Instagram is much more than a social media platform that users visit to be entertained – it has become an incredibly successful method for innovative brands to grow their audiences and engage them. Many marketers are reaping the rewards of this highly engaging platform, and others have been left behind. In fact, corporate brands have some of the most followed Instagram accounts and top Instagram followers. We’ll look at which brands offer the best Instagram experience, and guide you through our choices for the top 10 brands on Instagram.
But first, if we went strictly by the highest followers on Instagram to determine the “best” brands, we’d be talking A LOT about sports. Five of the most followed ten Instagram brands are sports leagues (basketball’s NBA and soccer’s Champions League) or soccer/football teams (Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Real Madrid). We’ll analyze one of these in our top 10, but for more variety and industry breadth, we’re basing our top 10 best brands on Instagram on the following categories: media & entertainment, nature, sports, apparel, food and beverage, beauty and cosmetics, technology, travel, charity/not-for-profit, and quite appropriately, social media.
Remember that our lens here is effective marketing approaches for Instagram. From a branding perspective, we’ll explore how they expand their reach, engage with community, promote their products or services, and deepen the relationship. Regardless of which industry your company represents, we’re sure you’ll find useful Instagram techniques you can apply to your social media strategy.
Media & Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment – 67.7 million followers
Marvel Entertainment has been a leader in visual entertainment since around when the first Spider-Man comic appeared in 1962. As the company grew it adapted its media capabilities to the silver screen, generating a decades-long run of blockbuster hits. Is it any surprise that a company built on visual storytelling has also become one of the top Instagram accounts in this highly visual platform? Marvel’s Instagram profile draws you in with high-quality images, animated illustrations, and behind-the-scenes videos. They are the master of the sneak-peek, bringing fans back regularly to see what’s coming next from Marvel’s universe of heroes.
A recent first was Marvel’s venture into social commerce. They promoted the Infinity War movie, allowing Instagram users to swipe up on their post and interact with a chatbot, determine their desired theatre and time, and then buy tickets. The campaign generated a 58% conversion rate, and received 18 times more comments than any other in-season content.
Nature
National Geographic – 269M followers
Like Marvel Entertainment, National Geographic has evolved from traditional magazines to social media excellence. Their Instagram account, @natgeo, showcases world-class nature photography. These stunning images are accompanied by richly-written captions, far longer and more descriptive than most captions on Instagram. A call-to-action at the bottom allows the viewer to click and learn more.
@natgeo particularly excels at co-promotion. National Geographic photographers are not only credited for their photographs, the captions often include a link to the photographer’s profile where a broader collection of images can be accessed. Sharing traffic and visibility in this way creates a harmonious cycle which no doubt helps National Geographic continue to attract the world’s best nature photographers.
Sports
National Basketball Association (NBA) – 77.9M followers
@nba is all about bringing fans closer to the game. The NBA engages their Instagram audience with a story highlight series named “Making the Call”. The stories show plays from game footage, allow viewers to vote on whether a particular play was a foul, for example, share those results back, and then explain the correct answer. The NBA’s reels are quite popular as well, taking you behind the scenes for more personal moments with NBA stars.
The NBA does an excellent job of encouraging Instagram followers to develop a deeper relationship by registering for an NBA ID. The perks of an NBA ID include incentives such as exclusive merch deals, ticket giveaways, and exclusive seating sections at NBA events. From an NBA marketing perspective, converting Instagram followers into NBA ID registrants opens up a world of personalized marketing options for lead nurturing campaigns, opt-in communications, and e-commerce sales.
Apparel
Nike – 281M followers
It’s not surprising that the company that rewrote the rules of celebrity endorsements with the original Air Jordans is at the forefront of influencer marketing on Instagram. Nike continues to be a master at merging celebrities, pop culture and fashion (particularly sneakers). Their endorsements include some of the most followed people on Instagram. The formula is perhaps repetitive, but also profoundly successful: Hollywood-quality video production + culturally influential celebrity + newly-released music from recording stars = Instagram gold.
@Nike has an Instagram shop that’s worthy of a look for any marketers with e-commerce goals. Their shop categories are uniquely social, based on hashtags, currently trending, designer collections and more. You can select your style and size, and with two more clicks/taps you’re on Nike.com with the product in your shopping bag.
Food & Beverage
Starbucks – 17.9M followers
Long before social media, Starbucks was a brand devoted to creating a rich experience rather than competing on price. That diligent focus on customer experience shines on Instagram. It’s what you’d expect: high-quality photos and video introducing new products, some clever and creative influencer partnerships, and a whole lot of followers demanding the return of raspberry syrup.
