Why Converting to Instagram Business Is Not a Winning Brand Strategy

Although not a new article from Entrepreneur , it is a theme that has come up recently for me as we head down the homestretch of the semester and the program, some may be starting their own businesses so I wanted to point out an article that I think is really important. It highlights the importance of organic content, keeping that human element, and not converting to Instagram Business account.

As we all know, in 2014 Facebook updated the algo on their newsfeed that limits the reach of business pages and populates users' feeds so that they "see more of what they want." In 2016, the same algo was implemented to Instagram's newsfeed.

3 Important reasons why brands that do not convert to Instagram Business profiles will stay ahead of the curve:

1. Organic Reach & Engagement- which is priceless when building a brand. When your followers are organically engaging with your content, you've earned their interest & trust. When organic reach is limited it means fewer impressions, fewer engagements which leads to fewer conversions and fewer sales... Yikes!

2. You won't be labeled as "sponsored": People don't like being advertised to. Customers want real content from the accounts that you choose to follow. When you search for something on Google, what link do you click on first? I always naturally scroll past the sponsored results & click on the links that aren't ads.

3. Ability to be human: The brands that perform best on Instagram create an emotional connection with their followers- one that triggers a human feeling- so advertising as a brand removes the human factor from those brands.