With over 150 million users, Instagram is today's fastest-growing social media network and a powerful marketing tool for visual artists in our Talenthouse community. Put the ART in smART phone with these tips for promoting your Instagram photos.

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Courtesy of Forbes.com

 

Ask yourself, does this image communicate something interesting about me as an artist or prove my talent?

 

Quality Control You're beautiful, we know, but resist the urge to post a ton of selfies on your Instagram profile. At least 80% of your posts should be directly related to your creative work. Behind the scenes photos, pictures of the equipment and materials you work with as well as cool images that show your eye for design and composition are all fair game. Make an effort to think before you post. Ask yourself, does this image communicate something interesting about me as an artist or prove my talent? The answer should always be YES. It's better to post a few thoughtful photos every day than to post lots of images that have no value to you or your audience. Quality over quantity.

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London event with Talenthouse ambassador Roxanne Williams at her @crazivity pop-up store. #jewelry #art #store #boxparkshoreditch #london

 

Share You can reach an even wider audience by sharing your Instagram posts on other social media platforms and websites. The app's cross-platform tool allows you to simultaneously share your Instagram posts on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr. Instagram's presentation apps also make it easy for your share images on your blog or website. Be sure to take advantage of these options for sharing your photos.

 

instagramshare.jpgNetwork  It's called social media for a reason – socialize! Engage with your followers and other artists by liking and commenting on their posts. Use hashtags strategically to attract followers in the places where you work and to engage followers interested in the subjects you photograph. The hashtags #art #jewelry and #london, could help promote the above image from Talenthouse's Instagram, for example.

Hashtags are also useful for actively seeking out new followers. Search for Instagram users that use relevant hashtags and engage with them to expand your network.

 

Listen Your followers speak to you when they like and comment on your photos. For example, do your followers respond in large numbers when you give them an inside look at your creative process by showing photos before and after they've been retouched? Or do they show a preference for behind the scenes photos at exciting locations? Listening to feedback can help you refine your Instagram promotion strategy.

 

Protect Finally, it's important to protect your work. Watermark your images and don't share any photos that you want to have complete control over since your Instagram photos will surely be shared and repurposed.

 

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Photo credit: Talenthouse photographer Daniel Fuchs