Instagram Stats That Marketers NEED to Know for 2017

Another year is coming to a close and as a marketer, we’re sure you’re hard at work developing your winning strategy for the year ahead.

The more well-informed you are, the better your strategy can be. That’s why you should arm yourself with valuable insights from the past year that will help you efficiently utilize all your marketing tools and resources to their fullest potential.

Instagram is one of the biggest social media networking sites, one that holds immense promise for marketers. With over 400 million active users worldwide and some of the best engagement rates you’ll find, Instagram is a great platform to connect with existing and potential customers.

If you want to outlast and outshine the competition, you have to do it smart and you have to do it fast. In this highly digital age, you simply can’t afford to wait on organic growth to get you the attention you need.

Quick tip: Buying Instagram followers is a fast way to bypass some of that trouble and become Instagram famous – if you do it right, that is! Researching and finding the right provider is key to securing your success when buying social media boosting services.

To help you plan ahead and plan smart, here are some valuable insights that will help you rise to fame on the highly competitive platform that is Instagram.

The Power of Instagram Marketing

One of the best reasons to take your marketing effort on Instagram is the low-clutter and brand-friendly environment.

According to a study done by Forrester, Instagram generates a per-follower engagement that is 58 times higher compared to Facebook and 120 times higher than Twitter – that is an incredible figure that you should really take seriously.

More and more users have been migrating to Instagram to fill more of their social media consumption needs. This means you have a lot more people to reach out to.

One of the key reasons why people are choosing Instagram is because it’s a highly shareable platform by nature. Everyone loves pretty pictures, and Instagram is a way to indulge. This makes it easier for businesses to send strong brand messages through powerful, resonating images and videos.

Aside from its growing number of users, Instagram is the second-best platform when it comes to influencer marketing, winning the vote of 24% of influencers.

If you want to test out an influencer marketing campaign you have cooking up, Instagram is definitely the place to do it.

If these reasons aren’t enough to convince you to take your marketing campaign on Instagram, we don’t know what will. Well actually, maybe these next stats will work!

Vital User Stats

In order for you to utilize Instagram to its fullest potential, you have to understand the Instagram user inside and out.

Below are some user statistics you can base your strategy on. Use them to come up with tactics that resonate well with your specific target market.

• 30% of internet users have an Instagram account. (Global Web Index)
• 60% of Instagram users log in to the platform daily, making it one of the most engaged platforms there is – second only to Facebook. (Global Web Index)
• Instagram has a follower growth rate of 237%. (Yes Lifecycle Marketing)
• 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35. (Science Daily)
• 55% of young adults aged 18 – 29 used Instagram in 2015, a steady increase from 37% in 2014. (Pew Research Center)
• 28% of adult internet users used Instagram in 2015. (Pew Research Center)
• 52% of teens use Instagram on a regular basis. (Pew Research Center)

The Playing Field: Brand Adoption

While Instagram is home to a growing number of highly active users, not a lot of brands have jumped on the Instagram train – yet. Below are some valuable insights about brand adoption that can help you get there before the competition.

• Only 43% of brands from 5 major industries (Beauty, Apparel, Big Box, Electronics, and Home Goods) interact with their consumers on Instagram. (Yes Lifecycle Marketing)
• Most brands that are on Instagram are in the Apparel industry. (Media Post)
• International brands were still trying to ramp up Instagram activity at the end of 2014. (Simply Measured)
• Beauty, Home Goods and Apparel ( 209%, 274% and 417% respectively) brands are the ones who’ve seen the most significant follower growth in the past year. (Media Post)
• 65% of the top performing brand posts feature products. (L2 Daily)
• 31% of B2C marketers say that Instagram is a “very important social channel” for their campaign. (Rival IQ)

Content Statistics

Every campaign should begin with a content strategy. Strategy without substance is nothing, so be sure to dedicate a enough time towards researching topics and developing content that resonates with your target audience.

• Over 80 million photos were shared on the platform every day in September 2015. (Instagram Blog)
• Photos actually see more engagement on Instagram compared to videos. (Simply Measured)
• Photos that show faces receive 38% more likes than those that don’t. (Georgia Tech)
• Posts that include another Instagram handle get 56% more engagement. (Georgia Tech)
• A post with a location receives 79% more engagement compared to those that don’t. (Simply Measured)

Insights for a Winning Posting Strategy

The key to a winning Instagram marketing campaign is consistency.

Dedicate a good amount of your marketing strategy towards figuring out the best schedule that will help you reach as many people as you can.

• The best times to post on Instagram are Mondays and Thursdays at any time except between 3:00–4:00 p.m. in your target audience's time zone. (Union Metrics)
• Most posts by top brands continue to receive engagement 18-24 hours after posting. (Union Metrics)
• It takes an average of 19 hours for a post to reach 50% of its total comments. (Simply Measured)
• Users fail to see up to 70% of the content on their feed. (Instagram Blog)
• Most brands and companies post around 11-20 times per month. (Simply Measured)
• 10% of the comments keep rolling in 19 days after posting. (Simply Measured)

Study Now, Reap the Benefits Later

Instagram is a great social platform that can help you grow your brand or business. It holds a lot of potential, letting you tap into the power of a very engaging network.

Being smart on social media is all about getting nerdy with the data and stats that really help you understand how people behave. This knowledge lets you craft effective strategies going forward in 2017.

Using the insights provided above and a few tips on growing your brand on Instagram, we’re sure you’ll have a great marketing start to the year ahead. If you’re looking for ways to kickstart your progress, remember that you can purchase high-quality Instagram followers and engagement signals to get things moving.

Familiarizing yourself with the vital stats and trends today can help you reap a whole lot of benefits later on – so keep on learning!

Date: December 20, 2016 / Categories: Case Studies, Marketing, Tips, / Author: Mariko