The Hidden Marketing Power of Instagram

Are you ignoring the hidden marketing power of Instagram? This booming social media channel is something worth watching.

With 150 million users, 16 billion photo shares, and 1.2 billion average daily likes Instagram has joined the ranks of Facebook and Twitter as a social media giant. Recognizing the incredible marketing power of this innovative photo-sharing platform, prominent brands are looking to get in on the action. Instagram marketing is a ripe choice for advertising your company on.

Major companies like Nike, Apple, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Allstate, and Ralph Lauren have all realized the tremendous marketing power of Instagram  to promote their brands, and are now major players in the Instagram world.

If your company is tossing around the idea of starting up an Instagram account be sure to take a look at the incredibly powerful ways in which the platform can provide a boost to your marketing strategy.

Let’ grab some of that Instagram Power!

Enhance Your Brand’s Visibility

Instagram can best be described as a social discovery platform. Users aren’t just using the site to share their own content; they are using it to find new content. This means that Instagram is a great way for brands to attract the attention of new consumers, boosting visibility.

Hashtags are the key to maximizing this social discovery factor, helping users to locate content that appeals to their likes and interests. In fact, according to a comprehensive Instagram investigation report released by competitive analysis firm TrackMaven hashtags can make or break the success of an Instagram image.

The study determined that the ideal number of hashtags to be used was between four and eleven while five hashtags per post garnered the most user interaction. However, be wary of using anything over eleven, as viewers often perceive posts with excessive hashtags as spam.

Remember, it isn’t just about the quantity of hashtags; it’s about the quality. Hashtagging is nothing short of an art form. It is always a good idea to include general tags on your posts (so if you’re running a coffee business, would be a good starting point).

But you will also want to be sure to develop and incorporate brand specific hashtags into your posts. Some hashtags should include your business name while others should reference specific marketing campaigns.

All in all, you need to strike a hashtag balance between general topics and brand specifics in order to ensure maximum visibility. Oh, and don’t forget to make use of trendinghashtags whenever possible—it can help your posts to go viral.

Catch the Attention of Consumers

Did you know the brain process images roughly 60,000 times faster than text? This is because pictures are processed all at once while texts are processed in a linear manner. With the rise of visual marketing techniques, advertisers are increasingly tapping into this power and Instagram can be a huge asset.

All in all, Instagram can help your brand to garner even more consumer attention. However, a word to the wise: this does not mean that all images are created equally. For maximum success your brand needs to post attractive, compelling content. Consider the following tips and tricks:

Choose the right filters

Instagram allows users to edit photographs with a variety of different filters. Currently, twenty distinct filters are offered and all produce distinct visual effects from cooling to desaturation to extreme contrast.

According to the aforementioned TrackMaven report, the Mayfair filter was, on average, the most effective filter, drawing the most consumer interaction (likes and comments) when used by major brands. Inkwell, a black and white filter, also proved to be effective. The bottom line is that it absolutely does matter which filters you use.

Quality is key & creativity is crucial

Beautiful photographs are the key to Instagram success. Whether you are posting a picture of a sublime ocean sunset, a delicious platter of food at a five-star restaurant, or a unique architectural feature of your favorite building, if the image is attractive, unique, and compelling it will garner attention .

Of course, when possible try to post photos that promote your brand, your products, and your services. But don’t make Instagram exclusively about promotion. Show behind the scenes shots of production at company headquarters, post a picture of staff at the annual holiday party, or post a goofy picture of your product. Be creative and mix things up.

Develop a brand specific strategy

Whatever you do, don’t just randomly post pictures to Instagram. You want your brand’s Instagram account to be a reflection of company core values.

Maybe your company is crusading to preserve and protect the environment or maybe your brand is all about creativity and innovation. Whatever it might be think about how you can visually convey it to consumers. So, craft a brand strategy and think about how each photo helps to advance that strategy.

Engage With Consumers

Instagram is an excellent way for brands to interact with their customers, subsequently fostering consumer engagement. Target, for example, often uses Instagram to ask consumers about specific products. Last summer the brand posted a picture of a popsicle, asking followers to comment on the image with their favorite popsicle flavor.

These kinds of tactics are an excellent way to ensure consumers interact with your brand. For maximum benefit make sure you interact with consumers by commenting on and liking photos. After all, it is always a good idea to show your followers that you appreciate them!

Start marketing on Instagram today and make use of that amazing Instagram power that is there for you to grab.