Instagram announced yesterday that they are rolling out profile pages on the web within the next week or so. When launched, you will be able to view your profile by typing instagram.com/YourUserName in your browser's address bar.
From a design standpoint, profile pages will feature a selection of your recently taken photos arranged in a collage above your profile photo and bio that is highly reminiscent of Facebook's cover photos.
Functionally, web profiles will boast many of the features we are already familiar with from the mobile application; you will be able to follow other users, comment, like and edit photos on the web. One notable discrepancy is that you will not be able to upload photos from the web. For now, this will remain a mobile-only feature.
As a mobile-only social media platform, Instagram has achieved incredible success boasting over 100 million users, and the launch of web profiles will undoubtedly cause a surge in interest, registered users, and engagement.
So, what does this mean for marketers?
It is going to be easier to manage your Instagram profiles.
Managing your brand's Instagram profile from a mobile device can be tedious. Being able to keep on top of your profile on the web is going to be every community manager's dream, particularly when additional features are inevitably rolled-out that aren't offered on other web-based Instagram viewers like WebStagram.
It is going to attract new users, who might be your consumers.
If you don't use Instagram, or if you haven't invested time to learn about it, and how it can benefit your brand, now is probably the time to get on board. Undoubtedly, we are going to see a huge surge of users getting interested in the platform, and engagement from current users will skyrocket due to increased accessibility.
It is going to increase conversion rates.
For all of the talk about the percentage of mobile users making purchases on their devices, laptops and desktops are still the go-to devices for e-commerce. If you can shift consumers further along the sales funnel after interacting with your web-based Instagram profile, it will be just that little bit easier and more comfortable for them to make a purchase.
It is going to be a great way to showcase your brand.
Being able to view your brand's incredible Instagram photographs on much larger screens is going to be a fantastic visual experience. This will afford you the opportunity to better showcase your brand, prove your brand's promise, and engage your consumers with beautiful photos.
Do you think this is a good move for Instagram?
What other opportunities do you predict this will afford marketers?
What additional features would you like to see Instagram introduce for the web?
Let me know in the comments.