Marketers on all social networks are curious about the 2023 Instagram stars.
According to our 2023 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report, specific post categories (like Reels) and established Instagram best practises (like using hashtags) are helping marketers across all industries. Some sectors, though, did better than others on the social networking site.
In 2023, which industries are making the most of Instagram, and how are they doing so?
An Overview of Instagram Activity in 2023
Instagram is increasingly emphasising video content. If you’ve read our studies over the past several years, you’ll know that carousels are the most popular style of Instagram post. However, Reels prevailed this time around. The feeds have been taken over by short films, and companies are starting to realise the benefits of this trend. If you haven’t already, you should start using Reels to increase your audience interaction.
Instagram’s Top Five Markets
Instagram’s Most Popular Sector: Universities & Colleges
There’s no getting around it: There was a 30% drop in organic Instagram engagement this year compared to previous. While this isn’t encouraging, it does suggest that businesses are still engaging with their audience by publishing often. In 2023, the following is the average number of likes and comments per post on Instagram:
Universities and colleges consistently perform well in online surveys. Instagram users in the higher education sector had a median engagement rate of 2.58%, more than five times the industry average. When compared to other sectors, educational institutions’ Instagram activity, at a median of 3.9 posts per week, lags somewhat behind. The lesson? When you know what resonates with your audience, more isn’t necessarily better.
The Sports Industry Is Instagram’s Most Popular Sector
There’s little wonder that sports teams are among the most prolific Instagram users, posting an average of almost 15 times every week. Throughout the season, they share relevant information including game highlights, team announcements, and more to get fans pumped up. Although the game’s stars are the players, the teams’ biggest inspiration comes from the fans who follow them on Instagram.
Instagram’s most popular sector is “influencers.”
The influencer sector has found tremendous success on Instagram, which is not surprising given that influencers were among the platform’s earliest users. Thanks to engaging Reels, carousels, and images, Influencers outperform most industries by a factor of 1.6 on Instagram. At around 4 posts per week, the posting frequency of influencers is comparable to the average across sectors.
Media is Instagram’s most popular sector.
Instagram is also being used actively and actively by the media business to attract new consumers and boost brand exposure. Media companies, like sports teams, update their social media pages often because the news they cover moves quickly. Media organisations simulate a newsroom on Instagram by posting breaking news and cultural content. Media companies typically publish ten updates each week, with an average interaction rate of 0.53%.
According to our research, Reels consistently outperform all other post formats when it comes to reader engagement, regardless of industry. It should come as no surprise that Reels, like carousels, are very effective marketing tools for Media companies.
In Conclusion
If there’s one thing that these dominant sectors have shown us, it’s that Instagram remains a potent tool for expanding a brand’s reach and generating buzz on social media.
Increasing your Instagram followers is as simple as keeping abreast of the standards set by other businesses in your sector. Try out new things like Reels as you figure out what publishing schedule and content categories work best for your industry or business.