Advantages and Disadvantages of Instagram
A) Advantages
Instagram is a valuable medium of social media in future especially for a business purpose. It is because the method of marketing and strategy are rigid but the feedbacks are higher and the positive impact was very good. According an article of the benefits of using Instagram for business, it has stated several advantages of Instagram for online business purposes. (Jenn Herman, 2013)
1- Not going anywhere
Not like other social media, Instagram has grown faster development within 3 years of introduction. Because of this rapid popularity and beyond expansion of Instagram, it’s become why Instagram has being a popular medium for business and it was a great marketing strategy for every online business.
2- Visual marketing
Visual marketing was new in this era. There are lot opportunities of used of images being part of the business marketing method. For every product of business, actually images was a must medium for visual marketing to make easy for customer or consumer known about the product and through Instagram, the seller should know how to provide a great information according to the images instead of just a plain text of information.
The visual of product should be interest enough so that enable to encourage the customer to buy a product and the interactions between seller and buyer must at higher levels. It will shows that the capabilities of image in visual marketing.
3- Highly visible for post
One of the best features of Instagram is that the high visibility of post, where every post of images, enable appear in the newsfeed or home of the followers. A part form that, the hashtags strategic also enable the capabilities of Instagram to give an impact to the posts to the new user or followers.
Plus, the post of images will remain forever as long as the user did not remove it from the account of Instagram. It’s mean that the new followers or user be able to look and have a look about the product of business and connected with the business brand.
4- Connect with a targeted audience
By using Instagram, almost of customer of business was there. From a billions user of Instagram, business through Instagram capable to start and have small community of customer and it will growth up rapidly to a certain levels. From this small community, the seller of product can manage a real attitude of customer from a normal buyer to a regular buyer or customer and for the time being, a mouth-to-mouth marketing will develop as well as the Instagram followers related to the targeted audience.
5- Connection through emotion
According the phrase of “A picture is worth a thousand words”, it does really convey an emotion of picture to response. In order to produce a great impact of buyer through online business, the picture uploaded able to evoke an emotion of the followers powerfully.
For example, if user wants people to donate for a charity, the images uploaded must have to enforce the desired to donate. But if it’s vice versa, to share the happiness for example, the picture must show the happy celebration of emotions. By using the right picture for every purposes, will connected an emotion to the followers, enable the business going through a right track of marketing method and the targeted audience can be reach on.
6- It’s fun
As we know that the Instagram has become powerful site for marketing, seller also should be able to make it Instagram as fun as marketing is best. If social media like Instagram able to gains more attractions and user followers, it will made a great business and marketing solution through online.
B) Disadvantages
There several disadvantages of using this Instagram. According UK2 Blog, (2014), the author stated four disadvantages of Instagram.
1- Only available for iOs and Android phones
Instagram applications only available in Apple store for iOs and play store for Android user of smartphones. So that, user that are not have smartphones, they can access this Instagram applications.
2- Higher levels tool of technology
A business seller must ensure that they was producing a great photos of their product or services and provide a impact message to the followers or customer. Through this high level of technology, every photos can be manipulated using some effect so that the image uploaded can attract buyer to buy the product.
3- Limited features
In Instagram, the application enables user to adjusting the image size and enhance the quality of photos by using a several filters of effect such as Early Bird and X-Pro II. These tools and features can be used as a backup effect for business in marketing.
4- Loss of copyright ownership
Another disadvantages of Instagram is the copyright of each photos posted will easily loss. That was one of the risks of using social media. Plus, for business marketing, their photos of product can be repost or copying for another parties use it without asking permission.