The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Marketing

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM MARKETING

wishpond EBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

3

Chapter 1 | State of Instagram Marketing

6

Chapter 2 | Instagram Advertising

14

Chapter 3 | Instagram Algorithm Changes

18

Chapter 4 | Instagram Best Practices (w/ Examples)

25

Chapter 5 | Instagram Contests

31

Chapter 6 | Instagram Tools

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| The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Marketing, Wishpond, July 2016

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM MARKETING INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION INSTAGRAM AS A SOCIAL PLATFORM FOR BUSINESS Once a social platform for the simple process of photo sharing, Instagram has become a powerhouse application for both users and advertising dollars.

This report is designed to give an indepth analysis of current Instagram statistics, strategy, and advertising.

Instagram has surpassed a whopping 500 million users worldwide, 300 million of which use the platform every day! It boasts some of the highest user engagement rates of any social media platform and has continued its steady evolution by offering a suite of advertising options and management tools for businesses. Expect Instagram to continue to offer new features to its user base and further integrate with its big brother Facebook’s complex advertising network.

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INTRODUCTION HOW WE COMPILED OUR DATA In order to provide a comprehensive look at the current state of Instagram marketing, we’ve pulled the most up-todate information from a number of different sources to give you a bird’s eye view of exactly what Instagram can offer to your business. All statistics mentioned in this report have been researched by our team and compiled in a way to help improve your Instagram marketing strategy. We hope this report finds you well, and that you’re able to make good use of the contents inside.

Sincerely, The Wishpond Content Team

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CHAPTER 1 STATE OF INSTAGRAM

STATE OF INSTAGRAM 5 KEY STATISTICS IN INSTAGRAM MARKETING

An average of

95,000,000 PHOTOS

Posts with at least one hashtag receive

12.6

% MORE

are shared on Instagram everyday.

THAN

of the top brands in the world are active on Instagram.

By 2017,

71

%

OF COMPANIES

100+ EMPLOYEES

with

MORE

will be using Instagram.

ENGAGEMENT

The media and apparel industry are the most active on Instagram, but there has been a steady increase across all industries.

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STATE OF INSTAGRAM USER STATISTICS Instagram has:

500 300 MILLION MILLION monthly active users

Instagram Takeaway: Though it’s a bigger platform than some of its competitors, it can be challenging to find exceptional engagement if your product isn’t visually appealing.

daily active users

This puts it above Twitter, Snapchat, and LinkedIn in popularity

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internet users have % ofanallInstagram account

80

24% OF MEN

31%

OF WOMEN

55% OF PEOPLE AGED 18-29

Instagram’s users are % oflocated outside the U.S.

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STATE OF INSTAGRAM USAGE STATISTICS

Photos and videos on Instagram receive

4.2 BILLION likes on a daily basis

30

%

of Instagram accounts are inactive

An estimated

8

% of accounts are fake

Almost half of Instagram users conduct product research on social media.

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STATE OF INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT STATISTICS Instagram posts generated a per-follower engagement rate of 4.21% — the most of any social network. • 58x more than Facebook • 120x more than Twitter

4.21

%

0.07

%*

0.03

%†

Base: 1,526, 388 user interactions on 162 Instagram brand posts * Base: 1,405, 249 user interactions on 329 Facebook brand posts † Base: 98, 298 user interactions on 910 Twitter brand posts

On average, more than half of the comments received on a post are generated in the first six hours. 10

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STATE OF INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT STATISTICS Instagram posts that include @mentions in their captions earn 56% MORE ENGAGEMENT than posts without.

Instagram Takeaway: Due to its updated algorithm, engagement is more important than ever on Instagram. You should take some time to engage with other accounts, too.

Photos generate 36% MORE LIKES than videos. Only time will tell if this holds true as video content increases in popularity.

The average caption on Instagram is 138 characters long. HOWEVER, caption length has not been proven to have any real effect on engagement (unlike Facebook and Twitter post captions).

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STATE OF INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT STATISTICS Instagram posts tagged with locations drive 79% more engagement than posts without locations.

