Using Instagram Photos for Business

Our culture’s obsession with instant gratification is catching the attention of big name marketers. That picture you just snapped during your hike in the woods just might become the city’s new advertising campaign.

The reasons behind brands using the average Joe’s photos are infinite. By reaching out to the ordinary smartphone user and their images, brands can create real-world, lasting connections with users through an authentic person. Brands succeed best when their products are portrayed in real life rather than in a static, staged photo shoot.

The benefits aren’t only a brand’s to behold, because people are earning money for photos that wouldn’t ordinarily see the light of day. For users, earning potential is still in its infancy, although the likelihood of a brand buying exclusive rights to an image are starting to increase. Often, the fame and attention from a big brand satisfies users and opens possibilities for future collaborations.

Perhaps the biggest reason brands are taking to Instagram for marketing materials is to achieve increased user engagement.

Brands encourage people to take pictures of themselves using a product, create contests for best picture and organize promotions by hashtags. When users spread awareness of a brand, a marketer’s dream scenario has just come true: The user spreads a brand’s message virally, increasing user engagement.

The power of snapping photos in real time and space is a shared love between users and brands: the authenticity of a moment. When marketers see an image taken by a real person that fits their brand, using it to sell in real time to a mass audience creates a big moment for user and brands alike.