Does it Pay to Advertise on Instagram?
Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites in the world. Its easy-to-share format has resulted in the number of users growing exponentially.
In 2013, there were 100 million Instagram users. Now there are over 800 million. Time spent watching Instagram videos has also increased by more than 80 percent.
Since March 2017, Instagram has also doubled the number of paid advertisers to a whopping 2 million.
Is this social network a good venue for your latest paid placement ad campaign? You bet! We’ve outlined several ways Instagram marketing can benefit your medical practice or business.
Does it pay to advertise on Instagram? Consider these advantages:
1. Instagram advertising is connected with Facebook
Facebook acquired Instagram in 2014, and therefore the network shares Facebook’s ability to provide extensive ad specifications, narrowing your focus to reach demographics, life events, locations and ages. This makes it easier than ever to reach your target market.
For example, suppose you are an OB-GYN practice. You would like to target females of a certain age. You could target those in your area who have shown interest in baby/pregnancy related items or who have followed pregnancy-related business pages.
Even better, you can complete all your ad setup and creation through Facebook Ads Manager. If you are already advertising through Facebook, it’s easy to make Instagram a part of your marketing plan.
2. Easy integration between many different platforms
Instagram and Facebook can be easily integrated with Shopify, WooCommerce and WordPress to reach your followers, reinforce your brand and sell your products. However, be aware that you’ll need to have stellar, professional photos of your products in order to make the type of impression that delivers results.
3. Affordable Pay Per Click Advertising to a Targeted Audience
Instagram has a wide reach, so it doesn’t require a huge advertising budget. You can make headway with a budget of only $150/ month, which is a relatively small budget for effective online advertising.
4. Reaching Potential Customers (especially Millennials) Who are Receptive to New Products & Services
More than half—60 percent—of Instagrammers discover new products on the platform. In fact, it’s a great way to reach the Millennial target audience.
Millennials comprise more than half of Instagram users. Why should you care? Millennials — those born in the 80s through the mid-90s — make up more than a quarter of the U.S. population, outnumbering even the Baby Boomers.
This is the largest living generation in the U.S., boasting more than 75.4 million. If you’re promoting a service or product, this is a demographic you can’t afford to overlook.
While Facebook is still the #1 platform for the Millennial generation, 59 percent are active on Instagram.
Instagram marketing should be just one part of your overall marketing plan
Although Instagram has several benefits, you shouldn’t merely “set it and forget it.” Developing your marketing plan involves focusing on your key performance indicators and evaluating your approach to be sure that you’re continually reaching these goals.
The bottom line: when applied correctly, Instagram is a great part of a marketing plan, offering access to millions of users, a great return on your advertising dollars, but your ad still has to have outstanding graphics and a strong call to action.
If you’d like to know more about how Instagram can help shape your marketing strategy, contact us. We’d love to discuss it with you.
Since its inception in 2000, Proclaim Interactive has combined excellence in design and think-out-of- the-box digital marketing to become one of the most award-winning firms in the region. Proclaim Interactive provides website design, social media management, SEO and general marketing services designed to amplify clients’ messages. For more information call 910.795.4143.
