The Pros and Cons of Instagram Marketing, According to an Expert (+ Research)

Additionally, 71% of marketers who sell products directly in the app say the social shopping features deliver high ROI.

“This allows us to engage with our audience and potentially reach new audiences who would ideally become customers on HubSpot,” she explains. “It’s a way for us to showcase all the different content we do for The Hustle brand, such as videos, podcasts, long-form editorial stories, our newsletter, etc.”

Meller points out that Instagram followers are more valuable than on other platforms because they are more invested in the account and its content. They will also likely see your content all the time.

“Following someone on Instagram is a much bigger commitment than following someone on TikTok,” she says. “When you follow someone on Instagram, it’s because you want their content to appear in your feed. But if you follow someone on TikTok, you still might not see their content for months.”

2. Instagram helps marketers find out what their audience is into.

“Instagram is valuable for finding out what kind of content our audience likes, what kinds of stories they want to hear, and what they don’t want to hear about,” explains Meller.

“I truly believe that knowing what your audience doesn’t want can be even more helpful or valuable than knowing what they do want.”

Meller says The Hustle uses these insights to enrich its content, including podcasts, newsletters and more, both on and off the platform.

3. Instagram makes interacting with audiences a breeze.

54% of marketers say their goal in 2024 is to increase engagement on Instagram, and Meller says engagement is one of the platform’s benefits.

“We’ve made a lot of changes to our Instagram and social media strategy over the last few months and have seen some really exciting metrics emerge from our new strategy,” she shares.

“We are seeing a significant increase in impressions and engagement, which means our audience is responding to our content much more than they have in the past.”

Interacting with your audience is the most popular and fruitful engagement strategy. You can do this by replying to comments and sharing pictures and videos of your followers using your products.

4. Instagram can expose your content to new audiences.

This professional did not come from Meller. Instead, it is my own observation as a creator and Instagram user. Instagram has implemented new features and algorithms to help you get your content in front of new audiences.

For example, collaborative posts allow the same content to appear on two different accounts. Let’s say I’m a smaller business that managed to get a well-known YouTuber to feature my product in their Instagram content.

The said creator can publish the content in collaboration with my account and their followers will see both my account and the product, giving my brand more exposure.

Instagram is also experimenting with showing recommended accounts in users’ feeds.

4 Disadvantages of Instagram Marketing

1. Instagram’s algorithm is volatile.

If there’s one thing my YouTuber friends and I complain about on Instagram, it’s the ever-changing algorithm. Meller says.

“Instagram’s algorithm is always doing something new. Just when you think something is working, it changes and something doesn’t work,” she says. “You might have a week or a month where your content is really trending, and then the next month you’re like, ‘What’s going on? Have people forgotten about us?’”

2. Instagram is constantly introducing new features.

New features aren’t always bad, but they can be overwhelming for marketers when new features are constantly being introduced and those features are critical to getting your content seen.

“A lot of social media managers joke that every time Adam Mosseri posts a video, there’s panic,” laughs Meller, “because we’re like, ‘Now what? What feature are they going to introduce that the algorithm will favor? “We all need to make an effort to ensure our content continues to be seen?'”

3. Budgeting for influencer marketing can be challenging.

This also does not come from Meller, but is based on my own observations.

For many marketers, influencer marketing seems out of reach – after all, don’t you have to spend a lot of money to work with mega-influencers? Luckily, there are ways to fit influencer marketing into your budget, even if you’re a small or emerging business.

Micro-influencers offer a smaller, highly engaged audience without the high price tag of a mainstream star, making this type of marketing more accessible to different brands.

With 86% of marketers saying influencer marketing has been effective for their business, I still think it’s worth a try.

4. There is a lot of competition on and off the platform.

“Not only is there great competition from other brands or content on the platform, but Instagram itself also competes with other apps like TikTok,” explains Meller. “All the apps are vying for your attention. The more popular other platforms become, the fewer people use Instagram.”

Why Instagram can be a challenge for brands

In summary, Instagram is challenging for many brands due to its unpredictable algorithm, fierce competition, and constant introduction of new features that need to be a priority.

However, Meller says marketers shouldn’t be intimidated by these factors. Instead, they should roll up their sleeves and start researching.

“I’ve been doing what I do for almost a decade now,” she says, “and there are a lot of resources, newsletters, and people I follow on social media to make sure I’m doing that .” a pulse on everything.”

Here are some sources Meller’s recommends:

“For better or for worse, I’m constantly online. I consume content, read, watch and listen,” says Meller. “I like being up to date. This is what makes a good social media manager. You really have to be online, live the online culture and know what people are talking about.”

Final thoughts

Instagram is constantly evolving, but remains an excellent platform for companies looking to increase their brand awareness and audience engagement. However, it is not without challenges, such as an ever-changing algorithm.

However, the resources and tips above can help you navigate the platform and develop a valuable Instagram marketing strategy.