Instagram for Brands

Instagram, the photo and video sharing mobile app with over 150 million users, is the fastest growing social network since its launch in October 2010. Instagram also boasts the highest levels of social engagement among users, who upload on average 55 million photos every day.

According to a recently released L2 Intelligence report, Instagram registers 15 times the engagement and double the engaged user base than its parent company Facebook (who bought Instagram in April 2012 for approximately 1 billion dollars in cash and stock) generating 8,500 likes per second and 1.2 billion likes per day.

It is fast becoming the social network of choice with the Millennial generation and youth, who are migrating away from Facebook to engage with brands on the highly visual platform. Big brands have taken notice and have already tapped into Instagram's potential. According to the report, 93% of prestige brands (the 240 most recognized brands in the world) are on Instagram, and 72% of prestige brands use Instagram for sharing video.

Not Just for Big Brands - Instagram for Small + Med Business

There are opportunities for small to medium sized businesses to connect with current and future fans of your brand on this engaged social network. A current and active brand presence on Instagram can drive traffic to your site, increase sales, as well as build brand awareness and loyalty.

While the beauty and fashion industries naturally excel on this highly visual platform, Instagram can be used to build your brand even if your product isn't highly visual in nature.

Use Instagram to:

• Generate Buzz - Promote product launches, in-store promotions, upcoming events, even new blog posts.
• Display Products - The highly visual app has become the way women (who account for 68% of users) window shop for products before shopping online.
• Photo Contests - Instagram is a great tool for creating engaging photo contests that not only build your following, but also to create future content by sharing and re-purposing photo entries.
• Offer Discounts - Make your followers feel like insiders with Instagram-exclusive offers. Promote a discount code or offer by adding text to your photos.
• Share Your Corporate Culture - People love to get behind the scenes of their favourite brands, and Instagram offers the opportunity to give your followers a sneak peek into your corporate culture. Share photos of the things that make your business awesome (#PizzaFridays, an employee birthday celebration, the view from your office window, a client visit, etc.)

3 Tips for Insta-Success

1 - Put time and effort into your posts to make them look awesome: use quality photos, add text with photo apps, caption your photo, and add hashtags so people can find you.

2 - Remember that social media is a two-way street. Engage with others, like and comment on their photos, and have conversations with your followers when they comment on yours.

3 - Follow @metricmarketing on Instagram to see the world filtered through our lens.

Need a social media strategy for your business? We'd be happy to help -  contact us!