Late last year, Instagram made the much fretted-over decision to start introducing ads into users' photo feeds. The first few ad campaigns that we spotted-like the first one, from Michael Kors-looked very put together, but they also looked staged.
Earlier this week, however, Instagram took a big step forward in helping advertisers figure out what works on the social network by starting a "Tools and Tips for Marketers" blog. It also published a book "The Instagram Handbook For Brands," which profiles 11 companies that have been successfully posting very engaging content on the network.
The underlying message from Instgram: If you're going to advertise on Instagram, your ads should fit into our way of doing things and be beautiful.
The handbook also features ten popular Instagram hashtags that have grown to support strong communities. Instagram wants brands to check them out to get inspiration for how to build a community that is packed with collaborative creativity.
