There are a plethora of social networking sites, tools and apps out there at the moment, but it is safe to say that the ones really succeeding are the ones that utilise visual images. Instagram is a photo-sharing program, downloaded as an app so users can point click and then modify their image using one of the specially designed Instagram filters. Anyone can use it and mostly your shots come out looking pretty good.

It is more than just a series of filters for pictures though. Instagram allows its users to share their photos, follow other users and like and comment on other people’s photos. It is a social network. Instagram was launched in October 2010 and in January 2011 it added hashtags, much like on Twitter, to help users search for and find like-minded users and content. In August this year Facebook bought Instagram for a significant $1 billion, but they keep the site independently managed.

Instagram has proved to be hugely popular. Two months after start up it had one million registered users, which had increased to 5 million six months after that. By July this year it had passed 80 million users. The number of photos uploaded by users is currently at around the 150 million mark. Each second 58 photos are uploaded, and a new user is gained.

This social network is extremely lucrative for businesses to be a part of and, like the other social media giant sites, it is now almost expected that companies have an Instagram feed. It does, as always depend on your type of business and whether a visual social network would work, but the idea behind successful Instagram business accounts is not the hard sell. The basic Twitter rule is that only 10% of tweets are product related and that is pertinent to Instagram photos as well. It is all about creating interesting content that engages your audience.

Businesses that are currently using Instagram well include NH Hotels who use the hashtag #wakeuppic for users staying in their hotels. These photos then aggregate on the Wake Up Pics Site in a stylised, artistic fashion. This is a way to promote their rooms and the views they offer whilst also engaging their customers to create an artistic image.

Starbucks is another company who have used Instagram notably well. People can take photos of their Starbucks drink and hashtag it to appear in that stream, but the company also upload photos that are artistic and provide a background to the company: they give themselves a persona. They give fans access to exclusive content, and they allow their fans to have a voice. Social media is all about conversation.

So, the best ways to harness the power of Instagram include:

·      Remembering it is not about the hard sell, not just about the product

·      Taking images that are interesting to the brand and to your customer

 Creating a certain visual style for your company

Learning to get a great shot on your phone

Instagram is a great way to engage your customers and to let them see what interests you and motivates or inspires your brand. Get clicking! 

By Harriet Thacker