Instagram in B2B – recommendable?

Among the apparently endless list of social networks, some of them stick out by concentrating on one specific type of medium. One of them is Instagram.

On this platform you can share visual content with your followers and encourage them to interact as to comment or like. So it is suitable especially if you have complex products that need visualization. 3 dimensional pc mice are just one example. However, you cannot structure your content but on the other hand sharing your content with other platforms like Facebook or Twitter is no problem at all.
If you already have some other social media profiles for your company, you might ask whether it’s necessary to look at yet another one. Well, the numbers do speak for themselves: Instagram has, by its own account, 300 million monthly active users that generate 2.5 billion likes per day and upload 70 million pictures daily. More than 70 percent of users are no U.S. citizens of whom 4.2 million are from Germany. In addition the study of TrackMaven “2016 Social Media Impact Report” shows that content posts on Instagram in B2B achieve the greatest engagement rate among all social media channels.

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Besides these facts, Instagram scores with further conveniences. Let’s have a look at the visual medium itself. On Instagram it’s all about visuals, which means that you transport your message via images solely. That is no disadvantage! On the contrary, visual content is very expressive by its own. Plus the Instagramers, as they call themselves, are a bit more passionate and creative about the platform, due to their pursuit on imagery. This implies that you can reach people on Instagram that are particularly open to new ideas, which is an advantage for your business.

Helpful hints on how to use Instagram in B2B:

• As you know from Twitter, it’s important to use the right hashtags so you can be found by Instagramers.
• Furnish your pictures with expressive captions.
• Engage your community to comment and like your content.
• Link your Instagram profile to your other social media channels to benefit from your audience you already have achieved.
• Watch the analytics to check your success.

After all, don’t reject Instagram in B2B because you are not a perfect photographer. As in every social network, you have to be authentic and “happy little accidents” can push your popularity. So, why not give it a try and use Instagram as a visual channel for business or products? Visual content can be created out of many topics giving you some examples:

• Product images
• Insights/behind the scenes
• Staff
• Slides
• Infographics
• Eye-catching pictures linking to your knowledge and services you provide

What is your experience with Instagram in B2B? Do you already have an account? We are happy to engage in the discussion with you.
By Jacqueline Althaller