By M.Christian

YNOT – Created in late 2010 in a conference room inside Twitter’s old digs, Instagram is showing real promise and very well could become a serious, and rather unique, force in social messaging.

Currently supporting more than 15 million users, Instagram is an image-sharing application with bite. Companies and individuals have latched onto the for-now iPhone-only app as a way to promote their brands, giving the free product exposure across a range of social media darlings including Foursquare, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

According to a recent write-up on Search Engine Watch, Instagram’s magic lies in its ability to create and share content. That makes the app a very useful tool for marketers — including those in the adult entertainment industry.

Among the suggestions that Search Engine Watch puts forth in order to use Instagram effectively is to avoid focusing on nothing more than marketing. No one likes a hard sell, especially on community-based sites. SEW also suggests posting regularly to give followers a peek behind the curtain at your business.

Instagram has indicated it will release Android and Windows Mobile versions of the app as soon as early summer. The move could provoke a leap from “possible contender” to “social media most valuable player” in no time.

The Search Engine Watch article provides 10 tips for getting the most promotional punch from the product.