Make Your Instagram POP!

In this day and age, social media is everywhere...

This has created an ever increasing number of people that have risen to social media ‘fame’. Which is amazing news for all those people out there that think they have something really important to give to the world, you now have a much higher chance of being found. Whether you’re a talented artist or a genuine do-gooder, you now have the chance to show the world!

One of the biggest social media platforms that has risen in the past couple of years is ‘Instagram’. For those that aren’t aware of it, Instagram is a social media app wherein the user uploads their photos, with or without some pretty photo editing filters. Through this you can network with friends, family and anyone else interested in what you have to show. For those that are business savvy, Instagram has become a platform to showcase their work, network with clients and other like-minded individuals. As a bit of an Instagram addict myself, I’ve compiled for our lovely readers some of the best ways to get your Instagram noticed, taking it from nice to unmissable. So I’m just going to jump right in and start from the basics. Exciting!

First and foremost:

The first thing you want to determine when starting your Instagram account is what kind of aim you want it to have. Are you just a person hoping to share your photos with your family? Are you a professional photographer that want’s to share work? Maybe you just want to share photos of your books and connect with other book lovers, or maybe you just want to follow your favorite celebs? If you’re an individual that wants to gain quite a following, then I suggest you read on.

Once you’ve decided what your aim is, whether it’s selling products to showcasing work, you’ll need to stick with it. Continuity is a MUST in the Instagram world. If you decide later on that you want to use Instagram for a different purpose, I highly suggest you simply make another account for that purpose. Continuity is what keeps your followers following you, if they follow you for your original aim, and then you start posting about anything and everything else, it might not interest them and you might have lost a valuable follower.

Theme and style:

Once you’ve

got your aim, your next step is a little market research. It doesn’t have to be a five page essay on all the ins and outs of what others in your market are doing. Just take a little time to search on Instagram other individuals that seem to match your aims. For example, if you’re a makeup artist, check out some fellow makeup artists accounts. Get a feel for what kind of look and style you’re going for. Look out for similarities between multiple accounts, do they have a certain photo style such as just landscape photos or just head shots? Do they have a certain tag line that defines them as a certain individual? These are the things that your audience will be looking out for, they’ll be looking for things they recognize, stuff that helps them distinguish what your aim is.

Once you’ve figured out a few key things you need to include in your account, the next step is making it your own. You don’t want to straight up copy another person, you’ll just fall into the millions of people that never get recognized. You need your own signature. Whether it’s the style of the image itself or what kind of colours you tend to stick to, you need something that tells the follower it’s you just by looking at the photo. Continuity again is an absolute MUST, that’s how you’ll be recognized by your followers. Plus, when a new follower checks out your account, all of your photos will look really neat, they’ll see the theme and be able to decide whether they want to follow you or not. A messy looking account can make it hard for a follower to determine if it’s their kind of thing or not.

Tag, follow, network…:

From your first photo to your last, you need to ensure you hashtag the hell out of it. Again look at similar accounts with a large following, check out what hashtags they use, these might be the ones that get the most attention. Hash-tagging can be a somewhat trial and error process. Some tags might only start getting views at a certain time of day, some tags might just get swamped in the masses. Once you’ve got a few that you know continuously bring in likes, you can stick to them. Think outside the box, look into current Instagram hashtag trends. Hashtag what kind of blog you are so people can easily find you when looking for those kind of blogs, for example if you’re a book blog, hashtag: #bookstagram or #bookblog. Things like this will make it easier for you to be found.

But sometimes there is only so much you can do with hashtags, sometimes you need a little extra help. Get following! Follow all those people that you admire or other like-minded individuals. Comment on their posts, build a relationship with them. If they’ve got a really large following, ask them to help you out by doing a shout out, they can only say no! Join in with Instagram games or seasonal celebrations. Most of all you need to show that you’re approachable, that you’re not just another account, you’re a person with your own style.

Lastly:

Once you’ve got yourself a bit of a following, you can up your game again. Join in with competitions, blog tours, events with other Instagrammers. Promote competitions of your own, for example “Like and follow this account to be in with a chance of winning …”. Always keep in mind, what would your audience like to see? If you’re uncertain, then ask them!

I hope this helps all our lovely readers, if you have any extra points you’d like to add, feel free to comment!

Good luck!