New apps and social media platforms are popping up every day. The days of Facebook and Twitter are quickly being threatened by new apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope and more! Reaching a young audience is crucial as they begin to develop brand loyalty. Learning about these new social media platforms and how to incorporate them into your marketing strategy is a crucial tool for any brand.
A picture paints a thousand words and for businesses on Instagram this has definitely rung true. Instagram has been on the rise for the past decade and businesses have been flocking to this outlet to reach a younger demographic that is highly visual.
Since its founding in 2010 Instagram has gone through several changes to make the app more business-friendly. By the end of 2014 Instagram had reached 300 million users, catapulting the social network over Twitter at 284 million users. Instagram grew 50% between March and December of 2014 and continues to rise. It also has been proven to get 50 times more engagement than Twitter.
With the power of the millennial consumer being so important, Instagram is a key platform for any business. Adults under the age of 35 comprise of 90% of their overall users, primarily females. Instagram allows you to communicate directly with your consumer through a visual medium – pictures or videos. According to a recent study Instagram users are 58 times more likely to like, comment or share a brand’s post than they are on Facebook or Twitter. This high engagement is due to the visual nature of the app. Creating graphics that grab your audience’s attention increases your reach as well as your engagement. Instagram is simple which is the exact thing all millenials are drawn to.
Utilizing influencers to endorse your product on Instagram is a great tool to reach new consumers. Users generally trust the opinions of other users whom they follow, so reaching out to some high traffic accounts could be a key factor in gaining momentum. Influencers can be blatant (@jessicalesaca endorsing 3bplus) or extremely subtle (@justinliv endorsing Armanie Exchange).
Not any influencer will work for you! Be sure to identify influencers who have an audience similar to the one which you would like to reach out to. (You wouldn’t want to promote a meat product by using a vegan influencer.) Also, if you are looking to use an influencer, be sure that their audience is active. Take a few moments to check out who they follow along with how many likes and comments their posts achieve.
Instagram can help your business introduce your product to a new audience. Businesses that are active on Instagram will have higher rates of engagement as well as be able to stand out in a crowd through this highly visual medium.
Written by Kristin Ziegelbauer
Full Tilt Marketing Assistant
Kristin@FullTiltMarketing.net
