With over 1 billion MAU (Monthly Active Users), Instagram seems like a slam dunk if you’re looking to put your business out there, right? You wouldn’t be wrong if you thought that, because millions of other businesses think that way also. So is it a lost cause? Absolutely not. But here’s the harsh reality of Instagram (and nearly all social media platforms), if you aren’t putting out engaging and attention grabbing content, you’re not maximizing your potential.
With social media platforms, you’re taught to believe that if you post and write a caption, you’re going to get attention. This isn’t the case. Realistically, you have maybe 1/10 to 1/2 of a second to catch someone’s attention. For the most part, people’s attention spans are so much shorter on social media platforms than they are in life. This is because when someone is having a conversation or are communicating in a group, there’s only a handful of things to pay attention to. On a social platform, there’s nearly an unlimited amount of content vying for your attention.
One of the most important statistics of Instagram is that 57% of 25-29 year olds and 47% of 30-49 year olds use Instagram. This is your dream age group as they are the most consumer active age groups. These are the groups of people with expendable money to buy your clothing, eat at your restaurants, hire your contracting services, etc… These are who you (and every business) wants to get in front of.
So back to my original question, how important is the content you put out? Well you’re battling to get these consumers in the 25-49 age group to stop and not just glance at your content, but to read your caption, then go to your page and follow. That’s only a portion of the battle, next you have to put enough of your business out there to make these followers become paying customers. If you’re not an e-commerce (products sold over the internet) business like a brick and mortar retail store, a construction contractor, a restaurant, etc… you’re going to have an even harder time.
Your content needs to be extremely attention grabbing right off the bat. If you aren’t doing something extremely out there (imagine the 20 pancakes in a stack with every flavor of ice cream scooped on top of it or a burrito the size of your arm), the the content needs to be well produced. Sometimes a picture from a phone camera in bad light just won’t cut it. It could actually hurt your content by not doing it justice or making it look unappetizing.
Should you hire an entire production company to create content for your social media platforms? Most likely no, but if you’re in an extremely competitive high ticket niche like kitchen remodels or real estate, it definitely helps. Food photography and video is also extremely helpful and sets you apart from every other restaurant. Having someone capture your product or clothing line in a lifestyle setting greatly improves the chances of sale by allowing users to potentially see themselves using or wearing a product.
Brad James Consulting is a full service social media management agency offering social accounts as well as paid advertising management. We also offer a variety of creative services like photography, videography, and copywriting. Let Brad James Consulting remove the stress and time consumption of social media and help you grow your brands and businesses. Contact us for pricing and services that fit your needs.