Even with the help of advanced SEO, the potential of a website to build brand loyalty is limited. Digital marketers had to try every trick in their books to get customers to visit the website and buy. With the advent of social media, the digital marketing scenario changed dramatically, however, even there, brands now have to think hard to differentiate themselves from the competition, increase brand awareness, and build a robust community of loyal customers. Social media platforms are also increasingly launching new features and functionalities to enable their users to extract better value from the content posted. Instagram, for example, has been particularly active in changing its algorithm and introducing new features that allow users to post content that engages better. Instagram Live and Stories are prime examples of the new initiatives that are helping them to forge ahead. As popular as photo and video posts are on Instagram, marketers are increasingly turning to Instagram Live to take their game to a new level. Some of the most important reasons for the growing popularity of Instagram Live:
Helps Get Brands to Get Discovered More
With over 95 million posts daily on Instagram, it is very easy for posts to get buried in the flood of content on the feeds of users and be never seen. The algorithm change by Instagram also ensures that posts have to compete with each other for a prominent position in the feed of users because Instagram decides the position as per its interpretation of the user’s interest. However, both Instagram Live and Stories work differently. The platform informs the followers of the brand when it goes live and reminds them to view the streaming content – this is a feature that is unique to Instagram and offers a significant advantage to brands competing for visibility. Because Stories are positioned above the news feeds of users, it offers brands more visibility and is thus a big benefit to brands competing for eyeballs. Both these opportunities can mean more visibility for the brand, help to acquire more followers, generate more website traffic, and create enduring memorability.
Can Make Deciding on Post Timing Redundant
Every marketer has to conduct intensive research to find out when its target audience is most active on Instagram so that it can get better visibility of its posts by posting on those days and times. Instagram Live streams your content in real-time to your audiences, and it is up to them to decide whether it is convenient for them to view it. While brands will naturally try to go Live when they can attract the maximum number of eyeballs, they can also share the content on Instagram Stories that has a lifespan of 24 hours to enable your followers to catch it when they can. By going live and then posting the video on Stories, brands can get extended exposure.
Gets More Engagement
The success of online marketing, especially on social media, depends on the extent of engagement with your target audience. Even though social media’s engagement is far superior to what can be offered by conventional websites, brands can boost their rates of engagement even more by inviting their followers to respond to the company’s posts, requesting participation in polls, contests, and exploring avenues for sharing their opinions to a larger audience. Brands can even buy followers on Instagram to create the required buzz.
Instagram Live, because of its immediacy, is the perfect platform to encourage your followers to join in conversations going on or open a dialog with you. Instagram Live offer brands a unique opportunity to its users to share real-time happenings that can act as a viable substitute for being there on the spot to experience the event. It is ideal for announcing product launches, broadcasting important events, sharing inside stories, or simply telling an engaging story for building brand loyalty. While brands can talk directly with their followers with Instagram Live, the viewers too can comment on what is happening, ask questions, and offer their reactions, all in real-time. According to Social Media Examiner, it is this interactivity that makes Instagram Live such a good platform for brands to grow a loyal and involved community. More than any other method, Instagram Live can make it possible for your audience to experience the brand in an unadulterated and edited format.
Conclusion
By using Instagram Live, brands can highlight themselves more authentically and inclusively to their followers. Unlike photo and video posts that are usually edited and polished to perfection, and can end up looking unreal, Instagram Live is more candid, natural, and authentic making the content more credible and trustworthy. While marketers will always try to showcase their brands in the best possible manner, Instagram users are craving more content they can believe in rather than post projecting perfection. Instagram Live’ popularity can be directly attributed to the fact that the content is more real and true to life, and thus more human, something your followers will appreciate.
