Instagram is an up and coming social media platform that is rapidly becoming a potential marketing tool for businesses. 
In a similar way to Pinterest, it operates by way of images and videos, and the important thing to note here is that apparently the brain processes visual images some 60 times faster than it does text! Some studies have also shown that when people are considering a purchase 93% of them rely on visual appeal, so Instagram marketing should certainly be high on your list of social media tools.
Another statistic has shown that, on Facebook, photos outperform text, links, and even videos for likes and shares. In addition, only 28% of marketers have caught on to the idea of using Instagram marketing, so by using it as a platform there is far less competition than there is on Twitter or Facebook. This means that with the help of upleap for instagram you’ll be able to grow and thrive on the site.
Free Advertising! (Sort of)
What’s more is that Instagram is free advertising! Yes, it’s true. You can post pictures of your products, photos of your employees making whatever it is that you make, photos of people using your products, a photo of your office cat – the list is virtually endless – all of which helps to promote your products to end users and to engage with them on a level that is harder to emulate on other platforms. There are even companies similar to SidesMedia that could help you to manage the growth and reach of your social media page.
You could also show photos of your stand at an exhibition, display special offers or discounts, sneak peeks of a product that you have not yet launched, and you can run competitions. If you run a regular competition you will keep people coming back to take part. (Another statistic showed that 57% of Instagram users return to the site every day). There are more statistics available, too, but just the figures I have shown so far should be enough to whet your appetite for Instagram marketing. Services like Kenji have even been developed in order to make a businesses’ Instagram even more productive at driving sales.
Major Businesses Use Instagram
Many highly successful businesses make use of Instagram marketing, including Airbnb, Reuters, Nike Lab, Tesla Motors, Starbucks, Ford, Play-Doh, Canva, and Adobe, so if it is recognized as a “must have” tool for them it is certainly something every business should consider.
Some businesses also like to use platforms such as Sked to schedule stories to Instagram. Instagram stories are a great way to show your audience a behind the scenes look at different aspects of your company culture.
As with all social media platforms, it requires some time and effort put into it, but since it is free advertising it is well worth it. Instagram has also grown rapidly in recent years: in June 2014 it had a regular 150 million users a month, which has grown to over 800 million today, just three years later.
If you would like to discuss how to include Instagram into your social media marketing I will be delighted to help. Just give me a call on (415) 655-1071 or click on the Contact link at the top of the page.
