As Facebook looks for more ways to maximize the revenue-generating potential of Instagram, new research is being commissioned into how users perceive brand content on the visual platform and how businesses can maximize their opportunities based on audience expectations.
Facebook's first report on this front looked at what users expect from brands on Instagram, and now Facebook has released the second item, which examines how the platform drives audience action, both in terms of brand discovery business and purchasing behavior.
The data is based on feedback from over 21,000 Instagram users across thirteen countries, providing a solid insight into overall audience perception – if you're looking to use Instagram for your business in 2019, here's some valuable insight you'll need. you should take into account in your process.
First, user feedback highlights an interesting, if less discussed, element of social media marketing: even if your social presence isn't driving direct sales, it can still have a significant impact on the perception of the brand, which could be very relevant, depending on your target market.
According to the report:
"Just by being on Instagram, brands can make a positive impression on potential buyers. People surveyed say they perceive brands on Instagram as popular (78%), creative (77%), entertaining (76%) and relevant (74%).Those top associations remained relatively constant around the world, with a few differences, such as in Japan, where people rate informative as their second most perceived quality.”
Again, the benefits of having an active social media presence are not always straightforward.
You're certainly at least tangentially aware of this: The modern brand and product discovery process typically involves at least some form of social media referral, usually after a Google search, from which you can access the company's Facebook page and see what could be their latest update.
That won't show up in your attribution reports, people coming to your social profiles for a quick peek and possibly not clicking anything. But it can have a significant impact on brand perception, and as noted here, that's especially relevant on Instagram. Simply by having an active presence on Instagram, you can greatly influence audience perception.
In addition to this, Instagram, in particular, can play an important role in the buying process.
That, of course, would have more to do with highly visual and B2C products, but the data shows that Instagram can play an important role in the path to purchase, with images providing additional context about how products look on the web. real life and how it could fit into customers' own use.
Such content may stimulate increased purchasing activity.
The data outlines the various opportunities for businesses on Instagram, with a number of relevant considerations and opportunities along the path to purchase. And instinctively, much of this makes a lot of sense: Instagram is a visually focused platform, which lends itself to brand and product promotion, and can help drive action through aspirational content.
