Instagram for PR: 4 overlooked ways to use the app

Marketers at large consumer brands are taking advantage of the photo-sharing app—so can PR pros working for companies of any size (even those working with b-to-b companies).

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It makes our images look much cooler than they are, which is probably why the number of Instagram users is exploding—from 15 million in early 2012 to 80 million users in July. That’s an increase of 400 percent in seven months.

And as they did with the surging popularity of Twitter and Facebook, big brands have taken notice. A recent study by Simply Measured found that 40 percent of Interbrand’s top 100 have an Instagram presence. Brands such as MTV, Starbucks, Burberry, Tiffany & Co., and Nike have a huge following with numbers topping or near half a million followers.

It makes perfect sense for consumer brands to use Instagram. But what about business-to-business companies or smaller enterprises?

Instagram should be treated like all other social channels—albeit a more visual one—that has the means to build your brand, share news, and engage in dialogue. It enables companies to engage with their peers and customers by sharing snapshots of their products, culture, and people in an intimate and informal way.

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