5 Reasons to Include Instagram in Your Marketing Strategy

Instagram is a visual content sharing platform that was founded in 2010. Over the past six years, it has accumulated over half a billion active users. Since Instagram has a such a large follower base, it’s a great branding tool.

Here are some of the biggest reasons countless brands are using Instagram as part of their digital marketing strategy.

1. Reach a Growing Market

Instagram has steadily gained new users every year since it was founded. There are over 60 million users in the United States alone, which is about 20% of the U.S. population. You can use Instagram to reach all of these users.

If you are still skeptical, you may want to read this post from Social Media Week. It is full of detailed case studies on Instagram marketing. Here are some results from companies that used Instagram to position their brands:

• Bloom and Wild ran a series of Instagram ads, which helped boost their bouquet orders by 62%.
• Mercedes Benz ran some Instagram ads, which increased website visits by 54%.
• Philadelphia (the cheese company, not the city) used images of their products to raise sales by 41%.

If Instagram can help some of the world’s largest brands increase sales by 40% or more, then it can do wonders for your business as well.

2. Better Position Products With a Visual Theme

Virtually any product can benefit from Instagram marketing. However, Instagram is particularly effective for promoting products with a strong visual theme. Brands in the following industries may notice a significant benefit from Instagram:

• Photography services
• Jewelry manufacturers
• Local restaurants
• Auto dealers
• Collectible guns

In many industries, customers rely on strong visual cues to make purchases. Since Instagram is such a popular site for sharing visual content, it is an ideal platform for these brands to expand their reach.

3. Growing Popularity for B2B Marketing

Most brands view Instagram as a platform for marketing to consumers. However, it’s also a great platform for B2B marketing. According to a recent infographic from Buzzoid, 90% of Interbrand 100 companies have a presence on Instagram. Almost all of these brands use the platform at least once a week. Scroll to the bottom of this post for an infographic on Why Your Business Needs to Be Active on Instagram.

Of course, most of these brands use Instagram to broaden their own base. However, it can actually be a great tool for other businesses to reach them as well.

There are a number of ways to use Instagram for B2B marketing. Beverley Reinemann recently posted a detailed overview about B2B marketing on Instagram, which encapsulated a strategy that Microsoft used.

“Instead of (or, you know, as well as) giving other people in your industry a behind-the-scenes look at your company, how about using your Instagram updates to inspire your followers? Microsoft did this with their #DoMore campaign when they hired a photographer to travel the world and take photos of entrepreneurs using Microsoft products… Highlighting other businesses and entrepreneurs also makes you look good; it gives the impression that you’re creating a movement around your brand as opposed to being in a constant ‘selling’ mindset.”

4. You Can Use it for Free

Many brands have invested in paid advertising on Instagram. It can definitely pay off, as the case studies from Mercedes and Bloom and Wild show. However, many brands have found that capitalizing off of free, organic traffic can be just as beneficial.

If you invest in using Instagram regularly, you can build a stronger brand presence and earn plenty of new leads without spending a dime.

5. Paid Ads are Cheap

When most people advertise online, they usually start with Facebook or Google. While these platforms are great for reaching targeted leads, they are also very expensive.

If you want to launch an online marketing campaign with a more limited budget, you should take a look at Instagram instead. You can purchase traffic for slightly less than you could with other digital marketing platforms.

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