The social media environment has changed significantly over the past few years for people in marketing. Five years ago the default channels we at MINT on the Rock would have chosen for the majority of our clients were Facebook and Twitter, with Google+ tagged on because it scored brands points with Google, but in the last two years there has been a stronger move towards using Instagram for some brands, because that is where their potential customers spend much of their time.
The Instagram influencers
Instagram differs from Facebook and Twitter in that it is only available on mobile devices: it is the perfect channel for the avid smartphone user, who can take photos and post them immediately to Instagram. It is also the channel that really promoted the idea of the social media influencer. Yes, famous Twitter accounts are known for their followers and are therefore also ‘influencers’, but Instagram became the channel where the influencers promoted brands. It was the channel where the person next door could create their own celebrity image and have brands coming to them for endorsement. It presented a host of opportunities for the Millennial and Gen Z generations, and marketers were quick to spot this.
Instagram offers good ROI
Instagram has the capacity to drive great engagement and an above average return on investment for a brand or agency, because it is a great stage for content marketing and paid advertising, plus it offers a way to communicate with customers in a way that speaks their language.
What to expect on Instagram in 2019
Influencer adventures
What could be more exciting for a customer than sharing the experience of an Instagram influencer on an exciting journey? It is likely that we will see brands pay influencers to go on Instagrammable trips using the brand’s products. This trend will be hotly pursued by the fashion and beauty brands: Victoria Beckham has 23 million followers on this channel and Sephora and MAC have 19.6 and 15.3 million followers respectively. Benefit cosmetics has used the concept to great effect, having taken a group of young influencers to the Maldives and gave them the hashtag #outofthisworld to bring the campaign together.
Offline events for online campaigns
The fashion and beauty brands are also increasingly leveraging the impact of offline events that are then Instagrammable. For example, Benefit launched a mascara called BADgal BANG. They invited guests, primarily those with large Instagram followings in the beauty sector, to a themed party in London. It featured a specially designed spaceship and this was the vital “social media moment” all the influencers caught on their phones and turned into Instagram stories, which they then shared with their community by using the #BADGalBang hashtag. Those 250 influencer guests reached 35 million people using that hashtag, according to Benefit’s advertising agency The Persuaders.
The rise of Instagram TV
Instagram TV, or IGTV, was only launched in June 2018, but it is already growing in popularity. Jamie Oliver posts a quick recipe demonstration, and Rihanna’s beauty product range, Fenty Beauty, gives makeup tutorials. It is perfect for delivering short, punchy content and because it is a new addition to the platform, now is the time to start using it for marketing, because it is fresh and a handy addition to the marketing toolbox.
At MINT on the Rock we have the expertise to help you use Instagram to boost your brand by planning a campaign strategy and assisting you with the best way to tell your story on Instagram, or find an influencer to tell it for you.
We also provide a full range of advertising and marketing services, including graphic design, web design, digital marketing, event management, content marketing and much more.
CONTACT US for a friendly, no obligations chat about how we can help you get more customers.
