When Facebook first bought Instagram back in 2012 a lot of people were wondering why Facebook would pay $1 billion for a company with no revenue. Lots of people may not have even realized that Facebook had bought Instagram, as nothing changed at the time.Many believe part of the reason that Facebook bought Instagram was due to the fact that Instagram was a potential threat. People generally go on Facebook to look at images, links and posts, where Instagram has cut out everything else and is solely images with hashtags, and with over 300 million users this was posing a threat for Facebook’s future growth.Facebook could see the value in this growing company and did not want another bidder with similar power such as Google to make the deal first. If Instagram kept growing the way it was there was potential for it to become more popular than Facebook.Now that Facebook has control of Instagram it is starting to take advantage of its advertising potential. When Facebook purchased Instagram it meant that they had more data which means the ability for more precise advert targeting. Facebook as recently rolled out Instagram advertising which can be run through the Facebook advertising platform.So what does this mean for businesses? It means that if you are running an advertising campaign through Facebook you can now choose Instagram as a platform for your adverts to show on, of course your advert would have to be an image with some text but it is a great way to reach a cross-channel of advertising platforms from one advertising medium.Facebook is a very successful form of advertising for many industries and generally offers a lower cost per click than alternative advertising platforms such as Google Adwords.Instagram advertising could be great for your business, so watch this space. Get in touch with us if you would like to discuss the best online advertising mediums for your business.