Brands on Instagram: Connecting With Photos http://tier10lab.com/2012/01/12/brands-on-instagram-connecting-with-photos/ January 12, 2012

By Joseph Olesh

With news and images streaming in real-time from the North American International Auto Show, the NY Acura Dealers have opted to employ one of today's most popular mobile apps: Instagram.

Instagram is a mobile-based social network driven by its users sharing photos. Preloaded photo filters enhance these photos, preparing them for social deployment to the users' choice of Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous, and/or Foursquare. Nearing 15 million followers, Instagram is quickly outgrowing Foursquare as the largest mobile social network.

The New York Acura Association does have two award-winning photographers covering the action with high-end dSLRs: Douglas Sonders, a nationally celebrated photographer, and, Tier10 Marketing's Joseph Olesh. So why dedicate time and energy to iPhone-captured Instagram pictures? "Using Instagram here at NAIAS gives us a chance to introduce the NY Acura Association more people via mobile devices. It's not enough to rely only on Facebook and Twitter; Instagram brings us closer to our customers by sharing our visual stories on the same platform," explains Tier10 Partner and Creative Director, Scott Rodgers.

 

Follow NYAcura on Instagram here: http://followgram.me/nyacura

Follow NAIASDetroit on Instagram here: http://followgram.me/naiasdetroit

Visual content inspires action online, be it a search engine or social network. Integrating Instagram into your brand's social media marketing strategy can improve your engagement levels with followers and help promote yourself as progressive, rather than reactive.

Here are a few best practices we'd recommend:

• Promote Transparency: Allow your Instagram account to tell the "behind-the-scenes" story of your brand. Show meeting rooms, call centers… places the customer wouldn't usually see.

• Interact with Followers: Thank followers that "Like" or comment on your photos with an "@" tag; responding to social engagement goes a long way in creating a relationship with your customers.

• Use Hashtags to Join Conversations: If you sell Honda Civics, you may want to search #Honda, #HondaCivic, or even #Cars. Hashtags are a hyperlinked word that aggregates photos into a batch, functionality that is mirrored/borrowed from Twitter. Using hashtags in your own photos will help your brand get in front of folks that may had never heard of you before.

• Use the User Profile Fields: Instagram will ask for your name, email, phone number, website and a short bio. Filling out these fields will help users find your profile. If you are a business, use the first name field for your DBA. The biography is good for your location and the service/product you provide. And of course your website; you may be amazed at the referrals that can come from a properly managed Instagram account.

For specific questions, tweet us at @Tier10Lab.

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