Exactly 10 years ago on 6th October 2010, a little app launched to the world. It enabled users to share images captured on their newly acquired smartphones and make them instantly look more characterful with a choice of filters reminiscent of vintage pictures taken on an instamatic camera.
With over 1 billion users, Instagram today is the sixth most popular social media channel used in the world. The filters which made it cool still exist, but the features it now boasts make it ice cold.
In a recent bid to compete with the short clip sharing platform Tik Tok, as of August this year, Instagrammers can now share their own short clips with easy editing tools to add filters, music and text overlays. These ‘Reels’ can then be shared and saved to your grid or Stories (highlights of content lasting 24 hours) and are easily discoverable if you add in your hashtags like you would do with a normal post.
Nostalgia inducing name, neat features, engaging visuals… Instagram has naturally paved the way for influencers to dominate the channel over the years, making it the ideal space for any consumer brands to thrive, so where does a B2B company get a slice of the action?
According to research by TrackMaven, B2B companies experience the largest engagement ratios on Instagram. The app promotes interaction through comments, and the many features encourage users to stay and play on the platform, keeping them entertained and engaged.
To be successful, it’s important to strike the right balance between broadcasting business news and posting interesting and genuine user-generated content. Among all the social channels, Instagram is the platform deemed to be the most ‘human’. Don’t be afraid to show something a little less corporate to what you would on LinkedIn or Twitter. After all, this is the app where users get lost in a sea of inspirational content. It’s the ultimate escapism.
For many businesses, Instagram can be the perfect opportunity to let the personality of your company shine and the endeavours of your employees take centre stage. It’s a safe space to share the great work culture of your business, and showcase your employer and corporate branding.
But when it comes to social selling, Instagram really is the place to be. According to Instagram itself, a staggering 60% of users rely on the platform to find products. For a B2B company, it might not be as simple as tagging visuals with shopping links, but a more gradual approach in encouraging users to discover more about a service or solution.
This is where a social strategy is key for the B2B players on Instagram. By understanding the benefits, setting the objectives and creating exciting content to reach professionals in B2C dominated space, you’ll attract the attention of the many users who themselves, run or work for businesses seeking new tools to make their jobs, and lives easier. It might just be your business they’ll discover.
