How to Promote Your Blog with Instagram

If you think that Instagram is just a photo sharing app, you are deeply wrong! Today, this is a powerful internet marketing tool which can help you promote your brand in a simple and free way :)

Let's begin our story from the beginning. Instagram is an app that allows you to take or upload photos, apply some filters to them and share the result via social media: Facebook, Twitter and so on. Simply, isn't it? Simplicity is the soul of wit!

You should remember that Facebook has bought Instagram for 1 billion dollars. Zuckerberg is a smart guy and he would not have paid so much money for a company with only 13 employers if it was not worth it. That's why you should look at this application more closely.

Getting some profit from Instagram is a very simple and enjoyable process in case you do it in a smart way. Today I'll share with you some tips and trick how to use Instagram for a big company, small start-up or some kind of design blog. Stick around!

Let's imagine that you are an owner of a big company such as Coca-Cola or Apple :) You may say that it is a wasting of your time, but Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and John Pemberton (the inventor of Coca-Cola) were ordinary guys in their beginning. The only thing they had was their dreams! Returning to our topic, let's think about what benefits a big company can extract from Instagram.

Instagram + Big Corporations = Love

1. Actions, contests

Your company can run different contests through Instagram and promote itself. For example, McDonalds can ask its followers to publish some photos with the #mcdonalds hashtag to join the "McDonalds and I" contests. As a present for a winner they can provide a free launch:) Do you agree with me that it is not a high price for a good ad? :)

2. Iinner life

Let your customers see the inner life of your office. It's always interesting to know something new and exclusive about life of your favourite brand: where employees have their coffee or tea, workstations and meeting rooms :) The cool example of such implementation of Instagram could be the account of Tiffany & Co . They permanently post some cool photos of their products, corporative holidays, happy customers ... and other cute stuff that increases the release of endorphins.

3. Share new products

A big company can make photos of its new products and share them via Instagram. It looks like a little bit primitive way of using this application, but if you add some filters to photos of your product you'll get an attractive result which will engage your customers. Look at the General Electric's account. It is something like a Tiffany for boys :).

4. Viral effect

Unfortunately, we can't control this effect, but if you are lucky to get in a viral whirlpool, you'll get a cool promotion for your brand. For example, your friend have shared a photo with macaroons :)

You see it and want some tasty macaroons to eat. And you go and buy it :) The most interesting thing - you also make a photo of macaroons and share it! The viral effect is on.

One more cool example is the Starbucks account. There is a huge number of Starbucks coffee photos on Instagram. Look at some examples I've found for you and try to tell me that you don't want a cup of yummy coffee now :))

Instagram for small business

Ok, I think that you have already understood what benefits Instagram can bring for big companies. But what about you and your own startup or blog? A cool example of successful usage of this app is the Design Milkblog.

When we deal with a big corporation, it is a comparably easy task to find followers. But how to promote yourself if you haven't thousands of customers? Below, I've shared some rules for you:

• Your account should be specific. To post random images is not a good solution. You should choose the topic of your account and share only related images.
• Engage! Ask customers to share photos with your product, follow them and so on :)
• Be consistent. Decided to post two times a week? So, do it! Irregularity may alienate your followers.
• Add hashtags to your photos. It is a simple way to help people find your materials.

How to... some tutorials

How to use instagram for android?
Instagram your images using Photoshop
Create Instagram Filters With PHP

Instagram inspiration

Here I've collected some instagram-related stuff for you inspiration. You'll find some cute icons, lovely charms, handmade bugs, tasty cookies, logos, toys, keyholders and illustrations.

Instagram Hand Made Keyholders

Instagram Instaglasses Concept

A wooden toy inspired by Instagram

The back of the instagram icon

InstaGenius app icon

Cats of Instagram Logo

Retro Camera icon inspired by Instagram

Instagrille Icon

Insta

Instagram Rebound Flash

Instagram Button

Instagram Mascot

Instagram Badge

Canongram Vs Instacanon

Cameraaas

Instajelly

I love Instagram

Homemade Graham Crackers *recipe* decorated as the Instagram Logo using fondant