Marketers tend to have the mindset that Facebook is the most important social media platform for promoting a business, but that isn’t always the case. This misconception may have come from the fact that Facebook is the largest, but Instagram has been the platform to watch in recent years. The simple and visually appealing aesthetic of the platform make it a mindless task for consumers to scroll their feeds. Instagram is the perfect social media marketing tool because it has seen a major increase in engagement, the content is easily digestible and it drives traffic to branded pages.
According to Business Insider, brands are seeing nearly four times as much user engagement on Instagram than they do on Facebook. The simplicity of Instagram’s interactions could also be coming into play. A recent study suggested that Instagram’s simple method for liking content by double-tapping the photo or video could contribute to higher ratios of engagement. This doesn’t mean you should pull away from Facebook altogether, but rather increase your focus on Instagram. The sheer size and reach of Facebook makes it a must-have for advertisers and brands, so shifting ad budgets from Facebook to Instagram is not recommended. We suggest dedicating more resources to Instagram, and start viewing the platform as a conversion tool and effective branding tool.
Content on Instagram is simply more sharable, easier to understand, and far more universal than other types of content. We already know this is assisting with engagement levels, but why else does this matter for your brand? Consumers crave the opportunity to visually share their stories, reactions, and experiences, and Instagram offers a platform for this with its unique ability to highlight visual content. We as marketers know that visual content is king. Fast Company explains that visual storytelling is an art form on Instagram, and it’s important to be able to craft a conversation over an extended period of time, which Instagram makes it easy to do. In order to capture the attention of that audience you must be active on the platform, creating content that is not only engaging but also shareable for your target audience.
It has recently become much easier to drive traffic to your website or blog from Instagram, and the increase in visits from Instagram prove it. You can drive traffic from every photo you are posting to your Instagram page by placing a simple call to action in the caption. For example, as produce marketers, every time we post a photo of a product or recipe we add “Click the link in our bio” to every caption directing our audience straight to our website. You can also invest in Instagram advertising to boost website traffic. When you boost a photo that’s already posted to your Instagram, it gives you the opportunity to add a link directly to your website that your targeted audience can click. Kissmetrics puts it this way, Instagram is a social marketplace that directs traffic that turns into sales. How do you do that? You share photos that are attention-grabbing, unique, and full of personality.
Whether you’ve been on Instagram since the beginning or are thinking about getting started, brands need to utilize Instagram if they truly want to reach and resonate with their audience.
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