Instagram

Instagram is a powerful platform to share RIs visual content. Reach different target audiences than in other social media. Instagram followers are often more engaged than in Twitter. Target audiences are citizens, researchers.

Advantages: Possibility to very wide area of dissemination to civil society and business. It can strengthen the visual identity of the RI and the content can be used in other dissemination methods (newsletter, website, Twitter, Facebook, press releases, publications, printed material). The material created for social media account can be automatically connected to the RI’s website. 

Challenges:Hard to get committed involvement. Number of followers in a project-based Instragram is often quite limited. Even though the costs of running this is low, the requirement of constant good quality updates can be challenging. Engage professional photographer is expensive.  

Resources needed: Working hours of a person who is familiar with the RI’s scientific background and objectives and knows the social media. 

Recommendation: Use synergies with other social media. Advertisement of social media account in all RI’s presentations, website, and materials like flyers and brochures. Use only good quality pictures. Connect your pictures to the RI. In any case, it is good to protect your brand and reserve the account name.

ICOS has a Instagram account ( instagram.com/icosri) with 74 posts, 2,810 followersand 44 following. Content mainly #ICOScapes (see visual identity above) and posts from events

Screenshot from ICOS Instagram. Dated 20 Dec 2018.  Photos by Konsta Punkka, copyright ICOS.

 TERN's Instagram account (instagram.com/tern_au): 231 post, 179 followers and 210 following.  The account concentrates on sharing stories with nice looking pictures from the field work. Each post includes a short introduction with relevant hashtags. Scientist doing the field work maintain the account and TERN’s Communication Officer is not involved.

Screenshot from TERN Instagram. Dated 20 Dec 2018.