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Instafamous: How to Build a Personal Brand on Instagram

instafamous-how-to-build-a-personal-brand-on-instagram

[[p]]With two billion active users on Instagram and the highest usage among people between 18-34 years of age, Instagram is a social network that gives you the opportunity to really create a buzz.[[/p]]

[[p]]Connecting to like-minded people who share an interest and want to see more of the same information enables you to gain followers who will love you. Many [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/9-of-the-biggest-social-media-influencers-on-instagram" target="_blank"]]influencers on Instagram[[/a]] could give you ideas or give your content a boost if they like it![[/p]]

[[p]]That said, it takes skill, creativity, commitment, and thought to stand out from the potentially hundreds of other accounts they follow.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]In this blog, we&rsquo;ve got 8 great tips to help you leverage the platform to become Instafamous which include:[[/p]]

[[ol]]
	[[li]]Be strategic[[/li]]
	[[li]]Build your brand[[/li]]
	[[li]]Use hashtags[[/li]]
	[[li]]Share and share alike[[/li]]
	[[li]]Be consistent and engaging[[/li]]
	[[li]]Drive engagement[[/li]]
	[[li]]Be a good neighbor[[/li]]
	[[li]]Conduct an Instagram audit[[/li]]
[[/ol]]

[[p]]Like any of your other marketing efforts, you want to get creative on your Instagram account. Outline a plan and strategy by considering the following factors:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Know your goals &amp; objectives:[[/strong]] As with any [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/ebooks/a-comprehensive-guide-to-digital-marketing-strategy"]]digital marketing strategy[[/a]] you have to decide what you want to achieve with your account. Is it [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-create-data-capture-content"]]data capture[[/a]] (i.e. getting email addresses), web visits, brand awareness, sales, or something else? Determining your goals will help you come up with your content.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Narrow down your audience:[[/strong]] You will also want to consider your ideal target audience or [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-defining-buyer-personas"]]buyer personas[[/a]], as this will also help you develop your content plan as well as show you what types of Instagram accounts you should be following.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Find your niche:[[/strong]] Choosing a niche will allow you to focus on how to become the go-to for whatever you are selling or promoting. For example, is your passion beauty and fashion or maybe you love technology? Look at other Instagrammers in that niche to see how they position themselves. Niche it up, and you will become a thought leader people want to listen to.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Plan your content:[[/strong]] [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/build-a-content-marketing-plan-in-10-steps"]]Build a content plan[[/a]] and schedule so you can remain consistent with regular posts. You also want to have a plan to determine what you will post, how often, and when. Your program should also include any hashtags you will use for each post.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Assess your impact:[[/strong]] Make sure you are taking the time to track your results including comments, likes, followers, traffic, conversions, and any changes in sales. Analyzing your [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-use-instagram-analytics"]]Instagram analytics[[/a]] can give you insights into what content is resonating with your audience and what you should consider changing.&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]The better you know your brand, the easier becoming instafamous will be!&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]You need to understand who you are and where you are coming from to come up with the best way to draw people into your world.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, Hasbro&rsquo;s modeling product [[a href="https://www.instagram.com/playdoh/" target="_blank"]]Play-Doh[[/a]] has branding down pat. Its Instagram feed is colorful and playful with great ideas on how to use the product - perfect for its target audience of kids and parents.&nbsp;[[/p]]

Screenshot of Play Doh’s Instagram feed

[[p]]You need to show followers value, not just with your products and services, but with the content that they will be looking at. You want them to say, "Hey, I like this! Show me more." However, you don&#39;t want to get caught up in trying to be too unique so that people can&#39;t figure you out.[[/p]]

[[p]]Don&rsquo;t forget that your branding should remain consistent across all your marketing efforts, so your tone and manner should not differ from any of the other marketing you have done or are doing.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Be consistent with your branding colors, fonts, and logos. Think of what people will see and if they will be intrigued enough to follow you.[[/p]]

[[p]]You need to keep things attractive to your audience and make sure your current clients don&rsquo;t get turned off because you are not staying true to the brand they love.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]You need a cohesive theme that is clear and concise, so your brand resonates with your customers and you become recognizable - just think about how [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/case-studies/nike-always-ahead-of-the-curve" target="_blank"]]Nike[[/a]] is now known instantly just for its tick logo.[[/p]]

