Happy Birthday Instagram- The Social Media Community Celebrates YOU!

by Gina Schreck | Oct 5, 2013 | Instagram, Photo Sharing, Social Marketing, Social Media for Business

It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming this little photo app into the social media world…*sniff* *sniff*.  And now, here we are celebrating their 3rd birthday (October 6th, if you want to send a card).  Instagram, how we love you and all the apps you have spawned, including some of our personal favorites like, Postagram,  Tweegram, and InstaFrame.   You have the world snapping and sharing pics of themselves in front of mirrors (check out this selfie expert), pics of feet relaxing on beaches, and of course pics of dogs, cats and lots of food.

Now if you are not among the 150 million Instagram users to date, you might be wondering how this social media site became so popular…and valuable!  (Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 BILLION in 2012–that’s Billion with a “B”.).  Whether our society has stopped reading anything longer than 140 characters, or we have all reverted back to 3 year olds, just wanting to look at big shiny pictures, this social visual trend is only getting bigger and better.

Sure there are people who may miss out on actually living life, because they are always snapping photos of it, but I think Instagram has taught us some valuable lessons.

Here are THREE that I have learned from this wonderful birthday app:

1. Slow down and take a closer look

   Instagram has taught me to slow down and look closer at the world.  Perhaps that dandelion is more beautiful if I get down on the ground with my phone or iPad and snap a great pic.  I see more sunrises and sunsets because I go out to grab that pic to share with the hashtagging world just waiting to see all of those #Sunrises and #Sunsets. Perhaps in our fast paced world where we don’t make the time to slow down and smell the roses, we are now learning to capture the beauty of those roses, and brighten the day of others, as we smell them. What might be more interesting in your world and your company, if you stopped and took a closer look? Show us that robot thumb drive up close, or the chewed pen that shows how hard you’ve been working.

2. Change your filter or your angle when life seems drab or ordinary

   
   Anyone can take an average photo and make it fabulously artistic with a little filter adjustment on Instagram.  Even a photo of an old car or an old fax machine, looks somehow beautiful with the right filter and an artsy angle.  Show the world your recycle bin at work but make it more vibrant with the X-Pro II filter.  Show us your team gathered at a conference, and add the Inkwell filter to send them back in time.  Some say you can overdo the filters on Instagram, but isn’t that like saying you will ruin a painting with too puch paint?  It’s your view, your piece of art, throw as many filters as you’d like, or be a purist and tag that pic #NoFilterNeeded.

3. People still love SHOW and TELL

   Instagram has inspired companies to let us peek behind the corporate walls and SEE the people who are packing the shoes that we ordered, and we like a
   brand a little more when we learn they have a cute dog that comes to work everyday, just like our cute little dog does.  If you aren’t sure how Instagram fits into your marketing strategy, just start thinking SHOW and TELL.  Show projects, people, customers, your desk…well, maybe not YOUR desk.  Show your team learning, working and playing.  Just SHOW US!

So as we light the 3 candles on the cake to say Happy Birthday to Instagram, we’d love to know what you have learned from snapping and sharing more photos with the world.  If you have never ventured onto Instagram, what are you waiting for? Grab that camera and say CHEESE!

Here are a few more tips on finding better visuals for your social marketing efforts.