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Instagram is brilliant. This seemingly simple photo sharing platform capitalizes on the fact that most people almost always have their phone in their hand and most people have incredibly short attention spans. The creators blatantly took advantage of the fact that our brains have the easiest time processing photos – and we love them for that. Now, with over 300 million users, the question is this: how can businesses utilize this photo-based app to help build brand engagement? Inspired by our friends at wishpond, we’ve put together a list of the best types of Instagram photos that help build relationships with followers through candid photos and drive engagement.
Customer Photos
We are firm believers in the fact that social media is all about engaging with your followers and in our case, clients. So what better way to engage your followers than to get them involved and feature them? Before posting to Instagram, consider how your photo will impact your customers. Why would they be interested? Why would their followers be interested? The more interesting and relevant the photo, the more likely people are to “like” and share. When it comes to customer-centric photos, the best photos are those that show your product in use – a kind of organic cross promotional opportunity.
Employee Photos
It’s a fact, people love “behind the scenes” photos. At Old Town Media, we utilize Instagram as a tool to help show off our unique brand personality. Similar to how customers are more likely to seek an opinion from a sales representative that seems approachable and knowledgeable, we want to give clients (old and new) the opportunity to get to know us, sometimes even before meeting us.
Businesses should always remember that In this digital world, personal connection is priceless. Customers love to see a positive work environment, with proud employees working hard. A platform like Instagram should be used as a tool for providing transparency and an instant look into what is going on in the moment. In our case, that includes dogs stretching and our make-shift bar on a cold Friday afternoon.
Contests
Instagram contests are huge since they are so simple to get involved in and stay involved in. The most successful contests usually involve asking followers to share a photo and then using a unique hashtag (i.e. #AspenSilverPaws) to be entered to win. The beauty of using a hashtag is that users can simply click the link to see all photos associated with that tag. Finally, the best part about contests is that the prize does not need to be extravagant – most followers just want to be involved and enjoy the thrill of possibly winning.
Product Photos
Visually speaking, photos that focus on a specific color or print tend to stand out in your Instagram feed – clearly, we love blue. Something as simple as arranging your products can be surprisingly popular on Instagram because it is aesthetically pleasing. With Instagram, consider using recognizable hashtags to target users that may be searching hashtags as well as engaging your followers further by asking them questions, encouraging them to interact.
Animals
Who doesn’t love a good dog photo? There are so many hashtags associated with animal photos (i.e. #DogsOfInstagram #dogs #catlovers) that your photo will most likely reach a wider audience than just your followers. We have five office dogs at Old Town Media that are a huge part of our unique brand personality so we love to show them off. These candid and honest photos help make your business more relatable to currently and potential clients.
Engaging on Instagram is fun and easy. Since most people constantly have their phones no more than 2 feet away from them, this primarily mobile app is ideal for boosting user engagement. Still, the key to driving engagement through Instagram is sharing interesting, unique and relevant photos that other users will be interested in. As much as we love selfies at Old Town Media, we do not recommend dedicating your Instagram account to the various sides of your face.