81% of people use Instagram to help research products and services
– Instagram business statistics
Facebook is still undoubtedly at the top of the social media pyramid with more than 2.7 billion monthly active users. Together with LinkedIn, Facebook has become an integral part of most social media marketing strategies for industrial companies and B2Bs.
It’s easy to forget that Facebook owns four of the six social media platforms that boast over 1 billion users. One of these being Instagram which has around 1.2 billion monthly active users.
While Instagram initially started as a social network to share photos with friends and family, it has quickly evolved into a platform that allows brands to blur the lines between the personal (human) and professional sides of their business.
Unlike LinkedIn which is focused on professional networking and career development, Instagram is a mashup of pretty much everything; from travel to fashion and food. So why should industrial companies and B2Bs, in general, consider including Instagram in their organic marketing efforts?
While paid advertising has its place for targeting specific ‘short-term’ business objectives, organic posts have a more long-term effect on customer and prospective employee perceptions.
Though not impossible it’s becoming more difficult to reach users with organic content on Facebook and LinkedIn, this is where Instagram offers the biggest opportunity for B2B businesses.
Instagram is a great platform for building brand awareness, community, establishing credibility, and driving engagement all organically. Using a mix of user-generated content, behind the scenes insights, and appropriate hashtags B2Bs can achieve organic reach in ways they can’t on other platforms.
Because Instagram is essentially a visual search engine, brands can get creative with how they design and share visual content through curated posts, videos, carousels, and stories. It’s through these different types of content that B2B brands can connect with audiences on a more human level and showcase their values and personality.
Why is this type of organic reach such a big deal when paid advertising can generate a return on investment ‘fairly quickly’?
When done well a good organic social media strategy on Instagram can act as a place where potential customers, media members, and prospective employees can research, learn and directly engage with brands. More than that it directly impacts search engine results and lets you promote your products and services without being too direct.
Organic social media should be viewed as a long-term strategy that helps you connect with followers, and Instagram is just the platform to do it on.
Is your business using social media’s full potential?
At Brieffin we use our expertise to unlock everything social media has to offer your business or personal brand. We use our experience in content creation, strategy and planning, and social media management to help build consistency and deliver marketing success. Let’s talk.
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