When advertising and marketing any business, one simple adage always seem to hold up – “Go where the people are.” Or to put another way, advertise where potential customers are most likely to see it.
When people depended on newspapers for information, then newspaper ads were the most effective. The came radio, TV, and eventually the internet. We’ve now entered the age of mobile social media.
It’s a pretty safe bet that you’ve heard about – and may already be using – Facebook and Twitter. But what about Instagram?
It can be dizzying trying to keep up with the constantly changing face of social media and how it can be used in a business context. Instagram, for example, is a networking service that allows people to share photos and videos and links to other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr.
The key is that Instagram is perfect for mobile devices like smartphones and taps into people’s love of sharing photos and videos. And mobile is the latest frontier in marketing.
According to Fast Company Magazine, 2015 mobile media consumption surpassed online for the first time with more than 100 million daily active users, 1.6 billion daily likes, and 20 billion shared photos. As you might expect, the demographics show that the biggest users are millennials, who spend more than 439 minutes per month on the platform, according to comScore Mobile Trends 2014.
A recent study by Forrester Research also found that Instagram users were 58 times more likely to like, comment, or share a brand’s post than Facebook users and 120 times more likely than Twitter users. Further, Instagram seems to be on the way up with users who are shifting their time away from Facebook and Twitter. And Instagram’s simplicity also means it has the potential to reach across all demographics. And all of these numbers are growing at a fast rate.
It changes quickly, but for right now, Instagram is where the people are.
The nest question is how your business can use Instagram to reach them.
In marketing to social media, pictures and video attract the most notice and content on Instagram is easy to share than other types of content.
Trying to create a photo- and video-heavy marketing strategy, however, can be challenging for some businesses. Pictures of your products will only get you so far, and the most successful Instagram strategies involve a mix of content that, while not always tied to your specific business, keeps your followers engaged.
Telling your business story through visual means that also creates a conversation is the key. The strength of any social media content is how often it is shared by users with friends and family. A business must create content that reaches and engages its target audience and, most of all, makes them want to share it with others.
Done right, Instagram can help you tell a visual story of your company and promotions that not only attracts eyes, but starts people talking.
Clearbridge Branding Agency can help you devise an Instagram approach that is simple and reaches your target audience with engaging content. Coupled with other social media, you can expand your social reach and keep ahead of the changing social media curve. Contact us with any of your social media questions; we’d be happy to answer them.
