7 Tips That Will Improve Your Business’ Social Media Marketing Strategy

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With 1.7 billion monthly active Facebook, 400 million Instagram and 313 million Twitter users; how could you not be inspired to create engaging content in order to help you reach your business objectives? Whether you seek brand awareness, page post engagement, or video views; developing an effective social media marketing strategy is the key to social media success. Here you will find 7 tips that will improve your business’ social media marketing strategy.

1.) Target Your Ads for the Correct Audience

Nothing wastes more time and money than creating a fabulous marketing campaign, only to share it with a group completely opposite of whom it should have been intended for. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter integrate geo-targeting to help you reach the correct customers. When creating an ad, maximize your social media marketing strategy by adding specific locations, ages, and genders.

2.) Be Active

No matter the industry, people love to have a personalized experience. By actively engaging with your customers, you are creating those connections that allow people to earn you trust. Social media marketing agencies or other business’ can stay active by replying to content pertaining to their client or company. Replying to content may include positively responding to a question, comment or idea. You may also engage on the profiles of the people who follow you.  Remember that in order to actively engage, it is important to properly read and listen to what the customer is trying to tell you.

3.) Create Quality Content

With the sheer amount of available photography, research and editing tools; there is no excuse for posting sloppy work. People respond well to creative and engaging quality content. Also, make sure to re-read everything before you post. Nothing says unprofessional as much as misspelled words or abhorrent grammar.

4.) Try Paid Ads

Ads are a fantastic way to engage people and reach your business’ objectives. For little money, you can test different advertisement campaigns to figure out what people respond to. One can never go wrong with a high quality, targeted ad.

5.) Add Exciting Videos

Video marketing has been proven to not only be more persuasive, but also allow a business to build better credibility. By building credibility, you create trust within your audience, which can lead to more people wanting your product or service.

6.) Offer Added Value

In addition to what your business may initially offer, it is important to add incentives. It is no secret that people love free products, services or discounts. Creating high energy posts pertaining to discounts or free products/services is a great way to create excitement.  Generating an advertisement pertaining to your added value will do the same.

7.) Collaborate

A great way to maximize your social media marketing strategy is to collaborate with those having experience or knowledge within your craft. Collaborations may include having an individual with a large social media following to promote your product or ideas. You may also offer an affiliate program to reward those who bring your company business.

Finding your niche in the social media marketing world is a process of trial and error. By utilizing a solid social media marketing strategy, you are sure to find success within your social media marketing agency or business. Working with an experienced social media marketing agency such as our team here at Bright Age, will allow your business to always be one step ahead of the curve.

 

 

 

5 Essential Parts of a Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign

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The steps to running a successful marketing campaign have changed quite a bit in recent years.  While marketing used to be focused around television, radio, and billboards, a good majority of marketing has begun moving online.  As the internet continues to grow, so does the use of social media.  Today, it’s no surprise that social media has slowly become a powerhouse in the world of advertising.  Although much goes into a successful social media marketing campaign, below I have condensed it into the 5 most important parts.

1) Understand the Brand

To most effectively market a brand, it needs to be understood.  What is the company’s background?  What is their goal?  Who is the target audience?  Without an understanding of these basic concepts, a social media marketing campaign would be almost useless.  A great campaign marketed to the wrong audience would be a waste of time and money.  Although this first step might seem simple, it is often overlooked.  Knowing who and what you are marketing for, as well as why, is necessary for success.  This understanding also connects the marketer more personally to the campaign.  No longer is it just a product to be marketed, but they have become personally invested in the brand.

2) Creative Content

Once the brand is understood, the marketing should begin.  Creating content that is appropriate to your social media marketing campaign is essential.  For example, when working with Instagram, posting visually appealing photos with catchy taglines will work much better than content that would engage a typical user on Facebook.  The posts being shared must be both original and also appealing to your audience.  Creating content that will connect with and attract the target audience, while best displaying the brand ties right back to step one.

3) Effective Reach

When it comes to reach, making sure that your social media marketing campaign is reaching the right people in the proper ways is crucial.  Today, there is a wide variety of social media platforms available to engage users on.  Simply being active on Facebook is no longer enough.  An effective social media marketing agency will be focused on handling multiple platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, for your brand.  With different types of people using each platform, the use of multiple networks grows your reach more effectively.

