Pratik Dholakiya says, “Thanks to the power of its striking visuals, Instagram has emerged in the past year or so as the image-marketer’s favorite social network. Emotionally evocative when they’re at their best, Instagram visuals make a quick and lasting impression on audience members. No wonder nearly 71 percent of U.S. companies are projected to be active on the platform within the next year. Engagement is also huge on Instagram. Posts on the platform see some 4.2 billion “likes” in any given 24-hour period, and the average account’s follower growth rate is a staggering... [...]

Braveen Kumar says, “You’ve probably heard stories of Instagrammers who are cashing in on the pictures they snap and share every day. You might’ve even looked at your own sizeable following and thought, “Maybe I can do that too”. Just like bloggers, YouTubers, and anyone who’s amassed an audience around the content they produce, Instagrammers have reach and influence figured out—two things many companies struggle with. Together, these two things offer the opportunity for Instagram creators to explore multiple streams of potential revenue, whether they want to build an empire... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “The move is the latest step by Instagram to bolster its Snapchat-like Instagram Stories feature. Look out, there’s yet another way for retailers and brands to share live videos via social media. Facebook Inc.-owned Instagram today rolled out a new update to its Snapchat-like Instagram Stories feature, which let users and brands post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. To “go live” a retailer swipes right from his feed to open the camera, taps the Start Live Video button and then can share the video for up to an hour. When the feed is live, the merchant... [...]

Tamar Weinberg says, “Instagram has announced two features that show they’ve got their finger directly on the pulse. Today’s launch embodies the best features of Periscope, Snapchat and Facebook’s native experience with live video on Instagram stories and disappearing photos and videos. Instagram Live will do exactly what a user would suspect: give watchers the ability to access live broadcasts. The Live feature only gives watchers insight while you’re broadcasting, removing access from the app when you’ve finished broadcasting. To go Live, tap on the camera, then “Start Live... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “From Estee Lauder to Clinique – the biggest beauty brands in the world have been heavily building on their digital presence over the past five years, particularly on social media.  In contrast to this, one of the most talked-about new brands on the block, Glossier, has been built on digital from the very start. Now with over 320,000 followers on Instagram, it has attracted a loyal and dedicated customer-base in just two years since its launch. Here’s a bit more on how it has used the platform to build hype and engagement with beauty consumers. From blog to ecommerce... [...]

Eric Samson says, “Social media has created an expectation in which having a high follower count equals high monetary value. As Google continues to place greater weight on social metrics like shares and followers, digital marketers are more and more looking towards social media marketing as a useful and cost effective SEO tactic. After all, if you can spend $75 to post a video on an Instagram account with 20,000 followers in your niche, that’s a pretty great deal. The only problem is if those 20,000 Instagram followers are fake. Why are there Fake Instagram Followers? As content marketing... [...]

Lesya Liu says, “Is your Instagram profile ready for the real business opportunities that come with introduction of business profiles? Wondering how to polish and perfect the look of your page? How to maximize brand experience? These little often-overlooked details can differentiate a rock star Instagram account from an amateur. 1. The photo. It seems like a no-brainer, yet marketers make this mistake all the time. Instagram profile image is extremely small on the phone, so please, make sure it’s still legible. The safest route is to stick with a brand logo. Some people use that space... [...]

Silvio Porcellana says, “Despite its 500 million active monthly users and 95 million pieces of content published daily, Instagram is a social media platform that is still snubbed by many businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones. It’s like being the first one to go to Mars: it offers a fascinating opportunity to explore new worlds and differentiate yourself from the competitors. However, the fear of wasting time and energy (and money) prevails in the end. Instagram Marketing is an opportunity for everyone The fact is that small and medium-sized businesses often have to implement... [...]

Tamar Weinberg says, “Instagram has just released three new features to its Stories that show that the brand is unique enough to stand on its own. The features include allowing links, mentions and its unique video loop, Boomerang. With the support for links, currently only available to verified Instagram accounts, a hyperlink can be added to an individual story, and viewers can tap on the link to view the website within the Instagram app. Links are created when the Story is uploaded, and a user will have to tap See More to get more context, allowing the user experience to seem less cluttered... [...]

Blaise Lucey says, “When I log onto Twitter or Facebook, it’s like a million voices cry out… and never stop talking. It can get tiresome. I don’t see updates from the people I want to see. I know that could change if I took the time to reorganize things, create a list, silence people and unfollow or unfriend others — but then what’s the point of even having the platform? Twitter’s woes have been documented for a while now, but Facebook user engagement is reaching a plateau, too. Original content from Facebookers users has declined by 21 percent, reported tech news site The Information.... [...]