About Instagram

One could consider Instagram the still picture version of YouTube.  It was designed by a couple of camera-toting addicts who believe everyone loves pictures as much as they do. They wanted to create a fun, easy way for people to share their lives through photos on the Internet.  Like YouTube, although the original idea was for the sharing of personal photos, savvy business marketers quickly picked up on its popularity (worth over a Billion dollars and with 80 million followers) and began developing strategies to put it to work for their companies.

Getting Started

Create an Integrated Social Media Plan

Instagram works best when you make it part of an integrated social media marketing campaign. It's a tool but not the full package. Sites that are photo-friendly (like Pinterest, Tumblr and Facebook) and also have a proven history of taking posts viral are Instagram's best matches.

Involve Your Social Media Community

Combine your Instagram photos and your social media communities to offer promotions, scavenger hunts, and contests. Don't be bashful. Ask your friends and followers to share your brand on their feed and other social media networks.

Highlight Those You Work With

Post interesting pictures. Show the faces your customers rarely see.  Introduce them to the "worker bees" who do the hard work but no one knows about.  One example I've personally enjoyed are commercials for a grocery chain in my area.  They have ads emphasizing their relationships with small businesses in the areas they serve. One may show a fisherman on a boat at sea who tells you his fishing fleet is "_________'s seafood department." Or a small farmer talks about supplying produce to this store as part of their "Produce Department."  The visual you see is not inside the store at all, but instead out in the world of the small business owner who works with them.  Who could you highlight that would interest your Community?

Involve Your Employees As Well

Of course, you should encourage your employees to use their social media sites to share about your company as well as asking them to "like" and "follow" the company from their personal accounts. But employees can be a third source of participation in your marketing campaign as well. Like the small businesses you work with, ask your employees if they have taken any photos involving a work situation that you could use to highlight the company.  You might be surprised at what you find out there. Give credit where credit is due, and employees will love getting involved.

Hashtags

Create, use and monitor your own company hashtags to make finding your photos easier. The feedback you receive from followers will let you know who your fans are. Are they who you expected?

When a user "likes" a photo on Instagram, it shows up in their Facebook feed as well. If their friends click on the photo that's in Instagram, they are immediately directed to your Instagram photo with a high likelihood they will forward it as well.

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As we've shared in other posts on this blog, photos are a very popular medium by which to share. Visit the Pro PR Marketing website for details on how we can help your business develop a fully-integrated social media plan. We work hard to market your business so you don't have to!