Instagram just announced that it now has more than 500 million users, including more than 300 million who use the app every day.
Instagram has been gaining 100 million users, or Instagramers, every nine months. That fast growth places it ahead of Twitter, Snapchat and most other social media networks. Excluding mobile messaging apps and Chinese social media, Instagram has become the world’s second most popular social media site after Facebook, points out Neal Schaffer, founder and editor-in-chief of Maximize Social Business.
Instagram’s Burgeoning User Base
Schaffer notes other statistics that should attract marketers’ attention.
- Almost 30% of Americans have an Instagram profile, and 77 million of those people use their account at least once a month.
- Instagram use has doubled year over year for two years,
- Instagramers post 40 billion photos on the network each day and share over 80 million photos and videos per day. That compares to 500 million tweets a day and 300 million photos uploaded to Facebook a day.
- The network is surprisingly global. More than 80 percent of its users live outside the United States.
- Instagram is more effective in reaching Millennials than other social media sites, according to research commissioned by Japanese app Takumi, which connects Instagram influencers with brands. The research asserts that 68 percent of 18-24 year-olds say they are more likely to purchase an item if someone they follow on Instagram shared it, and 54 percent have purchased a product after seeing it on the app.
Newer platforms such as Snapchat appeal to a different audience because of a slightly different format so don’t hinder Instagram’s growth. “Instagram is not a fad nor is it slowing in growth despite the competition, Schaffer says.
Despite the network’s significant and growing popularity, brands continue to post more frequently to Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, Schaffer says, citing a study from Forrester Research. Brands that market on Instagram can gain an advantage before competitors recognize its popularity.
New Tools for Marketers
The network’s new analytics tools for marketers and advertisers offer another reason for brands to be interested in Instagram. “Similar to the analytics for your Facebook page, these new Instagram analytics (or, Insights as the app calls them) gives you valuable data about who your followers are, when they’re online, and how many people viewed your Instagram post,” writes Taylor Loren, content marketing manager at Later, on a LinkedIn Pulse
Business profiles can provide a description of the business, directions and buttons for consumers to contact businesses via phone, text or email.
Insights provide information about follower demographics and performance of posts. Marketers and advertisers will be able to view impressions, reach and engagement, learn when users saw posts and compare engagement to previous weeks.
Promotion lets businesses change posts into ads within the app by adding a call-to-action button. Businesses can select a target audience or let Instagram suggest targeting.
Bottom Line: Marketing experts urge brands to consider Instagram as a corporate communications and marketing option. The network’s recent robust growth transformed it into one of the most popular social media sites, and it introduced business-friendly audience analytics. However, brands still generally post more on older platforms. Whether or not organizations chose to emphasize Instagram will depend largely on the demographics of their target audience.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
