Instagram: another powerful Social Media Tool for Business?

The power of social media in today’s world is inevitable, especially when it comes to building a brand and creating brand awareness. We’ve all read about the remarkable success that websites like Facebook have brought forth to emerging brands, start-ups, and even major corporations. The underlying fact that an existing or potential consumer is able to interact with a specific brand/service anytime online makes for a strong marketing tool.

This is highly relevant when it comes to young adults, who are constantly on the lookout for innovative and fun ways to interact with a brand – and the more that a brand attracts their attention, the higher the brand’s visibility. Let’s look at Instagram for instance, which is a “fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures.” Certain brands can incorporate this effective tool to reach out to consumers. I truly believe that people, more than ever, are learning about brands and interacting with them through visual cues as opposed to traditional texts that serve as a key messaging tool. With Instagram, posting pictures is literally the only option that a user has. For this reason, I think that people will remember what they saw (in this case, a brand’s products, the team members, etc.) and so they will become more likely to be aware of what the brand does.

This notion is also personal at some level, creating sort of a trust between a company and its consumers, thus lessening the distance that exists in between them. Even though this is achievable through Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, there just seems to be something difference about Instagram given that it solely relies on pictures and nothing else. However, this of course is not the case for all brands out there – I think it’s highly relevant for tech companies, e-commerce, and the hospitality sector for example. Let’s take Belkin as an example, one of our fun Clients whom we have the pleasure to PR for – their iPhone/iPad accessories, keyboards, etc. are all a range of products that can be Instagrammed!

Not only will audiences remember their products, but also the funky filters that can be added to the photos will make the products look even more interesting than they already are. It’s interesting to see the pace at which some companies are already using Instagram to their advantage, reaching out to consumers and target audiences at an ever-increasing rate. And while Instagram is not as popular as Facebook or Twitter, it does have a lot of potential in terms of heightening brand awareness. Additionally, Instagram (like Twitter) integrates the hashtag (#) option – so brands can use this for instance to promote their products, events, and their brand as a whole.

Finally, Instagram is exclusively available on handheld devices, which people nowadays presumably spend more time on than their personal laptops. Thus, accessing a brand becomes so practical for consumers – and companies in return can use this powerful tool to positively amplify their brand image.

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