Behind Facebook, Instagram is the second most accessed social media network. In a month, Instagram has over one billion active users and every day, 500 million Instagram Stories are posted. Instagram started out as a more personal social media platform but has branched out into a more professional side over the past few years. It is estimated that 71% of American businesses utilize Instagram, which is a great digital marketing strategy. Research conducted by Instagram themselves in 2022 revealed that more than 83% of Instagram users have discovered a new service or product on the social media application. Not only are Instagram users active- they’re engaged as well. Instagram found that 59% of their active users visit the social media network daily and spend at least 7 hours a week scrolling through content and interacting with friends and businesses.

The reason Instagram is such a great digital marketing tool for businesses when compared to other forms of social media is its very visual nature. Marketing with Instagram isn’t inherently difficult, but it does require you to have a solid understanding of the social media platform and its algorithms. You also need to have a good understanding of your target audience by taking into account factors like age, location, gender, income, interests, motivations, and triggers. Once you figure out your targeted Instagram audience, you should conduct a competitive analysis to see what your top competitors are posting. If you don’t know your top competitors, you can search for terms that relate to your business to try and find accounts similar to yours.