Instagram is no longer a photo app with cute filters. Image by Jonathan Chen on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Online marketing consultant Elena Leukona runs the blog El Club del Marketing where she “(helps) every small business owners that don't have a marketing department so they may understand the fast world of Internet”. On the latest entry, she shares her expert opinion about Instagram, the visual social network with increasing popularity, and how small businesses can use it to enlarge their company:

Instagram no sólo puede ser útil para las grandes marcas, sino también para negocios locales que necesitan entrar en contacto con un determinado tipo de cliente al que no podrían acceder si no es a través de este tipo de medios sociales. Se trata de una herramienta muy visual que conecta a los usuarios con otros usuarios y con las marcas a través de imágenes y vídeos.

Instagram may not only be useful for big brands, but also for local businesses that may need to get in touch with a specific kind of client they could not be able to reach if not through this kind of social networks. This is a very visual tool that connects users with other users and with the brands through images and vídeos.