025 - 5 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Instagram Profile
Topics Discussed and Key Points
•Optimizing your profile name
•Telling your visitors what you do and who you serve
•Adding a touch of relatability to your profile
•Creating meaningful hashtags
•On using a public versus a private account
•Establishing your boundaries on Instagram
In this episode, Sandi asks tech-savvy artist, Roben-Marie for her five tips to improving your IG profile.
Profile Name
The first thing to look at is your profile name. Roben-Marie isn’t referring to your username (preceded by “@”). Rather, she’s talking about the first, bolded line on your bio.
The key factor is that this segment is searchable. Therefore, you want this line to not only sum up your brand, but to also be specific and up-to-date.
In Roben-Marie’s case, her tagline is “Tech-savvy artist and mentor.” Because of the limited amount of space you have in your bio (150 characters), play around with a few different terms until you find the ones that fit you best. Sandi’s bio says, “Watercolor, mixed media, and art journaling.”
What You do and Who You Serve
The next part of your bio tells visitors what you do and who you serve. Roben-Marie’s is “Online educator with workshops for artists and makers.” She adds that, if she were currently straddling the line between hobbyist and professional, she would instead put “Sharing watercolor art to inspire other creatives.” Note that, whatever you write, your bio has to compliment the photos in your feed. (Don’t say you’re an artist and have photos of your dog dominating your feed.)
Something Personal About Yourself
Next, add something personal about yourself on your bio that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your professional brand. This helps you look more relatable to your visitors.
Roben-Marie doesn’t personally use a lot of emojis, but she recommends them if you’re tight on space. For example, if you want to type “dog lover,” feel free to use a dog emoji in lieu of the word “dog.”
Alternatively, you can add a line telling your visitors who you are and what sets you apart from everyone else. Sandi, for example, specializes in florals as a watercolor artist.
Meaningful Hashtags
Roben-Marie tells us to focus on meaningful hashtags. This will help your followers to keep track of your current initiatives or simply look up the history of your posts containing specific hashtags. You can also create branded or signature hashtags that serve as community-building tools.
Call to Action
The last important thing to include in your Instagram profile is a call to action. Having a link that directs your visitors to your website, YouTube channel, other social media profile, or upcoming project can be valuable.
Your posts can also serve as “teasers” to get your followers to click on your link, simply by adding “Link in bio” at the end of your post captions. If you have multiple links you’d like to share, consider using Linktree.
Go Public or Stay Private
Finally, Roben-Marie discusses the choice between having a public or a private Instagram account. If you’re using your profile only to be able to connect with friends and family, then it’s best to stick with a private account. If you’re looking to build a following or grow your business, go public. If you wish, you can also have two separate accounts: one for personal use and the other for professional use.
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