I’ve been pushing for that we use Instagram for a while and keep getting repeatedly asked the same question Why we should use Instagram? Since I’m beginning to sound like someone who hit “replay” each time I respond to that question, I decided I’d make a blog post on the subject.
For certain people and companies, Instagram may not be the most beneficial platform. If you have only the time to manage two social media platforms and you’re not capable of justifying the addition of another. That’s fine. Instagram might not be the right choice for your needs right now. However, I would still suggest that you read this article and look at the benefits of using the site. You might find it something you’d like to consider joining in the future.
Here are my top ten reasons why you should consider using Instagram.
It’s More Than The Shiny New Toy
There’s always a new toy that’s coming up. Another platform that’s being touted as the next major trend. It’s true that Instagram isn’t the latest thing. Instagram began public in October of 2010 and has steadily increased its users since the time it was launched. It’s been extensively tested and tried. It’s becoming bigger and more efficient and, if its growth is an indication that it will continue to be in use for quite a while to the future.
This is Where it’s where “Kids” Are
Of course, there are a lot of platforms that “kids” (the youngest generation, the millennial generation) use. Many of them are on Instagram. Why? because their grandparents and parents aren’t online like their friends on Facebook. Guess where they were? Facebook. The site is an evolutionary process. The younger generation discovers websites and start to make them popular. Then, the rest of the world catches on and they become popular for all generations. Instagram is likely to become (it has already begun to become) the latest popular platform.
The World is All About Pictures
Why bother writing a lengthy blog when you could take a picture? Instead of answering the question “what is it that you’re doing?”, why not upload a photo of the things you’re working on? Isn’t that much simpler and more useful? Pictures communicate a lot more to the viewer. They convey ideas, emotions thoughts, feelings, and the reality. These are the things you can’t convey by writing text. Photos let your viewers enter your world in such a way that they begin to believe that they are component of that.
You could also think about photographs solely as an interaction perspective. Consider the content on your feed. What are the posts you like to look at more attentively? The ones with text or that have photos? I’m certain I’m focused on photographs. A lot of times I read text, but I also stop to take a look at pictures. If your feed is dominated by photos, then you’re capitalizing on the phenomenon of the dominance of photos.
Display Your Personality
People are drawn to connecting with other people. Photos are a fantastic opportunity to showcase your personality as a person or who are the people in your company. Pictures of your employees or photos of you and your personal life are an effective way to engage to your target audience. Are you a brand that is youthful and vibrant? Perhaps it’s more refined and sophisticated? Whatever the case, your pictures are able to convey your personality faster and more efficiently than any text message ever.
It’s (Unintentionally) Marketing Friendly
I don’t believe that the people behind Instagram thought of making their features and services focus on marketers. However, they did. It’s kind of like Facebook when you consider the ease with which you can be in front of your followers. The first thing to note is that it’s not Edgerank. You actually get to see every image of each person that you like (assuming that you click down enough or regularly enough). Therefore, as a company you do not have to fret about which post will receive the most hits. They will all be featured 100 percent on your feeds.
The new video features is very marketer-friendly since you can now not only let you share pictures, but also actually interact with your audience! You can also show real footage of your work. The best thing is that the videos will automatically play on the feed! Your viewers will immediately see your video.
Ads Are Coming Soon
Although Instagram is free and is more or less targeted, it is likely to alter in the near future. There’s plenty of talk on social media regarding Instagram providing ads. I’m guessing that this feature will be similar to the promoted posts on Twitter or Facebook. If the post is displayed in the upper right corner of feeds or in the feed is open to debate. But this option will surely be offered in the near future. I’m confident that a lot of companies will be jumping onto the Instagram bandwagon once this comes into effect. If, however, you’re already active on the platform and have a loyal group of followers, you don’t have to think about advertisements nearly as often. You already have the market part of the attention of your customers.
Monitor Your Analytics
One of the main reasons users avoid Instagram to conduct business is that they don’t feel they have the ability to track their activities. There isn’t a feature in Instagram that can do this, there’s an online platform that can perform the task for you. I am completely in love with the site and the information it offers. Look up Statigram and you’ll be able to find the website that handles all the work for you! I’m not going into detail about this site as I’ll be writing a follow-up blog that will go over the functions of the site. If you’re using Instagram for business, make sure you bookmark this website to keep track of your information.
Increase traffic to your site
It’s true, there is a chance that you can actually bring customers to your site via Instagram. It might not be as simple to do as Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Google+, or even Facebook to be honest but it is able to be accomplished. The advantage these other sites offer is that you can add links to your website directly in your comments. On Instagram you can put the URL of your site in the comments section, however it won’t be posted as hyperlinks. This makes it more difficult to post – and I’m hoping Instagram improves this in the near future.
But, you are able to include your link to your website on your profile. I suggest you select this link with care since it’s the only link that you are able to promote. Pick the page that you often want to point visitors to. Then, what I suggest is to promote in your comments that visitors go to your site (for more details for an article or to view more images or to find out more information about a product, etc.) And inform them you have a link on your website is located in your bio. This is an additional step to be taken and it’s a good idea, but it’s effective. I know this because I’ve witnessed the results of driving visitors to my blog via Instagram.
It’s for all kinds of Business
A lot of people think that photography is best for products-based businesses. However, this isn’t the case. Even if you’re a B2B, there’s numerous occasions to share your pictures. The photos you share don’t need to be focused on “work”. Include pictures of your team members working photographs of your travel destinations when you meet with clients, pictures of your workplace, images of the projects you’re working on and photos of the flowers in your office. There are endless options on Instagram. Take your time and make your pictures reflect your personality!
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It’s just Plain Fun!
Even if none of the reasons above could be enough to warrant joining Instagram I’d recommend the service simply because it’s enjoyable. It’s definitely one of the my most enjoyable sites. It’s not as educational (I use Google+, Twitter, or LinkedIn for excellent content) However, sometimes you want to just enjoy social media. I personally prefer the site. Although, admittedly, I am a photographer and I am a photographer, therefore I may benefit more from this website than those who don’t post photographs. But , even so I’ve spoken to a lot of people who, although they don’t upload lots of pictures, admit that Instagram is among their top sites.
I hope this motivates you to hop to join Instagram. It’s an amazing site, and even if you use it for personal use, I would suggest you to get familiar with the app. It will see many more in the near future!