Using Instagram to Connect with a Younger Audience

Each social media platform has its own demographic. Since Facebook’s meteoric rise about a decade ago, other social media sites have appeared that each have distinct functions for users. From a marketing standpoint, it’s important to understand how to best utilize popular social media platforms to connect with an active audience. Instagram has over 1 billion active daily users, but marketing on this platform requires different strategy than sites like Facebook and Twitter.  

Who Uses Instagram?

Close to 70% of the 1 billion Instagram users are under the age of 34. Statistically, women are slightly more likely to use the website in all age brackets. When looking at the number of users on the top social media platforms, it’s plain to see that Instagram’s older brother, Facebook, still reigns supreme with a whopping 2.23 billion users. However, it’s important to note that Facebook’s yearly growth has significantly slowed down while Instagram continues to rise, especially in younger markets.

Does Instagram Marketing Make Sense for My Business?

Instagram is a fantastic medium for reaching younger audiences and engaging new ones with interesting visual content and pertinent hashtags. If customers or patients under the age of 34 are part of your target demographic, Instagram marketing could be a good fit. Keep in mind, however, that you need to make sure it fits your brand as well. Instagram has a youthful, fun, active atmosphere. If that doesn’t fit with your brand, your investment in Instagram marketing may not pay off. Regardless, though, we don’t recommend that any business use one social media platform as their sole resource for social media marketing. You need a varied strategy that reaches a variety of platforms for optimal performance.

How Do I Market On Instagram?

There are two main components that fuel an Instagram marketing campaign: visuals and hashtags.

Since Instagram is a medium that thrives on visual storytelling, it’s crucial to develop an image that wins over your target audience’s attention. You’ll want something that is clear and concise because most users don’t spend an extended amount of time on each post. Each image should be designed in a way that explains the gist of your promotion in the quickest amount of time possible. Instagram is not a place for wordy descriptions or confusing infographics that subvert your call to action. 

Hashtags are one of the most misunderstood parts of Instagram. Think of them as clickable keywords. If used correctly, they’re a strong ally to a social media marketing campaign. Instagram users can include up to 30 hashtags per post, but in many cases, less is more. It’s often better to generate a few specific hashtags that are strongly related to the campaign than to cast a wide net of loosely connected hashtags and hope for success. It can also be a good idea to participate in discussions that use a trending hashtag, like #mondaymotivation.

Instagram can be a powerful marketing instrument if it’s incorporated strategically. For more information on social media marketing or if you would like to take the next step and schedule a consultation with our marketing professionals, contact McCauley Marketing Services today. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for additional tips, strategies and resources.