The Basics of Marketing on Instagram

Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, and in the past year the number of Instagram marketers grew by nearly 7 percent. The following article serves as a launching point to get you started on your Instagram marketing journey.

General Marketing Tips

Creating an Instagram Business Profile

Before you even begin marketing on Instagram, you should create a business profile. Having a business profile allows you to obtain the benefits of the business features on Instagram like advertisements and Instagram Insights.

In order to create an Instagram business profile, you will need an Instagram account and a FaceBook business page for your company. If you need help with or more information on setting up a business profile, click here. 

 Taking Advantage of the Instagram Algorithm

The world “algorithm” can sound daunting, but in order to get started marketing on Instagram, all you need to know is the basics. The main goal of the Instagram algorithm is to deliver each of its users relevant, entertaining, and engaging content. Therefore, when marketing on Instagram, focusing on creating quality content that benefits your audience is essential.

When posting on Instagram, avoid creating content just for the sake of creating content. Be thoughtful, be strategic, and consistently ask your audience what they want and how you can serve them. Creating content for your specific audience is essential to selling your product and your brand.

Producing and Posting Organic Content

Organic content, which is any unpaid/unsponsored content that you post to your page (such as photos, videos, or Instagram Stories) should be at the center of your Instagram marketing strategy. It is much easier to make sales if you are able to keep your audience interested and engaged organically. Instagram, like all social media sites, moves at a mile a minute and makes it extremely easy for users to brush past your content without a second thought. Therefore, the content you post should be interesting, unique and engaging. If done right, customers will stop and look at your content or share it without the need for advertising. For a great, in-depth article on the importance of organic content in media marketing, click here.

Maintaining Consistency

Both posting on your page consistently and staying consistent with your brand are crucial when marketing on Instagram. Posting at least several times a week is ideal. Not every post has to be your art, but should at least relate to your craft in some way and make sense with the context of your other posts.



In terms of branding, you should include the same colors/fonts/images/etc. on your Instagram that you use in other places (like your website and other social media platforms); this makes it easy for you to promote your business in a clear and recognizable way. It is a good idea to use your business logo for your profile photo, as this helps with brand recognition. Adding a link to your website or another external source encourages users to explore your brand.

Utilizing Instagram's Advertising Tools

A more traditional, direct way to make cold sales on Instagram is advertisements. There are several types of ads you can run for a small price. Here are the most common types of ads on Instagram:

1. Image and video ads show up in user’s feeds like organic posts do, and have buttons that encourage users to take actions, including “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Contact Us.”
2. Story ads are the fastest growing advertisement method on Instagram. When users watch stories from their followers, story advertisements pop up in between. Story ads are full screen, allow you to make creative and appealing ads, and can be either a still image or video. Because these ads appear when users swipe through stories, making sure these ads are engaging and eye-catching is extremely important.
3. Shoppable posts allows users to purchase items without leaving the app. These posts allow businesses to tag products in their content; potential customers can click on the tagged item and are brought to the product page on the business’s website. Want more information? Click here.

Utilizing Hashtags

Hashtags can be extremely useful for your marketing strategy because they provide a clear signal to users that you are posting content that is relevant to what they are looking for. Many users actually search for content based on hashtags alone. You can search directly in the search bar in Instagram for what hashtags related to your content are trending or you can use third-party sites from the internet. Instagram allows you to use 30 hashtags per post.

Instagram Marketing Tips Specifically for Artists

Getting Personal with your Audience

Unlike other social media platforms, Instagram gives artists the freedom to choose how they advertise and sell. However, instead of only posting finished products, it is a good idea to use the platform to share the behind the scenes of your work; the aspects of finished pieces that people don’t get from visiting a gallery or looking at your website. If you want to stand out and engage your followers, you have to do more than simply sharing pictures of your work. What can you tell your audience about your work that they can’t infer from looking at it? Tell your audience the story behind your work, why you became an artist, or post a video or a series of photos highlighting the process of a particular piece.

A great way to share behind the scenes of your work in the moment is Instagram stories! Instagram stories can give you an opportunity to spotlight timely items or things that are not substantial enough for a regular post. Here are just a few ways you can use Instagram stories for marketing purposes:

1. Promote new content 
2. Ask your followers for feedback in general or about a product
3. Show “behind the scenes” content
4. Host a giveaway or contest

Show the Person Behind the Art

Only sharing your artwork on instagram does not let your audience into your life, which is what social media users want. People want to know who made the work they absolutely love! Sharing pictures of you making art, you with your pieces, or even just you allows your audience to associate a person with the art on your page. This approach creates a relatable connection with followers that helps bolster popularity and gives artists the chance to interact directly with their followers

Encourage your Audience to Take Action Elsewhere

It is hard to turn Instagram into some money-making machine as an artist without having incredible connections, but that does not mean you can't use Instagram to guide interested people towards where you are selling your work. For example, instead of only linking directly to your website, try inviting followers to a gallery opening or other event where your art will be on display, directing them to your mailing list, etc.

Be Patient!

As with anything, practice makes perfect. If you try a strategy and does not work, try something new. If one type of post does not work, try another. If you do not understand something or need advice, look it up. Eventually you will figure out how to attract and engage followers, but persistence is important. Mistakes are learning opportunities, so make the most of them!

Final Thoughts

Just like any other marketing strategy, an Instagram marketing strategy is more likely to succeed if you have a clear and attainable goal, choose individual tactics that will gradually build towards your goal, and keep track of your progress and tweak when needed. 

For a more in-depth, detailed description of Instagram Marketing for artists, click the button below.