On top of just posting to multiple accounts, participating in activities that will boost your reach is important as well.  On Facebook, choosing the correct objective and ad type is necessary for growing your reach to its full potential.  When it comes to your website, using the best SEO practices is a must.  A good social media marketing agency will ensure that your brand comes up near the top of any online search, ultimately growing your reach.

4) Engage Users

Engaging users is another critical step in an effective social media marketing campaign.  Posting on different platforms is a great start, but engaging with each user is how you perfect the campaign.  Using programs such as Sprout Social can assist you in individually answering consumer responses or questions.  Not only dealing with problems, but asking questions to your followers keeps them active in your brand.  Taking the steps to engage your users can allow for your brand to seem more personal to potential customers, a smart move in the world of marketing.

5) Report

Lastly, to run an effective social media marketing campaign, tracking the progress of the campaign is necessary.  Reporting statistics on the success of the campaign will allow for learning exactly what works and what doesn’t.  Bright Age, for example, reports stats to their clients each month to keep them updated on their progress.  By taking the reported numbers and deciding beneficial changes for future campaigns you can easily continue to please customers and grow your consumer base.

Facebook Messenger Hits 1 Billion Users and What it Means to Marketers

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Facebook is the largest social media application with over 1.6 billion daily users. Facebook is constantly introducing new features to engage users and stay on top of their game. One new feature that was introduced in 2011 was Facebook Messenger. Facebook and Messenger were once connected but the company decided to separate the two after additional features were added to Messenger. In the last 20 months, Facebook required its users to download Messenger as an iPhone app in addition to Facebook. By pressing its users to download Messenger in order to contact people privately through Facebook, their numbers have increased to one billion users.

By forcing users to download Messenger, they doubled their user count which helped them obtain their current one billion. Messenger has become a trustworthy messaging app that is used every day. According to TechCrunch, 22 million GIFs and 380 million stickers are sent each day. And on top of that, each month, there are 17 billion photos sent and 1 billion messages sent between people and businesses.

Messenger took baby steps in the last five years to make their dreams a reality. The Messenger team was constantly introducing new features to improve. It all started with Beluga which focused on chat over data, then came Messenger v1 which was the first version of Messenger before they added additional features and next came forced migration which is a big reason their numbers grew so quickly. Facebook forced users to download Messenger and in return, Facebook received tons of backlash. People did not want to have two Facebook applications on their phones and thought it was completely unnecessary.

With Facebook Messenger, users are able to do so much more than just message privately on Facebook. Messenger introduced read-receipts to simulate a face-to-face conversation, audio calling, SMS with users phone numbers if you weren’t Facebook friends, and more. Additionally, Facebook Messenger prided itself on speed and making sure your message is sent and delivered efficiently. Messenger uses little circles next to your message which could mean three different things. An empty circle means sending, an empty but checked circle means sent, a filled in and checked message means it was delivered to the recipient, and if their picture is in the circle, it means they have read your message.

Hitting one billion users on Facebook Messenger will change Facebook tremendously. Developers and brands will be more attracted to Messenger because of its strong numbers and statistics. Messenger’s ability to send messages, audio and video, GIFs and more has made this a very powerful communication tool for marketers. Being able to contact someone knowing just their name and internet access will be beneficial for marketers.

Utilizing Facebook and Facebook Messenger for your business can be difficult but working with a Facebook marketing agency such as Bright Age can help. A social media agency can target specific people within the daunting one billion users. Facebook Messenger is one of the largest communication tools next to WhatsApp and is expected to grow even more in the next few years.

Author: Alyssa Perel

Alyssa is currently pursuing a degree in Media Studies with a minor in Marketing at San Diego State University. Her interest in social media and marketing has grown vastly over the years and she enjoys discovering new things about this field every day. You can connect with Alyssa via Facebook and Instagram @aperel.

