Being the most active social media users globally, Filipinos are active Instagram users. In fact, Global Web Index shares that 73.4% of Filipinos online are active on IG. It is also the 4th most popular app here in terms of monthly active users (next to Facebook, Messenger, and Lazada).

Instagram has carved a way into the creative, image-based online life of Filipinos today. While it did start out as a social networking application, it has now evolved into a personally curated lookbook.

It can be a creative outlet, a mood board, an inspirational platform, and even an experiential tool for people to discover new things.

Whether someone is looking for home office design inspo, a new outfit, the latest basketball sneakers, a carb-free pasta recipe, or even an apartment for rent, Instagram helps more and more businesses reach the right audiences.

How does IG help a business?

Instagram helps a business because potential shoppers can easily discover products. They can find products that are trending, view content shared by their friends, or even receive recommended accounts that they might like.

This is the holy grail of online shopping today. It has become a social experience.

But buyers do not just expect to speak with their friends and family while looking for a product on Instagram. They also expect to communicate directly with a business, whether large or small.

In the Philippines alone, 9 out of 10 Filipinos say they are willing to buy from a business online if it can respond to them on chat.

Also, 97% of buyers plan to at least maintain, if not increase, their online spending on chat.

How can a business start its journey on Instagram?

As more and more Filipinos grow active on IG, brands have a large opportunity to build an online presence on it. The first step is, of course, to create a brand account. Identify the business goal for IG – is it to drive awareness? Speak and engage with more customers? Drive sales?

Once the business goals are identified, create a content calendar to start sharing stories about the business. Remember, IG is not an e-commerce website so don’t upload products as if it were a plain old catalog.

As more brands create content, make sure you are relevant. Find stories that resonate with your audience so you create value.

Only then will you begin to capture the attention of your customers.

‍

Talk to us to start automating your chat conversations!