Instagram has taken social media by storm. Use Instagram for business to give customers a glimpse into your creative work.
Not only is Instagram a lot of fun, it can be a powerful tool to brand yourself and your creative business. Tell the story of your brand through photography and give customers a sneak peek at what inspires you with one click of your camera phone. If you are wondering what all the buzz is about or haven’t tried Instagram yet, it’s time to get started!
Instagram @zelmarose
How To Build an Artist Website
Sign up for our newsletter and get the book How to Build an Artist Website for free!
Instagram allows subscribers to take photos with a camera phone and turn them into creative pieces of art with the use of a variety of filters. Photos can look sun-kissed, pixelated and mysterious, or bright and bold. You can help brand yourself by sharing the photos instantly on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. A gallery can be public or private, and you can follow friends, businesses, and public figures as you do on Twitter or Facebook.
Whether you're using Instagram for business or for pleasure, you and your followers can interact by liking and commenting on each other’s photos. You can also add a location so followers know where each photo was taken.
Instagram @zelmarose
Using Instagram for business can be as much of an art form as you want it to be. Invest some time and a small amount of money, and you can turn your camera phone into a high-tech photo playground where you can brand yourself instantly. Camera apps, like Camera +, and Big Lens, allow users to take photos, edit them through multiple effects and filters, and post them on Instagram after the final edit.
Instagram users who view the app as an art form often share their creative process, telling followers what other apps they used and what filters helped to give their photo that special look. The creative process can be really involved or instant. Photo can be taken through Instagram, edited, and posted immediately.
Instagram is a fun way to brand yourself by telling the story of your business. Give friends, followers, and customers a peek inside your creative world. Let them see what inspires you firsthand and watch your creative process unfold through your pictures.
I began using Instagram for business about six months ago. I found it to be a great way to get my feet wet when it came to using social media as a way to interact with my customers. I use Instagram to help my customers learn a little bit more about me: what I enjoy doing when I’m not in the studio, what makes me tick, my surroundings, and my friends.
Instagram @zelmarose
Whether it is photos of the park, a trip to an art museum, or some pics of interesting finds on my morning walk, posting pictures gives me a chance to interact with my customers in a common creative space. They are on Instagram too, posting photos of their own. Instagram is a creative outlet for both of us, and a chance to collaborate, in a small way with the people who support and enjoy my designs.
Maybe Instagram isn’t your thing—photography is not for everyone and you might find it to be just one more thing to do. But if you would like to give it a try and are unsure how to get started, there are lots of great groups on Instagram that communicate through # (hash tags) just like on Twitter.
I started out following the Fat Mum Slim photo-a-day project. Each month, blogger Chantelle suggests a list of subjects to photograph each day for an entire month. It was helpful when starting out to have assignments, and you can search on Instagram for other people participating in the same project.
If you're looking for a fun, quick, and visual way to brand yourself to your customers, using Instagram for business just might be the way to go!
