Instagram is not just a way to get jealous of your friends’ vacation photos. While it isn’t pleasant to look at those travel images while you sit at office, the advantages of Instagram are vast.
Imagine the huge number of new products or services you’ve seen on Instagram via advertisements on social media that are paid for or even friends tagging brands that you’ve never heard of on their posts. Sure, social media connects us, but what’s difficult is connecting those connections to your most important business assets: your customers.
While at the same time, we know creating, managing and maintaining the management and operation of an Instagram account can be a challenge. It requires significant time and effort to not just make it work, but boost sales.
If you’re thinking that we lack the resources, take a look at this data from an upcoming PowerReviews health and beauty report. We found that 35% U.S. shoppers between the coveted age of 18-29 utilize Instagram to research or buy health and beauty products.
In certain industries, cutting Instagram off of the buyer’s journey can seriously limit your ability to get new customers to join your list. So to help you get on the right path We’ve got a few tips. Here are 7 benefits for Instagram which might not be aware of:
1. More and more businesses and consumers are Joining Every Day
With more than 25 million businesses actively using Instagram to reach out to their customers it’s easy to understand why so many people use the app to shop. In today’s instant-access retail world buyers want visual information to help them make buying decision.
Visit the GOREAD website if you’re looking to add to your Instagram followers.
Not only do they require images, but they also want this kind of content from people as them.
In fact it was found that the PowerReviews Ecommerce Snapshot report found 72% of U.S. shoppers search for images of an item before purchasing. On the flip side, a menial third of buyers stated they do not look up visuals before buying.
The expanding network of Instagram can help brands and retailers leverage visuals to describe and explain their offerings. And as the network increases, shoppers understand that Instagram can be an authoritative source for details about the product and images.
That means your target users are already conditioned to see your post show up in their feed. Your customers are expecting it and expect it, but Instagram has transformed their app to be much more business-friendly in the last couple of years, with a variety of linking, landing pages creation and the ability to tag products.
In simple terms, the company offers fewer reasons to not to sign up. The user experience is crucial to so many retailers and brands, which is the reason Instagram continues to push these features. The value of Instagram expands with its growing user base, and it’s time to join the platform or enhance your marketing strategies.
2. It is easy to target (and Retarget) Your Audience
We are aware that targeting the correct audience is key in the success of your advertising. But how does Instagram aid you in reaching your target audience?
If you’re acquainted even a little bit in Facebook advertising, then you know the depth and power available for reaching your audience. Some of the targeting options include:
Location: Whether you’re looking to target towards a country as a whole or only one city, location isn’t any issue.
Demographics: Do you want to target your ads only to 37-year-old women who speak Catalan? Instagram can pinpoint language and gender demographics.
Interests: Build your ads on what your followers follow on Instagram and other companies which could be your direct competitors. You could also base interests upon the advertisements they view and the apps they utilize.
Behaviors: Define your ad’s audience by the actions they perform on (and off of) Instagram and Facebook. For instance, you can easily be able to retarget customers who have visited your site in the past but never bought anything.
Like-minded audiences: Your customers belong to a particular group of people who want to view your content (and hopefully buy your products). Therefore, you can tailor your ads to those who have a similar profile to those that already follow you or have purchased from your website.
Instagram also provides automated targeting, which gives you a a head start in creating an audience that might be interested in your brand. To get even more information take a look at our Instagram sizes and advertising dimensions guide!
Understanding Your Demographics
One of the main questions businesses have is about their demographics, and the places they shop. For Instagram, many brands and retailers attribute it to being a game played by young people.
But Pew Research recently found 40 percent of U.S. adults between 30-49 use Instagram and that an overall 35% of people utilize the app.
It’s crucial to not just know your core demographic but also give them the right channels for shopping for your goods. We know that younger people are fond of Instagram but focusing on older age groups that could be more relevant to your brand’s image is vital.
3. Utilize All the Visual Marketing Features on Instagram
As we said, visual content helps shoppers purchase with more detailed detail and images of the products they’d like to purchase. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t just upload photos and videos of your product each day and declare it a day.
Retailers are getting much smarter in the way they market to consumers on Instagram. Furthermore, retailers and brands are producing better content on Instagram since they’re focusing on the correct Instagram dimensions and features that consumers really enjoy.
For instance, Overstock relies on Instagram Story ads to seamlessly transition consumers to featured products in a matter of a few seconds.
As part of the process of shifting their brand’s positioning, Overstock created these video ads . The results were an increase of 18% in return on ad spend and a decrease of 20% in the cost per click. The goal of creating engaging content is getting the attention of shoppers before they scroll or tap over your advertisement.
