With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to affect our everyday lives, starting a business in 2021 comes with additional challenges depending what type of business you’re wanting to build. With this said however, the internet has created many new platforms over the years that broaden career opportunities for people across the world. One such platform is Instagram.
Have you ever thought of turning your everyday life or interests into a full-time career? The rise of Instagram influencers in society continues to emerge and more people are growing their online presence and creating their own personal image and brand. But what exactly does this entail? Here, we discuss some top tips and tricks on how to start your own ‘Insta’ career from just the click of a button.
Tip 1: Pick a niche
Notably one of the best features about Instagram is the diversity of it. Whether your interests lie in cooking, fashion, technology, skincare, instant tan, travel, or even hiking — there is no specific industry that the platform is subject to. So, choose your content carefully!
Perhaps you are a skilled martial artist and you want to educate others on your skill and training schedule, or maybe you have used your time in lockdown to become a self-taught chef and you want to share your cooking secrets — whatever it is, decide the overall purpose of your Instagram account and build from the bottom up.
Tip 2: Stay consistent
When it comes to your actual Instagram feed, most influencers choose a particular colour theme and aesthetic that helps build a consistent and visually pleasing feed. Of course, this isn’t essential — it’s your own personal brand after all! However, establishing a feed is something that your followers will appreciate. It will also connote a level of professionalism that shows to users just how much time and effort you have invested into your account.
If you’re a healthy eating and lifestyle-based account, having a theme that consists of greens, whites and pastel tones can help reflect this vibe. Or if you’re a fashion influencer interested in bright and bold clothing items that make a statement, opting for a bright and bold Instagram feed can help emphasise and promote your sense of style.
You could even commit to creating a seasonal feed too. This could include cool blue tones for winter, then bright shades of red and orange for autumn, and so on.
Tip 3: Get a business Instagram account
As part of building your brand’s foundations, you’ll need to switch your account to ‘business’ in the settings tab. One major aspect of being able to turn your Instagram account into a profitable business is through brand collaborations, all of which can be encouraged through making the switch to a business account.
Other than for promotional reasons, switching to a business account will open analytical features that can help you see what posts have performed well with your followers, and which ones have not. It is also an effective way to build trust with brands you want to work with since you can share your analytics with them.
Tip 4: Strengthen your community, not just grow it.
It’s important not to get too caught up in just building a following on your account but connecting with your followers too. No matter how many followers you have, or have potential to gain, if you don’t reach out to connect with your fans then, in the long run, this won’t strengthen a solid follower base. So, whether it’s replying to some comments your followers left on a post or doing shoutouts for other smaller channels you want to help, connecting is key.
The same concept applies for brands too. If you don’t make the effort to connect with brands, then it’s likely they’re not going to notice you. Instagram is a competitive environment and no one is operating a monopolist account, so making the effort to connect with brands before your competitors beat you to it is key.
Tip 5: Create a voice for your brand
A picture doesn’t always speak a thousand words, so make the most out of the caption space available to help give your posts a personality! Whether it’s humour that you want your account to be based on, or inspirational quotes and messages you want to spread, captions are a great way to help your followers get to know both your brand and you better. And especially if you’re a business, you’ll want to give your videos a better look by using professional video editing services.
Tip 6: Always include hashtags.
#this and #that, hashtags mean more than just a quirky way to finish off your caption. Hashtags help users with an interest in your particular niche find your account. Think of a real-life situation where you’ve created a treasure map — but with no clues. The chances are the treasure is never going to be found! So, use hashtags that relate to your brand so that when Instagram users search for a particular hashtag, they will see your post and click through to your account.
Data suggest that hashtags can help improve your engagement rate by 12.6 per cent and specifically 11 hashtags per post is the ideal amount suggested by experts. So, give it a go, and see what works best for your engagement rating.
Tip 7: Diversify your platform
Although Instagram is the place to be in 2021 for influencers, it’s important to use the other platforms available to expand your follower base. A blog page is a great place to start. By creating a blog and promoting the link to it via your Instagram bio you can help establish your brand more and diversify the type of content you’re producing. With the main purpose of Instagram to be to share photos and short videos, sometimes this isn’t enough to thoroughly educate others or to get your point across. So, a blog or a YouTube Channel is a great way to expand your content, follower base, and promote your business in more detail.
There is no big secret about how to become Instagram famous. Just like with any goal you’re working towards, building an Instagram business requires a lot of time, effort, and resilience to make it work. With all this advice taken on board, perhaps 2021 will be your year to make it in the Instagram world.
Sources
https://blog.later.com/blog/become-an-instagram-influencer/
