We're going to come right out and say it: Instagram is king. There’s no shortage of social platforms out there, but when it comes to the crunch, Instagram will always come out on top.
Don’t believe it? Let's break down exactly why Instagram is the only social platform you’ll need in 2019. By the end of this article, you’ll be convinced.
It capitalizes on the popularity of visuals
Visual content is big stuff. 32% of content marketers point to visuals as the top type of content for their brand, with blogging coming a close second. And when individuals receive a message, they’ll remember just 10% of that information three days later, compared with 65% when that information pairs with a relevant image.
Visual content engages audiences and boosts conversion rates, and is super important for your branding. In short, visual content is essential and Instagram is the best platform for capitalizing on that.
Yes, other networks provide photos, videos, and Stories features, but Instagram is all about the visuals. As well as offering snaps, live video, IGTV, Boomerangs, and more, Instagram also lets brand customize these with almost infinite possibilities.
The platform’s photo/video editing suite is highly sophisticated for a smartphone app, and the pre-made filters give you professional snaps in seconds. Combined with the various Story stickers, Instagram steps up its visual game like no other platform around.
Additional Reading: How to Repurpose Blog Content Into Engaging Visuals
It constantly innovates its ecommerce features
Social selling is a brand’s best friend. Selling products on a space where your customers are active daily? That’s pretty attractive for a growing business.
Most social platforms offer some form of a social selling feature. Facebook has its Store, Pinterest has its Product Pins, and even Snapchat offers Shoppable Snap Ads. But Instagram takes social ecommerce one step further — and then some.
It started with product tagging, where brands could tag their goods in photos at the tap of a button and was closely followed by shoppable carousels. But Instagram took it further with product stickers for Stories, so customers could swipe up and buy a t-shirt or handbag right there in the app.
Perhaps the best thing about Instagram’s ecommerce offerings is their accessibility. They aren’t reserved for big brands with big budgets. Even the smallest of indie stores can get started with Insta ecommerce — look at any successful estore for sale, and you’ll be hard pushed to find a business that doesn’t incorporate one or more of Instagram’s ecommerce features.
They’re affordable, effective, and easy to use. And with Instagram constantly revamping its ecommerce offerings, offering more ways for businesses of any size to sell their stuff online, it will continue to come out on top in 2019.
It lends itself to your customer community
Social media is just that: social. It is — and should be — about community, about connecting people and creating conversations. Of course, every good social platform does this, or at least attempts to, but Instagram perfects it.
Take hashtags for instance. How many times have you seen a hashtag used effectively on Facebook? And even with Twitter’s updated character limit, there’s still only so many hashtags you can tweet.
But hashtags are Instagram’s foundation, connecting like-minded individuals through shared passions and interests. Through careful use of generic and specific hashtags, you can grow your Instagram presence and get your content noticed by the right customers. You can use up to 30 hashtags on Instagram, which gives you a whole lot of scope for reaching your audience.
Add to that a perfectly curated Search and Explore tab (based on the content a user likes), and it’s possible for brands to get their products seen by engaged consumers.
For brands, a customer community is a gift that keeps on giving. It’s a pool of customers who are locked into your business and will return to you time and again.
It’s popular, diverse, and always growing
When it comes to determining the best social network, it really is a popularity contest. Instagram is one of the most popular social platforms around, and one of the fastest growing too. It currently boasts more than one billion monthly active users, a figure that will only continue to grow in 2019.
And of those users, there is a healthy cross-section of consumers in there for brands to reach. While Instagram is primarily popular amongst 13-17 year-olds (72% of that age group use the platform), an impressive 40% of 30-49 year-olds also enjoy the #Instalife.
39% of women use the visual social platform, compared with 30% of men. And when you consider that more than 80% of Instagram’s users live outside of the US, there’s plenty of scope for brands wanting to reach a global audience.
Instagram isn’t the only social platform out there — but it’s one of the best. It’s constantly updating its social selling features, offers an array of features to reach and engage your customers, and it embodies the community vibe. Instagram is the only social platform you’ll need in 2019 — fact.
We love thinking about social media strategy and helping brands create more influence. If you want us to review your digital marketing plan or a recent social media campaign, please reach out.
