Don’t you just love it when a new technology comes along and becomes very useful for your marketing whether it was intended to be used that way or not?
This seems to be the case with Instagram, the photo sharing platform that is growing by leaps and bounds daily. Not only has it been purchased by Facebook and has now surpassed 100 Million users (FSLocal) it has become the newest playground for marketers seeking ways to get their message out. And as what come as a surprise to many, nowhere is that more true than in…Kuwait!
Kuwait’s Love Affair with Instagram
While Kuwait’s economy is still largely powered by oil exports, (nearly 50%) some enterprising Kuwaitis have taken to selling nearly anything you can think of on Instagram. All you need is an account, a smartphone, and you’re good to go!
Some recent examples include clothing, manga, makeup services, dried fruit and… wait for it… sheep. You read that right! Now, the regulation may be a tad different in the States, but you get the idea. People are using this platform to reach out and sell someone, and apparently it’s been a huge hit. There was even an “InstaBusiness Expo” held in April by the Entrepreneurship and Business Club of the American University of Kuwait.
Ingenious Kuwaitis are finding things to sell, making them their own, and slapping a price tag on it. While there is currently no payment processing available on Instagram, that isn’t stopping anyone, as they make arrangements by phone. I’m sure you’ve probably already thought of a couple of ways around that as well.
What can we learn from the Kuwaiti Instagram economy?
The number one lesson to be gleaned here is that we as marketers need to constantly be thinking outside the box. Marketers are now dabbling using Instagram to send traffic to their Tumblr blogs, which are direct linking (as of this writing) to CPA offers. This is but one example of how people are monetizing this type of traffic.
Sending Instagram followers to an optin page is yet another way innovative marketers are using to get targeted followers onto their lists.
Connecting the dots from your Instagram account to the destination of your choosing is the nut you have to crack. Make the content and offers, seamless, relevant and logical. Anything less will avail you little, as it does n most any social media platform you can name.
The time is now, and the market is huge!
If this sounds like a market you’d like to exploit, then you need to strike while the iron is hot! A massive number of users and little regulation equal opportunity! But remember, Facebook owns Instagram, and change is inevitable. But for now, get out there and sell some sheep!