For those who aren’t experts, social media can be daunting. Being selected to create your event organization’s social accounts with no prior knowledge can seem very overwhelming. However, like most things, all it takes is a little bit of guidance and patience. In this article, we will provide you with five simple steps for starting an Event Instagram profile in no time at all.
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Why Instagram?
Instagram is one of the most popular social networking platforms. As one of the top sites, it boasts some large numbers:
- 1 billion monthly active users
- 500 million daily active users
- Over 90% of user follow a business
With stats like that, it’s hard to ignore how useful Instagram can be for an event. In addition to its massive number of users, Instagram is one of the most simple platforms to engage with audiences on. Instagram allows you to simply interact through photo and story sharing, hashtag discovery, and direct messaging.
1.Create an Account- The Types
Instagram has three types of accounts- personal, creator, and business. For those looking to use Instagram for something other than just fun pictures of your dog and your life then you are going to want to create a business or creator account. If you are planning an event then you will most likely select business. The creator type is mostly for influencers and other creatives. A business account provides you with critical features that will help you grow your account.
These features include the ability to promote posts and auto-post from a third-party. It also gives you access to the ever-important insights section. This provides data such as audience demographics, the reach of posts, and other helpful information. A business account is also the only type of account that allows auto-posting from a third-party. This means you can utilize Facebook Creator Studio or other scheduling programs to plan out posts in advance.
2. What’s in a name?
There are two types on names on Instagram, your username and your display name. Your username is what you select first when setting up your profile. It is also what will go at the end of your custom URL. For example www.instagram.com/USERNAME. Be sure to pick something that is representative of your event and not too lengthy.
Pro tip: Display Name is searchable!! Be sure to put keywords there that will help others find your page. For example, if you are a beer festival in Denver and your event name is “Brews and Beats”. Then your username may be @brewsandbeats but be sure to have the “Denver Beer Festival” in your display name so you show up in more search.
3. Starting an Event Instagram with a Compelling Bio
This section is very important when it comes to starting an event Instagram profile. If a picture you post shows up in the explore or other section and someone who is not following sees your picture the first thing they will do is click onto your profile. This means they are reading your bio and deciding if they want to follow you. For an event, it’s imperative that you include all basic information like location, dates, type of event, and a website link. While this information is important, it alone is not enough.
Pro tip: Open up the notes app on your phone and use this to create it then copy it over. This will allow you to do multiple lines of text. Utilize emojis or symbols to create a nice clean look to it.
You need to tell people not only who you are but WHY they should follow you. The key to any kind of bio is to be as creative as you can with your words. What edge does your event have? What makes you different? These are questions to ask when thinking of a good “hook” for your bio.
Pro Tip: If you are selling tickets to your event using Eventbrite then you can add a button for audiences to buy tickets to your event directly through Instagram. Within “Edit Profile” select ” Contact Options” then “Add an Action Button”. You can select Eventbrite amongst the partners and paste your event link. Then under your bio, you will see a “Get Tickets” button appear.
4. Event Instagram Profile Picture
Make sure that you keep the required dimensions and shape in mind. The minimum resolution for a profile picture is 110 x 110 but photography experts recommend 180 x 180 so that it displays better in a web browser. Even though the dimensions are a perfect square, the picture gets cropped into a circle.
Event Instagram Profile Picture
5. Time to Post!
When first starting out it is highly recommended that you have six to nine photos ready to publish right away. Since the photos display three across this will give your profile a nice full look. This will also give potential followers a look into the type of content they can expect from you. If they come across your profile and it’s blank or only has one photo then they may not be as inclined to give you a follow.
When it comes to creating posts on Instagram there are two key things to remember in terms of looks: Quality and Consistency. Every image should be of the maximum quality. Try to avoid blurry or dark images. Utilize a graphic design platform such as Canva to help you create content. Be sure to use your brand’s colors and try to create a consistent them throughout the photos. Planning your post in advance through the help of scheduling apps such as Later or Sked can help you plan the look of your feed in advance.
Event Instagram Example
In addition to quality images, compelling captions are key to successful posts. Longer captions, emojis, and call to actions are the winning formula when it comes to engaging captions. You will also want to add up to 30 relevant hashtags on your post that it gets the maximum exposure. Hashtags are categories or phrases that relate to your niche. You can also create a hashtag specific for your event so that you can track the buzz around it.
Pro Tip: Use the notes app on your phone to create captions in order to have text on multiple lines. Most scheduling apps will do this for you but if you are generating a post on the go then this is a quick and easy solution.
While Instagram may seem like a daunting platform, it is really a simple app once you know the basics. Hopefully, these five steps will get you started on your way to mastery. In no time at all, you can be starting an event Instagram profile.
