Last Updated on August 24, 2022 by rida
There are over one billion people logging into Instagram every single month. Some people are using Instagram to post pictures of their daily habits, their thoughts, and their cats. Others are using Instagram to build a personal brand.
You heard us right: a personal brand. Branding isn’t just for companies and it’s not just for making a sale. Personal branding is a great way to take control of your image as you grow your following and boost your online presence.
Personal branding can seem tricky to navigate at first. How can you remain true to yourself? Should you start from scratch or overhaul your existing Instagram account?
Read on to learn everything you need to know with six quick tips to help you build a personal brand.
Table of Contents
1. Determine Your Branding Goal
Before you can brand yourself on Instagram, you need to understand your goals, your niche, and how to align the two. For example, let’s say your goal is to attract attention to your travel blog. That would make your niche travel–although you can do better than that.
Do you travel with kids? Are you traveling on a budget? Are you traveling in search of the best food, art, or music?
The more specific you can get in this early brainstorming phase, the easier it will be to learn your brand and stay on brand. Plus, you can do some research into similar Instagram accounts that appeal to the same types of followers. Take note of what they’re doing well, what you think could use improvement, and how you can set yourself apart.
2. Spruce Up Your Profile
Before you start worrying about your content, it’s time to give your profile a makeover. When it was nothing more than a personal account, it was fine that your Instagram bio was filled with song lyrics or inside jokes. Now that you’re going for a branded page, it needs to get a little more professional.
Start with your Instagram handle. Change it to either your public name, the name of your business or blog, or something that makes your niche explicitly clear. If you don’t use your public name for your handle, include it at the top of your bio.
Add your location and job title (or the industry you work in if you don’t have a specific job title). Some people will also tag the companies they work for, the places they went to school, or other organizations that build their credibility. Add any additional information or hashtags that add clarity or value to your brand and finish it off with a link to your personal website.
3. Start Curating Content
What do you want your brand to look like? Think about the personality traits that are sure to shine through on your account. Are you bubbly and vivacious or intellectual and professional?
What colors will help you to tell that story? What colors tend to appear in your wardrobe, your products, or the places you visit? The goal is to generate a cohesive aesthetic, and starting with a color scheme can really get the ball rolling.
If you’re going to stick with your current Instagram account, it’s time to do some curating. Archive, hide, or delete old photos that you don’t want to be seen in a professional capacity. The same goes for photos that don’t align with your branding visually or thematically.
4. Connect With Other Instagram Users
As we mentioned already, it’s highly likely that other Instagrammers are already succeeding in the niche you’re entering. Connecting with them is a great way to build up your online community. Those other branded accounts have already amassed the type of followers that you’re looking for; becoming friends is a good way to receive a much-needed promotion.
The trouble with Instagram is that to get your page off the ground, you need followers. To get followers, it can feel like you need, well, followers. What do you do in the early stages when your follower count is in the tens or hundreds?
One way to get over the early Instagram hump is to get real Instagram likes free. As you gather more likes, your posts start to beat the algorithm, putting you in front of more potential followers.
5. Schedule Your Posts
Consistency is key when you’re building a branded Instagram. Gone are the days that you can binge-post for a week before disappearing for a month. Now, it’s time to plan your content in advance and schedule your posts.
Ideally, you want to share no more than one main post a day and no less than four or five a week. Stories, on the other hand, give you the opportunity to share content more often. As you schedule out your posts, make sure to mix it up between photos, videos, reels, and interactive stories.
6. Share Value
When you glance over popular Instagram accounts from well-branded users, it can seem like it’s all a lot of flash and glamor. The truth is that while you need to curate aesthetically pleasing content, the look is not enough. You also need to share value.
What do we mean by that? If you want to generate a ton of followers and interactions, you need to share content that is valuable to your followers.
This can include posts that are educational, access to special deals, self-help tips–you name it. As long as it aligns with your brand and what your followers expect from you, it’s fair game.
Take Control of Your Image and Build a Personal Brand
Social media branding isn’t just for companies. Build a personal brand and watch change the way that you interact with others online. Personal branding can help you take control of your image, reach a wider audience, and achieve new goals.
Looking for lifestyle tips that will help you plan out more exciting Instagram content? Take a look around and get inspired.
Read More: How to grow your small business using the Instagram application?
