A lot of marketers think of Instagram as Facebook’s younger sister. With Instagram’s more visual-centric approach, as well as a variety of fun features, content on the platform seems to be better built for user engagement.
The infographic below by SERPwatch reports that digital marketing professionals love the social network. With a user count growing about 5% each quarter, Instagram continues to be a popular platform not just for users, but for businesses promoting their products and services as well.
Among content marketers, Instagram is easily among the top three choices along with its parent company Facebook and video powerhouse YouTube.
Here are a few things you need to know about Instagram and what you should take into account when putting together an Instagram marketing strategy for 2019.
Instagram Loves Small Brands
With 60% of users discovering new products on Instagram, the social network is a great place for niche-market products, highly-specialized services, and brands just starting out.
The best time for businesses to post on Instagram is on weekdays at 5 PM or 2 AM. There’s also a reason why influencers are still particularly effective – well-known accounts have been shown to get 38% more likes.
IGTV Will Continue To Make Waves
What’s the difference between Instagram Stories and IGTV?
IGTV doesn’t have a lifecycle limit like Stories have – videos on IGTV stay on your feed for as long as you wish. It also allows you to post longer videos of up to an hour, compared to the 15-second limit on Stories.
However, probably the most noticeable advantage IGTV has over Stories is that it supports vertically-oriented videos, maximizing the available screen space in response to how users actually hold their phones.
The Future of Instagram
Although Instagram is not currently positioned as an e-commerce platform, there are some indications that it is heading that way. Shoppable posts could provide more information about a highlighted product, as well as a link to the seller’s landing page or website.
Even with all the exciting new features for brands, Instagram is just one of the many digital marketing channels you could use for your business. For more interesting digital marketing trends to watch out for, have a look at the infographic below.
