Posted by
Amy Galvin on Thu, Jul 19, 2012 @ 07:56 AM
The social media landscape changes daily. Recently, Pinterest took the social media world by storm – but there is a new(ish) kid in town. The next social media space your brand or business should be on is Instagram.
The photo-sharing application launched in October 2010. A few months ago, Facebook bought it for $1 billion. Yes, that’s right. Facebook valued the application at $1 billion – so get it on and stat!
What is Instagram exactly?
Instagram is a photo-sharing application that can be downloaded for iPhones, iPads and Android devices. You can upload a photo from your phone (or take one with the Instagram program) and then apply different enhancements to give it a personalized look – faded, vintage, black & white, etc. It’s kind of like an electronic Polaroid.
Like traditional social media applications, you can follow friends, but there isn’t typically a lot of banter. You can apply captions to your photos, use hashtags (just like Twitter) and people can comment on and “Like”your images. However, Instagram is not about the “chatter,” it’s about the visual message.
You can search Instagram by topic, brand and hashtags.
How Should PR People Use Instagram?
A really easy way for PR people to use Instagram for their social media marketing campaigns is to run a hashtag or search for your brand. If your product is regularly used, you’ll probably quickly discover that people are taking photos and posting them to Instagram. If you find photos of your brand or product, start reading what people are saying and even start to comment yourself.
Another way to use Instagram is give your followers an inside look at your brand or company’s office culture. Also, feature people who work at your business, show the day-to-day activities of your office and give them the scoop on what goes on behind the scenes. Be sure to feature photos from users of your product or service and fan photos too.
Overall, remember, Instagram is still a social application – so be social by liking and commenting on posts and photos. Good luck!