Martin Beck says, “The marriage between social media and e-commerce still isn’t official, but it seems like every week they take a least a few steps closer to the altar. And while the major social networks in the space — Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest — continue treading cautiously, one company has created a solution that works today on Instagram. It’s not quite seamless — customers still have to maneuver through a few hoops to buy products from their Instagram feeds — but Curalate’s Like2Buy is pretty slick”. Curalate Brings E-Commerce To Instagram; Nordstrom... [...]

Allison Howen says, “Instagram is finally getting down to business, as the social network has announced that it is beginning to roll out a suite of business tools for advertisers. According to the company, the business tools will enable advertisers to better understand the performance of both their paid and organic content. It is important to note, however, that Instagram initially launched ads for a handful of brands back in October and the functionality has still been not released to the public. That said, the company notes that these new business tools will be released to more brands... [...]

Selena Larson says, “Twitter has a problem: New users just don’t know how to use it. To help newbies sign up and start tweeting, the company has made a number of recent changes. Redesigned profiles, a giant World Cup marketing push, and rejiggering the Home timeline are just part of Twitter’s many attempts to make it friendlier for first-time users. The problem: It’s not just Twitter’s design or interface that makes it an intimidating service for the average Internet user. It’s, well, Twitter users themselves. Habitual Twitter users like me have a habit of tossing... [...]

Summer Luu says, “Instagram continues to be one of the hottest social media platforms. Brands and businesses of all industries are taking notice and are looking to get into the action, finding the Instagram community another way to connect with their audience. If you’re looking to get started with this photographic group of users, here are 6 ways to you can make incredible images on Instagram. 1) Meet Instagram for Business You’re not the only one looking for information, and the folks at Instagram know it. That’s why they’ve created their own blog devoted to businesses: Intagram for... [...]

Chow says, “You probably already know that Instagram can be used to engage and interact with customers. And, between 200 million active users and not being widely used major brands, it’s a great platform to use in marketing. And, here are five ways that you can use Instagram to accomplish all of your marketing needs. 1. Tell Your Brand’s Story When it comes to telling your brand’s story, the adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” is pretty spot-on. An image is perhaps the best way to showcase to your customer’s what your brand is all about. Whole Foods shows delicious images... [...]

Wakeman says, “Have you jumped on theInstagrambandwagon? Not sure how it applies to you and your business? Take a look at the stats in the infographic below and you may find yourself thinking“how can I use Instagram now to boost the visibility of my business?!” Here are some photo ideas for you: People– colleagues, customers, clients, vendors Places– conferences, workshops, business meetings, landscapes, weekend outings (pop in something personal every once in awhile to give your followers a behind the scenes look at who you are) Things– products, tools you use, tools you want, gifts... [...]

The latest post on ‘Mashable’ is titled “Instagram Expands Ads to International Users”. Kurt Wagner says, “Instagram is taking its advertising strategy global. The photo-sharing service owned by Facebook announced on Tuesday that it will begin showing in-feed ads to international users “in the coming months,” according to a company spokesperson. Instagram will start with three countries — Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia — but more countries could be added in the future. It’s unclear how many of Instagram’s 200 million-plus users are outside... [...]

This is a reminder for Business 2 Community’ webinar on Instagram. Business 2 Community is hosting a webinar with Mitch Brooks, Elizabeth Breese and Mike Kurtz on Tuesday, May 27 at 2.00 pm ET. The topic of the webinar is “The Success Of Visual Brands: How To Measure The Value Of Instagram”. The ‘Business 2 Community’ team says, “In this session, Crimson Hexagon’s Mitch Brooks, Elizabeth Breese and Mike Kurtz will show how ForSight’s new Instagram hashtag monitoring feature allows marketers to tap a rich new vein of consumer insights. The team will walk through... [...]

This is a reminder for Business 2 Community’ webinar on Instagram. Business 2 Community is hosting a webinar with Mitch Brooks, Elizabeth Breese and Mike Kurtz on Tuesday, May 27 at 2.00 pm ET. The topic of the webinar is “The Success Of Visual Brands: How To Measure The Value Of Instagram”. The ‘Business 2 Community’ team says, “In this session, Crimson Hexagon’s Mitch Brooks, Elizabeth Breese and Mike Kurtz will show how ForSight’s new Instagram hashtag monitoring feature allows marketers to tap a rich new vein of consumer insights. The team will walk through... [...]

The latest article on  ‘Marketing Land’ is titled “Marketers Should Jump Into Instagram Before It’s Too Late”. Martin Beck says, “It’s hard to believe that a social network with 200 million active users could be overlooked by marketers. But that seems to be the case with Instagram. Compelling data released this week by Nate Elliott of Forrester Research shows that brand posts on Instagram receive remarkably higher engagement than posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms. Studying three million user interactions on 2,500 posts from top brands during... [...]