Four Successful Brands on Instagram
Four Successful Brands on Instagram
Instagram has been falling behind - do you agree? Muscle memory tells us to keep posting but engagement continues to tank. Remember when this happened with Facebook? I don’t know many brands that have an organic Facebook strategy these days. I do not foresee Instagram getting that bad (at least anytime soon) but I do think it’s time to truly figure out what is the deal with Instagram and what should an updated strategy looks like for organic.
So, how do you create an Instagram strategy that works?
Let’s dive into 4 brands that are killing it. - Please note some could have paid promotion to help gain these numbers however the content and strategy is solid (in my opinion).
Side-note: I keep a rotating collection of brands we are watching on TCE’s Instagram in our following.
Liquid Death
Who is this brand?
Canned Water with a bold voice and brand.
What are their numbers?
Total Followers: 1.3 million
Average Video Views: 197.4k
Engagement Rate: 8k likes/comments per post
What are they doing that is so great?
From their brand name to messaging - it’s bold and feels very confident. One of their branded hashtags is #MurderYourThirst Content follows suit and always feels on brand. Content consists of collaborations, events, news in the plastic industry, and their own product - focusing heavily on making their own memes/trending content.
When you are bold people talk about you and they utilize the good and the “negative” to their advantage - this is seen in the content.
Overall I think they were very clear in what the brand has represented and have put their money into posting and creating content (whether a stunt, collaboration, or photoshop). No studio shoots here!
Hashtags only consist of their own and they never use location tags. They even use their own filters as games - we all know gamifying content works! I also really enjoyed seeing who they were following - tons of cool brands I had never seen before.
Pleasing
Who is this brand?
Nail polish brand (and other “pleasing” products) by Harry Styles - so yes we know success comes from that but they still have a generally great appearance on Instagram
What are their numbers?
Total Followers: 1.4 million
Average Video Views: 388k
Engagement Rate: 87.57 likes/comments per post
What are they doing that is so great?
Bio is to the point - seems to be their North Star “find your pleasing”
I like that Harry is seen in the content, but sparsely - they really focus on others as the brand seems to be focused on individuality.
If you really scroll you will see color stories/themes - they never really dive into trending topics/pop culture too much - just focused on the brand
They seem to post once a day but may audit their page every so often as they only have 204 posts in total
No clear reels/video strategy
Following only Harry. No location tags or hashtags
Very colorful, close in detail content that features diversity in models.
Soft Services
Who is this brand?
A body focused skincare company
What are their numbers?
Total Followers: 26.8k
Average Video Views: 11k
Engagement Rate: 505 likes/comments per post
What are they doing that is so great?
Bio is short and sweet- feels very fitting for their brand and packaging - simple yet effective (which I am sure they would say the same thing about their products)
Content all feels very on brand. They have color coordinated their content to do series drops around a color way/product
It feels refreshing to scroll through their feed so I feel it’s more about the whole experience than individual posts (compared to Liquid Death)
They do use a lot of studio content. I feel like they went after a more old school Instagram strategy and content really focused on textures - I feel that between the content and packaging I want to buy their products to feel it - I also love the name which we all know how powerful just a name can be for a brand.
Diversity in their models is clear and comforting
They also did a good job with their editing on photos to be crisp/clear yet soft - which is what their brand is all about - yes it’s that deep
They never use location tags or hashtags at all. Not following anyone.
Vacation
Who is this brand?
Casual/Leisure brand that launched with sunscreen and branding that reminds you of MadMen days advertising.
What are their numbers?
Total Followers: 56k
Average Video Views: 22k
Engagement Rate: 619 likes/comments per post
What are they doing that is so great?
They only follow Jimmy Buffet - which was fun to see. From a quick Google search it doesn’t look like he owns the brand or does anything with him - which makes me even more excited - they follow him as he represents “vacation”
Along with their iconic branding that is nostalgic, their editing and content fits the bill - which will always stand out in a feed. All of their video content looks like an old school TV ad - which is so on brand. It honestly just feels so fun looking at their content.
I feel this account is more in line with Liquid Death where they have amazing collaborations to keep thing fresh while also creating their own memes/trends.
Products show up in about 50% of the content.
They have a clear color scheme they stick to - green, red, and blue.
So, what do all of these brands have in common?
Bold claims and packaging to match. I recently heard the quote “Marketing is the tax you pay when your brand is unremarkable.” I continue to see too many brands struggle with their content marketing - this should come natural and very easy for the brand and when it’s not it’s time to take a step back to the core of the brand. If you need any branding agency recs shoot me an email - I know some really great people who can take your brand to where it needs to be.
One Word: DIVERSITY
Most of them post in feed every day.
They either are all in on trends and meme culture of totally not about it at all.
For the most part, bios were short and to the point with their tag line.
No use of hashtags unless they’re own branded ones and no location tags.
Partnerships (no giveaways really seen) - like true collaborations - were essential for all of the brands.
Honestly not impressed with any type of Reels strategy/video content other than generally using what they have from studio or longer form video is what I saw.
Looking at who they are all following was interesting - Seems to be a mixed approach, but what does matter is who you are following (no matter 1 or 1,000) follow other accounts that are interesting/related to the brand - your following is still a section of interest on your profile.
