Does My Business Need An Instagram Page?

Instagram is a very unique social media platform. For many businesses, it might not seem like a necessity. Twitter can provide quick, instant updates in 140 characters or less, and Facebook makes business posts look more official. But Instagram isn’t just for teenagers who take selfies every day. No, it’s much more than that - and here’s 5 reasons why …

1: More Followers = More Brand Recognition= More Business.

A simple algorithm that makes perfect sense. Even if your business already has a Facebook and Twitter account, why wouldn’t you exploit the opportunity of gaining a larger following? Instagram - perhaps even more so than other social media platforms - allows you to show your businesses personality. It’s the visual aspect of Instagram that makes it completely unique, setting it aside from the other social media platforms. Info.shiftlearning.com states that 65% of the population are visual learners, so using Instagram might attract a lot more attention to your brand than you’d think. By increasing your following you are increasing your brand recognition - therefore increasing the chances of getting more business for your company.

2: Every Big Business Has It, So Why Not You?

Every business worth their weight has Instagram. That in itself should be motivation to prove that if they have it - you should. Of course the big brands will have more followers but the point remains - they are using it to connect with their audience and expand their brand recognition.

While your audience will be smaller to begin with, there is no reason why you couldn’t use your page to grow your online presence through innovative content. Now this is important, because no one wants to see constant adverts. The content you post should be creative in order to gain the attention of the Instagram users. For example, take a look at McDonald’s Instagram page (2.2 million followers). It has a fantastic blend between catchy videos and images, all while promoting their brand at the same time. Vines, Meme’s and original content will set you aside from the basic business Instagram page. As explained in the following point …

3: Instagram Can Make You Stand Out From Your Rivals.

In particular for small businesses or startups, your Instagram account might be the first time people hear of your business. You want to make a good impression. If you are in direct competition with other small businesses then having an engaging, active online presence could be the difference between a customer approaching you and a customer approaching your rival.

Most businesses make the mistake of making their page look too, well, business like. The public won’t be interested in following a page that posts infrequent adverts and nothing else, as many pages do. This makes it look like having Instagram is a chore, when in fact it is a useful marketing tool.

If your rivals haven’t jumped on the social media route yet, then get ahead of them. If they have, make sure your platforms, Instagram included, are more active and innovative. It could be the difference between them choosing you or that annoying rival from down the road.

4: You can interact with customers.

Having a good, healthy relationship with your customers is what allows a business to work best. Social Media allows relationships between company and client to be better than ever. Utilising Instagram for this exact reason can improve/maintain the healthy relationship you have with your customers. Any enquiries? Rather than go through the hassle of finding your email and waiting for a response, they can simply message you quickly in the direct message section on Instagram.

If you’re really smart, then you can show support to your customers by following them on Instagram and subsequently liking/commenting on their posts. As simple as this sounds, it all adds up to a happier customer, which is better for business! 

5: It Can Make You Money!

The obvious way is through increased brand awareness as mentioned in point 1. But there’s other ways too. For example, if you build up a big enough following on Instagram (this will come from the fun, unique content we mentioned) then other businesses will look to give you a fee to use your page to promote some of their products. This happens with celebrities all the time. If this situation arises, be aware that firstly you don’t promote products that could be detrimental to your business (obviously) and also that you don’t go overboard with the Ad’s - people follow you for your content, not your Ad’s.

Author Bio:

My name is Joe Lea, I work for DigitalDinos, a digital marketing company. I am head of PR and blogs, and I am also studying journalism. This blog post was put together by myself. Our website is www.digitaldinos.co.uk. Twitter:@digitaldinosuk Instagram: @digitaldinosuk