Did you know that in 2017, the market value of Instagram influencers worldwide was estimated to be more than $1 billion? In fact, this value is expected to reach $2.38 billion by 2019.
Instagram has made it possible for many individuals to turn their passions into a profession. Those who have leveraged the platform well are now some of the most popular influencers on Instagram.
However, building your personal brand on Instagram is not easy. It can take years to establish your authority, gain trust, and build credibility. But with a few simple hacks, you can build your personal brand on Instagram in no time at all.
Here are 9 winning strategies that aspiring influencers can use to build your personal brand on Instagram.
Let’s have a look.
1. Decide Your Niche
Before you start posting things at random, think about the value you can provide to your followers. In order to build your brand, you need to find a niche and make sure that you stick to it. So, make a list of the things you’re passionate about and select one that interests you the most.
Make sure that you are both knowledgeable and passionate about the niche you select. Don’t just select a niche that’s popular if you have zero knowledge about it.
2. Be Consistent
Once you have decided on your niche, start creating content for your account. Besides sticking to your niche and making sure that your posts are relevant to it, you should also post content consistently.
The best way to maintain consistency is to create a posting schedule and stick to it. This might be easier said than done, but you will thank yourself later for doing it.
You can start by creating content and posting it once a week. Plan your captions and think of effective hashtags for your posts. Planning will also ensure that you are able to provide value to your audience the way you had intended.
A schedule will motivate you to be consistent. Your loyal followers will look forward to your content. And if you disappoint them, you may end up losing them. So, it’s important to be consistent with posts. Slowly, you can push yourself to post more often.
You can use apps like Plano and Preview to plan and schedule your Instagram posts. Being consistent can increase your visibility significantly.
3. Be Real. Be You.
Being authentic is very important. Don’t post something you don’t believe in or isn’t real. Your focus shouldn’t be just to increase the number of followers you have. You need to focus on building your authority and brand which is only possible through a genuine voice and style.
People appreciate honesty and authenticity. You can’t build a successful brand on Instagram if your posts aren’t genuine. So, take the time to figure out the things you want to talk about or share.
An authentic voice will help you create unique, high-quality content. Such content can help to increase your engagement and visibility. It can also help you gain more followers.
Fitness influencer Christmas Abbott has had one of the most inspiring fitness journeys – from weighing just 95 pounds at one time to the CrossFit champ she is today. Most of her Instagram posts talk about this journey of how she transformed herself. Her honesty and authenticity is what attracts her followers and inspires them.
Image via Instagram
4. Create an Interesting Bio
When someone lands on your Instagram profile, the first thing they’ll notice is your bio. And those few seconds can create an unforgettable impression on your potential followers.
So, take the time to create a compelling bio. You can make it funny or witty. Make sure that it’s interesting and intriguing enough to make people want to follow you on Instagram. If humor isn’t your strong suit, here are a few tips to help you write an attractive bio:
- Add something unique about yourself
- Highlight the value you can provide (or your USP) to your audience
- Mention where else people can find you
However, keep the description simple enough because there isn’t a lot you can fit into given the character constraints.
Here’s a good example of a short and sweet bio from an influencer, Janni Dealer.
Image via Instagram
5. Add a Personal Touch
Adding a personal touch to your content can make your posts even more interesting and engaging for your followers. Avoid posting generic content as it will likely fail to engage audiences effectively.
You can talk about your personal experiences and that’s perfectly acceptable. In fact, this can bring you closer to your followers. They get to know the “real” you through your content and are likely to feel more connected to you. It can also help you gain the trust and confidence of your followers.
If you’re into health and fitness, you can share your stories of transformation. Or if you love traveling, you can share interesting trivia about the places you visit and their local cultures. If you’re into fashion, you can showcase your hauls or you can share how you put together a perfect ensemble.
Without a personal touch to your posts, your Instagram profile will fail to be unique. So, be confident, and share away from those personal stories.
Claire and Laura are travel bloggers (also twin sisters) who share interesting stories about their adventures on Instagram.
Here’s one such post where they describe how they spent their day on a recent trip.
Image via Instagram
6. Post-High-Quality Photos
Instagram is dominated by visuals. So, you need to post quality photos in order to stand out from the rest. Attractive pictures can help you build your brand on Instagram quicker.
Quite often, the photos we click don’t turn out to be of professional quality. Perhaps the lighting or framing isn’t great, or the image just looks dull and lifeless. You can transform such photos into professional quality photos with a bit of post-processing. However, you don’t need to be a Photoshop pro to be able to do that.
You can use apps like Mendr to enhance the quality of your photos. This app connects you to certified photo editing professionals who make all the changes you want. All you need to do is to upload your photo, designate the types of edits you’re looking for (or let a pro decide for you), and an editor will take care of the rest.
7. Create a Uniform Theme
Create a uniform theme for your photos. Use similar colors or filters to edit them. This gives your feed a gorgeous, unique look. It can help your Instagram profile stand out among others.
Photography and lifestyle influencer, Nick, edits all of his photos using the same kind of tones. This gives his feed a very interesting look that helps to attract followers.
Image via Instagram
8. Listen to Feedback
Many times, the best suggestions come from followers. They follow your content very closely and might have useful suggestions to share. So, read all the comments on your posts carefully.
You may come across some great feedback which can help you enhance your brand on Instagram. You might even get some ideas for new content.
Take time to respond to your followers’ comments. Thank them for every compliment you come across or any useful suggestions. If you get any negative feedback, acknowledge it and assure them that you will work towards making it better.
You need to figure out the right combination of generic and specific hashtags for your posts.
You shouldn’t use generic hashtags only as the competition may be huge and your posts might get lost in the crowd. However, extremely specific hashtags will also make it difficult for your content to get discovered.
When used correctly, hashtags can not only help you build your brand but also gain new followers and increase your visibility on Instagram.
Solo traveler, Sierra, uses a combination of generic and specific hashtags on her Instagram posts as you can see here.
Image via Instagram
Now it’s Your Turn
Creating an Instagram account is the easy part. The actual struggle starts when you want to build your brand and gain followers. Use the tips and tricks mentioned above to establish your authority and build your brand as an influencer.
Do you have any other tips for personal brand-building on Instagram? Please feel free to let us know in the comments.
