The 19 Best Brands on Instagram (With Examples)

Do you wonder how brands build engaged communities online that convert into sales?

Around 1.4 billion people use Instagram, being the fourth most popular social media platform on the planet. Then, 90% of Instagram users follow a business, and 50% say they’re more interested in a brand when they see it featured in ads on Instagram.

This means that the chances you could succeed on social media and Instagram specifically are pretty high if done the right way.

That's the reason why today we’re sharing with you the top 19 brands on Instagram that are making the most out of this platform, to have a presence online, build a community, create engagement and generate sales.

Ready? Let’s get stuck in.

Missguided - 9M

Missguided is a fast-fashion brand based in the UK that grew thanks to social media and Instagram specifically.

Their content strategy is based on sharing as much outfit inspiration as possible, involving their customers and UGC. Also, to keep up with the current conversation, they share memes and relatable content to connect even more with their audience.

Burberry - 18.9M

Burberry is a British luxury brand that has built a strong presence online to keep up with the times despite having a wealthier target audience.

They keep the editorial look on their content, sharing high-quality studio pictures, as well as clips from their shows and new collections, but always making the most out of different content formats and being consistent with posting.

ASOS - 12.7M

ASOS is a fashion and beauty online retailer based in the UK that sells multiple brands and its own.

They also focus on sharing outfit inspiration and using UGC to build a stronger connection with their audience. Moreover, they also post memes to offer entertainment and relatable content.

Love Leggings - 36.7k

Love Leggings is a leggings brand from the UK, and we’re in charge of their social media management.

To communicate the wide variety of leggings, we focus on sharing UGC, showing how they perfectly fit all kinds of bodies. It’s very product-focused but still involves the audience and customers in the content.

& Other Stories - 2.6M

& Other Stories is a Swedish fashion retailer owned by the H&M Group.

Because they sell more high-end, their content is very high quality. They include UGC from fashion influencers and known stylists, mixing it with studio and product pictures. Also, they bring value and inspiration to their audience by sharing outfit ideas and sharing colours, fabrics and pieces of the season.

Passenger Clothing - 145k

Passenger Clothing is a brand that focuses on sustainability and is targeted at adventure lovers.

Their Instagram feed is a mix of inspirational content (travel) as well as promotional (clothes and other products). On top of that, they encourage their audience to interact and engage with them through a branded hashtag.

Plump It! - 144k

Plump It! Is the brand that created the most famous lip plumper on social media, thanks to building a strong community online. We manage their social media platforms here at The Social Shepherd.

We focus on sharing UGC with fantastic makeup looks and inspiration and product reviews our customers film and share. This way, they feel more connected to the brand. On top of that, we also share relatable content and famous memes somehow related to the brand and its products to add that bit of entertaining content that Plump It!’s audience enjoys.

The Inkey List - 437k

The Inkey List is an affordable skincare brand that has built a presence online thanks to constantly sharing skincare educational content.

Their content strategy is to give as much advice about skincare as possible and promote their products. Skincare routines for different skin types and concerns, information about the ingredients, inviting skincare experts for long-form videos and interactive Lives and creating little guides so their audience can save the information for later.

Glossier - 2.6M

Glossier is a beauty brand that also grew thanks to building a solid social media presence.

Thanks to the nice-looking packaging and encouraging their customers to share pictures with the products, they have a constant income of UGC that they use to post consistently on their Instagram. This way, their audience feels more involved and connected to the brand.

Aesop - 910k

Aesop is a skin, hair and body care brand that focuses on gentle care and nice fragrances.

Their content represents their philosophy, and it’s full of literature, art, music and all kinds of artists. For example, a series of videos they did in collaboration with a chef that defined different dishes inspired on Eau de parfums from the brand.

Godiva - 25.4k

Godiva is a Belgian chocolate brand that we manage here at The Social Shepherd.

We create four different types of content for them: inspirational, educational, promotional and entertaining. With this mix, we make sure that Godiva's audience gets valuable content that they enjoy.

Also, our Influencer Marketing team supports the organic presence of the brand with social events, which always helps increase the reach on social media platforms.

PG Tips - 16.7k

PG Tips is a UK tea brand that has been around for almost a hundred years.

They don’t focus on aesthetic content and keeping a beautiful feed but provide their audience with memes, relatable content, and UGC and product updates (I.e. getting rid of the plastic overwrap).

Heineken - 12.9k

Heineken is a Dutch beer brand with a consistent online presence across social media platforms, including Instagram.

Their content is very product and brand-focused but still keeps up with current trends, such as promoting the new James Bond film, relating their product to the Squid Game and other current conversation topics to show they keep up with the current trends.

Innocent - 139k

Innocent is a brand that offers natural smoothies and other fruit and vegetable drinks.

They share fun content about the ingredients they use for their products, simple recipes to keep a healthy diet and content related to their environmentally-friendly philosophy.

Fish Said Fred - 1.6k

Fish Said Fred is a fish brand whose Social Media accounts we manage here at The Social Shepherd.

We share a mix of inspiration and educational content. We focus on posting recipe ideas and tutorials for Fish Said Fred's audience to recreate at home using the brand's products.

Vivense - 6.9k

Vivense is a home decor and furniture brand, and we manage their social media channels here at The Social Shepherd.

We make the most out of inspiration content such as static pictures and fun short-form videos (Reels). Also, teams recommended products and seasonal trends through interactive stories like the famous “this or that”, “would you rather”.

H&M Home - 5.6M

H&M Home is a section from the Swedish fashion retailer H&M.

Their content is purely inspirational because of the static pictures and how-to short-form videos focused on their products. They also share the newest collections and artist collaborations and share the best UGC.

Anthropologie - 4.4M

Anthropologie is an American clothing and homeware retailer with a solid presence on social media, especially on Instagram.

Their content on their homeware page provides a lot of inspiration for the customers to decorate their house and promote their decoration and furniture.

Zara Home - 7.2M

Zara Home is the homeware collection from the multinational retailer Zara.

They organise their Instagram content by planning rows of three around a specific style, product or collection. This creates a more appealing feed but requires more planning. Also, they bring value to their audience with their “at home with” episodes.

These are perfect examples of brands that have made the most out of Instagram and built engaged communities online. This is why you might want to consider working with one of the top Social Media agencies.

By introducing new content formats, using new features, interacting with the audience, bringing value, keeping the brand’s personality and having a solid social media strategy, these 19 brands have become some of the best on Instagram.

Here at The Social Shepherd, we work with amazing brands and manage their social media platforms to ensure they build online communities and keep up with current social media trends. If you’re interested in improving your Instagram platform, book a free strategy call with our Social Media Management team.