Is Instagram Worth It?
If you’re a creative person or small business owner who uses Instagram, I can almost guarantee that at some point over the last couple years you’ve considered giving up instagram all together. You spend hours working on content that you’re proud of only to have it be seen by 2% of your followers. You work tirelessly trying to remember to film your process to make a reel when what you really want to do is post a photo. And you sit back and watch as some of the dumbest videos you’ve ever seen go viral. You’ve probably thought to yourself, is Instagram even worth it?
This is how I’ve felt time and time again over the last few years. Yes it’s a free platform, and yes we have to be flexible to work with the algorithm, but there’s no denying that it’s gotten harder and harder.
Just to give you an idea, here are some real stats from my own account. From 2015 when I started using instagram until 2020 I was gaining followers at a rate of about 30% each year. However, since 2020 that rate has dropped significantly. From 2022-2023 I only got 800 new followers (down from 4,000-5,000 in years past.)
I went from getting thousands of likes on my instagram posts to getting hundreds (or sometimes even less than 100 if I post a photo.) On average, only 10% of my followers actually end up seeing my posts these days.
So, with all that in mind, is instagram even worth it?
Yes.
Each year in September, I meticulously chart out all the data for my business calendar year. This includes how many projects I had, what types of projects make what amounts of money, the exact amount of time I spend on different tasks, and more. Tracking and quantifying all this information is always an intense process, but I learn a lot each year. (You can see some of my data from last year here,) One of the things I track each year is how clients are finding me. This year, I was pretty surprised with the results.
As it turns out, 41% of my clients this past year found me through instagram. Even with all the nonsense and feelings of pointlessness, instagram still was the biggest source of new clients for my freelance business. This finding has given me new hope that even if it’s harder now to create content and connect, it’s still worth it.
Now, I’m not saying I’m a social media expert or anything like that, but based on my experience, here are a few suggestions I have for you to make the most of your instagram experience moving forward.
GET CLEAR ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE
One of the biggest mistakes I see small businesses (and artists specifically,) making is that they’re not speaking to their target audience. If you are an artist trying to attract new clients, then posting a video about what brushes you use on procreate is not going to help you reach that goal. A video like that is only going to be seen by other artists, and while it might get more views, saves and likes, chances are, it’s not going to be seen by the people who are actually going to hire you. Creating content is more labor intensive than it used to be, so make sure if you’re spending time on posts that you're directing them towards the correct people.
USE LINKS IN YOUR STORIES
Gone are the days where you needed 10,000 followers to add links in your stories, so no matter who you are, you should be taking advantage of this. The goal is to get people OFF of instagram and onto a platform that you have more control over. Whenever possible, you should always try to link to your website, products, courses or whatever else you have to offer. People are spending more time looking at stories than in the past years, so make sure you're using them.
MAKE YOUR AUDIO AS ICONIC AS YOUR VISUAL BRANDING
As artists, most of us have spent lots of time thinking about how we want our visual branding to look. We all want a profile that looks visually appealing and cohesive, but with the option to add audio, there's a new element that we need to incorporate into our brand.
This will not be the opinion of social media experts, but if you’re only using trending audio all the time, your unique brand “voice” is going to be all over the place. You would never mix 100 different visual styles in your profile, and I am of the opinion that you shouldn’t mix 100 styles of sounds either.
Really think about it. Who is your brand? Are you funny? Maybe your audio should always include jokes. Are you a luxury brand? Maybe your audio should consist of classical music. Using trending audio might get people to your page, but if your work doesn’t feel consistent, they won’t stay.
CONNECT WITH WHO YOU ALREADY HAVE
It’s easy to constantly be thinking about reaching new followers or trying to go viral, but don’t forget about the people who already love your work. Speak to them, show you appreciate them, and give them what they came here for. Those real connections are what will lead to more real business for you.
In conclusion, Instagram is always going to be hard. It’s always going to be changing and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. But just because Instagram isn’t the same place it was a few years ago, doesn’t mean it can’t be a profitable tool for your business. Do you agree with some of my ideas? Do you disagree? Do you have additional thoughts to offer? Leave them below!