Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Tips: Use Instagram to Click with Consumers



Instagram has become one of the best tools for e-commerce. According to a new report from eMarketer,  Instagram's shift from a solely social media channel to a driver of e-commerce has created a lot of pent-up demand. "The rollout of new features over the next several months means that by the end of 2015, Instagram will have a host of new ad products for advertisers large and small," said Debra Aho Williamshon, eMarketer principal analyst.
But in order to earn new business, marketers first need to earn engagement. Many marketers new to the cannel don't use it wisely by posting old prepackaged content, or by trying to fill their feeds with user-generated content. The key to earn engagement is to create great content, to see how socially savvy brands are getting creative with Instagram content, The Wall Street Journal shared their inspired social media marketing strategies.

1. Be The First To Use New Features
Social media platforms are constantly adding innovative features and tools, yet some marketers are afraid to try them before they have been "tested". Being the first has its advantages, take for instance Airbnb, one of the first brands to use Instagram's carousel feature. Through a brilliant campaign that allowed users to book a listing directly from its Instagram feed, Airbnb was able to create great impact. Many brands have followed suit by creating similar content with great success.

2. Engage Consumers Through Crowdsourcing
Opening up a brand's Instagram feed to consumers is a great idea to connect with them since a brand's feeds should reflect consumers' interests by featuring their content submissions. Lenovo used this approach with its #ihackedlife campaign. They opened up Instagram and carefully curated its video submissions to ensure that they where aligned with the brand image. When they posted the user videos, they increased engagement and connected with their consumers through this campaign.

4. A Little Planning Goes a Long Way
While Instagram content may seem spontaneous, the wisest marketers plan ahead for their Instagram feeds. A great example is Bacardi Limon, they created a pool party video for TV to promote its "Turn Up Your Summer" #Limonade program. The campaign was well planned and additional content for other platforms, especially Instagram, was collected. The made-for-Instagram videos where posted on their feed, which increased engagement with the brand.

Use these ideas for inspiration on creating Instagram content that brings consumers closer to brands.

Discover how to engage with your consumers. Contact SEED Branding Studio today at 305.987.0876 or visit seedbrandingstudio.com