The 5 Best Practices I have Learned from Developing my Photography Instagram
Ever wanted to start your own Instagram page where you can let your creative brain and passions run wild? I had that same thought about three years ago and created my Instagram page @natsphotos_18 where I combined my passions of photography and social media together.
While I have only had this page for a short amount of time, I have learned so much throughout my experiences and also through my studies. Here are some best practices that I want to share with you if you are ever wanting to start your own Instagram page:
Having a good handle name and bio: Since this is the first thing that your audience will get to see about you and your brand, these aspects are essential. The handle should give some inclination about your business and shouldn’t be long. I first had my handle as nats_snaps97, which was personal, but didn’t describe my page too well. I then switched it to throughthelensphoto_2018, which described my page well, but it was too long of a handle. Finally, I switched it to @natsphotos_18, which describes my page in a short manner. When developing a bio, Becky Tumidolsky, a writer for Hootsuite, states “you’ll need to capture the essence of your brand: who you are, what you offer, and why you’re different.” In my Instagram bio, I have carried the theme of my website phrasing for consistency and also have included some information about myself that someone may be able to relate to if they stumble across my page.
Using high quality imaging: As a photographer, I have always supported high quality images. They can help your brand on social media stand out, especially on Instagram since it is such a visual asset according to Elizabeth Arens, a writer for sprout social. Now, this does not mean that you need to spend a lot of money on camera equipment like I do, but there are affordable options, such as the Canon PowerShot SX740. You can even use your phone to take high quality images by cleaning off the camera before taking the photos. There will be less oils and smudges on the phone lens and make a difference in the quality of images.
Have engaging content: Engaging content is a great way to build a relationship with your following and it also provides information about your audience. Sometimes it is difficult to create engaging content, but two great ways of doing this are creating polls through Instagram stories and also starting conversations through the comments of your posts.
Use stories and highlights: When I first started using Instagram, I never used the stories function, but now, I use it all the time. Using stories is a great way to share information quickly, such as a new post or sharing a post from someone else. I like using stories and highlights together because this provides some examples for new potential followers to get to learn more about your brand and a great way to organize some posts that you promote through stories. For example, I have highlights that talk about my photography challenge that I am currently doing, a highlight talking about my career, showing how I edit some of my photos, etc.
Analytics are your best friend: Instagram Insights is a great resource for you to be able to learn about your content and see what is and isn’t doing well, how many people have you reached through your posts, etc. This is essential towards learning how to make your page grow and producing content that will make your brand continue to stand out.
While these are the five essential best practices that I have learned within the past three years, I still plan to continue to add to this list as I continue my page.
