Sharing images with your community is fun, which is why Instagram is such a popular app.
It makes all photos look good, photographer or not.
With more than 150 million active users, I’m not the only one who enjoys the photo sharing site. Brands have been hopping on board and trying to master the social network.
In comes TrackMaven, a competitive analysis firm, that recently released a report to try and decode Instagram based on how Fortune 500 companies are using the network.
The process: They took the 2013 Fortune 500 list and loaded all of the Instagram handles for every brand (123 total) into their platform. They collected and analyzed the number of interactions and meta information (such as which filter was used) through their entire history until mid-September.
The study had some interesting findings:
- Best days to post: There isn’t one, but companies post the most on Thursdays.
- Best time to post: Between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. ET.
- Best time to post Instagram videos: Off-hours from 9:00 p.m until 8:00 a.m. ET.
Sabel Harris, lead marketing maven at TrackMaven, shared three tips for brands that want to jump on the Instagram bandwagon, based on this report to Mashable.
Instagram Videos are Effective
We know videos are effective because they allow us to consume content quickly. And most users prefer watching video to reading plain text. Harris says:
On average, a video on Instagram can get up to 24 interactions (sum of comments and likes).
This is slightly less than pictures, in terms of interaction according to the report, however Instagram videos were introduced just this summer so my guess is this number will increase.
The bottom line: Take your marketing a step further by adding videos to your account as it can give you an advantage with your followers.
Use Multiple Hashtags
Hashtag etiquette doesn’t apply on Instagram. While it’s frowned upon on Twitter and Facebook to use more than two hashtags, on Instagram this isn’t the case.
The data proves otherwise for bigger brands, showing that four to 11 hashtags can increase up to an average 77 interactions per Instagram post.
However, you should integrate them into your post naturally and be specific. Don’t just add a bunch at the end. #itsannoying #toomanytagslooksliketagspam
HubSpot shares a great example from CBREGroup. They posted an image of the Chase Tower with the comment “#ChaseTower #Chicago #Downtown tallest building inside the #el look tracks.” Instead of “Tallest building inside the el loop tracks #ChaseTower #Chicago #downtown #el.”
Also something to note, Instagram search is only for hashtags so if you don’t tag your content, there’s little to no chance someone who isn’t following you will find it.
Your Posting Schedule
Typically we can find the optimal time to post on social networks through a bit of trial and error. But with Instagram, people interact All. The. Time.
People are rarely away from their phones, so posting at different times of the day ensures advantageous mobile strategies for different audience segments.
Harris suggests (and I agree) using this to your advantage and finding what’s right with your audience.
Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, you can use Instagram successfully. Beyond pictures of puppies, lattes, and greasy, yet delicious, food, the photo sharing network is also a great place to show off not only your brand and products, but also your company culture.
Plus with all of those active users, it’s worth considering adding this network to your marketing mix.
And a belated happy birthday to Instagram who turned three on Sunday! Thanks for all of the eye candy!