Do you have a business? How do you market it? With dozens of online platforms to choose from, it is likely that you use the internet for traffic and business growth.
It’s the year 2022 and everything is digital. Business and marketing make up a huge part of the internet. Just look at powerhouse companies like Twitter or Facebook. These companies are based solely online and still manage to generate billions of users every day!
Social media is an excellent tool for businesses to use to build their brand. Instagram is one of the best platforms to use, and it has great marketing opportunities. In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of Instagram for a business and much more.
Table of Contents
What Is Instagram?
Instagram, sometimes referred to as “IG,” is a social media platform in which users post photos, videos, reels, and ads. Using Instagram to advertise your business allows people from all over the world to see your content.
In its early days, Instagram was simply an app to post images and videos on. The company was created in 2010, and quickly gained popularity as the years went by. By 2017, it had over 800 million users. Today, we are living during the peak usage of Instagram, with people spending hours upon hours on their phones scrolling away on their timelines. What does this mean for you, as a business owner? That this is a great opportunity to capitalize on!
On Instagram, users can post hashtags in their captions for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. In this way, hashtags act as keywords, and the posts that are tagged with a specific hashtag are grouped together, allowing someone to search for a single word or phrase and get an abundance of results.
The prevalence of advertisements on Instagram has risen in the past few years. Now, it is common to see ads as you scroll through your timeline, or in between peoples’ stories. Instagram isn’t the only social media platform you can use, though. Other apps like Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Facebook all have their business benefits, too.
Social Media Business Benefits
Social media has many business benefits. These apps have the potential of reaching large audiences, and they all use similar tactics to reach them. The goal, of course? To advertise your business! Get the word out about the services or products you provide. Get your message out there.
Social media can do all of this and more.
Hashtags
As discussed earlier, the use of hashtags plays a pivotal role in marketing on many social media platforms. Hashtags act as keywords and boost SEO.
Here’s an example: if you search “#nailpolish” on Instagram, you’ll see a plethora of content. Most of it is just pictures of fresh manicures, but scroll more and you’ll find advertisements for local nail salons, different nail polish brands, and nail artists promoting their work. In this scenario, the benefit of social media is increased traffic to the ads, and an uptick in sales, too.
Provides Visuals
What else is so great about social media and its benefits for business? Social media provides visuals for products. Sites like YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram show potential clients what a physical product may look like and how it works. On YouTube specifically, there are tons of tutorials and reviews for products that people can watch freely before buying something new. In this way, the pictures and videos used on many social media platforms increase the visibility of your products or services, which leads to an increase in sales.
Social Connection
Another benefit of Instagram for business is that the nature of this type of media is in fact “social.” This means that web users can talk to each other about your business, and generate attention to it. Not only do social media platforms just show your products or services, but they also allow people to talk to each other about them to discern if they are interested in buying what you’re selling.
Celebrities
Additionally, there cannot be a discussion about social media without the inclusion of celebrities and their content. Celebrities play a huge role in social media, and they conduct lots of business on apps like Instagram and TikTok to boost their products. The products celebrities use social media to market range from makeup to clothing to wellness products and more! For instance, Kylie Jenner’s lip kits were a huge Instagram phenomenon when they came out in 2015.
Some people look up to celebrities. Others simply find joy in witnessing the wild antics of the life of a celebrity. What’s important for SEO, in this case, is that celebrities get tons of attention. For a business, getting a celebrity endorsement would be a huge benefit. This is not just to be said with traditional celebrities, though. People with large followings on TikTok and YouTube can also be a great asset for marketing your business on Instagram. Basically, anyone with a high follower count can be helpful in marketing your business. Having someone with a large following endorse your product would increase brand awareness, meaning that it would make users more familiar with your brand.
Instagram vs Facebook
Instagram and Facebook are easily some of the most widely used social media platforms. Both sites have business benefits.
There are benefits of Instagram specifically that Facebook does not have. For example, Instagram’s fanbase is a younger audience (mostly Generation Z and Millennials) who are used to using technology and social media apps. Because of this, they have more ease navigating advertisements along their timeline. Overall, this means they have more engagement. Using keywords, business owners can find products and services this younger generation is interested in and tailor their marketing towards them.
Facebook can do something similar, however, its audience has a much wider range of ages and technological capabilities. Still, business owners can use keywords to figure out what users are interested in. Facebook also recently announced changes to improve marketing campaigns.
Both sites also use cookies to keep track of what users are viewing, and this boosts SEO, too. The biggest difference between Instagram and Facebook is their audience. If you’re a business owner looking for a more niche audience, using Instagram may be your best bet. Although Facebook has interest groups that people can join, Instagram makes it easier to find relevant posts with its more simple layout (along with being able to search and follow hashtags).
Instagram Lead Generation
Instagram Lead Generation describes the younger generation (Generation Z and Millenials) who have lived a large portion of their lives with Instagram around. This generation is tech-savvy and spends much of their time online – especially on social media.
For businesses, it is essential that they reach the Instagram Lead Generation in their marketing tactics. This is because these generations are highly interested in new-age business products and services, and are willing to spend money on these goods, too. It’s not that older generations are not willing to spend money on goods and services, but these younger generations find more joy in products that older ones would not necessarily find important.
For example, Generation Z has a fascination with Squishmallows, which are cute plushy stuffed animals (and other miscellaneous things like fruit, mushrooms, planets, and more). Generation Z is more likely than Generation X or Baby Boomers to buy a Squishmallow. This is partly because they have more interest in them, but also because they have been heavily advertised to them on social media.
When marketing on Instagram and Facebook, you can actually choose the audience you want to market to, and one of these options is “lead generation.” Choosing this cohort will be essential for SEO and website traffic because your advertisements will reach this generation.
Hop on IG to Market Your Business!
If you have a business, it is a no-brainer to use social media to market your brand. There are many applications you can use, and you should use multiple! However, websites like Instagram are the best. Engagement on Instagram is the best out of all other social media apps. This means that content on Instagram reaches the most amount of users and has the best ratio of business advertisements and actual purchases.
The visual aspect of Instagram is also a great asset to your business’ advertisements. Pictures, videos, reels, and stories all give you opportunities to show your product or service off and give video and textual testimonies.
The social nature of Instagram also generates buzz around your business. People can use hashtags to find your products (if they’re not already showing up on their timeline), and talk to each other about them.
Overall, there are many benefits of Instagram for a business. Business owners should take full advantage of the marketing that can be done on this platform, especially because it can reach the Instagram lead generation, who is more open to purchasing goods and services online.
SEO Design Chicago and Instagram Marketing
Instagram is a great app, and if you have a business you should look into using SEO strategies there because it will most certainly boost your brand! Whether you’re just starting out using Instagram or need a little help improving your profile, SEO Design Chicago can help you. Instagram could be the missing piece your marketing strategy needs.
FAQ:
- Why is Instagram good for marketing?
- What age uses Instagram the most?
- Is Facebook good for marketing?
- Should I use hashtags in my advertisement?
- What social media app has the best engagement?
Contact Us Today!