2.5k

45M 40M 35M

Posts

2k

Engagement

30M

1.5k

25M 20M

1k

15M 10M

500

5M 0 Sept 14

June 14

Mar 14

Dec 13

Sept 13

Jun 13

Mar 13

Dec 12

Sept 12

Jun 12

Mar 12

Dec 11

Sept 11

Jun 11

Mar, 11

0

Average engagement per post has increased 416% over the past two years.

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STATE OF INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT STATISTICS Instagram posts with more white-space and single dominant colors receive more likes and engagement Than posts without.

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CHAPTER 2 INSTAGRAM ADVERTISING

INSTAGRAM ADVERTISING STATISTICS Instagram is expected to bring in $595 million in mobile ad revenue this year and $2.81 billion by 2017, surpassing Twitter. The mobile revenue from Instagram will account for over 10% of parent company Facebook’s global ad revenue.

Instagram net mobile ad revenues

2.81

$

% of Facebook total ad revenues

1.48

$

0.60

$

7.1%

10.6%

3.7% 2015

2016

2017

2015

2016

2017

% of US Facebook net mobile ad revenues

10.7%

20.1%

28.0%

% of non-US Facebook net mobile ad revenues

0.5%

1.3%

3.7%

% of Facebook net moble ad revenues worldwide

5.0%

9.5%

14.0%

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INSTAGRAM ADVERTISING STATISTICS 52% of marketers say they are planning on increasing their use of Instagram for promotion and advertising, up from 42% in 2014.

Physical products were the top content types advertised on Instagram for the top 200 brands in terms of engagement.

A whopping 96% of US-based fashion brands use Instagram for promotion.

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INSTAGRAM ADVERTISING STATISTICS Number of active advertisers on Instagram: 200,000 Average CTR of an Instagram Ad: 0.11% Average CPM of an Instagram Ad: $5.78 For advertisers, Instagram offers 3 types of ads: • Photo • Video • Carousel (a set of photos) Instagram Ads are: • Targeted, meaning advertisers can target audiences using demographic and psychographic information. • Interactive, meaning they link to a page of the advertiser’s choosing, and can include a call-to-action (CTA) button.

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CHAPTER 3 THE NEW ALOGRITHM

THE NEW ALGORITHM OVERVIEW In March 2016, Instagram announced new algorithm-based changes to the newsfeed to reflect user engagement preferences. Now that Instagram has grown to the level that it has, the company recognizes the need for some form of organization. Engagement is king according to the new algorithm. Users will be shown more posts relevant to them based on their past actions and behaviors. Instagram has slowly been perfecting its ad platform and now has enough pull to force brands to pay if they wish to reach the audience they once did.

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THE NEW ALGORITHM ACTION Now that the Instagram news feed algorithm awards engagement, businesses must: • Aim to create more engaging content • Prompt followers to like and comment in post captions • Increase the use of industry specific hashtags to reach new audiences (Instagram allows 30 hashtags per post) • Pay further attention to Instagram usage and engagement data, measure, and optimize

For more on how your business can combat t the Instagram algorithm change, check out our article Instagram Algorithm Changes: 7 Strategies to Employ Right Now

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THE NEW ALGORITHM: BEN & JERRY’S CREATE CAMPAIGN-SPECIFIC LINK Ben & Jerry’s adds CTAs to all of their posts like “click the link in our profile to see…” The link in their bio drives followers to their website, where they can learn more about the company’s products. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy • Add CTAs to your Instagram posts • Direct traffic to a page on your website, like a landing page or blog post

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THE NEW ALGORITHM: REI USER-GENERATED CONTENT & STORYTELLING REI reposts photos from other users, accompanied by the story behind the photo from the users. Like Ben & Jerry’s, they direct followers to their website with a CTA. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy • Search for hashtags related to your product, identify profiles with content you would like to feature, and reach out to them.

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THE NEW ALGORITHM: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS INORPORATE TRENDING TOPICS The Seahawks react to trends (movies, news, etc.) and creatively incorporate these trends into their Instagram content. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy • Look at themes like holidays (even little-known ones), seasons, popular films, regional news, etc. • Avoid controversial, political, or divisive statements so as not to alienate your audience

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THE NEW ALGORITHM: NASTYGAL MONETIZE ENGAGEMENT NastyGal uses a service called Like2b.uy, a profile link that leads to a page which allows customers to buy the products they see in their photos. This helps the brand convert the impressions and engagements it generates on Instagram into sales. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy • Look into products like Like2b.uy and Have2Have.It to aid in converting interested Instagram followers into sales.

