Instagram is booming recently. It is not only a social network for selfies and brunch pics but it also has more than 200 million brands that use its platform. Additionally, 90% of users follow at least one brand on the platform, according to recent data.
In a time when visual content remains a crucial part of any brand’s marketing strategy, Instagram marketing presents a unique chance to determine your brand identity.
Want to get inspired? Take a look at this list of the most-followed brands on Instagram right now, and why their posts set them apart.
10. Finfolk Productions
Followers: 399k
Have you ever dreamed of being a mermaid? Thanks to brands like FinFolk Productions, you could almost make your dream come true. Believe it or not, silicone mermaid tails you could put on and swim round in are quite trendy.
Finfolk Productions’ Instagram feed is filled with beautifully shot images that play into the mermaid fantasy by looking more like mythical art than real people.
The nostalgia of being a mermaid offers Finfolk Productions’ followers a sense of wonder that they could truly put on. This unique brand makes you come pretty close to your dream, and that is worthy of a spot on this list of the most-followed brands on Instagram.
9. Netflix’s Strong Black Lead
Followers: 764k
Netflix is an example of a business that has mastered the art of getting its own identity while remaining connected to its parent brand.
Strong Black Lead is a child account under Netflix dedicated to amplifying Black stories in media.
The account mainly features screen grabs and short clips from movies, TV shows, and documentaries available on Netflix that feature Black directors and actors. They are on-trend, posting relevant content based on current events, holidays, and buzzy topics.
Along with its appreciation posts, for widely loved TV characters, Strong Black Lead also promotes its content on other platforms like YouTube content or podcasts.
8. Sephora Collections
Followers: 818k
Sephora Collections’ brand personality is colorful, playful, and feminine. It takes a wonderful job of characterizing this personality in its Instagram content, utilizing bright colors, patterns, and fun captions.
Along with collab with beauty influencers, the brand additionally promotes content from daily makeup users, that includes their tutorials and looks on its feed.
Bonus Tip: What makes this large brand most followed on Instagram is the community it is built on the platform. However, what we find from Sephora is a combination of marketing efforts elsewhere. So take a page out of Sephora’s book — invest in your business outside of Instagram, too, so that you will see even more success on this social network.
7. Grass-Fields
Followers: 949k
Now, this is a brand that is aware of how to show its personality.
This Cameroon-based clothing company is not playing it safe with static model shots and promotions on Instagram. Grass-Fields update its products via fun, vibrant dance videos, and behind-the-scenes content instead.
The brand additionally highlights Black business owners, creators, and artists on its page, which caters to Black ladies.
The important thing is: Don’t be afraid to do things in a different way than it has been done if that is what your followers respond to.
6. Lorna Jane
Followers: 1M
What if your brand was a person? how would you take its personality? Australian activewear business Lorna Jane has finished an awesome job answering the vital branding question with its Instagram content.
Spend a few seconds scrolling via these photos, and you will rapidly be able to name the target Lorna Jane purchaser: a young, sporty, twenty- or thirty-something lady who values looking good while maintaining an active style.
The photos posted by Lorna Jane, which frequently display the brand’s clothing and accessories, as well as photos of ladies who embody its target purchaser persona, are colorful, playful, and inspirational, which is an ideal representation of the brand’s essence.
5. Chipotle
Followers: 1.1M
Instead of reeling in consumers with food photos, Chipotle has chosen another route: hilarious memes.
When you might discover the occasional food post, the brand has focused its strategy on displaying its personality.
Why does it work? Memes are tag-friendly and shareable, which helps the brand reach new users as people tag their friends in humorous, relatable posts.
The common thread in all the brands featured is that they had a consistent brand identity that was reflected in their visuals and deep knowledge of what resonated with their audience.
4. Shiseido
Followers: 1.3m
Shiseido began as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy over 140 years ago and has since grown into selling high-quality brightening and anti-aging makeup, skincare, and fragrance goods.
Its mission is to encourage a life of beauty and culture – a mission it portrays beautifully via Instagram content.
Bonus tip: Posts that include faces, particularly for a skincare brand, are perfect for boosting social media engagement.
Do not be intimidated by highly professional Instagram videos like theirs. You could update extremely engaging videos on Instagram without a big video team or a bottomless budget.
3. Desenio
Followers: 1.9M
The very first thing you will notice once you land on Swedish online art print business Desenio’s Instagram page is color blocking.
Every photo blends beautifully with the one next to it, making a cohesive, visually appealing page you never want to leave.
Even when utilizing user-generated content, the business ensures it fits within its aesthetic. Establishing consistency in your creative assets is vital in ensuring brand recognition (i.e., when people see your photo anywhere, they know it is you.)
2. Apartment Therapy
Followers: 3.2M
Apartment Therapy’s Instagram account actually is a source of therapy, when you love the sight of cozy homes.
From home decor inspiration to fun challenges like their #SmallCoolChallenge contest and trendy UGC (user-generated content), this brand offers its followers loads of inspiration to personalize their own space and as its bio line “live happy, healthy lives at home,”.
1. Vans
Followers: 17M
The champion in the list of the most-followed brands on Instagram is Vans. The brand is known for its stylish shoes and its Instagram business account is no exception.
The maker of the classic checkered slip-on sneakers has a flashy Instagram feed, that includes both standalone product shots and action images of people expressing themselves in their favorite Vans gear.
One thing that is clear by looking at Vans’ Instagram account is that its identity is no longer tied solely to skateboarding. When you will still see lifestyle photos with skateboarders, you will additionally see surfers, cyclists, and other fashionable shoe-lovers.
We hope the list of the most-followed brands on Instagram will inspire your career!