What is Instagram?

Instagram is a social media platform that allows users to share photos, videos, and messages with other users. It is a great way to stay connected with friends, family, and people around the world. You can also use it to discover new accounts and share your life with others.

How can artists use IG to grow their business?

Artists can use Instagram to grow their business creating a strong online presence and building a community around their work in several ways.

First, they can use the platform to create engaging content to promote their work. This can be done by regularly posting high-quality images of their work, engaging with followers through comments and direct messages, and using hashtags and Instagram stories to reach a wider audience. This could include showcasing their techniques, sharing behind-the-scenes images, providing tutorials, or giving insights into their creative processes.

They can use hashtags (see Hashtags – What are they? and Instagram and #Hashtags for more information) to reach a larger audience and engage with potential customers. They can also use Instagram’s “Stories” feature to show off their artwork, showcase collaborations, and offer discounts.

Collaborating with other artists, influencers, and brands on Instagram can also help to expand an artist’s reach and audience. Additionally, artists can use Instagram’s shopping feature to link directly to their online shop and make it easy for customers to purchase their work.

Finally, artists can use Instagram to create relationships with other creatives (future collaborations!), influencers, and fans by responding to comments, sharing user-generated content, and running contests and giveaways. With a bit of creativity and perseverance, Instagram can be a great tool to help artists grow their business.

A few best practices for using Instagram:

Here are a few best practices for using Instagram:

1. Use high-quality images and videos: Make sure your content looks professional and is of high quality. This will make it more likely to be shared and attract more followers. Newer phones have great cameras, and for social media posting work just great for taking pictures and videos.
2. Use hashtags: Use relevant hashtags to make your posts more discoverable to users who are searching for content related to those hashtags. Again, see Hashtags – What are they? and Instagram and #Hashtags for more information (if you didn’t already).
3. Engage with other users: Respond to comments and messages, and actively engage with other users by liking and commenting on their posts. If another user, other creator, influencer, or brand peaks your interests follow them back and post comments on their posts and stories.
4. Post consistently: Consistently post high-quality content to keep your followers engaged and attract new ones. Schedule your posts as not to overwhelm your followers, but also post often enough to keep their interests peaked.
5. Use Instagram Stories and IGTV: These features allow you to share more personal, behind-the-scenes content and increase engagement with your followers. This leads to #9 below – “Be Authentic”,
6. Collaboration with influencers: Collaborating with influencers in your niche can help you reach a larger audience and increase your credibility. Reach out to other influencers through IG messages, or through posted contact information and start a dialog with them. Learn if they are a good fit for your niche and if you are a good fit for their niche. Once determined that you each are a good fit, then start discussing collaborations.
7. Utilize Instagram’s features: Instagram is constantly updating with new features, such as Instagram Reels, IGTV, and IG Shopping. Utilizing these features can help you stand out from competitors and increase engagement.
8. Be Authentic: Be yourself and let your personality shine through in your posts. Your followers will appreciate the authenticity.

Here we are!!  It’s the new year and it’s time to start taking your art business to the next level!!  Part of the way to market your business is through social media, and today I will be discussing Instagram and ways for you to grow your followers.  Many artists are on Instagram, and some are very prosperous there…..so how do you make your mark on this platform?

Whether it’s pleasure or business that has brought you to Instagram, everyone wants (needs?) more followers; it’s not just vanity, it’s sound business. Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms, I’ve seen articles where they are saying there are over a billion active monthly users, so that makes it great for networking, building a following, sharing content, and growing your business presence.

Are you stuck at a couple hundred followers, can’t figure out how to grow your audience, or your audience is growing to slow? Well then, you’ve come to the right place…. I’ve got you!!

Here are some basics to start with before you can start to grow your following:

Separate Your Business from Your Personal Account: 

When someone visits your Instagram profile, they will decide in seconds whether or not to follow your business. They make that decision by quickly scrolling through your feed, reading your bio, or clicking on your stories highlights.  It’s hard to gain a large following if your page doesn’t have a clear direction. We all follow people who post pics of their kids, then post ads for their business or something to sell, then the obligatory selfies, then a million pics of their dogs, and let’s not forget about what they had for lunch!! So who exactly is supposed to follow them? Fans of dogs or their kids? Foodies? People who are interested in their business? This is probably the most important thing to figure out – what are you trying to promote? Stick to that. You must have a separate account for your family and friends.

