Instagram as a branding tool for small tourism enterprises: insights from Finnish Lapland

Abstract

The present research document aims to identify the contribution of Instagram to the branding strategy of the small tourism enterprises of the Finnish Lapland. It is addressed the requirements for the type, and tourist approaches on the photographic content and the inclusion of Instagram within the small enterprises' business activities. The theoretical framework includes studies of branding in SMEs, the importance of photography within tourist activities, and the convenience of Instagram as a branding channel. The study has a qualitative approach and to analyze the data it was applied the content analysis method. The data consist of semi-structured interviews with five photography content creators of Instagram accounts and one manager responsible for the branding strategy. All of them have more than two years of experience in the field and the interviews were held during the spring and the summer seasons of 2021.

The findings indicate that the performance on Instagram is a major stage within the branding efforts of the small enterprises in Finnish Lapland. Its recognition as a social media network in which photo-sharing amenities inspire travel choices and things to do options combined with the important role of photography within the tourism industry in Lapland converts Instagram into a strategic platform to spotlight the tourist activities that the small enterprises offer through their services. The photographic content is focused on displaying travel experiences in the natural surroundings charged with color harmony and positive emotions to encourage people to travel to Lapland but with a predilection for the enterprise's brand during their stay. Besides, the contribution of Instagram for branding is implied within the services offered by the enterprises due to the common practice among visitors to share the photos of their moments in Lapland through social media channels. Despite this practice has demanded time and effort to interact with the users, it also reflects high levels of customers’ satisfaction and reinforces the presence of the enterprise’s brand on the market by the interactive features the posts include; likes, hashtags, comments, and geotagging.