Photo and video sharing service Instagram hit 200 million users — and 20 billion photos shared this week.
In a post on the official Instagram blog, the company explained:
“The vibrance and diversity of this community has increased as it has grown. Over the past six months, we’ve seen new communities coming together in cities and towns across the world, whether they be in Guthrie, Oklahoma, or Guatemala City.”
Instagram says that growth is based on another 50 million joining the site in that time.
The company also says it experienced a record turnout of participants for its Worldwide InstaMeet 8 two months ago. In places like Greece, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey and several cities in the U.S., Instagrammers met other users and took and shared photos as part of the event.
It’s been quite a last six months for the online community. In November, the site introduced the first ads to its user’s feeds joining Facebook, Twitter and other social networks that have taken similar steps to monetize .
Instagram has worked with a very select group of advertisers to start. They include U.S. fashion label Michael Kors, ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s and Levi’s. Initial data suggests that Instagram ads carry considerable clout with users. Some advertisers saw a 17 percent increase in brand awareness and a 33 point increase in ad recall. (Just imagine what impact your brand is having on those following your Instagram account.)
Meanwhile, marketers and other users have been enhancing the quality of the images they share with an ever increasing number of apps. Here are 20 Instagram apps we recently shared to improve the quality of pics and videos.
Finally, retailers have discovered Instagram in a big way. Small companies like New York boutique Fox and Fawn and big luxury brand Coach have both discovered the power of sharing photos to drive online sales.
At Fox and Fawn, items frequently sell out within minutes of photos being posted. At Coach, simply asking customers to share photos of themselves wearing their favorite apparel resulted in a 5 to 7 percent bump in eCommerce conversions. There was also a 2 percent increase in the value of the average online order.
Instagram Photo via Shutterstock
Aira Bongco
This is not really that surprising for me. I have been using Instagram and I really fancy the fact that I can share filtered photos with other people especially to my family and friends. Since it is useful, I can only expect its population to grow over time.
I’ve never used Instagram, but it does look interesting and I too am not surprised by its popularity. When I get a smartphone (whenever that is!), I’ll be giving it a go.
Danielle
Did anyone else notice that Instagram is spelt incorrectly in the title?
Shawn Hessinger
Hello Danielle,
We apologize for the error in the title. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. It’s been corrected.
Danielle
Glad to help! “Instragram” had a nice ring to it though. 😛