5 Pros of Instagram for Business (and 5 Cons)

Instagram is another social media platform that can be great for businesses, but it is not without its fair share of flaws either. Below are 5 pros and 5 counteracting cons to keep in mind when considering building a brand on Instagram.

Pros:

1. Visuals are the lifeblood of this platform.
   • In a world where pictures and videos are king, Instagram is the second social platform (and first and only true social media platform) to be photos and videos only. That means that if you are great with graphic design and strategic posting, your brand could do really well on this platform.
2. You can post videos of a significant length.
   • This has not always been the case. You used to be limited on how long the videos are you can share on Instagram. Now there are videos of all lengths out there, which could bode really well if for certain brands.
3. Reels are becoming a great way to get discovered.
   • Throw up a video with great content, trending background music and a great caption and hashtags, and you never know where you might find yourself. You could be discovered by people scrolling through reels and be noticed by people who have never heard of you before without needing them to have followed you prior to that.
4. Hashtags are king, so use them advantageously.
   • Again, using hashtags strategically can work wonders. Some people search for and even follow specific hashtags, so use that to your advantage.
5. You can link your product in your posts and stories, so people can cut right to the chase rather than having to visit your bio and all that jazz.
   • If you have a business profile, you can put a link to your site right on your story. Plus, you can tag products you might have listed on Instagram right on your posts.

Cons:

1. You are stuck only posting visuals, so don’t expect to be posting just plain text on the platform.
   • Have a quick update for your business? Don’t expect to just put it out there using plain text like you would on Twitter or Facebook. You have to create some sort of visual for it to post on Instagram.
2. People don’t like to watch long videos unless it is recommended to them, so you want to be careful how long you make them.
   • Do not get too carried away with creating a longform video. It is extra time you might not necessarily have on your hands, and to be quite blunt, not a lot of people might be invested in watching the entire video.
3. Reels can be difficult for brands to use unless they can market themselves well.
   • It only takes that one reel to take off and help your brand gain recognition. However, it can be very difficult to have one video take off.
4. You are limited on how many hashtags you can use.
   • The limit is 30 per post, which is more than enough so people do not feel overwhelmed or like you are just spamming your hashtag usage. However, it is still good to know and realize this.
5. The swipe up feature on stories only works if you have a certain amount of followers, so you are typically stuck with just linking the product other ways at the beginning.
   • You can put the link in your story, but you cannot have people swipe up until you reach a certain amount of followers. That is something people like to see, and they might even be more likely to wipe up versus click a link.

So, what’s our takeaway from this? Get on the Meta owned social platform as soon as possible. It is one of the most well-known places in general, and it is a place where a lot of people are able to market their business the best. Make sure you create intriguing visuals and have compelling captions, and there will be no telling how far Instagram can take your business.

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