Visual Music Marketing On Instagram

Instagram, the photo sharing app for the iPhone, has taken off with millions of users and a heck of a lot of photos. Recent experiments by Moby, The Deftones and The Vaccines have revealed Instagram's potential for marketing as an outcome of photo sharing with communities of fans. And now Justin Bieber's mere presence has caused an influx of new participants.

As a mobile social network for sharing visual content, Instagram has done quite well, amassing almost 7 million users with the Justin Bieber effect still to be fully sorted out. But more serious news has focused attention on Instagram as a space both for building community and for marketing music.

Moby's destroyed project integrated Instagram and Soundcloud in relationship to a combination album and photo book. The world map mixing his pictures with those of fans is an interesting digital response to work in other media as well as an example of building community through content sharing.

Though not particularly groundbreaking, The Deftones held a contest using Instagram. For tips on hosting a photo contest, check out the Instagram blog.

Now The Vaccines are using Instagram for a fan-generated video. Featuring fans in your videos still seems to be going over well and fan pics have certainly been used before in videos.  Marketing on Instagram doesn't mean you have to reinvent the wheel!

Instagram is encouraging businesses to set up accounts. Make sure your local record store or club has an account next time you do an in-store or performance. Mashable has 10 Instagram Tips For Bands, By Bands some of which should be reminders that social media marketing shares some similarities across platforms.

In many respects, marketing via Instagram should be approached as one would Tumblr, as a sharing rather than a broadcasting medium.

Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. Flux Research is his business writing hub and All World Dance: World Dance News is his primary web project. To suggest websites and related topics for review, please contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.