"The joy of Instagram: you didn't have to be there," Harper's BAZAAR editor Laura Brown tweeted recently. Hers is a succinct summation of Instagram's greatest strength, and in large part, the reason that fashion brands have had great success with the visual media app: it eliminates the curtain guarding the lives and businesses of an elite class of influencers, giving the consumer unprecedented access and power.

This is a natural continuation of a major shift in fashion over the past few years, stemming largely from the influx of street style photographers and fashion bloggers, who've gained great influence in the industry through unconventional means. By now, the blue glow of smartphone screens are as familiar in the tents as impractical footwear and juice fasts. Fashion, an art form in its own right, begs to be captured and shared in a manner befitting its highly visual nature; thus, Instagram has allowed brands to bring their unique story to life and connect with their community in a way that even the best-crafted copy (or tweet) fails to do.

Sure, the average Instagram feed is often filled with the much-maligned #selfies, #sunsets, and #foodie snapshots. But to restrict Instagram to this stereotype misses the bigger (pardon the pun) picture. Here are three fashion brands that do it right:

Nike
3.49 million followers
"Just Do It."

Nike is consistently ranked as the number one Instagram feed, and with good reason. Nike's mix of fashion and function is perfect for the photo-sharing platform, where presenting your best self -- and a somewhat idealized (read: curated and filtered) life -- is expected and celebrated. It only features images that feel right at home, like stunning landscapes and products at-work.

Naturally, the Nike swoosh features prominently, as do inspiring captions consistent with the brand's "Just Do It" mantra. About a year ago, Nike celebrated its incredible Instagram community, posting ten photos from fans, including the very first photo ever tagged #nike (currently, there're about 22.5 million posts with that tag). Those ten photos secured over 600,000 hearts and 4,900 comments. Talk about brand appreciation and interaction.

Nike has also done an excellent job fostering a community for their followers through their hashtag campaigns, such as #MakeItCount and #NeverNotRunning. And, the Nike PHOTOiD campaign allows users to upload their favorite Instagram photo, which is then used to design, share, and purchase customized versions of Nike gear.

Burberry
1.2 million followers
"A 158 year-old global brand with a distinctly British attitude."

Burberry is a social media powerhouse, and its Instagram is no exception. The stunning images of iconic English landmarks nestled between slow-motion videos of the latest runway show and behind-the-scenes shots of models reinforce the brand's heritage, perfectly capturing its essence.

As a traditional luxury brand with a somewhat aspirational product, Burberry definitely understands the importance of making their product matter. And while they don't make a huge habit of using hashtags, their holiday campaign, #BurberryGifts, was a subtle way to ring in the season with the members of their community, while #BurberryWeather is a clever way to pay homage to their trench coat origins.

Last spring, Burberry created an interactive, on demand experience for fans to stream their runway show and integrated the Instagram API to pull in photographs taken during the event for a richer viewing experience. They were also one of the first to regularly experiment with Instagram's video feature.

Kate Spade New York
530K followers
"quick and curious and playful and strong. follow us for a glimpse into the world of kate spade new york."

Kate Spade New York's Instagram feed offers a behind-the-scenes look into one of fashion's biggest brands, including the products, designers, and special events that give the company its particular brand of sweetly sassy chic. The imagery is a perfect reflection of their brand identity and voice: bold, colorful, cheeky, as well as a great look into the life of the KSNY woman: unpredictable and independent, with an on-the-go lifestyle.

Rather than simply sharing images of a pretty handbag or shoe, the brand prefers to share beautifully composed and perfectly on-brand this-could-be-real-life moments, regardless of whether or not one of their products are pictured. KSNY is also a big fan of hashtag campaigns, both for special events like New York Fashion Week (#behindthecurtain) and day-to-day life (#travelcolorfully #popofcolor #livecolorfully #yougotthis), which makes their followers feel like an integral part of the brand and encourages them to share how they live the KSNY lifestyle.

Inspired by these examples, here are four tips to keep in mind while crafting your brand's Instagram strategy:

1. Build your brand. Share images and video that communicate your unique identity. Imagery should have a clearly-defined personality and voice that is true to your company's culture. Content should never feel overly staged or serious. This is particularly effective for small businesses and startups, as it's an opportunity to develop a brand personality without a costly ad campaign.

2. Push your product, subtly. Instagram offers you the opportunity to share your brand experience. The key here is creativity: share visuals that will keep your communities entertained and demonstrate how your company sees the world. Make your brand -- and therefore, your product -- matter to people. The best images capture a moment, while also promoting the product. Offer your community a view into the world and lifestyle that your brand makes possible.

3. Celebrate your community. Instagram is a phenomenal tool to connect directly and authentically with a large number of consumers. Learn what people love about your company, and explore how you can capture the attention of new customers. Inspire action and start a movement around your brand, or reward your followers and invite their involvement by sharing user-generated content. Crowdsourcing, in particular, is a fantastic way to open your company up to an entirely new audience and see the world -- and your brand -- from their eyes. "Liking" a customer's photo is an easy way to thank him/her for sharing their experience.

4. Tag it, share it. There's no shortage of compelling stories being shared, and you want to be in on the conversation. Make your content easily discoverable with hashtags and, when appropriate, location tagging. Both are an easy way to discover content, gain new fans, and engage with a variety of industries. Many companies have great success with branded hashtag campaigns. Just don't be desperate -- limit the number of hashtags you use. And don't forget, you can expand your reach by sharing across platforms.

What other brands -- fashion or otherwise -- have excellent Instagram strategies? If you have other best practice tips, I'd love to hear them!