Ask Silver Bullet

"Why is Instagram good for business?"

In a time where Social Media rules the world, any relevant account that can contribute to raising the profile of your business is a worthwhile investment.

Instagram is a social media platform predominantly focussed around visual content, but with new features continuously being added, it is important to know how and why to create an Instagram business account. Just like any online platform (social media, websites or blogging) using Instagram will develop your online presence.

Using Instagram for business marketing grows brand awareness – it visually presents your brand making it easier for our technologised society to recognise it and, due to the vast number of people connecting via these networks, increases its online visibility and raises its offline profile.

According to recent trends, in 2018 live videoing will be the centre of everyone’s social world. Not only can you upload videos and images on Instagram, there is now the option to live stream (similar to a Snapchat story) so people have limited time access to a post – this feature is becoming more popular, ultimately giving business accounts the opportunity to humanise themselves.

Moreover, an additional social media account will contribute to your Google ranking. The higher a company ranks on Google the greater chance it has of being seen. When someone searches for a topic or subject matter relevant to a company, that company will appear in the search engine if Google considers their online content worthy. With the addition of an Instagram account, you are building a larger base for content. The account can then be added as a clickthrough on your website, decreasing bounce rate due to diverse content.

One of the most enticing aspects of any social media is the cost. An Instagram business page is free to run, which means it can be highly cost-effective. Although it can be time consuming, companies are spending time promoting their services without having to pay for the actual account. Some of the best business Instagram accounts are being used with other social media platforms as their main marketing tool. It is a lot cheaper than paid advertising and promotes your brand in a friendlier and more interactive manner.

Another advantage of using Instagram for business is that it has a longer shelf life than competitors Facebook or Twitter. On average the lifespan of Instagram content is 21 hours (as opposed to Twitter that has an average lifespan of only 18 minutes) and, with content impacting people for a longer period of time, a larger audience will be reached.

The important thing to remember with social media accounts is not to over complicate them! People use these platforms as a way of engaging with interesting and popular content, so use your business account in a fun way with visuals that interest you and your audience.

Increasingly people have Instagram business ideas earning them up to six figure incomes simply by posting eye-popping photos. These ‘microinfluencers’ share remarkable content and engage with their thousands of increasing followers, proving how effective Instagram actually is.

As an example, if you work at an architecture firm you have great visual content at your disposal ranging from original CGI’s through development right up to the finished project, providing a range of images for your Instagram business account. However, as another example, an accountant’s office is not so straightforward, but is possible and just as important, this account could post office happenings, businesses they have worked with and images corresponding to the latest news. A café could post special offers, menus, food, etc. – Instagram can assist any business if a strategy is in place.

An Instagram account is definitely worth having but remember this, social media has been designed for control through a mobile app. Although the account can be managed with a desktop, images and videos can only be uploaded via the app rather than via the website, which for business is often not the most convenient method.

Possibly the best thing about Instagram is that it is one of the lowest maintenance social media platforms. Once a strategy is developed, an overflow of content is not necessary if it is managed well and regularly, hosting an Instagram business page is less time consuming than Twitter for instance, yet has the same desired affect. So if your company is trying to increase visibility then what better way to do it than through a visual network.