Why Instagram Marketing Is Important

Marketing is about reaching consumers to invoke a change in their behavior, giving them a call to action. The only way to truly make that shift in perception is to be where people are engaging and spending time. So why is Instagram so important for marketers?

Well, let’s look at the data (because we all love data): Last year mobile media consumption surpassed online for the first time with more than 100 million daily active users, 1.6 billion daily likes, and 20 billion shared photos. And if you’re looking to target millennials, the numbers are even better: With 42% penetration of millennial smartphone users, they spend more than an astounding 439 minutes per month on the platform, according to comScore Mobile Trends 2014.

So how does Instagram stack up against other social platforms, especially those that have been around longer?

A recent study by Forrester Research found that Instagram users were 58 times more likely to like, comment, or share a brand’s post than Facebook users and 120 times more likely than Twitter users. All data indicates that users are moving away from Twitter and Facebook and shifting their time to Instagram. This absolutely proves that Instagram is the best social and mobile platform for brands to reach audiences that are willing to engage. If you’re not marketing on Instagram, you’re missing out.

The reason for this unusually high engagement is driven by the consumer, as they crave to visually share their stories, reactions, and experiences–Instagram offers a platform for this with its unique ability to highlight visual content (and all marketers know that visual content is king).

Content on Instagram is simply more sharable, easier to understand, and far more universal than other types of content.

Visual storytelling is an art form on Instagram, and to be able to craft a conversation over an extended period of time is a skill that needs to be harnessed. In order to capture the attention of that audience you must be active on the platform, creating content that is not only engaging but also shareable for your target audience.

If your brand is not on Instagram, it should be. Instagram is beautifully simplistic and the most personal of the mobile platforms. It’s full of potential with people eager to connect with a brand on a more intimate and tangible level.

Creating content for Instagram can be a challenge, it’s true. The importance of visual imagery is key to tell a brand’s story, any brand. Regardless of the industry, any company can create campaigns to utilize this platform to reach their targeted audience, sharing alluring imagery and creative captions.

There are many companies getting it right, using this platform to share their story, their background, and their vision.

Take GE for example–yes the technology heritage brand. Through Instagram, the company beautifully tells its story of where it’s been with throwbacks to robotic prototypes of the 1960s to futuristic innovations in aviation, all through imagery crafted to fit a mere 612×612 pixels.