social platform 2016

If you could pick just one platform on which to focus your marketing efforts in the year ahead, which one would it be?

Facebook might still be the number one platform by far, but it’s not the one I’d choose for my small business.

My pick? Instagram.

No, it’s not the shiny new app everyone’s talking about like Periscope or Snapchat were in 2015. And it doesn’t quite have the pay-to-play marketing power of Facebook for Business, at least not yet.

Instagram has 300 million active monthly users. That number alone should be enough to convince any business owner that it’s worth investing time in. But that’s not the main reason I’m betting on Instagram in 2016. Here’s why:

 

1. It’s still free for all of your followers to see your content

If you have any experience using Facebook as a business, you know your organic reach has slowed to a trickle in the last two years. Most of my clients are reaching between 1% (at worst) and 10% (at very, very best) of their followers when they post something organically (read: without paying to boost it).

If you’re a business, Facebook limits how many followers see your posts because they want to avoid spamming regular users with sales content.

On Instagram, it’s not the case—at least not yet. If you post a photo, it’ll still show up in the feed of each and every one of your followers, for free.

 

2. More posts = more engagement

Here’s another spot where Instagram trumps Facebook in my book.

On Facebook, posting more frequently doesn’t necessarily equate to more engagement. In fact, Facebook’s algorithm has actually been said to hurt users that post too often by lowering their reach.

In my experience, on Instagram the opposite is true. The more you post (within reason), the more engagement you receive. I’ve found a sweet spot with my clients at 2-3 Instagram posts per day.

 

3. Mobile rules the day

mobile use 2015

In 2015, the volume of mobile internet traffic overtook desktop internet traffic for the first time ever.

Do you realize what this means?!

More than half of your visitors are seeing your content on their phone. What could be more perfect than a social network that works strictly on mobile?

Instagram was born and bred for mobile, and that’s why consumers love it.

 

4. There’s a major opportunity to capitalize on video

According to Hubspot, 78% of people watch online videos every week. 55% watch them every day.

Instagram allows native video uploads, and yet I still think it’s a feature that’s majorly under-utilized by brands.

If your business can find a way to incorporate regular video posts into your Instagram content calendar, you’ll cash in on this hole in the marketplace and grab valuable user engagement.

 

5. It’s e-commerce friendly

New services like Inselly and Shopseen have made it possible for consumers to buy products on Instagram—without ever opening a web browser.

Inselly screenshot

This is a huge opportunity for e-commerce brands as it shortens the sales funnel and reduces the friction between the initial customer touchpoint and the point of sale.

I’m definitely guilty of neglecting Instagram as a direct sales channel, but I plan on making it a priority in 2016.

Want to check in and see if I keep my word? You can follow me @tamibrehse (but if you don’t like pets, you probably won’t like my feed very much).

Tami Brehse

Tami is a television news anchor turned digital marketing consultant who helps small businesses achieve their PR and marketing goals.
Tami Brehse
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