I had the pleasure of attending Social Media Week in New York City, which brought together many of my peers in the digital space. Sessions were chocked-full of insightful and inspirational examples, including how some companies, you may find surprising, are taking advantage of Instagram.
Because of its association with consumer brands, Instagram isn’t the first social media platform one may consider for B2B marketing; and oftentimes, it is ignored outright. In fact, more than 25 million companies across the world are already taking advantage of Instagram for Business, and the platform’s overall popularity portends more opportunities for B2B exposure.
One of the greatest advantages of the platform for B2B brands right now is the lack of competition. While LinkedIn is becoming saturated as a go-to for businesses, Instagram provides new territory through which to stake your claim.
The platform also allows for your brand to visually showcase products, services and people. In addition, it can further build trust with other businesses and drive traffic back to to your website.
Three ways B2B brands can especially leverage Instagram include:
- Showcasing company culture, especially behind the scenes glimpses or inside an R&D process
- Celebrating corporate history by throwing back to milestones or colorful activities
- Broadcasting live from an event, demonstrating something exciting
The first step before jumping into Instagram for your business is to write a content mission statement describing what your company will provide on the platform. This signals to those who visit the channel that the content will be rich, resourceful and relevant.
Then you’ll want to take the time to sketch out your success framework. In other words, think about why you want to do this. You need to decide, is this program for love or money? Or put more simply, is it to drive sales or spread awareness?
Next, it’s important to choose your content design. Why does your Instagram channel exist? Is it to inform? Entertain? Inspire? Something else?
One very successful example of a B2B brand informing on Instagram is Pfizer. Pfizer’s Instagram design continues to focus on informing users by owning the conversation surrounding a variety of prevalent diseases. While the content features interesting information an everyday person would find interesting, it simultaneously builds credibility among other pharma businesses and prospects.
In terms of practical tips, it’s imperative to develop a consistent identity; use your imagination to illustrate visual metaphors for content development and take advantage of Instagram’s Stories feature to showcase real-time updates of timely thought leadership.
In addition to starting and curating an Instagram account for one’s corporation, another great way to integrate into the channel is through paid promotions, according to Matt Higgins, SVP and Head of Digital + Innovation at SKYLABS.
Again, Instagram offers businesses an opportunity to flex their creative muscles and deliver a platform to inform, entertain or inspire.
Join in and diversify your social media footprint!
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.