How To: Build Your Personal Brand on Instagram

Social Media Manager Daniel Flay reveals how to build and maintain your personal brand on Instagram.

Whether you want to build a relevant and engaged following, position yourself as an expert in your industry or galvanise an online community, it's important to consider your Instagram content strategy. A thoughtful presence on the platform can generate leads, strengthen your profile and drive website clicks. Here's our step-by-step guide.

Keep Your Brand Voice, Image & Tone Consistent

Create a cohesive feed by setting yourself some posting guidelines. Establish a visual theme that runs through your images and share new content on a regular basis. If you're unsure about whether or not a post represents your brand identity, don't share it. Make smart choices and ensure that all content reflects who you are to your audience.

Curate Engaging Content

Curating and sharing content from like-minded accounts is a great way to supplement your own posts. Not only will this hone your profile's visual identity, but it can also generate engagements from larger accounts whose audiences you'd like to tap into. Establishing yourself as a tastemaker will increase your credibility within your community and build authenticity.

Post Stories Regularly

Instagram favours accounts that make the most of all of its features, so posting regular Stories is one of the ways you can 'hack' the algorithm and get your content (across grid and Stories) seen. Use this sub-platform to share candid content - from mini vlog-style videos to features you've written/provided quotes for - to offer your followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse. Plus, use Stories to drive followers to grid posts.

Tag Brands

The clothes you wear, the places you visit and the events you attend are key components when expressing who you are and what you like on social media. Don't be fooled though; people may look as if they live perfectly-curated lives, but they're simply sharing the highlights. Tagging brands in high-quality imagery will increase the chances of them engaging with your posts and featuring your work on their profiles.

Reply to all Comments & Engage with the Wider Community

Build relationships with users by actively commenting on their posts. Engage with everyone from your followers and the accounts that you follow, to like-minded influencers, brands and content creators. Share your opinions, ask questions and provide thoughtful insights when commenting. Quality interactions will add value to your social media presence and give you a clear voice.

Add Value to Your Posts

Use the caption box to give your content purpose. Utilise this space to pose questions and generate feedback from your followers. A good Instagram caption should inspire, engage, and most importantly be relevant to the image that it's accompanying. Whether you share tips or provide advice, enrich your followers' experiences through compelling captions that are unique to what you stand for.

Update Your Bio

Remember, this is what your followers first see when they happen upon your profile, so make the most of it. Use your full name - no spaces, no pseudonyms - as this ensures your account will show up when people search for you, on the platform or on Google. Pick a snappy bio that sums up what you do and what potential followers can expect from your feed, and ensure you utilise the all-important link; this should link through to your website, blog or portfolio.

Create an IGTV Series

After a slow start, IGTV is finally gaining traction. There's never been a better time to start creating content for the sub-platform, as it is still a comparatively less crowded space. Work on series ideas that centre around your personal brand; if you're a business owner or coach, consider creating snappy, how-to videos, or, if your specialism is fashion, share outfits. What's great about IGTV is that you can link out - unlike Stories, you don't need 10k followers to do so - so use this to drive traffic to your website, portfolio or blog.

Words by Daniel Flay