#indy500orbust

Just last week, business analytics tool SumAll named Instagram the best platform for brands. According to SumAll’s CEO, “With increases in fan/follower engagement nearly three times that of other networks studied, Instagram is the clear winner for 2013. If a company has a visual product to sell and it’s currently not on Instagram, that company is missing out on significant brand awareness and revenue.”

If you’re a brand with a visual product, event or experience and you haven’t considered Instagram as part of your marketing strategy, let us tell you something: You should think it about it. Maybe it’s a fit and maybe it’s not, but either way, it’s best to know.

From the Indy 500 to Visit Austin, we’ve seen the impact an Instagram campaign can have for a business. And that’s why we want to help you build your brand on the platform. Beginning today, we’re sharing five steps for success to help your brand get started. The first step is below, but you’ll have to stop back each day this week to get the rest. 

Ready? Here we go!

STEP ONE: Decide where Instagram fits within your overall marketing strategy. Are you hoping to build brand awareness? Drive sales? As with any other marketing tool, the first step for building your brand on Instagram is deciding where the platform fits within your overall marketing strategy. This step is essential because Instagram may not be a fit for your brand. Consider the following questions to determine if it’s the right platform for your brand:

Are your current or potential customers on Instagram?

What is the story you want to tell your customers about your brand?

Can you consistently maintain a presence on Instagram?

What are the business outcomes and metrics that you are trying to achieve with this inititative?

If you've gone through the questions and answered “yes” and know what the story is you want your brand to tell, then it’s time to go all in. 

Next, make an assessment of your goals, then determine how Instagram can be used to help you achieve them. From there, you can decide how you'll use the platform to show your business and connect with customers. 

For example, the Indy 500 is challenged with a very diverse fan base. Ranging from 60-year-old males who don’t know a think about social media to 20-somethings who fancy themselves amateur smartphone photographers and grew up on social media. Rather than targeting a single slice of their fan demographic, the Indy 500 bridged the social gap by combining online and offline engagement tactics. How did they do this? By creating an interactive map that featured fans’ Instagram and Twitter photos hashtagged with #Indy500orBust and giving them a chance to win the ultimate Indy 500 experience. As a result, they took one of the most diverse fan bases around and leveraged social engagement to create a unique fan experience that delighted, inspired and engaged a widespread audience based on their shared passion for the Indy 500.  

If it’s right for your brand, joining Instagram can be a new way to inspire, facilitate and create moments for your customers to interact with you.

I took this from our seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Turn 1, about two hours before the green flag of what turned out to be arguably the greatest Indianapolis 500 of all time.