13 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn from National Geographic’s Instagram
Given that National Geographic has been using its award-winning photos to tell a visual story since 1888, long before Instagram and social media existed, then it seems like Instagram was built just for it. It is no surprise, therefore, that their account is one of the most successful and popular on the platform. From a marketing point of view, there are lots of lessons we can learn from their account, and this article, with the help of the marketing experts over at runrex.com, will look to list 13 marketing lessons we can learn from National Geographic’s Instagram.
Stay true to your brand
National Geographic’s brand voice has stayed consistent over the years, with their brand voice being the same on their Instagram as it was in their magazines. This means that you know what to expect when you visit their Instagram page, creating a sense of loyalty among fans that is second to none. This is a marketing lesson worth learning as, while it is important to innovate and try out new strategies to be successful in marketing, it is just as important to stay true to your brand and be consistent with your brand voice, as per the gurus over at runrex.com.
Diversity of content
Given that over 100 of their top photojournalists contribute to their account, National Geographic’s Instagram account is one of the most diverse in terms of content, which means there is always something for everyone, whether you are looking for content on wildlife or content on mountains and other geographical features. Diversity is just as important when it comes to marketing, particularly content marketing, where it is important to ensure there is always something for everybody as per the experts over at runrex.com.
Educate and offer value
I can guarantee you that you will learn something new every time you visit National Geographic’s Instagram. They offer insights on all sorts of topics from ancient civilizations to endangered species, and so much more, and it is this that makes them so popular. The marketing lesson we can learn here is the benefits that are there to be had if you can offer your audience real value by educating them on the various topics in your industry, as is discussed over at runrex.com.
Show that you are an expert in your industry
National Geographic are experts when it comes to exploring the world and in what they do, and this is quite evident when you visit their Instagram. You can tell that they know their stuff and are speaking, or rather posting, from a point of authority. Similarly, if you are to make any headway with your marketing campaigns, according to discussions on the same over at runrex.com, you will need to show your audience that you are an expert in your industry and know what you are talking about.
Captions and words are just as important as images and videos
As more and more people discover how powerful visuals are when it comes to marketing, visual content has become king in recent times. However, a marketing lesson we can learn from National Geographic’s Instagram is that words are just as important. They are masters when it comes to captioning their visuals, as their captions tell the audience what they need to know about a particular image, providing context and even inspire the audience to take action towards a certain cause they are championing. As per the experts over at runrex.com, this is another marketing lesson worth learning.
Compelling content
There can be no denying that one of the main reasons why National Geographic’s Instagram is so popular is because they post some of the most compelling content on the platform. Stunning photos of the highest quality possible, taken by the hundreds of their talented photojournalists have people gushing which is why their photos have such high engagement rates. Similarly, according to the experts over at runrex.com, providing your audience with compelling content will increase the chances of success as far as your marketing endeavors go.
Encourage interactions with your audience
Among the compelling content that National Geographic post on their Instagram is Safari live videos, which allows fans to watch videos while interacting with National Geographic scientists and photographers, both in real-time. This content is not one-way, but it encourages interactions from their audience, which drives traffic and increases engagements. The marketing lesson we can learn here, as discussed over at runrex.com, is how important it is to encourage interactions with your audience to know their opinion on your brand and your campaigns if you are to succeed.
Embrace new technology
National Geographic scientists and photojournalists are synonymous with new and state-of-the-art technology, which comes out pretty clearly when you follow their Instagram. This allows them to capture some stunning photos and videos as well as interact with fans even from extremely remote areas such as high up Mt. Everest. When it comes to marketing, you will need to embrace new technology and keep up with new trends if you are to succeed, something the gurus over at runrex.com agree with.
Have clearly defined marketing goals
National Geographic’s Instagram and the posts therein have a clearly defined goal; to encourage people to explore their world while doing so in a responsible way, one that preserves the environment for future generations. The marketing lesson we can learn here, according to the folks over at runrex.com, is the importance of making sure that you have clearly defined marketing goals, which will guide you and give you something to work towards.
The power of hashtags
National Geographic uses both popular trending hashtags and their own branded hashtags to increase visibility and engagements. The marketing lesson we can learn from their successful use of hashtags is just how beneficial using the right hashtags, and by extension keywords, can be when it comes to marketing, as is discussed over at runrex.com.
Don’t conform to popularly used strategies
Most people who are successful in leveraging Instagram are successful by using cellphones as well as the stock Instagram filters, as discussed over at runrex.com. They also keep captions short and sweet, as it has been popularly accepted that long captions are a turnoff. However, while National Geographic conforms to some of the basic Instagram conventions such as the use of hashtags as mentioned above, they are also unique in so many other ways, regularly bucking the trend on what can be successful on Instagram. Their captions can be long, resembling a mini-magazine article, and their photos and videos are not shot by cellphones nor do they use the stock Instagram filters. Despite all that, their account is still one of the most popular, showing that you don’t have to follow the convention strategies to be successful in marketing.
The power of user-generated content
National Geographic is also a big proponent of user-generated content, as seen on their Instagram. they regularly put up content from their audience, such as the content of people visiting a given national park and so forth. This helps build loyalty and increases engagement as people want to be featured on their Instagram. The marketing lesson we can learn here, as is discussed over at runrex.com, is just how powerful user-generated content can be and how beneficial it can be to your marketing endeavors.
Use content that has great stopping power
While Instagram users, and most people in whatever platform as revealed in discussions in the same over at runrex.com, are always scrolling, National Geographic understands that people will stop if they post jaw-dropping content, such as images taken from the inside of a shark’s mouth to show its dentition. While you may not have access to such images, your marketing campaigns must be memorable enough to have people stop scrolling and pay attention, otherwise, they will just keep on scrolling as they do.
These are some of the marketing lessons we can learn from National Geographic’s Instagram, with more on this to be found over at the highly-rated runrex.com.