Is your Instagram in need of a little love right now?
It’s only February and businesses are already finding new and creative ways to enrich the lives of their followers. Dreamy aesthetics, creative content, and strategic stories are seriously catching our eye.
So here it goes: roses are red, violets are blue… here’s some Instagram inspo we’ve picked out for you!
Instagram Inspo #1: Supergoop’s Super-Cool Content Strategy
This year, skincare brands are poised to be cooler than ever — and Supergoop is making sure that includes UV protection.
The popular sunscreen brand has continued to shine on Instagram this year — and it looks like a lot of people are noticing (just check out their tagged posts)! The brand has nearly doubled its following in a year and developed quite the cult-following:
Their feed and Instagram Stories are filled with customer reviews, skincare tips from the pros and product demos. They even recently hosted a sleepover at the Nomad Hotel in Los Angeles, where influencers gathered for a day of selfies and self-care:
Supergoop has captured the essence of “cool,” making sunscreen a must-have no matter where you live. If you’re looking to grow your following this year and built a community of brand evangelists, you’ll definitely want to take notes from Supergoop.
Instagram Inspo #2: Ritual Vitamins’ Engaging & Interactive Stories
When it comes to brand strategy, Ritual has it down to a science. From their brand messaging to their Instagram aesthetic, they leave no questions as to who they are or what they do.
The popular vitamin brand uses Instagram to showcase customer testimonials, health tips, product features and more, giving their audience an opportunity to really know the brand inside and out:
Ritual also uses Instagram Stories to their full advantage, creating weekly segments and using interactive stickers to connect with their audience. Their stories are seriously engaging, too. By making use of Instagram’s interactive stickers and creative tools, they’ve built a direct line to their followers and found a way to keep them tapping for more:
Ritual has even created their own set of Instagram Stories GIFs! This is a great way to draw attention to important elements in your Instagram Stories, like a call-to-action or the swipe-up button. You can access Ritual’s GIFs by simply searching “ritual”:
Check out our post, How to Create Your Own Instagram Stories GIFs to learn how to create your own branded GIFs!
TIP: Using Instagram Stories is one of the best ways to grow your following in 2019! If you want to learn how you can grow your business with Instagram Stories, watch our free 45 minute video course to create a strategy behind your stories:
Instagram Inspo #3: The Sill’s One-Stop Shopping Experience
If you’ve ever experienced plant envy while scrolling through your feed, you’re not alone. Direct-to-consumer brand, The Sill, has made a career of wow-ing their audience with gorgeous shots of household plants (which you can shop directly from the app!).
Their carefully curated UGC, creative product shots, and perfectly on-brand Instagram Stories will leave you feeling inspired to make your home a little more “green.”
If you don’t have product tagging set up for your profile yet, check out our Ultimate Guide to Instagram Shopping to help you get started!
If you’re worried about your green thumb (or lack-thereof), don’t worry! They’ve also created Instagram Stories Highlights full of care tips, myths, and best practices to help keep your new purchases alive:
TIP: By treating your Instagram profile like a landing page for all things related to your brand, you can create Instagram Stories Highlights that share your most important information with your audience. And because your highlights are up indefinitely, you can continue to drive traffic and sales with your stories long after they’ve been posted!
Instagram Inspo #4: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream’s Up-Close and Personal Approach
You may not want to look at this one if you’re hungry — Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream’s mouth-watering feed is nothing short of delicious. Their colorful, creamy feed shows-off their variety of flavors, creative recipes, and shares what makes them great:
And the best part? You can shop their delicious ice cream right from their feed! Jeni’s shoppable Instagram posts make it easy to shop your favorite flavor directly from the app:
While many brands are still hesitant to jump on the trend, Jeni’s has even made their way onto IGTV to give their followers a look at new products, in-person events, and have a chance to get to know Jeni, the queen of ice cream, herself:
TIP: Don’t be afraid to give your followers a look behind the brand. Your audience is much more likely to form a deeper connection with your business if they know the personalities behind your brand!
Instagram Inspo #5: Marine Layer’s Mission For Good
Did you know the average American throws away 80 pounds of clothing per year? Neither did we!
That’s why clothing brand Marine Layer has introduced a new program called Re-Spun, a revolutionary recycling program that’ll give your old tees a new life. Re-spun makes it easy to donate your old tees (you even get a $5 credit per tee), which they deconstruct and then re-spin into new, recycled tees!
