When newborn and maternity photographer Ana Brandt found that about half of her clients were on Instagram, she decided to ramp up her content. With a few changes and a lot of new material, she turned 500 followers into 25,000 in just a few months. She shared her three secrets for Instagram success during CreativeLive’s “How to Boost Your Business with Animoto Videos” class. Here’s the rundown:
View Instagram as part of your marketing. As Ana said, “The point is that marketing’s got to be how you live and breathe.” If you haven’t been using Instagram or only use it occasionally, now is the time to start posting more. Decide what kinds of photos you want to show, and remember that while personal photos are fine (Ana’s first post was a photo of her daughter), they should be an occasional highlight, not most of your feed.
A photo posted by Ana Brandt (@anabrandt) on Jun 11, 2015 at 3:52pm PDT
Ana found that what really added engagement to her Instagram account was video. In fact, 75% of the responses to her videos come from followers sharing what she’s created. So making Instagram videos should be part of your regular workflow. When you make a client video, “You can then go back and cut a second one for Instagram.” Or if a still photo gets a large number of likes on Instagram, try creating a video surrounding that session to keep up interest.
Not sure exactly how to create an Instagram video? Ana made a video explaining exactly what to do:
Many of Ana’s most successful videos were behind-the-scenes or do-it-yourself ones. She told the class that even on Instagram, it’s possible to create a quick video of you posing clients or creating props for your sessions. By showing your work behind the scenes, you impress and reassure potential customers. As Ana put it, “When my clients come to me, they know who I am.” For example, this quick, behind-the-scenes look at a session lets viewers see how gentle Ana is with the children she works with and how happy and relaxed they are around her.
A video posted by Ana Brandt (@anabrandt) on Jun 6, 2015 at 11:18am PDT
Developing an Instagram marketing strategy isn’t as hard as it seems, and with a little time, a little effort, and the power of video, you can start using Instagram as a way to get your images shared through social media.
Ready to add video to your Instagram account? Find out how to create your own Instagram videos, then get started creating video.
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