Instagram has attracted a huge number of users and brands are looking to see how to leverage this platform to engage with their consumers. This is my POV, with a lot help from references I found online. I also have added information from measurement and analytics perspective.
2. Contents
Instagram Overview
How Instagram Works
Instagram Strategy for Brands
Brands on Instagram
How Brands are Engaging on Instagram
Instagram Contest Examples
Leveraging Instagram API
Measurement and Analytics Tool for Instagram
Appendix
3. What Is Instagram
Instagram is a free photo-sharing program and social
network that was launched in October 2010
Users can upload or take photos, apply a digital filter
to it
Users can then share it with other Instagram users
they are connected to on the social network as well
as on other social networking services (Twitter,
Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr)
5. Photo-Sharing Apps Among Fastest
Growing App Categories
This growth is reflective of the popularity of photo
sharing apps among social media users
6. Instagram’s Daily Active Users Eclipses That
Of Pinterest’s
Instagram has 11MM
Daily Active Users
A number significantly
higher than Pinterest’s
Daily Active Users
7. Who Is Using Instagram
Most Instagram users are between the ages 18-29
but Gen Xers closely follow
8. Instagram Is About Visual Content
Content Discovery
Users can find new content by searching for users and
hashtags
Content Creation
Instagram’s unique filters allow users to create interesting
content
Content Curation
Users can like, share via social networks and comment
on photos by other users
9. How Does Instagram Work
Once a user has Instagram allows Users can also Photos posted Photos that
installed the users to find search by by a user appear appear in a
app, he create a friends from username or in their followers’ user’s stream or
profile and other social hashtag in the streams photos from the
include a bio and network to follow Explore tab Explore tab can
a website URL be shared on
Twitter
11. Filters
Instagram has seventeen
filters users can choose
from to create unique
photos
Filters remain the single
most interesting feature
that engage users
12. Explore
This tab features the most
popular photos on Instagram
Popularity is based on the
number of likes and comments
Users can also search for a
specific user by the username
or for hashtags
Brands must strive to post
unique photos that are likely to
be featured on the Explore tab
Brands must create easily
searchable usernames
13. Hashtags
Brands can leverage hahstags
to enable users to discover and
share photos
Hashtags can also serve to
drive awareness of the brand
E.g. Nike adapted the tagline
Make It Count as a hashtag
#counts
Also, when users share the
photo on Twitter with the
hashtag it helps build
awareness on that channel
14. Track Popular Hashtags To Participate In
Conversations
Users and brands alike can track popular hashtags
by using services such as Web.stagram.com
Web.stragram.com tracks trending/hot topics by
hashtags
Using these hashtags help get in front of users who
maybe searching for content
Brands can also use these hashtags to participate in
conversations resonating with users
15. Photo Map
Photo Map feature allows
brands and users to geo-tag
their photos with locations
Brands can use this feature to
add location to the photos and
give followers a sense of
intimacy
For example, sharing behind-
the-scenes photos of a brand’s
retail or manufacturing location
gives consumers a front row
access
16. Instagram Web Profiles
Instagram recently rolled
out web profiles
Users' web profiles
resemble Facebook's
Timeline template with a
selection of recent
images tiled above the
profile photo
Viewers can follow
users, comment and like
images as they do on
the mobile app
17. Is Instagram Right For Brands
Search for photos that maybe tagged with the brand
name
If users are already sharing content with the brand name
it could signal an opportunity
If competitors are using the platform it could mean a
missed opportunity if the brand is not there
Consider resources required to create visuals
Instagram is about storytelling, and compelling photos are
integral
Instagram also requires brands post regularly throughout
the day and engaging with followers and users
18. Major Brands Are Quickly Adopting The
Platform
40% of top 100 interbrands have a presence on
Instagram
19. Top 10 Brands By Follower Count
Brands Followers
MTV 1,020,932
Starbucks 912,959
Burberry 576,368
Nike 608,244
Gucci 241,601
General Electric 136,837
Audi 187,753
Tiffany& Co 238,269
Hermes 86,730
McDonalds 40,000
20. Some Brands That Are Doing It Right
Starbucks –
for its seasonally relevant content that centers around the
product but does not feel forced
Burberry –
for its stunning images of London, runway, red carpet
celebrities and behind-the-scenes of shows and photo
shoots
Sharpie –
for its sense of humor and images of drawings using
Sharpie pens
22. Burberry
Hashtag Burberry, BurberryWeather, LFW
Images of city of London, Fashion shows, Cultural Events (e.g.
