instagram impressions

Instagram is an online mobile photo and video sharing social networking service that allows the user to post privately or publically on the app as well as push them to a variety of other social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Swarm, and Flickr.  Instagram was first launched in October 2010 with the app only allowing users to post in 4:3 ratio. In 2011, hashtags were introduced to help users find specific topics more easily. Facebook acquired Instagram in April 2012. With an update in August 2015, users can now post any ratio photo as well as 15 second videos.

Many of the facts listed on the image to the left businesses should consider using to improve their Instagram page. Photos are more engaging than videos and photos with faces will get more likes then without.  The use of at least one hashtag increases the amount of engagement for the post. Posts with a location tag also perform better.  Posting daily is also listed as a key to success. All actions businesses should keep in mind when uploading content to Instagram. Ideally a company should post an image with a hashtag and location every day, even better if the image includes someone's face.

Not sure where to start? Instagram has a help site for businesses which includes tips on how to get started, inspiration, advertising, and brand resources.  To get started, Instagram reminds business users to have a profile picture that represents the brand, interact in the community by commenting and liking, use tagging to your advantage by tagging other users or locations as well as including hashtags. The inspiration page, showcases users to follow and what they do well on their pages as well as popular hashtags to watch. To advertise with Instagram, there are three options available: photo ads, video ads, or carousel ads.  Carousel ads allows users to swipe through additional images and reach a call to action button which takes them to a website to learn more. Brand resources page showcases the Instagram brand logos and guidelines.

Outside of Instagram itself, there are many other articles that can help a business make the most of their instagram page.  How To Use Instagram For Business: A Beginner’s Guide provides a 5 best practices list for business which includes: The unique qualities of your brand’s audience are still important on Instagram, Tell a story with your caption, Instagram is a great platform for contests, Consider collaborating with a popular Instagrammer or influencer in your field or industry, and Instagram is progressively rolling out its advertising platform. The most interesting to me is the idea of using Instagram for contest.  "Contests can ask users to comment on your photo, share it, mention a certain number of friends, or even share their own photo with a specific hashtag." Don't worry about borrowing users, many expect to see contest.  Once you set up a contest on your page, don't forget to track the analytics and see how it benefits your brand!

I began using Instagram in January 2015 which feels very late after learning the history of the app. I follow many friends, a few celebrities, nonprofits and causes I am interested in, and very few businesses.  As with many other social media networks, I find businesses to be more annoying then they are worth. However, if you consider nonprofits as businesses I do follow many such as @RotaryInternational. Rotary International (RI) does a great job following many of the tips and tricks mentioned above.  RI posts mostly images with many hashtags and provides the user tags for who took the photo or who is in the photo.  RI also does a great job of commenting back on posts and engaging in the Rotary community of clubs and Rotarians. The photos are always high quality, tell a story, and are visually appealing.  While not a business trying to sell a product, Rotary International is trying to attract new members and donors and a great social media campaign can help accomplish this tasks.

One downside to Instagram is that it is a mobile app, meaning you can only post from a mobile device. For some businesses this could be problematic depending on the content you wish to post and who runs the platform for your company.  There are some websites and downloadable computer applications that can assist with posting from your laptop, Instagram is a mobile app.  One option that works for both iOS and Windows is Gramblr.  Another potential headache for businesses using Instagram is that many third party apps are not allowed to post to Instagram, such as Hootsuite cannot auto-post to Instagram but instead can help prep a post for you that you will need to upload yourself. While potential headaches, these small issues can be overcome for a great way to engage with consumers.