Instagram Profiles Are The New Face Of Brands

Mercedes-Benz shared a Facebook post about their A-Class premiere which garnered 12,000 likes. The very same post on Instagram garnered over 160,000 likes on Instagram. There’s no denying that Instagram profiles are the new homepages for brands and businesses.

71% of businesses in the US are on Instagram. In September 2016, the number of Business profiles on Instagram was 1.6 million which is now up to 8 million. Instagram is the fastest growing app in terms of active users, leaving Facebook and Snapchat in the dust.

  

Instagram Offers Unrivaled Engagement for Brands

Instagram is a platform with a young audience as 60% of all the users are of ages between 18 and 24. Interestingly enough, the majority of the audience on Instagram is brand conscious as well as 53% of people on Instagram follow brands.

Last year, Instagram added over 100 million users in five months only. Facebook, being the biggest social media network, still has the edge when it comes to overall reach. 

But being a visual platform, Instagram is proving to be ideal for brands such as Victoria’s Secret and Mercedes Benz. An argument can be made for Instagram being the platform which offers the most engagement.

Engagement is the concept of the audience actually interacting with the content instead of just passively looking. Liking, sharing and commenting; brands get three times more engagement on Instagram than on Facebook. When compared to Twitter, engagement goes up to 30 times on Instagram. 

Instagram Is Embracing Brand Content

For companies seeking to make an impact on social media, Instagram is emerging as the leading platform. Instagram has been a visual platform from the start which makes it the ideal stage for branded content; it feels less intrusive and more natural. 

Moreover, Facebook has decided to prioritize posts from friends while restricting updates from businesses and publishers. This decision is likely to shift focus toward Instagram and brands should double down on utilizing Instagram for marketing strategies.

With the Explore tab, Instagram allows users to connect with people and brands outside their circle. For brands that can put out gorgeous visuals, opportunities for exposure are limitless on Instagram.

Furthermore, Instagram also allows eligible businesses to tag products and put in direct purchase links. Shopify integration allows shopping to happen inside the app.

Instagram Is Innovative and Adaptable

The bigger picture is that Instagram is welcoming brands and consistently integrating ways for brands to connect with their audience. You’d not expect a social network with over a billion users to be so adaptable and innovative but Instagram is just that. 

The concept of stories may have originated from Snapchat but ever since Instagram adopted it, the idea has gone mainstream. Furthermore, Instagram has been quick to adapt features such as private messaging, live video, and Snapchat filters for selfies. 

What’s the takeaway? Instagram is a platform that believes in continually reinventing itself. Going forward, this ability pays off in terms of sustained user growth for businesses.

Instagram’s Ad Tools Are More Sophisticated

Facebook has always been the winner when it comes to targeting ads on social media. The sophisticated tools allowed businesses to filter audience based on a multitude of factors. 

Ever since Instagram opened up to ads in 2015, the platform has integrated much of Facebook’s functionality when it comes to ads. Moreover, brands can also post Stories-style ads along with the usual Instagram posts. 

With Instagram’s ad revenue expected to increase to $11 billion by 2019 – which is triple the amount, it is now – brands who get in now will simply be ahead of the game.

Brands should also keep in mind that Facebook owns Instagram and will continue to remain an integral tool for businesses looking to connect with their audiences. Currently, Instagram is generating only a fraction of Facebook’s ad revenue and one-third of the planet is on Facebook.

But for brands looking to deepen connections with its audience, a multi-pronged approach is essential. If Instagram is Facebook’s little sibling, it has most certainly grown up and with its innovative approach and promise of better engagement, it’ll only grow in importance.

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