Our Enterprise beta is live! Apply here.
Learn More
Starting off with a good amount of content is important for any platform that wants to see success. For this, your followers can be the exact same thing as people who already follow you on other social media sites- they want to see updates!
Your first few posts should contain an engaging title or bullet point, some pictures or videos, and a short paragraph developing your theme and talking about how to use the app efficiently.
By having such a start-up process, it gives users a chance to know what to expect from you before posting too many things. People will also give you time to edit and improve your account before submitting it for review.
Starting off with an idea is the most important thing when creating new content. You need to know what you want to say before you can say it!
After that, you’ll need to determine if and where you should share this content. Are there already lots of similar posts online? Does your target audience exist anywhere else?
Running into too many barriers will prevent you from sharing your message and thus, limiting your growth as a influencer. Make sure your settings are private so people cannot contact you or view your account while you grow.
Once you have those two points covered, you’ll need to pick a timing to share your content. When things get busy at work or home, time becomes limited and this could be one of those times.
The best way to find the right timing for your post is by using and observing your own habits. If after listening to music for an hour, you feel relaxed, then an afternoon workout may be the perfect opportunity for your next post.
A great way to start creating your own content is to use apps that let you create pictures. There are many free app websites where you can get creative with your phone or computer device.
Some of these apps have you upload an existing picture, add text to it, and then you can edit the color scheme and style of the picture. Others allow you to take new photos using their stock settings and software as a base, which gives you more flexibility to be artistic.
There are even some apps that ask for funny/quirky captions to go along with the photo! If you know how to use Photoshop or other graphic design softwares, you could also create your own captions and decorations.
Instagram has limited features when it comes to editing colors, but there are ways to get around this. You can simply choose another image or layer as a background and adjust those properties. Add effect stickers if needed, and you’re all set!
Another option is to find a theme for Instagram and use that as your basis for creativity. Some themes include nature, food, fashion, and so on.
Starting off with nothing is never a good way to begin, especially if you want big results!
If you’re thinking about starting a business or creating content for an already established account, then you need to make sure your personal branding is strong. You don’t have to do this yet, but it’s important to know who you are as a person so that you can position yourself in the market.
Think about it – how would people perceive you if you didn’t exist? Would they think of you as someone who doesn’t take care of themselves or their surroundings? If you’re not confident in these areas, then why would anyone believe you when you advertise yourself as an expert in your field?
Now, I’m not saying you have to be the next Mandy Patinkin (shhh… he's still famous!) but you should definitely establish some kind of identity. What makes you special? Are you passionate about something? Can you describe yourself without using superlatives?
These things matter because they tell potential customers what to expect from you. In the social media world, perception is key - if people don't feel like you're putting in effort into your career, them may too.
As we have discussed, being engaging is one of the most important things for your account to be successful. But what is engagement? It’s when people comment on your posts, share messages and stories you create, or link to something you posted.
Engagement is also referred to as audience interaction. When your followers interact with your page, that creates momentum and growth for your business.
People who like your page will continue to check out your content because there are always comments, notes, and links to other pages and features you provide.
Your followers may even begin talking about your business and services in their own accounts!
By giving away free information, you increase your online presence and help grow your brand. Your followers feel appreciated and needed, which encourages them to connect more closely with you.
Starting off on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or even YouTube is great as you have more centralized services that can get you up and running quickly.
But it also means there are no rules for what content you should offer. If someone else has done something interesting, go ahead and re-post it!
That’s why it’s important to not make your posts too marketing focused. Sure, include links to products and advertise for your company, but don’t force it onto people if they’re not interested.
Start by offering helpful information or tips to your followers. Or maybe you have an idea that you want to promote – do it!
Your followers will give you feedback which can aid in improving your content and/or project.
One of the first things you will need to do is link all of your social media profiles into one place. This way, you can easily access everything from a central location.
By linking your Instagram account to other social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, for example, you get the opportunity to share content across these apps more efficiently.
Your followers may have already seen some of your work, so they might want to see more! By adding an Instagram profile to your network, you give them another avenue to access your creative works.
And when you add your Instagram to say, “Hey, look at my new article,” then go write that article, it creates a cycle of constant engagement which builds momentum and feedback, just like any source of inspiration would.
This feature was introduced in late 2016, but only recently did most major social networks offer cross-network sharing. So if you're struggling to create content or find yourself looking for ways to spread your artistic wings, now could be the time to do it.
After you create your account, the next thing you will need is some kind of engagement tool. This can be done in two ways: by using an app that creates content for you or through direct messages (DM’s) from users.
By having DM’s, you can send pictures to them directly which then get posted as a picture on their own profile.
This is very helpful in creating new accounts because you are not relying on someone else to generate content for you. You can also send these messages at any time since they are not connected to the main chat feature on the app.
The best way to gain more followers is to interact with other people and compliment or ask questions about something they uploaded. Create engaging stories and add yourself into the picture so it looks natural.
As we mentioned before, running an account with limited resources can be tricky at times. If you feel that your followers are not getting enough value from your posts, then it is time to start accepting sponsored or paid advertisements.
This will definitely improve your income as well as your follower count! There are many ways to do this, so whatever type of company you would like to work with, make sure to do some research and find one that is appropriate for your audience.
