Should Your Business Care about Instagram?
Posted by aonenetworks On May 8, 2013
With so many social media websites making their mark on the world, you’d think that one more just wouldn’t make a big enough difference in the reputation of your business. Instagram is primarily a photo-sharing platform, and there are many of those that you could be on instead, especially since Instagram is generally viewed as a personal website. However, most assumptions about Instagram are incorrect, and many businesses have already “made the leap” into photo blogging. Starbucks is the most prominent example simply because marketing through images seems to be natural for a coffee company. But it can work for your company, too – especially since there are more than 100 million active users on the photo-sharing website to date, giving over 8,500 likes per second.
Even though this is not quite as impressive as Facebook, it’s certainly notable and worth a gander, especially considering the following.
Different Reach
Even though you’re focusing on the audience that has chosen to use Instagram, you can also reach out to other users on other social media platforms while you’re at it. Instagram supports hashtags, and all pictures can be manually or automatically imported to Twitter for an even better effect. Further, since Facebook owns Instagram (having bought it out early last year), the two sites are very integrated. So, if you own a business tech company, you can share pictures of your newest product across all platforms without much more than an extra click or two. Instagram provides interesting filters, too, to make a picture even more eye-catching to your audiences.
Promotion
Even if your offer is good, an offer in picture form is even better – especially if your audience on Instagram is growing. Not only will you be promoting brand awareness, it’s likely you’ll get a new customer or two along the way. For example, if you choose to hold a photo contest and post the photo winners on your Instagram, you’ll be surprised at how many sales will be driven your way.
Remember, Instagram works even if you don’t sell visual products, and anyone can use it, no matter how young or old your company is. Instagram also supports text photos, meaning that you aren’t necessarily limited by its photo-only sharing mechanisms. Be creative, and you’ll see some amazing results just by giving Instagram a shot.
