Your Instagram profile is an extension of your online brand on social media. To create a strong brand you need to consider the following:
USE A PROFILE PHOTO
If your business is recognizable by the logo, upload your logo in a way that can be easily read and fits perfectly in the profile photo circle (400px x 400px is ideal).
If your business is a personal brand, use a professional headshot of yourself. A great way to show your customers who you are is by featuring, well…you - especially if you’re the primary point of contact for your business.
OPTIMIZE YOUR BIO
Besides your profile photo, your Instagram bio is the first thing that a prospective follower is going to see. Make sure that you are using the right keywords, call-to-action, and personal touches. In mid-2018 Instagram allowed the use of clickable hashtags and @tags to be added to the bio. Adding your location’s hashtag or any parent-companies @tag will increase your relevancy in Instagram search results.
SHARE BRAND-RELEVANT CONTENT
All of the content that you share should be relevant to you, your brand, and your business’s offers. Don’t want to share random content that isn’t going to appeal to your audience. That said, using hashtags that are specific to your business is also important. Using hashtags unrelated to your content will not attract the right kind of audience and will not lead to meaningful engagements.
WRITE CAPTIONS IN YOUR OWN VOICE
Your social media brand is so much more than the photos that you share and the colors of your graphics. Your caption copy, comments, and direct messages should be written in your brand’s voice. Writing posts with the right copywriting can help attract your ideal client to your profile and will also lead to more meaningful engagements with your audience.
USE THE RIGHT HASHTAGS
You should be using hashtags on your posts. Hashtags are the best way to stimulate organic engagement. The best mix of hashtags to use is a variety of niche hashtags (50k-100k used) with a mix of popular hashtags (100k+ used). This is a great way to get your content seen by the right audience and helps your account grow organically.
ADD BRANDED HIGHLIGHT COVERS
Highlights are where you can save stories for longer than 24 hours, and they are stored directly under your link in your bio. Adding branded highlight covers (how-to blog is coming soon!) is a great way to additionally showcase your brand and your voice.
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