PHOTO: Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. was the most geotagged location in the world on Instagram in 2014 (courtesy halo_avenger Instagram account)
Instagram has become a natural social media platform for travelers-and travel companies-to share their photos from around the world.
Apparently, it has also become the go-to social media platform for teens and young adults, too, according to a new report from BI Intelligence that draws from a variety of sources.
U.S. teens now deem Instagram "most important" among social media channels, surpassing popular platforms Facebook and Twitter, according to a teen survey by Piper Jaffray, via the report. About 30 percent of teens value Instagram the most, compared to 27 percent for Twitter and 23 percent for Facebook. In Fall 2012, only 12 percent of teens were this giddy about Instagram.
That includes teens in wealthy households. According to the survey, 83 percent of teens in high-income households are now on Instagram.
On top of that, more than half of American 12-to-14-year-olds said they owned an Instagram account in early 2014, according to a survey from Edison Research and Triton Digital.
And while Instagram began as a platform that drew considerably more female users than male users, that trend has shifted. Now, men make up about half of Instagram's user base.
The wide-scale appeal is clearly evident when you look at the total number of Instagram users today. Instagram now boasts more than 200 million users, slightly trailing Twitter. The younger users are driving this growth the most.
Of course, just when travel and hospitality companies are understanding the value of having social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter, another platform pops up that could have them shifting their focus.
This is particularly true for brands that cater to or include younger generations such as millennials. The advent of technology means travel companies have to constantly be on their toes when deciding how to market today. In that respect, it's no wonder why more companies are including Instagram in their marketing campaigns. That includes offering free rooms and better deals to travelers who post the best Instagram photos of their locations and products.
The new millennial-centered Moxy Hotels brand launched a campaign with the hashtag #atthemoxy after debuting in September. Users continue to post photos with the hashtag today.
Some locations are more attractive than others, of course. The Telegraph recently released a list of the top 10 geotagged locations in the world for 2014.
The top 10 geotagged locations include (in order): Disneyland; Dodger Stadium; Times Square; the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand; Gorky Park in Moscow, Russia; Musee du Louvre in Paris; Red Square in Moscow; Madison Square Garden; Yankee Stadium; and the Dubai Mall.
So, if you work at one of these locations, or you're a travel company that can include these locations in itineraries for customers, it may be a good idea for you to highlight these locations as much as you can.
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