One thing I hear frequently from people is that their business isn't suited for Instagram. I honestly choose to disagree most of the time. I believe that ANY business can make it on Instagram if they use the right strategy and the right posts.

There are plenty of brands and companies that we expect would do well on Instagram. We assume that companies that sell products, like beauty supplies or desserts, would do really well on Instagram. We think that companies that have fascinating work environments, like zoos and museums, will have great photos on Instagram. But what about a boring industry, or a service based business, or a government department? How can they possibly use Instagram?

Rather than just telling you how to do this, I want to show you how to do this! There are some great companies out there who are using Instagram successfully - and chances are, you didn't even know they were!

So here are 20 companies that you might not expect to see on Instagram.

1. American Express - A credit card company. Yes, a credit card company is succeeding on Instagram! They use a variety of photos including community events, employees, events they sponsor, customer rewards, trends and themes, and so much more. With nearly 30,000 followers, Amex is taking advantage of Instagram to reach new audiences.
2. AT&T - A global communications company. This account uses a good mix of photos and videos showcasing their products and services. They include posts focusing on current trends and events. And they also use a variety of posts focusing on the hashtag #ItCanWait bringing awareness to texting and driving.
3. Dell - A computer and software company. This company does a good job of posting photos from events they sponsor, their employees at work, and behind the scenes images. They also share a variety of photos of their products in various environments.
4. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) - A department of the US Government. Unfortunately, there aren't any recent posts since this account joined Instagram and I think they could do more with it. However, they did post photos of employees and agency officers in a variety of settings, including an exhibition day.
5. FedEx - A global shipping company. With just over 2000 followers, this account gets a relatively high level of engagement on their posts. FedEx incorporates a lot of photos of their various transportation vehicles but also include photos of employees at work and at charity and community events.
6. General Electric - An energy company. Would you believe that this account has nearly 150,000 followers? They even host their own GE InstaWalk! This is a company that really takes advantage of its social media platforms. Most of their posts, many of which are examples of technology they are developing and building, receive thousands of likes.
7. Guiness - A beer company. This brand does a great job of showcasing not only their beer, but the lifestyle associated with their brand. However, I find it un-social that they don't follow anyone at all on Instagram.
8. Home Depot - A home improvement company. This company uses a good variety of photos which are all full of vibrant colors (excellent for IG). They incorporate a good mix of design images, suggestions, DIY projects, and cute animals and kids with Home Depot merchandise. It's an excellent way to connect with their audience. And with over 40,000 followers they are obviously doing it right!
9. Hootsuite - A social media tool. This company uses IG as a way to build brand awareness, incorporating their owl mascot into many of their photos. They even advertised a hiring event on IG.
10. Mail Chimp - An email management tool. This company uses their IG platform much like Hootsuite, incorporating their monkey mascot into most of their photos. However, they need to post more photos more consistently if they want to take advantage of their 6000+ followers. And they need to get more social and follow other users.
11. Mastercard - A credit card company. Capitalizing on their "priceless" campaign, Master Card uses their IG platform to document life's priceless moments.
12. NASA - The US space exploration agency. While their account is temporarily dormant due to the US Government shutdown, NASA gets social. And just the fact that they even told their 430,000+ followers that they wouldn't be posting during the shutdown proves this. Their IG feed is full of stunning images from launches and space exploration. And almost every post they share receives over 10,000 likes. If you're not following this account, I highly recommend you do!
13. Paypal - An online payment tool. This account shares beautiful photos that other IG users take and share using a designated Paypal hashtag. Talk about connecting with your audience and incorporating user generated content (UGC)!
14. Tampax - A feminine hygiene company. This company uses their IG platform to further their brand supporting strong women. A mix of sponsored events, products, and lifestyle posts keep this account interacting with their audience.
15. The Weather Channel - A TV channel dedicated to weather news. If you love nature, landscapes and beautiful skies, you're gonna want to follow this account! Their feed is full of stunning images from all over the world. They also do a great job of sharing photos submitted to their website or shared on IG via designated hashtags (hooray again for good use of UGC).
16. TSA - Transportation Security Administration. Yes, the people who make sure you don't take dangerous objects onto your plane have an Instagram account. And it's actually a really good use of the platform. They had a slow start but are getting the hang of using the platform. Posts include a variety of examples of confiscated items (some of them will shock you) as well as photos of their teams (and their dogs!) hard at work. And with almost 50,000 followers, it's obviously working.
17. US Department of State - The US department responsible for international relations. Still a young account, only having joined in September 2013, they have done a good job of sharing a variety of photos and videos of Secretary of State John Kerry's travels and State Department missions.
18. Wall Street Journal - An American newspaper. Yes, a newspaper has learned how to use visual posts to interact with their readers and audience. With almost 100,000 followers they do a good job of incorporating intriguing and colorful images. However, they need to post more frequently and consistently to fully take advantage of their fan base.
19. The White House - The residence and workplace of the US President. This account has made good use of Instagram videos on their account. Posts include a mix of President Obama's business events, travels, and images of the First Family.
20. YouTube - The online video sharing site. I have to admit that I'm surprised that a company based on video sharing doesn't have one video on their IG account. Their photos include a variety of images from events that YouTube participates in. And with nearly 250,000 followers, their posts generate good engagement.

So, if all these companies can use Instagram for their business needs, why can't you?

You might not be a large brand and easily collect 50,000 followers but you CAN use Instagram and you can create a community using Instagram. And, hey, you may even do it better than some of these big brands!

If you are curious about other companies that are using Instagram successfully, you can check out the full list of rankings from Nitrogram 50. They rank all of the top brands on Instagram based on number of followers and the number of posts by other Instagram users on their hashtag.

And if you would like help designing and implementing a strategy to use Instagram for your business, contact me!