Live Bands)
23. Sharpie
Leverages popular hashtags (#twinning, #nobeardday) and
branded hashtags (#Sharpie) to create funny captions to
accompany Instagram photos of the custom images
Posts everyday, except on weekends
24. Instagram Strategy For Brands
• Cross-promote on other
social channels
• Hold Instagram contests
Build • Create a photo contest that
will encourage followers and
generate content
• Post photos that go beyond
product
• Leverage visuals to bring the
Engage brand voice to life
• Give followers access to
exclusive images to
encourage shares, likes and
comments
• Participate in
conversation with users
and followers
Sustain • Like/Share photos of users
the brand follows
• Comment and mention
users to alert them
26. Instagram Contests
General Electric created an Instagram contest to
identify an Instagramer who would photograph the
GE facilities
Sony Xperia invited consumers to create images
based on weekly themes decided by handpicked
influencers
Ford Fiesta leveraged Instagram contest to drive
awareness on the different car features
28. General Electric Instagrapher Contest
GE hosted a contest to find an official Instagrapher
who would Instagram GE’s aviation facility in Wales
GE wanted to showcase its work in the different
industries
Leveraging the Instagram community to create
photos that related to the four core areas helped GE
make its B2B products more consumer facing
29. How It Works
To enter users had to upload Instagram photos that related to
one of the following four categories
Moving, Curing, Powering, Building
Photos had to be hashtagged #GEInspiredMe
Submitted photos were also featured on a Facebook tab
Fans could then vote for their favorite photos
A team of judges selected a finalist who was flown to Wales to
Instagram the aviation facility
32. Sony Experia Photo Jam Overview
Inspired by celebrities, the company wants to see what kind of
creativity users can unleash through their Instagram photos
Participants can win Sony’s newest Xperia Ion smartphone or
a trip to see Maroon 5 live in concert
Sony has four different challenges, based on four celebrities
The Glamourai, also known as Kelly Framel, a fashion stylist
Professional photographer Theron Humphrey
Olympic gold medal softball pitcher Jennie Finch, and
American Indie rockers Freelance Whales
Contest duration: 4 weeks
33. How It Works
1
2
Step 1: User must LIKE in
order to register and/or
vote
Step 2: User must
Register to be eligible for
winning
Step 2: Registration Form
34. How It Works (cont’d)
Driving Participation
through Facebook posts
Individual photos can also
Select photos are featured
be shared on different
in the gallery to let users
social networks
vote
37. Ford Fiestagram
• Average Ford consumers were not aware of
innovative features of Fiesta
• Ford sought to bring attention to the
Situation Fiesta’s features among people in
fashion, style and tech circles, so that the
Fiesta would be top-of-mind when they
became ready to buy a new vehicle
• Ford leveraged the mobile photo-
sharing app Instagram to launch
Solution “Fiestagram,” a six-week contest in
which users throughout Europe could
submit photos and win prizes
38. Why Instagram
Mobile photography is on the rise, and the people in
Ford’s target demographic — trendsetting fashion,
style and tech mavens — are big users of Instagram
Instagram was the perfect platform to carry out a
multinational campaign in which people across
Europe, speaking a variety of languages, could
participate
39. Ford Fiestagram | How It Works
The Fiestagram campaign was hosted on
the global Ford Fiesta Facebook Page
A mobile-optimized HTML tab displayed
everything about the campaign
Each week, for the six weeks the contest
lasted, Ford announced a new hashtag
associated with one of the Fiesta’s high-tech
features, such as #entry, #music and
#hidden
Users could then submit photos on
Instagram, tagged with ―#Fiestagram‖ and
that week’s particular hashtag
The best photos were selected to be
featured in real-life galleries and digital
billboards
And Ford gave weekly prizes to those
submitting particularly striking images
The final prize was a Ford Fiesta
40. Results
More than 16,000 photos were submitted to the
Fiestagram contest
During the six-week campaign, Ford acquired more
than 120,000 new Facebook fans across Europe
Ford saw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the
campaign hub on Facebook each week
Many with particularly high dwell times, indicating that
they were interested in browsing through the galleries of
submissions
Importantly, Ford successfully attracted the attention
of its target demographic: fashion, style and
technology trendsetters
42. Leveraging Instagram API
Brands can also create unique user experiences on
their site with Instagram
E.g. Free People uses hashtaggedInstagram photos by
its customers on its site
Bergdorf Goodman created a microsite that displayed
hashtagged images of shoes on the map of New York City
43. Free People
Moderators at
The call to
