Instagram has been a popular social media platform since its launch almost 6 years ago. The free photo sharing app exploded with over 100 million active users in 2 years, and is now up to 500 million - growing at a faster rate than Twitter.
Mobile app users instantly fell in love— posting everything they can from their greatest achievements to what they ate for breakfast. While users continued to strive and compete for more “hearts”, advertisers quickly discovered a new business opportunity.
Quickly, B2C companies flourished, with their fans seeking out their latest and greatest products, dying to become the next brand ambassadors. There’s no better way than to merge ads with reality to attract attention.
So, what's in it for b2b companies?
The real question remains, if B2C can do it, can B2B companies succeed on Instagram?
Many people have argued this and continue to argue one way or another, but from my own experience and research, B2B companies can, indeed, benefit from Instagram.
These days, potential customers and business partners are not only looking for the product or service that best suits theirs but also for a team that they can work well with. Instagram provides the opportunity for digital marketers to show off their organization’s personality - a side that people wouldn’t normally see on a company’s website or from business interactions.
So it’s really all about getting noticed, delivering your company’s value and spreading awareness.
Take a look at these stats:
The potential reach is mind blowing—over 300 million daily active users and 500 million monthly active users.Since visuals are processed in the brain 60,000 times faster than text, Instagram is a great place to show off a new product or idea that will attract and stick.
Think of your future customers – over half of all Millennials use the app everyday - for work and play!
Instagram for b2b companies
It’s easy to just snap and upload a photo, but just like everything else, there needs be a plan in place. Since Instagram is best for increasing awareness of your company, start by sharing your story, through photos of course. You can read about5 ways to introduce Instagram into your marketing strategy here. 5 ways to introduce Instagram.
But before you get started, take a look at 5 B2B companies that have made it in the #insta world, taking us behind the scenes into their unique personalities. From company culture, employee engagement, thought leadership, product demos, and event promotion, Instagram is a great opportunity to show off your stuff in a personable way.
- Computer Hardware company IBM, has gone beyond the technical aspect and corporate curtain showing off teamwork, inspiration and employee engagement.
- FedEx portrays the message that it doesn’t only deliver packages all around the world - but travels to beautiful destinations, sharing moments from one place to another.
- Email marketing company MailChimp uses their playful monkey logo throughout their story. While this doesn’t relate much to email marketing, it definitely reinforces the brand in your mind.
- Hubspot, the marketing and sales automation platform is a great example of how to feature company culture. From team building shots, marketing tips, and motivational quotes, Hubspot gets their company’s values across in a very effective manner.
- Adobe uses Instagram to actually show off what their product can do, using different tools and techniques for each photo.
Now that you know the ultimate instagram benefits for B2B, you can start implementing it in your marketing strategy- go have fun and give it a try.
by Gabi Yanover on September 21, 2016
Gabi is the Director of Implementation Team at Penguin Strategies. She is passionate about yoga, traveling, and Marketing Tech solutions.
