LET’S TALK LIFE IN TINY SQUARES

If you've been following my blog from the very beginning, then you are already aware of my deep love for photography. What you wouldn't have been aware of is that this love affair actually began some time in 2013, approximately one year after Instagram became available on androids. 

Here I was working as a luxury real estate agent, showcasing some of the most stunning properties (and I do mean stunning), and wanting nothing more than to immortalize their equally breathtaking views. The best part is, I was also able to convince the company I was working for to create an Instagram account of their own to showcase the same. 

10 points if you can guess who was assigned the task of managing it 💁🏻‍♀️

So how exactly did this incredible app emerge on the scene? 

Founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom, it was initially called Burbn, and was designed to publicize check-ins wherever people travelled to in the world. This concept, as well as name, later changed when Kevin and his new found partner, Mike Krieger, realized that there was a growing trend towards communicating through images. On Oct 6th 2010, the app officially launched under its new name - INSTAGRAM - a name derived from combining the words “instant camera” and “telegram”.  

Its popularity quickly soared. Within the first 3 months the app gained 1 million users, only to double a mere 6 weeks after that. Today Instagram, which is now owned by Meta, boasts approximately 2.4 billion active monthly users across the globe.  

So what makes this app different from other social media platforms?

Well for starters, it offers the most amazing filter and editing options. One not so amazing thing is the fact that it doesn’t allow you to share clickable links in your posts, unless you are posting to Instagram Stories. But perhaps its most distinguishable quality is the fact that, although it has fewer users than Facebook and YouTube, it is much stronger than these platforms in terms of engagement. 

MY PERSONAL TIPS AND TRICKS

Now I have been dubbed the Instagram Queen 👸 (by an extremely small group of people), so it would be a crime if I didn’t leave you with some tips of my own on how to make the app work for you. 

TIP 1 - Maintain a consistent feed of high-quality videos and photos, and I stress on the word “high-quality”. View the images as a show window of your life or business. If the show window is a hot mess, guess what, no one would desire to enter your store. 

TIP 2 - Make use of hashtags, pleaseeeee, I beg you. It is a sure way to boost content discovery. 

TIP 3 - Develop catchy captions. The only thing worse than boring captions is no captions at all. However, when you write a caption, please keep it short. It’s a social app after all, not a novel. 

TIP 4 - Perfect the timing of your post. Believe it is not there are times in the day that are more suitable to post if you want higher engagement. 

TIP 5 - Stay on top of Instagram changes and updates. Remember, life is made up of a series of trends. You don’t want to get left behind. 

TIP 6 - If you are a business or brand, (or simply want to become famous 🙄) make use of paid ads to expand your reach, and while you are at it, please try to also make use of Insights when making decisions. 

TIP 6.5 - Not making this a full tip as I am still not a big fan of it. However, I won’t be doing my job if I didn’t include it as an option - partner with influencers to reach a wider audience. 

TIP 7 - Set up SHOP! If you have physical items to sell, take advantage of Instagram’s Shop feature, which is a customizable digital storefront that lets people shop directly from a business’ page.

TIP 8 - Have fun! 🥳 It’s called social media for a reason. So don’t open an account to become a ghost. Mingle with others for heavens sake! 😘

Below are two videos from Online Income Toolz that will help you set up your Instagram business account, and optimize it for success. 

ENJOY!