If you haven’t built Instagram into your marketing campaign then now is the time to consider it.

What is it? For those who haven’t yet tried it: It’s a free app that allows users to take a photo, apply a filter to change the look and feel then share it with other Instagram users or post to other social networks.

Infographic: Followgram

Some Fun and Amazing Facts

• Instagram has over 80 million users
• Each day on Facebook 300 million photos are uploaded
• Instagram gains one new user every second
• One billion photos have been taken with the app
• There are roughly 58 photos uploaded each second
• Students are key users of Instagram – taking photos is their 3rd most common content they create (next to txt and email)
• In September Instagram received more daily mobile traffic than Twitter

If you’re not yet convinced by those figures, according to Search Engine Watch, 54% of the world’s top brands are using Instagram to engage consumers and surely they can’t be wrong.

Why Instagram Works So Well

1. Appeals to the emotions: it is an instant visual representation of the brand and the consumer doesn’t have to work hard at understanding text – great for global campaigns.

It quickly builds brand recognition and loyalty by personalizing a brand through posting the right pictures:

2. Creates a brand personality

Reveals the personal side of a brand and can quickly create intimacy with the consumer without clogging their in box with e mails (hoorah)

3. Easily Engages

The opportunity to do so in a fun way with and the opportunity to introduce various hashtag to help drive even further engagement.

A great example of easy engagement and helping to create a brand personality is Topshop’s “Wish You were at Topshop” promotion. Topshop is a leading UK high street fashion store.

Topshop: Wish You Were At Topshop

Consumers were offered a complimentary styling and make-up session before posing for an Instagram photo. After the photo shoot, they could choose an Instagram filter to change the look and feel of the photo, then take home a printed copy on a postcard.

Using Instagram effectively

In order to get the most out of Instagram there are some real basics that should not be forgotten:

1. Understand what the target audience wants to see

It’s a marketing basic but very easy to just post images that the brand manager likes.

2. Engage fans with the pictures in a positive way

Photos need to be creative – not boring stock photos or something with lots of text, a real turn off. They also need to be exclusively posted there. Encouraging interaction between brand and consumer is key. Content should be created on both sides.

Don’t show photos of your products more than three to four times a day – it’s boring and could turn off consumers. Fresh new imagery is key so photos should never be posted twice.

3. Encourage loyalty

Let us not forget that a key reason to use Instagram in the first place is to encourage brand loyalty.

Hashtags that are unique to the brand and use of keywords increase engagement.

Probably the best known example of this is Redbull which has over 459 000 followers and uses hastags such as #GivesYouWings, #flyingfriday to represent different types of content thus increasing engagement further

Maximizing Instagram for your Brand

1. Use to promote your products

Brands such as Starbucks have done this in a fun engaging way. The company encourages its followers to post their own Starbucks photos, along with a campaign-focused hashtag.

For example this summer in the UK there was a daily photo challenge to promote Frappuccino. They ran a daily photo challenge asking consumers to submit their favourite frappuccino photos for a chance to win a £10 Starbucks card.

2. Create images that feature promotional codes.

Promoting exclusive discount and coupon codes for new products and services within a single Instagram photo is a fast, low-cost way to attract fans and boost sales. Topshop uses Twitter and Facebook to drive consumers to Instagram images that reveal “secret” discount codes and sneak peeks at new store locations.

Hashtaging your special-offer photos with #promocode is an effective way to attract and track deal seekers.

3. Go behind-the-scenes.

Show your customers what happens at your company. Post pictures snapped at company parties, charity dinners, product launches and industry events. Such behind-the-scenes glimpses help personalize your company and can create a sense of camaraderie and trust with your followers, making them more likely to do business with you.

4. Reward your followers.

Choose a follower of the day and promote him or her with an @mention. Similar to Facebook and Twitter, an @mention is how Instagram users tag each other in comments. This can fire up powerful word-of-mouth promotion and deliver more followers and potential customers. Many people like to be personally recognized by companies for their loyalty, and they’re more than happy to spread the word about their special status within their Instagram network.

For example, Sharpie showcases Instagram images posted by followers who draw impressive doodles and sketches using Sharpie markers and pens. Simply Measured reported that followers went from 0 to almost 35k fans in about six months; all organic growth won without any paid promotional support. Sharpie averages over 1300 likes per photo and over 21 comments.

4. Crowd-source content and turn your audience members into product evangelists.

Not only do campaigns like these initiate engagement between your brand and your target audience, it exposes your brand to their networks as well.

Levi’s did with its #iamlevis Instagram photo competition. In a bid to discover its next star model and reach a wider audience, the company asked fans across the globe to post Instagram photos of themselves wearing their favorite Levi’s clothing.

During the contest, people shared more than 3,513 Instagram photo entries. Each follower’s image was a reinforcement of Levi’s brand, basically a free ad, and the winner took center stage in Levi’s 2012 “Go Forth” ad campaign.It also provided a powerful message hook for a more extensive publicity campaign.

5. Create focus groups before a product launch.

The images which generate the most likes and comments give good indications for the final product. They also create  engagement and excitement prior to launch. But before you rush off and start a campaign there are some top tips:

• Post images that are relevant and of real interest to the target audiences so know your target audience
• Use trending hashtags or create your own hashtag
• Use ‘Likes’ to validate how attractive the images are
• Tag each image with the name of the brand, locations, keywords, the names of people featured (preferably with their permission) and what the image represents
• Share your Instagram photos on other social networks but try to post the most relevant image for each medium

Users interact with image-based content more than any other form of content on social networks.

Instagram is not right for every brand but if you know that your target audience is on Instagram and you have visual content to share then it’s time to build it into your campaign.