BRANDS THAT ROCK INSTAGRAM AND WHY

Posted on by seangallagher14

Instagram-Logo

Instagram is rapidly becoming one of the most frequently used social media apps particularly for people between the ages of 18-29, 59% of Instagram users range from that age group according to brilliant article by Maddy Osman that provide 18 insightful facts about Instagram for marketers. Instagram has nearly 500 million daily active users and its vital for businesses to have their own profile as it builds a trusting rapport with users who can also issue feedback through comments on posts which can make them feel more connected to the business.

Brands

In a world where visual content remains a crucial part of any business’ marketing strategy, Instagram marketing presents a unique opportunity to visually represent your brand, celebrate its personality, and keep it top-of-mind for all those users who scroll through their Instagram feeds every single day. There is currently over 8 million business profiles on Instagram and here below are examples of some of the best brands on this platform.

Starbucks- 17.3 million followers

Their use of witty captions and bright, creative photos leave Starbucks’ followers with a smile and a caffeine craving. Their easy-to-replicate images encourage customers to share their own artsy coffeehouse photos, in turn promoting the company. The post below is delightful and beautiful for the time of year we are in, the hand wrapped up from the cold and Christmas trees hailing in the background gives the user a gleeful feeling.

National Geographic- 95 million followers

With over 50 million followers, @natgeo is an unlikely king of Instagram.  National Geographic is well known for its spectacular photographic storytelling, so it makes complete sense that their fine-tuned craft translates well to Instagram. The NatGeo feed is filled with portraits of animals, landscapes, and citizens of the world. Each photo is capped off with an informative journalistic caption. The beautiful image below epitomizes their Instagram page and the beautiful imagery that comes with it.

Brown Thomas- 126k followers

As Ireland’s largest luxury retail store it’s no surprise that Brown Thomas has 126k followers, and growing fast. It posts roughly about three times a day, with a mixture of promotions, behind-the-scenes images and pure unadulterated beautiful fashion.

Why Brands rock with Instagram

 

1. With a total of over 8 million business profiles on Instagram it is very important for           brands to interact on this app so they don’t fall behind competition. The brand could         carefully monitor their competitors posts and form a personal strategy from the                 information they gather on them.

2.  They can engage with customers on a daily basis, the fact is that people like to make            their opinions known, especially if they like something, and Instagram is a platform          for users to like, comment on and share their favorite posts. The more likes and                  comments you get, the more visible your company becomes.

3.   Brands can make money from Instagram through product placement. They allow              businesses to add tags to the products in their photos with links that include a                      product description, price and the ability to “shop now,” which will lead the user to            your online store. With this new service, it’s simple for a business to attract actual              sales from the site, and with 72 percent of Instagram users admitting to purchasing            products through the social media platform, the results are hard to ignore.

 

YouTube Bumper Ads Explained

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Youtube Bumper Ads

Bumper Ads as defined by YouTube itself is a non-skippable video ad of up to 6 seconds that must be watched before your video can be viewed. I feel because of the ad only being 6 seconds long it can portray its message as the viewer wont feel frustrated that their time is being wasted watching the ad. The bumper ad may be used as a teaser for a longer video advertisement or like I mentioned just to portray a simple message so it is vital for a business to capture the viewers attention

Some Examples of Effective Bumper Ads include:

This first example of a bumper ad is from the movie Jason Bourne starring Matt Damon which was released in 2016. this snippet is very eye catching in my opinion as they use loud sounds, flashing images and show a scene of action which already gives the viewer an idea of the action and thriller involved in this movie. I also like the fact the ad conveys a tone of arrogance when they assume the viewer already knows who the character is and his backstory, “You know his name.”

This next example by Nissan is attention grabbing in so many ways as firstly their new shiny Nissan Terrano stands proudly in the center of this caption and the slogan portrays a simple but effective message with its “Powerful Presence”. However the most memorable feature of this ad is when the narrator in a more sensual tone says “Who’s your Daddy”, I found this very humorous and this bumper ad certainly grabbed mt attention.

The final example of an effective bumper ad is this Green tea advert featuring the cute teddy bear PG. This bumper Ad is largely contrasting to the two previous bumper ads that I explained as this is more simple and easier to grasp. What is so attention grabbing about this ad is the cuteness with the little slurp he makes when he drinks the tea. The message is so simple but effective about a delicious cup of green tea.

Reasons for bumper ads

bumper ads are very helpful for businesses and their marketers because in today’s climate people don’t want to be paying attention to a message that is not necessary to them for over 10 seconds. I feel like businesses are benefiting from bumper ads too because it portrays one simple message from a short clip than could remain in the viewers minds and when the time comes when that product/service, the business would have positioned themselves perfectly in the minds of the customer. An effective bumper ad will work if the short ad is eye catching and able to catch a viewers attention from either loud noises, flashing images, humorous content and etc.

