Instagram is one of the largest social networks in the world and is the platform of choice when users want to post photos or short videos to reach broad audiences. It is occasionally forgotten that Instagram is a money-making venture and this revenue comes from the value it creates for brands and businesses through a variety of services. Below are ten facts you probably didn’t realize about the potency of Instagram as a marketing machine for your company.
More Than 80% of Users are Outside of the United States
The first thing one thinks of when they picture an Instagram user is a teenage American girl, but most users aren’t even in the US market. This has huge value creating the potential for brands that want to spread their message worldwide.
To learn more about the rise of Instagram, its statistics and various facts that can aid your social media marketing campaign – be sure to check out the full info-graphic from Websitebuilder.org.
U.S. is Still #1
The U.S. may not be the majority of users, but it still provides a healthy 19.22% of the users. Russia, Brazil, Turkey and the UK are the next largest users.
Women Use Instagram More Than Men
This is highly relevant to determining the utility of Instagram to your brand. With 31% of female internet users on Instagram, versus the 21% of male Instagram users, your brand has a much higher chance of reaching your female customers than your male ones.
Everyday 4.2 Billion Likes Are Made
Likes build the profile of your brand, and with this many of them up for grabs, you should understand how many potential customers you can reach through the proper use of Instagram.
2013 is When Sponsored Posts Were Revealed
Until 2013, Instagram didn’t have any advertising revenue. Facebook bought it based on its future potential to make money, and shortly after, sponsored posts were revealed. Sponsored posts are posts you pay to have featured in a user’s feed.
Nike is the #1 Brand
With 68.1 million followers, Nike is the top brand on Instagram. This doesn’t even include Nike Football, which is the fifth most popular brand. In the second, third and fourth are National Geographic, Victoria’s Secret and 9GAG.
Most Big Brands Are On Instagram
Estimated to be at 48.8% of brands now and climbing to 70.7% in mid-2017, Instagram has caught on with most brands. They see the value in building a presence in their customers’ lives and know that if they don’t control the way their brand is presented, someone else will.
Advertising Is Taking Off
Instagram is estimated to make $1.53 billion annually on sponsored posts. This is all global mobile ad revenue and ends up being a little under a tenth of what Facebook generates. Not bad considering the huge head start Facebook had.
Hump Day is Popular
Wednesday at 5 pm seems to be the busiest time on Instagram, which is great for brands to know when they want to reveal something important to their business and maximize the number of people paying attention.
Daily Usage is Immense
With approximately 4.2 billion posts being liked every day on Instagram, and 95 new million photos/videos being shared, it is too important a platform to ignore.
Every business should read this and see a huge opportunity to promote their brand for a relatively low cost (or free, if you’re just starting off). Signing up for an account is easy, and posting is fun, so there’s no reason not to try it.