Instagram: Is It Right For Your Brand?
It's no secret that Instagram is dominating as one of the top social media platforms for customer engagement and brand storytelling. With over 300 million monthly users and 70 million photos shared per day, visual content has become the key to communicating with customers. However, before your brand leaps into the big investment, it's crucial to take some time to review and decide if this social channel is right for your business through a few critical questions.
Is My Brand Visual?
Brands who find success from Instagram have a clear visual voice. Instagram is a unique platform with a singular focus on giving brands the opportunity for rich, visual storytelling. Deciding if you can visually tell your brand's story and share it with the world will help you answer this question. For inspiration, take a look at the most successful brands on Instagram.
The top 5 brands on Instagram:
- Nike
- Starbucks
- Adidas Originals
- GoPro
- Zara
What Type of Content Will Be Shared?
Before embracing any social network, especially Instagram, an important piece of your overall strategy is deciding what story your brand is wanting to share through visual imagery. Work with your brand and creative team to produce high-quality content that will captivate your audience. If you need inspiration for visual content, take the time to learn from other brands that are finding success on the social platform.
Will Instagram Help Me Reach My Current And Target Markets?
This is a critical question businesses need to answer. Compared to Facebook and Twitter, Instagram's demographic is substantially younger than its social counterparts. However, if you are looking to target Millennials, Instagram is for you. Of the 300 million monthly users, approximately 90% are under the age of 35. This makes it an appealing platform for brands focused on the 18-34 year-old-age bracket. Breaking down your current and target demographic will be beneficial.
Will Instagram Help Me Reach My Marketing Goals?
Having a clear and concise marketing objective on what you want out of Instagram is extremely valuable. Is your goal to increase awareness, reach new audiences, or shift perception? Focus on picking one or two goals that could be achieved through Instagram's highly visual community.
Helpful Tip:An effective way to further break down your brand's objective for this social platform is through SMART goals. This classic strategy will help your team be more specific on what you want to accomplish. SMART goals answer:
- Specific. Being specific with your goals with help your brand get right to the point. Questions such as 'when will this goal be accomplished by' and 'why do you want to accomplish this goal,' will be valuable.
- Measurable. Each social platform should have measurable goals for each activity taking place ensuring you are making progress. Think specific measurements such as 'how many people did you reach with that activity?'
- Achievable. Social media goals need to be challenging without stretching your brand too far where you cannot attain them. Look at your knowledge, resources and skills to assure you can accomplish your objective.
- Relevant.Deciding if your goal will meet your needs and is worthwhile is extremely important. Measuring outcomes rather than activities will be the most beneficial. Rather than making a goal of sending out 10 Facebook posts a day, aim for 10 Facebook posts that will spread brand awareness.
- Time-based. Your objective should include a practical sense of urgency to ensure you complete your goals on time. Establish specific deadlines to increase productivity.
Does Your Company Have The Time And Resources?
Your business may not have the infinite resources and time that it takes to be on every social channel like you would want to be. And if your brand does, awesome! The most important process is choosing the right platforms that work best for your goals and your customers wants. Break down which social channels are most effective and which are not serving their purpose for your brand. Then decide if your business could allocate more time and resources into Instagram or other platforms that could be more effective for your audience and business.
Is your brand ready to take the plunge into Instagram's powerhouse of social engagement? If these questions have been answered and your brand is ready to embrace the social network, then it's time to execute!
Blue Compass
Blue Compass is a leading team of digital experts helping brands succeed online through web design, development and digital marketing.