Despite the size of the network and being bought by Facebook, in the minds of many marketers, Instagram is a less versatile Pinterest. Many marketers don’t use Instagram at all or if they do, it’s an afterthought to other social media sites and image-sharing platforms. However, there are good reasons for business owners and marketers to give Instagram a second look. Here are eight Instagram stats that will Instagram doubters into instant believers.
Right now, Instagram is the smallest of the major social networks. It has about 100 million active monthly users. While this is comparable to Tumblr and Google+, it’s only half the audience of Pinterest.
It’s important to note that Instagram is popular with its users. According to data from Pew Research Center, 57% of US adult Instagram users visit the site at least once per day, and 35% do so multiple times per day.
Instagram is also growing at a rapid pace among marketers. Simply Measured did a study in 2013 that found 59% of brands have presences on Instagram, up 9% from Q4 2012. Marketers who aren’t using Instagram are already in the minority.
Instagram thrives on mobile (since users can upload photos they take directly from their phone). Nielsen reported that 32 millions Americans used the Instagram mobile app each month in 2013, which is a 66% increase from 2012.
Marketers who are concerned about the decline of Facebook among teens should look to Instagram. Piper Jaffrary conducted a study that found 17% of teens say Instagram is the most important social network, up from 12% in 2012.
Instagram is a popular place for people to share photos. According Instagram’s own data, there are about 60 millions photos shared each day on average. Given the average number of active users, this means people are posting a large number of photos each. every day.
Instagram also reports there are 1.6 billion likes on the site each day. For marketers who looking for new ways to engage with customers, it’s clear that Instagram has the potential to get people talking and liking content.
For movie studios and theater owners, Instagram is a good channel for reaching moviegoers. According to Nielsen, Instagram users see 8.7 movies per year compared to 7.9 for Facebook, and 7.6 for Pinterest. The only social network that performs better with moviegoers is Twitter. Additionally, 24 percent of Instagram users have posted photos about a movie.
These stats should show marketers that Instagram is more than just a poor man’s Pinterest. Instagram is clearly on the rise as more users sign up and more marketers try to reach them on the platform. The growing importance of Instagram among younger generations is all the more reason why business owners should take advantage of the platform now. Marketers should also keep in mind that as part of Facebook, Instagram will have a lot more to offer once Facebook can decide on its plan for the platform. In the end, marketers should assume that Instagram will be extremely important for marketing in the future.