Does your business need Instagram?

Instagram can be an amazing asset to launch your business from a hobby in your garage to a million dollar brand. 500+ million users are active every single day and 80 percent of users follow at least one business account. Seeing these numbers and the success of other brands, many companies ask, "Should we be using Instagram to help grow our business?" If you are asking this question, here are five things to consider first. 

1. TIME. Are you willing to dedicate at least five hours a week to Instagram? (Or will you pay someone else to do it for you?) If you truly want to maximize the power of Instagram, you can't just post images periodically and expect the business to flow in. It is a lot more complicated and time consuming than it seems. 

2. BRAND. Do you have a visual brand image you want to portray? You will need to cultivate a brand strategy including colors, style of images, and how you will create content that relates to your brand but also engages and interests your audience. 

3. AUDIENCE. Is your target market using Instagram? This is essential. If the customers you are trying to reach are actively using Instagram, then it may be a great platform to reach them. However, just because Instagram is popular, doesn't necessarily mean it's right for your audience. 

4. PURPOSE. Have you established a purpose for creating Instagram? Think about more than just generating more sales. Do you want to connect emotionally to your audience? Do you want to learn more about the preferences and opinions of your audience? Do you want to inspire? Do you want to entertain? 

5. NEGATIVITY. Can you gracefully handle negative feedback and unhappy customers? Anytime you create a social media account, you will also be giving people a new way to contact you... on a public stage. You will need to be able to handle negativity, while still maintaining a professional appearance because everyone will be able to view how you respond. 

Instagram can be a powerful tool to help grow your business, but it will only be effective if you are able to dedicate the time, define your brand, know your audience, establish a purpose and handle the occasional negativity that may come your way. If you're ready to take the leap, or you're still not sure, contact Bloomify Media and we can help!