3 Simple Steps To Spruce Up Your Instagram Profile
I wanted to get back to the basics on this blog post. Instagram is a beast and is always rolling out new features - ads, stories, live. It can be so overwhelming. But, as with anything: start with the basics! Not enough brands are taking the time to get these three simple steps down pat. You have to walk before you can run! And once you get your profile in tip-top shape -- feel free to sprint! So, let’s start with these three simple steps to spruce up your Instagram profile.
1: Bio
You know all that hard work you have done to identify your top selling points, your brand values, your brand voice, etc? Use it here! Use it everywhere!
Your Instagram bio is the place to be quick and concise in who you are and what you have to offer. Do not underestimate its power. Think of it with the same commitment you think of the first thing your customers see on your site.
Oftentimes a customer will discover you on Instagram and vet your profile before they decide if they want to commit to visiting your site. Make them want to find out more about you!
Some great examples from Parsnip brands:
You can see, this is a quick and simple step that brings your Instagram profile to life and gives it some personality to help it stand out.
2: Links
Oh Instagram, great for visual content, great for engaging with your customers... terrible for sharing links. Maybe you have 10k followers or have managed to get the “Swipe Up” function on your stories - we’re jealous! But, for small businesses that can seems ages away. So, how do you share links with your followers?
Well, a lot of people have been using services like LinkTree that create a place for you to have all of your pertinent pages that you want to share in one place. BUT, that first click is not going to your site! It’s going to an external site where in this day and age we can assume a good percentage of people will get distracted and leave. Especially if it is not branded in accordance with your company.
The key to digital marketing is the less clicks it takes to get a potential customer where you want them, the better. So, why not create your own link page so that first click from Instagram is directly to your site? You are in more control!
Need some examples? Here are two from food and CPG industry consultants we trust, plus our own.
You can see from the above examples that you have the freedom to approach this how you want visually so that it best represents your brand! AND keeps it all in the family by being part of your actual website. And it is so simple! I mean, look at Parsnip’s -- quick and easy.
3: Content
The internet is full of content - great content! You’ve got a lot of competition. So, sit down and think about what it is that you are sharing that really matters to your customer. What things do they really care about that you can be a source of content for? What entertains them, educates them, entices them?
A lot of brands go into their Instagram with the mindset of just posting great photos and they don’t take the time to sit down and think of a strategy. Some ideas for your brainstorming:
- Take a look at your brand values and brainstorm how your values may translate to content (ie: “We value creativity” means you have tons of content ideas in the artistic realm. Here is a little inspo from Health-Ade!)
- What are your top selling points? Female Founded? Gluten Free? Promote these in a way that feels valuable to your followers. This is a great time to bring in the educational style content. Guest blogger Jess from CozyCo Social has more tips here.
- Be disruptive! Disruptive content get’s attention. Do this by straying away from the norm for your industry, or using your brand voice in a way that stands out. Sir Kensington’s did this well in this recent post.
Use all of these ideas you just brainstormed to create a list of buckets that your content can fall under. Now each time you sit down to plan your content calendar, fill those buckets! Simple.
These three steps are simple ways to spruce up your Instagram profile, but simple does not mean invaluable. Aesthetic is what Instagram is all about, and not just in the content. Your bio, your links, everything!
Take an hour today to follow these three steps! Then, you can start to think about those ads, live streams, etc.
