Instagram has grown leaps and bounds from the simple photo-sharing site it once was. Now, many people use it successfully to grow their brands. And more people are flocking to the social media platform all the time. And while this means you could potentially have a much larger audience, it also means you have to find ways to stand out from a very crowded field.
You can stand out with a strongly defined personal brand. Some brands established themselves outside of Instagram and simply transposed that structure to social media. Others don’t have that outside structure to work from.
But everyone starts somewhere. And when you’re ready to launch, you want your personal brand to be unmistakable and memorable. Try these pointers for creating your personal brand for Instagram.
Establish A Brand Identity
Who are you? It’s a simple question that has stumped many people. But you have to know who your brand is. Take some time to define your brand. For your first round, write down everything that makes your brand what it is. Ask yourself what you want others to see and think about it. Figure out who your audience is and what you are offering them.
Once you’ve written everything down, see how much you can condense into one or two sentences. You’ll need that powerful statement for creating your bio. Keep all your notes about your brand identity to help you construct other important parts we’ll discuss later.
Create a Theme
If you haven’t yet created your Instagram business account, take time after you’ve taken notes on your brand identity to design a theme. Some things you’ll want to consider are:
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Colors
Many brands choose a specific color or palette and feature those colors on their packaging and in each post. Color can be a unifying theme that reinforces brand awareness.
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Layout
There are many types of post layouts you can adopt to create a meta look when people land on your profile. Remember, Instagram is a visual platform. Thinking about a layout ahead of time can help you plan content more efficiently.
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Hashtags
Create a hashtag that is unique to your brand. Then you can use that hashtag when you create content and use it as a way for people to find you.
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Logo/Profile Pic
Whether you choose to use a logo or profile pic is up to you and may also depend on what your brand is. Decide which you will use and create it so you can put a complete bio together.
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Content
Think about the kind of content you’ll offer. You might prefer to feature user-generated content, videos, photos only, or a mix. Some people alternate a quote or inspirational post with a post featuring a product. Deciding on a content theme is another key part of streamlining content production.
Create a Professional Bio
Your bio is essential to your personal brand on social media. Be methodical about your bio and ensure you have completed it. If you are starting from scratch, hopefully, you have created a theme and have a photo or logo, hashtag, and bio line.
You’ll also want to include any other social media links you want your followers to check out. And if you want people to visit links, give them a link in the bio. You may have more than one link to include, so use a link consolidation tool that people can click to access all of your landing pages and links.
If you already have an account and bio, and you’re converting or revamping it, look at other profiles for inspiration. You don’t even have to model your bio after similar brands. Think about your favorite Instagram accounts and what draws you to them, then think about ways you can put together something unique to your own brand.
Identify Content Pillars
The phrase ‘content pillars’ sounds grandiose, but it ties back into your brand identity. Think about three to five topics or subjects that tie into your brand. Many brands interpret their content pillars to be the things they stand for. Others create content pillars that act like guideposts for their content production.
For example, if your brand is athletic clothing, you might choose Activity, Fun, Health, and Uplifting Others as your pillars. Think about why you’ve started your brand and what you hope to achieve.
Stay Consistent
As you build your brand, you’ll want to create a way to have a common thread running through everything connected with your brand. There are many ways you can tie it all together without making every post exactly the same, including:
- Using your color or color palette
- Sticking to the same filters
- Creating posts that stick to your content pillars
- Using your branded hashtag and niche hashtags
- Making consistent captions
In addition, consistency matters in how you deliver your content. Instagram offers many ways to get content to your audience, including photos, carousels, Stories, and Lives. You can use a mix of these, but be methodical. It might help to use a content scheduler so you can see everything for the week or the month in a layout format.
Find Your Voice
Write your bio and your captions with your brand voice. If you’re unsure what your brand voice is, think back to your brand identity and content pillars. If your brand were a person, how would you describe its personality? Your brand voice is how you’re speaking to your followers.
Many brands opt to use a friendly voice or even address their followers as if they were having a personal conversation. Your voice helps create consistency in your captions and is part of developing a relationship with your audience.
The Bottom Line
Whether your personal brand is about your life or a skill you offer, Instagram is an excellent platform for establishing yourself. Don’t forget that Instagram provides a Business or Creator account that gives you enhanced tools for branding.
In addition, many third-party apps work well with Instagram that can give your content and brand the polish and professionalism you need to stand out. With planning, you can create and establish yourself as an attractive brand.
