Instagram Social Marketing Strategy Kit

TABLEOFCONTENTS
Introduction
How to Measure Instagram
Engagement Metrics
Likes
Comments
Total Engagement
Engagement per Post
Engagement as a % of Followers
Hashtag Mentions
Hashtag Volume
Potential Hashtag Reach
Potential Hashtag Impressions
Follower Metrics
Total Number of Followers
Percent Change in Followers
Optimization Metrics
Most Engaging Filter
Top Photo Tags
5 Strategic Instagram
Measurement Tactics
Learn About Your Audience
Pay Attention to Timing
Check your Competition
Hashtags to Build Your Brand
Influence on Instagram
Conclusion
Appendix
What Is Instagram?
Instagram Timeline
How to Post
How to Tag

INTRODUCTION
Instagram is one of the most successful social networks of all time, but the value
for marketers isn’t in networking like it is with some networks; it’s in storytelling.
Launched in 2010, the image-sharing platform’s popularity continues to soar,
with brands from retail to commercial real estate using it to tell visual stories in
a way that feels intimate and non-intrusive. Instagram is changing the way that
brands evaluate their audiences and create content.
This is clearer now than ever before. Instagram just announced that over the
next year, they’ll start rolling out their new set of business tools, including
an Account Insights dashboard and Ad Insights dashboard to help brands
understand how users engage with and respond to their photos and videos.
These dashboards, which will add metrics like actual impressions to the
measurement toolbox, aren’t available publicly yet, but are a signal of the
need to understand and measure success on the visual platform.
Whether your brand is just starting to invest time and energy in Instagram, or is
an established powerhouse on the network, you’ll want to optimize your strategy.
This must be done without a solid understanding built on measurement. Through
measurement, you can develop a solid foundation of what works, what doesn’t,
and what to focus on for your specific brand.
This guide to Instagram measurement outlines the metrics required to measure
and fully understand the photo and video-sharing network. It then helps outline
several strategic measurement tactics that can help any marketer use to get
your wheels turning.
3

4
HOWTOMEASUREINSTAGRAM
To understand any network, you need to know its parameters: what it does,
which actions users can take, and which metrics count toward your success.
You can’t measure what you don’t know, so we’ll start by defining the different
ways of measuring Instagram.
Engagement Metrics
Likes
Likes on Instagram are much like Facebook Likes or Twitter Favorites. They
are a signal that the image you’ve posted has resonated with your followers.
A user taps a photo or video twice in the center to like it, and the heart icon
beneath the post turns solid red. Next to this icon is a count of how many
Likes an image has earned.
Comments
Besides liking posts, users can also share comments. The comments appear
under the photo, with the option to collapse or expand when there are more
than three. Users can tag other Instagram users and include hashtags and
emojis in their comments.
Total Engagement
Total engagement is the sum of Likes and comments on your Instagram posts
during an established time period.
Total engagement gives you insight into how active your audience is and how
well your strategy is working.

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Engagement per Post
The engagement per post metric provides deeper insights than just total likes
or comments. It gives you an average of how much engagement you’re getting
per post and helps you discover which posts earn the most interaction.
Keep in mind that some of your posts will resonate well and earn high
engagement numbers, while others will fall flat.
In addition, it’s important to look beyond average engagement per post
number and take a magnifying glass to your content. This can be done by
breaking engagement per post into engagement per video and engagement
per photo to give you more tactical insight on which types of content your
audience responds to most.
Engagement as % of Followers
Engagement as a % of followers is calculated for a specific time period, and is
an invaluable tool for benchmarking.
Engagement as a % of followers shows the portion of your current followers
interacting with your posts during a specified time period. By comparing this
metric period-over-period, marketers have a starting point to find valuable
insight into their specific tactics.
Total Engagement in a Time Period ÷ Total Followers
=
Engagement as % of Followers

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Hashtag Mentions
A secondary type of engagement on Instagram is interaction with your brand
hashtag. An “engagement” with a hashtag happens anytime an Instagram
user mentions a hashtag in a comment or caption on any photo or video
across the network.
Hashtag Volume
Hashtag volume is the total number of hashtag mentions during an established
period of time.
If you’re more interested in how viral a campaign hashtag is rather than
how your Instagram account is being interacted with, you’ll want to pay
attention to hashtag volume, the number of times a hashtag has been
used in any given period.
Potential Hashtag Reach
Your potential reach shows you how many people have seen your hashtag on
Instagram. For the most part, reach is considered a “potential” metric; just
because a post appears on a feed doesn’t mean the target user has seen it.
Potential Hashtag Impressions
Your number of potential impressions is the amount of times that photos and
videos using your hashtag are displayed in a user’s stream. Just like reach,
this is a “potential” metric.
Reach
The number of unique people who have seen
content associated with your page
Impressions
The number of times content associated with
your page is displayed

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Follower Metrics
Total Number of Followers
The total number of followers is the number of unique Instagram users
who’ve opted into your brand content. When a user follows another user
on Instagram, the followed user’s content will appear in the following user’s
stream. This is an important metric to track. It’s an indicator of how popular
your Instagram account is and how well you’re doing at advertising your
Instagram presence on your other channels. It also helps you benchmark how
you’re doing in relation to competitors on the network (more on that later).
Since users don’t see photos their friends like, are tagged in, or have
commented on like they might on other social networks, gaining followers is
even more vital to ensuring that people see your updates.
Increasing your follower count helps to further increase your audience
and your opportunities for post engagement. When your profile has a
substantial number of followers and substantial engagement, your posts
are more likely to appear on the Instagram “Explore” page. This page
exclusively features posts that have a high number of Likes and comments,
signifying that the content shown is popular and worth seeing. Since this is
the only in-network discovery method for finding new users to follow, it’s a
good place to have a presence.
Percentage Change in Followers
Another way to keep track of followers is by measuring percentage change
over time, allowing you to set baseline goals for follower acquisition and
attrition over a month, quarter, or year.
To find out how much your audience has grown or shrunk, subtract last month’s
follower count from this month’s follower count. Divide that number by last
period’s follower count, and (voila!) you have your change percentage.
Tracking your progress here will help you answer the following questions:
• Which campaign types drive the most audience growth?
• Which content types drive the most audience growth?
• Who are our Instagram influencers?
• Which kind of brand advocates and influencers should we seek out in
the future? Who is relevant to our brand’s Instagram growth?

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Optimization Metrics
Most Engaging Filter
One of Instagram’s most attractive features is the ability to develop unique and
interesting content with a quick touch. Instagram’s collection of filters allows
users to change the look of their image in a variety of ways. A brand focused
on repeat engagement should keep track of the most successful filters used on
brand content.
Top filters can be measured by analyzing the engagement per photo or video,
and bucketing photos and videos by the filter used.
Top Photo Tags
Hashtags help with discovery and engagement on the network. By measuring
the top photo tags used on your content, you get an understanding of the
types of content your followers prefer.
5STRATEGICINSTAGRAMMEASUREMENTTACTICS
With a solid foundation of Instagram measurement terms, you can start to
establish a measurement and tactical strategy.
These five measurement tactics will help you understand what you need to
create a successful Instagram strategy.
1. Learn About Your Audience
The most successful brands on Instagram know their audiences and post
content that appeals to them. Sometimes you can’t tell who your audience is
on a network right away, even if you have a pretty good idea of who’s attracted
to you on other social networks or offline. It’s always best to start with your
market instead of trying to push your pre-packaged messaging at people. So,
how do you figure out who you’re marketing to on Instagram? You start with
the data. This will help you identify tactics that resonate with your audience.
This chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Account Report
showcases the top photo filters by number of posts and
engagement per post.
This chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Account Report
shows top tags by engagement per post.

