Is Instagram worth it?
Hey people,
we at kitfluence (feel free to check out the product page here on IH) are currently working on the last features for the first release end of January. As I saw Twitter is very strong here, I don't even have an account. Usually, I use Instagram and Youtube to get my daily dose of social media randomness. One of the co-founders of kitfluence has its own Youtube channel, so we announce the release there and thinking of starting our own channel for the tech stuff we working on constantly.
So we cover Youtube already, but there are no plans for Instagram. My question in the dark is, what do you guys think about build up an Instagram page? Do you think the hustle is worth it?
I'm by no means expert in Instagram, but I think stories a very big there. If you're producing content for YouTube you can easily post it on Instagram TV (a longer type of story). It would literally be free for you so why not try?
My only experience with instagram was for promoting a physical product I used to build and sell, and IG was extremely helpful with that. Brought lots of quality traffic.
Thanks for commenting :-)
"It would literally be free for you so why not try?" - The exact same question came into my mind yesterday as well, but that's I believe the wrong way to approach this. Even if it is nearly "for free", it is still work somebody has to do. Work I could put in other areas of this or my main business.
I think I have to make a conscious decision for or against the platform Instagram and thus I'm looking for pros and cons. So thanks for the input with the stories and Instagram TV.
I'm being straight now and asking you to drop some number, are you up to it?(You absolutely don't have to, just to make this clear :-))
By number you mean what I had when selling physical product? The account is called mellisberry, it was creamed/whipped honey with different berries and fruits. About 80-85% of followers were customers who bought products at least once. Most of them were returning customers. This account has been mostly inactive for several years now.
That's a high conversion rate! 👌
What about the promoted stuff? What amount of cash did you put in to get what amount of new follower, new sales or higher engagement?
I knew my target audience very well from the early days and did collaboration with local bloggers. We have annual blogger awards in my country of residence, and so getting a list of all these people by category and visitor numbers was easy. I contacted only small-scale writers with the audience of 500-3000 followers. This made the product reviews more authentic and the fanbase consisted mostly of close friends which had a good network effect. Later it helped me a lot with getting corporate customers.
I also paid a lot of attention to the quality of photos I took personally, and should have (but didn't) to the text copy.
In the end I have spent zero money on promotion, only my time.
Time is a very valuable thing ;-)
Wow I'm impressed about your structured way of approaching your target audience. Well done!
Thanks for you insights, but I have one last question: Why is the account inactive since that long time? Is it a self-runner now or where there other reasons to stop working on it?
It was a personal reason (deep depression, other business issues, and a host of other problems) which prompted me to take a break from this venture, and I couldn't return to it anymore due to the loss of inspiration. Contrary to what many might think in the food business, I needed a lot of that to be able to take beautiful photos, write interesting stories, and experiment with different flavors. As a result I sold all of the equipment and trying to sell the remaining brand now. A sad story but I'm sure there are lots of these here on IH by various members.
I hope you're fine now mentally and solved at least some business issues!
It takes a certain level brave to take that step, but I'm sure you will find some people that are willing to continue your concept/business.