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HOW TO GET YOUR ARTWORK NOTICED ON INSTAGRAM
Are you an artist that has a hard time getting your art noticed on Instagram? You are not alone! Luckily, this guide will turn your Instagram account into a thriving asset for your art business.
Instagram's strong visual component works in your favor, but it can be hard to stand out when so many other designers are also vying for attention. We'll reveal essential tips and tricks that'll help increase your number of followers and likes — and grow a loyal following in no time!
It's time to show off your talent and get more people to notice your work.
What is Instagram?
Instagram is a social media platform with one billion monthly active users. It's an appealing option for artists to promote their surface pattern designs, as it has become synonymous with visual content!
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger created Instagram in 2010, two former employees of Facebook, wanting an easy way to share life as it happens. Though initially just meant for photos, features like video have made this site even more popular amongst creators of all types! In 2017, Facebook bought Instagram for $900 billion.
Instagram Account
An Instagram account, or profile, is a window into not just what people like but who they are.
Instagram accounts have two options: public or private. Public accounts are visible to all, while a private account is only accessible by those approved as followers. If you are using your account to promote your art business, it should not be private! Otherwise, there’s no point in wasting time on social media.
With Instagram, you’re only able to have five accounts open at one time.
Instagram Business Account
Create or switch your account to a business account and take advantage of Instagram analytics for an insightful view into audience engagement with your posts, an essential element of a successful social media strategy with features that will help your business grow.
You will have access to the Professional Dashboard, where you can track your account's performance, discover professional tools available to you, and explore Instagram-curated educational content.
There are an estimated 100 million photos and videos shared on the app each day. The first photo ever posted was by co-founder Kevin, who uploaded a picture of a dog near a taco stand.
Essential tips for the perfect profile
Your Instagram profile is a representation of you and your work. Make sure to invest the time in making it look exciting and professional. Your profile is the key to turning viewers into followers.
Here's how:
USERNAME
• Your username is your identity. Everything you do will be associated with that one word located at the top of your profile. For example, when you post on Instagram, your username is what's shown. Your username is also how other accounts can tag you.
• Your username is the part of Instagram's URL: http://instagram.com/yourusername
• Select a username that symbolizes your brand, is easily recognizable, and, if relevant, identifies what you do.
• Your one-word username can only be 30 characters long and contain letters, numbers, periods, and underscores. You can not use symbols, spaces, and other punctuation marks as part of your username.
• Look at your username objectively before finalizing it. When you combine more than one word into a single username, letters may form new words and read differently or inappropriately to others.
• Usernames should not include references to controversial issues or bad language.
TIP: Be consistent on social networking sites. Use the same username on all of them so that someone who connects with you on one site can easily find you on another site.
account NAME
• Your name is visible to other people only when they visit your profile.
• The name appears in bold on the profile and is limited to 30 characters, including spaces.
• Your name should be capitalized and words spaced.
• If your username and name are different, your profile will perform better in searches. A name that is different from your username gives you twice the opportunity to use keywords and searchable criteria on Instagram.
TIP: One way to make sure you're found in more searches is by including a keyword or phrase in your Instagram name, in addition to your actual name.
bio
Your bio's main objective is to make it easier for people who are interested in following you. Instagram “crawls” bios to collect more context about an account in order to better understand what it is about.
• Write a clear, concise, and attention-grabbing bio. What value will people get from following you?
• Include keywords your target audience would search for.
• Include a short comment about yourself to add a personal touch.
• Bios can include up to 150 characters, including spaces.
• Placing a link in your bio will make it easier for followers to go directly to your website.
• Instagram only allows a single link in the "about" section, but if you want more than one (website, online store, Etsy store, and so on), create a landing page such as LinkTree.
TIP: Add clickable hashtags to your bio to increase your chances of appearing not just in your account's search results, but also if someone searches for the hashtag!
Profile Picture
It could be your logo, a professional photograph of you as the artist, or a photograph of your artwork.