For Rebecca, Morgan & Teagan

Thank you for never letting me give up.

Special Thanks

Geoff Livingston
John Stevens
Angie Meeker
 Table of Contents

Introduction...................................................................... 1

This Isnt A Coincidence..................................................... 2

Why Instagram?................................................................. 3-4

Build Your Following........................................................... 5-8

Rules of Ettiquette.............................................................. 9

Quick Photography Composition Tips................................. 10-11

Think Like A Photojournalist............................................... 12

Recommended Apps.......................................................... 13-20

Hardcore Hardware............................................................ 21

Case Studies....................................................................... 22-30

Conclusion......................................................................... 31-32

Resources........................................................................... 33

About The Author............................................................... 34

 InstaBRAND: The Ultimate Guide To Visual Storytelling Through Instagram
Introduction 1

2012 was the year of Pinterest. 2013 will be a breakout year for visual content marketing and Instagram is leading the way. Why has it
become so popular and why should marketers and brands care? Simply put it enhances the brand experience. Imagine if brands gave a more
transparent view of their inner workings instead of just saying they did. Customers want a true and intimate personal tour from a brand.
Some top brands are already giving viewers and raving fans backstage passes to everyday life. They take you with them into the office, behind
the scenes at photo shoots, concerts, on the runway, and into interviews with your favorite celebrities. We call this opening the kimono. Dont
get me wrong, this is not a new concept ala Flickr et al, but mobile platforms like Instagram are making it more accessible and consumable than
ever.

Our brain is designed for

pattern recognition, which
is one of the reasons why
symbols have been around
since caveman days.
- Jeffrey Sass
Photo: @HBKids

Before we get into the obvious bullet points on accessibility we have to dig deeper and view it with a psychological lens. For brands and
marketers to understand Instagram I like to focus on the why first. To do so we need to go back to the day we were born. We were born
laying on our backs, crying for food and attention. We were appeased by lights, sounds, and colorful objects that seemed to magically move
above our heads. Our brain is designed for pattern recognition, which is one of the reasons why symbols have been around since caveman
days. Cartoons capitalize on that unexpectedly, says Jeffrey Sass, co-founder of Social Object Factory. Whether it was our parents following
the advice of baby experts for raising the next Nobel Peace Prize winner or they just needed us to be distracted enough to have a moment of
silence, it worked.

Gaping Void CEO Jason Korman agrees, saying: Were overwhelmed by data and info, we want things that make communications more
simple, less complex. Christopher Frank and Paul Magnone have written an entire book about it called, Drinking From The Fire Hose. Jesse
Thomas, co-founder of JESS3, a creative interactive agency that specializes in social media data visualization has capitalized on dumbing down
the numbers. He led the infographic trend to reach wider audiences quicker and reframing corporate boardroom conversations. When I was
a multimedia specialist for NHTSA I sent automobile test videos to lawmakers who didnt have time to read a thick engineers report, even
though it would keep people on our public highways safe. What is seen as supplemental to many has now come back to the forefront as a
necessity. MailChimp CEO Ben Chestnut gives us further social proof, through simple A/B testing, putting visual storytelling first as part of
your social strategy will see higher response rates over marketing automation and encourage higher engagement. Admittedly, I have been
guilty of this on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn using services such as Buffer and IFTTT, but it is currently necessary wearing many hats as a
solopreneur. This is not an excuse for brands with bigger budgets and a dedicated member(s) assigned to social media best practices.

As kids we watched shows that indulged our curiosity and discovery like The Muppets and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. As young adults were
overwhelmed by ratings/review talent judging shows, popularity contests of reality shows and the overall marginalization of our audio visual
experience. Shows like these foster an attitude of appearance over substance, but isnt that what statistics basically boils down to in the end?
Ok maybe I am getting ahead of myself and being a little extreme about how some never seem to leave high school, but we are in the keeping
up with the Joneses or Kardashians appearance of success game.

As a Type B creative first I believe that statistics only tells half the story for big picture long term strategies and objectives. I understand Type
A types who are under pressure from stakeholders, but I think something is missing. Sales Lion Marcus Sheridan posted about how Klout
has essentially won in that Bank of America has announced a partnership with the U.S. Government and the National Business Stimulus
Association (NBSA). The program will allow businesses small and large to use their social media currency as a substitute for actual dollars. If
only I could cash in my Empire Avenue value. Look out, Mark Zuckerberg.

