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Transform Your Instagram Brand: From Abstract Ideas to Tangible Results
Have you ever felt overwhelmed trying to start an Instagram account from scratch? I’ve been there too. I remember when I started my own journey on Instagram and made every possible mistake.
But today, after working with hundreds of clients and learning from each step, I’m here to share with you exactly how you can do it the right way.
I’m going to tell you, step by step, how to create an Instagram brand from scratch. Everything you find in this blog is based on my personal and professional experience. I’ve divided this guide into essential blocks, each one based on a key lesson I’ve learned throughout my career.
This blog is designed for two types of people: those who already have an Instagram account and want to improve it with a proven methodology, and those who haven’t started yet but want to do it the right way, avoiding common mistakes and moving faster than I did.
If I had to start an Instagram account from scratch right now, the one thing I would never, ever do is focus my account on a single theme. Instead, your account should be centered on a transformation.
- Let's do this exercise together.
- Applying the Rule of Three "Whys" for Effective Content
- Starting an Instagram Account with a Loyal Community
- Determine If You Need a New Instagram Account or Not
- Content Strategy for High Growth
- Don't Just Add Value to Grow on Instagram
- Levels of Awareness in Social Media and Content Strategies
- Brand Consistency
- The Minimum Threshold for Virality
- Staying Within the Virality Threshold
- The Impact of Appearance on Brand Identity
- The Importance of Dressing to Match Your Brand
- Societal Impact of Appearance
- Content Formats
- Think About Monetization from the Start
Every day, I receive hundreds of messages from people telling me the same thing: “I want to start an Instagram account to talk about mindset, entrepreneurship, personal finance, habits.” And I always tell them that this is the worst idea they could have.
Not because the content won’t work on Instagram—it likely will—but because what they’ll achieve by posting that kind of content alone is completely opposite to what they’re seeking by sharing on social media.
True community is build on the foundation of shared transformation, where each individual’s growth inspires and uplift the collective whole.
Let’s do this exercise together.
Think about it: Do you want to learn about health, or do you want to have a great physique? Do you want to learn about personal finance, or do you want to have a lot of money? Do you want to have a good mindset, or do you want to achieve everything you set your mind to, even if it’s thanks to a good mindset?
This is what I say never to do: create a brand, an Instagram account, that focuses solely on an abstract theme.
Why doesn’t this work? Because people don’t want to learn about themes.
What I want is the transformation, for example, from being out of shape and overweight to having abs in six months. What I want is not to learn about finance, but to know how to make more money and keep more of it.
If you notice in these examples, what’s always present is a transformation. Your account, your brand, especially if you work with a personal brand, must be based on a principle of transformation for the person consuming that content, who follow you, and who will eventually buy a product from you.
What you need to achieve is for people to associate your personal brand, with a transformation they will achieve in their specific lives.
Now, think about selling a product or making money from your Instagram account. It’s going to be extremely difficult if you don’t have a follower base with a common problem, who are at point A and want to get to point B.
What I want you to understand is that for your social media account to work, you need to provide a transformation.
Applying the Rule of Three “Whys” for Effective Content
Provide a transformation is very simple. Just follow the rule of the 3 “Whys.”
For example, let’s say you like talking about mindset. Okay, Why “mindset”, I want the mindset to be consistent with what I want. Okay, why do you want to be consistent? I want to be consistent to start a business. Okay, why do you want to start a business? To achieve geographical freedom and travel the world.
So, what you need to be doing on your Instagram account is not talking about mindset, is talking about how to achieve geographical freedom to work from anywhere in the world.
That’s your transformation—your point A or, rather, the point A of your clients—and the point B they want to reach is exactly that. And what you need to talk about, what you need to do, and what you need to sell is precisely that transformation.
Now, this doesn’t mean that what you have to say literally in your Instagram content is this—we’ll see that later.
But what I want you to understand, and a mistake I made , is taking talking about a completely general topic without any clear transformation for a client it’s really bad.
For example, instead of talking about entrepreneurship, what you will do is explain the specific business model with which you have ventured.
Instead of talking about men’s health, you will explain how a men over 50 can get in shape without dieting if that is your field and what you do.
You need to understand that to create this type of content, you must know about that type of content. This sounds very absurd and crazy, but you can’t teach, for example, a business model or talk about topics that you don’t even understand or haven’t even done yourself.
