4 Instagram Marketing Strategies to Consider in Your Next Promotion

The free social photo app Instagram is on its way to reaching 100 million users in just 2 years, so it's no wonder that brands are taking Instagram marketing very seriously these days. People love image-based media -- for example, photos on Facebook receive 50 percent more 'likes' from viewers than text posts -- and marketing with image-based platforms like Instagram provide a more engaging way to capture the attention of online users. As far as Instagram marketing strategies go, here are the top tactics we've been seeing:

Social Sharing. The simplest form of Instagram marketing, social sharing on Instagram involves posting photos of a brand's products and people with hashtags. Although simple, this method, at the very least, gives a brand presence on the social photo app, and fans of the brand can access the brand's Instagram profile easily for product photos. Brands such as Free People and Paper, Denim & Cloth have used Instagram in this simple way to promote new fashion campaigns.

Search Engine Optimization. By using hashtags to name photos with keywords that are likely to be searched, a company can elevate its presence on Instagram and show up in search results more often. For example, the ad agency Tribal DDB Israel recently used Instagram to promote its office environment and culture through hashtags like #office and #clients. This low-cost, no-frills campaign secured 67,000 Google search results and secured over 300 new friends for the company.

Photo Contests. Instagram provides the perfect platform for photo-based contests. These can range from having customers submit photos of themselves using a brand's product -- Marc Jacobs did this with its 'MarcFam' Instagram campaign -- to having people submit photos related to specific categories, which is what Ford did for its 'Fiestagram' campaign. Levi's, on the other hand, used Instagram in its 'I am Levi's' campaign to crowdsource a new model for its next fashion ads and commercials.

Location-Based Campaigns. Instagram's geo-tagging feature allows users to post photos marked with their location. Brands can use this to promote its own whereabouts -- for example, a special brand event with exclusive photos of guests and speakers, or a sampling station that invites consumers to come try out a new product at a designated spot. Brands can also use the geo-tagging feature to create a scavenger hunt that calls on users to find location-specific items and tag them for a chance to win prizes.

Overall, Instagram marketing allows brands to tell a story and promote products through enhanced imagery. Find out more ways brands are using Instagram in their social media campaigns by accessing our PRO trends database, which features trends like Virtual Collaging and Instagramovation. Also make sure to download our Social Media Trend Report, which reveals some of the changes happening in today's online world.