When Instagram first launched in 2011, it was a safe haven for photographers to share their glossy snaps of the day, and eventually evolved into a millennial playground for oversaturated latte art, duck faces, and boho fashion hauls. In 2022, Instagram looks completely different from the app it intended to be.
Many have argued (and they’re mostly right) that the app has departed from it’s heyday with a consistent drop in reach for creators, constant glitches from algorithm updates in hopes of competing with other platforms, and becoming a mostly ridden video content driven app.
And while I agree that it is EXTREMELY hard to grow a significant following now and that it is far from being culturally relevant anymore, it is still a phenomenal app for creators or business owners.
And let’s be real, having a large following is no longer viable. There are music artists and influencers with millions of followers, and just making their rent. So gone are the days of needing to worry about reaching huge milestones when anyone can sell out their 1:1 coaching program or Etsy shop with less than 300 followers.
Instagram is STILL an excellent app for marketing your business through social media content, building an audience of loyal customers, and making a profitable ecommerce business model.
#1 - Link Stickers are Now Available to Everyone
Business owners have been striving for almost a decade to reach the 10K follower mark to have the coveted swipe up link to promote WHATEVER they wanted…And now no one has to wait anymore.
In 2022, Instagram announced that it would be making the swipe up link a link button, and that it would be available to any Instagram account no matter their follower count.
Simply tap the “Stickers” icon on the screen of your IG story. Click the “link” option and paste a link into place and then arrange the button wherever you want on your story. You can even now customize the text to what you want such as ‘Click here’ or ‘Watch now’.
This is an excellent way to promote any product or service with ease to your followers that is still not seen on most social media apps.
#2 - Your Audience Can Shop Right on Your Page
Another feature that is not available on most platforms, but is on Instagram is the ‘IG Shop’ feature. Business accounts on Instagram can link their e-commerce shop to their page so customers can shop and check out without leaving the app!
This is similar to Pinterest product pins or Facebook marketplace, but Instagram was ahead of the curve by allowing users to tag their products in posts and add buttons right to their profile to view the shop.
Check it out in the general settings of your profile, or on your profile page with the button ‘add shop’ to get started!
#3 - Stories Are Still Influential
IG stories are a MAMMOTH of a marketing opportunity still on Instagram for brands to advertise their products or services with minimal effort and maximum reach. Not to mention, influence marketing specifically on stories continues to grow exponentially.
It was reported by SproutSocial in 2021 that “50% of Instagram users visit a website after seeing it in Stories”. Additionally, “70% of shoppers look to Instagram for their next purchase” (SproutSocial, 2021).
So again, while Instagram may not be as socially relevant, obviously people are still tuning in to stories and being influenced on what to purchase.
#4 - Direct Messaging is the Most User Friendly
Out of all the social media platforms, I find that Instagram is still the most user friendly private messaging host. It has voice memos and automated replies to save time for business owners and is the easiest to navigate for easy breezy conversations with potential customers.
Not to mention you can also conveniently do audio or video calls with the person you’re chatting with or even within a group of multiple people!
#5 - Familiarity Across Most Generations
Boomers and Gen X have Facebook, Millennials have Twitter/Tumblr, and Gen Z have TikTok as their primary social media platforms. But they all also collectively use Instagram. Whether it’s for keeping up with their favorite celebrities, messaging classmates for a group project, or getting sucked into the Reels loop after dinner, Instagram is familiar across all generations at the moment while still having momentum unlike Facebook.
So there is potential to reach whatever intended target audience that you’re hoping to reach on Instagram. As long as the content is valuable and enticing, you can’t lose.
Do you think that Instagram is still worth posting on? Contact me and let’s continue the conversation!
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