BRAND HIGHLIGHT
AMERICA, AM I RIGHT?
One of Colt 45’s most engaging posts gives some clues about their Instagram audience
and helps them plan future content accordingly.

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Find Your Most Active Commenters
Use your most active commenters to get information about which types of
people love your Instagram content.
Do some research on these usernames. Use your biggest fans to build your
Instagram targeting and testing personas.
Your most active commenters might also be other brands or in some way
connected to other brands. This could be a great opportunity to reach out and
form a campaign partnership to build followers and engagement for both of you.
Either way, you should be partnering with your already-existing support system
to widen your exposure on Instagram.
This “Most Active Commenters” chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Account Report
shows which of your followers left the most comments during a specific time period.

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Conduct a Keyword Analysis
What are the top words people use around your brand’s content on Instagram?
This “Keyword Analysis (Comments)” chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Account
Report shows which words were used most in the comments on your brand posts during a
specific time period.
Keyword analysis is not only a fantastic way to gauge which content
components are most meaningful to your audience, it’s also a great way
to contemplate future hashtag campaigns. Check our example “Keyword
Analysis” chart above. #perfectcutejacketdog, anyone?
For example, #PerfectBarbourJacket is going to have a lot more resonance
and brand association with Barbour jackets than #PerfectJacket, which could
refer to any jacket on the market.
However, common hashtags can allow you to newsjack or capitalize on
seasonal events like #backtoschool or other popular topics.
PRO TIP:
When it comes to hashtags,
the more unique, the better.
Greater creativity equals more
accurate hashtag tracking and
specific brand recognition.

BRAND HIGHLIGHT
Brooks Brothers is best-in-class at capitalizing on trends. This #FathersDay post succeeds by putting
all that is manly in one car, and reminding Brooks Brothers followers (as well as users perusing
#Fathersday posts) of all the gifts the brand offers for all the different activities dads engage in.

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Identify Your Top Cities
You can know exactly where your audience lives more easily today than ever before.
With in-depth information about your top cities for Instagram engagement, you
can build Instagram campaigns that focus on those cities, and begin doing further
research to figure out why your brand gets so much Instagram love there and not
in other places.
2. Pay Attention to Timing
Measuring engagement by a specific day or time helps magnify your engagement,
and shows you how posting times influence your content’s reception.
How often you post is largely dependent on your audience. Many audiences
appreciate more frequent posts, but too many posts tends to turn users off.
When you post is also dependent on your audience. Different audiences access
their Instagram accounts at different times of the day.
PRO TIP:
If you’re just beginning your
brand’s Instagram journey,
or simply want a fresh
perspective, look at the “Top
Cities” metric for a similar
brand or competitor.
You’ll wind up with a much
greater understanding of your
target audience and
what they respond to
on Instagram.
This “Top Cities” chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Account Report shows where
most of your engaged followers were located during a specific time period.

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Start gathering data on engagement trends. One option is to run an A/B
content test, posting very similar content in set time increments, or at the
same time each day. Then examine the number of comments and Likes for
each of those posts, and begin charting your data to find the “sweet spot”
for your post cadence.
For example, based on your post cadence and frequency, you may find that
posts at 9 a.m. PST perform well. Developing an understanding based on this
information and your audience location data can help you target content to your
audience when they’re most likely to be active.
For example, with this information about 9 a.m. PST, you may realize that your
West Coast audience has just arrived at work and is catching up on the day’s news,
and your East Coast audience is now on their lunch break, giving them time to surf
the Web. You can perhaps cater your content to each of these audiences.
This “Comments and Posts by Day and Time” chart from the Simply Measured Instagram
Hashtag Report shows which days of the week and times of day people used your hashtag
most during a specific time period.

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3. Check Your Competition
Competitive measurement is vital not only for knowing what your competition
is doing but also for benchmarking your own progress against industry
innovators on Instagram. Here are the top three metrics you should be
paying attention to.
Engagement Comparison
You know what your engagement statistics look like, but what about those of
your competitors?
You might find that a brand you consider your biggest competitor in terms of
revenue or popularity on another social network is actually not your biggest
competitor on Instagram.
After you have a good idea of where you stand in comparison to the other
brands in your space, take a look at the posts among all those brands that
drove the greatest amount of engagement.
This “Instagram Comparison: Total Engagement” chart from the Simply Measured
Instagram Competitive Analysis shows total engagement and engagement as a percentage
of followers for Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Austin Mahone, and Harry Styles.

BRAND HIGHLIGHT
Filson outdoor clothing and equipment company had 352 comments on 178 posts in a five
month period. That was a rate of almost two comments per post - a significant achievement.
How did they do it?
They used a strategy of attempting to answer any and all product questions in a
conversational and timely manner to drive engagement, recognize involved
audience members, and even enable sales.

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This sortable list from the Simply Measured Instagram Competitive Analysis shows total
engagement, from largest to smallest, for musicians Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Austin
Mahone, and Harry Styles during a specific time period.
This information about you and your competitors’ success will show you what
kind of content, specifically, gets Instagram users to comment and Like a post.
PRO TIP:
Use the top posts for total
engagement among you and
your competitors to draft
a list of the different types
of posts that are proving
successful in your field.
In your next content
planning or brainstorming
meeting, use this list as a
jumping-off point.

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Relative Share of Followers
Once you’ve determined who your true competitors on Instagram are, it’s time
to pay attention to the size of the competitive pie you own.
This “Relative Share of Followers” chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Competitive
Analysis shows how musicians Rhianna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Austin Mahone, and
Harry Styles stack up when it comes to follower count.
Add up all of the follower counts among you and your competitors, then figure
out who has what percentage of that total. It’s useful to check this “relative
share” metric on a weekly basis, especially since a lot of progress on this front
can happen very quickly.

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Number of Posts Per Day
Who posts the most?
This “Brand Comparison: New Posts” chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Competitive
Analysis shows how musicians Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Austin Mahone, and
Harry Styles stack up when it comes to number of posts put up.
Take a look at how the daily volume of new posts and videos produced by
you stack up next to your competitors on Instagram. Could you stand to back
off or ramp up? Try to compare yourself to a group that is seeing faster follower
growth than you.
There is no magic potion for winning at Instagram. That’s why testing and
measurement are so important on the network to begin with.
When you’re contemplating the metrics we’ve outlined above, trying out
strategies or watching your competition make moves, remember not to lose your
own story. Remain true to your brand or transform it in a conscious, measurement-
based way, but always remember: it’s authenticity that’s truly engaging.
PRO TIP:
Conduct testing on your post
cadence to see what your
audience responds to best.
Choose a high frequency
and a low frequency. Then,
run weeklong tests for each
cadence in between.
Week 1 1 Post Per Day
Week 2 2 Posts Per Day
Keep tabs on your engagement numbers and
relative share of followers compared to your
competitors on a weekly basis as your test
progresses. By the end of the testing period,
you’ll have a solid idea of your best cadence for
posting.
Conduct the same test, but with different ratios
of videos to photos per week, to see which kind
of content performs best for you.

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4. Hashtags to Build Your Brand
By analyzing the data behind past, current, and competitive Instagram hashtags,
it’s easy to set objectives, show what works, monitor progress, and keep track of
audience reaction. Whether you’re interested in a high-level view or deep-dive
data, the best way to set informed goals is to start with the numbers.
Set Clear Hashtag Goals
This hashtag performance overview from the Simply Measured Hashtag Performance Report
allows users to see a snapshot of their branded hashtag for any established time period.
The best way to do this analysis is to look at the performance of a previous
branded hashtag, using several components as the basis for your review:
• The number of unique people who’ve used the hashtag in the past
• The number of times the hashtag was used
• The number of people those posts potentially reached
• The number of potential impressions
• The total amount of Instagram engagement with the hashtag
PRO TIP:
Taking a peek at the metrics
for one of your previous
hashtag campaigns (or a
competitor’s) can provide
you with a good benchmark
for where you should set
volumes, reach, impressions,
and engagement goals on
your upcoming or current
campaign.

