Instagram earlier this year reported that it gets 8,500 likes and 1,000 comments per second. That's exciting news for B2C brands that sell colorful products or exotic vacations, but for high tech and B2B brands, it's just two more ho-hum statistics.
Don't you believe it.
Adobe, a high tech brand with a strong B2B focus, has amassed more than 10,000 followers on Instagram since its April 2012 launch. The company saw enormous—and inexpensive—branding potential on Instagram, which fits its overall communications objective of humanizing the brand, according to Matt Rozen, group manager of corporate social media, who spoke this week at the PR News Next Practices Conference in San Francisco. Rozen's team created a wealth of visuals by providing a behind-the-scene look at the people working for Adobe, highlighting its employees' and customers' creativity and tapping into the seemingly carefree culture of Instagram users.
This strategy could work for nearly any B2B brand, but first you have to convince the C-suite of Instagram's benefits. Here is Rozen's three-step plan to inspire senior leaders at B2B brands to give the green light to Instagram.
1. Home in on the importance of telling your brand’s story with humanizing visuals and, in doing so, stress the competitive value.
2. Explain that the resources needed are minimal and that content and engagement are easy to sustain when you activate employees.
3. Show the C-suite that little training is needed. Many employees may be on Instagram already.
Follow Steve Goldstein: @SGoldsteinAI