To get the most value out of your Instagram content, try these tips:
Use large text: Don’t make it difficult for viewers to make out your message when they are on mobile devices. But, too much text may result in your ad rejected.
Don’t waste time: There’s no need to attempt a Faulkner imitation. The most important thing to not do is to make your pitch 2 or 3 seconds into the ad. You have to give the value prop immediately.
Avoid excessive design Your ad is to blend with user content. Sometimes , it is beneficial to avoid using content that is designed in a way that is overly attractive.
Design a clear and easy path to follow to follow: With Instagram shopping, customers can review products before moving to your website. Create smooth and simple paths to avoid any second-guessing.
4. Interact with customers where they Are
More than 800 million people are on Instagram every month and more than 500 million people log on each day. The amount of time spent on Instagram is astonishing, and for retailers and brands, this is a network for connecting and engaging with your customers.
This is telling because approximately 90% of Instagram accounts follow at least one business. The visual network is perfect for businesses who don’t wish to be bombarded with advertisements, sales material, or other messaging. In contrast, Instagram works like it does when you follow your friends. When you see content that you like, then you’re engaged.
King Arthur Flour does a great job of highlighting content that could be mistaken for a friend or family account. The most appealing aspect is that it’s not trying to trick users, but simply blending the content to be discovered.
Instagram discovered that 60% of its users have found new products on the platform. It continues to be the platform for discovery as well as new product information. So why not use Instagram to serve the purpose it was created to be used for?
5. Create User-Generated Content
User-generated content is an essential element of establishing trust in your brand and products. Why? Because people trust each other more than companies.
The same Ecommerce Snapshot report found 54% of U.S. consumers between ages 18-29 believed that consumer-generated photos and videos were more valuable than the retail or brand video content. Again, younger buyers aren’t the only group looking for user-generated content. Nearly half of people aged 30-44 felt the same way.
And on Instagram it’s more than an excellent source of content created by users however, it’s also easy to make it from your fans. Brands like Southwest frequently promote content created by users which they get from their loyal customers.
It’s easy to ask for information via hashtags in order to help build content and get your followers engaged. The best part is that you can capture and display Instagram user-generated content using PowerReviews Visual and Social Suite. PowerReviews Visual and Social Suite to strengthen your product pages with authentic content from customers.
Offer customers the opportunity to look at your product on the shelves of customers who are similar to them. In this way, you make it easier for them to be confident in the decision-making process.
6. Reveals In-Depth Insights About Your Audience
We’re now aware of how important it is to get to know and know your viewers. To know who they are in the first place, their location, and their interests and preferences, Instagram can help uncover this information.
In the first place, getting involved in the community online helps to understand what the members are about. If you follow popular hashtags in your field, you’ll be able to see what people are discussing, their concerns and problems as well as their happy moments and successes.
In addition, Instagram gives you vital native insight into your community and followers.
Through these Insights, you’ll find information about your followers’ gender, age, location and the time of day they’re most active online.
Additionally, Instagram also gives you insights to see your ROI using the platform. If you’ve ever used the ads manager on Facebook you’ll be aware of the value of the data it offers.
For each campaign, you’ll have the ability to check reach, clicks, sales, or conversions along with the total conversion amount. It is also possible to break this down by factors such as gender, location or even location.
7. Always updated Marketing Features in Ads and Stories
Instagram knows you want to sell more products and raise brand awareness. They are aware of your objectives to enhance your marketing strategy, and gives you the tools needed to accomplish them.
In addition, Instagram also knows their users. They know how they spend money on the internet. In fact 42% of women who use Instagram from the U.S. said they love to shop and see it as something they enjoy doing as a pastime.
Major retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods does stellar work on Instagram to make it completely accessible to search, click and purchase. The social network has created shopping and marketing experiences as an integral part of their platform, specifically designed for brands to promote without obstructing the process of the platform.
At the same time the running of Instagram Story ads lets you include links and tag widows to learn more quickly. The regular updates targeted at businesses make this one of the top places for retailers and brands to show off their goods.
Since the introduction of this feature more than 90 million people are tapping product tags to reveal details every month. If you have ads in the feed, you can add links that include CTAs like “Shop Now” to encourage shoppers to leave their feed.
How can you make the most of these Benefits of Instagram?
If you’ve learned several of the major benefits of Instagram, what will you do with the suggestions? Be aware that Instagram is among the best places to engage with your intended audience and connect through visual content.
Plus, business-specific features like profiles for businesses as well as targeted ad campaigns incredible depth of information and shopping buttons in stories as well as in-feed ads can allow you to get the most benefit from this platform while increasing your ROI.