Build Your Brand On Instagram

The phrase I get a lot is, “Your Instagram is great, how do you do it?”. Let me be transparent, I do put a lot of time and effort into my social media presence, Instagram specifically. But I felt that I couldn’t speak about it until I got ‘X’ many followers. However, I know that it doesn’t matter if you have 10,000 followers but only 1% engage with your content. So I need to throw that vanity metric out the window.

Create value driven authentic content and you’ll organically grow a following that connect with you and want to see you succeed.

So, how did I get here?

I actually started my Instagram @natashaclarkeart in 2018. I set it up whilst I was at University as I wanted to start thinking about how to get my work out there.

I barely posted, I was so nervous to share my work, my face was never in it, my captions were short and surface value.

However, a pivotal moment for me was about a year ago. I was asked by my friend at Art of Protest Projects if I wanted to have a go at their social media. The job was small at the time but as I grew by researching digital marketing and how to attract an audience, my role there got bigger. It taught me a lot about branding, tone of voice, what content creates the most impact, lead generation and so on.

During that season, I also managed Doncaster ArtBomb’s Instagram as well as some other side projects.

I left this role before Christmas 2021, however I felt like I was equipped with knowledge that I could impliment on my own Instagram.

Who are you?

I know you’ve heard this before, but social media is meant to be social! Everything you post does not need to be polished and perfect. People want to get to know the authentic YOU.

• Who are you?

• Who are you speaking to?

• What’s your why?

For my lovely artists, I’m gonna set you a challenge.. I know we can be protective about what we share with others. Which is why I want to push you to share an image/video/reel of a piece of work that went wrong or you don’t like and explain why in the caption. Tag me in it so I know you’ve done it!

Why have I asked you to do this?

By sharing with your audience a piece that failed, firstly they recognise that you’re ‘human’. You make mistakes like everyone else. Secondly, you’re sharing a vulnerability, this can help to build rapport and a sense of connection with your audience. Thirdly, it lets you know that nothing ‘bad’ is going to happen when you make a mistake and people see it. It will give you more confidence to show up as YOU.

You are your brand.

If you’re an artist or creative offering your personal services then you are your brand.

So what does this mean?

Well, I mentioned in a couple of previous guides that people buy/work with those who they ‘know, like and trust’.

You’re at a great advantage for this in comparison to large faceless corporations.

You can show up as often as you like, as you and it will organically help to grow your brand. You can share with potential customers the inner workings of how you operate and what you’d be like to work with.

Utilise this by showing:

• bts videos and photos

• Talk about projects you’re working on and the processes involved

• What was the client brief and how did you meet the clients needs

• Personal projects which show off the amazing skill you have

• Your general personality and attitude towards work will also help a potential buyer understand your work ethic too

Trial. Review. Edit. Repeat.

Do you feel a bit overwhelmed with where to even start?

This is the cycle I follow in order to implement small changes which move me closer to my goal.

Trial.

There’s a new concept/idea you want to test on your Instagram? Maybe it’s creating some ASMR reels, hosting a Q&A or writing longer ‘blog style’ captions on your posts. This is the trial stage where you experiment with putting these ideas to action.

Review.

After a few weeks of testing this idea out over several posts, review it. How much engagement is it getting compared to your other content? Are people commenting and sharing it?

Edit.

If it was a flop, don’t be afraid to delete it from your account. Every month I go through my Instagram and just delete the content that didn’t do well. It’s not personal and I don’t feel bad about it, I see it as collecting data and then move on with my findings.

Repeat.

Repeat this cycle again but now with a different idea/concept.

Let’s create more thriving creatives!

Guiding emerging artists to have a financially sustainable practice.