Brand marketers have been really ramping up their social media presence and increasing their use of newer platforms such as Instagram.
As noted by eMarketer: “Although brand presence on Facebook-owned Instagram is light compared to their activity on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+, it is growing. The growth may be partially due to Instagram’s recent introduction of Web profiles and feeds, both of which provide brands with a chance to better present their content and engage with followers.”
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I believe Instagram is a great way for companies to interact with current and potential customers. I have an Instagram account and I have seen how brands are finding new ways to use this social media. For example, some brands will show sneak previews of new products or behind-the-scenes work of that company. Some have even used Instagram as a way to mobilize their customers for scavenger hunts to win prizes. I believe that Instagram is more than just a way of editing and sharing photos.
I find the fascination with Instagram really puzzling. From what I see it is little more than a picture sharing social network. But you can do the same thing on Facebook and Twitter, so I don’t really understand why there is a need for Instagram. To hear that it is growing within the top 100 worldwide brands is shocking to me, because I just don’t necessarily see how it is useful.
I have to say that I love Instagram. I have my own and I actually follow some brands. I find it interesting to see that brands can now even go global on Instagram. I follow a brand name Runway Dreamz and I love it. Its an Australian brand and I have never seen a store in the US so I am pretty sure if I wanted one of their products I would have to go online to get it. I also follow Ben&Jerry’s and i have learned about different exciting new flavors!
It doesn’t surprise me that Instagram is one of the most powerful social media websites in the world. Mostly everyone I know has an Instagram and it is a great way for companies to exploit their brand name through pictures and captions. Brand marketers try to make their pictures start trending on Instagram which is the best way to get their name out their and expand their horizons with customers. Instagram is more than just pictures because it is a great way to market what your company has to offer and an easy way to attract potential customers.
I know the numbers show here that more and more companies are using Instagram as a marketing tool and that they are gaining more followers as time goes on but I think this is just naturally happening because Instagram is gaining more users than it has had in the past. With more people using Instagram obviously the chances are that more people will follow a big name company. This does not, however, mean that Instagram is helping these companies in any way. The people that take the initiative to follow them were already interested. It is not like on Facebook or other social media sites where you can just recieved random ads or ads relating to other things that you have followed or liked. Instagram doesn’t give companies that opportunity to reach out to more consumers than before and it doesn’t allow people that have never heard of the company to randomly happen upon it while browsing one day. In this way I think Instagram is definitely the least helpful site in advertising and marketing.
Many new forms of social media are continuing to come out quite frequently these days. With Instagram’s arrival not too long ago, it has widely grown into one of the major forms of social media in society. Companies are getting their products out there through Instagram where not only whoever is following them can see, but if one person likes their picture, the “liker” will also share it with their followers and so on. This is a great way to promote brands and products. With Instagram constantly growing larger, I can only see it being more successful for marketers.
Instagram is a great way for companies to advertise. I know that I follow many companies on Instagram, such as MTV and Victoria’s Secret specifically to find out about new products and things happening with artists and celebrities. Because Instagram is so widely used on smartphones, and now more recently online, it’s a great place for companies to interact with their consumers.
it doesn’t surprise me that Facebook still holds the highest number of profiles for brands in social media. Whenever I log onto facebook, there is some type of ad there based on something I have ‘liked’ in the past or something a friend has liked. However, the growing use of Instagram doesn’t surprise me either. I follow many brands that I like on instagram. Often times they post pictures from their catalogs or advertise sales or sweepstakes using this form of social media. Personally I love following different brands on instagram and it is a great way for different companies to network and interact with the consumer.
I would of guessed that facebook was the number one social media site. Just like other social media sites, facebook is very addicting. It has currently the most users. Instagram and Pintrest would have littlebit more popularity, but they are relatively new and not all mobile platforms have apps available for them.
It was obvious that Facebook is leading the pact in terms of social media. While pretty much everyone has a Facebook account I think that they are losing fan base and will soon start to slip more rapidly. I was the first kid in my grade to have a Facebook and I deleted it last year.
