Instagram has become one of the top social media platforms all over the world.  People of all ages use and share this as a source of fun. Online businesses and those with a storefront have Instagram accounts for lots of reasons.   The social media strategy of any business should have Instagram as an essential component.

Instagram

Before going ahead and looking at the advantages of using Instagram, what is Instagram?

Here are some facts about it

  • Instagram was founded in October 2010 and has been one of the biggest social media platforms since its inception.
  • There are already more than 40 billion photos that have been shared on Instagram.
  • Currently, there are more than 4.2 billion ‘Likes’ on Instagram per day.
  • There are a lot of celebrities that are on Instagram and it has been used as a platform for advertising and influence marketing. The most followed Instagram user is Selena Gomez, with more than 113 million followers.
  • If you think that it is not widely used, you should know that Instagram has been installed 1 billion times in the Google Play Store alone. How many times has it been installed on the Apple Store? Can you give a guess?
  • There are around 32% of all Internet users that are currently on Instagram while there are 59% of internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 that use Instagram. Most of the users also look for ways of purchasing the products they see on celebrities so selling on the platform is now well entrenched.

9 Reasons to Include Instagram

If you are still not convinced why you need to be on Instagram now, there are nine reasons that should give you all the information that you need.

  1. A total of 12 billion minutes are spent on Instagram each month. A lot of people are using Instagram; this fact is one that has been steady for a long time. With this number of users, you need to take advantage and get on the Instagram train as early as you can.

 

  1. Engage the market as early as possible. It is important to reach the market as early as possible. The fact is that there may be a lot of businesses that have the same items that you are selling.  How do you set yourself apart?  You set yourself apart by reaching a market using Instagram.

 

  1. Visual content is the new way of getting through to the market. Whatever the social media strategy it needs to have a visual.  If you are selling a product or a service, showing off the products and the review for the service is very important to keep your market interested.  Gone are the days when you have to address your market through just words, you need to provide them with a visual – a photo or a video.  This is where Instagram perfectly fits the bill for any product.

 

  1. Instagram is proven to drive sales to any business. It is a given that platforms such as Amazon and eBay are meant to make sales. However, it came as a surprise that social media platforms such as Instagram can also be used to market some products.  Based on a recent survey, Instagram referrals result in an ‘average order’ value of $65.  This ‘average order’ can add to your sales and increase profitability.

 

  1. Engagement is now better with the photo aspect of Instagram. Imagine this; there are a few things on your news feed so it becomes boring. The problem is that attention is decreased as viewers enter ‘browsing mode’. As a business, you know that you need to get more things working and grab the attention of the audience.  How do you do this?  You need to have a perfect Instagram photo to tell your story to your audience.

 

  1. Instagram does not filter posts. The best thing about this platform is that there is no filter that will remove your posts from any news feed. The only thing that the business must always do is to have engaging posts that get the attention of the world.

 

  1. Instagram posts can be shared on all possible social media platforms. After a hectic week you receive feedback that you want to share with potential clients. How can this be done easily and efficiently? Use the Instagram re-post button and you can share the feedback with your audience immediately.

 

  1. Instagram videos are also good at getting people’s attention. Some products need to have more than just a photo. Some items need demonstration and with Instagram, the demonstration is informative and engaging.

 

  1. Instagram has the highest conversion rate in all of the social media platforms. This means that you have a higher chance of making a sale on Instagram compared to all the other social media platforms out there.

 

Considering all this, you should really make Instagram a big part of your social media optimization and this will build your business’ social media presence.