6 Examples of Awesome Instagram Campaigns
Running Instagram campaigns is an arduous task for many brands, particularly because it is such a mysterious social platform. Everyone knows there is a lot of potential there, and that it is less crowded than many others. But how do you take advantage of its unique features and community? How can you build your own?
There are five brands in particular that are really killing it on Instagram. Each has seen a real surge in their social success, and been able to improve their overall numbers using the visual platform.
By seeing what they have been able to accomplish, we can begin to emulate, and then adapt, the tactics they use in their Instagram campaigns.
Starbucks
Starbucks started out with one tool in their arsenal that would become crucial in their marketing scheme: brand loyalty. Starbucks fans are among the most loyal customer base in the world. So much so that having a Starbucks cup of coffee has practically become a fashion statement. The hashtag will bring up endless images of prolific users on Instagram showing off their coffee daily.
Back in 2014, they leveraged that brand loyalty by running a contest. They asked customers to submit images of drawn designs on their cups. The best were turned into eco-friendly reusable mugs and sold in physical stores around the world.
This competition generated thousands of submissions, and launched Starbucks (once again) into the viral limelight with one of their hashtags. Instagram campaigns were a primary platform for the contest, and they were trending for weeks.
Tsuchiya Bag
Japanese fashion company Tsuchiya Bag was looking to exploit Instagram’s new ads, and improve their flagging visibility on social media. They chose to use visual storytelling and warm, affectionate images to cause an emotional response in the people viewing their ads.
Through these Instagram campaigns, which featured sentimental photos and stories that tugged at Instagram user’s heart strings, they saw a 6 point rise in brand awareness. That might not seem like a huge deal, but that translates to more than 500,000 impressions on Instagram alone.
It was an excellent result.
A & W
A & W was struggling not with brand awareness, but specifically ad recall. Given the rotating nature of seasonal items, and the fact that they had a product type that required regular revisits from a loyal customer base, this was a big issue.
Wanting to show that they were using better ingredients for their food – a common worry in consumers today, Millennials in particular – they chose that angle for their ads.
Focusing on a Canadian audience of young people, they created a sponsored photo campaign on Instagram. A smart move, as that is one platform very popular with that age demographic. They promoted a new brand promise to also use fresh, healthy ingredients to make a better kind of fast food.
They ended the campaign with an impressive 39 point rise in ad recall, and a 4 point rise in quality association.
General Electric
One of the most surprising brands to gain a foothold on Instagram is General Electric. They have leveraged high quality images and live feeds to generate a visual storytelling Instagram campaigns platform that also directly engages the customer. It is a great combination of social and visual media that has been an example to many.
Not only that, but they put in a fair share of their time and effort specifically dedicated to speaking one on one to the consumer. They discuss concerns, industry advances, environmental issues, and a lot more. All through their Instagram comment section.
They have become the most cited Instagram success of any brand, and it was purely through social and content strategy.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Celebrity accounts are a dime a dozen, and they tend to effortlessly gain millions of followers and regular engagement. After all, it is a platform made for celebrities: beautiful people doing interesting things on camera.
One of the more interesting examples comes from actress Tracee Ellis Ross. Not only does she use Instagram campaigns to give useful tips about beauty management and social issues, but she also has an alter ego.
Her funny videos of delusional rapper TMurda are great, and they work to debunk stereotypes depressingly prevalent in society today.
This interesting approach to Instagram has made her account very popular. In the meantime, it has boosted her personal brand and social presence.
Awesome Instagram Campaigns: Jessica Simpson Vs Jessica Simpson Style
Jessica Simpson technically has two Instagram accounts, and we will address both of them here. The first is her personal account, which is insanely active and popular. The second is her company account, which barely gets any nibbles.
What is so cool is that it doesn’t matter. She uses her personal account to help promote products and generate interest in her brand. That inevitably pushes some traffic to her business account, but the real commodity is her. She is her own best lead generation tool.
By splitting the two up, she actually strengthened her marketing efforts on Instagram. It was a fascinating choice, and one that seems to have worked well.
The business account seems to be more for the most dedicated to her style company. Everyone else can just enjoy her personal account, and still be informed about the products she releases.
Conclusion
As you can see from the Instagram campaigns discussed above, some well-known brands have learned how to take advantage of this relatively new marketing medium.
And with a little thought and creativity, you can do the same with your brand too. Just be sure to take some notes from the above Instagram campaigns that have already hit some home runs. 🙂
For a more in-depth look at running profitable Instagram campaigns, a good resource you may want to check out would be this course by Sarah Davidson. She has over 15 years of marketing expertise and is well-versed in Instagram campaigns.
Over to You
Do you know of any good Instagram for business marketing campaigns? Let us know in the comments!
About the Author
Jessy Troy is the stay-at-home blogger and professional writer who is enthusiastic about social media marketing.
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6 Examples of Awesome Instagram Campaigns
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