As the world becomes more and more digital, artist and creatives should be utilizing the power of the platform Instagram to showcase their work to a global audience. With a plethora of features for artists and creatives, Instagram stands out amongst the most popular social media platforms, allowing you to target and reach the exact audience you want. This article will discuss the top 10 Instagram features to help bring your artistic vision to life. From creating Story Ads to discovering new content, these Instagram features will ensure you’re able to reach your full potential with the platform.
1. Understanding Essential Instagram Features for Artists and Creatives
Knowing the key components to Instagram is essential for artists and creatives in building a strong online presence. Here are several of the core features that will help you reach a wider audience and get the most out of your efforts.
Hashtags
- A hashtag is a valuable tool for discovering and gaining exposure on Instagram, as it helps curate content and connect people with similar interests.
- Choose hashtags that are relevant to your content and target audience, as it allows your post to reach more people and builds authentic engagement.
- Utilize a combination of popular and niche hashtags to narrow your post reach to possible customers or collaborators.
Stories
- Stories are a great way to engage with your followers on a more personal level. This feature is ephemeral and only lasts for 24 hours.
- Sharing behind the scenes content, upcoming projects, and exclusive sales are just some ways to leverage stories for your business.
- Hashtags and stickers make stories interactive, allowing you to create polls, surveys, and drive more traffic to your profile.
IGTV
- Instagram’s long-form video platform allows you to upload longer content and further engage your followers.
- Take advantage of this feature to host Q&As, showcase live streams, and demonstrate your creative process.
- Using IGTV offers even more opportunities to create and upload longer videos, up to 10 minutes, or even an hour when verified.
With a better understanding of the essential Instagram features, you can use these to take your digital presence to the next level. Utilizing hashtags, stories, and IGTV are great ways to breakdown the barriers between you and your followers and ultimately, it will help you develop relationships with them.
2. Overview of the Top 10 Instagram Features
Snapchat-Like Filters – Instagram rolls out a range of selfie filters regularly on the app. These filters offer an array of creative options for users to express themselves and make their stories more fun and engaging.
Stories – Users can create stories from shared photos and videos and customize them using text, drawing, stickers, and more. Stories can be seen at the top of the news feed, which is a great way to engage with followers.
Hashtags – Encouraging users to tag content with hashtags are perfect for increasing engagement and drawing attention to particular posts. It also makes it easier for users to find content that interests them and get more followers.
- Live Video
- Polls
- Instagram TV
- Location Tags
- Direct Messaging
- Videos
- Photo Editing Tools
- Boomerang
- Shoppable Posts
The top 10 Instagram features include Snapchat-Like Filters, Stories, Hashtags and other features such as Live Video, Polls, Instagram TV, Location Tags, Direct Messaging, Videos, Photo Editing Tools, Boomerang, and Shoppable Posts. These features provide users with a variety of ways to customize their content, engage with followers and discover new content.
3. Hashtags and Story Highlights: Maximizing Visibility
Hashtags have become an essential part of an effective Instagram strategy, as they are an excellent way to reach new audiences and grow your following. However, Instagram Story Highlights are also a great way to make your Instagram profile stand out and keep your followers engaged. Here are some tips on how to make the most of these two features.
Maximizing Visibility with Hashtags
- Do your research: Research popular hashtags and make sure you’re using ones that are relevant to your content.
- Include a mix of popular and lesser-known hashtags: Include popular hashtags to make sure your post is seen but also include some lesser-known hashtags to help you reach a more specific audience.
- Use location and trending hashtags: In your post caption, include hashtags associated with your location or hashtags that are currently trending. This will help you gain more visibility for your post.
Emphasizing Your Best Content with Story Highlights
- Create a variety of categories: Create different categories of Story Highlights such as Events, Tips, FAQs, or even behind-the-scenes images and videos. This will help keep your followers engaged with your content.
- Make use of calls-to-action: In your Story Highlights, add calls-to-action to encourage your followers to comment or engage with your content.
- Keep your Highlights fresh: Don’t forget to update your Story Highlights with new content regularly to keep your profile fresh.
By utilizing Hashtags and Story Highlights, you can maximize visibility and reach more audiences on Instagram. Creating a hashtag strategy and making use of Story Highlights are both essential to a successful Instagram strategy.
4. Creating Branded Content with Location and Tagging
Location tagging on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram increases the visibility of posts and encourages engagement from different audiences.
Geographic Tagging
The use of geographic tags allows brands to target content and campaigns for a specific location and to connect with related local influencers. When crafting posts, use the location tag of the store or venue that is being highlighted. This can increase engagement levels by connecting brands to the local community. Additionally, by adding the location to several posts, followers begin to recognize and engage with the content more quickly.
Hashtags
Hashtags should accompany Content related to the brand, product or service line. Adding a hashtag connected to the specific offering can greatly increase its visibility. If a brand is featuring a particular product on social media or in an ad, include a hashtag tied to the product or service to make it easier for users to search for the post within the system. Utilizing industry-specific hashtags can also help to further increase the reach of the post.
Calls to Action
Complete your posts by adding a call to action (CTA) to direct users to the next step they should take. CTAs could include “Learn More”, “Shop Now”, “Sign Up”, and “Follow Us”, among others. Providing users with a clear and direct direction to take helps to increase conversion rates by driving users to an action beyond liking, commenting, or sharing the post.
5. Engaging with Followers Through Live and IGTV
With the rise of Stories, Instagram offers two additional ways to engage with followers on top of your classic Instagram posts: live streaming and IGTV.
Live streaming is the perfect way to bring your followers a real time, behind-the-scenes experience. It builds relationships on a deeper level since followers get to see you in real time and interact with you as you go. For example, you can use live streams to cover topics like product releases and Q&A sessions with viewers. Additionally, you can use video filters, adds music, and collaborate with other users.
Using IGTV, you can post long-form, vertical video for your followers. This type of content helps you engage with followers in a longer, more immersive way. Common types of IGTV content include influencer interviews, product demos and campaigns, and tutorials. Here are some tips for shooting great IGTV content:
- Switch It Up: Record using different locations, camera angles, and other visual elements to keep your content engaging.
- Be Creative With Title & Thumbnails: Potential viewers need to know what they’re getting into. Use engaging visuals and titles to draw people in.
- Make It Easy on Yourself: Streamline the production process by investing in the right tools, such as an external camera, microphone, and editing software.
The creative potential of Instagram is remarkable, making it one of the best platforms for artists and creatives. With its vast array of features, anyone can find an outlet to express their art and share their work with the world. With this list of the top 10 Instagram features, creatives can make the most of the platform and grow their following.
