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20 Brands That Blow It Away On Instagram & What To Learn From Them

20 Brands That Blow It Away On Instagram & What To Learn From Them

by | Aug 3, 2015 | Social Media

Have you ever snapped a picture, applied a filter, and shared it to your followers with a fun hashtag describing your feelings as you post?
Then you’ve used Instagram.
Instagram is an amazing social channel that provides people with the ability to give their followers a glimpse into their everyday lives.
Many times this means a ton of cat pictures, selfies, and the occasional food and beverage shot.
However, there are businesses and brands out there that are taking their Instagram game to a whole other level, hitting it out of the park with their strategy.
I am going to look at these amazing brands, helping you find some great Instagram inspiration for your own strategy.

Learn from the best out there.

Learn from the best out there.

20 Brands that are Amazing on Instagram

What are some brands that can give you excellent Instagram inspiration? I am going to take a look at some of the top ones when it comes to excellent content.
1. John Deere
Tractors, farming, spending time with family, and living off of the earth are all things that John Deere shares on their social channels. When you look at their Instagram page, you can immediately tell what they sell, and how much they value family and hard work. This is a great illustration of a brand knowing their audience base, and creating images to share that will easily connect with fans, followers, and customers.
2. Billboard Magazine
Keeping up with the latest music news is something everyone loves, and Billboard Magazine helps with that. They provide their followers with “insider info” and give behind-the-scenes looks at various projects, concerts, and more. BTS is a great way to interact and engage with your audience.
3. The White House
It’s pretty obvious that the White House staff is pretty stellar at social media. They understand that working with the public is a great way to bolster positive attitudes, which is a great inspiration for everyone, including businesses. Work to promote positivity, and you’ll start to notice more positive change around you.
4. NASA
NASA has a variety of excellent Instagram accounts, giving followers and fans excellent content that they all want to see. You can follow their main account, or you can choose different ones from different laboratories, space centers, and missions. This guarantees that you will be able to get the content you want, without having to sift through other content you aren’t interested in.
5. Intel
Seeing the latest innovations in technology and watching as awesome things are created can be an exciting thing for many people. When it comes to showing these, Intel is tops, giving all of us a great look into the future of technology. In addition, we see great behind-the-scenes elements, which creates great personal connections with all fans, followers, and customers.
6. Virgin America Airlines
Virgin is known for their swanky airline, and their Instagram shows just how awesome it is. Just a short, quick look at their pages shows some awesome photos of the airline, all with the signature purple lighting that everyone associates with them. This is a great illustration of keeping something consistent, whether a particular color scheme or voice, when it comes to using any social channel.
7. Taco Bell
You don’t have to like their food, but it is pretty hard for anyone not to laugh or enjoy this brand’s epic social media and advertising campaigns. They utilize humor in some of the best ways possible, making great connections with their fans and customers. But, like I said, even people who aren’t fans of their food still love their hilarious approach to all marketing.
8. Warby Parker
Warby Parker is a great place if you want designer glasses, as well as having a passion for helping those in need. The company knows that the main customer base they want to reach incorporates the younger generations, and their Instagram shows that. They truly are masters at creating content that young shoppers are likely to enjoy.
9. Macy’s
Fashion and fun are two major aspects of Macy’s Instagram account, and they capture it all amazingly. From giving suggestions on how to style the best minion outfit to celebrating the USA women’s soccer team, Macy’s knows how to connect with their audience. They are an awesome example of just how to utilize something that is currently trendy, as well as something that can bring everyone together in joy and celebration.
10. Game of Thrones
Whether it is when the show is airing, during a convention, or when the snow drifts start piling up, the Game of Thrones Instagram is on the ball. You get great behind-the-scenes looks at the series, plus fun photos of the cast at various Game of Thrones events. This really helps make all GoT fans feel like they are involved in this awesome series.
11. Starbucks
What’s Instagram without a picture of food and a Starbucks coffee cup? Their Instagram is filled with photos of the current marketing campaign, pictures of store locations, videos, and, of course, those coffee images. Starbucks is a great source of inspiration, no matter your industry, when it comes to social media.
12. GoPro
From an impactful bio to great fan-made images and videos, GoPro is an excellent example of involving clients and using Instagram to the fullest potential. You can expect to see amazing fan-captured items that are sure to make anyone want to use a GoPro camera. How can you implement anything from such a popular company? Simply by involving your clients and sharing media that is created by your client base; just share images they send in and have a blast.
13. H&M
H&M knows that their client base is one that appreciates fashion, fashion tips, and fashion industry news. And this is exactly what they share with their 8.4 million followers. You can see great style ideas for Bohemian-chic, how to relax at the beach, and the latest from whichever fashion week or show the brand is at. With fun videos, great behind-the-scenes looks, and excellent product images, H&M is definitely a leader in the world of Instagram. Take a look at their channel for some epic inspiration.
14. He for She
#HeForShe is an amazing social media campaign that is aiming to get young men involved in and supporting women’s rights all over the world. They mobilized this initiative over Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and have had an amazing social strategy that brings people together.
15. Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is another excellent example of a non-profit and how they utilize social media. For this particular non-profit, stories are vital to connecting with their donors and volunteers. Their social channels are filled with the latest stories of families helped, which is a great encouragement for many to get involved and help others.
16. Target
When it comes to a brand that knows how to use social media and Instagram, Target is definitely one of the top ones. Their channel is filled with vibrant colors that make their whole store and online shop seem like an amazing, inviting place. There’s no way you can feel anything but happiness when you see a Target Instagram post pop up in your feed.
17. NFL
For many Americans, it is a sad day when football isn’t on the TV. However, football fans don’t have to wait until the season kicks off to enjoy excellent football related content. With the NFL’s Instagram account, fans get the chance to see excellent news from within the NFL, as well as great countdowns until football is back on everyone’s TVs.
18. Sharpie
Thinking outside of the box and creating an amazing and unique Instagram presence can really help you stand out from competitors. This is exactly what Sharpie does, with a feed filled with fun images and creativity. Get creative, and even get some great creations from your readership and establish an epic Instagram presence that everyone will remember.
19. American Express
This is a great social channel for anyone who enjoys traveling, seeing new sights, drinking coffee, or almost anything else. The goal of American Express’s Instagram is to show just how AE can be used for almost everything out there, which means they are always reaching out to different audiences. This is an amazing example of creating great, gorgeous, high-quality content that isn’t limited and can reach out to a broader audience.
20. A Lady in London
People love to travel, but it isn’t always feasible with tight budgets. But A Lady in London gives everyone the chance to travel around England’s famous city and see some gorgeous sights. She connects with people through images that people can immediately recognize, as well as showing them “off the beaten path” locations. This is a great way to engage with followers and give them amazing content they are sure to enjoy.
Insta-spired: Create an Epic Instagram Strategy
Take some time to get inspired by these excellent Instagram channels to create some amazing images to share with your audience.
You can find great ways to connect and engage with your client base, giving them quality images, and involving them with your business.
If you are looking for great, written social media content then look no further than Express Writers. We can make some epic written content for your business, helping you make that initial connection with your customers and followers.

