Over the past year, we’ve covered Instagram quite a bit. From case studies, to best practice articles, to features, we have focused on providing educational and thought leadership content to hone in on the value and business opportunity of Instagram.
As we ventured through 2013, it was evident that Instagram had no signs of staying dormant. Within a short period of time, the social network unveiled a new video feature and announced plans for an advertising model.
But does your company have an Instagram strategy in place? Here are a few best practices and examples to help you get started.
1. Create & Curate: Brands can populate their Instagram feed with content through two methods: creating original brand content and curating customer content. Brands such as Starbucks and Ben & Jerry’s are famous for creating original content, while The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has collected and published user-generated content using Instagram contests.
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2. Listen: In the social era, it is so important to listen, or track, what your customers are saying about your brand. This includes monitoring all brand, sub-brand and campaign hash tags. Whether they’re positive or negative, it is important to see what your customers are saying.
3. Respond: The power of social media is its ability to create one-to-one communication between a big brand and a single customer. If a customer posts a photo using your hash tag, “like” the photo! It’s a quick and easy way to show your customers you’re listening and you appreciate them spreading the word. You also can track photo activity and publish comments, especially if a shopper is dissatisfied with their experience.
Now that you have a foundation, it’s time to get started! If you have an Instagram strategy in place and want to get more advanced, download this E-book from our friends at MomentFeed!