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CHAPTER 4 INSTAGRAM BEST PRACTICES

BEST PRACTICES TOP BRANDS ON INSTAGRAM Almost half of all U.S. brands have Instagram accounts. Of the top 100 brands in the world, 90% use Instagram. The most followed brands on Instagram* are: 1. Nike (55.7 million followers) 2. National Geographic (55.6 million followers)

Instagram Takeaway: Though Instagram is a great place to market your brand, don’t forget to showcase the people behind it once in a while. A majority of Instagram’s most-followed accounts are people, not brands.

3. Victoria’s Secret (42.3 million followers) 4. 9gag (31.5 million followers) 5. H&M (15.5 million followers) These brands made it to the top with a combination of existing popularity, hard work, and a strict adherence (but creative approach) to Instagram best practices. Let’s take a look...

*excluding sports teams/celebrities 26

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BEST PRACTICES, DEMONSTRATED BY NIKE EMPHASIZE LIFESTYLE & PEOPLE Nike highlights athletes (both professional and amateur) on its Instagram account to reinforce its position in the industry as a go-to sportswear brand, fit for athletes. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy • Show your followers the people and personality behind your products—sell an ideal or lifestyle instead of being product-focused.

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BEST PRACTICES, DEMONSTRATED BY H&M HAVE A SIGNATURE H&M maintains Instagram brand consistency through similarities in the visual characteristics of each photo. In addition to its recognizable top-down layout, the brand places a heavy focus on featuring uniform color schemes. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy • Create a visual “style” - try to keep most of your photos similar in their composition (e.g. using certain colors or a specific angle) • Use only a few filters for your photos. Followers will eventually recognize the characteristics of your photos.

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BEST PRACTICES, DEMONSTRATED BY THE NBA USE VIDEO NBA uses video to highlight short, exciting moments from games - in fact, more than half of its feed is made up of videos. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy

Instagram Takeaway: Videos are muted by default - make sure the message of any videos you post is clear, even without audio.

• Though it seems simple, make sure videos offer more value than an equivalent photo. • Explore new types of video content - Instagram now supports videos up to 60 seconds long.

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BEST PRACTICES, DEMONSTRATED BY ADIDAS FOOTBALL USE INFLUENCER MARKETING Though Adidas sponsors its athletes, the idea is the same: partner with notable people with loyal followings to generate interest in your brand. How you can add this to your Instagram strategy • Identify your target market, and reach out people with large influence within the market. • Encourage these people to create content and share their own thoughts on your product through incentives. You can provide them with a product sample, or they may have a set price for sponsored posts.

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CHAPTER 5 INSTAGRAM CONTESTS

INSTAGRAM CONTESTS WHAT IS A HASHTAG CONTEST? A hashtag contest is one of the simplest ways to get fans interacting with your brand on Instagram. It involves an individual posting their own picture on Instagram then tagging it with a specific hashtag that your business has chosen. This type of contest allows you to deepen the emotional connection you have with followers. You get them communicating about your business to their own networks while also capturing user-generated content which you can then use for future marketing efforts.

Instagram Takeaway: Products like Wishpond make it easy to host hashtag contests - just pick a hashtag and you’ll be able to track votes and likes to find a winner.

What’s better than having fans as brand advocates? Not much at all.

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INSTAGRAM CONTESTS HOW DO HASHTAG CONTESTS WORK? As mentioned, users enter a hashtag contest by posting their own picture on Instagram, tagged with the unique, campaign-specific hashtag your business has chosen. These pictures are then displayed in a gallery on your website (or Facebook page) for people to view. Once in the gallery, all photos with the hashtag can then be voted on, shared or liked. This increases the reach of your contest and your business massively, allowing other users to discover you on the platform. You can then choose if you want to display submissions in the gallery based on most votes, most recent submission, or randomly. Once the contest is over, you can choose a winner based on votes, shares, likes, or even the photos you feel represent your business best.