Once you have this, you might ask, “But how do I start my account?” .
Starting an Instagram Account with a Loyal Community
If I were to start an Instagram account from scratch today, here’s exactly what I would do. This is the same strategy we used with a client who gained 5,000 followers in the first 15 days of working together.
In fact, their first video garnered over 10,000 views. Why? Because of one critical factor: the Interest Ratio (IR).
The IR is the relationship between the number of people who see your content and those who engage with it correctly.
His initial content performed exceptionally well, and we gained so many followers in such a short time because their IR was very high from the start.
This was an account with a small but highly loyal community. They had many friends, family, clients, and people from their industry following them. Even with a modest follower count, they had a robust “community,” so to speak.
So, what should you do if you’re starting an account from zero?
You have two options:
- Leverage an Existing Community: If your account already has a good community base, even if it’s small, filled with people who are genuinely interested in your content, then create high-quality content using the right methodology.
- If your account isn’t growing, it might be because it’s “intoxicated,” meaning your engagement rates are low. In this case, consider creating a new account.
- Start Fresh and Migrate Your Audience: If your current account’s engagement rates are low—few story views, low Reel engagement compared to your follower count, and minimal likes—you might need to start a new account.
- Announce on your current account, through stories and posts, that you’re creating a new account focused solely on a specific transformation.
- For example, “I’m starting a new account dedicated to weight loss tips for women.” Migrate your most engaged followers to this new account. These are your “warm” audience members who are genuinely interested in your new content. This strategy helps ensure a high IR and sets a strong foundation for growth.
- Announce on your current account, through stories and posts, that you’re creating a new account focused solely on a specific transformation.
By focusing on building a loyal community, even if it’s small, and maintaining a high IR, you’ll set your new account up for success.
This way, every piece of content you post will resonate with and engage your audience, leading to sustainable growth.
Determine If You Need a New Instagram Account or Not
How do you know if you need to create a new Instagram account or if your current account is just fine?
By answering a few questions, you’ll know if your account is “intoxicated” and needs to be replaced with a new one, complete with follower migration, or if you can continue using your current account.
If your account is “intoxicated,” it’s like trying to run a marathon with a heavy backpack—no matter how hard you try, you’ll never reach your full potential. Let’s find out if your account needs a fresh start.
Content Strategy for High Growth
Once you know whether to continue with your current account or start fresh, the next crucial step is understanding what type of content to post. Should you post high-value content, as everyone suggests? Should you focus on niche-specific content?
The answer lies in aligning your content with the transformation you want to provide for your followers. High-value content is important, but it needs to be specific to the transformation you’re aiming to achieve.
Here’s how to approach it:
- Educational Content: Teach your audience something valuable that aligns with your transformation goal. If your focus is on fitness, share workout routines, nutrition tips, and motivational stories.
- Engaging Stories: Use Instagram Stories to share behind-the-scenes content, daily routines, and personal anecdotes that make your audience feel connected to you.
- Interactive Posts: Create posts that encourage engagement, such as polls, questions, and challenges. The more your audience interacts with your content, the higher your engagement rate will be.
- Consistency and Quality: Post regularly but ensure every post is of high quality and offers real value. Consistency helps build a loyal audience, while quality content keeps them engaged.
By following these guidelines and continuously monitoring your account’s health using the questions above, you’ll be well on your way to growing a thriving, engaged Instagram community.
Don’t Just Add Value to Grow on Instagram
How can this be? Everyone says you need to add value to grow on social media. How can this not be true?
The worst thing you can do to grow an Instagram account is to focus solely on adding value. All the old social media marketing gurus say to provide a lot of value to grow your presence. However, after analyzing hundreds of viral accounts, I’ve realized this is the last thing you should do.
First, why do people use social media? When do you open Instagram? Is it when you are busy doing something important? Is it when you want to learn something? Or is it when you are bored and looking for a distraction?
You open Instagram to seek the stimulation and dopamine that you’re not getting at that moment in your real life. You open it during idle moments when you want more entertainment than what you’re currently getting from your activities.
Therefore, if you create content focused solely on providing value in your niche, you risk making your audience bored. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t teach anything on Instagram. But the main focus of your content should be to make people want to watch it by offering entertainment first.
The first thing you need to do is grab people’s attention with entertainment and something easy to consume.