Understanding Your Target Audience with Social Media Advertising

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In today’s society, social media is growing and businesses must keep up with new trends to reach their target consumers. According to statista.com, 78 percent of people in the United States have at least one social network profile and that number is expected to increase next year. Social media advertising is beginning to dominate the marketing industry and businesses must have a presence on one or more social media platform depending on their target audience.
Every business needs to identify their target audience to be successful on social media channels. Understanding your customer is important because not everyone uses social media in the same way and for the same things. For example, businesses should use different strategies for targeting millennials than middle aged consumers and companies must understand how to engage different groups when advertising on social media.
There are many factors that go into targeting a specific audience. Working with an online marketing agency can help you find your target audience by determining what social media platforms should be used, times of day to post, and tone of voice.

Social Media Advertising Platforms

There are many social media platforms that are used for advertising. These platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Snapchat, and Pinterest. More millennials use platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat so a company that is targeting millennials must have a presence on those social media sites to keep their clients engaged. There have been reports showing that Facebook is losing some of their younger audience, skewing the age range to be older. Therefore, companies that are aiming to advertise for ages forty to sixty should put a heavy emphasis on Facebook.

Time of Day

The time of day a company posts on social media platforms can increase traffic to their pages. Because different audiences are on social media at different times of the day, companies have to identify when their target audience is active on social media. For example, a gardener should advertise on social media in the afternoon when parents and homeowners are on social media. A gardener should not post late at night when the social media world is dominated by millennials who are most likely not homeowners and not interested in finding a gardener.

Tone of Voice

Different people respond to different forms of language and voice. When advertising to elders, businesses should use a professional tone of voice and state all of the logistics to attract elders. However, when advertising to millennials, businesses should use a much more laid back tone, state only the most important information, and mention how their product can benefit them. Millennials like to make decisions quickly while taking into account what the majority of the population has and elders prefer to make well informed decisions.

Finding a balance between the various social media platforms, peak times of day for your audience, and tone of voice can be difficult but finding this balance can grow your business. Targeting the correct audience plays an important role in the success of any business and utilizing a social media advertising agency can help.

 

Author: Alyssa Perel
Alyssa is currently pursuing a degree in Media Studies with a minor in Marketing at San Diego State University. Her interest in social media and marketing has grown vastly over the years and she enjoys discovering new things about this field every day. You can connect with Alyssa via Facebook and Instagram @aperel.

The Growth of Instagram and Best Practices for Your Business

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All the buzz seems to be around social media platform Instagram lately.  Though, it’s no surprise why.  Instagram’s tremendous recent growth has caught the attention of many businesses hoping to take advantage of its marketing potential.

As of last week, Instagram announced that it had officially hit the major milestone of half a billion users.  Considering the platform was founded only less than 6 years ago, this growth is incredible.  On top of this, much growth in the platform has only really been in the last 2 of these 6 years.  All age groups, from 16-24 to 55-64, saw an increase in users, with the 16-24 group growing the most.  Since mid-2014 this age group has seen an increase in accounts by 20{bfa23e0adf5035fdfa71191ffe91e54dd073cdba85c1f10af47dda85ac37f507}, with now a total of 58{bfa23e0adf5035fdfa71191ffe91e54dd073cdba85c1f10af47dda85ac37f507} of people this age engaging with the platform.

Instagram’s current explosion should be taken seriously by anyone interested in effectively advertising their brand.  Instagram marketing is proving to become more and more beneficial for businesses around the world.  We’ve put together some tips on Instagram best practices that will let you fully harness the power of this social media site.

Good Visuals

First things first, Instagram was created to allow users to share beautiful photos and videos of their lives with followers.  To best take advantage of Instagram marketing, your content needs to look and feel natural.  Posting boring, unlively photos of your brand probably won’t get you very far unless your target market is boring, unlively people.  Sharing content that looks attractive to potential customers is number one on our list of Instagram best practices. Instagram Marketing

Beneficial

Knowing what your audience wants and properly delivering it to them is crucial for beneficial Instagram marketing.  By finding a way to post more than just an advertisement, you can engage your customers to a new level.  Creating posts that are inspiring and appealing is best for a successful campaign in the long run.  Make sure that each post you share with your followers is going to somehow benefit your brand in their eyes.

