Instagram is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. With over 2.35 billion active monthly users, the picture and video-sharing network is under Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, which acquired Instagram in 2012. Since the acquisition, Instagram has become one of Meta’s principal sources of revenue. As Instagram develops and revamps its software, the collective time spent on the app keeps increasing.
Instagram became popular owing to its unique interface focused mainly on picture and video-sharing, as opposed to text-based social media platforms like Facebook. This format is the reason why Instagram is one of the most effective marketing tools in today’s world. With the growing number of active users, Instagram marketing is essential for a successful business.
Here are six reasons why Instagram marketing is not to be taken lightly.
1. Posting quality content improves user engagement
Over 2 billion people worldwide use Instagram. With a staggering amount of people logging in to the app, advertising anything becomes very convenient. Using Instagram to market your brand means a greater chance of users engaging with what you post. But there’s a catch. With this many users, there is a greater chance that many others are posting about something related to your brand or business, which translates to more competition and decreases your chances of being noticed.
Posting pictures with aesthetic value is necessary for user engagement and to make your content stand out amongst the many posts. Using stock photos for Instagram posts, stories, and highlight covers brings a pleasing aesthetic to your profile. Posting quotes with stock photos as background, customizing stock photos to match your style, and using them in videos are among the strategies that can bring more users to notice you.
Smartly using business strategies is useful while using Instagram for marketing. A platform that allows users to engage with what you post increases their curiosity, and they take notice of your brand, making it crucial to create a profile that has a greater chance of reaching users.
2. You can reach an interested audience
The main goal of any marketing strategy is reaching a target audience. Your advertisements must target people more likely to be interested in your products and make purchases. Social media proves to be a great way to approach your target audience, and, in the post-pandemic world, it has emerged as the channel chosen by many businesses. With Instagram having most users between the ages of 18 and 34, it becomes easier to target a wider age group as a marketing audience.
The audience you can access through Instagram consists of people interested in products and actively using it as a social commerce platform. Most Instagram users have reported following business accounts they are interested in, while 35% of users make a purchase through Instagram in 2023. Instagram advertisements have a potential audience of millions and are more likely to reach your target audience.
With targeted ad options, your marketing is more likely to reach your target audience. Targeted ads are designed based on data from users who are more likely to show interest in your brand, further improving your marketing.
3. Instagram Business Account Options
Instagram allows businesses to operate a business account, a free option that allows business owners to use tools to enhance their marketing. A business account can provide users with statistics about their followers and users interacting with their posts, including age and location-based data.
With analytics, Instagram can provide you with relevant information to optimize your marketing strategy. This data helps you keep your posts and stories specific to your target audience and helps advance your reach to relevant customers. You can also link your profile with other apps, including action buttons, a relevant bio, and contact information, along with using your logo as a profile display for better engagement.
4. Multiple formats to post media
Posting on Instagram is not limited to pictures. The popularity of Instagram Stories, Story Highlights, videos, and Reels has grown in the past few years. Instagram Stories are a way to post anything for a limited amount of time, while Story Highlights act as an effective way to personalize your profile and provide insight.
Posting pictures and videos related are essential for a good marketing plan. By posting media frequently, using a good color scheme, and using hashtags, you can ensure that your posts reach a wider audience.
Recently, Instagram introduced short-form videos that have become highly popular, called Reels. With the ability to add music, aesthetic transitions, stock photos and videos, text, and linking reels to relevant destination links, Reels are the new, optimal way to promote your brand. You can make use of Instagram’s editing software or external editing applications and design interactive reels that are sure to be an indispensable tool in your Instagram marketing arsenal.
5. You can use sponsored advertisements
Advertisement posts are not always able to reach the target audience. Using sponsored ads, however, can be a way to improve your reach. Instagram allows users to create sponsored posts. You can plan a sponsorship budget and use sponsored ads to reach your target audience who would not have seen your ads otherwise.
Using sponsored ads is a way to show your content to users other than those who follow you. You can link your old or popular posts and use Instagram features to increase their reach or create new posts likely to be noticed and sponsor them for further user engagement.
6. You can partner with influencers
Social media influencers can be very useful in marketing. With their following and digital presence, influencers can convince their followers to purchase or look into products they endorse.
Influencers charge an amount to endorse your brand or product, which is a sensible investment since it will advertise your product to their followers. Another way to employ influencers is by sending them your product or service free of charge and asking them for endorsement if they find it useful. Any mention of your brand or business from an influencer can help you gain many new followers and expose your product to a new market.
Influencers can help improve your image and help maintain your business or brand as authentic. In addition, building a professional partnership with influencers can further help market your product.
Conclusion
Marketing techniques have evolved, and social media marketing currently leads the charge. To effectively promote a business, brand, event, or product, Instagram should be your choice of social media network to get the word out. With the correct marketing strategies, well-defined marketing goals, and budgeting, Instagram marketing can be a game-changer.
