Since its inception, Instagram has proven to be a\npowerful marketing tool for businesses looking to expand their presence and the\nvisibility of their products. If you have not jumped on the Instagram bandwagon\nyet, you may be doing your business a great disservice. If you still need\nconvincing, then check out these 10 reasons why Instagram is continuously\nrising in importance and how your company can benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. More people are using Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the folks at Instagram, their social\nmedia presence currently brings with it over 800 million active users. Of those\nmillions of people, over 500 million are on the platform on a daily basis, with\n80 percent of them being outside of the United States, 34 percent of them being\nmillennials and 38 percent checking the site multiple times each day. With that\nmany available eyeballs, there is no limit to the success a business can reach\nwith a dedicated Instagram strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Any size of business can thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With all of those users to choose from, the sky\nis the limit to what a business can achieve. That goes for large, well-known\ncompanies as well as smaller mom and pop shops and one-man operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, even for the best-known companies,\nsuccess will not come overnight, but if a marketing team wants to get their\norganization on the map, they can do so by keeping an active presence and\nmaintaining a routine of at least one post per day. This is how both household\nnames like Coca-Cola and Adidas as well as a slew of small businesses have\neffectively used Instagram to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Businesses can make money directly from\nInstagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instagram has evolved over the years, and now\nthere is a greater emphasis on making money through product placement. The\nlatest program is called shoppable posts, and they allow businesses to add tags\nto the products in their photos with links that include a product description,\nprice and the ability to “shop now,” which will lead the user to your\nonline store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this new service, it’s simple for a business\nto attract actual sales from the site, and with 72 percent of Instagram users\nadmitting to purchasing products through the social media platform, the results\nare hard to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editor’s Note: Need a social media management\nsolution? Fill out the below questionnaire to be connected with vendors that\ncan help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Stories make your business relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instagram is a great way to show potential\ncustomers that you are more than just a faceless corporation. This can be done\nthrough many of the app’s features, but you can really make an impression with\nlive posts and stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best way to use live stories is to show\nbehind-the-scenes insights into your company and the people who work there.\nSome examples are videos that show how products are made, videos of office\nemployees interacting with each other, and live Q&A sessions between you\nand your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instagram live posts are also an excellent way to\nbuild rapport, trust and credibility with followers, as well as showing that\nthere’s a human side to your business. If consumers see you as more than an\nentity looking to take their money, then they may be more trusting of your\nbrand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. You can partner with influencers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to social media, you have your\nregular viewers, and then you have influencers. For those not in the know,\ninfluencers are online celebrities who will often promote a brand or product\nand take it into the mainstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A dependable influencer can bring your company;s\nsales to a whole other level through increased return on investment and access\nto demographics that you wouldn’t normally reach. If you use a well-known\ninfluencer, then they can spread word of your company or product to millions of\nfollowers with just a few posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Hashtags can increase your visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a new business on the block, you may be\nintimidated by the competition, but with the proper use of hashtags, you can\nseparate your company from the herd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hashtags are essentially keywords that summarize\nwhat your post is saying. Popular Instagram hashtags such as Coca-Cola’s\n#ShareaCoke, Charmin’s #TweetFromTheSeat and Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins have\nrocked the industry, becoming pop culture cornerstones that have made these\npopular companies even more recognizable and beloved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may not be Coke or Charmin, but effective use\nof hashtags can do wonders to separate your business from the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. You can effectively engage with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is better than having customers know you\nexist? How about the opportunity to engage with them on a daily basis? The fact\nis that people like to make their opinions known, especially if they like\nsomething, and Instagram is a platform for users to like, comment on and share\ntheir favorite posts. The more likes and comments you get, the more visible\nyour company becomes. You can get more likes by taking high-quality photos,\nusing local hashtags and partnering with other brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Mobility is king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which started out as\nbrowser-based sites, Instagram was created to be an app from the start. Since\n90 percent of time spent on mobile is spent on apps, your company should take\nadvantage of this and make your posts accessible to viewers wherever they go\nvia Instagram. Smartphone users tend to turn to Instagram because it has a\ncleaner style than the cluttered view that Facebook can create, and with\nengagement on Instagram being 10 times higher than on Facebook, you will want\nto get on the bandwagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. You can keep an eye on competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your company can use Instagram to keep an eye on\nyour competitors and see how they interact with their followers. Watch\ncarefully to find out how often they post, what they are posting and how they engage\nwith their followers. You can use the information you gather to better define\nyour own personal strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10. It offers many ways to get creative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great benefit of the photo-sharing app is the\ncreativity it provides. On Instagram, your marketing team can go wild coming up\nwith new ways to draw attention and add followers and new customers. Show the\npublic that your brand has personality and that it is cool to shop with you by\nmixing it up with contests, shoutouts, vivid images, interactive videos and\nmore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If anything ties these 10 benefits together, it\nis that more people are paying attention to Instagram than ever before, and you\nare only ignoring millions of potential customers by not joining this powerful\nsocial media platform. Take the tips you learned here and use them to start\nbuilding your Instagram presence. Your bottom line will be glad that you did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zach Benson<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See Zach Benson’s Profile<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zach Benson is the CEO and founder of Assistagram\nan innovative Instagram management agency specialising in growth of accounts\nand creating Instagram campaigns that reach millions. As a full-time\nentrepreneur, TEDx speaker, social-media trainer for international brands such\nas The Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton and ViceRoy, he encourages others to reach\ntheir full potential through the arts and social media. He uses his successful\nsocial media presence and impressive network of followers to travel around the\nworld teaching others how to grow their Instagram accounts. Zach is also an\naward-winning dancer and was a finalist on FOX TV’s popular show ‘So You Think\nYou Can Dance’. He combines his passion for teaching, entrepreneurship, dance\nand travel to mentor people all over the world and help them grow, dance and\nimprove their companies<\/p>\n\n\n\n