Facebook and YouTube remain the most popular social media platforms in the U.S., with penetration rates of 69% and 81% respectively for adults, but Instagram has a growing young audience, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
According to Pew, a significant 40% of adults report using Instagram, and while this may be a significant decrease over Facebook and YouTube, it is a significant increase over the percentage of U.S. adults who say they use LinkedIn, 28%; the popular networking and social media platform for professionals.
The core users of Instagram are younger adults. Among adults 65 and older in the U.S., 50% reported using Facebook, and this figure drops to 13% for Instagram. The same survey says that 71% of adults aged 18 to 29 and 48% of people aged 30 to 49 use Instagram.
While many companies may have a presence on larger platforms like Facebook and YouTube, Instagram offers comparative advantages and opportunities for companies to take notice.
Most young adults use Instagram to connect with companies they like.
“If your company isn’t on Instagram, you are likely missing out on sales, leads and active followers,” said Randy Hlavac, who teaches digital, social and mobile marketing at Northwestern University and Coursera.
According to Hlavac, the key is to determine the type of relationship a user wants to build with their Instagram audience.
“Each is a different type of social media marketing strategy, and each requires you to customize your Instagram feed to the market you want to develop,” he continued.
It has also been suggested that companies take time to consider the impact of the communication context and ensure that the company’s marketing objectives, communication objectives, message/content, and platform are strategically aligned beyond the publication of memes and the like.
The key is to start slowly and small and to nurture a small but supportive community first before the influence grows.
For more information, read the original story in TechRepublic.
