Clare Spaulding | @puyple

In the past few months, we’ve been flooded with questions about Instagram... Who should be using it? How does a company best leverage it to support business goals? Which companies are already doing it well?

Imagine reaching 100 million people with a single photo. That is the power of Instagram, one of the largest social media platforms. Users share 40 million photos per day, create 2.8 million comments and 8,500 likes per second.

So who should be using it? Instagram is ideal for companies and brands that have visually-heavy content. It is also useful for companies looking for creative ways to build their brand.

How does a company best leverage Instagram? Brands need to think beyond just offering an online catalog. It is all about creating compelling visual experiences for fans, sharing images that are interesting to the brand and to the desired customer.

Which companies are excelling at Instagram? High-end fashion retailer Burberry posts interesting pictures of London, where the company is based. They also show iconic British places and items, plus behind-the-scenes photo shoot footage. They rarely post images showcasing their products, but they strengthen the brand with interesting content. Other Insta-winners from the fashion world include Gucci and Bergdorfs.

Intel uses quirky humor and current events to drive their content. They include pictures of their newest products, but in a creative way so as to go beyond just an advertisement.

Promotional giveaways, photo contents and live streaming of fan photos at events are other ways to use Instagram. #Hashtags make it easy to collect photos from followers around a certain theme.

Here are a few more examples of brands, bands and nonprofits using Instagram in innovative ways:

• Sneak peeks: @abcworldnews posts photos related to news stories that will air later in the day: http://instagr.am/p/EDdXE/
• Behind-the-scenes: The rock band the Foo Fighters (@foofighters) gives their fans a glimpse into life on tour: http://instagr.am/p/GT3ks/
• HQ photos: @threadless takes followers into their workspace:http://instagr.am/p/DjgO2/
• From the field: @charitywater shares photos of people celebrating the completion of a new Charity Water well in their town.

Are you ready to use Instagram for your organization? Check out our new Instagram managed services here or contact us for a free, 15-minute evaluation.