Instagram is everywhere. Of the 200 million users globally, around three quarters log in at least once per day. With this incredible amount of users being exposed to millions of pictures, the reachis huge and its potential can’t be denied.

A study has found out that Instagram is also the most rapidly growing social network in the world this year – currently the annual growth rate is at 66%.

These are strong arguments for the platform and its place in a holistic marketing strategy. Fashion brands that aren’t already using Instagram should definitely think about ways as to how incorporate Instagram in their marketing strategy.

Especially in fashion, it’s all about images and what an outfit looks like on a person. In my last post, I briefly mentioned how fashion bloggers make use of Instagram and one of them actually told me that she features new products she buys on Instagram before she even blogs about it.

So what are the benefits of ‘Instagraming’?

Although this might be many people’s perception of the social network, Instagram isn’t just about teenage girls posting selfies (interesting fact: since the launch of Instagram, more than 35 million selfies have been posted!) – so if that’s what you think, think again! It’s a powerful platform which allows brands to get a message across to their followers. It’s a simple way to visualise your brand and present your values.

But not only that, Instagram is perfect for competitions too. Brands can simply create their own hashtag around the competition to get it out there and create a buzz around the brand. Followers can then easily submit their pictures using the hashtag – a simple way to create user-generated content.

And above all it can also help boost brands’ profits. According to Dan Atkinson, CEO at SumAll, brands that sell a visual product and have no presence on Instagram are missing out on huge opportunities. He states that UK businesses currently present on the network have reported an average growth by 3.6% in revenue.

How should brands use it?

There are tonnes of different ways how to use it – it really depends on the brand’s purpose and what they want to achieve. Is it to build their brand as a whole, to shout out about a new product or just for a particular campaign? The list is endless and there isn’t really a right or wrong but it definitely helps looking at previous successful campaigns, which I’m going to talk about later in the post.

If it’s not just a simple campaign, it is recommended to mix up the type of pictures that get posted. Don’t just post images from one perspective in the same settings showing the same person. Go crazy and take shoots of your items in unusual surroundings. Brands could for example get their own employees to present the clothes themselves. This lets the fans look behind the scene and gives the brand a more personal touch.

It’s also a good idea to post complete outfits and not just single items. This gives fans inspiration on how they can combine your products and at the same time shows the brand’s fashion sense which is often what they’re appreciated for. And of course the pictures don’t always have to be about fashion items. Mix it up by posting photos of shoots, events, travel destinations, … you name it. Why not ask your fans what they’d like to see? Like this, you make sure you keep them involved and present them what they want to see. By all means make sure you post on a regular basis to keep your fan base interested.

Brands should also make sure to have a designated person in charge of the account to engage with the fans and reply to their comments to fully make use of the efforts that are being put in. Fans will remember when their comments get heard and replied to.

Which brands are getting it right?

Below I’m showcasing three examples of Instagram campaigns that some brands ran and had a really beneficial impact:

Asos

With over 1.9 million followers, Asos is clearly a winner on Instagram. In March last year, the follower base was still at 592,000 – so with an increase of over 320% in just over a year, they must have done something right. But what is their secret? Looking at their Instagram page, it can be seen that they post on a frequent basis – a key ingredient for success on Instagram. Your followers expect updates and news so if you don’t manage to keep up with their expectations, you’re out.

From Asos’s pictures, you can also see that they mix it up quite a bit. They feature lifestyle shots, people, items and even food. And maybe that’s what the followers like; Asos keeps surprising them with new shots.

DKNY

Donna Karan New York collaborated with super model Cara Delevingne and ran a competition in which 15 lucky winners had the chance to accompany Cara to New York for a photo shoot to present her new collection. All that participants had to do was posting a photo of themselves with the hashtag #CaraD4DKNY and #CaraWantsYou.

This campaign was a fantastic way to create a buzz around the brand. With thousands of Instagrammers entering the competition, it surely wasn’t easy to pick 15 winners, but it clearly served the purpose and raised DKNY fans’ curiosity for the new collection, which expected to be launched in October.

The ‘Teaming-up-with-a-celebrity’ strategy definitely seemed to work as it only took 1 hour after the launch of the campaign to find over 8000 #CaraWantsYou photos on Instagram; 23,000 the day after!

FCUK

Although a brand with a lower follower base (currently just over 42K followers), FCUK’s ‘Make a Scene’ campaign was great example of user-generated content. Followers were encouraged to produce their very own clip using the hashtag #MakeaScene for the opportunity to fly to Sydney and see the winner’s spot in FCUK’s stores.

Other than that, the brand regularly posts pictures on Instagram, 3-5 on average per daily, which seems just the right amount to keep the audience informed. And it’s not only clothes - you can see photos of food, travel destinations, hair styles, events, their bloggers and much more. Even though there is still potential and the follower base could be increased even more through more creative campaigns like the #MakeaScene one, it looks like FCUK is on the right track with its Instagram strategy.

Get your pictures up there!

Instagram offers brands a lot of room for creativity and everything goes. It allows them followers a look behind the scened and offers the opportunity to show themselves off as storytellers - thus build up a community. It’s also perfect to reach a bigger audience; a picture is worth a thousand words and is not limited to a single language, so one campaign might be used on a global scale to reach out to your fans from all over the world.

Let us know with a comment why you think fashion brands should include Instagram in their marketing plans and what you think makes a successful Instagram campaign.