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Introduction

At this point, it is now common knowledge that Instagram should not be thought of as an ancillary social media platform: that it is in fact one of the biggest and most important social networks for any internet marketer to consider.

Right now, Instagram has over 1 billion active users – which is an insane number when you consider there are only 7.53 people on Earth. That accounts for 60% of all adults using the internet, as well as 25 million businesses.

This is a gigantic audience then, and it’s one that is constantly growing. Whereas Facebook (which owns Instagram) has been slowing down slightly in the past few years (not to mention facing numerous high-profile scandals), Instagram has been going from strength to strength.

One of the biggest reasons that many marketers overlook the importance of Instagram, is that they assume it is less flexible due to its purely visual nature. How can you sell something with just a picture?

In fact though, the opposite is true: Instagram’s visual nature is what makes it so valuable. Due to this fact, Instagram allows creators to minimize the amount of work and time they put into projects.

It takes only a matter of minutes in some cases to snap a great photo – a few more if you’re going to edit it – as opposed to the larger amount of time it takes to compose a message or think of something witty to say. You can easily take large batches of photographs and then upload them on a schedule, or even use stock images and just add some kind of inspiring quote on top.

The point is that the amount of time and effort you invest into your account is relatively low, considering the amount of value you will get out of it. It has a great ROI.

There are other unique advantages to choosing Instagram over another platform too that we will get into more in a moment. But suffice to say that choosing Instagram over other options will give you a platform that can build a HUGE amount of engagement and turn your followers into real fans who are willing to buy the items you recommend, or just keep coming back to your site time and time again.

Instagram is a tool that will allow you to build brand awareness and brand loyalty in a manner that other channels just can’t match.

Instagram should be considered an absolute focus for any marketing strategy then, but it becomes even more powerful when you combine it with a general marketing plan that incorporates other platforms and forms of media.

In short, Instagram could well be the missing piece of the puzzle for your online marketing strategy. If you have already conquered Facebook and Twitter, then Instagram may well be final frontier.

Alternatively, many companies that have struggled to make a success of marketing on other platforms, may find that Instagram is the place where they have runaway success – and there are many factors that make this more likely.