Develop your content while maintaining engagement throughout the video, which is one of the most critical metrics for virality. Then, at the end, give a small lesson and demonstrate your authority in the field with a bit of valuable content.
In summary, you need to capture people’s attention with entertainment so you can then talk about what you do. It doesn’t matter if your video reveals the cure for cancer or the formula to become a millionaire if no one stops to watch it.
It doesn’t matter how much value you provide if it doesn’t get the engagement. Interacting on social media is not about what you know; it’s about what people want to see and hear. The key is not what you say, but how you say it.
Levels of Awareness in Social Media and Content Strategies
Understanding the levels of awareness of your audience is crucial for creating effective social media content. Each level requires a different approach to engage and convert followers.
- Level 0: Unaware
- Level 1: Problem Aware
- Level 2: Solution Aware
- Level 3: Product Aware
- Level 4: Most Aware
- Apply
At this level, the audience is completely unaware of the problem or need they have. They aren’t looking for solutions because they don’t recognize there’s a problem.
Content Strategy:
- Content Type: Entertaining and engaging content that captures attention.
- Examples: Fun quizzes, humorous posts, viral challenges, memes.
- Goal: To entertain and subtly introduce the idea of a problem without directly addressing it.
Ex: A meme about how people struggle to find time to exercise. This indirectly highlights the problem of a busy lifestyle without being confrontational.
The audience recognizes they have a problem but aren’t aware of potential solutions. They are beginning to feel the pain of their issue.
Content Strategy:
- Content Type: Problem-oriented content that highlights the issue and resonates with their experiences.
- Examples: Relatable stories, statistics, infographics, personal anecdotes.
- Goal: To validate their feelings and make them realize the problem more concretely.
Ex: A post describing the frustration of not being able to lose weight despite trying various diets, highlighting the common struggle.
The audience knows there are solutions available but isn’t sure which one is right for them. They are exploring options and comparing them.
Content Strategy:
- Content Type: Educational content that explains various solutions and their benefits.
- Examples: How-to guides, comparison posts, pros and cons lists, expert tips.
- Goal: To inform and educate about the possible solutions and position your offering as a viable option.
Ex: A guide on different workout routines and their effectiveness, comparing home workouts versus gym workouts.
The audience is aware of your product or service but isn’t sure if it’s the best choice. They need more information to make a decision.
Content Strategy:
- Content Type: Product-focused content that highlights the features, benefits, and testimonials.
- Examples: Success stories, detailed product descriptions, user-generated content, reviews.
- Goal: To build trust and provide proof that your solution works.
Ex: A testimonial video of a customer who successfully lost weight using your fitness app, showcasing their transformation.
The audience is fully aware of your product and its benefits. They are ready to make a purchase but may need a little push.
Content Strategy:
- Content Type: Promotional content with strong calls to action.
- Examples: Limited-time offers, discount codes, exclusive deals, product demos.
- Goal: To convert awareness into action by encouraging them to buy or sign up.
Example: A post announcing a 20% discount on your fitness app for the first month, urging immediate action with a sense of urgency.
Understanding these levels of awareness helps you tailor your content to meet your audience where they are in their journey. Here’s how to apply this in practice:
- Diversify Your Content: Create a mix of content that addresses all levels of awareness to attract and nurture your audience effectively.
- Engage Gradually: Start with entertaining content to grab attention (Level 0), then gradually move to more educational and promotional content as your audience becomes more aware.
- Monitor Engagement: Use analytics to see which types of content resonate most with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.
By aligning your content with the levels of awareness, you can effectively guide your audience from not knowing about you at all to becoming loyal customers who actively engage with your brand.
People come to Instagram to pass the time, not to learn. Entertain them first, then educate.
Brand Consistency
Brand consistency is essential in building trust and authenticity with your audience. Your content should align closely with your life and image to establish credibility.
Let’s explore what this means through some examples:
Becoming a Renowned Baker
If you’re teaching others how to become a renowned baker, you need to showcase your expertise by making the best cakes in town. Your Instagram should be filled with beautifully decorated cakes, baking tips, and satisfied customer testimonials. If you’re not consistently baking high-quality cakes, your advice loses its impact and authenticity.
Fitness Expertise
If your focus is on fitness, you need to embody the principles you preach. For example, if you’re a fitness coach promoting a healthy lifestyle, your content should reflect your own fitness journey. Share your workout routines, nutrition plans, and personal progress. If you talk about achieving a six-pack in six months, your own fitness level should exemplify this transformation.