Pick A Good Username And Profile Picture:

It only makes sense to usethe same handle across all social channels. This makes it easy for people to find and follow you. It makes no sense to be “Sandra Lett, Artist” on one social media, and then be “Acrylic Arts by Sandra” on another.  Use the same handle for Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Make sure your picture reflects the theme of your account; if your account is about acrylic art, then use a picture of yourself with acrylic art.

Completely Fill Out Your Bio: 

People need to know what your account is about. For example: “I’m an acrylic pour artist! Expect lots of pics of different types of pours!!” Also, us the website link to push people to your blog, store, etc. Instagram only gives you one link to promote, so take advantage of it! It’s a great place to share content.

Now that you understand building the profile, your bio is looking awesomely, and your theme is on point, let’s discuss how to get the follower’s you want (or need!).

Like Photos From Other Artist: 

A quick way to get followers is to start liking other’s photos. Start with photos that are related to your posts. Since you are an artist, search for #acrylic, #art, #pourpainting, etc and start liking the results.  Once you start liking other people’s photos, a lot of people will start following you back.  Like I discussed in earlier articles, the “I’ll follow you if you follow me” concept only works when it is properly utilized.  There is no need to follow a car guy if you are a canvas painter….the 2 groups do not intermingle.  Searching for the most popular tags and start liking photos is another way to quickly get followers.  There are a ton of apps that will show you the most popular tags on any given day. I have read multiple articles on growing Instagram followers, and many have stated that in order to grow Instagram followers, they just began by liking as many pictures as possible; It may  seem cheesy, but many examples show it works.

Comment On Other’s Pictures: 

This is very time consuming, but it’s effective. Try to comment on as many pictures as you can. The less comments on a picture, the better odds that you’ll get followed. Say something nice and encouraging about the picture, “I really love what you’re doing on here! Keep it up.” A kind word goes a long way.

Start Following People: 

Instagram does a good job of making it easy to connect with people that you already know. Use the “Find People To Follow” feature. This will import friends from Facebook and your contacts to follow. Also, go to the “Explore” section and start following some of the suggested accounts. About 1/3 of the people you follow, will follow you back. The goal is to have more people following you, than you follow, so don’t go crazy.

Add Short Video Clips As Well As Pictures:

Many of the users that have massive followings use short videos as well as pictures. Instagram allows for clips up to 30 seconds. If you are presenting a new piece of work, do a quick video scan of your piece and post it. Use pictures to support your new piece by adding it in the comments!!

Look at you!!!  You’re starting to build your Instagram following! Now you’ve got to continue posting pictures. Here are a few tips for posting great looking photos.

Lighting:

If you can, use natural light whenever possible. It’s best to take pictures early in the morning and before the sun sets in the evening.

Background: 

Busy backgrounds will take the focus away from the subject, keep a simple and clean background.

Filters: 

With the number of filters that Instagram offers, it’s easy to get carried away. Some posters run their pictures through so many filters that it’s unrecognizable when they’re finished. Use a couple of the same filters on your pictures to give your page a consistent look.

Add Captions: 

Believe it or not, many people do not take advantage of this feature.  Take some time choosing the right verbiage before you post; it’s just as important as the picture.  Keep it short, you’re not writing a novel.  Asking a question is another great way to get engagement and people to comment.  However, don’t ask for validation of your picture, this turns people off and pushes away followers.

Post Regularly And At The Right Time: 

Take into consideration that there’s a fine line between posting too much and not enough. If you don’t post often, there’s really no need for people to follow you. If you post too much, you’ll clog up people’s feed and they’ll unfollow you. Opinions vary, but posting 1-3 photos is enough to keep your audience satisfied.  Also make sure that you post at the right time of day. Posting at midnight probably won’t reach as many people as you’d like. Post when people are most likely to be checking their Instagram: Morning, lunch and after work.

Now that you have a good profile, grown your followers some, and you’re regularly posting great content, let’s look at tagging.  I covered tagging in previous articles, so I will not cover them here…..you should go back and read them to understand the importance of tagging!!

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