Guest Column: Brands must add to the user's experience of social zen: Pooja Gururaj, Digital Strategist
Digital strategist Pooja Gururaj doles out simple but effective tips to better a brand’s Insta game

If numbers are anything to go by, Instagram is turning out to be just the perfect social platform that brands have been hoping for. According to Brandwatch, Adweek, almost 50% of users follow their favourite brands on Instagram and 70% of the most used hashtags are actually branded and Instagrammers engage with brands 10 times over Facebook and 84 times over Twitter.
But numbers are just one piece of the puzzle. It’s imperative for brands to take a moment, question what the other pieces are, to begin with and then let the answers drive the strategy on the platform. The questions could be --
> What is the role that Instagram will play in this ever-growing platter of platforms that brands are pressurised to be on?
A clutter breaking campaign, like worthy photos and super analytical tools ultimately don’t help a brand if the brand isn’t clear on its purpose on the platform.
>Is the brand going to be able to lend itself to the temperament of Instagram or is it going to be a buzzkill?
Brands can’t just be themselves. Brands can’t not be themselves either. It is only fair for brands to review their fit to the content, nature, audience and mood before being forced to try too hard in hindsight.
While brands question and derive their purpose on Instagram, here are some simple hacks to help take the brand story forward effectively:
1.Humanise your presence. Like and Interact
Instagram gives brands the breathing space to be as human as they can get, not just with the kind of content but also with their interactions. Actively like user photos related to the brand, comment and break the ice.
Nothing warms up the users to a brand as much as a surprise validation.
2.Keep your bio dynamic
As the only part of your profile that Instagram lets you link out, use the bio wisely. Lead users to different parts of your website based on the theme of your communication.
Link shorteners like Bit.ly will also help track how effective Instagram has been in diverting traffic to the site.
Another trick is to use your bio to seed your owned hashtag with a clear call to action. This will help turn users to be more participative than just passive spectators.
3. Give Instagrammers a reason to be social with you
While content plans and activities aim at reaching out to the audience, this is just one side of the conversation. Don’t forget to encourage users to make the brand a part of their photos. Give users owned hashtags to use along with reasons to tag and interact with the brand. Even better, feature them from time to time to help turn them into regular brand contributors.
4.Take a visual stand
Being the highly visual platform that it is, most Instagrammers begin to follow an account when they want to see more of what they’ve seen. Just like when you buy a magazine, you turn the first few pages and you buy it. Hoping every other page is in sync with what you liked. How disappointing would it be to find something different half way through?
Be it a colour pallete, selective filters or a photo style – maintaining consistency helps the brand keep up with the follower’s expectations.
Analytics tools these days also help the brand understand which formats and filters work best, adding statistical validation for the style guide.
5.Let your stories interact with the content
While Instagram stories and Snapchat fight it out to be distinct, or not – the point is Instagram gives you the advantage to run stories that can relate back to your feed.
Apart from using Instagram stories for just the filters and location based emojis, use it to win the algorithm battle and invite users to the brand’s profile. Use it as a poll to devise user voted content or as a teaser to upcoming activities. This will help add a more definitive value to this popular expiring format.
6.Build a universe of content co-creators
As a brand, while creating regular content is part of the plan, build a universe of Instagrammers (bloggers or even those from within the brand) who will help populate the brand’s feed. Tag them and even share their experience!
This will help establish category authority and even showcase a larger brand network seamlessly.
All these hacks and marketing activities will help take the brand forward on its way to achieve its platform objectives, no doubt.
However, one thing to remember as marketers is to not take away from what the platform had set out to do for the audience.
As a brand, it is important to add to the user’s experience of social zen than ruining it with an irrelevant brand agenda. It’s all about telling the brand story, the way it is liked to be heard.
(The author is Digital Strategist at VML)
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp