It’s the question I’m sure nearly every social media manager has asked themselves over the last couple years:

Why doesn’t Instagram come up with a way to post from your laptop?

I know, I know, it’s a mobile platform. But, for brand and agency folks, posting to Instagram from your own mobile device is far from ideal.

Let’s run down a few of the inherent challenges and risks in using your personal phone to post to your client’s/brand’s Instagram account:

* What if your phone gets stolen and you’re logged into your client’s/brand’s account? Whoops.

* Ever try keying in a 300-character-long Instagram post on your phone (and yeah, I know 300-character posts aren’t ideal on IG–but sometimes it’s necessary)? Not fun–and prone to errors and typos.

* Toggling between your personal account and your client’s/brand’s account. All sorts of risk here, for obvious reasons (namely, posting a #selfie of you and your dog to your client’s account!)

In addition to those big risks–it’s also just not very easy at all. Even if you are an expert typist on your phone, it’s not easy. And, it takes a task that should take about 10 seconds on your laptop and turns it into a 3-5 minute exercise. Not a huge deal, but basically a pain in the butt.

But Arik, there are tools that let you schedule posts, you say? Sure, there are tools like Latergram.me–but again, they don’t allow you to share from your laptop. Mobile-only.

There are tools like Gramblr–but you look at that site/tool and tell me you’d consider using that for a Fortune 500 brand. I don’t think so.

If you look at Instagram’s Terms & Conditions, it’s clear they do not want people posting from third-party platforms or non-mobile devices. Staying true to their mobile roots. Again, I get it. But, I don’t have to like it.

For now, it seems brand/agency folks will be stuck using their phones to upload pics, videos and text to Instagram.

Not an ideal process by any means…