Free People then
action on the The result:
handpick photos
Free People, the cards, encourag Photos of
to publish on the
fashion brand ed customers to fabulous jeans
website, turning
attached take a picture of circulating not
its consumers
individualized themselves in only on Free
into models and
hashtag cards to the jeans, post People’s feed,
engaging with
its jeans the photo on but their
its community in
Instagram, with followers’ too
a fun, impactful
the hashtag
way
44. Free People (cont’d)
At first, the product page looks
pretty typical—pretty model wearing
jeans
But when consumers scroll
down, they can see how real people
have worn and accessorized the
items
45. Bergdorf and Goodman
Bergdorf and Goodman invited customers to capture their
shoe obsession
To have their photos appear on the map of NYC on
B&G’smicrosite, customers had to hashtag the photos
#BGShoes
In addition to photos appearing on the map, there was a
chance they would be featured on the walls of the store
47. Measurement And Analytics
Simply
Nitrogr.am Statigram Web.stagram
Measured
Monitor brand account ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Track most used keywords in comments of the brand’s
✔ ✖ ✖ ✖
account
Track popular filter of photos published from brand’s ✔ ✔ ✖
✖
account
Track most popularhashtag used on brand’s photos ✔ ✖ ✔ ✖
Track top geo-locations ✔
✔ ✖ ✔ ✖
Identify Time of day for most engagement
Identify which social platform gets most engagement ✔ ✖
✖ ✖
when Instagram photos are shared
Influencer identification among brand followers ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖
✔ ✖
Number of likes, comments received ✔ ✔ (comments not (manual
aggregated) counting)
Follower/Following Count ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✔
Hosting photo galleries on site, blog and Facebook ✖ ✔ ✔
(only for blog)
HostingInstagram contests ✖ ✔ ✔ ✖
Moderation of photos before posting to gallery ✖ ✔ ✔ ✖
48. Measurement And Analytics (cont’d)
Simply
Nitrogr.am Statigram Web.stagram
Measured
Monitor competitors and hashtags ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
Track likes and comments on competitors photos ✖ ✔ ✖ ✖
Identify popular filters used on Instagram on a given ✖ ✖ ✖ ✔
day
Identify popular hashtags on Instagram on any given
✖ ✖ ✖ ✔
day
Private Message follower/user ✖ ✖ ✔ ✖
Re-posting Instagram photos on other social networks ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔
50. Simply Measured
SimplyMeasured – allows brands to monitor their
Instagram activity
Keyword analysis – what keywords consumers tend to
use the most in their comments
Filters used: filters that get the most engagement
Time of day: time when posts receive higher engagement
Cross-platform: which social platform has more engaging
audience
Influencers: identifies key commenters on photos
No moderation capability or ability to track
competitors or other usernames and hashtags
51. Nitrogr.am
Nitrogr.am measures brand and competitors’
Instagram account
Nitrogr.am allows brands to track users and hashtags
Reports on metrics such as Likes and
Comments, Reach (only for hahstags) and Photos
Identifies influencers based on followers, likes and
comments
Brands can create photo galleries based on
hashtags that can be featured on website, Facebook
or blog
Provides moderation tool to only allow approved photos to
be published on brand properties
52. Statigram
Statigram also allows brands to monitor competitors and
hashtags
But only provides basic information such as total photos, followers
and following count
Images also are only sorted by recency of post and cannot be
changed
While it is limited in tracking competitors, Statigram provides
other insights related to brand account
Statigram also provides a platform to host contests, moderate
images, create photo galleries on the site and Facebook page
Statigram also allows brands to private message users who
are also on Statigram
53. Statigram (cont’d)
Engagement Metrics
Likes and comments received, by month or by week
Most liked photo, most recently engaged follower
Hashtag cloud
Time of Day
Filter usage
Awareness Metrics
Follower growth: monthly and overall
Daily follower gain and loss and who are the new and lost
followers
Follower/Following ratio
54. Web.stagram
Web.stagram also allows brands to monitor
competitors and hashtags
Brands can also search for the most popular hashtags to
make images more relevant to followers
Web.stagram also identifies popular filters based on the
most popular photos of the day
Brands can also identify influencers to engage with
55. Web.stagram (cont’d)
Like Statigram, Web.stagram has limited ability to
provide deep insights on competitors
Brands can create photo galleries only for blogs;
there is no moderation tool or the ability to host
contests
Web.stagram also allows brands to private message
other users also using the tool
Users can also repost photos from Web.stagram to
other social sites while retaining the original
Instagramer’s name