Although most of our social media nowadays has become heavily saturated within our culture and creates potential harmful effects on people's public image, there are still ways to promote yourself professionally. Let me tell you how. Instagram is a well-known platform that could also transform into your casual LinkedIn account.
Here are four helpful ideas that you may want to consider to upgrade your Instagram this New Year:
- It's a virtual resume. Show your best side!
It's important to think about how you want to portray yourself and find out who your target audience is. Here are questions to ask yourself when posting.
- Would it be appropriate if your employer saw your photos?
- Would people view your photos as offensive?
- Does the picture fit your feed as a whole?
- Are you presenting yourself accurately?
- Captivate your audience with attractive posts.
Next, it's all about showbiz. Come up with creative ideas to reel in your audience and keep them hitting that like button. Here's a quick guide to enthrall your audience:
- Post your best work.
- Ditch the smartphone; use a DSLR.
- Craft your captions well.
- Use natural light. No Flash!
- Do overuse filters.
- Be creative with camera angles.
- Use it for networking. It's who you know.
This is very important. Networking with people is a great way to build relationships and develop skills to interact with people professionally. Knowing people and making friendships can take you places.
- Build your community.
- Tag businesses, clients or people.
- Search for relevant hashtags.
- Comment on other users' images.
- Follow your followers.
- Be Personable. Show that you are a real person, not a robot.
Many accounts nowadays have nothing but automatic posts and spam accounts. Many reassurances that your account is real and that you are a real person. Improve your account activity. Here's how:
- Maximize your Instagram profile.
- Reply to comments.
- Post something meaningful about you.
- Post just enough (not too often or seldom).
- Link your account to your other platforms and website.
- Do giveaways (varies with account).
