Insta-what?

Social media marketing has been a huge change for businesses
in the past ten years and continues to be an ever changing world that has the
potential to make a serious impact on a business’ marketing strategy. First
came Facebook, then Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest – it’s tough to keep up! Just
when you thought you had it all down, the cyber world throws another curveball
your way! Instragram is the newest social media trend for business and it is
something your business might want to consider using as a marketing tool.

For those of you less familiar with this site, Instagram is
a photo sharing site that allows its users to use various filters to edit their
photos. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, Instagram allows its users to exclusively
post and share pictures. While this can be challenging for businesses reliant
on content messages, this is the perfect tool for businesses looking to display
their products or company on a more intimate and behind the scenes level.

One feature that makes Instagram ideal for businesses is the
ability to geo-tag photos. This means that when people are interested by a
picture, they can see where it was taken. For businesses this can lead
potential costumers right to the store or to an event you would like to
promote.

The key to gaining a steady Instagram following is to stay
creative and innovative, while preventing it from turning it into an
advertisement. The more interesting and exciting the pictures are, the more
people will keep coming back for more. Some great ways to do this are to find
interesting ways to show your product being used or show the teamwork that goes behind creating a new product. Push the boundaries and response will follow!

Some businesses that have really taken advantage of Instagram
include Starbucks, the NFL, and Burberry. While some companies like these are a
little easier to promote with pictures, companies such as Intel and General
Electric have managed to use Instagram to show off their work in a witty and
humorous way that brings a little more life to the company than one might
expect! This shows that just about any company can find a way to highlight its
best assets using this tool.

Hopefully this blog has peaked your interest as to how you
can make Instagram work for your business and make it an insta-success! We
would love to hear about how your business has used social media to promote
itself and the tips and tricks you find helpful. Thanks for reading!

-DCR Intern Megan