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10 ways to make Instagram profitable
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As Instagramers we have to be aware of Instagram reliability and necessity of a healthy business case figures.
If we want to go on enjoying, as users, our favorite entertainment App we have to know the potential profitability behind the tool…
If not, no business, no updated version, no service, no future, no fun…
But there is many ways to use the platform for your own interest too!
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Instagram Founders, Mikey Krieger and Kevin Systrom recently answered our question at Instagramers.com but they also answered TechCrunch Tv! You can see the whole interview here.
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In this video Interview,the TechCrunch journalist asked the usual questions that every single journalist asks when meeting a new “social media hype”. Where will the business be? The profitability, in one word.
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Where is Instagram business profitability today?
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In my opinion, Kevin answered clearly and concisely leaving no doubt that they are already conscious of the big challenge they have to face. They have ideas about what they could do to make the whole business sustainable and why not largely profitable?
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“Instagram is a new Entertainment Platform” and “Advertising is visual, photography too”…
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They are right! And they must have something in mind. At instagramers.com we tried to think about all the possibilities the platform offers.
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As an Instagram “Heavy User” I may suffer a sight distortion or an IG Optimism Addiction but there, it clearly matters where Instagram could play a big role in the near future.
The more the platform will improve communication feeds and data internal processes, the more the users will get comfortable in using it and will understand the importance of using hashtags, geolocation etc… The result will be a platform with strong assets to face the next steps.
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10 ways to Make Instagram profitable!
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1) Instagram Photography, Apps, Art, Frames, Fun and Merchandising.
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The most obvious of all of them. Instagram is a question of Photography and the App Is already a way to develop businesses simply around Photo Edition Apps! The Platform is the perfect place for promoting different apps!
Plus all tools existing yet like sharing, printing using different supports that Instagramers works with.
Many companies have already launched Webtools and services around IG. Check them here like Printing Postcard, posters, stickers…
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2) Instagram and Information.
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That’s really Obvious too… Benchmark Capital recently invested many (7) millions dollars in Instagram with Jack Dorsey among the group of investors. It’s not a coincidence.
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One day, Information met the most important e-volution in the recent history when the main Media and communication gurus understood people with their mobile were located almost everywhere and ready to inform permanently (with no cost!). Recent disaster in Japan was the proof of the Massive effect of a recent born Instagram.
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As Guntenbergh started printing newspapers with black ink, he then incorporated drawings and then after printing introduced massive color printings… Twitter started with short 140 character Texts and will probably complement it with graphic content information in the near future…
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3) Instagram and Advertising.
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Who says Communication Medias means Audience…
Who says audience means advertising interest for announcers and media planners… And Instagram showed yet in several contests the huge feedback from users to promotions and integrated offers.
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Instagram will definitely be a targeted way to show advertising to users depending on where, what their interests are. Simply with sponsor links powered by Google, Yahoo, Msn or their own system why not?
Instagram can help promoting a restaurant, an hotel but a massive sales brand too and curiously very few of them are already on this network. The nick “Nike” belongs to a guy called Nicolas!
They are probably working on it already on it, in San Francisco.
See here 10 Early adopters brands in TheNextweb.com
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4) Instagram, friendship, relationships and work.
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All users agree that Instagram is a much more powerful tool in terms of sensitivity and first approach by other users than Twitter, Linkedin and even Facebook sometimes.
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All my IG friends share with me much more than links and info.
They share part of their lives, their creativity, their feelings,their intimacy …
And sometimes I hardly know their name behind a nick.
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And without a doubt it is a perfect way to find people with the same Interests and passions and make good friends (just have a look to our first Instameets good atmosphere!)
That´s why our Instagramers Networks grew so fastly with more than 50 groups all over the world! Cause People want to meet! Not only virtually!!
And some of them, why not find the One. A boyfriend, a girlfriend… Big business today!
It may also be a way to search and discover people with talent. A tool for recruiting and a way for people to promote their professional side in an original way.
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5) Instagram, Tips about Trips and Travel.
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How many of you dreamt of going to Switzerland seeing pics of @crisss or discover the beauty of New York streets with @richnyc, Paris with @nathparis, Costa Rica with @ticalinda and her husband @poppad or Tokyo with @sweetarts.
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Instagram is a powerful tool to promote places you would never think about visiting. This year I just was thinking about visiting Cyprus or maybe Ireland!