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 InstaBRAND: The Ultimate Guide To Visual Storytelling Through Instagram
This Isnt A Coincidence 2

Before Gutenbergs printing press and the development of language trying to predict whats next and our dopamine system kicks into high-
we had symbols that represented concepts, ideas, and storytelling. gear when were waiting to know if our team will make the field goal,
Aesthetics help deliver content to the public. Visuals allow the brain how the dice will land, or how the movie plot ends. Like a loose slot
to take shortcuts. It helps satisfy the appetite of immediacy. The machine, the infinite scroll gives users fast access to variable rewards.
most popular posts on your favorite blog or social media channel
that go viral often involve relatable photos or videos because they Gary Vaynerchuk warned us about this when he said, Content is
tell a story quicker than 250 words. You know the cliche of a picture not king, but context. Brands that connect with clients in a real way
is worth a thousand words? Even before the social age in the MTV win. When Social Media became a buzzword back in 2007 and went
generation *cough* when they actually played music videos the mainstream you saw two industries and a bunch of verticals get
rule of thumb was the average attention span of the view was seven caught off guard. One of the industries that was caught off guard was
seconds. SEVEN SECONDS! Can you imagine how that statistic has public relations and the other was the TV and radio advertising. Social
changed with the evolution of the online medium? So the question Media up until recent years was ruled by bloggers, internet affiliate
for marketers, How do extend the experience past seven seconds? marketers, and technology writers. The public relations industry was
the first to adapt and since then our online experience has mostly
Chris Pirillo who most would say is the King of The Internet Meme been the written word, but the problem is weve gone from Social
understands this fundamental equation. LOLCats = Funny. While Media being the buzzword to Content Marketing being the word.
he initially posted in The public relations
quantity over quality industry has done a
he successfully built good job convincing
up a network again CMOs that copywriting
over on Google+ for SEO is where
before transitioning to they should spend
more quality content. all of their marketing
If you havent noticed budget. Keywords and
yet the posts and the written word are
status updates with great, but that doesnt
photos or video equate to sales and
tend to get the most lead generation if a
engagement and copywriter or public
Facebooks EdgeRank. relations firm doesnt
It is the ultimate in understand buyer
consumable and tasty personas.
bite size morsel of
shareable content. For a lot of marketers
The problem is that
most marketers focus
Search engines now rank content based on social context is still missing
and social has become
on volume of content conversations and sharing, not just websites push marketing like
rather than context of its predecessor. More
content. Sometimes alone. Brands can use visual content to increase importantly our
less is more. One
thing that technology
engagement and inspire sharing and viral frenemy Google has
gone from a narrow
has provided is
responsive design,
marketing. - Ekaterina Williams focused keyword
results strategy to
microblogging and the infinite scroll. This is why hybrid websites/ flattening their platform to a verified and validated authorship
mobile apps like Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram use these methods approach. This makes it harder for SEO copywriters to game the
to help lower bounce rates and to gain momentum as startups in system. Content marketers not only have to be diligent about writing,
a rich media driven society. It plays into our innate curiosity to dig they need to focus on the other mediums like photography and
deeper. Companies are starting to take notice and you have started video to be included in their marketing budget for online distribution
to see brands like Facebook, eBay, and Myspace with new mobile to create a more balanced user experience. Fast Company blogger
strategies that are focusing on the visual and responsiveness as an Ekaterina Williams supports this statement by saying, Search engines
answer to the success of Pinterest. now rank content based on social conversations and sharing, not just
websites alone. Brands can use visual content on their social media to
Nir Eyal, author of the forthcoming book, Hooked: How To Drive increase engagement and inspire sharing and viral marketing. Always
Engagement By Creating User Habits, touched on this recently in an consistent with its overarching brand strategy of joy and happiness,
article for TechCrunch saying, And nothing holds our attention better Coca-Cola recently revamped its website to marry its social and
than the unknown. The things that captivate, engross, and entertain mobile strategy. Even mimicking Instagram with its own version of the
us, all have an element of surprise. Our brains cant get enough of app.

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