What is the first image that comes to mind, when you think about National Geographic? I am guessing your answers include the words “nature,” “authenticity,” and “unique experiences.”
Have you ever considered NatGeo a master of social media? Since they have hit the impressive benchmark of 100M followers on Instagram (now 147M), this is something you should add to your list!
What Makes a Good Brand?
This is the quintessential question and is far more complex than what you would have imagined. It takes a combination of things along with time and hard labour to achieve brand greatness.
A strong brand name inspires people and sets the trends in the market. To get to that point, you need to be devoted to promoting your quality services. There is no room for mediocre performance.
Businesses achieving their pinnacle of success do so through consistency, creativity and vision. They stay true to their principles, offering awesome products and services to establish their position in the market.
Instagram as Metrics
What does it show for a brand to have 147M followers on Instagram? Is this something to take pride in or should it be considered coincidental?
Having so many loyal followers reflects the quality of your brand. It shows the world what you are made of and attracts even more people to join. This is a never-ending funnel of new followers steadily adding value to your brand.
Assuming that your social metrics are always going up, this only shows that you have something good to offer. Isn’t this the best form of advertising?
Powerful Social Media Presence
A powerful social media presence will only benefit your brand in the long run. No matter what you think about Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like, their impact is enormous.
You cannot expect your brand to thrive unless you constantly fuel social media with new content. This is what determines your position in the market at any given time.
How Did National Geographic Do It?
National Geographic has made it to the top and there are many different reasons behind this.
First and foremost, the brand allowed photographers to showcase their work directly as they have access to post their photos on Instagram. Rather than waiting for approval from the editor to publish on the magazine, they channel their work online.
Then, their advertisements seem so natural that they almost feel like there aren’t ads at all. They are fluid and they never interfere with user experience. In fact, they complement it most wonderfully.
Staying True to Their Goal
Perhaps the most important asset for National Geographic is that they have remained loyal to their initial purpose. What is it about NatGeo that draws so much attention?
Its main idea is nature and celebrating its unpretentious beauty and the original moments you get to spend on Earth. Who can beat that? The brand pretty much sells on its own although a boost is always welcome.
Utilizing Analytics
How can analytics play an important role in the entire process of enhancing one’s presence on social media? There are quite a few options.
Data analytics is a unique source of information providing marketers with adequate tools to improve their performance.
One of the major perks of analyzing data is to target different audiences through different social media platforms.
Technology at Its Finest Moment
What National Geographic did was to invest in analytics so as to optimize its performance on social media. They figured out how to attract distinct age groups, characters, individuals of different backgrounds, through offering specialized content.
Along with that, they promoted digital tools to their associates in order to motivate them to participate in the NatGeo marketing concept.
What Is Next?
There are no limitations as to what comes next for such a successful, well-established brand. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they should be complacent about their course so far.
The future is certainly looking optimistic for them as long as they maintain the same dedication towards providing a high-quality social media presence.
Can Others Follow?
It goes without even saying that many other brands out there are doing an excellent job at presenting their brand on social media. They have great teams of professionals, who make use of original concepts and work really well.
Competition is harsh, but there are brands rocking the world of the media once every now and then. Even though NatGeo has seized a legendary course over time, many others can follow or even take the lead.
Final Thoughts
Hitting the benchmark of 100 million followers on Instagram as a brand and not as a celebrity is a huge deal. Not many businesses have managed to do so and maintain that number for good.
National Geographic case study is definitely a helpful lesson to us all, teaching us what can happen through authentic experiences and honest marketing strategies.
I hope that their journey gets to inspire you as you are setting your own very course online. May your experience be just as thrilling and filled with excitement, success, and authenticity!
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