Small Business

©iStock/Rasulovs Ever hear of Instagram?  Thought so.  But have you heard it defined as the "look book' for brands people love and the shop window for small businesses on mobile?  That's according to The Drum's, " Instagram attracts over 200,000 advertisers following global expansion ." James Quarles, global head of business and brand development at Instagram said the site was "proving a valuable place for discovering businesses around the world." According to Instagram (owned by Facebook), some 75 percent of the app's active advertisers looking to appeal to Instagram's 400-million strong user base are located outside of the US. Read more here .

©iStock/Rasulovs In order to strengthen its advertising operations, Instagram is going global.  It will focus on small businesses and users outside the US, as its sales operations rely more extensively on those of Facebook, its parent. Ms Levine [ chief operation officer Instagram; Facebook VP ] added that international expansion was a priority, with 75 percent of its more than 400 million users based outside the United States. Users Brazil:  29 million (second largest market outside United States) Germany:  9 million  UK:  more than 14 million Read more: Instagram to ramp up efforts to lure small businesses