How to Create a Successful Instagram Profile
If you have started an online business and want to improve its visibility, Instagram offers you the perfect platform. It is a hyper-visual platform that ensures you get organic traffic to your business website. Considering the popularity of Instagram, it is ideal for propelling your new business forward.
At the same time, you shouldn’t think that creating a successful profile on Instagram is a cakewalk. Ask anyone who has tried to grow their followers on this platform and transform themselves into an influencer, they will tell you that it can be tough to get an engaged audience. Nonetheless, if you play your cards right, you will be able to carve a niche and build a brand with your Instagram posts.
To create a successful Instagram profile for your business you need to:
- Create a profile bio
- Identify your target audience
- Build your brand personality
- Build a content plan
- Concentrate on quality content
- Be consistent
- Establish a gifting program
- Don’t shy away from an Ad Campaign
- Avoid robotic replies
- Monitor your Instagram account and adjust
- Focus on creating Stories
Create a profile Bio to Die For
Your profile is everything on Instagram. If it is not good and eye-catching, no one will bother with you. Here is what you can do to create a killer bio:
- Get a high-quality profile pic. You have the option of using your online business’ logo to avoid confusion in the minds of people. However, this fact is not etched in stone. Just make sure that you use a pic that is high-quality and is representative of your online business.
- Mention your website to get footfalls to your website and boost your sales and revenue. Your profile is the only place where you can mention your website, so make use of it in a wise and prudent manner.
- Ensure that your profile is concise, succinct and to-the-point. It should let readers know who you are the moment they read it. Instagrammers are busy folks and hate spending too much time trying to digest what you have to say.
- Since you are trying to promote your online business via Instagram, opt for a business account. It will help legitimize your business in the world of Instagram marketing.
Identify Your Target Audience
The entire exercise of having a presence on Instagram is to build a community of audience who share a love for your content and brand. Hence, it is essential that you know your target audience so that you can create visuals to engage them and have a content strategy that is apt for them.
Build Your Brand Personality
Take time to establish your Instagram personality. How do you want to sound – authoritative, cool, sarcastic, sweet or spunky? Finding your narrative tone is essential to grab the eyeballs of your target audience. It will help in your marketing efforts and also build follower loyalty. It is essential you maintain your brand personality each time you post on Instagram, so that your followers can identify it with your brand and business each time they see the content you have posted.
Build a Content Plan
This is the fun part of creating a successful Instagram profile. While you know that you need to post pretty visuals and videos, it is essential to know what you want to post. Create a content plan that is creative as well as strategic so that you can win over followers. If you do not know how to go about it, check what your competition is doing on Instagram to get an idea. However, your Instagram feeds should be related to your brand and target audience. Create four to five visuals and schedule them in advance so that you are not caught with your pants down!
Concentrate on Quality Content
Instagram is all about content – one that is interesting, eye-catching and of high-quality. So, you really need to put in effort to develop content that catches the attention of your audience. Remember, you need to avoid using too many words. That will be a put-off on Instagram. Instead, use images and videos to showcase your brand and putforth your message to your audience and this will make your content engaging, allowing you enjoy the visibility that you desire on this platform.
Consistency is the Key
You need to have a steady narrative on Instagram. It will help you fulfill the expectations of your followers and ensure checking your posts becomes a habit. While you need to focus on aesthetics, always be mindful of staying true to your narrative tone. Furthermore, you should be consistent with the frequency of your posts, so that your audience knows when to expect something creative and innovative from you. It will be something that they will look forward to with a lot of eagerness.
Establish a Gifting Program
For an upcoming brand, word-of-mouth is invaluable. So, set aside some funds for influencer marketing. It is better to focus on micro-influencers rather than power influencers, who will charge an exorbitant amount. Identify the influencers you want to collaborate with and forge a connection with them. Remember, you should partner with influencers who are enthusiastic about your business and what you are trying to achieve. Besides promoting your online business, micro-influencers are also a good source for content that you can repurpose and use on your feed.
Don’t Shy Away from an Ad Campaign
Yes, you can build your Instagram followers organically, but there is no harm in accelerating the process. You can use Instagram ads to your advantage and build a legion of loyal followers. Just make sure you create an ad with the right goals and objectives so that you do not waste money on running the campaign. Once you do run an ad campaign with the right content and message, you will taste success like never before.
Avoid Robotic Replies
Refrain from posting automated messages to user comments. Instead, take time to respond to your followers in a fun and quirky manner. They will appreciate it and realize that their comments are being read. It will fetch you good recommendations and reviews which can do wonders to your success on Instagram. It is also prudent to remember that if you ignore questions by your followers, it will leave a bad taste in the mouth, resulting them unfollowing you. And, this is something that you do not want.
Monitor Your Instagram Account and Adjust
Whether you like it or not, it is essential that you monitor your account regularly. To begin with, monitor on a daily basis to ensure you are getting the right results from all the hard work you are pouring into Instagram. It will enable you to figure out who you are engaging with your content, which posts get the maximum response from your audience and what strategies are working to get you followers. Patience is the key here as it takes time to get the anticipated results. However, analyzing the data will help you correct the course if you are going wrong. Once you know what your audience likes, you can focus on that and ensure you can benefit from the buyer traffic that Instagram is renowned for. Thereafter, you can switch to weekly monitoring.
Focus on Creating Stories
Stories are the best way to engage your audience on Instagram. You will be able to pique their interest, build a loyal following and get leads to convert into paying customers. Start with stories once you have your basic Instagram strategy in place and you know what your target audience likes. Tap on this information to further build your Instagram profile.
The Bottom Line
Instagram marketing and building a successful profile can be challenging in a highly competitive market. Nonetheless, if you get your strategy right, you will become a force to reckon with. Of course, it will be trial and error before you can find the right key.
There you have it – how to create a successful Instagram profile that can help your online business grow like never before.