With an active user base per month in excess of 500 million, Instagram has transformed itself from a hangout for trendy teenagers to a social networking site that holds great promise for serious businesses. As far as the penetration in the American market goes, Instagram is used by 34% of all internet users and is second to only its parent, Facebook. For businesses that intend to engage their target audiences with visual content, Instagram offers a matchless opportunity. Some of the top reasons why your brand should be on Instagram:

Second Only To Facebook In Terms Of Time Spent On the Platform

Instagram users spend more time on the platform than any other internet user with the exception of Facebook. A study conducted by comScore reveals that Instagram users in the US spend a mammoth 12 billion minutes every month. While this may be minuscule when compared to Facebook users’ 230 billion minutes, it is still a very attractive and large opportunity for businesses that are targeting niche audiences focused on images.

Establishing Presence Is Easier

Due to the humongous size of Facebook, it can be very difficult for small businesses to be noticed as they need to compete with a large number of businesses and sharply differentiate themselves. Also, it can be quite difficult to be found by the search function of Facebook.  On the other hand, since only less than 10% of American businesses are present on Instagram, it can be an amazing opportunity for businesses to create an identity and build their audiences. Small businesses have consistently signed up on Instagram ever since its inception, however, it is still not too late for brands to connect with their audiences before fierce competition makes it too difficult to get followers and Instagram likes.

Unique Opportunity to Use Visual Content to Augment Brands

Showcasing brands become far easier when you have the opportunity to use images. Another great advantage of using Instagram is the opportunity businesses have of using a large assortment of filters to transform the aesthetics of the images to better communicate the desired message and mood.

Higher Average Values of Orders

It has been observed that orders placed by Instagram followers average $65. Only Polyvore tops it with an average order value of $66.75 but YouTube is considerably behind at $37.63. Statistically speaking, like any other e-commerce platform, most visits don’t result in sales, but when they do, Instagram yields higher revenue than other social media platforms.

Images Dominate User Engagement in the Social Media

Users of social media increasingly desire to experience their preferred brands through visual content rather than text because they can form a better idea of whether the product is to their liking and fits in with their lifestyle. Research corroborates that the most important strategy for businesses to optimize their social media presence is visual content. It is not necessary that visual content is limited to product images; brands can use infographics, graphic coupons, image quotes as well as shots of behind-the-scene activities or even videos to promote user engagement, and obtain feedback.

No Constraints of Filtered Feeds

What a business posts in its Instagram account is delivered to all its followers without being filtered as done by Facebook that uses its own algorithms to decide who gets to see what. What this essentially means is that the Instagram followers have the opportunity to see all the posts and that too in chronological order. Brands by ensuring that they post regularly can hope to connect with their followers who are using the platform simultaneously. This makes it vital to get the time of the image uploads right so that the maximum number of followers can see the posts.

Conclusion

It is evident that with a whole host of benefits brands would do well to establish a presence on Instagram at the earliest. As of now, it is possible to create a significant online presence and maximize sales revenue far more easily than on other social media.

Author bio: Andrew thompson is a marketing strategist who specializes in leveraging social media for businesses in emerging sectors. He has had considerable success in helping his clients raise their online presences and maximizing the number of Instagram likes.