Or 4 Reasons why using Instagram Marketing and nothing else is a bad idea.
Using Instagram for marketing is where it’s at. Especially in the Middle East and some other markets, where if someone is looking at their phone and NOT on Instagram, then they are looking at WhatsApp.
There are a lot of companies out there at the moment who have invested 100% of their marketing activity and spend into Instagram.
That’s okay if you are using Instagram to drive traffic to your website, or ecommerce store. It’s not okay if your only customer facing content is hosted by someone else and out of your control.
I’m old enough to remember MySpace. I remember when brands and marketing departments spent a lot of time and money trying to engage with customers and prospects. Some companies decided that they didn’t need a website, that a MySpace page was enough.
This was wrong of MySpace then, and it is the wrong approach to take to Instagram and Facebook. Here’s why.
1. Instagram Users ‘belong’ to Facebook, not to you.
Sellers who use marketplaces like Amazon face the same risk here. If you can not establish a connection off the platform with one of your prospects or advocates, then you may not have permission to contact them or market to them. Instagram users have never asked to see your promoted posts and Private Messages are a personal space where most users have not given permission to be contacted for commercial purposes.
2. You Miss out on ‘Free Marketing’ through SEO.
Having your content hosted on your Facebook page or Instagram account means that Facebook and Instagram rank in Google searches for your content over and above your own website. This means that they decide who sees that traffic, not you.
If you are spending time and money on creating content that is engaging and shareable, then you should gain the benefit of it by having it on your own website.
If you do have your own website and you are running basic analytics, you can see how much ‘organic’ traffic you are receiving through Google and other search engines. These visitors are effectively free (in the sense that you haven’t spent money to get a click).
3. You have very little control.
Many companies have already found that if Instagram decides to change its product or its API or its rules, then there is not much you can do to change it. Many of the social media tools that help you manage Instagram more effectively regularly break because Instagram changes something. Remember the map (It used to be my favourite feature of Instagram) – it’s now gone.
It is entirely within the realms of possibility that Facebook could just merge Instagram into native Facebook functionality. As a business, you are forced to have a Facebook page to have an Instagram Business profile.
4. One day Instagram might not be there.
The social media landscape is littered with huge sites that went the way of the dinosaur. Literally. A cosmic shift caused sites like MySpace to be replaced by something else, almost overnight.
There is already a notable backlash towards Facebook and the way it uses data. There are also generational changes that happen. One day the cool kids decide that once their Grandma is on Instagram, then it’s not cool anymore and its time to find another place to be. If the post with the most likes and shares on Instagram is an egg – then we might not be far away.
Marketers could also contribute to this downfall or change. If ads become invasive and not relevant. If too many brands abuse the private messaging function, then Instagram could face a backlash from users.
The Moral of the Story – Pro Tip.
Do use Instagram for Marketing. It works. Even for B2B companies selling steel.
Do use the advertising features to promote your posts to audiences who would otherwise not find you.
Don’t put off having your own website or ‘owned’ media that you are in control of.
Do use Instagram to drive customers back to the media that you own and are in control of.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you….