What Industries Need To Use Instagram To Build Their Brand?

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Instagram is one of the hottest social media platforms available right now, partly because of its rising growth trajectory and partly because of its young demographics. The social media site accommodates 600 million+ users and visitors in a month and is a popular promotional tool among brands everywhere since it offers more business engagements and inbound traffic. Since 54% of businesses promote their brands through Instagram accounts, it is no wonder why there are 8 million business profiles and 1 million monthly active advertisers on the platform.

Nowadays, a majority of people trust word of mouth and social network advertising above most types of online ads. And because of this, some industries excel more than others. Since Instagram is all about visual content, there are certain brands within every industry that master the platform’s use. However, there are still business organizations that are new to this form of marketing. In light of this, listed below are 7 industries that need to use Instagram to build their brand.

1. Marketing

In short, anything a business does on social media to get in touch with customers is a form of advertising or marketing. Thus, it makes sense why the marketing industry needs to not only use but be proficient at social media promotion. As per the Social Media Marketing Industry Report of 2015 (where 3,700 plus marketers were surveyed), social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were reported as crucial components of their general marketing strategies.

As many of us know, video marketing is quickly becoming one of the highest yielding forms of social media content and around 57% of brands are currently utilizing it. And since Instagram offers both photos and short video clips, it has become a must for businesses in the marketing industry.

2. Retail

The retail industry will always remain near the top of the social media food chain. Big corporations, such as Costco and Target, will always find success, but it is interesting to note that smaller retailers also succeed. Using nice photos of your products to promote your business on social media sites such as Instagram can tempt customers into buying them. Furthermore, you can also interact and receive feedback on new products, as well as fix customer complaints before they become serious problems.

3. Education

This may come as a surprise to many, but even though not many educational institutes make use of Instagram as a branding tool, they should. For instance, they can use paid and organic advertising on the platform to boost application numbers and encourage campus visits by putting up short videos of classrooms, labs, auditoriums, etc. In addition, colleges and universities can also use Instagram to promote new curriculum, ongoing events, workshops, and other academic achievements of both the students and the institution.

After graduation, Instagram can them become a source of alumni fundraising. A recent study shows how 57% of colleges surveyed utilized social media as an important part of fundraising.  

4. Restaurants

Instagram was initially famous for food pics and selfies, so it doesn’t come off as a surprise that restaurants are super successful with Instagram. In fact, they can also use this social media platform to focus on creating viral campaigns along in addition to making visually appealing posts. The biggest advantage for restaurant operators is they can build a positive reputation quite fast, provided that they advertise their foods in an appetizing manner and don’t use any offensive content. Anything unique will be highly appreciated since the majority of Instagrammers and YouTubers today make their living off of trying new stuff. And you never know when your product may go viral.

5. Fashion

To businesses in the fashion industry, social media is an incredibly useful marketing tool. This is because content published on these sites travel at the speed of light and feedback can be received almost instantly. Especially on visual-oriented sites Instagram and Pinterest, new styles can be shared with millions of people within a few seconds.

Using a hashtag relevant to your brand or fashion style will make photo collection from your followers much easier and quicker. You can also host Instagram contests that mainly include encouraging your consumers to share their photos with your product in it and using a relevant hashtag, and/or asking them to ‘Tag a friend’, etc. Moreover, you can also come up with a campaign-relevant hashtag, such as #Zara’sSummerSale2017 and get users to post their photos using this hashtag, and also tagging your Instagram profile so more people can see.

6. Real Estate

Real estate is another one of those industries that is more socially active. Developers, brokers, property managers and agents all make use of social media to advertise their properties to their potential customers. Buyers can easily search properties on Instagram by using the hashtag: #housesforsale, or something of the like to look for a new home. This works far more efficiently and quickly than a conventional “property for sale” sign.

7. Entertainment

This one is pretty obvious but for businesses operating in the entertainment industry, Instagram comes naturally. According to PopSugar, celebrites absolutely love Instagram – they made the social platform a hub for their fans to follow. They are countless movie stars, singers, comedians, and other entertainment artists that post every day.

Images and videos account for the biggest portion of entertainment businesses, and Instagram offers just that. Besides, it is also a great way for fans to catch up on the daily lives of their favorite stars/brands through features such as Instagram Live and Insta Story. Lastly, the site also makes a great voting platform thanks to the use of hashtags.

The most successful brands on Instagram are the ones that have perfected the job of creating visually pleasing and stimulating photos that produce an emotional response in the viewer. From another view point, Instagram is also a very powerful research tool that allows businesses to see what’s trending, what to do and what not to do. With the right amount of attention, dedication, and effort, any business in any industry can yield the benefits of Instagram marketing.

This Article is contributed by Kaley Hart, a San Diego based digital strategist and writes for Jumper Media social media marketing column. She loves working with small businesses, and telling their stories through social media.


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