3 More Reasons for Brands to Use Instagram to Boost Influence and Drive Sales The photo-centric social media platform is well suited for reaching younger customers who define what the larger audience seeks from content marketing.
By Justin Rezvani Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Instagram is a unique medium for brand advertising unlike any other platform in the social space. The visually driven community allows users to communicate in the universal language of photos and videos, opening the world to the possibility of more "humanized'' content.
Instagram's growth and reach speaks to its massive appeal to the millennial audience. Instagram provides huge advertising opportunities to drive brand awareness and purchase intent to those brands that understand users want content made for users by other users who understand them best.
Related: 5 Ways Instagram Can Boost Your Marketing Plan
The three components that are most important for brands to successfully campaign on Instagram are humanizing the content, utilizing influencers and harnessing the power of analytics.
1. Humanizing branded content. The key to success in today's social space is insight into the audience base. Users today want content that speaks to their real interests in a genuine manner. Driving this concept is prioritization of the user experience. Always have the individual in mind. Anticipate and focus on what they want to see from a brand.
With this approach, brands can implement diversely creative content that speaks to the user's individuality and the brand's understanding of the audience. That allows the audience to personalize the entity connecting with them through social media. The brand is no longer just another robotic, corporate voice.
2. Amplification through targeted Influencers. The usual advertising tactics are essential whether a brand is looking to grow awareness or reposition themselves but audiences today demand personal interaction with brands. They want to speak to another person who understands them and speaks like them.
Related: 4 Ways Brands Can Hit the Social Jackpot With Instagram Direct
The best way to reach users with these needs is to generate content by like-minded individuals who understand the space. Instagram influencer marketing is a massive opportunity for brands to target specific demographics in a non-intrusive, yet effective, manner. These influencers know what drives engagement and interest in their audiences by understanding them as no brand could.
The human factor has become essential to a successful social campaign. That personal voice behind a brand is what the audience wants to hear. Both brand science and artful advertising must converge to build the brand's connection to audiences an influencer has developed, studied and tended to for years.
3. Meaningful analytics. Instagram provides a simplistic user experience but provides vast amounts of data regarding users and content generated. When used correctly, this date gives brands the opportunity to leverage key metrics in support of their campaigns.
By implementing Instagram's data in analytical tools, the brand's position is elevated, not only supporting their campaign direction but driving metrics around brand awareness, purchase intent, sentiment and so forth. These are all essential factors when proving ROI, an extremely difficult task in the social space, especially Instagram.
In a fast-paced world where social media is the driver for audience and consumer movement, Instagram continues to provide newfound opportunities. The three core elements of driving Instagram success for brands are humanizing the content, utilizing influencers and gaining powerful analytics. As brands grow in their understanding for these three invaluable elements, so will their social value and long-term growth.
Related: This New Tool Could Help Businesses Drive More Sales Through Instagram
