Just a few weeks ago Gigaom & Techcrunch reported that messaging was on the horizon for Instagram, and now it is here! The changes rolled out late last week. Dubbed “Instagram Direct,” this unique service allows users to share photos and videos directly with other Instagram users. What is really cool about this feature is that people that you elect to privately share your photos and videos with will be able to like and comment just like they would with any other Instagram post. Check out the video below to see just how easy it is to use:
Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger loved playing around with cameras when they were kids, and they came up with the ‘Instagram’ name from a mixture of using the concept of an instant camera, with the way they compared a picture to an old telegram that was sent over a wire to others. Thus the name Instagram. Their concept though simple, has transformed the photo taking and photo sharing world.
Taken directly from the Instagram FAQ page, this is how the two Stanford grads describe what Instagram was created for: “Instagram is a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your mobile phone, and then choose a filter to transform the image into a memory to keep around forever. We’re building Instagram to allow you to experience moments in your friends’ lives through pictures as they happen. We imagine a world more connected through photos.”
Over the last few years, millions of users later, after being acquired by Facebook, after launching IOS and Android apps, and even after a desktop version, the use of Instagram by companies has skyrocketed. It’s not just for personal use any longer either. Instagram has become the perfect opportunity for brands and business to get quick, instant messages and photos to their target audience in a very rich, visual manner.
Images are being used more and more within business social media marketing strategies. Here are a few ways to use Instagram to market your business:
Customers want a personal experience with a brand, and by adding Instagram to your marketing tools, your brand can start engaging with customers instantly while telling a story with images that are quick and easy for customers and fans to digest, process, and ultimately share with others.