Social media has the power to position thought leaders, raise brand awareness, and launch careers. Over the years, Instagram has shifted from a platform for foodies to an interactive community that presents followers with networking opportunities and a chance at fame. If you’re interested in launching a career as a brand influencer, here’s a quick guide on how to get started.
Have A Defined Style
To become a model, one needs to have an interest in fashion, clothing, or photography. Instagram models are fashionistas with staple clothing pieces from specific brands and know their style well. Instagram models define themselves by promoting traditional high-fashion clothes or they promote underground brands that are popular with room to grow. Seek brands that define your style.
Body-positive Instagram models are sources of inspiration for many. Choosing brands that break the traditional idea of what a model should look like is key to making a statement. Spicy Lingerie, for example, is a plus size lingerie brand that carries sultry and flirty lingerie to compliment every curve. Their collection of bras, corsets, and matching sets celebrate curvy women in the hottest styles of lingerie.
Create A Portfolio
Create a portfolio that represents who you are by showing off high-quality photos that showcase at least three different looks. Research the accounts of competitors representing similar brands and make note of commonalities. Notice how their followers respond to products, colors, photos, and themes for inspiration on how to create a portfolio.
Be unique with your content and develop posts that are centered on a theme or idea with staying power. Vary photos to show a balance of fun and business. Post photos that are relevant to one’s personal brand and potential customers. Remember to include behind-the-scenes shots of the work process that followers can relate to.
Gain Followers
One of the hardest parts about becoming a successful Instagram model is gaining followers. Sometimes quality content can attract followers, but typically it will take several months to reach a thousand followers if posts only feature photos.
Implementing marketing tactics like scheduled posts can speed up the gaining process. Success on Instagram means knowing when is the best time to post to reach the most users and gain the most likes. Another tactic is the mass-following technique, which involves liking and following many people and brands in the hopes that they will follow back. After gaining interested followers, unfollow users and retain the increased audience.
With fame comes the need for professionally printed materials to sell, like a promotional calendar. Mines Press has been fulfilling business printing needs for over 80 years, offering customers high-quality offset printing with a range of printing abilities and techniques to meet any project need. From self-addressed envelopes to direct mailing services, look no further than Mines Press to get the job done.
Find Collaborations
Working in a creative industry means collaborating. To find collaborations reach out to other models and photographers with more popularity. Look for influencers with a high engagement rate, several comments from followers, and mentions by other users in posts.
Collaborating with other models means posting interviews of each other, making a vlog video, snapping a selfie, or creating a joint advertisement of a shared brand. Collaborating with photographers can be done on a Time For Print basis, meaning a photographer agrees to do a photoshoot and gives a model a limited license to post select photos in return for the model’s time.
Audience Engagement
Scrolling through the accounts of successful Instagram models quickly shows that posting isn’t enough. Followers crave interaction with influencers and fawn over famous personalities who treat followers as friends and not numbers. Instagram models need to engage with loyal followers profiles as well.
Engage with followers by making posts directed to them. Ask for feedback about outfits and content, and think about running polls and contests. Hashtags are king on Instagram, so always include one to two relevant hashtags that will help direct users to one’s profile.
