Why Should your brand adopt Instagram in 2015?

Hello Everyone,

Because visual content is driving social media via mobile devices, Instagram’s number of active users keeps increasing. Everyone knows Facebook’s success is due to its photo sharing and now it’s videos. Instagram is no different.

Omni-channel marketing begins by optimizing the customer experience across channels and as such, Instagram could be part of your strategy.

Intagram represents and embodies a lot of what is trending in digital marketing: namely, content marketing, visual story telling geared for mobile device audiences and video content.

Power of Geo-Targeting

Because hashtags are commonly geo-targeted on Instagram, it presents a unique opportunity for brands to reach out to their local community, region and geographical presence in an area or when doing events at different locations.

Why Brands Should Adopt Instagram

The idea for Instagram for branding and business https://business.instagram.com is not new, but it is trending. If your target audience is Millennials, it’s a must have. If your target audience is mobile and if you have someone in your team able to manage and post after 5pm why not try Instagram.

Instragram Facts 

The standard size of an Instagram photo is 640 pixels by 640 pixels.

One of our favourite analytics tools for Instagram is Iconosquare – an incredibly deep (and free!) set of Instagram tools, Iconosquare lets you view and browse Instagram from within.

Best times of the day/week for Instagram posts include: 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 p.m. on Mondays with a sweet spot at 6:00 pm.

Engagement Benchmarks

What are good measures of follower engagement for brands?

For commercial brands the formula is typically one where you multiply your followers by 0.037.

• If you’ve got 1,000 followers, aim for 37 likes and comments
• If you’ve got 500 followers, aim for 19 likes and comments.

If you’ve got 5,000 followers, aim for 185 likes and comments. 

Ideas to Use Instagram

Here are some tips on how to maximize Instagram use:

Strategy Hints 

• Engage, Follow and Include hashtags to network on Instagram
• Take some time to optimize your Instagram profile
• Balance fun images with Pictures from your Business
• Try to tell a story with the images that are relatable
• Fun images could be humorous or show the personality of your business
• Use relevant #hashtags to increase traffic and generate a following
• The more hashtags you use, the more followers you will get. While 30 is the limit, Between 5-10 hashtags is a decent amount.
• Engage by liking other photos and following others
• Use Instagram’s 15 second editable video clips, they are becoming quite popular.
• Feed speed and post frequency on Instagram is laid back, post when you feel like it usually a few times a week is enough.
• Post photos that are relevant to your brand and potential customers
• Share a distinct view of the world, cultivate a unique visual sense and style
• Capture things that are central to the brand and core to your target audience
• Connect your Instagram with your other social media channels
• Host photo contests on instagram using hashtags to organize submissions and an RSS feed to follow along with new photos as they’re added
• Use the image analytics to identify pictures people connect with and push them out on other mediums like facebook, pinterest and twitter.
• Reward followers with free-credits, coupons, loyalty points or some other manner.
• Showcase employees photos, share your company’s human personality
• Celebrate staff and how much they are valued to show your authenticity
• Use Statigram to find other brands and follow them and get inspired.

Example:

 Samsung Camera used the hashtag #LiveInTheMoment to successfully promote their Instagram photo contest on their Facebook page.

 Do you think Instagram is an effective channel or your brand, why or why not?