[[p]]Brands and people can be discovered using [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-use-hashtags-in-social-media" target="_blank"]]hashtags on social media[[/a]]. They are the breadcrumbs that lead to your door, site, or service. Learning how to hashtag well on your Instagram posts, stories and reels will help you get more engagement.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]][[em]]&ldquo;Potentially, you will get discovered through hashtags, and your content will get seen on the hashtag page [on Instagram]. But hashtags should be quite specific to your content, and they should be what your potential viewer would be searching for.&rdquo; [[/em]]said content creator, Evelina Krusinskaite on a [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/webinars/webinar-a-content-creators-guide-to-instagram" target="_blank"]]DMI webinar[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Don&#39;t be afraid to get inspired by the competition and see what they are using. Hashtags speak to your niche. You can also look at some of the favorite accounts you might follow and see how they are using hashtags. That provides you with some ways to get creative, but be careful not to copy, put your own twist on it so you stand out rather than just follow. .[[/p]]

[[p]]Obvious choices, of course, include your products and services. If you are not yet a hashtag guru, here are some ideas to get inspired:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Image inspired hashtags (e.g. #pinksunset)&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Daily hashtags (e.g. #MondayMotivation and #ThrowbackThursday)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Niche and industry hashtags[[/li]]
	[[li]]Expertise hashtags (e.g. #fashion)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Categories on Instagram hashtags (e.g. #food)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Branded hashtags that are unique to your profile or store[[/li]]
	[[li]]Community or industry hashtags[[/li]]
	[[li]]Special event hashtags such as a conference or summit[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[em]]&ldquo;Use around 10 to 15 hashtags and mix them up between location-specific hashtags, hashtags that have a lot of uses, medium hashtags, and then smaller, niche hashtags that relate to exactly what it is that you&#39;re doing,&rdquo;[[/em]] said Krusinskaite.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Remember to use at least two words in your hashtags when possible and don&rsquo;t be afraid to zero in on those industry buzzwords.[[/p]]

[[p]]The most popular Instagram accounts tend to be people who are prominent in the community who are doing some following of their own.[[/p]]

[[p]]Influencers in your own industry and community are a good place to start as this allows others in the community to see you engage with them. It&#39;s a social media world of &lsquo;you like me, and I&#39;ll like you&rsquo;, so sharing is essential.[[/p]]

[[p]]Interestingly, [[a href="https://www.instagram.com/instagram/" target="_blank"]]Instagram[[/a]] is the number one Instagram account with 678 million followers and nearly 8,000 posts. How do they do it?[[/p]]

[[p]]They leverage the best accounts and share their posts repeatedly. You don&rsquo;t want to be perceived as a stuck-up account with no time for others. You have to forge relationships by supporting others in the community.[[/p]]

[[p]]You can do that by liking and commenting in a positive manner, which lets people see you and helps to say, &ldquo;See, I&rsquo;m cool too.&rdquo; It gives you that much-needed street cred and then gets people curious to see what you are all about. Once they get to see you, they will want to follow you, and soon find your value.[[/p]]

[[p]]Be careful not to get carried away with sharing. Always make sure it is relevant to your brand so that you keep your followers engaged in the story you are trying to tell.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, if you love puppies so be it, but if puppies have nothing to do with the jeans you are selling, keep the puppies to yourself.[[/p]]

[[p]]Social media can be a challenge and takes time. You have to be on Instagram constantly, so you can be consistent and active for people to see you. It takes effort.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Try to post at least once a day using valuable and interesting posts. It&rsquo;s a two-way street, so you keep up with the likes and comments for the accounts you are following and that follow you.[[/p]]

[[p]]Instagram is a high-profile platform where visibility and participation are everything. Remain consistent and keep up with your posting in order to remain top of mind. [[a href="https://www.instagram.com/chanelofficial/" target="_blank"]]Chanel[[/a]] is one of the top-rated Instagram accounts with over 60 million followers.[[/p]]

