Lessons from Instagram: Be Visual

It has taken the founders of Instagram less than a high school tenure to go from $0 to $1.2 billion in net worth (Business Insider).

Instagram founder Kevin Systrom graduated from Stanford University, interned at Twitter, and worked at Google. He took what he learned from the top social sites on the planet to put in motion one radical idea: make taking photos easy and fun.

In April, Facebook proved they value visual media by purchasing Instagram for a stunning $1 billion. The deal makes sense, according to Wells Fargo; photo sharing was an early feature for Facebook Inc, and remains one of its most popular applications.

Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have ushered in visual marketing as the breakout trend for 2012.

But, trend is a tricky word, since we believe visual marketing will have lasting and more comprehensive success than the alternative. Where companies invest will be key to their lasting online success. Being visual will have to make top priority.

Key Statistic

Instagram is now more valuable than…

• Jack in the Box, purveyor of fine chicken teriyaki bowls and hamburgers.

• The Finish Line, an athletic-apparel store.

• P.F. Chang’s, the Chinese fast-food chain.

• Zillow, the online real-estate website.

• TiVo, the digital video-recorder company.

• And Netgear, the wireless router maker.

*Source: Business Insider