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Growing a Hashtag Campaign
This “Hashtag Mentions” chart from the Simply Measured Hashtag Performance Report
allows users to analyze a hashtag over time and identify peak performance days.
Focus first on which day your previous hashtag was most popular, and also
which type of media was most successful—photo or video. Figure out what
caused momentum for your comparable hashtag, then model your own
hashtag and Instagram posting techniques after those successes. Possibly
more important than volume is what folks are saying when they use your
hashtag—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Identify How People Use Your Hashtag
This engagement chart from the Simply Measured Hashtag Performance Report identifies the
most engaging posts from peaks throughout the time period selected.

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Identify which posts are the most engaging, and why they’ve been so successful.
Is it a positive message that represents what you want your brand to stand for?
Identify Success on Other Channels
The engagement outside of Instagram chart from Simply Measured’s Instagram Hashtag
Performance Report showcases the engagement Instagram photos and links have generated
on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out previous Instagram hashtag campaigns you wish to emulate (or
avoid) to inform your own campaign and foster cross-channel hashtag success.
Identify the Influencers Who Add Value
This chart from the Simply Measured Instagram Hashtag Report identifies the top impression
driver during the specific period.
Look at the hashtag for a past Instagram campaign to figure out who your top
impressions drivers are, and when they were the most active.
PRO TIP:
Engage with your most active,
impression-driving users to
gain broader reach for your
current and future campaigns.

BRAND HIGHLIGHT
In this post, Mercedes-Benz partners with @bigblogg, the Instagram presence of a popular car blog,
drawing those fans towards the post and reminding them that Mercedes-Benz is alive and well on
Instagram, and that their cars are awesome.

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Choose Your Hashtag Terms
This top keyword chart from the Instagram Hashtag Performance Report lets you know which
terms your audience is organically using with specific hashtags.
Look at the most-used keywords for either a previous hashtag or one that has
achieved an effect you wish to replicate. This information tells you the hashtags
and keywords that are most often mentioned in post captions along with the
targeted hashtag. You can then produce more content with that hashtag and the
most popular keywords to drive greater engagement and attract new followers.
PRO TIP:
Look at data on your brand
name as the hashtag.
You’ll then be able to see the
other hashtags that Instagram
users are deploying in
conjunction with your name,
providing you with some
valuable insight into how the
public perceives your brand
and how to play on this
moving forward.

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5. Influence on Instagram
How do you measure your influence on Instagram? This goal can be a tough
one to pin down, but shedding light on the following three areas will give you
an accurate and competitively relevant idea of your influence on Instagram.
A High-Level View
Get a broad overview of your influence on this visually-oriented network
by taking into account the following numbers:
And always remember, your numbers don’t exist in a vacuum. Make sure
you’re getting your competitors’ numbers, too, for context on what your
range of influence looks like – how far you need to go to catch up or how
close your competitors are to catching up with you.
The Competitive Leaderboard from a Simply Measured Instagram Competitive Report.
Instagram engagement. Knowing how many posts users engaged with by
either liking or commenting goes a step deeper than follower count. It’s a
measurement not just of how many people are viewing your content, but
how many people are “meaningfully” connecting with your content and
choosing to interact with it.
Number of followers. How many people are interested in seeing your
content each day? Number of followers is the traditional measure of
influence on almost every social network.
Engagements through other channels (interactions with Instagram posts
shared on Facebook, Twitter, etc.). External engagement is especially
pertinent for brands that are strongest on Instagram and/or incredibly
visually oriented. How much carry-through does your Instagram content
have to other networks?
Number of brand posts. This stat is not as vital for measuring influence,
but important when all the other numbers above are taken into account.
It shows how the amount your posting directly correlates to how much
influence you have.

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The Volume of Hashtag Mentions
This hashtag volume chart from Simply Measured’s Instagram Hashtag Report lets you
determine the number of mentions your hashtag has generated and breaks it into photo and
video posts.
If you’re not using hashtags on Instagram, you’re missing out on both a way to
gain influence and a way to measure it.
Pull data on your volume of hashtag mentions to discover how your brand’s
hashtag-promoting efforts are paying off. Which posts are gaining more
traction for your brand, photos or videos? How many hashtag mentions are
you getting over a given period? Is this volume increasing, decreasing, or
remaining stagnant? Unlike Twitter or Facebook, an Instagram user’s feed
won’t tell them which hashtags are trending, so a successful hashtag is even
more impressive (and perhaps a greater measure of influence) than having your
hashtag go viral on Twitter.
Potential Impressions + Total Mentions
How many times could Instagram users have seen your posts? That’s what
potential impressions are all about. Measure the amount of mentions your
hashtag is getting alongside the potential impressions of your hashtag to get
a good idea of how the two correlate and how many eyes are on you – another
way of saying how much Insta-influence you’re rocking right now.

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CONCLUSION
In the future, you’ll have other ways to invest in Instagram, as indicated by the
network’s forays into making ads an option for brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Burberry,
General Electric, Lexus, Levi’s, Macy’s, Michael Kors, PayPal and Starwood.
But for now, for most brands, it’s all about creating organic follower growth,
meaningful engagement, and keeping an eye on competitive developments.
Whether you’re focused on bumping up your follower count, improving the
number of followers who are engaging with you, or developing killer hashtags,
you now have the definitions, metrics, and strategies you need to succeed.

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APPENDIX
What Is Instagram?
Instagram is a photo- and video-sharing platform that allows users to take
pictures or videos, edit them, and apply filters before posting them to a public
or private timeline.
Users have the ability to create a community by following and engaging with
other people on the platform. As a user, you can also share an Instagram photo
or video seamlessly on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Flickr, and Foursquare.
History
Instagram was launched in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger.
Two months later, the network had 1 million users. By August 2011, Instagram
saw 150 million total photo uploads. Today, Instagram has 200 million active
users who upload an average of 60 million photos per day.

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Instagram Timeline
October 6, 2010 - Instagram launches
December 12, 2010 - Instagram hits 1 million users
January 2011 - Instagram adds hashtags to aid user discovery
August 3, 2011 - Instagram’s 150 millionth photo is uploaded
September 26, 2011 - Instagram hits 10 million users
April 12, 2012 - Facebook acquires Instagram for approx. $1 billion
December 21, 2012 - Instagram launches v3.4.1 with 25 languages
February 26, 2013 - Instagram hits 100 million users
June 20, 2013 - Instagram video debuts
September 6, 2013 - Instagram hits 150 million users
October 24, 2013 - Instagram announces sponsored photos + videos
December 12, 2013 - Instagram Direct is released
July 29, 2014 - Instagram launches one-touch photo and video messaging
app Bolt outside the U.S.

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How to Post
This group of screenshots shows the different steps in the Instagram posting
process (1) take or choose an image (2) modify the image and put a filter on
it (3) write a caption and choose where to post it (4) and the final result, an
Instagram post!
Instagram users can post content to their accounts using the Instagram app on
their iPhones, Androids, or Windows phones. A post is either a photo or up-
to-15-second video taken and usually altered through Instagram’s proprietary
photo filters, then posted to the user’s and user’s followers’ timelines.
How to Tag
Besides tagging in comments, any user who posts to Instagram can tag
another user when posting a photo or video. To tag a user, click the “Tag
People” box and search by username. The user will be notified that they’ve
been tagged in your photo.