Engagement

Engaging your audience is the next step to our Instagram best practices.  Posting regularly is obviously important to keep the consumer’s attention on your brand.  CoSchedule found that engagement is the highest on Monday and Thursday.  On top of this, posting around 3-4 pm during the workweek is typically followed by lower engagement.  It’s important to keep in mind that your brand is unique and different than others, and what might work very well for some businesses might not be the case for your own.  New Instagram analytics should be viewed to help determine best engagement for your brand.

Other than just staying active on the platform, Instagram marketing revolves heavily around actually speaking to and interacting with your online followers.  Replying to comments that they have left on your posts is a great way to show that you are interested in them.  This easy response can allow for a much more personal feel around your brand, which is always a positive in the world of advertising.

Keeping Up

When it comes to our Instagram best practices advice, staying updated with the platform itself is the final big one.  Instagram is a constantly changing application, and as marketers it’s important to keep up with these changes.  The more comfortable you are with your advertising medium, the better your results will be.  Just recently, a major design overhaul was completed on Instagram, including a set of brand new and important features. By staying up to date with Instagram, your marketing potential and results will follow.13234664_10154781147248356_1088849404_o-440x270

Snapchat Advertising in 2016 and What It Means for Online Marketers

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Snapchat might be new to the advertising world, but it’s definitely not a force to be reckoned with.  2016 means big changes for the social media app favored by teens and young adults.  Just last week the application rolled out its long anticipated advertising API, Snapchat Partners, which will hook up more than 20 tech-minded companies.  Snapchat advertising is soon to be bigger and better than ever imagined, and should be on every marketer’s radars.

Until only recently, it was believed that Snapchat wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of their millennial audience.  After hiring their first chief strategy officer, Imran Khan, the company took a different turn in the world of marketing.  Regarding advertisers, Khan states, “Different marketers have different objectives, and we just want to make it easier for them to buy ads on the platform.  We want brands to have a place where they can tell their stories, you know, in a better way.”   From the sounds of Khan, Snapchat marketing is going to be a lot more than just a scroll through ad as seen on Facebook or Instagram.

For the first time, Snapchat ads are going to be sold by third parties.  This new approach will be divided into two parts: Ad Partners and Creative Partners.  Ad partners will be focused on developing the software for snapchat advertising. They will enable the buying, optimizing, and analyzing of campaigns. Creative partners will be working with Snapchat’s vertical-video format.  There will be a mix of partners that are experienced in the social content and formatting of these videos.

The upcoming availability to advertise on Snapchat is big news for Snapchat marketing.  Until very recently, only massive companies with lots of push in the industry could really do much with the media sharing app.  This was due to the extreme demand and little availability to advertise with Snapchat.  A prime example of a very successful previous ad campaign run on Snapchat was Taco Bell’s Cinco De Mayo filter.  The user’s heads were turned into a taco shell by a lens.  This resulted in 224 million views in a single day, one extremely successful ad campaign.  For smaller, more local brands, something like this could be incredibly successful, but until recently was either extremely out of budget or not taken seriously by Snapchat.

Geofilters are one of Snapchat’s most popular features, and have big marketing potential.  With Snapchat’s new updates, anyone will be able to create and publish their own filters for a fee.  The process of submitting a geofilter involves creating the PNG, selecting a geographic area on the website, and then purchasing the filter.  The largest geographic area allowed is 5 million square feet with the maximum exposure time being 30 days.  A small restaurant can purchase a filter for one day around $5-$10. A larger shopping mall might end up costing around $5,000 for a weekend.  This is all very early on in the world of Snapchat marketing, and we are excited to see what the future holds for the business.

Currently, the focus for the start of Snapchat advertising is around video ads.  This doesn’t mean that potentially branded Geofilters and Lenses are out of the question, though, just an idea for the near future.

Just advertising via Snapchat may not be enough, though.  Having your brand’s actual presence in the application is proving to be more crucial over time as well.  A study from L2 revealed that brands on average post 26 times per week on Snapchat.  This number is significantly larger than that of Instagram, with only the fashion industry in the double digit weekly posts.

