Snapchat is the fastest growing social network out there right now. But Instagram rivals Snapchat's rapid, double-digit growth — and has a much larger audience.
This summer, Instagram surpassed a huge milestone. The platform officially had 500 million users, up 100 million users in just 10 months. Of those 500 million, 300 million use Instagram daily. Snapchat, on the other hand, has an estimated 150 million daily active users.
Instagram isn't done growing either. eMarketer predicts 34 percent of mobile phone users will log onto Instagram once per month this year. By next year, their research shows that number will rise to 51.8 percent.
The only other social network out there that rivals Instagram's massive, engaged audience is Facebook (which owns Instagram by the way). You already know how much time and money you're spending creating and tracking Facebook content. But are you putting enough energy into Instagram?
By implementing a few strategic tricks, you can amplify how your content performs and converts on Instagram. Once you see the latest stats on how Instagram users engage with businesses, you'll understand why it's worth investing more.
Instagram shares latest stats on its business potential
All info and data is from this Instagram announcement.
- There are now more than 500,000 advertisers on Instagram. That number has doubled in the last six months.
- 50 percent of Instagram users follow a business.
- 60 percent of Instagram users learn about a product or service on Instagram.
- 75 percent of Instagram users take action after being inspired by a post, like visiting a website, searching, shopping or telling a friend.
3 tips to amplify your brand's content on Instagram
1. Convert your profile to a business profile.
When you convert, you get to input your industry, physical location and include directions, too. Also, when you connect your Instagram to Facebook, you gain access to Instagram Insights.
How to convert your profile:
- On your profile, click the gear sign.
- Select "Switch to business profile."
- Connect your Facebook page to your Instagram profile.
- Review and finalize your business info to ensure it's accurate.
2. Take advantage of Instagram Insights.
With that two-second change, you can now access analytics on Instagram Insights. As you've learned time and time again, when you have access to data, you can do more of what works and less of what doesn't.
By identifying what posts, tactics and strategies generate results, you can spend less time creating content that will ultimately have a larger impact.
To use Instagram Insights, click on the wheel on your new business profile. You'll only see insights on new posts moving forward. Specifically, you can see the impressions, reach, website clicks and number of followers gained. You can see this for the whole week or individual posts. Also, you can see the demographics of your followers based on age, gender and location.
As you may have guessed, Instagram Insights looks and functions very much like Facebook Insights.
3. Experiment with Instagram Ads
If you're already spending money on Facebook ads, pause or reduce your spending for two to four weeks.
Instead, test out that budget on Instagram. With fewer advertisers than Facebook, your content has a better chance of being seen since there's less competition.
Plus, the stats Instagram released recently show their audience engages and acts on those ads. It's absolutely worth testing to see if they'll work for your business as well.
