Let’s say, hypothetically, that you’re a brand looking to engage with a younger audience. You’ve had many longtime loyal customers and while you appreciate them, you know it’s time to take the next step in your digital marketing game. Say hello to Instagram, because it is absolutely the answer to your problem. Instagram combines all of the good parts about Facebook and Twitter such as photo sharing and short, quippy captions, and carries (almost) none of the bad, if you choose to overlook its highly addictive nature. At first the photo-sharing platform was brand-free, making it the hangout spot of choice for the tweens and young adult set. We, and I say we because I am choosing to preserve my youth, flocked to it to share everything from vacations, to family events, to sunsets on work commutes and above all else, food. So much food. Instagram became the place to share it all without having to worry about your parents and weird cousins poking around in your business. So now that you’ve been caught up, let me tell you why Instagram shows no signs of slowing down and why you should factor it in to your digital marketing strategy.
1. The Numbers Speak for Themselves
We’re not discounting other social media platforms, because you will still get engagement and ROI from a solid marketing plan elsehwhere, but Instagram rates of engagement have proven to be much higher. The industry average is around .01% engagement per post, and Instagram’s engagement rate is 4.21% per post. In a recent study, Instagram received 58 times more engagement than Facebook and 120 times more than Twitter.
2. Photo Contests Rule
Everyone wants to be heard, and Instagram is the perfect place to do it. Instagram contests are fun ways to involve all of your brand’s fans. The tagging and hashtag feature allows your fans to become artists and photographers all for the chance to join the conversation and hopefully win big. Many people become weary of posting a photo on Facebook for the world to see, so Instagram gives them a sense of privacy and intimacy with your brand.
3. Allows Brands to Become Authentic
Many people like brands on Facebook for their exclusive content, offers, updates, and more. We go to Facebook knowing that we will see highly stylized posts with graphic images, a logo and perfect caption. In essence, Instagram is everything Facebook isn’t. Instagram has given back authenticity to the brand. It gives it a voice, a tone, a feel and a personality. It’s very easy to see which brands don’t quite understand how to connect on Instagram. And those are the ones that lack in engagement. If you’re a brand that is considering making the jump to Instagram, choose your personality and style of photos before beginning. If you’d like to be funny and quick witted, don’t post until you’ve made sure your photo remains true to the voice. Mercedes has lots of luck with remaining true to self (to the tune of a 5773.8% engagement rate).
If you’d like to try your hand at an Instagram digital marketing strategy, let the talented team at Agency Entourage be your guide. We’re a downtown Dallas full-service advertising agency and we’ve had lots of success in various industries on Instagram. We know what it takes for your brand to succeed. Give us a call today at 214-414-3035.
