How Instagram Became Santa’s Helper This Winter

There are some things that elves can’t help with. This past winter, @mysanta, (Arthur & Associates), shared all “his” favorite shots of bright smiling faces with the world, south of ‘The North Pole’. Arthur & Associates has captured the magic of holiday spirits for decades. This year, we took full advantage of Instagram to create a social sharing frenzy.

We launched Arthur & Associates’ Instagram account in November 2012. Santagram took off flying, with the cutest, the funniest, and the most heart-warming holiday picture uploads taken by Arthur & Associates holiday photographers.

(Meow Meow Cats are Family Too)

Exposure (not filter!)

Hashtags are a great way to gain exposure from other users, even non-followers. When implemented correctly, a single picture can attract many Instagrammers to engage. We shared the picture above on Arthur & Associates’ Instagram and Facebook profiles. While on Facebook, the picture received 11 likes and a share (not bad, not bad.), on Instagram. it reached 70 likes (applause)!

Although we didn’t launch the Instagram profile until late November, Instagrammers caught on to the festive account quickly. With elaborate hashtags, Arthur & Associates went from receiving 160 hits in November, to 326 in December. A majority, 86.6%, of the “likes” actually came from non-followers, meaning users found the photos via hashtags!

(Santa meets the Easter Bunny)

Engagement

Thanks to the hashtags, we were able to help Arthur & Associates engage with Instagram users who liked and commented on our photos. Even simple replies show that @mysanta is genuinely interested in engaging with users.

We created amazing conversations with Instagram users by using creative hashtags to expose Arthur & Associates for the holiday season. Keep an eye out for Arthur & Associates on Instagram in mid-March for precious Easter Bunny photos!