Instagram has introduced three new business tools aimed at helping brands build their following on the photo-sharing social network.

The suite of tools will be rolled out across the next few months, and are a response to brands asking for more insight into how users are engaging with their photos and videos.

• Account insights will enable businesses to see how theyre increasing brand awareness through impressions, reach and engagement, providing marketers with detailed stats including photo views, weekly summaries and audience details.
• Ad insights provides brands with performance data for paid campaigns, with brand analytics including impressions, reach and frequency for each individual ad delivered to the target audience.
• Ad staging enables advertisers and creative teams to preview, save and collaborate on ad creative for upcoming campaigns.

In a blog post accompanying the announcement, Instagram wrote: “Weve worked closely with several of our advertising partners to make sure these tools meet their needs. Were now making them available to all Instagram advertisers, whose feedback will help us improve before releasing it to additional brands later this year.”

Advertising on Instagram is still limited to the US, and a small number of companies, with Instagram owners Facebook integrating ads very slowly in an effort to alienate users.