How Embracing Your Personal Instagram Account Can Boost Your Business

Your brand has an Instagram account, do you?

As a founder, creating is second nature. You take an idea and build it into a brand that you then market. In today’s world, social media marketing is a no brainer. Many innovators focus on promoting their brand and put their personal social media channels on hold; this is a mistake. The personal accounts of creators are an underutilized tool for success. Your Instagram account alone has the potential to reach over one billion monthly active users.

While having an Instagram account for your business is great for promotions, marketing new items, and your brand’s identity, a founder’s personal Instagram builds a connection to your current and potential customers. Despite the materialism faced daily, we still desire human connection above all. Your personal Instagram account should give your followers a glimpse into your life. Not in a braggy, look what I have way, though, as that is counterproductive. So how do you connect with your followers then? Be real. Let people have a glimpse into your daily life, the authentic version of the person behind the brand. The people that will be attracted to your brand most likely have common interests.

Pick a theme and stick with it

An entrepreneur holding up their smart phone with a picture of a forest on it

Once you decide to spend time on your personal account, where do you start? Start fresh. Sure, your current Instagram is most likely full of memories, but it’s also probably all over the place. You want to keep it somewhat cohesive. Pick a theme from the get-go and stick with it. There are multiple ways to connect your content. Since Instagram is a visual platform, you can connect your posts by consistently using the same filter, similar angles, color palette, lighting, and mood.

Start gaining followers

A tablet displaying how many likes a post on Instagram has gotten

Now that you have decided what your personal Instagram is going to look like, for people to see the content you are going to create, you need followers. Start by introducing your personal channel on your business page. The followers here already enjoy your brand and will be excited to get to know the person behind it. Amongst your lifestyle posts, mix in supportive posts promoting and tagging other accounts with large followers and other businesses. They may re-gram your post making an increase in your follower base and eyes that are viewing your content. Don’t be selfish, like posts of fellow entrepreneurs, content you appreciate, and feeds with a similar vibe to yours. Your handle will be visible to other like-minded scrollers.

Interact with your followers

A group of people using their smart phones while standing next to each other

Connect your brand, but don’t overdo it

A woman taking a picture of her food with her smartphone

As previously touched on, you want to keep it personal; however, connecting to your brand is important, as well. Make sure your bio explains who you are. Your bio is also where you can link your business website, though you can only have one link there at a time. Linking to your homepage is the most effective; however, if you are having a rad promotion or launching a killer new item, create an explanatory post, update the link in your bio to direct to the promotion or new item, and reference that the link is in your bio in the post. Don’t forget to change the link back to your homepage when the promotion is up, the hype dies down, or the item is out of stock.

Don’t overdo it with the promotions; remember, this is your personal page. It is ok to be excited about new happenings with your brand, just make sure it is authentic and doesn’t overtake your personnel content.

Instagram is a simple, cost-effective, powerful tool for you and your business, as long as you use it properly. Be real, find your niche, keep it cohesive, post often (but not too often), engage with your followers, and show the world who you are and what you represent. Remember not to be too professional. As a founder, you constantly have your brand and business on your mind. Your personal account is your opportunity to loosen the tie and let people see who you are when you’re not in full-on business mode. Relax and enjoy it!

How have you found success in tying your personal Instagram account to your brand’s? Let us know in the comments!

This article originally published on GREY Journal.

This article originally published on GREY Journal: https://discovergrey.com/hustle/grow/how-embracing-your-personal-instagram-account-can-boost-your-business/