Instagram was launched three years ago as a spin-off of Twitter and is now the fastest growing of
the top social networks. Essentially, it is a VISUALLY based fun and fast way to share your
experiences, interests and trends with people. You can also elect to share your Instagram posts on
other social networking sites that you use, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr which
helps spread your content from a single source.
Instagram is particularly popular for its ability to take photos on mobile devices and publish
instantaneously.
If your network is ‘public’ then anyone in the world can see them and like them. In
this way it is capable of making instant connections.
Instagram is now owned by Facebook. Like Facebook, you can search for people, or a
brand/group, and then follow them. If your Instagram profile is public, you can be followed by
anyone.
Instagram users upload images with a caption and can also add, like Twitter, a hash tag (#) to
enable people to search for a topic of interest. For example, if you search
‘#grampiansgrapeescape’, you will find around 100 pictures related to this event that has been
posted by both businesses and the general public attending the event. Once images are uploaded,
users have the ability to ‘like’ and comment as they please; they can even ‘mention’ others in their
posts-, which again – spreads the word.
The Statistics
200 million active users per month globally
1.6 million active Australian users
70% of users log in at least once per day
60 million photos are posted to Instagram every day
8,500 likes and 1,000 comments are generated every second
9 out of 10 Instagram video shares occur on Facebook
30% of Australian teens now see Instagram as their 'most important' social network, making
it the top network for this demographic. Only 12 months ago, it was Facebook.
83% of posts include a hash tag (#)
Key Benefits
1. Instagram presently has a faster growth trajectory than Facebook and Twitter, making this
platform a key communication and marketing tool that should be explored by event organisers.
2. People (especially teenagers) are more likely to stop and view an image than read text
regarding an event/product. Therefore, if you want to attract a younger demographic, this is a good
communication platform to explore. Many young people are choosing Instagram over Facebook as
it is quicker to share images and a range of image treatments are available for special effects.
3. Like Twitter, the use of hash tags can also significantly boost the exposure of your posts to
new users who will like and comment on your posts and who may even follow you as a result.