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Simply Measured Q3 2014 Instagram Study 2
Introduction
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social networks in
history. The mobile photo-sharing app, which launched in
October of 2010, now boasts 200 million monthly active
users, 60 million photos posted each day, and 1.6 billion
likes per day.
This incredible growth has shaken up the way social
marketers think about visual content and marketing
to mobile audiences. Today, 86% of top brands have
Instagram accounts, up from 71% at this time last year.
This study analyzes the top brands in the world and how
they use Instagram to build their brand, engage audiences,
and promote their wares by identifying the successful (and
unsuccessful) tactics that these brands are using, the results
they’re seeing, and lessons to be learned from them.
200 million
1.6 billion
likes per day
montly active users
photos per day
60 million

Methodology
The “Simply Measured Q3 2014 Instagram Study” looks at
the Instagram activity of the Interbrand 2013 Top 100 Brands.
At the end of each year, Interbrand ranks the top 100 global
brands based several factors, including market, brand,
competitor, and financial data.
The Interbrand 100 is an industry standard and a standard for
Simply Measured network studies. This list is analyzed because
the companies included are the best in the world at building
and maintaining a brand, which is a prerequisite to a successful
social media strategy.
Statistics cited in this study are based on data from Q3 2014
(7/1/14 - 9/30/14).
All data was analyzed using Simply Measured’s industry-leading
social media analytics and reporting platform.
This study also incorporates data for benchmarking from
previous Simply Measured studies, “How Top Brand Marketers
Use Instagram”, October 2013 and “Top Brands See The Big
Picture With Instagram”, October 2012.
6,075 posts by 80 brands
1,314,427 comments
113,030,987 likes
THIS STUDY ENCOMPASSES:

ADOPTION
More Top Brands See Value in Instagram
At the end of Q3 2012, only 54% of the Interbrand 100 had
Instagram accounts. Today, 86% of the Interbrand list has an
account on the mobile network.
Key Findings
• Active brands (brands who’ve posted at least once in Q3 2014)
have almost doubled since Q3 2012.
• 73% of brands post at least one photo or video per week.
This is a 35 percentage point increase over 2012.
• The number of brands with 10,000 or more followers
has grown by 34 year-over-year.
• The number of brands with more than 100,000 followers
has grown by 15 year-over-year.
Take Away
Brands are joining Instagram at a substantial rate and are
dedicating resources to maintaining a brand presence on
the network. By doing so, many brands are finding successful
ways to grow their audience.
Have an Account
ShareofInterbrand100Brands
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0
Active Account
(Posted in Quarter)
1+ Post
per Week
10,000+
Followers
20,000+
Followers
100,000+
Followers
More Brands Are Active and Building Large Audiences
Q3 2012 Q3 2013 Q3 2014
The percentage of Interbrand 100 companies active on the network has grown
steadily over the last three years, as has the audience size among top brands.

ACTIVITY
Brand Activity Is Being Standardized
A year ago, posting frequency seemed to be spread across
the board, with 18-20 brands posting in each of the three most
common buckets (less than 10 posts, 10-20 posts, and 20-30
posts). This is no longer the case.
Key Findings
• In Q3 2014, monthly posting dropped in both the
“less than 10” and “20-30” categories but grew
substantially in the “10-20” category.
• The number of brands posting at least once daily
has more than tripled in the last year growing to
20 brands in 2014.
Take Away
This increasingly standardized posting cadence highlights a
more sophisticated and measured approach to the network.
Brands recognize what’s working and have adjusted tactics
accordingly. While not every Instagram marketer boasts an
audience the size of those among the Interbrand 100, their
tactics can act as a reference point for success.
Less Than 10
NumberofBrands
Average Number of Posts per Month
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
10-20
Q3 2012 Q3 2013 Q3 2014
20-30 30-40 40-50 More Than 50
Brand Posting Frequency Is Becoming More Normalized

ACTIVITY AND ENGAGEMENT
Active Brands Are Driving More Engagement
As activity among top brands grows, so does engagement.
With more brands engaging larger audiences, more posts
being published, and tactics becoming more sophisticated,
users are becoming more receptive to brand content on the
network, giving large brands a bigger return on their
investment in the network.
Key Findings
• Monthly engagement (likes and comments) for the
Interbrand 100 has more than doubled since Q3 last
year and grown by almost 12 times since Q3 2012.
• Engagement with brand posts is growing at a greater
rate than new brands are adopting the network.
Take Away
Now is a better time than ever before for brands to invest
in Instagram. As audiences become more receptive to branded
content, the potential for high engagement and exposure is
continuing to grow substantially.
50M
45M
40M
35M
30M
25M
20M
15M
10M
5M
0M
No. of Active Brands Engagement
Active Brands Are Driving More Engagement
No.ofActiveBrands
TotalEngagements
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0
Mar.11
Mar.12
Mar.13
Mar.14
Jun.11
Jun.12
Jun.13
Jun.14
Sept.11
Sept.12
Sept.13
Sept.14
Dec.11
Dec.12
Dec.13
Q3 2014
Q3 2013
Q3 2012
Q3 2011
Instagram engagement with Interbrand 100 companies has grown
substantially over the last three years.

ENGAGEMENT: AVERAGES
Average Engagement per Post Is Increasing
While much of the increased overall engagement is due to
increased brand activity, more users are engaging with each
post as the Instagram user base becomes more comfortable
with branded content, and brands become more effective at
using the network.
Key Findings
• The average engagement per post has grown by 415%
over the same time period two years ago.
• In Q3 2014, Interbrand 100 posts averaged 18,822 likes
and comments each.
• During this same time two years ago, Interbrand 100
companies averaged only 3,648 engagements per post.
Take Away
The ability to make an impact with a single piece of content
is growing exponentially on the visual storytelling network.
Top brands have grown per-post engagement by almost five
times over the course of a year.
45M
40M
35M
30M
25M
20M
15M
10M
5M
0
2.5K
2K
1.5K
1K
500
0
Engagement and Posting Volume Are Increasing Over Time
Engagement Posts
Mar.11
Mar.12
Mar.13
Mar.14
Jun.11
Jun.12
Jun.13
Jun.14
Sept.11
Sept.12
Sept.13
Sept.14
Dec.11
Dec.12
Dec.13
25K
20K
15K
10K
5K
0
Engagement per Post Is Increasing Over Time
Engagement per Post
Mar.11
Mar.12
Mar.13
Mar.14
Jun.11
Jun.12
Jun.13
Jun.14
Sept.11
Sept.12
Sept.13
Sept.14
Dec.11
Dec.12
Dec.13
An increase in brands, and higher posting frequency have been a
large driver in growing engagement.
Engagement per post has grown by 4x over the course of two years.
AverageEngagementPerPost

ENGAGEMENT: TIMING
Comments Happen Quickly on Instagram
Most comments on Instagram happen quickly, but
high-performing posts see comment volume peak later.
Key Findings
• On average, posts by top brands garner 216 comments,
with 50% of comments being posted in the first 6 hours
and 75% of comments being posted in the first 48 hours.
• Top brands have staying power. 10% of comments come
after 13 days.
• High-performing posts (posts with double the average
engagement) will peak later, taking more than 13 hours
to hit 50% of total comments.
• Posts with half the average engagement get 50% of
their comments in less than 3 hours.
Take Away
High performing content on Instagram has a longer shelf
life than average posts. This is an important reason to focus
on quality. Instagram users scroll through a single stream of
images, and as a post ages, it’s important to have content
that will catch their eye.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0
Posts by Top Brands Have a Long Life
Low Engagement Posts High Engagement Posts
1 2 3 4 5
Days Since Content Was Posted
CumulativePercentageofTotalCommentsMade
Average Posts
Highly engaging posts take longer to peak on Instagram.

