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Top 3 Fortune 500 Instagram Accounts

OK, I get it, you don’t have over a million followers on Instagram and it’s tearing you up inside. Yeah? Well, me too. =/ Don’t fret though; there are only TWO Fortune 500 companies with over a million Instagram followers.

“Well if there are two, there is still a chance then, right?” Not to crush your dreams, but no, probably not. Ever.

Don’t leave yet, there’s more I promise! They have to be doing something right to gain all of those followers, right? Over a million people aren’t going to follow an account just for fun, so what are these brands doing to drive those their follower count?

I know I just got your hopes up, but lets walk through this together. I’ll be here for moral support the whole way. There are some valuable things we can learn from the top three Instagram Fortune 500 accounts that can be instantly actionable when developing your own Instagram marketing strategy.

Let’s start by checking out the top 3 posts (in terms of total interactions) from the top 3 most followed Fortune 500 Instagram accounts.

Top 3 Fortune 500 Accounts

Nike

Nike takes the gold here with over 2.4 million followers and the captured their followers with over 610 photos. It isn’t even the most photos posted by Fortune 500 companies! (Foot Locker, the 3^rd most followed account, takes the gold for that metric).

What is Nike posting that is Just Doing It for them on Instagram?

157K likes, 1.6K comments, Valencia filter

http://instagram.com/p/a6xtQbgUZy/

For starters, this ridiculously awesome and candid photo of soccer-star Ronaldinho and basketball-phenom, Kobe Bryant. Well, yeah that might do it. I mean, look at how on brand these guys are! (Check out the shoes)

153K likes, 2.9K, Normal filter

http://instagram.com/p/b15L72AUaA/

Is that a sock or a shoe? I have no idea, but I do know that I want it, whatever it is. What’s great with this post is how relevant Nike’s voice is in the text accompanying the picture. They’re known for inspiring people to be active and its pretty sweet to see that carry into their Instagram messaging and pictures as well.

128K, 5.0K, Normal filter

Yes, Nike’s 3^rd best Instagram post is a video of their magical sock-shoe contraption that has more total interactions than 93% of all Fortune 500 Instagram account’s TOTAL FOLLOWERS. But wait, the best part: the video is of someone putting it on.

Starbucks

Starbucks stores aren’t the only things that have increased exponentially, so have their Instagram followers. While they may not have the following that Nike does, their cool >1.5M followers puts them in the number two spot for all Fortune 500 companies.

We know they can brew a mean cup-o-joe and make those cute little cake-pops, but what are they doing to create an Instagram following that is greater than I can count?

84.5K likes, 551 comments, Valencia filter

http://instagram.com/p/dIS8R8xc5M/

Look at those sun beams and how peaceful it all looks! Well done Starbucks, you have found yet another way of making me drool for your heavenly coffee. But yes, this is the top performing Instagram photo for Starbucks.

80.7K likes, 390 comments, X-Pro II filter

http://instagram.com/p/bXeD8xxc0A/

Are those, sparklers?? I love sparklers! How did Starbucks know?! In reality, I guarantee they didn’t know that I love sparklers. But they probably did know that this picture was going to instantly take you back to those cool summer nights, playing with fireworks and celebrating our nation’s independence. Talk about nostalgia.

77.4K likes, 1.2K comments, Normal filter

http://instagram.com/p/WfBAQPxc6m/

As a coffee lover, if that doesn’t look satisfying and immediately start making you salivate, then you’re lying. It’s even layered with love! The catch with this one is that you can be a fan of any sort of coffee products and still be drawn to this picture even if Hazelnut Macchiatos aren’t your thing. Why? Because it’s just so, well, lovable.

Foot Locker

Foot Locker you say? Yes, Foot Locker. They have developed a strategy to post pictures centered on the things that they know work for their company and their industry — shoes and celebrity endorsements. Of course that’s not the only thing in their Instagram account, but it does count for most of their top performing posts.

37.8K, 403, Normal filter

http://instagram.com/p/c7RCeEP9Jt/

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No my friends, it is Michael Jordan taking you back to flight school. Still soaring at the age of 50 on the court, just like Foot Locker’s Instagram follower count has. Topping out at over 511K total followers, MJ and the Foot Locker Instagram department are a force to be reckoned with.

36.9K likes, 1.2K comments, Normal filter

http://instagram.com/p/bhQXpsv9Nb/

This post provides an example of what the majority of Foot Locker’s Instagram posts look like and yes, it’s all about the shoes. They know their market and they know what works. Why try and fix what is not broken?

36.4K likes, 255 comments, normal filter

http://instagram.com/p/cFdZ01P9Cq/

Our friend MJ is at it again, although this time it’s a beautifully crafted statue of him that is stealing the show.

But wait, what is it that ties all of these elite performing posts and Fortune 500 Instagram accounts together to generate these off-the-charts follower levels? I would say there are 2 over-arching themes that tie all of these posts together, and it’s not the shoelaces. Each of these posts are the best of the best for these brands and they all are based on what brands know their audience will relate to and the message being in the brand’s distinct voice.

Each of these posts is tailored by their brands in a way that lets you instantly identify with that brand and it drives you to desire what they are producing. Nike does it by showing pictures of their products by themselves or with celebrities wearing them but it is always in a way that makes their products seem extremely attractive to consumers. Starbucks does it by transporting your mind to their distinct coffee house atmosphere. Foot Locker does this by posting things they know their audience has an appreciation for.

That’s the key though: to figure out what your audience cares about and how you can create posts that will tell your brands story while always focusing on your audience’s desires first.

Check out the other top brands in our Leader Boards in the Fortune 500 Instagram Report here!

Do you see any other trends that bring these posts together? How do you think you could translate this into your own brands image on Instagram or other marketing channels? Let us know your answer to these questions or any comments you may have in the comments section below!