Instagram in a snapshot.
The wildly popular photo-sharing platform can be a marketer’s dream, when done right. Here’s the lowdown.
Instagram may be one of the newer kids on the social media block, but this app has skyrocketed in popularity at a staggering rate. The Polaroid-esque photo editing and sharing platform launched in 2010 and currently has over 40 million registered accounts and more than 1 billion uploaded images (approximately 58 per second!) and counting.
So naturally, now that the user pool is deep, it’s the perfect time for marketers and brands to not only dip their toes in to test the water, but to dive in whole-heartedly. We’ve scoured the web for some key tips on using Instagram to engage and interact with fans and consumers.
Thanks to convenient integration, Instagram allows you to share with the communities you’ve already cultivated on other networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, etc. Syncing these accounts means your Instagram updates can be shared in each spot without starting from square one. Before snapping away, scour the Instagram community to get a feel for what’s trending, what’s popular, and what all the buzz is about, then once you’ve started, hashtag, hashtag, hashtag! This makes your content accessible across multiple platforms.
When it comes to your audience, don’t flood them with content. Whether original or shared, creative or quirky, content should always carry within it some sort of a representation or affirmation of your brand’s identity. Keep a good balance and bolster your brand by encouraging user-generated content. This kind of promotion is golden and is a great way to see how people perceive and show off your brand. Encourage followers to use your brand’s hashtag so you can keep track of what’s going on.
“It’s already imbedded in us to take photos and share them with our social networks. If brands are humble and smart with their participation on Instagram, it presents the perfect opportunity to interact with consumers in a natural way, without imposing. If they can manage to do it this way, they will receive a lot of love from fans!” says Marie-Pierre Blanchette, Art Director.
Happy snapping, and stay tuned for new Instagram projects from Marketel!
Stats via Instagram Press Center.
Instagram may be one of the newer kids on the social media block, but this app has skyrocketed in popularity at a staggering rate. The Polaroid-esque photo editing and sharing platform launched in 2010 and currently has over 40 million registered accounts and more than 1 billion uploaded images (approximately 58 per second!) and counting.
So naturally, now that the user pool is deep, it’s the perfect time for marketers and brands to not only dip their toes in to test the water, but to dive in whole-heartedly. We’ve scoured the web for some key tips on using Instagram to engage and interact with fans and consumers.
Thanks to convenient integration, Instagram allows you to share with the communities you’ve already cultivated on other networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, etc. Syncing these accounts means your Instagram updates can be shared in each spot without starting from square one. Before snapping away, scour the Instagram community to get a feel for what’s trending, what’s popular, and what all the buzz is about, then once you’ve started, hashtag, hashtag, hashtag! This makes your content accessible across multiple platforms.
When it comes to your audience, don’t flood them with content. Whether original or shared, creative or quirky, content should always carry within it some sort of a representation or affirmation of your brand’s identity. Keep a good balance and bolster your brand by encouraging user-generated content. This kind of promotion is golden and is a great way to see how people perceive and show off your brand. Encourage followers to use your brand’s hashtag so you can keep track of what’s going on.
“It’s already imbedded in us to take photos and share them with our social networks. If brands are humble and smart with their participation on Instagram, it presents the perfect opportunity to interact with consumers in a natural way, without imposing. If they can manage to do it this way, they will receive a lot of love from fans!” says Marie-Pierre Blanchette, Art Director.
Happy snapping, and stay tuned for new Instagram projects from Marketel!
Stats via Instagram Press Center.
