Instagram Steps Up Its Social Media Marketing Game with Paid Ads

You may have noticed some changes in social media marketing this year. Facebook has reduced organic reach for business pages, Twitter opened up their paid advertisement platform, and now Instagram is stepping up to the plate. When it comes to brand activity, how close is the race? Facebook is still taking a large portion of the social media marketing pie, but don’t be fooled- Instagram is right on their tail.

Instagram is Getting into the Paid Advertising Game

While Instagram has not provided paid advertisement benefits to every business, it has proven to be successful for the small number of businesses already taking advantage of it. If you have an active Instagram account, you may have already seen a few advertisements from big name brands. It has not been made clear when Instagram will have their marketing and paid ad placements available to all marketers, but the small group who have taken advantage of purchasing and placing Instagram promotions have seen some huge success. Instagram has the ability to link with other social media platforms such as Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, giving this social media outlet an advantage over the rest.

How Does Facebook Compare?

Facebook has some years of experience on Instagram since Facebook first launched in 2004. Facebook is still the number one social media outlet for brands to buy advertising, but a survey performed in the second quarter of 2014 shows Instagram may be Facebooks’ biggest threat. 

The following statistics* where taken from both parties in the second quarter of 2014:

• Facebook gathered 2.5 million brand posts, a year-over-growth of 22%

• Instagram had 493,000 of brand posts, a 49% year-over-year jump

• Facebook accrued 6 billion actions (likes, comments or shares)

• Instagram totaled 3.4 billion actions (likes, comments)

• Facebook had 2,396 actions per post

• Instagram racked up 6,932 actions per post

What comes as a surprise with these reports is that Instagram has achieved about three times the engagement per post than Facebook.

The only drawback of using Instagram for SEO and marketing purposes is figuring out a way to drive traffic to the advertiser's site without detracting from the brands own traffic and engagement. Without outbound links, marketing on Facebook is still king for brands.

*Social media statistics provided by Ad Weekly