We’ve talked in the past about how social media is a powerful tool for communication, but in this article, we wanted to focus specifically on Instagram’s image-focused approach.

According to HubSpot, the Instagram community grew from 90 million monthly active users in January 2013 to 1 billion monthly active users as of June 2018; between 2016 and 2020, eMarketer predicts Instagram will add 26.9 million users – almost double the incremental users expected for Twitter, and far more than any other social platform tracked.

With this in mind, it’s no surprise charity brands are increasingly using this channel to tell their stories and connect with audiences. But what makes Instagram particularly appealing to these organisations?

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1. Ease of use

Although several social-media platforms exist for the sharing of visual information, Instagram is the simplest to use you don’t need any video or photo-editing skills beyond the application, for example, which makes it straightforward to post videos and photos directly from devices to the platform.

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2. It’s measurable

When you post an image or video that is seen by some of your followers, Instagram will monitor how many of those viewers engage with your post by liking or commenting. The more engagement the post gets, the more people Instagram will show it to, either by bumping it to the top of followers’ feeds or by adding it to a curated collection of posts in Instagram’s ‘Explore’ section, which is seen by followers and non-followers alike.

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3. Don’t forget the #

Choosing the right wording for your captions is important, using a tone that suits your messaging, but you can also categorise your posts by adding relevant #s – up to 30 in one post – but be wary not to come across as too spammy with #overkill. Keep captions brief, relevant and aim to stimulate engagement through likes and comments. Ask questions, look for feedback and invite people to interact with you.

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4. Exposure

Your Instagram activity will expose your organisation to increasingly diverse communities, potentially leading to collaborations with the likes of partners, media, supporters and donators.

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5. Connecting with audiences

Inspire an interest in the work you do, by showing them. Share powerful images of captivating situations, bring your online audience closer to the action. Inspire them by talking about beneficiaries that have defied the odds or overcome adversity as a result of the work you do.

Want to use Instagram more, but struggling to generate content? We can help. From a one-two minute long animation, we can create a series of bitesize clips and images that can be re-purposed and shared on Instagram and other social media channels.