Boasting more than 1 billion users, Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world. But is it also the best social media platform around? In this article, we’ll discuss the various reasons why we think that Instagram deserves that crown.
1. Instagram Boasts an Easy-to-Use Interface
When compared to Twitter and Snapchat, Instagram is relatively easy to use. As soon as you open the app, it takes you to the News Feed, where (depending on your settings), you’ll see recent uploads and/or content Instagram thinks you’ll want to see. Instagram also notifies you once you have seen everything recently shared by the people you follow.
The top of the News Feed is dedicated to Stories that can be played with a single touch, whereas you also have the option to share a post or story of your own.
Moreover, you can easily navigate between different tabs that take you to your Profile, Notification Center, and Explore. These tabs make it convenient for users to navigate without losing touch with followers and posts.
2. Instagram Boasts a Range of Exciting Filters
Social media filters are a hot commodity, as they can enhance the quality of your images. And Instagram features a bunch of them. From image-enhancing effects to animations, there is a wide variety of regularly updated filters to choose from.
Filters for Instagram Stories
When you post a story, some filters can be applied by just swiping the screen. Effects are filters and animations that are added to images from the camera and gallery. Even the most engaging apps like Facebook do not feature filters for posts and stories.
Filters for Instagram Posts
When you upload a post on Instagram, it gives you the option to use filters and edit your images before uploading. Other apps, like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, do not have this feature, which means you need to use an image editor before uploading images to social media.
3. Instagram’s Content Is More Engaging Than Other Platforms
Visual content is the best way to connect with your followers, and Instagram focuses solely on a high-end visual experience.
With hundreds of millions of daily active users, it is the most effective platform for engaging audiences. This high engagement rate makes Instagram a top choice among both ordinary users and influencers.
A 2019 Sprout Social comparison study showed that Instagram has a 1.60% median engagement rate per post compared to 0.09% per Facebook post. This indicates that a post designed for audience interaction gets more clicks, impressions, and visits on Instagram than Facebook.
Despite Facebook having more users, Instagram has a 23% better engagement rate, according to HubSpot. For paid promotions and campaigns, it is essential to look for influencers with the highest engagement rate per post compared to the number of followers.
These engagement analyses are essential if you want to grow your audience on Instagram.
Hashtags are an excellent way to grow your account and expand your reach. The high-quality and most-engaging posts are ranked at the top of your search for specific hashtags. Since Instagram has more users than Twitter and Pinterest, the hashtags can have higher levels of engagement.
However, keeping the hashtags relevant to the post is essential, or you can lose some credibility.
Unlike other apps, Instagram allows you to add hashtags to public stories. This makes your story visible among others when people search for a particular hashtag/location.
Apps like Facebook and Twitter do not have this feature. Snapchat only promotes your story based on location and does not mention username. Thus, this unique Instagram feature is an excellent way to get noticed.
5. Instagram Ads Are More Attractive and Less Intrusive
Instagram is a graphical platform that isn’t awash with intrusive ads. Just like Facebook and Snapchat, ads on Instagram appear between posts as you scroll or while watching stories. However, Instagram’s ads are the least intrusive while you’re watching a particular piece of content.
The ads on Snapchat, for instance, can appear while you’re watching stories of content creators. Which is extremely annoying at times. On the other hand, Instagram ads are only shown once you have watched all the stories of a particular profile.
This uninterrupted experience helps keep you engaged and entertained. People can lose interest in watching stories or videos on Facebook and Snapchat due to the ads. Whereas Instagram provides its users with a distortion-free experience which can ultimately increase its engagement rate and maintain users’ interest for longer.
6. Instagram Allows You to Cross-Post to Other Platforms
If Instagram is your primary app for uploading images, connecting and uploading the same photos on other platforms is not an issue. Instagram is owned by Meta and is therefore synchronized with Facebook. You also have the option to share your posts on Twitter and Tumblr.
This feature has made life easier for content creators who want to publish the same content across different platforms.
This is an effective tactic for people to streamline their social media activity, and create an interactive web of social media platforms. Once all your pages are updated, it becomes easier to grow the channels simultaneously.
7. Instagram Regularly Adds New Features
Instagram was originally designed to publish square-shaped pictures and 10-second videos. However, the app has come a long way since those early days. Now, there are plenty of features for you to enjoy. This includes the following:
- The Explore section enables you to find posts from different content creators. It also features high-engagement and high-quality content relevant to the latest trends.
- Adding a story allows you to add different features like polls, questions, a clock, a location, and music. This is a great way to engage with your followers.
- Instagram now supports long videos without ads in its Instagram TV section and reels. This feature has enabled many people to build an organic following for their Instagram.
- Newer updates have better privacy options that allow you to restrict and block contacts, likes, and comments to protect yourself from spam.
- Collaboration is another great feature in which two Instagram users can mutually share a post with their respective audiences. Most influencers use this feature to collaborate with brands.
In this article, we’ve laid out the reasons why we think Instagram is the best social media app of all time. It is a consistently growing platform with a steady stream of new features added to it. And it’s equally useful for ordinary users, influencers, and brands looking to embrace social media.
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