Financial Advisor
As a financial advisor, your advice must be backed by your own financial success. If you’re teaching people how to manage their finances and invest wisely, your lifestyle should reflect financial stability. Share tips on saving, investing, and financial planning, and demonstrate how these strategies have worked for you. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, it would be difficult to convince others of your financial expertise.
Fashion Style
Imagine trying to give fashion advice without understanding how to combine colors and styles effectively. If you’re positioning yourself as a fashion expert, your wardrobe and personal style must be impeccable. Share outfit ideas, fashion tips, and trend analysis, and consistently showcase your ability to style various looks. If you don’t dress the part, your credibility in fashion will suffer.
Personal Development Coach
If you’re a personal development coach, your life should reflect continuous growth and improvement. Share your own experiences with overcoming challenges, setting goals, and achieving them. For instance, if you’re teaching others how to develop a growth mindset, demonstrate your own progress and breakthroughs.
Culinary Influencer
If you’re teaching gourmet cooking, your Instagram should be a gallery of your culinary creations. Share recipes, cooking techniques, and kitchen hacks, and ensure your dishes look as delicious as they taste. If your cooking skills don’t match your claims, your audience will quickly lose trust.
Importance of Brand Consistency
Consistency in your brand builds trust and establishes you as an authority in your field. When your content is closely related to your life and image, it creates a coherent narrative that your audience can believe in and follow.
Here are some key points on why brand consistency matters:
Builds Trust: Consistent messaging and authentic content make your audience trust you more. If they see that you practice what you preach, they’re more likely to follow your advice.
Enhances Credibility: When your lifestyle reflects your teachings, it enhances your credibility. Your audience sees you as a real-life example of the results they want to achieve.
Creates a Strong Identity: Consistency helps in creating a strong, recognizable brand identity. It ensures that your audience knows what to expect from you, making your brand more memorable.
Engages Your Audience: When your content is consistent and relevant, it keeps your audience engaged. They know that they can rely on you for valuable, authentic insights.
Your content must be a true reflection of your life and expertise. This congruence is what differentiates successful influencers from the rest. Always remember, your brand is not just about what you say, but also about how you live and what you do.
The Minimum Threshold for Virality
Achieving virality on Instagram requires a delicate balance between niche-specific content and more general, trending topics that capture a broader audience’s interest. Staying within the minimum threshold for virality means you need to expand your niche content just enough to appeal to a wider audience while maintaining your brand’s identity. Let’s break down how to do this effectively.
Understanding the Minimum Threshold for Virality
The minimum threshold for virality is the degree to which you need to broaden your niche to reach a wider audience and achieve viral status. It’s about finding the sweet spot where your content is not too specific that it only appeals to a small group, but not so broad that it loses its relevance to your core audience.
Examples of Balancing Niche Content with Trending Topics
Fitness
Niche Topic: Specific workout routines for bodybuilders.
General/Trending Topic: Home workout routines during lockdowns.
Content Strategy: Create a post or video demonstrating effective home workout routines that can be done without gym equipment. Mention how these routines are great for maintaining muscle mass during times when gym access is limited. This way, you’re tapping into the broader trend of home workouts while still focusing on your niche of bodybuilding.
Example Post: “Top 5 Home Workout Routines for Bodybuilders During Lockdown – Stay Fit Without the Gym!”
Fashion
Niche Topic: High-end fashion tips for professional women.
General/Trending Topic: Sustainable fashion and eco-friendly trends.
Content Strategy: Combine your fashion expertise with the trending topic of sustainability. Showcase high-end, professional outfits made from sustainable materials or highlight brands that are eco-friendly.
Example Post: “How to Stay Stylish and Sustainable: Eco-Friendly Fashion Tips for Professional Women”
Digital Marketing
Niche Topic: Advanced SEO techniques for tech startups.
General/Trending Topic: The rise of AI in digital marketing.
Content Strategy: Discuss how AI can be integrated into SEO strategies, particularly for tech startups. This ties your niche expertise with the broader trend of AI in marketing.
Example Post: “Harnessing AI for Advanced SEO: A Guide for Tech Startups”
Health and Wellness
Niche Topic: Nutritional plans for athletes.
General/Trending Topic: The popularity of plant-based diets.