INDUSTRY ACTIVITY
Media Brands Are The Most Active
The most active industry on the Interbrand list is media;
even though automotive is the most well-represented
on the Top 100 List.
Key Findings
• Only four media brands from the Interbrand list are
active on Instagram, but they average 62 more posts
per month than the list average.
• The brands in the media industry average 23,906
engagements per post; 5,084 likes and comments
more than the list average.
• Business services, financial services, and fast moving
consumer goods (FMCG) have the lowest percentage
of brands represented on Instagram.
• While the automotive industry has the highest number
of brands on Instagram (13), the luxury segment of the
Interbrand 100 list maintains 100% Instagram adoption
with all seven brands active on the network.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
No. of Active Brands
AveragePostsperMonth
NumberofBrandsActivein2014Q3
Autom
otive
Technology
Luxury
FM
CG
Electronics
Alcohol
FinancialServices
Apparel
M
edia
Restaurants
D
iversified
Beverages
RetailSporting
G
oods
Energy
H
om
e
Furnishings
BusinessServices
Engagement
Instagram Activity Varies by Industry
Take Away
Instagram is a playground for brands with visually-appealing
products and a unique style. Media, automotive, luxury, and
apparel have all found success on the visual storytelling platform.
The Automotive segment has the highest number of active brands
active on Instagram, but Media brands are the most active.

TACTICS: CAPTIONS
Brands Avoid Lengthy Captions…
But Should They?
Brands on Instagram are focused on keeping captions short.
This isn’t surprising, since the network is made for visual
sharing. But, it turns out engagement doesn’t drop when
longer-captioned posts are shared.
Key Findings
• The average caption is 138 characters long,
including hashtags.
• There is no statistically significant correlation
between caption length and engagement.
Take Away
While it may seem intuitive to keep post captions short,
this isn’t necessarily integral to finding success on Instagram.
Don’t be afraid to use the space needed to convey your
message, as long as it adds to the visual focus of your post,
as opposed to detracting from it.
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
<25
<125
<225
<325
<425
<525
≥600
<50
<150
<250
<350
<450
<550
<75
<175
<275
<375
<475
<575
<100
<200
<300
<400
<500
<600
Longer Captions Are Used Sparingly by Top Brands
NumberofPosts
Number of Characters in Post Caption
30K
25K
20K
15K
10K
5K
0
<25
<125
<225
<325
<425
<525
≥600
<50
<150
<250
<350
<450
<550
<75
<175
<275
<375
<475
<575
<100
<200
<300
<400
<500
<600
Caption Length Does Not Significantly Affect Engagement
AverageEngagementperPost
Number of Characters in Post Caption

TACTICS: @MENTIONS
Caption Content Isn’t Going Unnoticed
While caption length doesn’t impact engagement,
caption content certainly does.
Key Findings
• On average, posts that include another user handle in the
caption net 56% more engagement.
• Only 36% of all brand posts include at least one @mention.
Take Away
Not every brand is taking advantage of @mentions as a way
of reaching and interacting with a wider audience, but the
tactic has proven successful for those that have.
30K
25K
20K
15K
10K
5K
0
@Mentions Increase Engagement per Post
Posts with
No @Mention
Posts with at Least
One @Mention

TACTICS: HASHTAGS
Hashtags Are the Norm on Instagram
Instagram limits hashtagging to 30 tags per post. Top brands
may not use all 30 allotted tags, but they aren’t shying away
from the technique either.
Key Findings
• 88% of brand posts include at least one hashtag.
• 91% of posts by top brands have seven or fewer hashtags.
• Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more
engagement.
Take Away
Hashtags are an important part of discovery on Instagram,
allowing brands to gain exposure to niche groups and specific
areas of interest. While they may not drive exponential
engagement growth, they give audiences an organic way
to discover branded content through the topics and forums
that interest them.
1.8K
1.6K
1.4K
1.2K
1K
800
600
400
200
0
10 5 9 13 17 21 25 26 27 28 29 302 6 10 14 18 223 7 11 15 19 234 8 12 16 20 24
Most Posts by Top Brands Have Few Hashtags
NumberofInstagramPosts
Number of Hashtags Used

TACTICS: LOCATION TAGGING
Location Tagging Tied to Engagement Growth
Location tagging gives Instagram users another way to find content.
Several third party apps exist that allow users to search by location,
leading to increased engagement.
Key Findings
• Of the 6,075 Instagram posts, 307 had a location tagged.
• Posts tagged with a location receive 79% higher engagement.
• No brand on the Interbrand list uses location tags on all posts.
Take Away
Only some brands ever tag with a location, and these brands have
higher engagement overall, which suggests a generally higher level
of Instagram sophistication pays off for these brands. When these
brands tag a location, their posts average 29% higher engagement.
No brand in this sample uses location tags on all their posts.
Location Tagging Increases Engagement per Post
35K
30K
25K
20K
15K
10K
5K
0
Engagement When
Location Tagged (307 posts)
Engagement When No
Location Tagged (2,994 posts)

Conclusion
Instagram has taken great care to enable quality brand
storytelling. With an active ad network and analytics being
slowly rolled out to enterprise partners, a highly engaged
audience, and updated features, the focus of brand marketers
is on implementing the best tactics for driving engagement
on the network. These top brands have already recognized the
opportunity with Instagram’s 200 million users by increasing their
activity and working to refine their tactics.
The example from the leading companies speaks to the
importance of a sophisticated presence.
1. Maintain a balanced posting cadence.
2. Don’t second guess caption length.
3. Test location tagging.
4. Use hashtags to reach targeted audiences.
5. Mention influential users in captions
to engage new audiences.
By following the example of these brands, and developing
a practical and sophisticated measurement strategy, you can
make Instagram work for your brand as well.

About Simply Measured
Simply Measured is a fast-growing team of data geeks dedicated
to making the world of analytics and reporting a better, more
beautiful place. Find out more at simplymeasured.com
Our goal is to put the tools to understand business data in the
hands of business users. We think reporting should be simple,
attractive, and accessible for everyone – not just data scientists.
Our software streamlines the process from data to deliverables
and eliminates the countless hours spent on everyday reporting
tasks. We do this by putting cloud data sources at your
fingertips, providing a marketplace of best practice reports,
and allowing you to generate beautiful solutions on the web,
in Excel, and in PowerPoint with a couple of clicks.
Copyright © 2010–2014 Simply Measured, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Methodology
Instagram is the fastest-growing
of the top social networks
Engagement among top brands
on Instagram has grown by 350%
over the last year
Top brands post more than
50 times per month?
Automotive, media and luxury
industries make up 59% of total
brand posts
Likes account for 99%
of Instagram engagements
The top 10 brands receive 83%
of all Instagram engagement
Brands drive 26% more
engagement via photos than videos?
83% of Instagram posts by top
brands include at least one hashtag
Only 30% of top brand posts use filters
Conclusion
Sources
About Simply Measured
1
2
4
5
6
7
8
10
12
14
15
16
17

1 Copyright © 2010–2013 Simply Measured, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
MORE THAN 150 MILLION PEOPLE SHARE PHOTOS ON INSTAGRAM.
How many photos? An average of 40 million each day. For a social network that only
allows you to post via your mobile device, that’s a lot of pics.
Instagram shows no signs of stopping either. The service is now available on your
Windows phone, as well as iPhone and Android, and just this month announced the
launch of their first ad platform. It was recently named the fastest-growing app of
the year.
We took a look at the top brands in the world and examined the tactics they’re using
to make their mark on Instagram. This study looks at what these leading brands are
doing to reach engaged users, whether or not they’re finding success, and what we
can learn from their strategy on the network.
Methodology:
This study analyzes the Interbrand 2013 Top 100 Brands, which rank as the world’s
most valuable brands based on market, brand, competitor, and financial data.
Statistics cited in this study are based on Q3 2013 data (July 1st September 30th). Brand post
and engagement averages exclude brands that were inactive during the study period. Data for the
complete lifetime of each brand account was captured to provide comparisons between Q3 2012
and Q3 2013 for brand posts, as well as likes and comments that occurred on brand posts.
Data used in this study comes from Simply Measured’s industry-leading social media analytics and
reporting platform. The findings from this study are designed to better inform marketers on Instagram
by highlighting successful tactics from the most engaging brands on the network.

INSTAGRAM IS THE FASTEST-GROWING OF THE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS
Aside from the 150 million users, Instagram offers an extremely intuitive interface.
The simple double-tap “liking” feature and ability to quickly scroll through a feed of
friends, brands, and celebrity photos makes the experience near effortless.
Instagram also gives brand marketers the ability to share their advertising collateral
in an organic way, doubling down on the assets they’ve already invested in. As the
network grows and brands compete with organic traffic, understanding the impact of
their content types will become more and more important.
The addition of hashtag tracking, like the report Simply Measured offers, allows
marketers to measure the full extent of their campaign, how it helped brand
awareness, and how that related to activity and growth of their own audience.

Instagram, which only captured the attention of 40% of top brands a year ago, now
boasts 71% of the most recognized brands in the world. Its growth has been so
substantial that it now rivals Google+ and Pinterest in terms of brand adoption.
While Facebook and Twitter hold steady with 98% coverage, Instagram remains the
fastest growing among the major social networks, and has quickly made its mark on
marketers worldwide.
In addition to more brands being active on the network, Instagram’s audience has
merited a huge growth in activity among those brands.
In fact, 57% of top brand marketers are now averaging at least one post per week,
up from only 38% in Q3 of 2012. 19% of these brands now have audiences that
exceed 100,000 followers.

Engagement on Instagram is simple: Likes and Comments are the only two options.
Over the course of the year, engagement among the top brands has grown by a
staggering 350%.
This is due to 55% more brands using the network, and top brands collectively creating
70% more Instagram posts than a year ago. This growth in activity and engagement is
indicative of the importance social marketers are placing on Instagram.
Lesson for Marketers: The extent to which Instagram users are engaging with brands
should appeal to marketers as Instagram rolls out their ad platform. There’s been less
resistance to the addition than other networks have seen, suggesting that users are
more comfortable with branded content when it’s visually appealing.
Instagram
engagement among
the top brands has
grown by 350%
year-over-year.
ENGAGEMENT AMONG TOP BRANDS ON INSTAGRAM
HAS GROWN BY 350% OVER THE LAST YEAR

As brand marketers grow their audience, their focus on engaging that audience has
grown in tandem.
The frequency drops off substantially from that point, but 4% of these top brands still
post more than 50 posts a month. Five of the top ten brands by engagement (shown
below) average more than 30 posts per month.
Lesson for Marketers: These top brands have found that regular posting increases
your brand exposure, but there’s a point of oversaturation when you post more than
once a day.
20% of top brands
average 11-20
Instagram photos
a month, while 18%
post between 21-30.
TOP BRANDS POST MORE THAN 50 TIMES PER MONTH

The automotive, media, and luxury industries are dominating Instagram engagement.
Together, these three industries make up only 22% of top brands, but deliver 59% of
total brand posts, and receive 83% of total engagement.
On the flip side, electronics, technology, alcohol, and fast-moving consumer goods
(FMCG) brands make up 23% of top brands and make 23% of total brands posts,
but they only account for 2% of Instagram engagement.
This is indicative of the content that finds success on Instagram. Automakers like
MercedesBenz and Audi, media brands like MTV, and luxury brands like Tiffany & Co.
have extremely visual products and marketing materials that appeal to users and can
be leveraged on the network.
Automotive, media,
and luxury brands
receive 83% of all likes
and comments on
brand posts.
AUTOMOTIVE, MEDIA AND LUXURY INDUSTRIES
MAKE UP 59% OF TOTAL BRAND POSTS

Which top brands aren’t on Instagram? Mainly B2B financial services companies
and several FMCG companies. These brands don’t have visually stunning offerings
and struggle to find their audience on the network. However, the ones who’ve found
creative ways to get involved have found success.
Lesson for Marketers: While you may not have Tiffany diamonds to display, these
brands succeed by leveraging their creative department and other marketing assets for
their Instagram photos. What work has your marketing and advertising team done that
you can share on Instagram?
LIKES ACCOUNT FOR 99% OF INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENTS

The largest brands have an average Instagram audience of 223k, make an average of
23 posts per month, and average 223k Instagram engagements.
Instagram engagement consists of likes and comments on brand posts, but they’re not
equal. “Likes” account for 99% of engagement, while comments (nearly 500k during
the period) only made up 1% of total engagement.
THE TOP 10 BRANDS RECEIVE 83% OF ALL INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT

9
Nine of the top ten
brands belong to the
top four industries:
Luxury,Media,Apparel,
and Automotive.
The top ten brands (by engagement) received 83% of all Instagram engagement, their
audience made up 65% of total followers, and they made 33% of all brand posts.
Although they made 33% of brand posts, these top brands posted 53% of all
Instagram videos during the study period. The level of engagement these top brands
receive and their willingness to quickly adopt and experiment with new content types
demonstrates a high degree of sophistication on the network.

BRANDS DRIVE 26% MORE ENGAGEMENT VIA PHOTOS THAN VIDEOS
Videos have been a hot topic among brand marketers on Instagram, and research
by Unruly2
finds that 40% of all Instagram videos posted in the last month have
been by brands.
This doesn’t mean they’re more successful: Among top brands, videos
underperform the brand engagement average by 24%. Brands are able to drive 26%
more engagement with photos than videos.

Instagram videos only accounted for 6% of total brand posts, and were only used
by 43 of the 65 active brands. Although videos are still a new resource for brands
on Instagram and haven’t been fully adopted, they haven’t yet proven themselves as
valuable as photos for driving engagement.
Instagram’s biggest value is that it’s easy to use and content can be consumed quickly.
Videos lack that quality to some extent. In addition to the time it takes to watch a
15-second video, when you’re not connected to WiFi, these videos can take a decent
amount of time to load.
Lesson for Marketers: While videos are a great way to mix up your content and keep
fresh ideas rolling through your followers’ feeds, it shouldn’t replace your strategy
around photo content.

83% of Instagram
posts by brands
include at least
one hashtag.
Hashtags are finding their way into almost all brand posts. 83% of Instagram posts
by top brands include at least one hashtag, and 97% of the active brands are
using hashtags.
The top ten most engaging companies have demonstrated their sophistication on the
network, and these ten brands rarely overuse hashtags. In fact, the top ten brands
are less likely to include a hashtag in a post than the average Interbrand company.
While 83% of posts include at least one hashtag, only 77% of posts made by the top
ten brands contain one or more hashtags.
83% OF INSTAGRAM POSTS BY TOP BRANDS
INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE HASHTAG

Most often, posts by the top ten brands contain just one hashtag (36% of posts);
the same can be said for Interbrand companies in general (27% of posts contain a
single hashtag).
However, there’s a breaking point: The top ten brands rarely overuse hashtags,
with only 10% of posts including five or more hashtags. Overall, 21% of all brands
include at least five hashtags in their posts.
Lesson for Marketers: Hashtags are a great tool for discovery and to piggyback
on popular topics and trends, but overuse can negatively impact credibility with
your audience.

We’ve seen the use of filters on brand posts continues to decline3
over the past year.
Only 30% of brand posts were filtered during this study period, down from 42% in
May 2013.
Lesson for Marketers: This also speaks to the sophistication of brand activity on
the network. More and more brand marketers are leveraging creative assets from
other marketing and advertising campaigns, and as such, are already professionally
developed and require no additional filtering.
ONLY 30% OF TOP BRAND POSTS USE FILTERS

CONCLUSION
As Instagram rolls out their ad platform4
, and the audience continues to grow,
the focus of brand marketers will be on implementing the best tactics for driving
engagement on the network. These top brands have already recognized the
opportunity with Instagram’s 150 million users by increasing their activity and working
to refine their tactics.
The example from the leading companies speaks to the importance of a sophisticated
presence. Don’t overuse hashtags, filters or videos, but don’t miss the opportunity to
leverage their value when it can benefit the brand.
For tips on how you can increase your brand’s
engagement on Instagram, download our white paper:
10 Tips for Increasing Brand Engagement
on Instagram

SOURCES
1. http://mashable.com/2013/10/21/fastestgrowingapps/
2. http://www.unrulymedia.com/article/23102013/ brandsaccount40top1000mostshared
instagramvideosreportsunruly/1382519072
3. http://simplymeasured.com/blog/2012/08/08/howtopbrandsareusinginstagramstudy/
4. http://mashable.com/2013/10/24/instagramadsglimpse/

ABOUT SIMPLY MEASURED
Simply Measured is a fast-growing team of data geeks dedicated to making the world
of analytics and reporting a better, more beautiful place.
Our goal is to put the tools to understand business data in the hands of business
users. We think reporting should be simple, beautiful, and accessible for everyone –
not just data scientists. Our software streamlines the process from data to deliverables
and eliminates the countless hours spent on everyday reporting tasks. We do this by
putting cloud data sources at your fingertips, providing a marketplace of best practice
reports, and generating beautiful deliverables on the web, in Excel, and in PowerPoint
with a couple of clicks.

Social Scheduling: When
Do Top Brands Post
to Instagram?
By Michael Thomason –
December 1, 2014
I recently researched Instagram activity by brands included in Interbrand’s Best
100 Brands listing. The list, comprised of brands spanning automotive,
technology, luxury, and other industries, includes 86 brands with Instagram
accounts. Detailed findings are presented in Simply Measured’s Q3 2014
Instagram Study.
In this post, I’ll take a closer look at posting cadence – not just average posting
frequency, but how regular that frequency is.
On Instagram, many top brand posts are published within hours or even
minutes of their last post. Not surprisingly, many posts are also centered

around whole day increments from the last time a post was made, suggesting a
lot of big brands are doing their social media work during… wait for it… work
hours. More interesting is that not only is this activity happening during work
hours, but it’s happening within an hour or two of the time it was done the day
before.
54% of Instagram posts by top brands are published between 9AM and 5PM
Pacific Time (or 60% between 9 and 5 Eastern). Most engagement happens
quickly after content is posted – see more on that in our full study.

That doesn’t mean that audiences aren’t listening (or as is more common on
Instagram, looking) into the wee hours of the morning. Top brands received
similar engagement rates outside of business hours during our study period, so
even though posts from earlier in the day may start to see engagement decline,
there is opportunity to engage audiences with new posts into the night.
It’s possible that different sub-audiences are engaging in the evening and
overnight, and it’s definitely the case that there is less competition for
attention. Don’t be afraid to test posting at odd hours – you may be missing
out on building stronger connections with some of your followers, and there is
prime opportunity to stand out on your followers’ feeds while they’re waiting
for dinner.
Read the Full Study
Simply Measured’s Q3 2014 Instagram Study uncovers findings around:
Hashtags
@Mentions

Photos vs. videos
Location tagging
Posting frequency
Here’s a teaser. The full study is available to download for free by clicking the
button in the graphic below. See how your brand stacks up to the best in the
world!

Michael Thomason
Michael is Simply Measured's Marketing Analyst, focused on
measuring, analyzing, and understanding the social strategy for the
most successful social brands in the world.

Instagram’s New
Updates Just Made
Marketers’ Lives Easier
By Kevin Shively –
November 11, 2014
Brand marketers are no strangers to Instagram, the photo-sharing app with
more than 200 million monthly active users.
Our Q3 2014 Instagram Study found that 86% of the top brands in the world
are active on the network, and 73% post at least one photo per week.
Yesterday, Instagram released several updates designed to make the user
experience better for everyone on the network, but the benefit to social media
marketers may have gone overlooked. So what can you expect, and how will it
benefit your marketing efforts? Below is a quick walk-through of the features.

An Updated Explore Tab
Instagram’s explore tab now consists of two components: photos and people.
While the photos tab isn’t new, it does have some updated features, including
auto-populating text on searches.
You’ll also notice that when searching tagged terms, total counts display next

to the options. This is a great feature for marketers looking to use popular
tags, create their own branded hashtag, or get involved in trending
conversations.
Understanding the volume of conversations taking place, even at a glance, can
help marketers make quick, more informed decisions.
The people tab is another exciting addition for brands.

According to Instagram, this “people” tab will highlight “interesting accounts
for you to discover.” The tab will highlight potential friends based on other
connections, but it will also showcase brands based on similar criteria.
As a marketer, this means a greater potential of getting in front of users who
share common interests with your current followers. Apparently, Instagram
has determined that I should follow the city of Seattle (obviously, since it’s the
best city in the world), Bulleit Bourbon (because Instagram knows me well),
and pop star Ariana Grande (okay, I can’t explain this one).
Editable Captions
In addition to the new explore functionality, Instagram has added the ability to
edit captions after posting.

I’d like to sit here and say that none of us ever make typos, but we all know
that’s not true. This function lets us correct them without deleting, correcting,
and reposting photos.
Download Our Q3 2014 Instagram Study
Our Q3 2014 Instagram Study analyzes the activity behind thousands of posts
and hundreds of millions of likes and comments to find the most successful
brands, tactics, and content types.
This study uncovers findings around:
Hashtags
@Mentions
Photos vs. videos
Location tagging

Posting frequency
world!

Kevin Shively
I manage the blog team at Simply Measured. My job is to tell stories
to the internet...You're welcome internet.

How the Forbes Top 5
Luxury Brands Perform
on Instagram
By Lucy Hitz –
November 13, 2014
According to McKinsey & Company, 75% of
luxury shoppers carry smart phones. More
than 45% of these shoppers’ luxury purchases
are influenced by what they find in the digital
universe.
Add these two facts together and you’ll see that
these consumers want a lot of brand
interaction before they even step into a store or
place an item in an online shopping cart. Instagram is an ideal delivery system
for the kind of lush, aspirational experience these consumers are looking for.

With this shopping landscape in mind, it’s more interesting than ever to
determine whether the financial valuations of the top luxury brands in the
world according to Forbes match up with their Instagram prowess. Forbes’
rankings take into account the industry gold standard Interbrand list.
Which strategies are these brands employing to drive Instagram engagement
and follower growth?
Looking at the strategies that the top five luxury brands in the world are
employing can teach your brand a lot about what’s attractive to lavish lifestyle
enthusiasts, and where the trends are heading.
Louis Vuitton
Interbrand estimates Louis Vuitton’s worth to be a whopping $23.58 billion.
In the past six months, Louis Vuitton experienced 6.8 million total
engagements, got up to 3.3 million followers, posted 166 times, and had a 42%
relative share of engagement when compared with the other top five brands.
Winning Tactics
This was Louis Vuitton’s most popular Instagram post during the last six
months.

Meet the Dora handbag from the #LouisVuitton Fall 2014 Collection, now available in stores and
online at www.louisvuitton.com Photo by @princepelayo
louisvuitton • 3 months ago Follow
110k likes 2.9k comments
Louis Vuitton saw a lot of success in its most engaging posts with introducing
new products: 90% of its top ten posts during the last six months showed off
new collections and designs.

It should also be noted that this photograph was taken by and tagged with
digital influencer and popular Instagrammer @principelayo.
Meet the Dora bag and one of my series of photographs for #louisvuitton where tradition meets
contemporary. @louisvuitton @nicolasghesquiereofficial
princepelayo • 3 months ago Follow
3.5k likes 23 comments

He shone his own light on the post and put Louis Vuitton front and center in
his luxury brand-interested followers’ Instagram feeds.
@principelayo also tags Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière in
his own post to keep the tagging and influencer-ception going.
Gucci
Gucci’s brand value is $9.45 billion, according to Interbrand and Forbes.
During the past six months, Gucci experienced 3.4 million total engagements,
got up to 2.7 million followers, posted 113 times, and had a 31% relative share
of followers when compared with the other top five brands.
Winning Tactics
This was Gucci’s most popular Instagram post during the last six months.

When in L.A., dress for the red carpet. #guccipremiere #LACMA #artandfilm
gucci • 1 month ago Follow
76.3k likes 1.1k comments
Why so successful? Because it immediately stands out on followers’ feeds with
glimmer and glitz — an important reminder for any brand that the reaction to
your Instagram content should be visceral and happen in an instant.

I’d also give some credit here to Gucci’s hashtag usage — anyone scrolling
through the popular LA museum and event space LACMA’s hashtag or the
more general #artandfilm gets exposure to this post.
Hermes
Interbrand values Hermes at $6.18 billion. In the past six months,
Hermes experienced just over 687,500K total engagements,
reached 588.8K followers, posted 122 times, and had a 96.6% follower growth
rate per month.
Winning Tactics
This video was Hermes’ most popular Instagram post during the last six
months.

Sensory whispers drift through our private spaces - "Temps de pluie" #hermesreveries
#hermesfragrance #hermes
hermes • 2 months ago Follow
In fact, 90% of Hermes’ most engaging posts were poetic videos meant to
provoke deep sensory experiences. This strategy makes a lot of sense
particularly for a luxury brand which lures customers by promoting a lifestyle

rather than a straightforward product.
Cartier
Interbrand values Cartier at $5.5 billion.
In the past six months, Cartier experienced just over 470K total engagements,
reached 406K followers, and posted 52 times.
Cartier posted less frequently than the other brands in the top five (less than
half what Louis Vuitton posted), but when it did it sure hit the mark. Cartier
experienced 115.7% engagement as percentage of audience and a staggering
153.3% monthly follower growth rate. This follower growth rate was the biggest
of the top five.
Winning Tactics
This video was Cartier’s most popular Instagram post during the last six
months.

Content unavailable
This video did incredibly well with lovely, lilting piano music contributing to its
romantic sensibility and immersive nature, as well as broad hashtag terms
paired with a Cartier-specific hashtag.
Tiffany & Co.

Interbrand values Tiffany & Co. at $5.16 billion.
In the past six months, Tiffany & Co. experienced just over 4.7 million total
engagements, reached 1.8 million followers, and received the greatest
engagement as percentage of followers among the top five at 265.7%. That
means that its Instagram audience has an incredibly strong affinity for this
brand and its content on the visual network.
Winning Tactics
This image was Tiffany’s most popular Instagram post during the last six
months.

Love at first sight. #TiffanyAndCo #Tiffany
tiffanyandco • 2 months ago Follow
77.8k likes 3.1k comments
Why? This Instagram post is the definition of simple: not a ton of caption text,
solely brand-focused hashtags.
This tells us that it’s the image itself which won the day for this post, and that

Tiffany & Co. doesn’t have to pile on the frills to rake in the comments and
Likes.
Want to Learn More About How Top Brands
Work Their Magic on Instagram?
Our Q3 2014 Instagram Study analyzes the activity behind thousands of posts
and hundreds of millions of likes and comments to find the most successful
brands, tactics, and content types.
Hashtags
@Mentions
Photos vs. videos
Location tagging
Posting frequency
world!

Holler! I’m the Social Media Content Writer here at Simply
Measured, which means I get to research the latest and greatest in
social media and shed additional light on what I find with our
brilliant reports. I’m from the Upper West Side in NYC (reppin’ it!). I
love yoga, prosciutto, peaty scotch, poetry, and Taylor Swift. If I
were a social media channel, I’d want to be Instagram, but I think I’m
Twitter.

5 Ways to Leverage Instagram
Engagement into New Followers
By Lucy Hitz –
November 6, 2014
If your brand has a soaring engagement rate on Instagram and receives awesome feedback on
its content, but struggles to expand its audience on the booming social network, this post is
for you.
Read on to learn five strategies for making your Instagram follower count go up, up, up, by
building upon the solid foundation of hype you’ve already built with viral-prone content
and getting to know your current audience better.
Ask and Reward

Congratulations to our First Place Grand Prize Winner of a $250 gift card to Walgreens is
@goobersmax35 #HHSummerSweeps
walgreens • 4 months ago Follow
303 likes 22 comments
Put together a friendship-, family-, or team-themed campaign, asking your already-dedicated Instagram audience to tag a
friend for a chance to win a reward.
Using this tactic, your existing audience members are organically vetting people and spreading brand awareness to Instagram
users who are likely ideal followers for your brand.
For instance, if a brand I follow runs an Instagram campaign asking me to tag my best girlfriend for a chance to win a two-
person, margarita-fueled beach getaway, I’m probably not going to tag a fifty-year-old man or twelve-year-old girl — I’m going
to tag my twenty-something best girlfriend, which would fit into this smart brand’s target audience the same way I do.
Deeply Know Your Current Audience

Source: Simply Measured Report. Try it for free here
The only way you’ll come up with effective strategies for leveraging loyal followers into new followers is by knowing who your
current followers are and how they behave.
Figure out who your most active commenters are. They’re the ones having the richest interactions with your brand. Then drill
deeper into their profiles and posts to find out what makes them tick and what makes them double-tap.
This is a clever and relatively simple way to build your Instagram social personas — and also to find followers of your
followers that might be interested in what you have to offer.
Follow Back
Once you know who is really lovin’ on your brand on Instagram, follow back.
Don’t underestimate how flattered people feel when they’re followed back by a brand they love and engage with regularly.
This tactic hits two birds with one stone: you strengthen your bond with current followers and gain access to new prospects
(AKA your followers’ followers).
Direct Your Audience to Your Blog
According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. By
using Instagram posts to shine the spotlight on your blog, you give your followers another way to be engaged by your brand.

Want all the goss from last night's epic VIP party? Head to insideout.topshop.com for our top moments.
(including our amazing Twitter Mirror selfies featuring @HaileeSteinfeld!) #topshop #UNLOCK5TH
#grandcentral #topshopny #haileesteinfeld #topshoploves
topshop • 1 month ago Follow
The more followers that head to your blog, the more people are likely to engage in WOMM (Word of Mouth Marketing)
around your brand, both verbally and by sending your blog links to non-followers using other social (Facebook, Twitter) and
non-social (GChat, email) methods.
Regram
Mine the talents of your followers and #regram their photos, making sure to tag them.

Sheer nude nails and faux fur at yesterday's shoot. (Repost from @kaitmosh)
laurenconrad • 1 month ago Follow
118k likes 1.3k comments
Much like following your influential and most active followers, this tactic gets current followers excited and more likely to
spread the word on your brand’s Instagram presence.
Download Our Q3 2014 Instagram Study
Our Q3 2014 Instagram Study analyzes the activity behind thousands of posts and hundreds of millions of likes and
comments to find the most successful brands, tactics, and content types.
Hashtags
@Mentions
Photos vs. videos
Location tagging
Posting frequency
Here’s a teaser. The full study is available to download for free by clicking the button in the graphic below. See how your
brand stacks up to the best in the world!

Lucy Hitz
Holler! I’m the Social Media Content Writer here at Simply Measured, which means I get to research the latest and
greatest in social media and shed additional light on what I find with our brilliant reports. I’m from the Upper West Side in
NYC (reppin’ it!). I love yoga, prosciutto, peaty scotch, poetry, and Taylor Swift. If I were a social media channel, I’d want to
be Instagram, but I think I’m Twitter.

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