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Does Your Brand Need Instagram Marketing? | Union

Does Your Brand Need Instagram Marketing?

Instagram continues to be <a href="https://go.forrester.com/blogs/14-04-29-instagram_is_the_king_of_social_engagement/">the king of engagement</a> among social networks; it’s 58 times more engaging than Facebook and produces 150 times more engagement than Twitter. While its purpose is to connect users with rich media, Instagram is more than just sharing photos. It allows companies to promote themselves in a channel where they can sell their products and create conversations with relevant audiences.
However, that doesn’t mean every brand needs to incorporate Instagram into their <a href="https://cms.union.co/services/performance-media/social-media">social media tactics</a>. Here we’ll dive into the factors that determine whether Instagram marketing is right for your brand’s overall strategy.
<h2>Why isn’t Instagram marketing ideal for every brand?</h2>
Not all brands can effectively deliver photo-rich content but they’re still able to see success in their sales outside of Instagram. For example, brands in the technology, <a href="https://cms.union.co/industries/health-wellness">health</a>, B2B, manufacturing and science industries drive success from previous years of investment in their products and marketing in other channels. On the other hand, <a href="https://cms.union.co/industries/travel-tourism">travel</a>, beauty, food, home, fashion and interior design industries tend to perform the highest on the channel due to the potential they have for aesthetically-pleasing content. These brands take full advantage of the app’s versatility to create various types of posts.
<ul><li>Sponsored posts give brands visibility outside their current followers. These posts drive more sales than organic posts can do. <a href="https://business.instagram.com/success/2-meundies/">MeUndies</a> ran sponsored ads which garnered a 97 percent increase in their purchases.</li><li>Influencer marketing partners brands with public figures to reach new audiences and foster trust for their product. <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/examples-of-influencer-marketing-campaigns?__hstc=69631439.e722d505f9b283f9c907d219fb314eb4.1487699071950.1550159685669.1550174246297.456&amp;__hssc=69631439.6.1550174246297&amp;__hsfp=2143924620">Fiji Water</a> partnered with Danielle Bernstein to promote Fiji’s dedication to keeping fans hydrated through short workout videos.</li><li>Instagram Stories add authenticity to brands through videos that give a look into brands’ identities that aren’t typically conveyed in organic Instagram posts. <a href="https://business.instagram.com/success/mcdonalds-malaysia">McDonald’s</a> created animated ads in IG Stories to promote McFlurry &amp; McCafe offerings, tripling their in-store sales and reaching 60 percent of their targeted audience.</li><li>IGTV allows brands to create long-form content that can be used for exploring brand values or industry news. <a href="https://later.com/blog/igtv-for-business/">ESPN</a> utilizes this with in-depth looks at players, game recaps and behind-the-scenes interviews with coaches.</li></ul>
Here are some insights to determine why you may not need Instagram and a few reasons why you may:
<h2>Why You May Not Need Instagram</h2>
If you don’t have the budget and creative assets to represent your brand. Behind every successful Instagram marketing strategy is one of two things: Funding for ad spend or rich, creative visuals. If your brand has neither the creative assets nor the budget to advertise on this channel, look for another social outlet. As <a href="https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/">95 million photos are shared on the app daily</a>, content execution and the ability to creatively represent your brand in this competitive platform will determine whether you are seen or unseen. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/analogcoffeeyyc/">Analog Coffee</a>, a small-budget coffee shop, uses visually-stunning photography to visualize their brand, attracting 16,000 followers. If you have a bigger budget, utilize sponsored posts and IG Stories to reach new audiences. If you have high-quality assets, get creative by interacting with users, using hashtags and creating content for IGTV. Without either one, your brand will lack visibility and fail to drive engagement.
Instagram is not made for every product, service or industry. As you evaluate your brand’s deliverables, you need to ask, “Is our product best sold through visual imagery or through descriptive information?” Examples are services in industries that aren’t as visually engaging, like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/exxonmobil/">Exxon Mobil</a>. They’re a Fortune 500 company but their product lacks visual appeal so their audience on Instagram suffers with 28,800 followers. On the flip side with 1.8 million followers, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/apartmenttherapy/">Apartment Therapy</a>’s content is compelling and garners more attention because people are more keen to engage with them.
