You probably recognize Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as the “big three” outlets for social media marketing. You probably also would agree that of these three, Instagram is the least important. Statistics seem to indicate that this is a fairly common perception. According to a survey by Buffer of social media marketing professionals, only 70 percent of businesses use Instagram as part of their strategy. That’s compared to 96 percent for Facebook and 89 percent for Twitter.
But what seems at first like a predictable statistic becomes surprising when you consider that the same survey found 95 percent of businesses prefer visual content in their social media marketing. Clearly, many companies are passing over the very social media outlet that is specifically tailored to delivering their preferred content. And if you’re already producing that content anyway, why not create a business profile on Instagram and include it there as well. Even if you don’t think Instagram is particularly popular among your customer base, what have you got to lose?
One explanation for the disparity may be that people find the photo-sharing focus of Instagram to be intimidating. It might seem harder to compete there, especially if you don’t think there’s a strong visual element in your business that can be exploited in social media marketing. But not all popular content on Instagram is first-class art. And no matter how visually dull your business may be, a social media company can help you to find ways to catch the eye of visually-oriented users on all social media platforms.
In fact, if you do find Instagram intimidating, that is all the more reason to integrate it into your social media marketing strategy. Doing so will encourage you to step up your game on Facebook and Twitter, as well. And if you have not already done so, it might also prompt you to talk with a local social media company about how you can make a greater impact in an increasingly visual online landscape.
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