Do you use Instagram for your business?

Are you wondering how you can grow an Instagram following and get the most out of your Instagram profile?

Instagram, a photo and video sharing platform, has been propelled into the centre of attention after its acquisition by Facebook for a cool billion. Coupled with the fact that engagement on Instagram ranks highest among any other social media platform out there (read: Facebook and Twitter), it is little surprise that brands are flocking to this 200 million strong platform to connect with their audiences.

Before launching full force into Instagram campaigns, what first makes a good Instagram post? Instagram makes a unique case for any other photo-sharing social media platform as it prizes itself to share personalized moments with other people- making personal moments beautiful and unforgettable via creative and high-quality photos.

Despite their announcement to start rolling out advertisements, Instagram’s goal to make people happy remains unchanged. This explains their deliberate take on selecting advertising brands where great emphasis is placed to ensure ads are “enjoyable, engaging and natural” to Instagram. This should be your goal as well to create posts that get the Instagram culture.

#1 Use high-quality pictures

Instagram is a photo sharing platform- you communicate with others via images. As such, the quality of your post is heavily dependent on the quality of your photos- no one will be attracted to grainy, bad images! On a social media site with 60 million average posts daily, high-quality images that look good is almost a sure pre-requisite to stand out.

#2 Get creative

Creativity scores huge on Instagram. Good quality alone is not enough- make people like your pictures out of sheer awesomeness. Go for visually epic images, not forgetting that the more creative it is, the more your picture will stand out. Think of different ways consumers use your product and come up with a something new from a fresh perspective!

#3  Show others who you are

It doesn’t have to be always about the product. Successful marketing bases itself on communication, while communication really boils down to having a relationship with the people you are engaging with.  In fact, Instagram advertisements are not allowed to have obvious product placements unless it is placed in a non-obvious way where the image is still natural to Instagram. It’s not about just about what you’re selling but the finer details, creativity, preparation, values, that makes your brand what it is. It shares the experience of your brand, not simply a product, that your audiences can better identify themselves with. A terrific example would be Red Bull’s posts on extreme sports that gives its audience an idea of the way of life and energy that makes Red Bull, Red Bull.

Here are some examples we love, these brands just get it. Not all examples come from brands that have been selected to be Instagram ads, but it will definitely steer you in the right direction!

Which do you like best? Also, what other tips have you learnt from being part of the Instagram community?

Share them with us in the comments below!