Instagram seeks new content
to expand platform

It’s been more than a year since the Office of Communication launched an ITD account on Instagram. This was the first new social-media platform the department had joined in 10 years, and so far there have been many positive responses regarding the venture.

“Our team has been working hard to build a page that represents ITD and the state of Idaho in a unique and appealing way,” said Department Photographer Mark Hall. “With the help of many ITD employees, we’ve done a great job in terms of creating visually appealing posts. Throughout the coming year, we want to sustain that effort but we also want to see our audience grow exponentially.”

Fortunately for the Instagram team, Aubrie Spence recently accepted a position within the Office of Communication and she brings both talent and social-media knowledge to the table.

"I helped manage Instagram and Facebook accounts for a Boise-based build-design firm and saw how quickly our Instagram following grew over Facebook,” said Spence. “Within a year we went from 2,000 followers on Instagram to 10,000 in large part thanks to using the Stories tool in Instagram, which allowed us to engage with our public in a way that was more personable."

With new insight, the Instagram team made the decision to focus on building their Story content over the next year.

“The beauty of Instagram Stories is that they don’t have to be extravagant productions," Spence explained. "There are limitless possibilities with how we create story content which can be anything from a 15-second photo montage to a 30-second video clip or even a 10-minute live interview with someone in the field.”

With new emphasis on Story development, the Instagram team is asking employees to send videos in addition to photos to be included in these posts.

"If people spot something of interest while they’re out and about chances are our public would be interested too! Just get us the raw photo or video with the location and we will do the rest," Spence added.

The ultimate goal is to consistently produce five stores a week for the Instagram account.

“We rely heavily on content our fellow colleagues send us that depict daily activities and various locations throughout the state,” Hall said. “We’re hoping that individuals will now focus on sending videos as well. While it may seem like an ordinary work activity to them, it’s unusual and interesting to millions of potential followers and it goes a long way in helping us create quality Story content.”

Word of Mouth is still an incredibly powerful channel. In today’s digital world, word-of-mouth now happens within tweets, Facebook recommendations, and Instagram shares. Please follow ITD on Instagram and encourage others to do the same at idaho_transportation_dept

If you have photos, videos or ideas you would like to share with the Instagram team, please send them to mark.hall@itd.idaho.gov,aubrie.spence@itd.idaho.gov or jessica.williams@itd.idaho.gov

Published 05-15-20