If your customers don’t utilize Instagram in their customer journey. Do you know where your customers search for product information online? Industries such as technology, science, medical and manufacturing don’t offer services that their audiences look to Instagram for as they’re most likely looking for product reviews or information on other platforms. The question that brands need to ask themselves is, “does Instagram play a role in my audience’s customer journey?” Search for hashtags and product information to find out if there are conversations about your industry happening on this platform. If not, you’re better off investing your budget into outlets where your customers are more likely to seek out your brand.
<h2>Why You May Need Instagram</h2>
Your brand can increase its social visibility. Instagram is the visual storytelling medium of social media; it allows brands to be seen by their audiences in multiple ways. Using hashtags makes the content you create relevant and searchable, especially when Instagram acts as a search engine for ideas and products. <a href="https://later.com/blog/instagram-algorithm-update/">Instagram’s algorithm</a> highlights posts that spark engagement and pique users’ interests based on their activity. Utilizing Instagram Stories gets your brand in front of users’ eyes quickly, as Stories are bumped to the top of their feed. <a href="https://business.instagram.com/success/waterdrop/">Waterdrop</a> created ads promoted through Instagram Stories and garnered 8.3 times the amount of website visitors and reached 6 times the number of people. 
Instagram is THE social outlet for engagement. Visual content dominates as the most engaging content across social media ( <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-strategy?__hstc=69631439.e722d505f9b283f9c907d219fb314eb4.1487699071950.1550159685669.1550174246297.456&amp;__hssc=69631439.6.1550174246297&amp;__hsfp=2143924620#general">11 percent more B2C marketers than B2B marketers</a> view it as the most important content for engagement). Instagram Stories and IGTV bolster your visual brand identity, encouraging authentic engagement with your audiences. Combining that with the fact that consumers process visuals <a href="https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https://blogs-images.forbes.com/steveolenski/files/2015/11/3031419-inline-onespotscience4-12.jpg">60 times faster</a> than pure text, it’s no wonder that consumers spend <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2015/07/08/10-reasons-your-brand-needs-to-be-on-instagram/#50a326937d0b">12 billion minutes a month</a> on the app. As a popular account on Instagram, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/">National Geographic</a> is bursting with engagement. Peaking at 98.1 million followers, it’s filled with eye-catching, colorful photos that are shared among its IG Stories and IGTV content.
Any size business can be successful with Instagram. Instagram provides successful marketing results for businesses of all shapes and sizes. <a href="https://www.business.com/articles/silbio-porcellana-instagram-case-studies/">Small companies</a>, in particular, can take advantage of the fact that only <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2015/07/08/10-reasons-your-brand-needs-to-be-on-instagram/#50a326937d0b">9 percent of them are on Instagram</a>. They can start building their audience early and establish their fanbase before the competition gets too crowded. With 308,000 followers, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/letterfolk/">Letterfolk</a> is a great example of how a small online business uses their product (their handcrafted letterboards) to create content that is relatable, funny and memorable. 
In short, Instagram marketing can be the <a href="https://union.co/services/data-brand-strategy/brand-strategy">best tool for your brand strategy</a> or it could be something that isn’t needed at all. Want to dive deeper into Instagram marketing? Check out our blog, <a href="https://union.co/articles/how-to-navigate-the-new-rules-of-instagram-ads">How to Navigate the New Rules of Instagram Ads</a> or <a href="https://union.co/contact">connect with us</a> to discuss the role social media should play in your marketing strategy. We’re here to help execute your digital marketing needs, with or without Instagram.

Valtech + Union is a creative &amp; performance marketing agency that creates omni-channel campaigns, unleashing creativity on a data-driven world, helping brands produce memorable, measurable and repeatable results. Obsessed with data-driven performance, we believe every marketing dollar should be viewed as an investment. Our clients expect a meaningful return and we prove the ROI of our work with quantifiable data.