That drop in twitter use is interesting. Who is responsible for that – Burger King? Haha.
What’s more important – the presence, or the effectiveness of use? For example, it is very popular for companies to post the exact same material across several different social networks. Is that effective, or just redundant?
Like Twitter, Instragram provides the opportunity to create an image surrounding a product, quite literally. Marketers can use these tools to affect the way consumers perceive a product. For example, musical artists are able to promote their albums and tours on Instragram by taking pictures of the different shows they play and events they host. They are able to use these pictures to show their fans a more personal side of themselves, allowing the fan to become immersed in the lifestyle surrounding the music. Instagram allows direct and cheap marketing that will “trend” and create a buzz around products.
I think Instagram is a great social media site for businesses to use. As it continues to grow in popularity, brands should not skip out on this marketing opportunity. I personally follow several companies on Instagram, including Free People and Tobi. Since I began following these accounts I have been able to see new products and promotions just by simply scrolling through my news feed. Instagram is a great way for companies to integrate their brands into peoples every day lives, as we are constantly checking social media.
Marketing will always focus where present and potential customers are. Instagram is a great way to market because of its growing popularity and recognition as a social network. Although the bigger social media sites have more advertisement I think Instagram will eventually get up there. I believe that a big factor holding Instagram back right now is the fact that it can only be accessed fully though the smartphone apps. Not everyone has that app or let alone a smartphone. In addition to the big companies that have Instagram accounts I think that it is a great way for smaller companies to gain recognition. For example I know of a few small care care companies that advertise on Instagram and network that way. Also I think it is a great way for businesses to communicate and share tips without the fear of competition because often the companies are not close and if they are the user can choose to get tips and advice from a company located further away.
I’m definitely not surprised Facebook is leading the way. It seems like every time I log onto Facebook, especially on my phone, there are more and more ads for different brands. I can also see how Instagram is becoming more popular. It’s an easy way for brands to capture the attention of new followers and to put their products out there. I personally love the simplicity of Instagram and I enjoy finding and following different brands or companies.
Advertising in social is definitely a rising trend. Today most individuals check a social media website at least once a day. They spend hours either on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter or Google+. It is important to keep in mind the age range that uses the most each site, and to identify if this age range is really your target market. Like for example Facebook is used more by people between 18-29 years of age.
I’ve had my Instagram account for over a year and I got to see it’s popularity grow and the company expand throughout the past year. It’s increase in users has grow significantly and advertisers should be taking advantage of it. Now, whenever I go on my phone, not only do I check Facebook, but I check Instagram and I’m sure there are many others like me. If a company started putting itself onto the app, I would definitely start paying attention to it. For example, even Hofstra has created many accounts through which they advertise various programs and just the school itself. Both of these are creative ways to expand the knowledge of our school to others.
I recently saw an article on Forbes that Facebook is in decline. Perhaps not in these numbers, but there are new social media sites in the ranks that can possibly take its place as the ‘next big thing’ sooner rather than later. I believe Facebook remains so great for brand marketing is that it can post an advertisement in the form of an image or status, which its likers can share and comment on. Obviously if there is a complaint, the problem might get solved. The same goes for a company’s Instagram account. It can reach all Instagram users (even if they do not follow the account) through the popular page, which is equivalent to Twitter’s trending topics. This may be due to a matter of ease for consumers; for example, to view an ad in the form of an Instagram picture rather than read a lengthy status would offer all the information needed for a consumer to check back later on their own time for details.
In China, we have same app in Apple store and google play called “papa”, we can add voice information (up to 60 seconds) of the pictures, which is very interesting. Frankly speaking, Facebook and Twitter have the same function as Instagram. I think instagram should focus on the background information about the picture, such as story, high quality
Social media provide a win-win promotional model for social media sites and brand markers. Social media sites get profits from brand marketers, and brand marketers could earn for the advertisement with the increasing users on social media. However, the situation in china is not same, the largest social media site- SINA Weibo has not reach the break even point and earn profits now although it has more than 500 millions registered users.