What are the benefits of Instagram for small and medium-sized businesses?

Instagram is a mobile application owned by Facebook, and its principle is fairly simple: share photos and short videos. What long made it stand out were the numerous filters the app offers, allowing you to enhance your creations and make using it more fun. In addition, you can follow other users, send private messages, like, comment… in short, everything you would expect from a classic social network. It also has half a billion users worldwide every day — which means it would be a shame to miss out on great opportunities. Today, Instagram is hugely popular with large businesses but also with smaller ones, as the social network boasts a significant user base, offers a "shopping" service, a built-in KPI measurement tool, and a post promotion service.

Why use Instagram?

A very high engagement rate

Instagram is universally recognised as an indispensable platform — and rightly so, as it attracts no fewer than 1 billion active users per month worldwide. And here we emphasise the word "active". Indeed, while Facebook retains its title as the leader in terms of user numbers, Instagram is one of the social networks that generates the highest engagement rate. Users interact ten times more with brands on Instagram than on Facebook! If you are interested in our tips for increasing your engagement, you can find them here.

Developing your visibility

It is worth noting that 53% of Instagram users are aged between 18 and 30, and this audience is particularly active on social networks. But a young audience also means particular expectations. You will therefore need to show creativity and establish a certain proximity through less polished and static content formats than those on Facebook or LinkedIn — such as behind-the-scenes stories, tutorials, or competitions. Another notable benefit: Instagram allows you to build a genuine community for free. Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, where it is difficult to grow your audience without spending money.

A discovery platform

60% of users discover new products on Instagram

Instagram is a discovery platform designed to encourage users to encounter new content. That is why using hashtags is essential as part of your communications strategy. By clicking on a hashtag, Instagram displays all the most popular posts for that hashtag in the first tab, followed by the most recent in the second tab. In other words, use the right hashtag and you reach the maximum number of people without spending a penny.

Targeted advertising: Instagram Ads

You are no doubt aware that since 2016 Instagram has offered Business accounts, allowing those who create a professional account to run sponsored campaigns and obtain statistics on their posts and their audience.

In short, Instagram is booming and shows no signs of slowing down. There is therefore a real incentive for businesses to establish a presence on this platform.

The arrival of a shopping feature

Since 2016 and the introduction of Business accounts, it has been possible to showcase your products through your posts. How? With the shopping feature! Simply tag the product and a thumbnail showing its price, description, and the link to the e-commerce site will appear.

You can also have a new "shop" tab in your feed, allowing you to showcase all the products in your catalogue. This way, your products gain visibility. No need to focus solely on your website to convert potential customers into buyers.

An app that people love

This last point may seem subjective, but it is a fact. If you want to reach as many people as possible at minimal cost, you need to be on Instagram.

The format is enormously appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds, and allows brands to advertise in a more subtle and dynamic way.

All the more so as Instagram's audience is already potentially primed to buy. All that remains is to capture their attention and keep your content feed alive.

To summarise, Instagram offers:

• an app that keeps on growing in popularity: almost 1 billion users worldwide
• one of the highest engagement rates — so consider competitions or posts that get your community involved
• the ability to build a genuine community for free
• increased visibility among 18 to 30-year-olds
• a creative way to develop your brand and foster proximity
• a highly effective and targeted advertising offering
• Instagram Shopping: a means of generating sales and redirecting to your e-commerce site

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