Instagram had approached 1 billion active monthly users. With a reach like that, it’s no wonder that companies are flocking to Instagram for organic marketing at a relatively low and extremely customizable cost investment. But here we will not talk about why your business should make an Instagram page yesterday, or how you can use Instagram to promote your business. We are here to fill you in on the basics of how to get Instagram working for your personal branding goals.
Leveraging Instagram to Leverage Yourself
For starters, why should you be on Instagram? After all, we’re all too attached to our phones these days, and why download one more app to sap your energy and will to live phone battery?
It is simple. Unless you’re an heiress or a monk, you rely on your reputation in some way or another to fund your existence. In today’s world, a lot of that reputation is not only discovered but also generated and maintained online. This is why it is best to get help from an Instagram growth service such as stimsocial, twicsy, and kicksta because they can help you get real Instagram followers that will boost your personal or business brand.
Are you a performance artist of some sort? Generating a social media following can help you attract the attention of venues, casting directors, etc. to book you for your work.
Are you an artist? Social media can help get your art in front of potential buyers.
Are you a talking head? Social media can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Are you a recent graduate? Social media can help you begin to develop a portfolio and a network of contacts.
It goes on and on!
Best of all, unlike a traditional newspaper, radio, or television advertising, using Instagram for personal branding can be anywhere from low cost to free, and it’s an advertisement that audiences intentionally seek out, raising the odds of engagement.
Instagram Basics
This post could be a novel if we were to go into everything you ought to know for an excellent, well-rounded Instagram strategy. In fact, such books exist – as do paid services for social media consultants who will help you out with all of that. Instead of writing a novel or quoting you a fee for developing your Instagram presence, we are just going to give you the quick basics.
1. Pick a theme.
Don’t be scattered. Do you know who has a short attention span? Be focused and make it easy for us, your potential followers, to decide if we’re interested in following you or not. If you’re a personal trainer trying to build a client base, your feed probably shouldn’t be full of photos of your cat and/or baby, no matter how cute they are. If you’re a food blogger promoting your blog through your Instagram page, we probably don’t need a string of snarky political memes or random #OOTD posts, even if your outfit is totally on fleek. Know what you’re about; make sure your audience knows it, too.
2. be consistent.
If you post five times in one day and then don’t post again for seven months, guess how much of a loyal following you’re going to have? Find a posting schedule you can more or less stick to or, at the very least, make sure you post often enough for your followers to remember that you exist.
3. Engage, engage, and engage.
Unless you’re Queen Bey, you’re going to need to interact with your followers if you want to keep them loyal and interested. Especially for new Instagrammers who don’t have an established following or general celebrity to lean on, the key is to create and/or join a community. Most people aren’t going to fangirl over a random new microblogger, so don’t talk at people, have a conversation. Become interesting to others by showing interest in others.
Want likes? Like their posts, too! Want comments? Comment on their posts, too. Want more followers, buy real Instagram followers from activeig.
So there you have it – the basics! Dress them up, dress them down, add detail, do research – it still boils down to these simple basic guidelines. Happy branding!
