In the wake, first of Myspace, and then Facebook and Twitter, popularity to create an online space for one’s self, opinions, or company began to rise. People began posting photos and updating statuses – what they were doing, what they wanted, and companies found an almost direct highway into their targeted clients’ minds. Brands began creating sites and advertising less from billboards or train banners, and instead moved the markets online. And the emphasis, slowly, became less about what hot new deals were selling and more about the content the company had to offer. But with the rise of all the social networking, perhaps the most important way to hook audiences’ attention had yet to be discovered, or capitalized on: the visual market.
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Until, in early 2010, a startup out of San Francisco came up with an idea to focus social media into mobile photography. They named the project Instagram, a portmanteau of “instant camera” and “telegram.” Within a few months, the company was on most mobile phones, with teenagers and Facebook users posting photos – and exclusively photos – of what they had for breakfast, where they were vacationing, what they were drawing…And although Instagram was used primarily by teenagers in the early years, companies soon caught on that brands could be advertised, fast, using hashtags. Soon companies began creating Instagram accounts, and adding new photo repertoire to their online image, creating a first-ever, exclusively image-based marketing technique that could catch masses of audiences with a single #hashtag.
But Instagram is more work that it lets on: it’s a work of art to get an image that catches masses of audiences, and skill to figure out when to time the images appropriately. You want to post frequently enough to keep your clients coming, but keep their attention with heart-gripping images that will draw them back to your site again and again. Here are some tips to keep in mind to become an Instaguru:
