Instagram For Businesses?

Everyone’s talking about Instagram after the recent $1 billion Facebook acquisition.  In just 2 years the app has aquired more than 50 million users and has become a staple of high school and college kids.  With all of the great filters that allow for pictures to look so much better than they actually are, one big question remains: Is Instagram useful for businesses?

This is a topic that I know very little about.  First, I want to give my few thoughts on Instagram and business.  After those thoughts, I am providing insight and examples of other people.

Instagram is something that can be very useful.  The business success stories that I have witnessed with Instagram all involve fashion in some sort.  Why?  Fashion items are easy to take pictures of.  You can put it on a hanger, a person, a pet, or a nice backdrop, and the picture does the talking for itself.  People see what they are getting with the item, and if they like the way it looks, then generally that is enough to buy it, or at least like it.  

Coach, the famous purse company has 48 thousand Instagram followers.  They generally post about one picture a day, and leave it at that.  The consistency of their posting has made them an Instagram success.  On a smaller scale, a local start-up in the Carolinas called Good Ole Boys has done a great job of taking pictures of their gear and creating a comfort appeal around the brand.  They may not have the largest fan base, but they post consistently, interact with followers, and show their items in ways that make people interested in the product.

After doing research, I have realized that my assumptions are pretty much true.  With digital photography being a great way to show advertisements, many fashion companies use Instagram successfully.  Taking a picture of a dress or pair of shoes and attaching a link to an online shopping cart is an easy way to increase sales.  MyHauteCloset is an example of a fashion blogger who was given many items to model and ended up making a nice fashion business just through Instagram. 

The other industry that appears to have done this is sports teams.  Teams like the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Braves have succeeded on Instagram because they are sports and entertainment focused.  A lot of people enjoy looking at photos of their favorite athletes as they play the game they love or goof around in the clubhouse.  Sports teams also use it to recap and post photos of promotional events; for example the Atlanta Braves recently had a Star Wars night, and their Instagram shows some photos of fans in Star Wars apparel. 

Instagram really has become almost a hybrid of Twitter and Pinterest.  You post pictures that appeal to you and you make them look pretty through filters.  Then you can comment under them in a short text or post them at somebody.  While Instagram will never overpass a Twitter with text or a Facebook with profiles, it is a handy, mobile application that can connect people on a smaller level.  Maybe it will get much bigger.  Maybe the boom of the Instagram bomb will continue to spread outward, but for now, Instagram is not a do or die social medium for the business world.  If you are in the fashion industry, I definitely think that it would be beneficial to have it.  Otherwise, do with it as you please.  As for me, if I ever get more than 1,000 Instagram followers (@justinsthomason), I will run a 5K in a Batman suit. 

Why College Students Need LinkedIn

I remember last November when I began to search for jobs.  I applied to a few places over Thanksgiving and Christmas break, receiving response e-mails or phone calls to try back in a few months.  When March came, I began to apply for more places, with still little luck.  As April came around, I started to use LinkedIn a lot more.  I had used it some since the middle of my junior year, but just like many things in life, such as working out or shooting a basketball, if you don't use it, you lose it.

The Before:

Before LinkedIn, I was very immature.

LinkedIn helped me mature.  I know that seems weird . . .  a website helped me grow up . . . but it did.  I began applying to jobs, making more contacts, learning more about potential industries, and updating my profile.  While the positions that I currently hold did not come through LinkedIn, I was offered some job positions through the website.  My advice to current college students or recent graduates: use LinkedIn.

1. LinkedIn helps you get your stuff together.  Having a profile on LinkedIn that is incomplete is a terrible representation of yourself.  If you apply to any jobs or have anyone looking at your profile, it is motivation to make your profile complete.  Updating your experience with job titles, companies, dates, and job description are great.  The more experience that you have, the better.

2. LinkedIn teaches you basics about resumes and applications.  I applied to approximately twenty-five jobs on LinkedIn.  With those numbers, you realize that some do not respond, some send you a courtesy thank you, and others are interested in potentially hiring you.  Submitting a cover letter is not an option; it is a necessity. Changing your cover letter and resume from application to application are vital.  Responding to people's e-mails, while this should be common knowledge, are also critical to advancing in the job process.  Show them that you are qualified and that you care.

3. Another great aspect of LinkedIn is company pages.  As a college student looking for job in a specific field, I used LinkedIn to check out companies.  You can see their company description, connections they have with you, the size of their company, and other information that will help you get a basic understanding of what they do.  You can follow a company to stay updated on what they are doing and see job positions that they need to fill.

4. Grow your connections.  LinkedIn is not a Facebook or a Twitter, you do not post what you ate for lunch or pictures of your last sorority function that you don't remember.  Think of it as a Facebook with a coat and tie.  You want people to see you as a professional.  Look into the people around your age, reconnecting with those fraternity brothers that graduated a few years ahead of you or people that you knew in an industry you are interested in.  Then, connect with other professionals, such as your previous bosses, professors, or family contacts.  This will help people know that you are entering, or close to entering, the professional world.  A few family friends on LinkedIn messaged me asking about my interests and qualifications, saying they could keep an eye out for potential jobs for me.

The After:

LinkedIn made me grow up, become professional, dress nicer, and be better with the ladies (slight exaggeration).