Instagram. It’s all about the image, so make it work for you!

It’s a great business tool, and I’ll get to why in a minute. But you don’t have to – of course you can simply use Instagram for your own amusement and to share your life with friends because it IS a lot of fun, especially if you and your friends enjoy a bit of good photography. You could even consider having two accounts – a public one for business, and a private one for family and friends (find out how to set an account to “Private” here).

If you want use it for business you need to be a bit strategic about the quality and types of images that you share. You should always be aiming for high-quality photos, because that’s what gets the likes, the comments and the reposts.

First up: like all social media, there are no legitimate, quick ways to build up a genuine audience. It can only be done with time; by following other accounts, liking their images and commenting. And it takes lots of time, so don’t think it’s a quick way to get your message out there.

The good news is that according to Search Engine Journal, Instagram has the highest rate of growth of new users, growing by 9% over 2014, whereas Facebook didn’t grow at all. And if you’re using it for business, consider that Facebook uses algorithms to filter what gets into people’s feeds at the moment, whereas Instagram still feeds through everything, so that all your images get shown to all the people who are following you (if they’re looking at the right time).

And if your audience is young, the news is even better. Roughly half of internet-using young adults ages 18-29 (53%) use Instagram. On top of that, instagrammers are a highly engaged audience too – half 0f ALL users (49%) use the site daily.

It sounds so good, and you want to be there, right!? So, how do you get people to follow you? How do you build an audience of adoring fans?

As I said, it does take time. But there are lots of ways you can optimise your chances of being found, and today we’ll go through the two most important things – your Bio and your Images.

 

[bctt tweet=”Instagram is THE best thing for your biz. Here’s the top 10 things you need to succeed ~ “]

 

YOUR BIO:

Just like your “About” page on your blog, you need to make sure your profile is complete because your followers want to find out about you!

Absolutely include your profile pic, and make sure it’s one that fits your brand. If you’ve got a professional pic, here’s the place to use it – if it’s the same as you’ve used on other social media, all the better. You want people to recognise you/your brand!

As for your description, you only have 150 characters for your bio, so make sure it says exactly what you’re about, and make it vibrant and interesting. You can use it to add in a special specific hashtag, as I’ve done – “For my latest work, follow #tractorgirlmakesnewtops” – or you can use it for a call to action (e.g. point them to your opt-in), or another web link.

I love my friend Sarah‘s bio – “Most days you’ll find me at home. Just knock.” Now I know it doesn’t tell you anything about what she does – but it is so welcoming and friendly, and it is too sweet to resist. Even though she doesn’t say what she does in her bio, it is completely apparent on her feed – all her images are of the things she’s made; clothing from gorgeous vintage fabrics. Her username, APieceOfPieShop, also let’s you know that she’s selling it, and of course, she’s got a link to her shop in her bio as well. YES there’s a spot to list your website, so USE it. Make sure your potential customers can find you outside Instagram.

Another great bio is from Jess Van Den of CreateAndThrive. Her bio reads “Practical, actionable info to help you build a thriving handmade business. #CreateandThrive Blog + podcast + guides + courses + #ThriverCircle”. It says EXACTLY what Create & Thrive does, and offers you two hashtags to explore straight up as well.

 

YOUR IMAGES:

If you’re a photographer, and think (like my friend Lisa) that you feel you’re somehow cheating by taking a little snap with your phone because it’s not a ‘real’ camera, think again.

Your iPhone is not a substitute for your ‘real’ camera; think of it as another tool in your arsenal. It is a different beast, and you should consider it as a separate medium to your camera-based photography – just as knitting is different to crochet, or poetry is different to prose. Consider its parameters – it is a fixed small, square format, and there are limited aspects you can tweak with regard to lighting, colour, and focus. So think about those parameters as challenges to your creativity, and see what you can make with them! And remember that if you’re a photographer you already have an advantage over lots of other instagrammers, because you understand composition, don’t you!?