5 Ways to Correctly Use #Hashtags on Instagram & Twitter

5 Ways to Correctly Use #Hashtags on Instagram & Twitter

by | Apr 27, 2015 | Social Media

Hashtags are an incredible part of social media. They are what connects people during incredible or tragic moments, bringing the entire world together on social media. They provide excellent opportunities for discussion and are excellent for businesses. However, you might be wondering just how to use them, and use them correctly, on Twitter and Instagram.
Let’s take a look at hashtags that will help you create an excellent Twitter or Instagram campaign.

Crash Course: How Does A Hashtag Work?

Hashtags are becoming vital to any social media campaign, but many people still might not know just what a hashtag is. Here is a quick rundown and reminder: a hashtag is a word or phrase used on social media that follows the pound or number sign (#). This helps to tie posts together with others and makes it easier for clients and readers to browse through the hashtag to find relevant information. This is a great way to index and categorize posts to make it easier for those with an interest in the specific keyword. For example, if you are selling artisanal coffee and want people who aren’t following to see your posts, you can use a hashtag such as #artisanalcoffee or a keyword that you use more often on your site. This will help connect you, and broaden your reach.

Why Should You Use Hashtags?

I briefly stated a benefit of hashtags in my example above. You need hashtags because they help direct people to your posts if they are not within your network. Let’s say you are a company that sells your product worldwide; you may have a few local customers, but how can you connect with someone in England, Australia, or America? Simple answer: hashtags. In addition to broadening your range and reaching out to more customers, you can also use hashtags as a way to engage with your clients, potential clients, and industry leaders. In fact, researchers find that tweets that utilize hashtags get two times the amount of engagement as a regular, non-hashtag tweet; interesting! The biggest thing about social media is being social, and you can do just that with hashtags directed at being social. I am going to take a more in depth look at this to show you just how you can correctly use your hashtags, especially when it comes to Twitter and Instagram.

Companies That Should Be Using Twitter or Instagram

Twitter is a great social channel for many businesses to use because it can connect you with a broader range of individuals. It can also provide you with the chance to host online chats, which I will discuss later. Twitter is a great social channel for small businesses and is also a great tool that B2Bs can use. Now, when it comes to Instagram, it is important to sit down and think about what your company does. If you don’t have much visually driven content and don’t focus on it too much, then Instagram is not for you. However, if you do have visually driven content or product, Instagram is perfect. If you are looking for some tips on how to use Instagram for your business, Social Media Examiner gives some excellent points to guide you in the right direction!

