are posting about your brand on Instagram? Whether or not your brand is present on the platform, people will still use it to talk about your products and services as they do on other social media channels. They’re already publishing pictures of products they buy from you, recording videos, and commenting on each others content about your brand. You shouldn’t just ignore this feedback. It’s essential to both understand how customers perceive your brand and also to identify brand advocates.

Quick guide: Check people’s comments on your posts real-time and reply tactfully especially if it’s a negative one. This builds confidence that their opinions are being heard which in turn builds your brand’s credibility. 

6. Engagement is King

Over the years Instagram has proven to be a powerful marketing tool for businesses that are looking to expand both their visibility and reach. I am hoping that these 6 shortlisted reasons have helped in explaining why your brand should be investing in Instagram and given you some ideas of what to do on the platform next.

With just a small piece of advice – it is equally important to formulate an Instagram strategy before you start in order to identify the techniques to use, the theme of your posts, the objectives you want to achieve and the type of content you want to share.