The growth of Instagram is amazing, right? Let’s not think about numbers for now, what would a teenager answer (whether it’s a boy or a girl) if you asked them if they use Facebook? Without any doubt, the answer would be NO. And let’s be honest, even some of us who are no longer teenagers, use it less and less every day.
Many people have started to migrate from platforms such as Facebook or Twitter to Instagram. And brands know it. There’s a huge potential there going around. That’s why your Social Media strategy for 2018 cannot leave behind the trends of one of the most visual networks of the moment.
In this article, we gathered the 10 most valuable Instagram stats to help you think of a successful strategy. Follow us!
#1: Instagram’s user base doubled in two years.
If you had any doubts regarding the growth and legitimacy of this network, this stat completely tears it down. While the world of Social Media is dynamic and changing, nothing seems to show that Instagram will stop growing.
According to data posted by Tech Crunch, Instagram doubled its user base in just two years. Do you know how long it took for Instagram to add 100 million more users? Only four months. Today it has 700 million monthly active users overall.
It is interesting to stop by on the numbers for Latin America. Latamclick has shown data to consider from the region:
- In Latin America, there are already 60 million registered users.
- 28 million are men, and 32 million are women. This allows us to infer that it’s a social network preferred by women.
- Mexico is the country with the most registered Instagram users in the entire region: it has 16 million registered users. Argentina has the second place with 11 million.
#2: Over 2017, 70.7% of businesses in the United States were using Instagram
Depending on Instagram’s growth rate, that percentage will get higher every day. In fact, in 2016 the percentage of businesses that used the platform was 48.8%. Perhaps this also has to do with the launching of the Instagram profile for businesses in May 2016.
Another important fact:
- More than one million brands promoted on the platform.
- There are at this moment 8 million business profiles on Instagram. Small businesses are the majority regarding advertising and business profiles.
This means that competition is increasing. With it, it also increases the need to distinguish and deliver a solid story so that people can feel identified with the brand.
#3: 70% of Instagram Hashtags have been created by brands
This stat confirms what we have been saying. There’s overcrowding of brands. So much that brands are the ones that have created 7 out of 10 tags or hashtags. Making its own hashtags, Brands arrange the conversations that take place around them.
Also, it’s proven that a post that includes at least one hashtag has 12.6% more participation than the ones that don’t include any. In 2018, you should take these stats into account to create campaigns with specific hashtags for your brand, reach a high level of commitment and make a good follow-up of the results of your campaigns.
#4: 80% of Instagram users follow at least one business or company profile
This stat is very revealing. Specifically, it’s showing that people are more open to connecting with brands. But this trend, with this intensity in taking action, only happens on Instagram. Let’s look at some more numbers, provided by the same app:
- 60% of the users say they know a product or service thanks to Instagram
- Since March 2017, more than 120 million of users took action with a brand: they sent a message or email, they called, they visited the website, among other possible actions.
- At least 30% of the users bought a product they saw for the first time on Instagram.
#5: Posts with “location” reach 79% more participation
79% more participation is a lot of difference. That’s why, every time you post something on Instagram, you should use the geotagging feature. With more interaction, there are more followers for your account. And you can also add location to your “Stories”!
#6: More than 250 million active users on Instagram use Stories daily
Since we are referring to the Stories feature on Instagram, it is essential to keep this stat in mind. It’s a function that’s been around for only a year and is already being used by more than 250 million active users per day. As a result of its success, brands already have ads available on Instagram stories.
If you are managing social networks, this number helps you to know that in 2018 you can’t stay out of the “Stories” trend to keep adding followers and potential customers.
#7: Bad news, 70% of Instagram’s posts can’t be seen
That’s a very high number of unseen posts. So the question is: Why are most posts on Instagram unseen? And the reason is quite simple: there is a huge amount of brands and people circulating. Today the battle takes place around the content.
In the case of brand management, it is necessary to create (very) attractive content, coherent with the brand and consistent.
Specialist recommendations: add a location, tag the right accounts, include appropriate hashtags and establish a posting schedule.
#8: Good news! 65% of the posts with the best performance on the platform are products.
Bad news always brings good news. It is true, 70% of the posts are not seen. But of those that are seen, 65% are products. In other words, if you are managing a brand on Instagram, you have a better chance that the images of your products will perform well.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you only have to post photos of your products until your audience gets fed up. No. Try to balance those with images that talk about the functionalities of your products, their purpose, the usage environment, and so on. All this can be done through an integrative and attractive visual aesthetic.
#9: On Instagram, photos generate 36% more interaction than videos
On Instagram, the opposite of what happens on Facebook is happening: videos have a lower level of “engagement” when compared to images. On Facebook, the amount of video that appears in the feed is impressive. And it’s like that because on Facebook the audiovisual is working more than the static image.
Although the format you use has a lot to do with the brand, it’s best to use both formats in a balanced way.
#10: The content created by the user has a conversion rate 4.5% higher
There’s nothing more reliable or trusting than seeing another person satisfied with a product or service. The content created by the user (although not directly benchmarked to the product or service), increases the level of general commitment on the part of the audience, reduces the cost per click (CPC) of an advertisement and has a higher conversion rate.
Perfect! We already have 10 very specific Instagram stats that will help you plan the strategy you are going to put in place for 2018.
What do you think of these stats? Do they match your Instagram experience? How do you think this platform will continue to evolve? We invite you to share your comments!