Have you ever experienced Instagram Identity Crisis? Turns out, it's actually a thing!
I decided to write a post about this because I went through a bout of IIC recently, so wanted to share my experience and provide some comfort and insight.
According to a savvy 'grammer on Urban Dictionary, ICC is defined as,
"When you don't post on Instagram for long periods of time or constantly post and delete pictures because they don't go with your feed. Or you don't know what your next Instagram theme is gonna be."
Used in a sentence,
"I went with a black and white theme for insta because I'm going through an Instagram Identity Crisis (I.I.C) and can't think of a new aesthetic."
When developing your social media identity, it's a known rule of thumb that profiles should have some kind of raison d'etre. Sure, it's fun to post about anything and everything; but, if you're looking for followers, it's important to have a theme so that people know what your purpose is all about on the grand scale of things.
Having my own communications consultancy that's built on my name, I figured I would just link up with my personal account. But, do my clients and followers want to see what life is like as a Canadian expat in Dubai, my photogenic meal, or how much fun my son is having playing in a sandbox? OR, do they want my pearls of marketing wisdom?
Based on this revelation, I've decided that there is a fine balance. You want to be human because real people like connecting with real people, and this most certainly translates to social media.
I love to see the entrepreneur who knows their niche, but is also a mom struggling and thriving at finding balance between their personal and professional life. Why? Because I can relate!
This is why it's important to plan and balance your content.
If you are an established brand, you might consider offering professional advice with a behind-the-scenes peek at what's happening in your business.
If you're a personal trainer, you can offer amazing advice about leading a healthy lifestyle while sharing your inner most cravings, cheat meals and personal struggles. Why? Because we can relate!
On Instagram, the content we share is visually driven, so you want your feed to be attractive, but also valuable to your followers. Make it diverse, but not overly generic. Basically, stay true to your theme.
Here are some extra Instagram tidbits I've grabbed from E-Consultancy:
- Don't be afraid of detailed descriptions. Instagram may be all about imagery, but an interesting description can really put a picture or video into context.
- Use your profile text to post relevant links. Then mention the link in the photo description. Jamie Oliver often makes good use of this in his recipe images.
- Post original video content as well as images. People will love you for it.
- Create your own hashtags and build a community of posters around them. Alternatively, 'hijack' existing hashtags to promote your own cause. Wateraid did this brilliantly with the popular #WHPfromwhereiwalk hashtag.
But do bear in mind that some hashtags should never be hijacked, like when Kenneth Cole used the #Cairo hastag during the 2011 Arab Spring to try and promote his new clothing collection. Stop it, Kenneth.
- Try to post original content where possible. People will appreciate seeing something new.
Your business may do nothing but produce plain beige envelopes, but your brand can still be beautiful. No seriously, look what those boring old techies at IBM did with this THINK campaign.
- Use filters at will. They're extremely intuitive so you don't have to be a photography expert to turn a relatively bland picture into a visually pleasing masterpiece (or at least improve it slightly).
- Show 'behind the scenes' images of your business. Some actors literally do this with popular TV shows and it always gets a massive reaction.
- Create a series of related images or videos and share them with your followers. This keeps engagement levels high as people want to know what happens next.
If you're interested in what drove this post, check out my cluttery personal Instagram account versus a more recent account that I've created, and you'll definitely see the difference! My stance on ICC will be based on which one you decide to follow!
I'd love to hear your feedback, and if you need help creating your own social profiles, our expert team can help! Get in touch and let's boost your exposure!