As Snapchat marketing continues to grow and embrace advertising via the application, businesses have much to look forward to.  With the social application growing rapidly each day, getting your brand onto the platform sooner rather than later is definitely a smart business move.

Pinterest Marketing Improves with New Ad Targeting Features

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Pinterest has recently proven itself to be a very powerful social media network.  With over 100 million active monthly users, the potential for marketers is massive.  Just yesterday this potential grew to an entirely new level.  Pinterest has now released a series of marketing tools that will give advertisers an edge when working with the platform.

As a social media marketing agency, the more information that we know about our users, the better.  Being able to understand your consumers means that you can more effectively put your advertising dollars to good use. Facebook has done an excellent job at this over the past few years.  The technology Facebook offers its advertisers has made it recently dominant in the industry, but that might change soon.

Looking over the game changing tools released from Pinterest yesterday, the biggest new addition would be visitor retargeting.  Now, marketers will have the ability to advertise to Pinterest users that have visited their site.  A Pinterest conversation tag can be placed across the advertiser’s site to help follow users onto Pinterest.  This new tool will lead to better targeted ads, which is great news for a Pinterest marketing agency.  The specific information that Pinterest users put online about themselves every day is sure to make this tool useful to marketers.

Lookalike targeting is another big marketing tool released by Pinterest yesterday.  True to its name, lookalike targeting will help a social media marketing agency reach users similar to their current audience.  This tool will be incredibly useful for expanding your reach and targeting potential customers as a Pinterest marketing agency.  Alongside this, marketers will be getting a comparison of existing customers to new potential users on Pinterest.

The new marketing tools made available from Pinterest have massive potential and should not go by unnoticed.  Retargeting visitors gives a social media marketing agency the upper hand on its consumers.  Not to mention the great new features of lookalike targeting that are sure to expand both brand awareness and clientele.

Pinterest’s new developments in marketing are sure to make the platform even more desirable for marketers as sites like Twitter continue to struggle in these areas.  A consistently growing user base paired with improved ad targeting is sure to guarantee that the success of Pinterest has only just begun.

The Growth and Projections of Facebook Marketing in 2016

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It is no secret that Facebook is one of the largest social media websites in the word. Facebook was created in 2004 and has grown vastly over the last 12 years. After 12 years, Facebook continues to introduce new features that keep users interested and excited. Facebook is used by a variety of people from young kids to adults, business to pleasure, Facebook is multi-fascinated. Many people use Facebook to keep in contact, find new businesses, promote their brands, and communicate with people in their network. There are thousands of people using Facebook at all times of the day. The amount of users Facebook has makes this a prized website for marketers and this year, Facebook marketing is introducing new advertising tools. Working with a social media agency can help you take advantage of these upcoming marketing capabilities.

Search FYI is a new search tool that personalizes your search results by adding favored posts and present news stories to your results. In addition, Facebook can advertise through messenger which means businesses can improve their customer service by having personal conversations with their clients. Facebook is also introducing M which is a virtual assistant for users. M can buy products, book tickets, and get recommendations without exiting out of messenger. Facebook is making its site easier to navigate by providing an assortment of content so consumers will not have to exit out of Facebook.

Facebook is has also tested “Reactions” in many different countries. The Facebook Reaction button allows users to not just “like” something. Users can chose from an array of emotive icons to express how they feel about a specific post. “Liking” a post is not a new idea however, adding these new emotive icons can help businesses better understand their followers. For example, someone can express anger on a post which then the business can address that issue rather than it becoming a larger problem.

facebook marketing reactions

Additionally, Facebook has updated live video streaming which allows the public to view celebrities or events from their devices. In addition, Facebook has introduced Canvas. Canvas is used for mobile devices and its purpose is to engage people more because of its ability to load faster and use the full screen. Lastly, Facebook has announced the idea of Instant Articles. Instant Articles keep people on Facebook when accessing content. Instead of directing users to new pages, Instant Articles will keep users on the site. Many businesses have to decide if publishing to Facebook is more valuable than receiving advertising revenue and direct traffic. By working with a social media agency, businesses are able to maximize their potential. A Facebook advertising agency can help you achieve your marketing goals.

Within this next year, users should expect to see many changes and improvements in the Facebook Marketing world.

