Just when the most active companies made tweeting part of their daily communication routine, social picture-sharing application Instagram speeded past them in number of users. According to the statistics Instagram is now having more than 300 million active monthly users, while the number of Twitter users is only reaching 288 million. Although Facebook is still the king of the hill with almost 1,45 billion users worldwide, the popularity of alternative channels is increasing rapidly.
Twitter is profiled as an expert and corporate communications channel that separates itself from professional network LinkedIn by being so dynamic. Instagram originally built its reputation on being popular among young people and wasn’t profiled as a corporate communications channel at all. The differences to Twitter aren’t all that big, although pictures take the center stage.
How companies should get onboard Instagram then? In marketing and communications using multiple channels is an asset. We listed some guidelines on how to use Instagram.
1. Use compelling images and provide entertainment, as well as interesting content
Instagram is a social media channel mainly for sharing pictures. Sometimes the pictures that a company shares are directed at a small community, when they necessary don’t have a lot of important content for the uninitiated, like pictures from a company training day.
The best way to share images is to produce a versatile gallery: take pictures of certain events that hold importance to the participants, or share pictures as directions and expertise concerning your own industry, reveal funny everyday happenings at the office or create campaigns. The cleverest way is to follow what others do but still stay true to yourself and your own style.
2. Instagram is usually aimed to entertain
The pictures and videos on Instagram are allowed to consist of informal topics. This is also the case with companies that are profiled as hard experts in their field. Bring forth your actions in pictures and tell what you’re all about. It’s a good idea to place your Instagram feed on your website. The pictures enliven the content and bring topicality in visual form without separate updating and media databases. Good examples of websites that have Instagram feeds on their websites are our customers Iso-Syöte Snowpark and Oulu Vocational College.
3. Use hashtags to get the message across
A hashtag makes you a part of a larger conversation. If you are an experienced user and have followers, you can fine-tune and create your own hashtag. You can get by without hashtags but your visibility increases when the pictures are attached to topics accordingly.
4. Make a scheduled plan
Have you been neglecting the use of social media channels? Also Instagram needs a schedule in order for you to have a clear vision of what is added and when. Publishing something on a daily basis is the most effective way to maintain your public image in the rapidly evolving SoMe channels.
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Statista: Leading social networks worldwide as of March 2015
