Most Used Social Media Platform 2021
Most of the big brands now have at least one social media platform that they use for customer engagement, advertising, and strategy making. Facebook is the most popular but also uses a number of other apps, including Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
While Facebook’s paid ads are getting great results for businesses, some still consider it too expensive. For them, they see Instagram, a free service, as a cost-effective option that lets them get in front of their customers with a few clicks.
Instagram has recently launched Instagram Cash, a pay-per-photo app that allows businesses to create and share their ads on the app for a monthly active fee. The app can be used in conjunction with Facebook, Twitter as a more personalized approach to marketing. For example, if a company sees an Instagram ad that they think would be a good fit for their brand, they can take a snapshot of the ad, upload it to Instagram, tag their Facebook page and save the image for their account so that their customers can see it. In a way, this process acts as a mini social media campaign where the company not only posts the image to its own page but also shares the link on its Instagram account.
LinkedIn, on the other hand, has long been considered the world’s best professional networking site. Recently, however, a rumor began circulating that LinkedIn may be shutting down, and thus, people began searching for alternative ways to connect with their peers. One alternative, suggested by digital marketing expert Troy Patterson, is creating a dedicated Instagram account, which he calls “Instagramergy.” Like Facebook, LinkedIn allows users to post pictures and videos of themselves, along with a brief description and link to their business.
This summer saw Facebook’s announcement that they’d be banning the practice of publishing duplicate content. This means that users will be limited to one post per day on their personal pages. Digital marketing experts say this is a welcome move, as it could help spur users to begin to share more information about their businesses. Instagram, too, has decided to limit the number of images uploaded by its users. The most recent example of this policy was seen when Instagram users were instructed to delete all images posted from rival social media platforms.
The use of LinkedIn and Instagram, though, appears to be part of a new strategy by a popular South Florida real estate company. Gagosian is one of the largest independent real estate companies in the country, and it’s now branching out into the realm of social media. Earlier this year, Gagosian launched a photo-sharing service called Instagram direct. According to a spokesperson, the aim of the company is to give its clients “the easiest way to market themselves.” Specifically, the company plans to provide a “customized experience” through its Instagram direct account. A Gagosian representative told the Miami Herald that the goal is for homeowners and potential homeowners “to get the best photos of the house without having to go through the process of uploading them to a website.”
The Miami Herald reports that more Gagosian clients are starting to upload their photos directly to the business’ Instagram account. If this trend continues, it will be interesting to see how many other real estate agencies will jump into the photo-sharing pool. For now, though, Gagosian looks to have taken the lead. In the past, social network integration has been seen as a benefit for websites such as Yelp, which allows local businesses to integrate photos posted on their app. As more businesses find success in this approach, others will start to follow suit. The integration of social media and business is a promising trend for the future.
