It would be easy to label Instagram simply as a social medium. After all, it's owned by social giant Facebook. And many users, myself included, mostly follow and interact with people they know either in real life or from another social network. That makes Instagram fit nicely into the definition of social media, which are held together by pre-established relationships between individuals. But that would be ignoring part of what makes Instagram work.
Instagram more squarely fits (get it? the photos are square!) into another category: Content community. Content communities are created around a common interest, such as photography, short videos and a love for vintage filters. In a content community, the user can choose to share content with a select group or with the entire public. On Instagram, users have the option to make their account private, which allows only approved followers to see posts. Or users can elect to leave their account open, which means followers will see the user's content in their feed but nonfollowers can also see photos and videos via hashtags, username or location searches. Followers will often be the people with whom the user has pre-established relationships. But followers might also include random people who appreciate the subject of a particular user's photography or videography.
Which brings me to my next point. Content communities can be nested -- and Instagram certainly is. I think it's safe to say that everyone who joins Instagram at least marginally likes photography, even if they're not professionals (I'm certainly not). But there are subcommunities within Instagram based on particular photo or video subjects. Hashtags are a great way to get photos on a specific topic in front of the interested subcommunity. And you may even gain some followers you don't know in real life who simply want to see your work on that topic. I've noticed likes from people I didn't know and even new followers on my account after sharing photos using hashtags like #beer or #wine (breaking news: people like to drink). I've also made connections with people I didn't know in my city through the locally popular hashtag #InstagramBham.
With its photo plus 15-second video capabilities, Instagram is a great place for businesses to share content about products, events and even the workers behind the scenes. Your content must be interesting, even only to one subcommunity. Finding your niche audience and targeting your content to a particular interest group is actually a good thing. It ensures that you are entering the network with an understanding of why you're there other than it's the newest, shiniest thing. Just do Instagram users a favor and take the time to come up with a creative approach that doesn't scream "I'M SELLING YOU SOMETHING!" That won't do you any good -- on social media or content communities.
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