The Musicians Guide to Instagram Marketing

Instagram has experienced a sudden rise. As of today, there are over 1 billion active users on Instagram, and 98 million pictures shared every day.

Also, 82% of users on Instagram come from outside of the United States! I guess a photo is worth a thousand words.

Editing Your Profile

1. Instagram lets you change your profile picture and add a bio with 150-word and one link, so choose thoughtfully!
2. Next, connect to users you already know on Facebook, and if you want, you can also search and connect to your phone contacts.
3. Next, link your other social media accounts by using the little “wheel” at the top right of the platform where you can link to your Twitter, Facebook, and others.
4. After that, Take a picture (or choose one from your gallery), apply a fine filter to improve the photo, change the color, make the image look old, rotate it, etc., and then share it as a post!

Use Hashtags

Write at least two hashtags in your caption, as this is how pictures are found on Instagram. You can use the Top hashtags trending in real time to get more engagement by putting them in your caption or post them in a comment under your post.

Use your Captions to Tell A Story

In addition to hashtags, you should add captions to your pictures before posting. What’s going on in your picture? Your fans want to connect with you on an intimate and personal level, so tell them a story! Post a few images in real time, documenting the lead-up to your show, a day on tour, a trip to downtown, etc.

Timing is Important

It’s necessary to track the time when your fans engage with your posts. Posting at 2 am on a Saturday might work correctly for an EDM DJ, however, it’s not an excellent policy for an older folk singer. Think about your target audience, and when they’re most likely to be using Instagram. Check out our blog on What is the best time to post on Instagram to find out more.

Use Instagram Stories

Instagram lets you share your day with your followers by using Instagram stories! You can post a few simple pictures of you going about your day, or record short videos. You can even use the boomerang option to create a looped video. By using this feature, you can also add a link that the viewer will swipe up to open. This feature can be used to promote a lot of various things – you can ask your fans to follow your other social media accounts, send out a link to purchase your new album or song on iTunes, etc.

Go Live on Instagram

When you start a live stream on Instagram, a notification will be sent out to all of your followers telling them that you are live! You can answer questions that your fans are sending in the real-time comments. This is an excellent way to connect with your followers and fans on a more personal level, or to make announcements in a unique, creative idea!

What should I Post?

We suggest picking up to five thematics, and concentrating on those when posting on Instagram. Here are some examples to get you started:

• Charities or causes that you or your band care about – #childfund #unicef
• Family – #bro #mom
• Your pets or animals – #grumpycat #puppy
• Other musicians, shows you go to, etc. – #musicmonday
• Your upcoming events, performances, etc. – #livemusicNYC
• Your creative process – #coffeecoffeecoffee
• Food – #COOKIES
• Your hometown or where you live – #nyc #brooklyn
• Your hobbies – #adultcoloringbooks
• Then there’s #tbt (Throwback Thursday). Awkward childhood pictures go down a treat.

That’s it guys.

Instagram can be great for artists and musicians. So go on and get all the benefits from it.