The Instagram app is one of the largest social media and marketing platforms today. It has evolved multiple times, and its visual appeal has helped brands engage their users creatively.

An important app-related change for content marketers came when Instagram was released on Android, which gave its user base a huge boost, and again when Facebook bought the app and made it easier for brands to reach the intended audience for marketing.

One of the advantages that Instagram app offers over Facebook is that brands can target all users on the platform. On the other hand, Facebook allows brands to target only their fan base.

While most brands have attempted to use these factors to their advantage, here are some we think have successfully made the most of what Instagram offers:

1. Chumbak

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Chumbak is a brand that makes souvenirs and lifestyle products that have a colourful Indian touch. Instagram was an obvious marketing choice for them to tell their story and reach a wider audience.

Posts on Chumbak’s account revolve around how their products are used in everyday life. They attract engagement to their posts, either by featuring user-generated content (UGC) or by creating contests where they ask users to add their own touch to everyday items.

Apart from UGC, they also use professional shoots to beautifully capture their products. Not just photoshoots; they even share ‘making-of’ clips and videos leading to the final versions. By letting users have a peek into the backend, Chumbak builds a story around their products, thereby creating an emotional connect.

And there’s no denying that storytelling and brand awareness/recall go hand-in-hand; a study by HBR has thrown up similar findings.

2. Kingfisher

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The Instagram account for Kingfisher is doing a lot of things right. Glance through their feed and you will see they don’t have just one format of posts; there’s a variety, a combination of many things.

Much of our conversation on social media now comprises sharing memes or tagging friends on relatable posts. Kingfisher’s Instagram account too has jumped on the bandwagon. They share memes that relate to subjects like the wait for Fridays, playful posts about Star Wars, etc.

Apart from these, a majority of their updates are either user-generated (reposts where users have tagged them), or from sponsored events or festivals. These two major categories show real users enjoying their beer, and that’s definitely a positive for the brand; especially given that UGC on Instagram is known to improve conversion rates up to 2.4 times.

Users trust the reviews of their peers and Kingfisher understands this.

3. Zomato India

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Zomato positions itself predominantly as a food delivery app on Instagram but employs a subtle marketing approach. Their account feels a lot like a food blog with beautiful pictures that can definitely make your mouth water. These posts are not intrusive, and Zomato ensures they aren’t forcefully selling their service to their followers.

Apart from delectable food photography, the brand also uses witty and sometimes cheeky one-liners that riff off on topical events. They are also known to promote their services playfully; a recent post about Zomato Gold services saw Pac-Man make a brief appearance. Although the clip was short, it was enough to get the message through.

This high quality of posts is maintained consistently. Although they post 2-3 times every day, they never compromise on the quality of the content. This ensures a level of user trust and engagement.

4. Lego

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Everyone loves Lego, and their Instagram account is proof of that. If you don’t already follow them, do so now. Just one look at their posts and you will see why they have such great user engagement.

Their account is all about pop culture references and the latest happenings in the world, but every post is created through the Lego imagery.

In addition, they put up attractive updates announcing new Lego characters. For these releases, apart from picture posts, they use video clips as well. This makes sense, given that more than 50% of consumers wish to see video content from brands.

Like Lego toys, their account is bright and colourful and at the same time very encouraging. The Lego Instagram account has videos and posts that talk about the importance of children playing with actual toys, kids playing outdoors, bringing Lego to the classroom etc.

Although kids are the ones who are going to play with Lego blocks, the target group continues to be parents and teachers, and the brand works towards catering to them.

Parting words regarding Instagram app

Given that the charm of Instagram is built upon the pictures and video clips shared, brands keep coming up with innovative ways to make use of interesting visual methods that blend into the overall theme of the app. This helps increase user engagement tremendously.

Some brands stand out when compared to others since they have created their own unique identity on the app. And just by observing these accounts, you are sure to learn a thing or two that you can apply to your own content.