In the short YouTube video below that is less than 90 seconds it perfectly explains the benefits of using bumper ads and i feel this video is very important for any marketers out there looking to improve their business.

Marketing to digital tribes

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The term digital tribe is used as a slang term for an unofficial community of people who share a common interest, and usually who are loosely affiliated with each other through social media or other Internet mechanisms.

The main characteristics of digital tribes are:                                                                                  1. Tribal loyalty where this characteristic considers the strength of the tribe in terms of the loyalty of its members to each other or to an area of interest, as well as its longevity. For example, Digital Tribes formed around a sports team are likely to have a stronger and more sustainable bond than perhaps a tribe focused on restaurant guides. The stronger the tribe, the more likely that a digital model will be sustainable and capable of supporting a “pay” revenue model.                                                                                                       2. The tribal size where understanding the overall size of the tribe is important to evaluating revenue opportunities. Large tribes may suggest that a revenue model based on free content supported by advertising and based on volume may be appropriate.              3. Tribal wealth where the understanding is the wealthier the tribe the better as it can support an revenue model.

Examples of Digital Tribes on Facebook

 

 

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How tribe members communicate with each other:

Apple employees and owners of iPhones, Macbooks, and iPads connect with each other as users of the company’s products, follow and enjoy the insights of the late Steve Jobs, and for the most part, buy into the idea that Mac products are the pinnacle of technological performance.

5 Top Tips for improving Facebook page

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  1. Ensure your profile picture displays your brand name and logo

    The profile picture used by Powerscourt Hotel clearly shows the brand logo and brand name

 

 

 

 

The profile picture utilized by the Europe Hotel and Resort does not indicate either their brand name or brand logo and would confuse Facebook users if it came up as a suggested page

 

 

 

According to postplanner your profile picture is more important than your cover photo as you never get a second chance to make a first impression. To check out how to upload high quality cover photos or any other photo to Facebook without any compression or loss in quality check out the video below.

 

2. Choose an engaging cover photo

This is the cover photo of Adare Manor’s Facebook page. Its beauty and elegance would engage and attract a customer to visit the page and learn more.

 

 

 

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This is the Facebook cover photo from the Bella Cafe. the problem with this in my opinion is that this the the same image as their profile picture, its also an ugly image that shows the restaurant of lacking creativity and quality.

 

 

 

It is very important for a business to have attractive cover photos as once a Facebook user clicks on a profile the cover photo is the next thing to stand to to them. Its covers a large chunk above the profile picture and an unattractive image can halt the user from reading through the rest of the page. The video below best explains the ways of a Facebook cover photo.

 

3. Fill out the about section with valuable information

This is the About section of the Forge Bar restaurants Facebook page. This provides information to the Facebook user about the businesses details and most importantly it makes it easier for the user to contact them.

 

 

 

 

 

If a business filled out the about section wrong or didn’t add enough good information it could misguide traffic and result in less like for the business. The information on the about section usually includes telephone number of the business, its location and details of its website. The short video below issues a good understanding for businesses to edit their about section on Facebook

 

4.  Creating a posting strategy

This is a prime example of Supermac’s and Papa Johns Facebook page where three times a week they inform other Facebook users of their deals and offers that they provide for that week. On top of that information they upload an image of a tasty meal they would sell to entice a user to visit heir restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is important for businesses to upload links, photos and updates on their Facebook page regularly. Also the business should keep their updates relevant to their business for example it would make no sense for a real estate page to upload a picture of Beyonce. The video below gives you tips on how often you should post on your Facebook page.

 

5. Responding to comments on your Facebook page

This is an example of an organisation responding to questions on Bank Of Ireland’s Facebook page. They conduct themselves professionally and politely when answering the Facebook users inquiry.

 

It is very important for businesses to interact with their fans and respond to their comments as it can build an understanding and relationship between the two parties. It is not necessarily important to respond to every single comment made but it could be useful for a business to monitor the conversation and see what others are saying. A business can monitor and respond to comments on their Facebook page via the notification tab at the very top of their page. This four minute video below enables a business to have a better understanding

 

 

About Sean Gallagher

Posted on by seangallagher14

Hi, my name is Seán Gallagher, a marketing student from CIT, Cork, Ireland. To find out more about studying in CIT check out this video below.

I am originally from Glanworth which is in the North of Cork. I play football and hurling with my club and other things I enjoy doing is listening to different types of music from Spotify

‘Technology and social media have brought power back to the people’.                            :Mark McKinnon