Instagram celebrates it's 5th birthday on Tuesday and to celebrate we're taking a look at the most popular accounts in the UK - which all belong to British men.
While women dominate the international standings (see below) it appears our homegrown fellas are our best exports on the social network
1) In first place - unsurprisingly - is young Mr Harry Styles with a whopping 13m followers.
Unlike may celebrities, not many of Harry's posts are actually of him so this rather average shot ranks as one of his best.
2) Second place goes to the legendary David Beckham not far behind with 12.8m followers.
You don't need to have clothes on to be stylish.
3) Third place is another member of One Direction, Niall Horan.
There was no other option once this one popped up.
4) In fourth is another footballer, Gareth Bale, with 9.7m followers
Just remember, he's good at football, not dressing.
5) And finishing off the list is yet another One Direction chap, Liam Payne, with a paltry 6.9m followers.
To be honest, we chose this one mostly for the view.
And here are some little nuggets about the social platform in honour of its fifth birthday...
- Instagram has grown from a dream of two friends, to one of the fastest growing communities, with over 400 million monthly active users
- Over 75% of people using Instagram are outside the US (14 million in the UK)
- Over 40 billion photos have been shared on Instagram in the last five years
- The community uploads 80 million photos per day, and there are 3.5 billion likes daily
Story continues after slideshow...
7 Ways To Increase Presence On Instagram
Use Your Tools(01 of07)
Open Image ModalInstagram’s editable images, captions and hashtags are an added catalyst for users and brands to tell stories to their followers. "When posting pictures use relevant filters, editing tools and hashtags," says Zafar Rais, CEO, MindShift Interactive. "Various websites give you access to the most used hashtags for each category so see what’s relevant to you." This is a great way for you to reach out to people with similar interests from across the globe. (credit:BNMK0819 via Getty Images)
Engage, Engage, Engage(02 of07)
Open Image Modal"While you follow people who may be your current or prospective target audience, ensure you engage with their stories as well," says Rais. Every Instagram user keeps a watch on who likes or comments on their photographs and if they find your visual story interesting, they will follow you back. "A route towards finding people of similar interests is through tracking specific hashtags that resonate with your industry and interacting with them," he adds. (credit:StockRocket via Getty Images)
Get #PopularPeeps To Endorse Your Stuff(03 of07)
Open Image ModalHaving influential people from a specific genre to converse and endorse your brands offerings with their followers adds a level of trust and is a great route towards tapping the right target audiences. But ensure you pick the appropriate person for your brand - if the genres don't match, there's little chance for success, says Rais. (credit:Instagram/ MissMalini)
Run Targeted Campaigns(04 of07)
Open Image Modal"Followers love to be incentivised on social media, and Instagram lets you create campaigns through hashtags and visuals, in sync with one another," says Rais. "These campaigns serve the purpose of increasing your outreach and follower base considerably, provided your campaign is simple and personalised for Instagram and the relevant audience." (credit:Alison Yin/Invision/AP)
You've Got The Influencers. Now Hook The Crowd(05 of07)
Open Image ModalThe most effective mode of recommendation is (surprise, surprise) word of mouth... or in this case, word of word. The easiest example is food: irrespective of street food or gourmet fare, if it's a great dish, it will be shared and appreciated. Consumers reviewing, and sharing your work goes a long way, and you'll need to incorporate a bit of #step 2: Engage. "Repost, thank, and tag them, recommends Rais. "This goes a long way in motivating other consumers to share their story with your brand, converting consumers into evangelists and driving sales based on word of mouth." (credit:Instagram)
Use Instagram Ads(06 of07)
Open Image ModalInstagram’s recent announcement on advertising options has opened up a wide range of opportunities in India. With sponsored posts reaching out to relevant users through “Buy Now” or “Learn More” external links, Instagram advertising will help brands define a direct return on investments."Take Gillette India," says Rais. "The company has marked the start of Instagram Ads. A good Instagram presence is not as easy as just clicking a few photographs and applying a filter. To have a real impact in driving evangelism, buzz or sales your strategy needs to be carefully crafted and shared with purpose and intent. "The key to building a relationship with your followers and increasing outreach for your brand lies in your ability to constantly gain insights on the changing behaviour patterns of your user and adapting to the constantly evolving social media universe," he adds. (credit:Instagram)
Experiment With New Forms(07 of07)
Open Image ModalInstagram users are constantly evolving and love learning about new ways of telling their story. Create a benchmark through leveraging the latest Instagram features or the various complimenting applications to receive a larger volume of conversations and virality. "Apps such as Flipagram, Hyperlapse, Replay, Layout, Grid and many other Instagram-friendly appsprovide you with the ability to delivery your content in new forms and you must understand and use them appropriately," says Rais, sharing that Za from the House of Shiseido created an emoji-based campaign around the time when Instagram launched a hashtag searches for emojis, making it a simple and relevant campaign that resonated across their target audience. (credit:Instagram)
In the interests of balance, here are the top five women.
1) Taylor Swift leaving everyone else trailing with 49.6m followers.
2) Kim Kardashian somehow makes it to number 2 with a combination of pouting and.... well that's about it really.
3) Beyonce takes the third spot with 47.2m followers.
4) Selena Gomez comes in forth with 45.8m followers and this perfect lesson in mirror selfies.
5) And last (well fifth) and certainly not last is Arianna Grande with 44.6m followers and has a very sad looking dog.