Instagram is it just photos?
One of the first things Instagram has shown to the tech world is what real engagement looks like on the platform. While media like Twitter and Facebook have had good and bad moments with their audiences, with engagement increasing and decreasing depending on current events, Instagram has consistently been the most powerful engagement platform in social media history.
The most remarkable change Instagram has made not only to technology but also to global culture is the development of photography. While this contributed in part to the improvements of smartphone cameras, the market was also forced to innovate due to Instagram. The application simply changes the approach to photography, which was already visible in the first days of its use. By introducing filters, people started to feel more confident in what they can do on Instagram, providing themselves the basis for photo editing. By breaking that barrier, Instagram has made photography much more omnipresent and made it much easier for the average person to enjoy taking pictures.
Influencer… profession of the future?
An influencer is someone who has a high level of popularity or authority in their niche. Usually influencers gain followers because they have a lot of experience, success or knowledge in a given field.
As a result, others in the field may turn to them for their opinions, knowledge, and even advice. Companies can partner with influencers as part of their marketing strategy in the hope that their audience will have a say in purchasing the company's products. It's important to remember that an influencer doesn't have to be known on a large scale. For example, "micro-influencers" can be very successful with less than 50,000 followers on their social media platforms. To become an influencer, you must first determine which specialized area you want to focus on, as it helps you find a place of value. To do this, consider your passions and strengths because choosing a niche that fits these areas allows you to show off your knowledge and further improve your skills.
Choosing a niche is beneficial because it focuses all the attention on only one area, which makes it easier to gain authority and thus attract the audience. It also helps you reach a more specific audience, allowing you to tailor your content to their needs and interests. To increase your followers, it is important to choose the social media platforms that best suit your niche and target audience. When choosing social media platforms, you should also consider what type of content you will publish and which platforms will best suit these needs. For example, if someone works in the creative industry as an artist, you may want to have a social media profile on a site that focuses mainly on sharing photos or videos.
I have an account on Insta and ... what next?
With hundreds of millions of daily active users, Instagram is one of the best free tools for reaching your target market. But you can't just post blindly and expect results. Yes, posting regularly is important, but should be part of a larger strategy to promote your Instagram account.
If someone already has a large number of followers or high engagement rates on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, It is a good idea to use these platforms as mutual promotion tools for your Instagram account. You can do this by using direct CTAs, promoting a link to your Instagram bio, or by sharing your latest Instagram photos and videos on these platforms. Since many people are active on more than one social network, you can convince some people to follow you on Instagram as well. Otherwise, it's a good idea to start by adding family and friends. This tip is especially useful for small or local businesses, or those just starting out with Instagram marketing. Connecting with family and friends will help gain initial engagement, and they'll (hopefully) be more than happy to promote your account on their networks. Even if they are not promoting an account directly, their profile engagement will appear on their feed and their followers can discover new content this way.
Perhaps the best way to promote your Instagram account is through real engagement. People like to be heard, so the more you engage with their comments, the more comments and exposure you get back. Each of these engagements organically promote your Instagram account while strengthening your audience relationship and building trust.
Much user-generated content will appear organically, but you can also claim it directly - through a challenge, contest, or any simple and fun engaging activity. Especially for contests, this strategy can inspire (or even require) followers to tag others who are not yet following the Instagram account in question.
Advertisment and content
As the name suggests, Instagram ads are simply post or story ads that companies pay to Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) to promote their brand, products, or services to Instagram users.
What makes Instagram ads unique despite the cost is that they allow any business from anywhere in the world to advertise on their platform. And because Instagram is owned by Facebook, the company can target ads to an audience based on certain factors such as location, age group, and likes and dislikes using Facebook's data.
Instagram also makes it easy to engage and interact with users in the comments area of their video or photo ads. Different companies usually have different targets for their ads. For example, a business may use Instagram ads to advertise a training platform, learning online, or to sell specific products.
It's worth noting that there are up to six advertisment formats that you can choose on Instagram, which are divided into two general types: Instagram feed ads and Instagram Stories ads. Instagram feed ads consist of photos, videos and slideshow ads. Stories ads consist of single graphics and short videos.
Is it worth to invest in advertising or is it better to focus on organic growth? To answer this question, you first need to establish your budget and target audience. If Instagram doesn't have a large crowd of people who might be interested in the proposed content, buying ads isn't worth much. However, Instagram is so huge that basically every niche has its own place on this platform. Given its wide reach in all different sectors of life, there is a very good chance that an investment in Instagram advertising will be profitable for almost everyone.
Is it worth it
Micro influencers have 6,000-10,000 followers. According to a recent survey, these accounts can average $ 88.00 per Sponsored Post. However, above this barrier, brands send direct messages, asking for an advertisement of the product in exchange for freebies: clothes with designers' logos, monthly cosmetics packages or a free meal in a restaurant. This is somewhat of an unspoken rule that influencers can expect to receive $ 10 for every 1,000 followers they have when they hit the 100,000 threshold. However, charging for posts before expanding your account may result in lower earnings or billing before your account fully blooms. Influencers with 50,000 to 80,000 followers receive approximately $ 200.00 per post, but the price varies depending on the advertiser. Some accounts contract with brands to post promo codes on their channels, and they get a percentage of their sales every time a new person uses their code.
No matter if someone is learning to develop a brand on Instagram, on the Webinar Universe or on its own, reaching a million audiences requires a lot of effort and commitment. Therefore, not everyone will be able to achieve it - but if someone breaks the barrier of a million followers, they can count on considerable financial gains.