What were you doing 5 years ago? In October of 2010, the mobile app Instagram launched onto the scene, and the mobile marketing world hasn’t been the same since. Sure Facebook has over 1 Billion users and Instagram has 400 Million active users, but its engagement is deafening, and unlike Pinterest, the ratio for men to women users is fairly balanced, with men at 51% and women at 49%, another win!
So who’s creating power ballads with their Instagram accounts in the B2C world? Let’s take a look at brands that are not only well known and easily recognized, but that are also able to successfully convey their strength and reputation in a photographic way.
#1 – Nike
Followers: 28.2 million
In the world of athletics and sports, Nike has been a dominating force for decades, and their Instagram account doesn’t miss a single note. Their account shows that they’re not just concerned with promoting products, they’re also about the spirit, attitude and life of an athlete. Nike’s Instagram is for those who are chasing their fitness dreams and to highlight those that are living their dreams.
Rocking Post: No athletes, no people, just a pair of shoes on a sandy hillside along with a motivational message in the text post. That triggered 500k “Likes” and 2.1k comments. Affective and engaging.
#2 – H&M
Followers: 10.6 million
H&M is a well-known clothing store with a largely Millennial audience that has been doing quite well, and why wouldn’t they? Their Instagram features a variety of styles and colors with reasonable prices, and it also includes celebrities of Katy Perry, Kendall Kenner and David Beckham within its posts.
Rocking Post: A simple yet classic outfit with accessories, providing an idea for their followers as to what’s available in their store. In addition to images, H&M also takes advantage of Instagram’s video capability to mix up the variety of posts that they make.
#3 – GoPro
Followers: 6.9 million
Instagram is clearly a very visual social media channel, and so what a perfect partner for a duet with it than another visual company, GoPro. On the charts, GoPro has collected a total of 6.9 million followers, and they’re hitting all of the notes just right with their eye-catching images.
Rocking Post: Just like the caption reads, this post is pushing boundaries. As a brand, GoPro aims to capture unique and adventurous moments with their wearable cameras, and that is easily conveyed with their imagery on Instagram. Their BIO link connects people to their awards page which encourages people to submit their GoPro content for recognition and possible monetary opportunities.
#4 – Starbucks
Followers: 6.4 million
If you’re on Instagram, you’ve probably seen a bazillion images of coffee. Coffee that the person, with beans that they ground, a cup of coffee that they recently purchased and coffee art of all shapes and sizes. Maybe you feel that you’ve seen too many images of coffee and that the caffeine is reaching out to you through your phone screen. Despite all of those scenarios, Starbucks is a fave on Instagram. With nearly 6.5 million followers, they has a large audience, and some pretty incredible engagement.
Rocking Post: The Starbucks account shares a variety of images, featuring coffee of course, but also their food items, ideas for when and where to drink it, who to drink with and also featuring some of their unique locations. They also wisely have a link on their Instagram BIO that lets you purchase items that you see posted on their Instagram account. Clever marketing!
#5 – airbnb
Followers: 704k
For the traveler that is looking to stay at exotic and unique places around the globe, airbnb’s Instagram channel is a “must-follow”. They feature some amazing post of places that you can actually stay at around the world, with a BIO link that lets you reserve the rooms that are featured.
Rocking Post: This post alone received 22.1k “Likes” and 1.5k comments. The text portion of this post tells a story about a couple’s overseas adventure instead of a brief thought or motivational idea. They’re all about selling an experience. Great marketing!
#6 – Applebees
Followers: 174k
Applebees restaurant literally turned over their content to their fans, and it’s proving to be a winning strategy for them. Posts featuring their burgers, drinks, deserts and salads, all get a large amount of contributions to their account.
Rocking Post: As a sample, notice this post using the #BurgerSelfie hashtag. It garnered 1.1k “Likes” and 29 comments. Engagement is key for good social media, so instead of just showing the fans what they have to offer, they have their fans share what they like about their food and service.
Is Instagram Right For You?
Instagram is continuing to grow year over year in the number of users that join it. If Instagram is where the people are going then it’s time for your brand to join the social party. Instagram can be used as part of a larger content marketing and social media strategy to reach your audience with content that is engaging but also informative, memorable and encourages them to take action with your product or service.
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Header image via Shutterstock
