Instagram Marketing: Is It Worth It For Your Blog?

In a world that is so thoroughly connected, we’d like to think that we know and see all. The truth is that in this day and age, we’re more distracted than ever before. TV, magazines, billboards, radio, social media, life. Over that past decade, social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram have taken the world by storm. Marketers and those looking to build an online presence have turned to these platforms like Instagram Marketing and Facebook Marketing as ways to attract and grow an online audience.

It’s all just swirling around us dumping snippets of information into our brain that people as a whole have seemed to just be use to it now.

As that is the case, it’s also harder now than ever before for businesses, online entrepreneurs, and bloggers to market themselves to the right people and to get their audience’s attention.

Since Instagram was bought by Facebook, the photo-sharing app has snowballed in popularity which makes it a ripe target for many marketers.

We have an infographic for you which tells you all about the requisites of Instagram Marketing.

But before you jump into creating an Instagram profile and post pictures left and right, it’s good to ask yourself:

Is it worth my time? Will it even help my business/blog grow?

To answer those questions, consider a few of these things first.

Instagram Marketing

Who’s On Instagram?

Many are under the impression that since there is so much traffic on social media sites they should use all of them to try and siphon off traffic to their own site through vigorous marketing efforts.

But the truth is that doing that could be a waste of time if your defined audience is the minority of the users on certain social media channels. Therefore, if you’re thinking about using Instagram as part of your marketing efforts, it’s good to get an idea of who is actually on there before you jump in.

Take a look at this statistic, also listed in the picture above:

Over 90% of the 150 million people on Instagram are under the age of 35 ~ Source

That means that over 135 million users are between the ages of 12 and 35. And 54% of those users are under 24.

The image above was created in 2012 based off of one week’s worth of activity and shows that 55% of all the users on Instagram were women, but by 2013 Business Insider states that number grew to 68%.

This equates to just over 102 million women using Instagram with the majority of them being under 24 years old.

Why all the stats?

Well, if your blog is aimed towards retired men over 60, and you want to use Instagram to get more followers of your blog, then you’re likely not going to see many results.

On the other hand, if your blog or site is about fashion for teens, then you’re chances of growing an Instagram following that turns into blog visitors and customers is much better.

Should You Use Instagram Marketing as Part of Your Blog’s Marketing Plan?

The fact is this choice is 100% up to you. Because of its popularity and use of hashtags, growing an audience on Instagram can be easier than say… Facebook, if you can learn how to market on it properly.

There are a lot of upsides to using Instagram; however, it is very different than Facebook or Twitter in terms of driving traffic. Unlike the latter where you can post a pic and link to your site, Instagram doesn’t have that function.

As that is the case, many view Instagram as platform for growing brand awareness, not traffic.

Quite a lot of people with online brands are making headway on Instagram as a marketing ploy. Take a look at Michael Hyatt — a well-known online figure and blogger.

Michael has amassed a great following of over 12 thousand people. Instead of posting only photos of his life, Michael mostly posts inspirational quotes which seem to work rather well for him.

But you don’t have to be a well-known as Michael to start gaining a following either. Take a look at this account:

Gold Dipped Chaos is a brand-new blog (only a few months old) about fashion, food and stuff happening in Portland, OR.

Much of what they post about on Instagram and their blog appeals to women, and in just a couple months of starting their Instagram account, they’ve managed to gain a following of nearly 2K. It’s clear that Instagram Marketing does well for them in both branding and marketing.

Wrapping It Up

Instagram is a popular social media platform where you can easily growing a following when done correctly. If you plan to use it for your blog or online business, take into consideration who is using Instagram and if spending your time on Instagram will have the ROI you’re hoping for.

Also, keep in mind that Instagram is less about generating traffic to a site and more about creating brand awareness which can be just as worthwhile for your business’ marketing efforts.