Were it not for social media platforms, most small business startups might not get out of the starting blocks. Traditional marketing methods bear a hefty price tag, involve quite a bit of human capital, and takes a lot of time and planning. Technology has enabled the birth of an entirely new era of marketing, a true gift to any brand seeking to grow and ensure healthy business outcomes. Not only saving you time and money, marketing via these networking platforms means that you communicate with customers, and crucially, they can instantly provide feedback to you, whether in the form of thanks, offering recommendations, or making inquiries.
Instagram is unequivocally a leader in this field and has been for some time. Over one billion people use Instagram each month, for an average of 30 minutes each day. In addition, 81% of this enormous group research products and services with half of them visiting retail websites. Therefore, it won’t surprise you that more than 200 million businesses have opened an Instagram account and if you haven’t, here are more reasons why you really should.
• A Large Audience
Instagram is primarily used by millennials but has been growing in popularity among other generations as well. If your target audience falls into these age brackets then you should have no problem utilizing Instagram to gain more followers and increase brand awareness. However, not every business targets millennials, so if you feel like your business could use more Instagram followers, you could use the services of a marketing agency specializing in growth such as Growthoid. It will surely result in getting more customers fast.
It is worth reminding you that on Instagram, you have access to 1 billion people, around the globe. Add to this the opportunity to service customers outside of your hometown, thanks to the extensive shipping industry and the ability to meet with your customer online, it is truly realistic for many brands now, to cast their net much wider than ever before. Now, you are fishing in the ocean and no longer limited to a small local pond. This should be a thrilling realization.
• Visual Marketing
Instagram’s service encourages a focus on visuals because they elicit feelings that inspire and motivate. An image can most often be interpreted faster than it would take to read a lengthy piece of copy explaining the same. Increasingly, what you want to share must be done so in consideration of people’s busy lives and their limited time. Whether a video or an image or set of images, as a collective, they should adequately represent your set of foundational principles regarding brand uniformity. Regular, diverse, and captivating posts planned via a content calendar will keep the attention of your audience. Stiff business formalities aren’t applicable.
• Many Ways to Engage
Engaging will naturally start on your Instagram account, but gold is there for the taking outside of your home base. Follow a broad range of people. Include existing customers, new followers, industry leaders, competitors, influencers. Watch, learn, and essentially, engage on their accounts too. Like posts that resonate with your business, comment where you want to draw attention to your brand and entice readers to your profile. What these people and organizations do and say will very likely inform some of your future decisions.
• Ads
Future customers can be very effectively accessed by creating and placing ads on Instagram. Their methodology is precise and the insights which result are credible and can inform your actions. Promote is one of the related services which allows you to turn one of your posts into an ad, with the tap of a button. For more advanced campaigns, which can be carried across multiple platforms, Ads Manager should be your destination of choice. Here, thoughtful formats have been organized for your use and selection will depend on your objectives, which might include more profile visits, website views, or messages. It is insufficient to merely have an Instagram profile. Sincere marketing goals actioned well will ensure that you make your presence felt, frequently, and positively. Be professional but also transparent, in sharing not only information on what problems your product or service solves but perhaps also some of whom work behind the scenes to support these efforts. Followers will relish celebrating your successes with you and will equally reward your thorough communication efforts with great ideas.