In January 2022, NapoleonCat, a social media management tool that evaluates social media performance, generates insightful conclusions from data, and produces dedicated reports, surveyed Instagram users in Canada.
They found that there were 18.8 million Instagram users in Canada, which accounted for 47.3% of its entire population. The largest users were between the ages of 25 and 34, most of whom were women.
Instagram is a platform that gives people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. The increasing popularity of Instagram has led to the diversification of its purpose, with more and more people tapping into its possibilities and opportunities.
With the increasing competition to have an extensive social media presence, small businesses have started exploring Instagram as the most popular platform to reach their audience quickly. Instagram offers its users a business account with relevant data to guide their marketing strategy and enhance growth and engagement.
Many entrepreneurs benefit by selling their products on Instagram. They can ensure business growth and success without incurring high operational costs or the necessity of a brick-and-mortar store. Most small businesses begin operations from their homes or kitchens and use Instagram as a platform to sell their products. They mainly deal with beauty, health, fashion, or lifestyle products, as those are the most popular and have the biggest sales on Instagram.
Benefits of Instagram for Business
- Instagram has added the feature of Instagram Insights, which allows Instagram Business Account users to view metrics and analytics related to their profiles and posts. Users can use this data to improve their strategy by better understanding what their audience likes and engages with on Instagram.
- Statistics show the rising popularity and use of Instagram by the Canadian population. This means they are constantly available on the platform and consume a lot of content. Hence, reaching them through the platform is easier to drive and enhance brand awareness.
- The Instagram user demographic has a higher buying tendency as they are constantly exposed to new trends and items. Hence, they prefer experimenting with and trying out new brands and products. In the present social media culture, there is also a culture of sharing the reviews of products they love with their friends and the general public. These factors aid an Instagram business handle boost sales.
- The insights and analytics from Instagram help businesses keep track of their audience engagement. The data can help them to know what stage of the buyer journey they are in and improve their marketing strategy to convert them to a loyal customer.
- It is preferable to meet your audience on a platform where they are frequently present and offer your product or services through efficient marketing tactics, continuing until they reach the last step of the consumer journey rather than hoping they would become drawn to your brand.
- Instagram offers Direct messages (DMs) that allow a one-on-one conversation with the brand where they can address customer complaints effectively and get constructive feedback that they can implement to optimize business operations and any other follow-up required.
- Instagram helps you gain followers or customers who regularly get updated about the latest news, launch, offers and sales through your posts and stories that will be available in their timeline. This accessibility and update help them feel connected to the brand constantly.
How To Optimize Business Through Instagram
- Start With A Business Account
Creating a business account on Instagram gives you the advantage of tools that help in lead generation and audience insights. These tools aid in streamlining operations for reaching the target audience, and the account makes it simpler for clients to contact the brand as the ideal place to address their queries.
- Know Your Audience
When posting content on Instagram, it’s important to clearly understand your target audience, their preferences, and the marketing tactics that appeal to them and spark their interest in learning more about your company. A strategic way of approaching the audience by knowing them helps make the execution smooth and the result optimal.
- Good Content And Neat Caption
The aesthetic with which an Instagram page is curated is what draws viewers to it. People place a lot of value on keeping a neat and organized handle with sufficient information without any confusion. Business owners must invest in posting quality photos with catchy captions that can incite curiosity and interest in the products they are selling.
- Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is currently the most popular marketing strategy since it effectively increases brand awareness and engagement on Instagram. While identifying influencers to collaborate with for brand promotion, choosing people who actually use your products is highly recommended. Customers value authenticity and genuineness when a brand or product is promoted.
- Engage With Audience
Regardless of the media you utilize to advertise your business; a successful outcome will only be realized when you have that engagement with your customers. Instagram offers interaction with customers where you can regularly post content, conduct surveys on customer preferences and expectations, ask for feedback for improvement and industry insights, and keep them informed about the latest news through stories that will help them feel connected to the brand.
Instagram has many benefits for the expansion of your business. But one must be prepared to deal with the drawbacks of using such tools. For instance, there is pressure to be active online, responding to direct messages from clients and regularly updating them on new developments. It is also possible that the comments you receive include hateful remarks meant to make you feel bad.
Businesses should be ready to deal with pressure, competition, and unfavorable comments that appear on their pages when they sign up to use social media platforms. In addition, business owners must show patience in handling it and respond to genuine customer inquiries.
These commitments might keep you occupied and divert you from your routine business operations. Therefore, you must either set aside time to focus on social media, assign the task to another employee, or outsource the work to agencies that can handle the inquiries effectively.
However, putting those aspects of Instagram aside, small businesses must explore the opportunities the platform offers to strengthen their brand identity, optimize their marketing strategy, and engage with customers personally.
Digital integration is an inevitable part of small business operations. To read more on the advancements in these fields, subscribe to Indigenous SME Business Magazine . For the latest updates, visit our Twitter page at @IndigenousSme.
