Your personal brand is your business card , what makes you unique, and its value will continue to shine for your career in 2024. It is the process and strategy used to create your personal brand: the narrative that people experience when they interact with you professionally, your product or your services. If you’re looking for an easy way to get started with your branding efforts or boost your brand in 2024, Instagram could be a great option .
That’s not to say every industry should jump on the Insta bandwagon. Some lend themselves better to this platform, such as fashion, food, travel, beauty, and real estate. Any industry that depends on images. Even photographers, graphic artists, and creatives can use Instagram to showcase their work. One of the advantages of Instagram is the multitude of formats you can use for your posts, including text, graphics, photos, short videos, and stories. Unlike YouTube, which is just videos, Instagram allows you to explore different formats to reach your goal and grow your brand.
Here’s a snapshot of Instagram in numbers : There are two billion monthly users, with 60% between 18 and 34 years old. The platform is relatively evenly divided between male and female users. Brands with less than 10,000 followers have a two and a half times higher conversion rate compared to brands with more than 10,000 followers . And reels have the greatest reach for accounts with less than 5,000 followers (34.46%).
Here are some secrets to make the most of Instagram for your personal brand.
1. Be very clear about your personal brand
No matter what platform you use to grow your personal brand, you need to decide what your brand will look like, what it will look like, and what you need to accomplish to build it. Instagram can be used to showcase your portfolio, land a new job, sell products and services, or build brand awareness – the platform gives you a way to show off your personality . But how you use the platform depends largely on your definition… your personal brand.
Here are three questions you should ask yourself when building your brand.
- How did I get here? Look at past achievements, education, training, and personal interactions that helped shape your current situation. We often take a winding path, but our personal experiences shape who we become. Don’t omit any details. The nuggets are often hidden in the details.
- For that I am? Basically, what do you want people to think about when they think about you? This can be anything from being trustworthy to advocating for a civic or environmental cause. You will inherently attract those people who have similar morals or causes. Identify your moral code. How is that shown in the world?
- What sets me apart? Your unique business card is your personality. It is what you can contribute that no one else can contribute. This helps you differentiate yourself from others. When you look at how you got to where you are, what unique skills did you use to get here? And how did what you represent, your spirit, influence?
Once you have a clear picture of your personal brand, you can start tackling Instagram to grow your brand.
2. Create a unified theme
Instagram is unique because it is almost entirely image-based. Instagram uses a grid pattern to create a visual arrangement of your posts where each post is a puzzle piece that, when combined, creates a larger image. An Instagram grid is always three squares wide. Your oldest posts are at the bottom and your newest ones are at the top. You can use a tool like Preview to plan and create your grid pattern.
Creating a square grid is the simplest and most used layout. The only consideration is to stick to a consistent filter or color scheme. Depending on your brand and your goals, you can create a soft or bold theme. For example, if your brand “sells” luxury travel for couples, you can use muted colors to create a romantic feel. In reality, knowing and respecting your brand colors is quite underrated: too many entrepreneurs have brands that seem disconnected, and color is one of the easiest ways to show continuity between brand assets. This comes down to not only your graphics, but your brand photoshoots as well! Don’t forget to align yourself with your appropriate brand colors.
Use a tool like Canva to create a post template – the color scheme and filters establish the feel of your brand.
Grids are not limited to squares. You can create diagonals where each image on the diagonal represents a component, such as images of blue flowers along one diagonal and just images of cars on another. A mosaic pattern often distinguishes each image using a graphic. The graphic can be a typed quote or a handwritten thought. Mosaics can also be created using color, where an image is black and white and offset with color images in between. Mosaics are created where all other posts are similar.
Some Instagram users use a puzzle template . Here is a great tutorial on how to create a puzzle with Photoshop. Puzzle patterns require a lot of forethought and planning. But they can capture the viewer’s attention.
Grids can be a lot of fun, but they can also be a lot of work . If you’re new to Instagram, a simple square or tile pattern works perfectly. Later, if you decide to create a more advanced grid, combine the old with the new in creative ways. While you can edit your Instagram posts, editing a year’s worth of posts can be overwhelming.
3. Vary the type of Instagram content
Instagram allows users to create reels, individual photo posts, carousel photo posts, videos, live videos, and stories. The best strategy includes using a combination of each type. The popularity of different types of content on Instagram comes and goes. Using a combination of several types ensures that you don’t spend too much time on any one type of content… which could be popular today and out of fashion tomorrow.
Reels are short-form videos, similar to TikTok . Use reels to reach new customers. Reels have the greatest reach compared to any other type of content on Instagram.
Photo posts are simple and used to connect with your existing audience. Attach hashtags to attract new users. You can also create a carousel of up to 10 images. Use reels to share multiple images from a single event or about a specific topic. You can also create a photo story by adding text to images. Reels are a great way to share value with your audience.
Video posts are longer than reels. This post type replaced IGTV . These do not have the same scope as the reels; YouTube is usually a better option for long-form video content.
However, live video is a different beast. Live video allows you to connect and interact with your audience . Use live videos to connect with the followers you already have. But don’t forget to share the video on your feed. As of this writing, you have up to 30 days to share your live videos.
Stories were “the thing” not long ago. However, its popularity is declining. Short narrative stories are the most popular , especially when they contain a combination of photographs, videos and text. If that’s too technical, try creating a story with quizzes or surveys. Stories are still a great way to reach your current audience and often drive engagement via direct messages (DM). They are simple to create. However, if you plan to use story ads, stick to in-feed ads. Feed ads have a higher click-through rate (CTR) compared to story ads.
Again, mix and match your content type. Your audience is likely drawn to one particular format and not another. Using a multi-strategy approach will give you the most reach.
Instagram remains a powerful social platform to shape your personal brand and elevate your professional image. It’s a great place to showcase your unique talents and creativity while showing off your personality. Here’s one more pro tip: incorporate some behind-the-scenes footage . The best way to connect with your audience is to show the human side of your brand.