[[p]]Why? They leverage their brand by using historical references to not only Coco, the brand&rsquo;s founder, but also fashion flashbacks that keep fashionistas engaged alongside shots of new products and seasonal content.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Keep things exciting and make sure your posts have everything needed to engage your followers including:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Images:[[/strong]] Excellent quality imagery is a must to keep people interested. Images should match your brand and intrigue and entice curiosity.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Location:[[/strong]] Tag your business location or an event your company is holding to boost engagement.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Captions &amp; Text:[[/strong]] Remember the eight-second rule for attention, so write clear captions that are engaging and clear in their messaging.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Call-to-actions:[[/strong]] Use powerful CTAs to get those clicks and shares.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Hashtags:[[/strong]] A must, to keep followers engaged and to attract new fans.[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Engage:[[/strong]] Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and keep those comments coming to encourage others to do the same to you.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]This aspect of Instagram is crucial. You want to add some form of a question that will get people engaged in your posts. It may not need to be done for every post, but you should do it often.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Asking a question is the easiest way to get people engaging with your posts. Here&rsquo;s a great example from skincare brand, Cocokind.&nbsp;[[/p]]

Question post example from Cocokind on Instagram

[[p]]You can also post polls on Instagram Stories along with stickers and emoji sliders to drive engagement. Here are some ideas:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Do you prefer rain or snow?[[/li]]
	[[li]]List a few items or images and ask: Which do you like best 1, 2 or 3?[[/li]]
	[[li]]Ask them to use a specific emoji to show they liked your post or found your post helpful.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Ask a yes or no question.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Give them a scale of 1 to 10 about a new product.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Conduct a poll on what their favorite time of year is[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Get them to tag a friend they think should see your post to encourage sharing.[[/p]]

[[p]]Instagram is very &#39;nichey&#39; and community-based. It is a good thing as it helps you to foster relationships with other accounts that have the same aesthetics and interests.&ldquo;[[/p]]

[[p]][[em]]You&#39;re on Instagram to create content, but you still need to be engaging with other creators and accounts by responding to comments and DMs, as much as possible. It can get overwhelming, but it is really important, so you should engage with meaningful, longer comments, rather than liking or responding with an emoji,&rdquo;[[/em]] commented Krusinskaite.[[/p]]

[[p]]You can create relationships to leverage other followers and see if you can come up with creative ways to keep your connections.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Some people will start a story that is continued on another account. Doing this encourages people to follow you and encourages others in your community to see you as a team player. You, of course, will need to put some effort into these cross promos and reach out to the accounts that you want to work with, but it can prove to be worth it in the end.[[/p]]

[[p]]If your budget allows, consider using [[a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/instagram-influencers" target="_blank"]]influencer marketing[[/a]]. Some nano or micro-influencers have lots of followers and provide strong community exposure. Because you have to pay to access an influencer&rsquo;s audience, try it out first to see if it increases engagement and enhances your reach.[[/p]]

[[p]]You may be rocking Instagram and not feel you need to clean it up, but it&rsquo;s always worth taking time to review your profile and feed.[[/p]]

[[p]]If you&rsquo;re just starting out or new to Instagram these points for an audit can help you to set up an account properly.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Here are a few tips on what you should look at:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Username [[/strong]]- You may love your username, but is it clear? Is it easy to spell and memorable? It&rsquo;s best not to include numbers and if there are a few words, separate them by underscores.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Profile picture[[/strong]] - Does your profile picture show your face? Is it clear or zoomed in so people can see you?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Bio[[/strong]] - Your bio should say who you are, what your name is, and what it is that you do. Include what service you provide, why people should follow you, or what type of content you share.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Highlights[[/strong]] - Are your Instagram highlights organized, easy to find, and up-to-date? If you have a website, maybe use the categories on your site as highlights.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]][[strong]]Following [[/strong]]- If you&#39;re following accounts that add no value to your life or your feed, go through them and unfollow and don&rsquo;t have your following number higher than your followers.&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[em]]&ldquo;It&#39;s really important to audit your own Instagram every three to six months. Remove fake followers because you don&#39;t want them to build up, and just make sure that you&#39;re producing the best quality content and writing really engaging captions, using hashtags, and engaging with others,&rdquo; [[/em]]concludes Krusinskaite.[[/p]]

[[p]][[em]]Updated 2024[[/em]][[/p]]

[[p]]Social media provides marketers with opportunities to connect with audiences from all demographics on a global scale. But there&rsquo;s an art to using social media channels like Instagram effectively. DMI&rsquo;s [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/students/courses/professional-diploma-in-social-media-marketing" target="_blank"]]Professional Diploma in Social Media[[/a]] covers everything you need to know to be effective across all social networks. You&rsquo;ll learn about social research, social content, social commerce, social customer service and social strategy. You&rsquo;ll also explore the features of all the key platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, X and WhatsApp. Enroll today to get started![[/p]]

Instafamous: How to Build a Personal Brand on Instagram

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