We are back with Tip of the Week – Season 2! I thought I would kick off this season by answering a question I heard a LOT in January: How should I use Instagram for my business this year? If you’ve been wondering this too, stay with me for a couple minutes.
First, some trends, stats and facts.
- Instagram recently surpassed 2 BILLION monthly active users. It is still growing. It needs to adapt and update faster than ever to remain competitive, but it’s certainly not a dying platform. (However, it’s still up to you to decide whether you want to deal with the constantly changing features and appearance.)
- Instagram is the preferred platform for millennials. Meaning if your ideal clients are millennials, you should at least have a presence there. Don’t skip it in your marketing plan is what I mean.
- Adam Mosseri (chief of Instagram) said in January that Instagram was over-focused on video in 2022 – something they want to balance this year. Already they are pushing a better balance between photos and videos.
What does all of this mean for you, and marketing yourself and business?
Essentially, it’s business as usual. With competitors YouTube, TikTok and newer BeReal, Instagram is still caught in a bit of an identity crisis – which means they will likely continue to experiment and make changes. The best we can do as business owners and marketers is to adapt, and keep ONE THING in mind, as always.
And that one thing is…your marketing must serve your client. Whether you are creating content for Instagram, LinkedIn or even old-school print marketing, you will waste money and precious time unless you prioritize the wants and needs of your ideal clients. It’s not about you. It’s not about what you think they should want or need…it’s only about what those ideal clients are thinking. And THEN how well you can communicate that you know what they are thinking. This builds immediate trust because the client feels SEEN.
Video isn’t going away, so the takeaway from Adam Mosseri’s announcement should NOT be taken as a free pass to give up on video. Regardless of any platform’s algorithm, video marketing is still the fastest, most efficient way to build know/like/trust with your audience – and CONSISTENCY is the not-so-secret sauce.
But if you have a photo that tells a story and communicates great emotion, feel free to throw that up on IG if it’s in-line with your personal brand. As of late 2022, you can even add 90 seconds of music to your picture posts, so have fun with that too!
Schedule your free 15-min marketing consultation with Kati, for whatever you and your business need. Visit skyblue.media/marketing
