Instagram is easily becoming a favorite for those users that love to share photos with others, as eMarketer estimates that it will reach more than 100 million users in the United States by 2018. It’s not too far from that number now, as the site will reach 77.6 million users this year alone. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that many brands are taking advantage of what the site has to offer, and what kind of audience it draws.
A report from Yesmail (reported by eMarketer) indicates that brand adoption will pick up for the site. Currently, 23 percent of brands in the United States have some form of an account on the site, and although that’s lower than most social networks (like Twitter with 82 percent and Facebook with 80 percent), they’re seeing effectiveness from using it.
31.1 percent of those polled by Yesmail indicated that they had an Instagram account that was being put to good use, with pictures of food being the biggest draw. Behind them, in second place, were hotels, which posts pics of dream destinations, locations and more. Retailers and consumer packaged goods were further down the list.
Even with larger numbers on other networks, Instagram has an audience that’s more excited with the photos that are posted. Yesmail reports that the number of followers on the site grew by 278 percent on average over the past year.
That said, companies should proceed with caution, as oversaturation is likely to turn off potential users. A secondary report from last month, posted by L2 Think Tank, believes that “quality over quantity” is a general rule to follow. Companies that posted more than an average of 121 posts over the fourth quarter saw an engagement rate of 1.03 percent — the lowest point for the year. The number rose a little bit in 2015 to 1.15 percent, but posts still counted high, with 110 for the quarter.
Instagram still has a ways to go to catch up with the other networks, but if the brands play their cards right with the way they post photos, there’s no reason their engagement can’t continue to blossom.
