Instagram: The Creatives Paradise
Welcome to the platform that made scenic views and quick snaps of food a familiarity for all! Indeed, Instagram is a powerful tool used by many to showcase various styles of imagery and video. That being the standard let’s dive into some interesting statistics Instagram has collected over the years.
According to a blog post written by Evan LePage of Hootsuite, Instagram receives 300 million active users monthly and the collective of those active members share over 70 million images per day! That’s loyalty and dedication verbatim. As you’ve just read…Instagram is quite the hub for all things visual and pretty. My article is to provide you with a few insider tips and tricks to improve your personal and/or business accounts to give you an expert edge.
Optimizing Your Profile Settings (THE BASICS)
#1 Provide a Clear and Memorable Profile Photo.
Your profile image is an indirect reflection of your personal or company brand. Think of it like your “elevator pitch” for an interview. You want a perspective customer or follower to be in awe of the quality and message you’re trying to relay to them. A simple rule to follow would be to keep the designed image simple and legible. This will also overflow into your thumbnail image. Most users are on a mobile device so it would be wise to make an altered version of the profile image for this type of device.
#2 Make Full Use of the Profile Biography Area.
You want to create a profile bio that entices followers to your page. In most cases the bio, alongside a thumbnail of your profile image, is the first thing to pop up in a Google search of your business or name. It’s best to try and make the first sentence memorable or full of trigger words about your services to help the user understand what you’re about and what you do.
#3 Use the Website Link Area to Increase Traffic to Your Website.
If applicable, make sure to provide a link from Instagram to your website. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for people to find and navigate between the various platforms you offer.
#4 Switch Your Profile Settings from Private to PUBLIC.
No one is ever going to find you if you’re hidden. Make the switch and open up to all the possibilities the platform has to offer.
Strategic Planning (A Little Game of Chess…maybe Checkers?)
#1 Tag People in the Photos You Post.
Tagging people is not only an exponential way to get your profile viewed by many different people it’s also a way to show customer and follower appreciation. It’s a win-win when you tag a friend. FYI, if you’re snapping photos at an event make sure to ask for permission first before tagging.
#2 Hashtags, Hashtags, Hashtags
The dreaded hashtag…lol But really it’s not so bad. Hashtags provide a way to stay relevant and hip while introducing a nonintrusive way to gain more views on a post. The goal is to NOT OVER USE THE HASHTAG option. Many make the mistake of using 10+ hashtags on a post in a hope to increase visibility. DON’T DO IT!! That strategy oversaturates the post making it appear cluttered. Keep hashtags to the top 5 most popular or relative topics.
#3 Post No More than 4 Times a Day.
This tip is more so leaning towards businesses but the lesson is all the same. Just like hashtags you don’t want to over populate everyone’s feed with your information. Keep it casual there will always be tomorrow!
Content Creation (The Real Reason You Instagram)
#1 Create a Theme
Using a uniform color scheme or topic across your platform gives the user a clear understanding about what you’re trying to communicate. It also increases brand familiarity and potentially loyalty. If they recognize your images and logo color scheme they are more likely to return for business or information.
#2 Provide Quality Images and Videos Across your Profile.
Instagram could also be thought of as a digital portfolio. You want to provide high quality work for people to view. If need be, do some spring cleaning. If you find yourself with a low number of quality items it may be time to get creative again. =)
#3 Be Authentic.
Typically, followers will be able to tell if the content you publish is forced or not. Keep it genuine and be passionate about what you display. Your followers and potential customers will respect you for it.
