As creatives, there are a lot of different ways to network and market yourself on the internet. Truth is, though, sometimes that in itself can be overwhelming to the point that lots of people just give up or stay in a constant state of confusion about what platform to choose and what to do next to promote their business.
Since Instagram has been fairly successful for my business personally, as promised, I am going to share with you, from the very beginning, how to utilize Instagram as a marketing tool. And, one of the very first things that you will do as you sign up for Instagram is to create your bio and add your profile photo.
In this post, I am sharing tips that I’ve gathered and found helpful along the way, and also, why I landed on the profile photo and bio that I did. Ultimately, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choice with what you do with your own profile. I am sharing this info just in case some of the things that I’ve incorporated into my own might be helpful for you.
Bio
Your bio is the place where you will share with profile visitors what you want them to know about you or your business in short and sweet terms. It’s at the very top of the page, to the right of your photo.
I’ve tried several bio descriptions over the months until I landed on the one that I use now.
Here is what mine says:
Allison David Photography
* Commercial Food + Lifestyle Photographer
* Social Media Content Strategist
* #allisondavidphotography
And, full disclosure, I might change it up again at some point. But, for now, this is what it says, and here is why:
1). It tells people that I am passionate about what I do for a living.
2). It tells people that I delve deeply into the images I create to actually tell a story with them.
3). It tells people what my main areas of focus are.
4). There is a little bit social proof with the fact that I contribute to a local online publication, and that I work on a blog. 5). It’s a clear and precise summary of what I offer and what I want potential followers or clients to know about me that is, hopefully, easy to understand.
For now, these are the aspects that are important to me as far as what I want people to know in a spilt second.
I want to mention here - I tried descriptors like ‘creative’, and I used other ones to describe more things about me personally. I understand that a lot of artists and creatives do use those terms and also like to tell people something personal about themselves.
And, if course, that is a personal choice. But, the reason that I didn’t is that I wanted to be as succinct as possible, and also, I’d rather people know more about what I can offer them instead of telling them more about me in such a short amount of space. Also, there are 2 opportunities in my bio for them to go to other sites and find more about me there, if they choose to.
Profile Photo
There is also some contradictory information out there on whether or not you should share your photo or a logo as you profile photo.
I chose a photo, and here’s why:
1). It personalizes the page.
2). I am a solo-preneur, not a big company with a lot of employees. I’m it!
3). My name is my brand.
4). I like people to see the photo and know that, if they hire me, I am the one who they will be working with.
There are reasons that you might choose to use your logo, and, again, that is a personal choice. Here are some cases where a brand logo might be fitting:
1). If you are a company with many employees.
2). If you are a large corporation.
3). If you are for any reason just not comfortable with sharing your photo with the world. Totally legitimate reason.
So, if you do share a photo, here are some thoughts on that as well:
1). Share one with you smiling or doing something in the photo that reflects the work you are offering on your page.
2). Make sure the resolution is good.
3). It’s been said that wearing glasses can make one seem more likable. Not sure where I heard that, but, I like it, since I sometimes wear glasses!
I hope these tips are helpful for you! If you aren’t sure about them, try a few different ones, leave them up for a few days or a week, and see how you like them. It's easy enough to edit out or in changes as you see fit until you land on something that feels right for you.
Please subscribe to my blog and follow my page to stay tuned for more Instagram marketing tips in the coming weeks!