Not on Instagram? You’re Missing Out on 300 Million Customers (and Growing!)

What? Another social media site? It’s getting to the point where it’s hard to keep up. That’s exactly what I thought when Sarah Davidson and I were discussing an upcoming, free webinar she will be presenting to my followers on the magic of Instagram.

After hearing what she had to say and doing a little research on my own, I was impressed with what Instagram offers. After seeing firsthand the often dismal results Facebook page posts (free or paid) can bring, I wondered if Instagram might offer a better alternative. I’ll let Sarah take it from here and explain some of the greatest features of this hot, new social site that can be a goldmine for small businesses, ecomm stores and Amazon sellers.

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With over 300 million active users, Instagram is fast becoming one of the most popular social media networks. You may have heard that it’s the hottest social platform to promote your business today, with more active users than LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Instagram is also expected to reach 1 billion users in the next few years. That’s a lot of zeroes!

Instagram is by far the easiest social media platform to get targeted web traffic, leads, and customers. I know many business owners who are wasting a TON of time on social media (especially on their Facebook fan pages!) and getting little return for their time and money, but Instagram is different because it’s much easier to get great engagement and new targeted followers.

Instagram drives high-quality traffic to your website, landing page, blog or Amazon product pages, and it is a fantastic way to build your list and get new customers.

Now is the Time to Get on the Instagram Bandwagon

Remember how people who got involved with Facebook and Twitter in the early days were rewarded with amazing visibility that resulted in huge followings? This is the time to jump on Instagram because the secret is getting out.

• There’s no crazy algorithm (like Facebook has) that suppresses who sees your posts.
• You don’t have to pay for ads to get noticed.
• Your content isn’t buried within seconds like it is on Twitter.
• Instagram takes very little work.
• You don’t have to post multiple times a day like with Facebook and Twitter to see great results.

Also, you can easily use your Instagram posts on your Facebook page, and you will get more visibility on those Facebook posts because Facebook is owns Instagram (they bought Instagram in 2012). You can also use your Instagram posts for Twitter and your blog, saving even more time.
When your prospects see your posts on Instagram, you have their full attention. They only see one post at a time in their news feeds, and there are no distractions like on Facebook and Twitter where there are tons of links and ads.

 

 

I am already on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest —why Instagram?

It is more visual than all three of those social sites. Everyone loves pictures. Visuals are very powerful and can grab their attention quickly. What’s more, in addition to the factoids I’ve provided above about Facebook and Twitter, Instagram tops Pinterest in these areas:

• Audience Size – With 300 million active users on Instagram, vs about 73 million on Pinterest, Instagram has greater reach.
• Demographics – Instagram also has more female users than male, but it’s much more evenly split than Pinterest. Also Instagram has a younger, wealthier audience.
• Engagement – Interaction is very high on Instagram: much more so than with audiences on Pinterest.
• Average Ecommerce Order value is $65 for Instagram, $58.95 on Pinterest. Shoppers are on Instagram, and they have money to spend.
• Mobile – Instagram is a mobile-first platform and mobile is where the growth is with ecommerce.

Even if you don’t think you have a visual business, it’s easy to create great visual content. Think motivational quotes, tips and tutorials, behind-the-scenes shots of your business. There are tons of great ways to use Instagram images (and videos up to 15 seconds) to establish a solid connection with your target audience.

Sarah Davidson’s Visual Marketing Edge helps startups and entrepreneurs use the power of visual content marketing to amplify their visibility, accelerate growth, and leap ahead of their competition. One of her specialties is using Instagram strategically to drive traffic, leads, and sales.