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Just because @suzyyf and @rockizta show it so beautifully ! Soon the Tourism Offices of many countries will take advantage of this opportunity and Airline companies and tour operators too…
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For the first time you can find easily in your mobile, always at hand, a graphic information about places without any commercial distortion and leaflets!
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When you look for Pics in Instagram you know you will see the places has there really are. The places just as Instagramers lived them, loved them and photographed them.
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6) Instagram, ecommerce and Geolocation.
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E-commerce has been the big focus of Internet sustainability these last few years.
In 2001 nobody would have bet on it but today companies are earning money on the Net. Amazon, EBay but new concepts of resellers like Groupon, venteprivee.com are synonymous of incontestable success and highly profitable gains.
Not only companies but people too will soon find ways to promote their sales. Offering second hand cars, furniture, antiques, stamps for collectors through the platform… Mobility is the future of e-commerce.
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I’m in the airport right now writing this post and I don’t need a PC anymore!
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Needless to say, Geolocation will be part of it too.
In my opinion once again, the impact will be more powerful in IG than in Foursquare because the first meaning is not making a report around a place. It’s just making a nice pic and showing it to the community. Reporters everywhere once again. Pics, pics, pics… @Starbucks have been almost as brilliant as in Foursquare and are very dynamic in Instagram posting offers, happy hours and sales!
I want to see a place close to me or the nice restaurant where I will take my fiancé to have dinner!
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7) Instagram and Movies, Actors, Music, Singers…
There are very few “Show Bizz” people at the moment but the power of the platform is huge.
Not only Brands, People like SnoopDog or some politician like @PatxiLopez in Spain already have Instagram profiles and use it as a friendliest Twitter but there are still only a few at the moment. And Jack Dorsey knows it as well.
A Few months ago I helped a friend, @pabloalmansa, great professional “fine art” photographer to launch his IG profile. Today he has over close to 6.000 followers. Thousands of people who would never have known him without IG!
Not Only Art Fair like Photography Art Fair but also Paintings, Architecture and every kind of Art can be promote through Instagram.
Hollywood, Music and entertainment industries will soon understand too the strong capability to promote their businesses, publish new launches or show live events like the Grammys already did.
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8 ) Instagram, Art, Learning and training.
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There is no doubt that Instagram could soon be a way to house millions of tutorials of simple things. You could tell me…
What about YouTube? Yes it’s true but the user experience is different.
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Here, You can ask a question in each pic of a Step by Step Tutorial to the stream owner like #howto etc… Like the one here beside explaining how to edit a pic but could be how to make a pizza!
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Could there be tutorials around Iphoneography and learning how to take pics, which new tools exists in new editing and pic apps, and with graphic examples! Tomorrows Tutorials for simple things.
Why not teach your children their first vocabulary with drawings and images!
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9) Instagram as a factor of social stability, countries decisions and choices.
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I’m probably an idealist and positive guy but I’m convinced that one day not only Instagram but all social networks will be important.
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Not only in Obama’s and Hillary’s Campaigns but in all the voting processes.
Through kind of “secured” social media and “single sign in system” and the decision will be shared and taken by groups. The information around parties and candidates will be clearer and in general Internet will bring transparency.
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In the image besides you can observe this week demonstration in the center of Madrid, largely covered in Instagram with more than 600 pictures at the moment on tag related too social Movement called #SpanishRevolution or #acampada (campsite)
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And let´s not forget that Social Networks will bring cultures and people closer together and will be a real factor of social stability, solidarity and sense of humanity. Instagram is not only a window to other users’ private lives but also for friendship breaking frontiers, languages and extremism.
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10) And the last one, the Tenth, I will keep it SECRET!
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… Because it’s an idea I have had for many years now and it may be a very nice project to lead and launch!!! Sorry.
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As you see there are many, many other options for someone to take advantage of Instagram.
For people to have fun, enjoy sharing their lives… And for companies too!
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Many more came to my mind while I was writing this article but I think the most able to succeed in a first phase are those mentioned above. Probably the instagram team is considering many of these monetization options already.
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Now the hard work will be to earn money for being the connector in the crossway between people, companies and new businesses opportunities. And not only to attend the show as a mere spectator.
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@philgonzalez
IG user and Twitter: @philgonzalez
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Especial Thanks to my friend Kirsten Smith for her help and support in this article!
