Instagram! Whether you're a small, independent business like our-sassy-selves, a world famous brand, or a blogger who wants to make social media their full time job; you need this photo sharing app. Love it or hate it, it's an amazing way to share your business, style, or blog and it has changed the way in which we all live!
Personally, we LOVE it. It helps us connect us to you fabulous lot, find inspiring people and brands and also helps us with our designs and future planning at ROR, as we get to ask YOU the important questions, something that just wasn't possible 10 years ago. The only problem is; how do you make it big on there? How do you get followers, get shared and get recognised? With social media being pretty high up in our marketing strategy, we've had to do our fair share of research along the way, and we wanted to show you what we've learnt!
We've narrowed it down to 8 easy steps that anyone can follow, so keep scrolling and get growing on IG!
One: Choose the right name:
Yup, back to basics here. If you're a business, then make sure your name is instantly recognisable on social media. Even if yours has been taken, try a variation (we've added two kisses to the end of ours) or something else subtle that still makes it look like your brand. If you're a blogger, choose a name that will stand out, and also something that relates to your chosen subject!
Two: Get a theme going:
There are lots of discussions about whether a theme is important. But, from what we've found, the first impression counts, so make sure your pictures look good on the grid together. It will make it more likely for someone to have a nosey!
Three: Share great pictures:
It is obviously easier said than done, and we will be sharing a 'how to take a great pic for social media' blog post very soon, with some advice. But generally, take clear, composed pictures that reflect you and your style!
Four: Use hashtags - Rumours come and go about whether hashtags works, and whether to put them in the caption or as a comment. We do both! We tag 3 in the caption itself, so it's not overwhelming for people to look at and read, and then we write a separate comment with other relevant hashtags! For small businesses try; #smallbusiness #retail #smallbiz #networking or for bloggers try; #bloggerunder10k #under10k #ukblogger #smallblogger (there are hundreds that will be relevant to your specific brand too!)
Five: Tag relevant inso pages, people and brands - This is such a good way to get connections! If you're a blogger and take shots of products, clothes etc, then always tag them! Even if the brand is huge, they will be interested in who's posting for them. It's also great to tag relevant inspo pages! There are loads of fashion pages that love to share new bloggers, do some research into your specific topic and you'll find loads!
Six: Engage with people with similar interests:
Find people like you! If you're a small growing business, then connect with other people who are also building up their brand! You can find them under the relevant hashtags - connections on social media can lead to great collaborations and introductions!
Seven: Answer all comments and DM (the nice ones obvs!)
Yes, we obviously don't mean offensive, intrusive or spam comments/DMs, no, we mean just be present online. Let your followers know you're a real person who enjoys connecting with them. This is good advice for both businesses and bloggers!
Eight: Schedule posts and post regularly:
Okay, so this is probably more relevant to businesses, as it's a crucial part of your marketing, but it can also really help build up your following as a blogger too! If you're working, or super busy during the day, then apps such as Hootsuite and Buffer can help to schedule and post for you!
Do you have any tips that work for you? Let us know in the comments below!