How To Correctly Hashtag Your Content on Instagram and Twitter

Now that I’ve taken you on a crash course reminder on hashtags, their importance, and if you should use Twitter and Instagram, I am going to help you learn how to use them. Remember, when it comes to social media and hashtags, you will need to tweak and grow to find the best ones for you. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can correctly, and awesomely use hashtags.

  1. Use Weekly AMAs or Hashtag Chats. Many businesses use something known as an AMA or an Ask Me Anything. Ask Me Anything is a really popular concept for many celebrities and users on Reddit, but it is slowly catching on for many businesses on other social channels. Most of the time, a business will adapt it into a chat instead of using AMA, but the concept is the same and helps develop communication and dialogue. A great example of a business chat is that of SEMRush’s #semrushchat that they hold to talk about various concepts. They discuss various questions with their readers and followers and then post the discussions on their blog. This is a great way to answer some of the common and current buzzing questions clients have while also creating excellent blog material.
  1. Create Unique Hashtags. This is a perfect way to get your posts to stand out while directing people to your accounts and site. You will need to use trendy hashtags that will get noticed, but throwing in a unique hashtag created by you will help put all of your posts in an easy to find spot. It can also help when people start discussing things with you, using that hashtag instead. This will direct more people to the discussion, and eventually direct people to your Twitter account, or website. In addition, a unique hashtag can also help you keep your business related photos in one spot on Instagram, giving people the chance to see all photos you’ve posted throughout your whole Instagram usage.
  1. Follow Specific Hashtags to See More Discussion. When you are using Twitter, it is a good idea to make sure you follow specific hashtags to see discussions and anything your clients might be talking about. This is especially necessary if you create your own hashtag to get people involved in discussions. It won’t work if you don’t keep tabs on it to talk with clients. The best way to follow specific hashtags is to utilize social media tools such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, or others that allow you to create columns for certain keywords and phrases.
  1. Utilize Trending Hashtags for Easy Advertising. No matter if you are on Twitter or Instagram, using trending hashtags for advertising is a great method. Most of the time, popular hashtags are to promote something but are always asking for others to engage. For example, on April 12th, Game of Thrones was promoting the show’s 5th season starting up. The way last season ended showed one of the three dragons still flying around the countryside, causing trouble for the people and Dany. Game of Thrones’ official Twitter used this as a great way to advertise with #CatchDrogon, encouraging people to share gifs, images, or come up with clever tweets to catch the dragon. This was a great idea, and many fans participated. What made it even funnier was when businesses such as Arby’s joined in. This was a great way to advertise Arby’s by using a very popular hashtag. You can do something similar whether it is for a TV show, movie or just a random trending hashtag.

  1. Create a List of Hashtags to Use for Your Strategy. Before you start a hashtag campaign, you might find it helpful to sit down and brainstorm a few ideas. This will help you focus on the keywords you want to use for Twitter and Instagram while also helping you keep a list of all the hashtags you think can work for your business. Do some research into your top keywords and also take some time to look at Twitter and Instagram to see which hashtags are trending, not just in your industry, but overall. You never know when you’ll be met with an excellent opportunity to advertise your business in a clever way.

Top Trending Hashtags of 2015, So Far

Using trendy keywords is a great way to get your posts out there to a wider audience that might not look at your industry keywords. Let’s look at some of the trendiest hashtags so far!
#StarWars. This is the year of Star Wars. There will be a new movie, new game, and tons of new merchandise everywhere. During April 2015, the franchise held a convention called Star Wars Celebration. The convention worked with Twitter and anytime someone used a specific hashtag for Star Wars, new, little Emojis would pop up. It was pretty fun!
#Sports. Whether it be #baseball, #basketball, #football or the #StanelyCup, sports take over the trendy hashtags each year. These hashtags are great to get in on with your promotional material, especially if you make it sports related.
#Coachella. Coachella, the music festival of the hipsters, was in full swing in April, making it a trendy hashtag for everyone to use. It was used to highlight the festival, create advertisements using the hashtag, or even for a great discussion on issues such as cultural appropriation. The #Coachella tag and all of its subsequent ones had some intriguing aspects and discussions.

Everybody, Do the Hashtag Shuffle

Now that you know a bit more about hashtags for Twitter and Instagram, you should start doing the little dance known as the hashtag shuffle. Get to using them, and creating some excellent individual hashtags for your business. If you need help with social media or need keyword research to know the top ones to use for your website and social campaigns, then look no further. Express Writers is here to help with Twitter and other social media platforms, as well as providing excellent keyword research services. Which of these tips do you think will work the best for you and your business?
Photo credit: PrismaIllustration / iStock