School Marketer:We want to engage our younger audience. Should we be using Instagram?
Interactive Schools:Instagram is a great channel to engage with a younger audience. We are seeing a shift away from Facebook to more niche mobile platforms, such as Instagram, with the 13-18 demographic.
School Marketer:Could we be publishing notifications, posters and letters?
Interactive Schools:I think it would best to keep Instagram predominantly photo based. For Instagram, I would suggest posting great photography with beautiful backgrounds and texture. Then the occasional poster, or informational post, can go up - it is about balance. People need a reason to follow you.
School Marketer:Any schools using it well?
Interactive Schools:There’s a list of schools that use Instagram here - www.schneiderb.com/wiki/schools-using-social-media/schools-using-instagram/. It is all American schools but you can get a good idea of the types of photos that work well on Instagram. Take a look.

Photos are all the rage in the social world right now. To make the best use of photos in your social activities, you should understand what makes them so popular. We have given 5 quick reasons as to why people share and enjoy photos on social media. 

1. Photos are simple. Photos are both easy to produce, easy to consume and instantly gratifying. Take a picture, write a short interesting caption, make it look pretty and you’re all done! A picture says a thousand words so let your photos do the talking for you. If they are engaging then visitors will naturally comment and share. 

2. They tell a story. Popular brands use photos to enhance their story. A voice can be driven by photography and personality can shine through. Brands always try to tell their story through words but photos can be much more real and engaging. 
3. Pictures are less intrusive. Similar to product placement, pictures that contain your product or brand are much less intrusive than ads. Take a look at Red Bull on Instagram - @redbull. Red Bull regularly post inspirational imagery that you will happily look at. However, the company cleverly integrate their brand and products into the photos without distracting the user or making them feel like they are being advertised to.
4. Photos are shareable. Photos are highly shareable and if you post a highly engaging image, then your audience can keep your message flowing through the socialsphere. Once the photo is your network’s network then it becomes a viral entity that acts as a social recommendation for your brand. 
5. Popular on mobile. Mobile has revolutionised photography. Not only for the creation but also for the consumption. Some of the most popular mobile apps are photography based apps - Instagram, Hipstamatic, Camera+, Pinterest, Flickr etc. Ensure your brand is highly visible on the most popular and fastest growing touchpoint for consumers.

Why do you think photos are so popular on social media? How do you use photography in your social media marketing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.