Does the thought of social media scare you? If yes, is it because you don’t know how to brand yourself? There is a lot to consider especially if you want to attract followers and likes.

Building a brand on social media isn’t only important for your business, but it is essential for attracting the right audience. Your audience will be your future customers!

Remember your social platforms are typically the first point of contact a new customer will have with your brand, so first impressions are everything.

The goal of this post is to give you ideas on how to brand yourself on social media, using Instagram as a specific example.

*If you don’t have an Instagram account already, click ‘Here’. Be sure to download the app to your phone as this unlocks more features that aren’t available on your desktop.

When starting an Instagram account for your brand, it is important to marry your personal and professional identity. For you to gain followers, people need to connect with you, not just your products and services. Think blending – people buy from people, not brands on social!

#1 Branding yourself on Instagram

Take a look at your username, is it simple? If you are a personal brand or own multiple companies, use your name. Otherwise, use your company name if you only have one. The overall goal is to be simple enough to be remembered… so take out all numbers and symbols if they are not necessary.

#2 Using the name field

Next is filling out your name field. This field should be different than your username. The most important part you should understand about the name field is that it is prime real estate and is one of the few searchable areas on your Instagram profile.

Research your niche market and use targeted keywords — for example, a beauty brand might use ‘handcrafted,’ ‘botanical,’ or ‘beauty.’ These are terms your target audience might use in search. Note this may take some testing.

Instagram limits space and characters so think your profile through. It is about presenting new followers with the most amount of information in the least amount of time.

#3 Brand your Instagram bio

The bio should be separated into parts. First, explain who you are, what you do and who you are for. Remember the bio isn’t all about you even if you are a personal brand – it is about your target audience and providing value.  Be sure to use emojis to help cut down on words.

Your bio is an area that should be ever changing and growing with you and your brand, so stand out and convince people to follow.

#4 Optimization

The last part of your bio is your call to action. Instagram allows you to insert one link. This is a great place to enter promo codes, your website URL, affiliate links and much more – you can drive your traffic to any online platform you wish.

In four simple steps, your Instagram profile is optimized to increase visibility. Take what you have learnt about Instagram and apply that to Facebook. Remember to keep your branding and message similar across all platforms.   

For more Instagram branding ideas, check out this free course by Later.