Should you be on Instagram? If yes, what for? You know Instagram as a highly visual platform where you find the best photos and videos. Because of this, it poses both an opportunity and a challenge for business owners like yourself. A tremendous opportunity, because due to its billions of active monthly users, the likelihood of your audience being there is almost automatic.
A challenge because you feel the need to plan visual content properly if you are to be strategic about being on Instagram. The important question to answer, is, can you use Instagram to grow your business? Jenn Herman, of Jenn's Trends, shows us how in this episode of TThe Digital Slice Podcast.
Your Instagram Guru
Jenn Herman is your go-to guru for everything Instagram and especially Instagram marketing. Jenn is a leading Instagram blogger, and her blog, Jenn’s Trends was one of Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Social Blogs from 2014 to 2016. Hear her speak, and you will understand why she is in demand as a speaker with all the tips and tricks she shares.
She is also a consultant and a trainer who advises different businesses on social media strategy. Jenn has been featured on various media outlets including CBS Radio, Fox News, Inc., Yahoo Finance, and numerous podcasts. She wrote the book, “Instagram for Business for Dummies” to put her expertise in a resource easily accessible for her audience. Her most recent adventure is the 360 Marketing Squad, a strong team composed of 4 experts covering various social media fields, with her role focused on Instagram.
The interesting thing about Jenn getting into the social media space is it was something she never planned. Her interests used to lie in the world of crime scene investigation and she received a Master’s degree in Forensic Science. She did try to pursue it, but the universe led her to be the Instagram expert she is today.
For 6 years now she has been running Jenn’s Trends, and it's been a fun ride for her. In her own words, Jenn exclaims, “I love what I’m doing. I love being able to teach. I love being able to work with business owners. I love being able to speak on stages and meet all these amazing people around the world, so I have no complaints.”
Besides, nothing is wasted as she still uses her scientific orientation in her work with clients. It's given her an edge over other marketers, as she has used it to help clients come up with a unique, sure-fire, strategic approach to business. Jenn describes it passionately, “You look at things differently because we have this scientific mindset which I think is why I’m so big on strategy, and I love working with clients to develop a strategy.”
Is Instagram For You?
Doing business in the digital age can be extra exciting with all the perks social media can provide. You might think Instagram could be good for you like most social media platforms are, and there are numerous businesses which have used Instagram successfully. However, there are also those who have not benefited fully from its magnificence. You need to determine whether Instagram is indeed good for your business.
First off, Instagram is considered the second largest platform next to Facebook with over a billion monthly active users - if you don’t count YouTube as a social media platform (there's an ongoing debate about this, but even if you do count YouTube as second, then Instagram is still on top 3 among these social platforms). And what does this mean for your business? Jenn confirms “Your audience is on Instagram so you absolutely can use it.”
On the other hand, she adds, “Every single business can use Instagram. That doesn’t mean every business should use Instagram.” And so to determine whether Instagram is a good fit for your business or not, there two considerations you should look into. The first one has to do with your target audience. You have to think about who is actually on Instagram and what their purpose is for using it, then check how that translates to your business. Are these same people on Instagram on it more often than they are on other platforms?
Decide if that will work for your audience and determine what they do on Instagram. The second consideration has to do with you as a business owner creating content about your business. Jenn has observed how “A lot of people struggle with Instagram because there's such a visual component” and this is entirely understandable. You see, unlike other platforms, you can’t just post a link and that’s it. You have to plan your posts well and create a photo or video that is going to make an impact and stand out among the many out there on the platform.
And when it comes to images, you wonder if you should use stock photos, photos of yourself, or maybe photos of your actual products or services. What’s important is the photos have to tell a story so it becomes meaningful for your audience. Jenn suggests you, “Figure out what works for you, what works for your audience, and how it’s all gonna tie together as a complete strategy of whether or not Instagram is really gonna work for you.”
Using Instagram For Your Business
Before anything else, you have to experience Instagram, so you know the platform inside and out. Jenn can attest to how fun it is to be there, how it’s a great place to hang out since everyone is there, and how rich the engagement can be with your audience. It may even surprise you to know the engagement you can get from Instagram is highest among the other platforms, including Facebook.
Jenn points out, “On Instagram, the average engagement is about 3% so that may sound low, but it's exponentially higher than what you’re going to get on any other platform.” So, you get the likes and the comments that eventually help build an audience and then create a community that is unmatched on any other platform. You also get the dialogue, the back and forth interaction so valuable for business. More than anything, it's engagement you should be juicing out of your social media efforts and Instagram is simply going to give you an abundance of it.
When it comes to traffic, Instagram for business has yet to be surpassed. The reason for this is unlike on other platforms, is you only get one clickable link on Instagram and that's the link on your bio. And so, for anything and everything you post, you can consistently direct your audience to that one link until it becomes top of mind and they go to your bio and click on it. First, you need to create quality content.
For instance, you can create a blog post announcement with a call to action saying they should click the link on your bio. They see the photo, read the caption and the call to action, head to your bio, and click on a link to get directed to your website. Just like that, you have already had them perform 3 to 4 actions in just a few minutes and you've achieved your main goal of taking them to your site. Once they are on your site, more good is bound to happen. And once they are there, they don’t bounce. Jenn exclaims, “Your bounce rate is essentially zero.”
Absolutely no junk traffic comes from Instagram because your audience wants to be there – it's not some unpleasant invite but a voluntary, highly-interested action. The result is more leads, more and better conversions, and longer time spent on your website, and you know what that means. Jenn confidently points out how, “You may not get as much traffic from Instagram as you get from the other platforms, but the quality of traffic is, in my opinion, significantly better than what you get on any other platform.” So yes, Instagram is definitely worth it to use to grow your business.
Be sure to listen to this episode of The Digital Slice Podcast to get the scoop on Instagram! And, if you like it, leave a rating and a review!
Please note: The Friedman Group is an inbound marketing agency based in Denver, Colorado, and we work with professionals and business owners across the U.S. Our digital marketing services include: inbound marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and digital marketing strategy and implementation.
