Popularity of Instagram
Instagram is one of the most used social media worldwide, where people can share their pictures and stories and chat with their friends. This social media was among the first internet applications designed for entertainment, and these days, it is used for useful purposes like advertising small businesses and spreading important information (Virtanen et al.). Marketers consider using this social media platform to promote different products by finding their target audience and segmenting those who might like campaigns by the recent search requests. Instagram allows people to create individual advertisements without additional skills in this area.
Consequently, the success of new businesses becomes more realistic. Additionally, promotions on Instagram meet the 7 Ps’ strategy, which defines the efficiency of advertising (Stead and Hastings 1). Evaluating the marketing mix allows experts in this industry to determine the advantages and disadvantages of their advertising proposal and its effectiveness on this specific social media platform.
7Ps Concept
Understanding marketing concepts can help define the success of new businesses and their promotions on Instagram by conducting short analyses of those who use this platform. The first aspect of the marketing mix (7Ps) is a product that should be presented to the audience and not take too long to be understood (Thabit and Raewf 1). People get used to watching short stories and prefer less time on advertising. Consequently, campaign creators must ensure that their work includes catching details that may attract potential customers.
Understanding the target audience makes it easier to locate advertisements based on age preferences and set specific prices. People of different ages, genders, and races can meet specific promotions that can be close to something they like. The process of targeting can allow new businesses to build awareness and prove their promotions with physical evidence.
Advertising Process on Instagram
Instagram stories have allowed increases in the efficiency of advertising campaigns of small and big businesses. According to Blanche et al., users have the ability to use their hashtags, recordings, and animated stickers to attract potential clients through social media. Another point that makes Instagram stand out from the competition is the promotion of the product to non-followers.
The mixture of personal and brand advertising makes it easier for users to find services or goods they like by spending less time on the search process. Instagram allows businesses to use a targeting template to ensure the success of their campaigns. The template usually includes the process of choosing an advertising objective, naming the campaign, defining the audience, setting a budget, and building a format design.
Advantages of Instagram Advertising
The evolution of social media has provided the world with many platforms that allow the organization to promote their goods and services. Based on Fuciu’s study, Instagram was launched in 2010 and was regulated by Facebook (55). The ability to post pictures and videos has boosted the digital era of advertising, as people can easily access and share different types of information. Businesses used this opportunity to promote themselves for free.
However, these days, advertisements can be more effective if marketers invest in the placement of promotions. Additionally, more than 63% log in on the platform daily, and around 900 million users are the target audience for different types of businesses (Fuciu 57). Instagram stays on top of the commonly used social media where advertising campaigns become successful. Consequently, the increasing engagement rate is one of the greatest advantages of placing promotions on this social media.
Disadvantages of Instagram Advertising
One of the most significant problems of Instagram promotion is the inability to use links to external sites efficiently. This social media platform does not allow the inclusion of links in posts, but it makes them more interface-friendly. Even though one of the latest upgrades of versions allowed marketers to give a clickable link to other sources in stories, the efficiency of this technique stayed low.
Copyright laws are strict on Instagram, and AI regularly bans accounts for inappropriate content that might not be harmful (Fuciu 60). Some businesses might also find it complicated to post their advertising campaigns, as Instagram promotions are based more on visual content. Even though one picture can replace many words, some products require a clear writing explanation, which might not succeed on Instagram.
Possible Changes in the Future
Instagram IT developers are working hard to decrease the number of bugs and satisfy users using this social media for personal purposes or promotion. In the future, Instagram might become independent from Meta and beat Twitter and Facebook in competition. It might also become easier for businesses to sell products without providing customers with external links, which rarely make people sure in the buying process. Instagram might also develop its unique payment system to make it more comfortable and less time-consuming. The changes might become real in the near future as this social media stays one of the most convenient for marketers who promote specific brands.
Works Cited
Belanche, Daniel, Cenjor, Isabel and Perez-Rueda, Alfredo. “Instagram stories versus Facebook wall: An advertising effectiveness analysis.” Spanish Journal of Marketing, vol. 23, no. 1, 2019. Web.
Fuciu, Mircea. “The rise of Instagram – evolution, statistics, advantages and disadvantages.” Revista Economica, vol. 71, no. 4, 2019, pp. 53-63. Web.
Stead, Martine and Hastings, Gerard. Advertising in the social marketing mix: Getting the balance right. Psychology Press, 2018.
Thabit, Thabit and Raewf, Manaf. “The evaluation of marketing mix elements: A case study.” International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 1-10. Web.
Virtanen, Henrik, Bjork, Peter and Sjostrom, Elin. “Follow for follow: Marketing of a start-up company on Instagram.” Journal of Small Businesses and Enterprise Develeopment, vol. 24, no. 3, 2017. Web.