If you’re a business owner that’s frustrated with Instagram, the updates, and the overall lack of reach, then I’m here to tell you there is a quick and easy way to remedy this situation: expand your reach to more than one platform!
It amazes me that even today, business owners will continue to ONLY use Instagram for their business while complaining the entire time that they’re not getting the eyes on their profile that they think they should be getting. Don’t get me wrong, Instagram is a great platform, but it’s not the only platform, and I’d argue it’s not even the best platform . . . so let’s talk about it.
I equate being on one social media platform to the same as when people say you should have an email list: you don’t want to rely on that platform, because what if something happens and it goes down? Which, in Instagram’s case, happens quite often. Whether it’s an update, an algorithm change, or a glitch, Instagram has had continuous problems over the last year . . .
So that means if Instagram is the ONLY social media platform you’re on, you’re kind of out of luck as far as being able to talk to your audience. However, if you had a second platform you were on, like say a Pinterest or a TikTok, you could still converse with your audience over there. This is reason #1 why I believe everybody should be on multiple platforms.
The second reason is that Instagram is considered a “viral” platform, a lot like TikTok. You get views initially, but after about 72 hours, your posts essentially stop getting any type of engagement, unless they go viral, but that doesn’t happen often. This means all the hard work you put into creating these posts only gets you a 3-day engagement window.
Contrast that with Pinterest and Idea Pins, for example, and those posts can get continually pushed out months and even years after they are created. Why is this? Well, it’s because platforms like Pinterest and blogging are SEO platforms, meaning they have searchability. So as long as people are searching for the types of content you’re creating, then you always have a chance of getting more views and more reach.
This is something that Instagram and TikTok are simply not built to do.
The last, and probably most important reason for your business to be on multiple social media platforms is that your audience is literally on every single platform. It might be a different percentage for each, for example, 60% of your ideal audience might be on Instagram, but that leaves another 40% that are on platforms such as TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. And every day you’re NOT on those platforms, someone else who does what you do is, and they’re getting the business.
Even if it’s small steps at first, like posting once a week on a new platform, the goal should ultimately be to get on as many social media platforms as you can handle, because I can promise you, that your ideal clients are on there and looking for the products and services you provide.
Did this help? Have any follow-up questions? If so, drop them in the comments below!