Great moments happen in an instant. Thanks to Instagram, you can capture them and make them look even better — no artistic experience needed.
Instagram is the latest social media trend that’s taking the online community by storm. This year, it surpassed the 200 million users mark. It’s not just an obsession in our country, either. Of Instagram users a high percentage are from outside the U.S. as well. Simply put, it’s easy to use and a great tool to utilize with your marketing efforts.
So, what makes Instagram such a key commodity for businesses? It’s where the people are. Whether they want to believe it or not, users are affected by every image they see and what’s trending is what’s reputable. Instagram combines alluring “real life” images with on-the-fly comments. Tags, hashtags and check-ins help you to connect with others posting about the same topics worldwide. It’s also free of charge — so what are you waiting for?
Don’t have an Instagram account yet? Here’s a quick rundown of how Instagram works: take a photo using your smartphone camera, edit it using pre-made filters, write a caption and share it with your followers — simple as that. When it comes to content, there are no rules. Users post everything from outfits of the day (#OOTD) to the burger they’re about to devour for lunch (#Yum).
Here are three reasons why you should invest in an Instagram account for your business:
It’s the king of social media. First came Facebook. Then Twitter. Now Instagram has reign over the social media realm. The app launched in October 2010, but its popularity has soared in the last year. According to its official website, Instagram photos acquire a total of 1.6 billion likes daily. People are using it all the time.
You don’t have to be a photography expert. It’s easy to admit it can be overwhelming trying to edit the images you want to post on social media. “Is this bad lighting? Would this look better in black and white? That pesky red-eye again!” But with this app, editing your images has never been easier. There are 20 pre-set filters you can pick from. If none strike your fancy, you can press the “Tools” icon and add some specific editing — brightness, contrast and sharpening. When in doubt, the “Lo-Fi” filter never fails.
Inspiration is readily available. Not sure what to post? You can easily search users and hashtags on the “Explore” tab — it’s the second icon on the footer. Once you press it, the screen fills with photos similar to the users you follow or posts you like. The search bar at the top allows you to look for users and hashtags. If you’re new to Instagram, search for terms you associate with your brand to get started. This will help you round up content ideas that are timely and engaging. You can clearly see which posts do well; it’s all about the likes!
From the looks of it, Instagram isn’t going away anytime soon. If you’re on social media, adding Instagram to your routine is the way to go. You can show off your service or product at work, in addition to the great people behind the brand.
By Hayley Schnell, communication specialist at Snap Fitness.
