Why you need more than just instagram
I don’t need a website. I have Instagram.
We hear this a lot in the web design game. It’s free, we get it! It makes sense that a lot of businesses these days, especially those just starting out, use instagram as their main source of online representation.
We spend a lot of time teaching potential clients the benefits of having more than just social media for their business. Instead of giving the speech to each individual, we thought, hey let’s just write it down for all to see!
Do you use Instagram as a resource?
Next to checking in on your friends or updating your story, you probably rely on it for the memes, upcycled TikToks, recipes, hacks, affirmations, and that restaurant that changes their menu every week.
And you probably ask yourself these questions on a daily basis:
“Is it in the highlights?”
“Was it a story?”
“Was it a post?”
“Was it a reel?”
“Did I save it?”
“Did I screenshot it?”
Information is hard to find on Instagram.
Do you like tapping through someone’s highlights to MAYBE find that tomato soup recipe they posted about last month?
Do you like scrolling through all of their content and waiting through all those reel intros to find the thing you needed and then you end up missing it anyway because you got distracted?
Instagram is like a used bookstore. There’s no real inventory and it’s up to you to hunt for a paperback copy of Atomic Habits.
You’re in the right section but it’s not in alphabetical order. You have to read every title on each spine of the books to make sure you don’t miss it.
Little do you know, it’s hiding in the Science section. No reason. Just that Bud, working the closing shift, saw “Atomic” and thought it’s probably a science book.
A website is like a regular bookstore. You know you’ll be able to find the exact book you want in no time.
This is Bud… played by Chris Gethard. He’s like, what I do? Classic bud.
Provide ease in user experience.
It’s all about the difference in shopping experience. Some people enjoy the thrill of the bargain but most people enjoy the ease of convenience.
Wouldn’t you want to offer the same experience to a potential follower, subscriber, customer or client?
Instagram has outages
Remember when Instagram and Facebook were down for a whole day? Yeah, we don’t want to remember that day either.
Many businesses who rely only on this platform lost upwards of thousands of dollars in profit.
Instagram has outages. Yes, websites can have outages too. But what are the chances that both would be out at the same time? Highly unlikely.
Do the smart thing and have several points of access to you and your business in case one fails.
Increase your credibility and flexibility.
Instagram is free. Websites aren’t. Anyone can have an Instagram account. Not everyone will pay for a well-designed website.
84% of consumers don’t trust a business without a website and as websites become more sophisticated with big brands, expectations are elevated for businesses to have professionally designed websites.
You also have way more wiggle room to share more information, products, and services than is possible through Instagram.
Not everyone uses Instagram, and if they do, they don’t want to follow you.
We know it seems like everyone and their mom and their grandma is on Instagram, but according to 2023 statistics, 59% of the world population uses social media. That means 41% aren’t. You’re missing out on almost half the population!
Remember that if someone wants to look you up, it’s not on Instagram first. It’s through their browser e.g. Google.
And people are really picky about who they follow and what they like now, so as to not upset the great almighty algorithm.
We ❤️ Instagram.
A reminder that we’re not knocking Instagram. It’s just that it’s not the ONLY thing. If your entire empire could topple without Instagram, maybe look into expanding your reach.
Websites are pretty much here to stay and they’re only getting bigger and better. Why not stay ahead of the curve and start thinking about building your onine home?
