As promised, I’m going to extend the conversation revolving around Facebook and Instagram and how the two, when paired together, can be quite the powerhouse for brands. We’ll recap just how powerful later in this post.
Thinking back, it seems as though Instagram business profiles have been around for as long as I can remember, however they were launched back in 2016. This launch left businesses all sorts of confused with the growing concern of Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm (Jackson, 2018). Anyone can have a Facebook page or Instagram account, but what are some of the benefits of switching to a business profile?
The biggest benefit of switching to a business account is the analytics that isn’t available for everyday users. On top of analytics, there are many other business benefits and features that companies can benefit from by making the switch. According to Sprout Social, the major differences between a personal and business account is Instagram Insights (analytics), contact information, and Instagram Ads (Jackson, 2018). All of these features and more will not only help a business better promote itself but also be readily accessible for its consumers seeking assistance.
If you’re anything like me, you may still be questioning, “but why do I need a Facebook page to switch to an Instagram business profile?” Upon further research and consulting with Facebook help, it seems that you don’t actually need a Facebook business page to switch to an Instagram business profile, however, if you choose to go this route, you will be sorely missing out on a lot of the opportunities being offered. According to Facebook itself, by connecting your Instagram business account to a Facebook page, your brand will be able to promote or boost posts and stories, take advantage of Instagram shopping for your business (if applicable), and run Instagram and Facebook ads from your page.
Now let’s take a look at a brand who is crushing it in the game of social media.
For those of you that may not know, OREO has quite the presence on social media. It tends to get involved in pop-culture trends such as Game of Thrones final season, PrideFest, and more. Almost all of OREO’s content shared is branded in one way or another. This tactic allows OREO to share funny, relevant, top-of-mind content while continuing to promote the brand. OREO’s content strategy on Facebook tackles two archetypes; content as community and content as presence. The presence side of content comes in through the majority of OREO’s shared content on Facebook, however, the community content comes in through recipe ideas, best practices for eating an OREO and allowing consumers to create the next big flavor.
If we were to compare, OREO’s Facebook account offers mainly owned assets meaning the content is branded in one way or another and primarily belongs to or was created by the creative team at OREO. OREO’s Instagram, however, surprisingly boasts user-generated content (UGC). Similarly to OREO’s Facebook strategy, its Instagram tackles the same two archetypes; content as presence and content as community. OREO shares content every other day it seems that has been created by its loyal fans. This tactic excites users and prompts the creation of their own OREO related content. Despite using mainly UGC, OREO’s Instagram feed could be recognized from a mile away.
Overall, OREO kills the game of social media by utilizing both Facebook and Instagram to the fullest. By rarely cross-promoting, getting the audience involved and reaching its audience when and where they want to consume content. All of these tactics add up to one, big successful digital strategy. What’s another brand that you can think of that’s crushing the game of social media?
Resources
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-business-profile/
https://www.facebook.com/help/790156881117411
https://www.instagram.com/oreo/
https://www.facebook.com/OREOUnitedStates/
https://www.oktopost.com/blog/5-strategies-real-time-marketing/
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