{"id":2650,"date":"2013-08-16T16:38:10","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T16:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/?p=2650"},"modified":"2013-08-16T16:44:45","modified_gmt":"2013-08-16T16:44:45","slug":"how-instagram-can-boost-your-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/how-instagram-can-boost-your-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How Instagram Can Boost Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

For anyone over the age of 35, the word “Instagram” likely conjures up\u00a0images of self-absorbed\u00a0whipper snappers\u00a0taking\u00a0pictures of themselves or their food\u00a0at the mall.<\/p>\n

\"Instagram<\/p>\n

Sure,\u00a0users of\u00a0the wildly popular\u00a0photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service do\u00a0tend to skew young, but\u00a0that hardly means you should sit on the sidelines while the puberty set has all the fun.\u00a0If used right, Instagram can be a valuable tool for your business or blog, no matter the\u00a0demographics you’re angling for.<\/p>\n

Now this article isn’t specifically about how to use Instagram<\/a> and its fabulous\u00a0photo filters, or\u00a0the new 15-second video capabilities<\/a>; it’s more about how to make Instagram-made media work for your company. Even though the app itself is only three years old, as you’ll see below, there are already some well-established success stories.<\/p>\n

Define Your Brand<\/h3>\n
\"Maersk\"<\/a>

Maersk has embraced Instagram to build its brand awareness.<\/p><\/div>\n

As anyone who’s ever tried to walk from one end of a Super Target to the other can tell you, the world is a pretty big place. That means there are a lot of companies out there — more than 122 by my last count — and getting the\u00a0right message to consumers about\u00a0who you are and what you do takes some effort. Pictures and video\u00a0are a great way to make that effort.<\/p>\n

When the Denmark-based shipping\u00a0company Maersk wanted to define its brand, it joined Instagram<\/a> and began uploading hundreds of pictures of its massive ships, containers, and ports. These photos\u00a0give\u00a0a business that works pretty much behind the scenes\u00a0a\u00a0glorious\u00a0platform\u00a0to show off with. Your cars, electronics, and girlfriend’s lap pillows<\/a> didn’t just magically appear on U.S. shores, they were brought here by Maersk, baby!<\/p>\n

Connect With Your Audience<\/h3>\n
\"paypal\"<\/a>

PayPal asked its users to document their shopping purchases like this one on Instagram.<\/p><\/div>\n

Calling every person on your company’s email list and asking them if they like Grey’s Anatomy<\/em> too is, well, one<\/em> way to connect with your audience. But we can think of a better way: Let them use their smartphones.<\/p>\n

PayPal harnesses the power of\u00a0Instagram by\u00a0asking its users to do the work<\/del> join in the fun. Shoppers are encouraged to\u00a0take pictures of their PayPal-funded purchases,\u00a0then share those photos<\/a> via the hashtag #paypalit.\u00a0This relationship benefits everyone involved. The shopper gets a little smidgen of fame while\u00a0PayPal\u00a0boosts its brand loyalty and gets\u00a0a little social media\u00a0promotion out of the deal too.<\/p>\n

Build\u00a0Your Buzz<\/h3>\n
\"marc<\/a>

Marc Jacobs used Instagram video to showcase its new line of (ahem) fashions for men.<\/p><\/div>\n

Got a new product coming out? Offering a new service?\u00a0Before you begin writing that (eesh) press release, consider creating a bite-sized\u00a0video instead.<\/p>\n

When the fashion gurus at Marc Jacobs were ready to unveil their\u00a0new line of spring and summer menswear,\u00a0they went to Instagram<\/a>. They used a\u00a0simple 15-second clip with\u00a0no fancy editing, no narration, no graphics, nothing. But tens of thousands of eyeballs saw it—something that wouldn’t have happened with a press release. There’s a reason you’ve never heard the term “viral press release”—it’s\u00a0never happened.<\/p>\n

So fear not those young rapscallions<\/a> who feign lordship over all things Instagram; this\u00a0vehicle is yours as much as it is theirs, and it’s ready to be taken for a ride. Happy trails!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For anyone over the age of 35, the word “Instagram” likely conjures up\u00a0images of self-absorbed\u00a0whipper snappers\u00a0taking\u00a0pictures of themselves or their food\u00a0at the mall. Sure,\u00a0users of\u00a0the wildly popular\u00a0photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service do\u00a0tend to skew young, but\u00a0that hardly means you should sit on the sidelines while the puberty set has all the fun.\u00a0If used right,… Read More…<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":2652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[47,48,86,87,88],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2650"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2686,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650\/revisions\/2686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}