With more than 600 million users a month, the once little and lowly Instagram platform has become a powerful networking engine. Particularly as visual media of every variety gains steam, Instagram gives entrepreneurs the power to grow and promote their brands more effectively than ever before.
But how? This week I turned to Lisa Illman, @lisa_illman, the business development pro I last spoke to in October, 2015 to discuss the eight steps she developed for Instagram that doubled her own following and attracted new customers in 30 days, as follows:
1. Create a Clear Profile.
Your Instagram profile is prime real estate, so be sure to take advantage of all the traffic going by. The three key areas to focus on are your photo, profile description and URL link.
Instagram, of course, is an image-conscious social media site, so be sure your profile photo is a good one. “I personally prefer a photo of a person in social media avatars, unless you are a pet business,” Illman says. “If you are, an adorable kitten or puppy is crowd-pleasing. But if you do use your logo, be sure it matches the logo on your website and other social media platforms. For logos, consistency is key.”
Your profile description tells visitors who you are, what you’re about and most of all, what they can expect to see if they follow you. Keywords are a plus. If you are a motivational speaker, your headline might say something like “I love to inspire, motivate and teach professionals how to conquer their goals and live life to the fullest.”
Be sure the description is managing the expectation of your target audience. If they don’t know what to expect from your posts, the chance of them following you decreases tremendously. For example, the description for a fitness instructor might state, “My posts are so motivating, you can’t help but want to work-out!”
2. Consider Using Canva to Create Images
Canva is a solo-entrepreneur’s dream come true, Illman says. It eliminates hours of fiddling and photo manipulation. It is simple to use and rich with features. Depending on the message you want to convey, you can create a newsfeed that pops with color, mesmerizes with hues or communicates a simple elegance.
Canva is a solo-entrepreneur’s dream come true, Illman says. It eliminates hours of fiddling and photo manipulation. It is simple to use and rich with features. Depending on the message you want to convey, you can create a newsfeed that pops with color, mesmerizes with hues or communicates a simple elegance.
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