Marketers seeking branded content Instagram examples should note that Starbucks’ magic is not one particular feature or innovation – it’s the entire experience. There is a consistency to language, imagery, color, and tone that is 100% Starbucks at every turn. The content curation, whether it is Starbucks-produced content or follower-generated, gives a consistent impression that is upbeat, lively, and just maybe a little self-indulgent (but not feeling guilty about it!).
Beauty & Cosmetics
M·A·C Cosmetics – 24.6M followers
The brilliance of M·A·C Cosmetics’ approach to Instagram is how easy they make it look. Followers consistently share stunning selfies that show their ingenuity with M·A·C products. @maccosmetics then regrams these, along with the specific product information that led to THAT look. But as any make-up artist knows, sometimes what looks easy and effortless can take a lot of planning and hard work behind the scenes.
Instagram users love beautiful people, and M·A·C’s quality products attract buyers who are quite willing to share their beauty with the world. But M·A·C’s marketing team is careful not to be entirely superficial, and willing to take a stand and express the company’s values. The top pinned post speaks to love for “All ages, All races, All genders”, and other Instagram content advocates for reproductive rights. The company is connecting with followers based on a shared love for looking great, but strives to deepen the affiliation through shared causes and values.
Technology
IBM – 573k followers
Most companies profiled so far have a number of followers that match the population of Thailand or Germany, so why IBM? The reality is most marketers aren’t working with wildly popular B2C brands. If your company’s product is software, for example, posting screenshots of the interface likely won’t generate a million followers. So you need to focus on finding the right Instagram-branded content to share, as IBM has.
IBM uses Instagram to focus on the company’s rich history, as well as profiles of key team members. In terms of marketing goals, this distinct focus reinforces the longstanding credibility of a true technology pioneer, while also presenting the team as professional and approachable.
Travel
AirBnB – 5.2M followers
AirBnB’s Instagram account offers breathtaking imagery of essentially one thing: interesting dwellings of all kinds. The AirBnB audience undoubtedly loves to travel, but there’s no content about road-tripping. AirBnB offers excursions through it’s platform, but there’s no footage of white-water rafting. AirBnB’s marketing team has zoomed in, brilliantly, on their unique competitive differentiation in the hospitality industry. No hotel chain with cookie-cutter suites can replicate the Instagram-friendly allure of the wild variety that AirBnB offers. From yurts, to castles, to alligator-shaped earth homes, it’s just hard not to keep scrolling and scrolling.
Not-for-Profit
Greenpeace International – 4M followers
Greenpeace offers a great example of story-telling. A single image, such as rising flood waters, is insufficient to explain problems of a global nature. Greenpeace expands on issues in post captions, with skillful use of cause-related hashtags. But what really works best in their storytelling approach is embedded graphics in the videos to add short but impactful messages. They use bright colors, stylistic fonts, and text backgrounds to make the messaging stand out. This approach to videos and reels is something that any Instagram marketer in any industry should take note of. (Note: National Geographic, covered in our Nature category, is also a not-for-profit)
Social Media
Instagram – 623M followers
We couldn’t cover the best business Instagram accounts without including the marketing pioneers behind the Instagram brand itself. Can you ignore any brand with the most followers on Instagram? As a profile within its own platform, the Instagram folks have a few hats to wear. You’ll find Instagram trends, tips, and platform updates here. It’s also a place to inspire and cultivate Instagram creators, the creative and social types that give such vibrant color to the platform. Your brand strategy might not map to these types of goals, but if you’re looking for one single source to see Instagram best practices in action, start here, as it’s the most followed Instagram account in the world.
Develop your own unique brand flavor on Instagram
None of the top Instagram influencers we’ve profiled here got to be the best by copying someone else. Their Instagram pages reflect the unique characteristics of their brand. Here are some tips for finding your brand’s authentic style:
- Don’t be everything to everyone: Advocate for specific themes of content that suit Instagram’s visual nature. Your company’s return policy might not excite anyone, but a video of your CEO donating to the Humane Society might (add puppies for extra followers).
- Emulate, but don’t duplicate: Continue observing the brands you admire to see what’s working for them, then adapt those tactics to suit your unique brand.
- Have some fun: Most IG followers love to be entertained. Take a step out of your usual brand boundaries and consider a more lighthearted approach.
Use AI to find Instagram marketing inspiration
Manually tracking social media innovators is a tough task when a hard day’s work keeps getting in the way. Top social media teams typically use a social listening platform to assess, analyze, and report on top performers, competitor actions, and new opportunities. SentiOne offers a social listening suite complemented by a powerful artificial intelligence layer that enables you to spot trends (and avert crises) quickly and efficiently. For more information or to book a demo, visit SentiOne.
