The Power of Insta.
I like to control things. Maybe a little too much.
And I’m not a huge fan of turning everything over to any of the social media platform. I think you absolutely should have your own web page and a mailing list that belongs to you that you consistently communicate with.
The hard part is how do you grow that list. And this is where I think Instagram shines. It’s a mini-website that has a very powerful search engine in its hashtags.
Instagram is also purely visual. It’s easy to show who you are and your artistic life. You get a chance to build relationships and let people get to know you.
You can find other artists, galleries, and workshops to get inspired. You can search specific topics through the use of #hashtags. You can comment on posts and start a dialogue with someone just because you admire what they are doing.
And ultimately you can drive people to your website or sell directly from Instagram.
It’s sort of a ‘no-brainer’ for visual artists.
I have a few tips for you. If you want to do a ‘deep dive’ into Instagram strategies, here are several very talented and knowledgeable people offering courses on IG. I suggest you suss them out.
Tips:
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- Make sure you Instagram account is set up as a Business account. With a business account you can automatically set up posts to link to your business FB page, include a website link and contact info in your profile, and get insights on your posts (how many views, website clicks, most popular time of day to post, and who your audience is.)
- Explore and familiarize yourself whose you think do Insta well.
- Pay attention to #hashtags. This is your secret weapon that will bring new eyeballs to your feed. People follow hashtags they are interested in.
- Comment on other posts. Be social.
- The first 15 minutes after posting are crucial. Pay attention. Don’t just post and walk away. The Instagram algorithm will see and promote items it perceives as ‘hot’ and this matters most at the beginning of your post. Similarly, always engage with people who comment on your post, if even just a heart. It shows engagement.
- Use video, carousel images, or full descriptions of what you are posting. The longer the view stays on your post the more the algorithm determines your content as relevant.
- Vary your posts. Curate your feed. As visual artists this is what we do best. Make your feed inviting. Let it tell a story.
- Understand the difference and the power of Stories, Reels, IGTV, and Highlights (this is where you will want to go beyond this blog post and really do some research.)
- Most importantly, do what makes you comfortable. If you feel like it’s a burden you will not keep up.
You can find me at @clare_oneill_artist. Let’s connect.
What has been your experience with Instagram….both good and bad? Would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Be well….be creative,
Click to learn more about photo encaustic classes, courses, and workshops.
Thank you Clare, excellent blog on Insta, you could do a mini class on helping people get set up :), I would sign up!! Your Instagram page is very well done. On your first tip you mentioned to set up a Business Account, they offer two types 1) Creator 2) Business. Which account did you set up?
Thank you Clare for all you do!
Marla
I have a business account. It’s hard to really tell the difference behind the two of them. But I had the business account set up before they rolled out Creator accounts:) They function very similarly though.
Exactly like you, I’m not a fan of the social media platforms, but Instagram is the one I sometimes like to explore, and your blog is really excellent! I tell you right now: in case you decide to do a class as Marla Acton just proposed, I would join you for sure!!
Well then….maybe I should put something together:) Let me think about what that might look like. So glad you like my blog! Thanks for the kind words.