Marketing on Instagram: Why and How
Founded in 2012, Instagram is a platform best known for sharing selfies and competing with friends for likes, but the platform is not purely social. It can also be used to successfully market brands and businesses. In fact, 71 percent of US businesses use the site.
Let's take a look at how and why Instagram can be used to market your brand.
Why Instagram?
In the contemporary era, brands have been capitalizing on the popularity of social media to spread their message and boost awareness for their content.
Among these platforms, Instagram is one of the most popular - people and businesses alike have been able to profit off of its nature. Here are some benefits of using Instagram marketing for your brand:
1. Popularity
As of today, Instagram has over 1.4 billion users worldwide. It is currently the 7th most visited website and the second most downloaded app. Popularity for the platform ranges by age, but the most users are aged 18-24, where around 75% of whom are active.
These numbers are growing every day.
Needless to say, Instagram provides creators with a large platform for getting their message across.
2. Visual Content
Pictures and visual elements are often the first things that capture the reader’s eye. The modern consumer in the digital age prefers more simplistic and less time consuming content. Additionally, visuals allow for higher levels of engagement and attentiveness within a community
Because Instagram is a visually based platform, it is good for attracting and maintaining followers.
3. Communication
Of all of the major social media platforms, Instagram has the highest rate of brand engagement.
Interactive in its nature, the platform allows connections with users. This interaction allows for a more intimate feel of your brand, and keeps users engaged in what you're publishing.
This communication also provides a window for constructive criticism and general feedback, which is important in helping you understand, first hand, how users view your content , and can dictate what steps you can take to improve it.
4. Recognition
Finally, using Instagram can help establish a sense of familiarity that sticks with users and keeps them returning to your content. Through consistency, users can easily recognize content that belongs to you
If done right, Instagram is a great cost effective way to establish legitimacy in your brand.
How to use Instagram for marketing
Now that we know why Instagram should be used to boost your brand, let's look at the best ways to do so. Instagram can be a stressful and competitive environment. It is important to do the right things on the platform in order to stay relevant. But don't fear the task is not impossible nor difficult - use these tips to develop a reliable business plan on the platform:
1. Business Account
First things first, when establishing a personal or professional brand on Instagram it is important to utilize a professional account.
In order to do this, you go to settings > account > professional account, and follow the prompts.
This component offers a number of useful features that you can use to help grow your brand - some of which include:
Insights and analytics on posts
Ability to run advertisements
Contact information and call to action buttons on profile
2. Target Audience
It is important that you define and understand the group of consumers which your material is aimed at in order to produce the best content that resonates with them. This group is known as your target market.
Analytics on your posts can help you define this population. Furthermore, when the time comes to post advertisements, the creator can define the target market of the ads to reach this audience.
3. Appealing Content
For creators, it is essential that the content you produce is captivating to your target audience. This is done through both visuals, and written captions.
It is important that the visual elements such as posts and videos are clean and easy to read. Similarly, your captions must be concise and reflect your brand’s voice.
It is important to develop visual and written consistency in order to increase brand recognition and influence consumer engagement.
The main reason people use Instagram is to be entertained, inspired and captivated, so it is important that your content tells a story to reflect this.
4. Engage
In order to be successful, it is critical to communicate with the people that follow your content in order for your brand to have relevance and keep people returning for more.
You can do this in a few ways:
Respond to comments
Comment on other’s posts
Go live
Re-share your tagged posts
In her book “Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion” author Nathalie Nahai states that it's important to “Have a clear identity, target the right people, use social validation reciprocity and social proof, and converse in your campaigns”.
Social media, Instagram especially, is a powerful tool that, if used right, can elevate your brand.
sources:
https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-marketing/
https://dailyiowan.com/2021/10/01/instagram-marketing-benefits-for-small-businesses/
https://www.influencive.com/6-benefits-of-instagram-marketing-for-your-business/
https://www.hubspot.com/instagram-marketing
https://findstack.com/instagram-statistics/
““Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion” by Nathalie Nahai