Where’s Your Social At?

Instagram is where it’s at these days for consumers. It’s the fastest rising social platform, with a 25% increase in active user numbers in the first six months of 2014, according to GlobalWebIndex.

It’s almost a guerrilla communications movement. Today’s consumers are talking to one another more than ever, and it’s not in the expected social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. The real action is taking place on image based social platforms. It’s increasingly common to see real time interactions on Instagram comment streams, altogether bypassing Facebook.

Consumer Target Practice

Image based social activity creates an enormous database of information that can be used for market analysis, helping advertisers better target their consumers. Rather than having to attempt to predict the likes and habits of a target demographic, marketers capitalize user generated content (UGC) on social media sites where the consumers readily share information with the public.

In order to develop a marketing strategy that increases visibility and sales, you want your advertisements to exist in the same media space as your target consumer, which in the past may have been magazines or other media that cater to a certain demographic; nowadays, that space for practically any product or service is the Internet, and advertisers have the added benefit of collecting detailed data on traffic and demographics of viewers.

Gone are the days of casting a broad net with a billboard ad – now you can pay for ad space on Facebook pages belonging to women aged 25-55 who have shown interest in other bath and body products, and track the efficacy of your campaign by analyzing metrics like click-through ratios to measure consumer interaction.

User Engagement On Overdrive

Another powerful benefit of digital marketing is the higher rate of engagement compared to traditional media. For instance, one might read through a magazine once or twice in total, but check a social media app on their phone five times a day. As an advertiser, where would you rather put your money?

The fundamental goal of marketing is to reach an intended audience with a message that prompts consumer action. Use new media to improve upon the faults of traditional marketing. Spend time on Instagram to get inside the heads of your target consumers. See what they are seeing. Jump in.

Where’s Your Social At?