Instagram is my favorite social network. It’s for one reason, it makes you happy. Leo Laporte said it on a few TWIT network shows and I totally agree. Plus its one of the easiest for Small Businesses to join. You don’t need any training outside of knowing how to take pictures on your phone. After you join, you can master the more advanced features of the network.
Why is it time to get on Instagram? eMarketer reported that in 2017 Instagram will surpass the number of people on Twitter. Twitter has been the number two social network behind Facebook. This is something significant to take note of for the future. You don’t want to be the last one not on Instagram!
Instagram is less intimidating because you get your message across in pictures. You don’t need a large amount of text to convey the message. Some people struggle with making the perfect 140 character post or try to fit a book in a longer post. The picture can convey everything you want, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. You don’t need special skills or equipment to join the network. You simply need a phone that has a good camera and a wifi connection. There is very low barrier to entry for most businesses.
There are some interesting things happening on Instagram as well. As I have reported before the images no longer have to be square. You can have longer or wider pictures on the service. This is a good thing because you could have the perfect picture but due to the ratio it doesn’t translate to Instagram. While I am sad to see the square go, they are evolving the service for the future.
No special equipment is needed. In these days, and I am very guilty of this, you can apply filters and effects to every picture you take. There are plenty of apps to improve your photo such as SnapSeed, VSCO Cam and more. You can spend hours to make the perfect photo. However, one of the joys of Instagram is people and brands just being authentic in who they are. Professional pictures aren’t always needed. If you’re a small brand many expect you to have a more basic/home grown take on things. It adds to the appeal of your brand.
As I said above you don’t need a lot of text. Instagram allows you to do much longer posts. There are brands experimenting with microblogging. This is not writing a full post but creating a paragraph or two to post with the picture. It can give the follower more information on the picture you posted. While this is not necessary it is something you should experiment with and see what results you generate.
If you are not on Instagram, join today. Join as an individual and survey the network. Then after you get a feel for the service join for your brand.
