How do you see Instagram?
A few months ago, I was about to face my last academic exams.
It was an over-busy period: many deadlines, a lot of tasks, and in the meantime, I’d been working on my own projects.
I had zero time to waste.
So, I went to my Instagram account and deleted it. Permanently.
My mind used to see it as a time waster. Something to get rid of ASAP.
And somehow it was right. When you scroll your feed for hours, there is something to change.
You have to act.
I wasn’t addicted, but I had around 100 published photos and 800 followers. Although these pieces of data aren’t outstanding, there was a lot of work behind them.
What’s behind Instagram?
You can call it whatever you like: social media, virtual community, photo-sharing application.
The real fact is only one: Instagram means business.
I know what you’re thinking right now, and trust me, I’m totally down with you.
I do hate duck faces.
I do feel awkward while shooting selfies or taking pictures of my dishes.
I hadn’t been willing to learn photography before I fell in love with it.
I’d prefer not to spend thousands of euros on expensive equipment.
I have other things to do rather than engaging with followers.
You have my sympathies, reader.
But on the other hand, there are tons of pros.
Let’s play a game. Just for a second, imagine that you’ve always dreamed of becoming an actor.
You’ve been studying since you were a teenager, and now you’ve booked your first flight to Los Angeles.
You are going to meet a prestigious director in Hollywood: he’s had a look at your curriculum vitae and likes it.
During the meeting, he seems to be enthusiastic of your aptitude, but his last question puzzles you:
How many followers do you have on Instagram?
You don’t even have Instagram.
The director listens to your answer, and nods.
He’ll let you know his decision.
Obviously, you’ll never hear of him again.
You’ll discover three months later that he hired a young rookie with 200k followers on Instagram.
Is it fair?
The short answer is: no, not at all.
Unfortunately, this is a true story, it did really happen.
As a marketer, I couldn’t blame the director: paradoxically if he hired 10-15 actors who are already popular on Instagram, he wouldn’t even need to promote his film.
Try to picture how many photos or Instagram stories they would share during the shooting.
It’d be very easy to have people going to the movie theatre.
Instagram got into cinematography, but also into show-biz, fashion industry and entertainment.
It still has extensive room for improvement.
Instagram is still growing and growing.
If you’re on my blog, then you’re probably not interested in acting or the fashion industry.
Likely, you own a business or are up to start it out.
Let’s assume that you’re looking for a product manager to hire.
On equal experiences and education, would you hire the candidate with 50k followers on Instagram or the one who doesn’t even have a social media account?
A start-up will always give value to its employees’ audience.
It sucks, but that’s the harsh truth.
Also, a neat Instagram gallery demonstrates good taste in design, determination and attention to detail.
Of course, I’m overgeneralising, and luckily not all the employers prefer your Instagram audience over your aptitude.
It sucks, yet you’d better know what you’re refusing as long as you don’t invest in your account.
Not to mention if you’re a freelancer, where you do need an Instagram audience.
Not only could they be potential customers, but they could even suggest that your friends hire you for a certain gig.
Nowadays, working on your personal brand is crucial, and Instagram helps you to achieve it.
As a freelancer, you are supposed to have a determined niche of followers.
That niche will be your gold mine when it comes to sponsoring posts, but we’ll talk about how much influencers earn out of their posts in another article.
I’ve found an interesting interview with a popular designer. Read what he said:
Instagram is a fantastic medium with which any designer can use to get their “products” out into the world to engage with a global audience without huge costs.
It’s also a great way to gauge feedback and comment on new products, services or designs.
I think that with the world being such a socially connected network (Instagram, Facebook, etc), it is important to realise that having an active social media presence can really help a business grow beyond the reach of their local area.
His page’s name is A Designer’s Mind, and you can read the whole interview.
Finally, if you’re about to launch your startup, an Instagram audience will give a huge boost to your brand awareness.
Whatever you do, you’ll certainly take advantage of investing money and time on your Instagram profile.
That’s it.
After reading this article, you should be able to confidently discuss what Instagram actually means, the pros and cons of investing on Instagram, what roles Instagram plays in the business industry, and the best realms in which Instagram is involved.
Takeaways of this article
The earlier you start working hard on it, the earlier you start earning money or get customers out of it. Everybody is on social media. If you don’t invest in them, then you’re even not in the freaking business. In 2016, Instagram hit 600 Million users, and it’s still growing.
Do you want to know how to earn money out of it?
I’ll publish an article about it very soon, so subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss it!