When you click the link in their bio, you’re taken to an engaging landing page where you can submit your mailing address and receive a free prepaid mailer, or get directions to drop your tees off in any of their stores:
To help get the word out, the company is using Instagram to their full advantage — by spreading the message in creative ways on their feed, Instagram Stories, and with influencer marketing:
TIP: It’s important to think about your why when creating your Instagram marketing strategy. By using Instagram as an outlet to spread their brand mission, Marine Layer is able to draw in new audiences and, ultimately, attract new customers.
Instagram Inspo #6: New York Public Library’s Interactive Instagram Stories Content
The New York Public Library is using Instagram to find new ways to connect with their audience and encourage followers to consume more offline content, by, ironically, bringing it online.
The New York Public Library introduced Insta Novels, a new way to share iconic stories with a new generation. The account includes digitized versions of classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Metamorphosis.
According to Forbes, the library has seen an increase of 100K new followers and over 40K views of their Insta Novel! By considering this “harder to reach” audience that wasn’t present in their following, they were able to re-imagine a new way to deliver their content and grab a younger generation’s attention.
Tip: Don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Instagram trends are constantly changing, which could mean that it’s time to look hard at your strategy. There’s a good chance your tried and true marketing tactic that worked last year may not have the same effect in 2019.
Instagram Inspo #7: Summer Fridays’ Dreamy Instagram Aesthetic
Summer Fridays, the popular face masks created by bloggers Lauren Gores and Marianna Hewitt, has been all the rage on Instagram since their launch. However, since the launch of their newest product, the R+R mask, their feed is looking dreamier than ever:
The brand is even taking their new aesthetic off Instagram (but still sharing it on their feed, of course) by creating a real-life pop up where fans can snap a pic and experience the brand IRL:
The pop up has encouraged their followers to head out to Rodeo Drive and snap a shot in the beautiful phone booth. As you can see, it’s getting quite a bit of attention, too — with new posts being tagged with #ineedsomeRR every day:
TIP: Don’t forget to connect with your customers IRL! This year, brands are taking things offline and popping up in unexpected places to connect with their followers. By inviting your followers to come out and interact with your brand, you’re not only creating a stronger relationship with them, but also creating opportunities to connect with a new audience who may not know you yet.
Instagram Inspo #8: Outdoor Voices’ Inspiring UGC and Brand Voice
If you’re having trouble sticking to your fitness resolutions, you’ll want to take a look at Outdoors Voices’ Instagram profile.
They’ve built a loyal community of followers who love to show off their favorite products while they’re out #DoingThings. The brand’s UGC is seriously inspiring, and encourages followers to get moving and have some fun:
By sharing UGC, you’re not only able to tell your followers what your most popular products are, but you’ll be sharing testimonials and showing your product in action, so it perfect for helping undecided shoppers convert into customers.
TIP: Just remember to always following the rules when reposting UGC. If you’re not sure how to ask for permission, we have a whole blog post on how to search for and legally repost UGC!
Instagram Inspo #9: Lo & Sons Eye-Catching Vertical Video Content
The functional and fashionable luggage brand, Lo & Sons has been grabbing people’s attention on Instagram for some time now. With their eye-catching vertical video ads and shoppable content, their bags are just a few short clicks away from ending up on your shoulder:
The brand’s video content shows their products in action, with a quick look at every angle, a few text cues, and a strong call-to-action:
Vertical video is everywhere now — but especially so on Instagram! That means that it’s time to learn how to create and edit vertical video so you can be ready for 2019 and the future of Instagram marketing.
TIP: Not sure where to start when it comes to filming and editing vertical video for IGTV and Instagram Stories? Check out our step-by-step guide and you’ll soon be posting and sharing video content your audience loves!
Instagram Inspo #10: Otherland Candles’ Perfectly Curated Content
With fun stop-motion videos and bright floral flatlays, it’s easy to get lost in Otherland’s feed. Featuring a mix of UGC and curated lifestyle shots, their aesthetic is sure to give you some serious Instagram inspo.
While their signature whirling logo is inspired by Picasso, they keep things fresh by partnering with emerging artists to design unique packaging for each new collection.
They also include their series “Coffee Table Confidential” on their Instagram Stories (and saved to their Highlights) featuring inspiring people, design tips, coffee table essentials, and where they “find their fire.”
TIP: Creating different series or segments will let viewers know exactly what they can expect from you. When a visitor knows what they can expect from your profile each time you post, they are much more likely to hit that “follow” button and keep tuning in for more.
Need more Instagram inspo for this year? Download our free Instagram for Business in 2019 strategy guide to help grow your account this year:
