Alfred Lua says, “Ten billion. That’s the number of videos people watch on Snapchatevery day. The same potential consumption (maybe more) exists forInstagram Stories — quick videos and photos that disappear after 24 hours, just like Snapchat, but with an audience of 500 million users. Does that sound like a channel worth exploring? We believe so! Storytelling has always been a key part of marketing, and features like Instagram Stories are empowering us marketers to tell better and deeper stories about our brands. We’d love to provide you with more resources about Instagram Stories... [...]

Robert Katai says, “Did you hear the news? Instagram launched a new feature. Some people say that it bears a striking resemblance to Snapchat’s feature with the same name. If you didn’t hear about it, listen to this This Old Marketing episode to hear in detail what Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose have to say about Instagram Stories. To summarize, they say: “If you can’t beat ’em, clone ’em.” But what if we go further and look at how to use Instagram Stories in your content marketing strategy? Smart content marketers care about how to leverage their game to build a community, connect... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Instagram’s Stories feature, which launched in early August, is off to a strong start with Millennials, but it is still not yet liked as much as Snapchat’s version, according toa recent poll from YouGov. The report was based on data from a survey conducted August 23-26 among 547 adult Millennials (age 18-34) in the United States. Just under half (48%) of Millennial social media users say they are either fully or somewhat aware that Instagram rolled out its Stories feature. Some 53% of Millennials active on Instagram say they look at Stories content on the platform... [...]

Antony Maina says, “The widely popular online video and photo sharing app Instagram recently struck 1 billion downloads mark on the Google Play Store and joins other Facebook owned online services, Messenger, WhatsApp and Facebook itself, as some of the few apps that have crossed the billion mark. The photo and video sharing platform was first launched in 2010 and within 3 months its growing community had already surpassed the 1 million mark. A year later they surpassed the 10 million mark and now they have joined the big boys league. Initially, Instagram app was only available on iOS but... [...]

Madeline Popelka says, “It was a marketer’s dream come true when Instagram announced the launch of its tools for businesses. (Analytics and insights built into the app? Yes, please.) But before rushing to create a business profile for your brand, let’s examine a similar journey taken by Instagram’s parent company, Facebook. Ten years ago, Facebook introduced “pages”, which allowed organizations (and celebrities, pets, food groups) to make public profiles to interact with their fans on the platform. It was a great way for brands to engage with existing fans to cultivate advocacy.... [...]

Lana Richardson says, “Like it or not, the way we use social media is changing. And Instagram knows it. The photo-sharing network recently launched its most significant and talked-about feature to date: Instagram Stories. It allows users to share—in a slideshow format—photos and videos that then disappear after 24 hours. Yes, you’re right, it does sound a lot like Snapchat, which has been at the forefront of a shift toward ephemeral, transient posting on social media; in this new era of social media, content is no longer created or curated, edited, and scheduled; it’s fleeting... [...]

Andrew M. Smith says, “Visual content garners a huge amount of engagement on social media. There’s a reason why 71% of online marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing: People respond to it. Being able to share this content across multiple platforms, then, is an asset. And one of the best ways to do that is to link Instagram to Facebook — that increases the number of eyes on your visual content. Before you move forward with your Instagram strategy, you’ll want to connect these accounts. Sharing your posts with your company Facebook Page, rather than... [...]

Ann Smarty says, “Instagram has become the go-to tool for those who want to take their visual and social marketing to a new level. One of the fastest growing social networks on the web, it now has 500 million monthly active users, an increase of 100 million since just a year ago. Instagram marketing is growing exponentially. According to this page, about 30 percent of mid-sized or larger U.S. companies are using the platform to advertise these days. The number is expected to rise to 70.7 percent in 2017. The smart marketer knows that they need to strike while the iron is hot, building their... [...]

If you don’t know much about Instagram, you could be giving your competitors an unfair advantage. But there’s a solution, and it’s free. Tuesday- Friday, this week only, you can attend Instagram Success Summit, online. If you watch all the sessions, June 7-10, you will find out many ways to profit from Instagram that most marketers never have heard of. Many Instagram experts have joined together to offer this free training. So you have an opportunity to learn from the best minds on today’s hottest social media platform. Get your free ticket now: Instagram Success Summit Here’s... [...]

Kara Burney says, “In 2013, only 24.6% of Fortune 500 companies were active on Instagram. Fast-forward three years, and the adoption of Instagram among America’s biggest brands has doubled to 50%, with 250 brands represented on the social media platform. How are America’s biggest brands putting Instagram to use? I analyzed a year of Instagram content from Fortune 500 companies to find out. Here are four trends and takeaways that can help your own Instagram content stand out. 1. Instagram is a day job (but it shouldn’t be) Fortune 500 companies treat social media marketing on Instagram... [...]