October 14, 2013
As you may know, visual content is key for brands looking to find success on social media. The rise of visual content has coincided with the rise of popular platforms like Instagram, to take advantage of the power of photos.
Over 150 million users, an estimated 5 million photos uploaded per day and well over a billion photos uploaded in the last 3 years, have seen Instagram become a force to be reckoned with since its inception in 2010. While the platform is heavily consumer focused, B2B brands are starting to see success on Instagram.
The transition towards brands is evident in Instagram’s latest announcement, where the company has announced that ads will soon become a part of the platform. Users will be able to see occasional ads in the Instagram feed, with brands being able to sponsor updates and target users that are not following their pages. Set to roll out in the US over the next few months, this promises to be a big opportunity for brands to reach Instagram’s sizeable user base.
Ads aside, there are plenty of opportunities for B2B companies to benefit from all that Instagram has to offer. Here’s 3 ways that B2B companies can use Instagram to their advantage:
1. Go behind the scenes
Consumers want to see behind the scenes of a company and what makes them tick. Use Instagram to highlight your brand culture and what it is like working for your company. Whether that is setting up an event or activities, offer your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your company that they would not otherwise see. Oracle is a great example of using Instagram to show off their company culture.
2. Allow your content to be found
It’s no use having great visual content if no one sees it. That’s where hashtags come in. Just like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram allows you to hashtag your updates – helping content to be found in the process. So just as you would on other social media platforms, apply relevant hashtags to your updates.
3. Don’t think of Instagram as a stand-alone platform
The good thing about Instagram is that it integrates well with other platforms, so combine the benefits of photos on Instagram and amplify your other profiles. Add Instagram photos to Facebook and embed images on your blog to take your existing channels to the next level.