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Instagram is one of those social media platforms that you would not expect to work for a business. This social media site has been doing wonders for individuals’ popularity. There are so many other sites that you would take up like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus and so much more. They appear to be very professional as opposed to Instagram. When it started out, Instagram was just another mobile app where people could share photos and memes and whatever else they think is worth sharing with the world. However, now with a strong online presence Instagram has added search features to web-based browsing.
In simpler terms, Instagram is not a social media site that you want to ignore. You can afford to ignore some certain social media sites but not Instagram. So does your business have an account on this site? Recently, the company added updated search abilities into its desktop experience. Earlier this year Instagram started allowing its users to search for posts based on the locations, hash tags or particular accounts within the app; you can now do the same on the website.
Better for SEO purposes
On top of this, links to hash tags and locations will redirect users to a specific landing page where they can see the top posts within a specific post. With content marketing becoming increasingly popular as well, this is a fantastic move to get your business to the top easily. The top posts are going to be ranked based on the number of likes that they have received. Initially you could not do this. If you would like to find a specific post on the website version of Instagram, you would have needed to get a direct link or you would need a user’s feed.
According to Instagram, this update was meant to level out the user experience across the mobile and desktop versions. Previously people preferred to use the mobile version more. As any SEO service provider will tell you, if your site is not providing good experience on both mobile and desktop then it is not going to perform excellently. When the company added this move in June, they reported that embedded Instagram posts generated more than 5.3 billion impressions for the month alone. As such it is important for users to enhance discoverability on desktop and give users multiple ways to find content.
How does Instagram help your business?
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Locating businesses
If you are doing any business with the public at any specific location then you probably are on Instagram. You can go ahead and run a search for yourself and see by searching your location and some hash tags that are related to your business or service. You have probably found yourself by doing that. However, don’t you think that it would be great if you had a more composed shot of your business? This is the first thing that Instagram does for businesses. It exposes them to the public. When someone is looking for a certain service provider in your location and you happen to be that provider, you will definitely find Instagram to be such a good account.
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Inspiration and information
Another way that you will benefit from Instagram while doing business is that you will get to keep up with the trends. Instagram itself is a trend. This site is where all those fine trends start from. When you fail to monitor your market on Instagram then you will definitely fail- you snooze you lose. This is a rule in business that you must always abide by. Failure to monitor your markets likes and dislikes on this social media site is more like falling asleep behind the wheel you are only destined to crash the vehicle.
Therefore one of the important things about Instagram for business is getting insight into customers’ preferences. There are new and exciting ideas that you will come across. You will find out what your competition is doing right and wrong. Instagram is home to information and inspiration but only if you are able to make the effort to stay in the loop.
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Builds engagement for your business
Ask yourself which one you would trust more: a business that has a human face or one that you get to see only on billboards? Definitely you will go for that site you get to see regularly. This is what Instagram can do for your business. You are able to share fresh content frequently and it gives a human face to just about any corporation- even the biggest of them all. This in turn builds engagement and trust for your business.
Take for instance two businesses that deal with fashion makeovers. One of them posts before and after photos with their clients plus some fashion tips every single day. The other business has a static URL with a phone number and a good number of photos that are outdated. Which of the two will you go for? Nowadays people want to dine in restaurants where the chef posts photos of the latest menu selections. They want to stay at that beach resort that has invited their guests to help in designing the honeymoon suite.
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Build a community
Another thing that Instagram does for businesses is set up opportunities for you to build a community of your own. It always starts with the engagements and then comes the community. If you have a community then your market is definitely going to grow your business. It really does not matter what kind of services or products you are selling people will always want to learn from you and there is always something you can learn from them. Instagram provide you with a power medium for both you and your community to get in touch with each other and grow together.
Conclusion
The power that is possessed by Instagram is immense and intense. Now that there are opportunities for you to search for items on the desktop version of the social media site, things are even better. A business without Instagram nowadays is more like a ship without its compass. Social media is a good compass for all businesses.
Author bio
Derek Iwasiuk run’s national digital search engine optimization firm head quarted in Minneapolis. Also spends a lot of his free time educating the minds of thousands of young SEO’s and top agencies. You can also follow him on twitter @Diwasiuk to find more on SEO service and link building
