Facebook and Twitter are, and probably will remain for some time, the top dogs when it comes to social media.
The next in the long line of contenders is up for debate, but Instagram is definitely trending upwards when it comes to the social media element that businesses must start using (that’s assuming you’re not already. If you are then this article should help you understand why you’re on it and why you should stay on it.).
Instagram is gaining ground on the leaders and leaving many other social media outlets behind. Why?
Here’s why.
1. Instagram posts are guaranteed to appear on the newsfeeds of the customers who follow you. That means the reach of your post is sure to be seen, something that Facebook can’t guarantee. In the end that is going to make your campaign trackable and produce a measurable ROI.
2. Instagram is highly conducive to smartphones. Facebook and Twitter were not directly designed for smartphones resulting in less than optimal results for a company. Smartphones are gaining in popularity and upwards of 90% of activity of from mobile media is from an app which plays right into Instagram’s hands.
3. Instagram is growing. It started when Instagram was purchased by Facebook but it hasn’t stopped, and now, Instagram has more user accounts than Twitter (#NOWAY). The jumps have been significant, too, from 50 million to 200 million in the two years since the purchase by Facebook and potentially reaching 400 million very soon.
4. More positive number for Instagram. Nearly 40 million photos per day are uploaded onto Instagram, and 70% of Instagram account-holder log in at least once per day. On any given day, upwards of 7.3 million people are on Instagram. That’s a whole lot of eyeballs peeping on your product or service.
5. Instagram boosts your profile and your SEO ranking as well. Teaming up with Facebook and Twitter just increases your chances of being first and foremost when potential customers are searching.
6. Instagram helps you compete with the biggest of rivals. Mid-size and small businesses can’t compete against big-box stores or conglomerates which can afford advertising like television and billboards. But Instagram levels the playing field. Show off what you’ve got or what you do in colorful, impactful images. What they see is what you offer and what you do which is the important aspect.
7. Instagram, like Twitter, allows you to hashtag which targets your customers and potential customers. If you’re a bakery and you post a spectacular image of your latest, most decorative wedding cake and hashtag is correctly, you are reaching customers who are directly searching for that product.
8. Instagram means connections. It can create dialogue and reviews which is useful in both spreading the good word or conversely the opportunity to covert a customer service issue into a win instead of loss.
By Kayla Pavelich Instagram & Pinterest Director The Mark Consulting & Marketing
Twitter @KaylaPavelich