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INSTAGRAM CONTESTS WHO DO HASHTAG CONTESTS WORK? As a contest provider for the past few years, we at Wishpond know exactly what types of contests work in engaging followers and increasing your fanbase. So why all the fuss? What makes an Instagram Hashtag Contest so effective? • Using a specific hashtag allows you to spread the word about a campaign, exposing your business to new users (as you can see, Zara promotes their Autumn & Winter line with #aw16) • It requires little effort from your business - the hardest part simply being coming up with a good, catchy hashtag and theme • You get rewarded with engaged followers and authentic images from the customer themselves, showing your business through their eyes • With the Wishpond Instagram Hashtag app you can require contest participants to follow your business’ account and/or @mention your name in their photo.

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CHAPTER 6 INSTAGRAM TOOLS

INSTAGRAM TOOLS ANALYTICS Iconosquare ($30-$500/month, 7 day trial available) • Analytics and marketing platform for Instagram • Recently rebuilt • Follower growth monitoring and location information • Identification of follower influence • Post timing optimization & engagement rate • Competitor benchmarking Crowdfire (Free-$200/month) • Primarily centered around followers • Analyzes people you follow, people who follow (or don’t follow) you, and people you should follow • Allows you to copy followers from other businesses, such as competitors • Also features post scheduling

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INSTAGRAM TOOLS ANALYTICS Repost (Free, iOS/Android) • Hassle-free app that makes it simple to repost photos from other users • Copies photo and adds text box with Instagram handle of original poster • Easy way to utilize user-generated content Later (Free-$50/month, Web/iOS/Android) • Instagram content scheduling app • Though Instagram doesn’t allow automation, Later reminds the user to post at the scheduled time • Allows uploads from phone, computer, Google Drive, and Dropbox • Copies photo and caption straight to Instagram so user only needs to click “post” • Features hashtag searching and reposting of other users’ content

Instagram Takeaway: Posting on a regular schedule leads to increased consistent engagement, which will keep you at the top of followers’ feeds based on the new algorithm.

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INSTAGRAM TOOLS ECOMMERCE Have2Have.It (Free-$300/month, 30-day trial available) • Single link (to be placed in Instagram profile) leads to interactive gallery linking photos to content • Photos can link to featured products, blog posts, landing pages, etc. • Particularly useful for retailers and news publications, who often release new products/articles • Overcomes Instagram’s limitation on links

Instagram Takeaway: Besides Instagram Ads, the platform isn’t the best place to convert impressions into sales - but with one of these tools, you’ll have a way to monetize engagement.

Like2Buy (Free-$50/month) • Similar to Have2Have.It with particular focus on retailers, links photos to products to make a user’s Instagram feed shoppable • Offers analytics including impressions, clicks, and revenue generated on each photo Wishpond ($45-$129/month) • Full marketing suite featuring Instagram hashtag contest tool • Offers real-time analytics for contest performance • Collects lead data that can be exported 38

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STATE OF INSTAGRAM MARKETING SOURCES 1. http://sproutsocial.com/insights/5-instagram-stats/ 2. http://get.simplymeasured.com/rs/801-IXO-022/images/TheCompleteGuideToInstagramAnalyticsSecondEdition.pdf?mkt_ tok=eyJpIjoiTVRZMFlqTTJaR0k1TXpKbSIsInQiOiJ3NFwvV2NybElmUlQ2RjRLS3ZyXC9ISlZZNjNoeHlUSVwvVVViWklZUU1cL2J0bmttZXB0NEJVNmRzNEdIeHp3eTA3OG1FNmNwWlRDO FwvTDhcL3MxXC93VFVXc3doSlZIbWpieVplOW9Ja1dsUit1YzQ9In0%3D 3. https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics-for-business/ 4. https://later.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-using-instagram-hashtags/ 5. http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Instagram-Mobile-Ad-Revenues-Reach-281-Billion-Worldwide-2017/1012774#sthash.7mg3egse.dpuf 6. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2015.pdf 7. https://www.instagram.com/press/?hl=en 8. https://clutch.co/agencies/resources/small-business-digital-marketing-and-social-media-habits-survey-2016 9. http://blog.wishpond.com/post/115675436753/instagram-algorithm-changes-7-strategies-to-employ-right-now 10. http://blog.wishpond.com/post/115675436747/6-instagram-lessons 11. http://blog.wishpond.com/post/115675436783/10-instagram-tools-for-business

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The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Marketing

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