7 Instagram Marketing Examples to Inspire You and Your Social Media Team

Around 110 million Americans use Instagram. Tap into the Instagram goldmine by learning from these 7 marketing examples.

The United States has more Instagram users than any other country. Brazil comes in second place for having the most Instagram users.

Social media marketing has the power to make you richer. You, too, can use social media to market your brand effectively.

Here are 7 of the best Instagram marketing examples you’ll ever learn from:

1. Lego

Remember the royal wedding that happened back in May 2018? Globally, it was one of the most followed events of the year. The whole world was watching and so was Lego.

(Lego is a company that sells toy blocks.)

In turn, Lego released a video that featured the wedding reconstructed with its signature blocks. They used the trending #RoyalWedding hashtag so the video would appear in more users’ feeds.

The video received over 150,000 views. Needless to say, Lego put one of the best marketing strategies to work: They made their product relevant to a trending hashtag and momentous occasion.

Create a social media calendar with popular dates and events. List all of the hashtags that are relevant to those specific happenings.

Then make clever posts that relate to these current events. Use humor and imagination to make these posts original.

Make sure you research hashtags thoroughly before using them. You’ll increase your engagement more if your hashtags are 100% relevant.

2. Starbucks

Embracing a cause furthers your marketing strategy. Starbucks is a perfect example of this.

Starbucks is famous for having successful social media marketing ideas. In June 2019, this company ran a social media campaign for Pride month.

For Pride, Starbucks pictures of LGBTQ+ community members on their social media channels. The company invited people to learn more about these individuals via Instagram stories/highlights. They also used a branded hashtag (#ExtraShotOfPride) along with popular hashtags (#Pride).

This campaign used high-quality, attention-grabbing pictures to encourage engagement. On social media, people are more likely to engage with a post if it features compelling visual content. Much like marketing on Pinterest, you’ll need high-quality pictures to successfully market your brand on Instagram.

Don’t be afraid to use social media to align your brand with a cause. This humanizes your brand and fosters positive brand relationships with your target consumers. However, you’ll get more results if your target audience supports your cause.

3. Daniel Wellington

Daniel Wellington is a brand that sells watches. This brand displays UGC (user-generated content) on their Instagram account. They do this by reposting pictures of their customers wearing Daniel Wellington watches.

Recently, Daniel Wellington turned these photos into a game. The brand posted pictures of people in outstanding places. Then they asked users to guess where the photos were taken.

By doing turning their UGC into a guessing game, Daniel Wellington was putting gamification into effect with the #WheresWellington hashtag. Gamification is the process of adding game-style elements to your marketing strategy. That’s why Daniel Wellington is one of the best social media marketing examples to look at.

Have fun with consumers by turning your Instagram posts into a game. Create a fun “challenge” that supports your marketing efforts. For example, you could create a branded hashtag and encourage people to make art out of it. Then you could repost that art as UGC on your brand’s Instagram.

If you really want to generate hype, incorporate a giveaway into your marketing game.

4. Desenio

Desenio is a Swedish brand that sells stylish wall art. Their Instagram posts incorporate interior design themes with a consistent color scheme that involves blues, grays, greens, black, and white. This color scheme evokes a sense of artistry, luxury, calmness, and comfort.

Color improves brand recognition. By using a consistent color scheme, they’re creating a connection between their brand and that color scheme in consumers’ minds. Consistent brand representation also increases revenue.

However, Desenio decided to stray from their usual consistency in their holiday. Instead, they posted a holiday card that featured snow-covered pine trees. In turn, this post became Desenio’s most engaging post.

Yes, consistency is important. But it’s also good to change things up. This keeps your content fresh and relevant.

5. Dove

Dove is a brand that sells personal care products. This brand’s target audience is women. Dove is aware of the unrealistic standards women face and the lack of relatable representation of women in advertisements.

That’s why Dove’s #ShowUs campaign championed diversity by showcasing women from all walks of life on social media. On Dove’s Instagram account, they posted pictures of these women and highlighted their unique characteristics.

The purpose of #ShowUs was to promote diversity and be more inclusive. That way, customers will relate to Dove’s brand more. But this campaign also encouraged women to send in their own photos.

As a result, Dove now has a library that exceeds 5,000 pictures. This branded content iis more relatable than advertisements.

Encourage customers to post UGC with branded hashtags and creative campaigns. Sharing UGC will inspire other users to submit photos.

6. See Jane Work

Convenience an important component of Instagram marketing. See Jane Work uses Instagram Shopping to sell their office supplies and other products. Only business Instagram accounts have access to this feature.

Shoppable posts are marked with a white shopping bag. Users can buy products without straying far from their feeds. This makes the purchasing process more convenient and quicker.

Take advantage of Instagram Shopping. You’ll make more sales that way.

7. Gillette

Gillette made headlines with its “The Best Men Can Be” campaign. It was one of the best social media campaigns ever because it was about breaking stereotypes regarding men. It was controversial, but empowering.

Don’t rely on stereotypes for marketing purposes. Stereotypes are boring and offensive. Instead, put a unique spin on your marketing that makes people connect with it.

Learn From These Brilliant Marketing Examples

Instagram has over 1 billion monthly users. Use these marketing examples to propel your marketing efforts forward.

Remember: Respond to comments on social media. People expect brands to engage with them there.

Boost your business—check out our online services. Your Instagram followers will thank you for it.