Instagram is a Great Advertising Channel to Invest In

 

Instagram’s History of Growth and Success

Instagram boasts more than 600 million users worldwide, including 300 million daily active users. Before diving into how a business can leverage this enormous audience, let’s give a little bit more background on the social media platform.

Less than seven years ago, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launched Instagram on the Apple Store and it was an almost overnight success. In 2012, it was bought by Facebook for $1 billion when it had a mere 30 million users. Now, it’s one of the fastest growing social media platforms. In fact, FORBES estimates that it is currently worth between $25 and $50 billion dollars.

So how can a business take advantage of the meteoric growth of Instagram? There’s lot of ways, actually. One of the most common uses for a business is simply brand awareness. Much like advertising on Facebook, ads on Instagram can focus on getting your brand out in front of a targeted group of users who are the most interested in your products and services.

Ads can be targeted by location, demographic, interest, behavior, and more to allow businesses to fine tune who sees their ads.

Beyond just brand awareness, Instagram advertising can also help your potential customers to learn more about your products and services.

Photo and video ads can showcase your products and inform viewers of what they are, how they work, and why people should want them.

Carousel ads allow viewers to swipe through a series of photos in a single ad, allowing for a more thorough experience of your product or service.

Stories ads can give that personal touch to your messaging, allowing users to truly feel what your company is about and why they should get involved.

All of these formats can also lend themselves to improving conversions. Increased product sales, better converting websites, improved mobile app downloads, and even increased visitors to your brick and mortar store are all possible with these Instagram ads.

The best part is, since Instagram is run by Facebook, setting up ads is easy. It’s run the same way that Facebook ads are, so if you have experience there, translating to Instagram will be a breeze.

If you’re still not convinced that Instagram advertising is right for you, here’s a few more big picture stats.

• 20% of all Internet users have Instagram.

• Engagement rates are sky high (4.3%) in comparison to other social platforms (1% is considered good on Facebook).

• Brands earn 58x more organic engagement on Instagram vs. Facebook.

• Instagram ads are unobtrusive and look just like a normal post from someone you follow.

As you can see, a marketing strategy that includes Instagram has some excellent advantages. Whether your company are social media experts, or you’re just getting started, Instagram offers excellent opportunities to grow your brand, expand your reach, and ultimately, convert more sales.

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Looking to grow your social media presence, but unsure where to start? Our partners at ROI Revolution can help. Schedule a complimentary 20-minute consult with one of their social media experts and they can show you where your opportunities lie. Not only do they work in Instagram, but they also have a strong focus on Facebook as well as Pinterest. Get your business on the path to social success and schedule your consult today!

Tagged advertising, Facebook, instagram, marketing, social media