Since companies should always be looking to expand their reach, it's a huge mistake to overlook Instagram for business. Nevertheless, uninformed business owners still believe several persistent Instagram myths and that holds them back with their marketing efforts.
To dispel the myths and get you to consider the power of Instagram, here are 3 ways it can help your business. Your Instagram account could very well be the biggest thing you do in 2016 to market your business.
1. The user base is massive and growing.
There are now more than 400 million* users on Instagram, which is roughly twice the number from a mere two years ago. It's also more global, so if your business aims for worldwide reach, consider this: around 75% of Instagram users live outside the U.S.
After exponential growth for nearly five years, Instagram is clearly a lasting phenomenon that businesses can rely upon to expand their online reach. And the mass exodus from Facebook to Instagram by the youngest generations is still happening as more people discover the simple joys of sharing photos and nothing else (by contrast, the all-encompassing Facebook platform is more of a showcase for your whole life). It is time to explore adding Instagram to your social media marketing strategy.
2. It can be used effectively for any type of business.
Are you still under the impression that Instagram is only for companies who sell physical products they can feature in pictures? That myth has been debunked several times over by now, as businesses have come up with some pretty creative ways to leverage Instagram to sell anything from services to opportunities to advice.
For example, if your business sells nothing that can be photographed, then feature your company culture on Instagram instead. It's all about connecting with your customer base, and showing company culture definitely facilitates those connections.
For whatever reason, people love to see other people at work, especially when it reveals something unique like employee work spaces, company celebrations, and best of all: company charity events. These have the added benefit of showing your best side to future employees as well as potential customers.
3. There are lots of ways to measure the outcome of your campaigns.
Just because Instagram doesn't offer a native monitoring and tracking tool, doesn't mean you can't do either. There are many Instagram analytics tools to choose from, both paid and free. Among the best are: Simply Measured, Iconosquare, and Union Metrics.
I hope you can see there's a lot of potential with Instagram, especially if your goals include developing your brand and expanding your reach. Done right, Instagram for business can help build stronger bonds with your followers, and that's what digital marketing is all about.
Please contact us for more social media marketing strategies that are fully customized to your business.