Still feel like you’ve lost control over your images? Stop grinding your teeth in frustrated angst. You CAN get more control over your images with some cool apps, such as VSCO CAM, Afterlight, and SnapSeed. But it really depends on what you’re after – my photography is pretty simple, and I find I don’t need the extra fancy stuff. Apart from taking the images with the Camera function on my phone because it has better basic edits than Instagram, for the moment I’m happy simply using the cropping tools, and just tweaking the lighting and contrast.

I rarely use filters either, but if you choose to go that way make sure you stick to the same one or two for all your images, as you want your feed to have a cohesive feel to it. Why?

 

 

I’m glad you asked. If you’re using Instagram for your brand, you need to start with a clear focus on what you intend to put into your feed. Sticking to a clear theme means that whoever comes across your account will know what you’re about and jump on board if it resonates with them.

It’s important to take lots of photos, and then choose the best ONE to share. Edit your pics before posting – straighten horizons, crop out unwanted details, tweak the contrast and lighting, etc – it can make all the difference between ho-hum and beautiful.

You also need to build a particular photographic style. You can do this through how you style your products, whether you add text to the images (marbleandblossoms does this cleverly by adding in a printed card to the photo), what colours you use, and so on. This is why it’s important to stay with the same few filters – they are all quite different and can alter the mood of your images substantially. Personally, I love clean lines, textures and patterns, and more minimal, balanced compositions, and I always try and present my landscapes as well as my products that way.

Having said that, the other thing is not to be boring. Don’t keep on posting the same old stuff just because you know it’s going to get likes. Mix it up! Oh, and pleeeez don’t post endless photos of your feet, of your morning coffee, or of your duck face.

 

 

Ensure your feed is consistent in quality. Would people choose to follow you if they scanned it now? Quality is much more important than quantity. It’s so easy to check out someone’s feed, and make a snap decision as to whether they’re worth following or not – so make it beautiful. Stick to your brand persona and show off your talents.

Now, I’m not a smartphone expert, but if you want particular advice about how to get the most out of your phone’s camera, you can try these articles.

* Lauren Conrad – How to take the perfect Instagram: Lauren shares a few great photography tips, as well as some tips on how to use Instagram’s own photo editing tools. AND she doesn’t often use the filters – most photos don’t need them.

* iPhone Photography School – 10 Quick Tips – they might be quick in the sense that they are explained succinctly, but they might not be quick to do.  Like a lot of things in photography (or any other creative field), these tips may take a long time to master. But once you’ve got the ideas in your head, they are awesomely powerful.

* Artifact Uprising – Mastering Mobile Photography – Another excellent collection of photography tips for mobile phones.

 

What to show? Of course, show your work, and work in progress. You can also share sneak peeks of new products, and a great one is to show off your items being used by happy customers. Include scenes from your everyday life too (we want to know you’re a real person, and what you’re interested in!). Use it to introduce your team members – even if that’s just you and your cat….

 

 

Plan your content (I know I’m really the worst at this and I tend to do it ad hoc – it’s a case of putting up my favourite pic from the last day or two of landscapes from my farm, or details from around my house, and sometimes the latest thing I’ve made). OK yes, so I plan to get planning ;D ! The best advice I’ve come across on this is to have a mix of planned and spontaneous. For instance, you could have a theme for the month, and intersperse it with snaps from your workbench.

Post only one or two pics per day at most (don’t overwhelm you followers), and not less than one every few days. If you want to build a following, you need to constantly be adding new content!

Once you have a collection of images (like about a hundred or more), go back through and see which ones were the most popular (the most likes, the most comments) – Iconosquare can tell you this stuff. Then, try to think about why they got that attention. People often respond for emotional reasons – was it beautiful, funny, intriguing? Is it something about the subject matter? If you hit on what’s working for your business, do more of it!

Iconosquare can also look at what times of day and days of the week are best for you to post, and in fact has a great range of statistical tools to help you analyse lots of stuff about your Instagram account.

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So that’s about it for today. There’s lots there to work on, and I’ve still got two more posts to go on this subject!
So get cracking.

And in the mean time, catch me over on Instagram at tractorgirlmakes. I would love to connect with you!

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Have you got any burning questions about Instagram?  Please ask away! Let me know in the comments below and I will find you an answer. Guarantee! 

 

With love, Julie.