Instagram is shaping up to be THE major marketing platform, compared to it's beginnings as a photo sharing platform. 

With over 1 billion monthly active users, utilizing Instagram for your business has never been more important. They have taken strides to create a desirable space for both customers and business owners alike.

With updates to Instagram stories and creating shoppable posts, it's no wonder engagement is higher there than on Facebook and Twitter. 

Reach on to learn more about what your business can do to utilize Instagram.

Before we jump too far into what your company should do, first let's look at the statistics.

The team at Make a Video Hub put to together some facts and figures: 

• The typical user spends an average of 55 minutes per day on Instagram.
• User engagement is 58 times bigger on Instagram compared to Facebook and engagement per follower is 120 times more compared to Twitter.
• Instagram currently has over 25 million active business profiles.
• 72 percent of Instagram users have bought a product they saw advertised on the app.
• In the United States, Instagram is growing 5 times faster than the total social media usage in the country.

So, what does this mean? Companies need to have a presence on Instagram. Where should your company start? 

1. Post often and consistently. This could mean you are posting something new every day or posting a few times a week. When your audience has something to look at, your followers will grow. 
2. Use hashtags. Now users can follow hashtags to get inspiration. Jumping on board with a popular hashtag or creating your own gives your business a new way to gather an audience. 
3. Instagram is very influential. Take advantage of shoppable posts and get your products out there. If your products are online, they should be featured AND shoppable on Instagram. 
4. Stories and TV. Stories allow businesses to interact with their audience in a whole new way. Creating captivating stories and videos for IGTV will grow your following and help get the right kind of audience for your products. 
5. Use high quality photography. Instagram is a photo heavy platform. Using images that are low quality will deter your audience and stock photos will do the same. People love to see images of real plants, people and experiences and if you try to fake it, the audience will see right through it. 

Ready to get started? Check out the infographic below:

 Still stuck? Give us a call. We will set up a 30 minute consultation to figure out what is best for your business.