The Importance of Social Media Marketing for a Los Angeles Franchise

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In a massive, bustling city like Los Angeles, you must be willing to go above and beyond typical marketing techniques to get your franchise to stand out.  Social media has slowly gone from a beneficial to necessary practice over the course of the last few years in the marketing world.  Los Angeles social media marketing is bigger than it’s ever been before, and now I will tell you why using a social media agency to get your brand online will benefit your LA franchise in the future.

1) Publicity

To be even slightly successful against your competition, publicity is entirely necessary.  Good publicity can increase knowledge of your brand and ultimately sales.  With new businesses and brands appearing daily, getting publicity is becoming harder and harder for a business, especially small ones.  A social media agency can focus on increasing consumer knowledge on your brand and earning you as much publicity as possible.

2) Brand Loyalty

Social media can be seen as much more than just a good way to get publicity for your franchise.  With social media you can achieve a following of specific and dedicated customers to your brand.  Engaging with followers on your pages and keeping them up to date on the product allows for your brand to become a part of your followers lives.  You are no longer just a product in a store, but an experience.  According to a report from Texas Tech University, brands which engage on social media channels enjoy higher loyalty overall from their customers.  Loyalty is a necessary step to increase sales.

3) Better SEO

Los Angeles social media marketing can lead to increased website traffic as well if done correctly.  A franchise marketing agency can work towards getting your business to show up higher in relevant search results.  Sites like Google calculate search result rankings through a variety of different ways, with social media now playing a very large role.  With a strong presence on social media, your brand will begin appearing higher on search results, benefiting the business and generating new customers.

4) Better Customer Experience

Lastly, the presence of your brand on social media can and will lead to an overall increased customer experience.  Customers love being able to interact with and talk to your brand, and by doing this on social media, they will not only become more pleased, but will unknowingly be spreading the word about your product.  A social media agency like Bright Age can successfully turn the conversation about your brand online into profit.

 

In the cutthroat marketplace found in big cities today, Los Angeles social media marketing is a necessary way to grow your brand and stand out from the pack.  With all the advertising clutter found on billboards or online advertisements, establishing a social media presence can work to massively benefit your franchise.

Instagram Marketing Improves with Addition of Business Profiles

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Instagram took the social media world by storm back in 2010 and has continued to grow rapidly over the last six years. Instagram is an app that allows users to post and share pictures with their followers. However, Instagram is introducing new business profiles and is becoming much more than just a social media app used for pleasure. Instagram marketing will improve with business profiles because business profiles on Instagram will allow businesses to create accounts to market themselves and reach larger audiences.

Screenshots were shared on Later.com’s blog of this new business marketing tool. The most visible difference for these business profiles is a “contact” button to the left of the “follow” button. Businesses can choose how they would like to be contacted when a user taps the contact button. Instagram gives the option to email, get directions, call, or text. This button was created because businesses were expressing concerns to Instagram that comments from users wanting to get in contact with them were getting lost. The contact button will allow messages from potential customers or clients to go straight to the business.

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In addition to business profiles on Instagram, Instagram will offer tools for tracking analytics for businesses which is going to be called “Insights.” Insights will focus mostly on post analytics and follower demographics. Post analytics deals with your Instagram content and how it is performing. Post analytics can allow you to track website clicks, impressions, and reach. By having access to this, businesses are able to see what posts worked for their audience.  Follower demographics refers the details of you audience which includes age, gender, and location. Being able to see the demographics of you followers will help the business tailor posts and items to the specific needs and wants of their customers. This information put together can drastically change the business of Instagram marketing.

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With Insights, businesses will be able to improve their marketing strategies. Follower activity will help businesses decide when and what to post. Follower activity tells businesses the most popular times to post and takes into account when their followers are using Instagram. Insights can also aid in telling businesses what posts resonated better with their audience. For example, insights will tell you if your post helped you gain or lose any followers.

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This new improvement with business profiles on Instagram will be very beneficial for anyone wanting to market their brand. Instagram has over 400 million users today and this number will continue to grow, especially after this update launches. Instagram is slowly starting to make the switch and users are already starting to see the positive changes Instagram is offering.