Instagram

Instagram is a fast, beautiful way to share photos Available on iOS and Android devices around the world How it works:

•  Easily take photos on your phone

•  Transform the look of them with an Instagram filter

•  Share them online via Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr

•  Access photo Pages on mobile or new website

•  Follow friends and brands

Instagram by the numbers

•  44% more time spent in app than Twitter

•  50 million app downloads on GooglePlay, averaging 250,000 per day

•  Of Interbrand’s Top 100 brands, 40 have Instagram accounts

100 Million  

registered users

5 Billion  photos on the site

5 Million  photos generated per day

The Next Web, ComScore, SImplyMeasured

Instagram’s engagement surpasses Twitter despite existing for less than a third of the time

91,502

21,814 30,646

12,948

Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest

Total Unique Visitors

53,210

7,632 7,214 2,433

Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest

Average Daily Visitors

8:55

4:31

2:27

1:26

Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest

Average time spent

How does it complement my marketing strategy?

Businesses on Instagram Build buzz around your business, product or event

How it works:

•  Create a brand presence – Create an account & start posting photos that help tell your business story

•  Build a community and engage with them - Find ways to connect with your followers and give them opportunities to engage with and talk about your brand.

•  Monitor your activity - Use the Instagram API to access your own content and/or user generated content based on username, hashtag or location

Encourage customers to take photos of your business, product or event and share them via social media sites on Instagram

Step 1: Create a brand presence

1.  Create an Instagram account via the app – a business account is the same as a user account

2.  Update your profile information. Be sure to include a name, profile photo, bio and a link to your brand website.

3.  Start posting photos relevant to your brand

4.  Connect accounts. Link your account to Twitter, Facebook and any other social media channel that your brand uses. For instructions, visit help.instagram.com

Step 2: Build a community and engage with them

1.  Get followers by including a “follow me” button on your other properties and linking users to your Instagram web profile. Connecting your Instagram account to your Facebook Page and Twitter account will alert your followers that you’ve joined Instagram.

2.  Use hashtags to create collections of photos for specific events or campaigns. Invite users to participate by tagging their own photos. Here are some tips for using hashtags.

3.  Reply to comments on your photos by checking the photos in your account and your news feed notifications

4.  Use @ mentions to reference a specific user. The @mention will link to the user’s Instagram profile and the user will get a notification in their news feed.

5.  Extend conversation into your Facebook and Twitter communities by sharing the content you post on Instagram to your Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Step 3: Monitor your activity

Use the photos to gain insights about your users. Understand how and where people are engaging with your brand.

1.  Monitor and respond to the comments on your photos

2.  Search hashtag and location pages for your brand/business.

3.  Use the Instagram API to pull in content by hashtag, location tag or username.

5 tips for leveraging Instagram

Tip #1: Bring your brand to life through photos

1.  Use photos that tell your brand story and showcase your product

2.  Utilize photos people can’t see anywhere else: sneak peaks of upcoming events, behind the scenes shots, archived/historical photos, current marketing assets

3.  Stay authentic to your brand, just like you should on Facebook

Tip #2: Extend Instagram conversations on Facebook

1.  Make sure you post to Facebook and Twitter as well when you post to Instagram

2.  When you post from Instagram to Facebook, your photos show up in your fans news feed just like other posts on Facebook

3.  Start conversations with your fans on Facebook with your Instagram photos

4.  Extend the reach of your Instagram photos through promoted posts and Page post ads

Tip #3: Experiment and learn about your audience

1.  Use different types of photos and post at varying frequencies

2.  Listen to feedback from your users and adjust

3.  Post consistently, but spread your thoughts out so you don’t over-post to your followers

4.  Change perspective – sign up for a personal account so you get a sense for the user experience and the images that are most interesting

Tip #4: Bring the Instagram experience into your own platforms

1.  Use the Instagram API to showcase your Instagram presence on your website, Facebook page or other online properties

2.  Use this to bring emotion and rich visuals to your brand

Tip #5: Leverage Facebook and Instagram to get the most out of your campaigns (GE?)

1.  Incorporate Instagram into upcoming events or campaigns by publishing an engaging series of photos with hashtags or geotags

2.  Promote your campaigns and the hashtags

3.  Allow people to engage with the photos in other channels like Facebook

4.  Monitor engagement and respond to your followers

Example: GE Instagrapher campaign •  http://instagram-business.tumblr.com/post/30960118045/ge-

instagrapher-contest-a-look-inside-general •  http://generalelectric.tumblr.com/post/13161941556/have-what-it-

takes-to-be-a-ge-instagram •  http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/11/22/want-to-take-

instagram-photos-for-a-living-win-this-ge-competition-and-you-can/ •  https://www.facebook.com/GE/app_290098231012239

Additional resources

We’ve put together some tips and resources to help you get started using Instagram for your brand or organization

•  Getting Started with Instagram. This is a quick guide for how to set up and start using your Instagram account

•  Instagram for Business Help Center. The Help Center provides resources and answers to frequently asked questions

•  Business Blog. The blog highlights great brand accounts, community engagement, unique API examples and general tips for how to manage a brand account.

•  API Developer Page. The site provides detailed information for developers using the Instagram API