All Things INSTAGRAM!

Interested to know how the ‘gram can help your business grow? There are a few reasons we personally love following brands on Instagram, as well as reasons we love communicating with our clients in this way also. (Are you following us? Go on! @seriouslygooddesign)

Hello new customers!

The number one reason it totally rocks is it gives you a platform to reach a whole new audience in a whole new way – did we mention 300 million active monthly users? And with stats showing that the average age of active users on Instagram is younger than that of Twitter, Facebook and Google+, this is an easy way to reach a new age group – think specifically the younger portion of Gen Y, and Gen Z.

Get personal

This casual photo-based APP really encourages brands to loosen the reigns on their professional personas, and show a little bit of their human side. We like to think of Instagram as a place where brands like us share their stories.

Being personal, and communicating in a creative, artistic way through imagery, allows your audience to really use their imagination, therefore connecting with your brand and your posts. This increases the likelihood of them relating to you on a personal level and therefore sharing your content, which is the fastest way to grow your follower database organically.

In fact, the engagement rate for top brands on Instagram is 58 times higher than on Facebook and 120 times higher than on Twitter. Could this be because it all feels a little bit more genuine? We think so!

Brand Ambassadors + Sponsorship

Instagram is also a great platform for connecting with brand ambassadors. Instagram brand ambassadors might mention you in a number of posts in exchange for your fabulous services or products. Having celebrities and popular personalities vouch for you is pretty major, and it can see your followers explode in a matter of hours. There are also plenty of people out there making a living off Instagram via sponsored posts. So if you have the cash to splash, you might consider paying someone to mention your product and link to your page – consider it a form of advertising.

When it comes to value for money though, our friends Brook and Hugo from Shop Top Social insist you can accrue a decent following without spending a dime. “Instagram is now the best value social media platform for a brand. Your content will reach all of your loyal followers without the need to ‘pay to play’ like other sites such as Facebook. It also allows you to produce beautiful, thumb stopping content while easily directing your customers to your website.”

Instagram Advertising: 101

Aside from the budget friendly brand ambassador option, and the sponsored post option, Instagram has introduced an advertising scheme. You may have noticed these sponsored posts coming up in your feed – even though you don’t follow the brand itself.

Instagram Ads are available to everyone who uses Instagram and Facebook – not just brands. These Ads are super easy to create, and the process is almost identical to the way we use Facebook Ads. For example the graphic and text all comes from you. Once approved you will see this come up in your own feed and the feed of your targeted audience.

The audience can be targeted by; sex, age, location and interests. So you can be sure the right demographic is seeing your Ads. Catering to budgets small and large, you can start your Ad Campaign for as little as $7. To get started, why not boost your next post, or create a multiple image carousel ad? Its super easy, just head here to find out more and get started: https://business.instagram.com/advertising/

The Fast Facts

• 1. Photos generate almost 40% more likes than videos
• 2. Photos with faces in them generate 38% more likes
• 3. Posts that tag other brands in them tend to generate roughly 50% more engagement
• 4. Each hashtag can increase the number of likes on a post by 12%
• 5. Tag a location in your post and expect over 70% more engagement.

One last tip for those wanting to know how they are travelling compared to other brands on the ‘gram, you can now see your Instagram Analytics right here: https://instagram-stats.com/

Need help with your social media strategies and want to convert your followers into profits? We can help! Contact us: https://seriouslygooddesign.com