Content Strategy: Create content that merges nutritional advice for athletes with plant-based diet trends. Discuss the benefits and provide meal plans or recipes that cater to both interests.
Example Post: “Plant-Based Nutrition Plans for Athletes: Boost Performance with Sustainable Diets”
Personal Finance
Niche Topic: Investment strategies for millennials.
General/Trending Topic: The impact of cryptocurrencies on personal finance.
Content Strategy: Discuss how millennials can incorporate cryptocurrencies into their investment strategies. Provide insights and tips that make the topic accessible and relevant to your audience.
Example Post: “Cryptocurrencies and Millennial Investing: How to Integrate Digital Assets into Your Portfolio”
Staying Within the Virality Threshold
To consistently create content that has the potential to go viral, follow these guidelines:
- Monitor Trends: Stay updated on general trends and viral topics. Use tools like Google Trends and social media analytics to identify what’s currently popular.
- Blend Niches with Trends: Always find a way to link broader trends back to your niche. This keeps your content relevant and engaging to both your core audience and new viewers.
- Engage and Entertain: Make sure your content is engaging and easy to consume. Use visuals, storytelling, and interactive elements to keep your audience hooked.
- Consistency is Key: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged and attract new followers. Regularly review and adjust your strategy based on performance analytics.
By staying within the minimum threshold for virality, you can ensure that your content remains engaging, relevant, and true to your brand, helping you grow a loyal and expansive audience.
The Impact of Appearance on Brand Identity
In the world of social media and personal branding, how you dress is as crucial as the content you produce. Your attire communicates volumes about your brand identity and can significantly influence how your audience perceives you. Let’s explore this concept with some examples and insights.
Inconsistent Dressing and Brand Perception
Example 1: The Legal Expert Imagine a person who positions themselves as a legal expert, providing advice on complex legal matters. However, they appear in their videos and photos wearing gym clothes. This mismatch between their professional knowledge and casual attire can confuse their audience, undermining their credibility and making it harder for viewers to take them seriously.
Example 2: The Aspiring Musician Consider someone giving advice on how to start a music career. If this person is dressed in a way that doesn’t resonate with the music industry—perhaps wearing formal business attire while discussing hip-hop—it creates a disconnect. The audience expects them to reflect the style and culture of the music genre they are passionate about.
The Importance of Dressing to Match Your Brand
How you dress forms a key part of your brand identity. It’s not just about looking good; it’s about creating a visual representation that aligns with your message and values. Your appearance helps to:
- Establish Credibility: Dressing appropriately for your niche can help you gain trust and respect from your audience.
- Enhance Recall: A consistent and fitting style makes your brand more memorable. People remember visual cues more easily than abstract concepts.
- Create a Positive First Impression: In many cases, first impressions are lasting. Your attire can influence whether someone decides to follow you or trust your advice.
Societal Impact of Appearance
We live in a society where appearance plays a significant role. How you look often dictates how you are treated and perceived. This might seem superficial, but human beings naturally form associations based on visual cues. They decide what they like or dislike within moments of seeing it.
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.”
– Mark Twain
Content Formats
When it comes to content on Instagram, the format is just as important as the content itself. Different formats can help you engage with your audience in various ways, keeping your content fresh and interesting. Here’s a brief overview of the main content formats you should consider:
- Photos: High-quality images are the backbone of Instagram. They are great for showcasing products, sharing moments, and creating a visually appealing feed.
- Videos: Short videos, such as Reels and IGTV, can capture attention quickly and are perfect for tutorials, behind-the-scenes looks, and dynamic content.
- Stories: Instagram Stories are ideal for sharing fleeting moments, updates, and interactive content like polls and Q&A sessions. They disappear after 24 hours, which encourages viewers to engage promptly.
- Carousels: These allow you to share multiple images or videos in a single post. They are useful for storytelling, step-by-step guides, and highlighting different aspects of a single topic.
- Live Videos: Going live on Instagram helps you connect with your audience in real-time. It’s perfect for Q&A sessions, live events, and spontaneous interactions.
- Infographics: Visually appealing and informative, infographics can help explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner. They are highly shareable and can increase engagement.
If you want to dive deeper into how to use these formats effectively, be sure to read my previous blog where I explain this in detail.
Think About Monetization from the Start
One of the most important aspects of building an Instagram brand is to think about monetization from the very beginning. While growing your follower base and creating engaging content are crucial steps, having a clear strategy for making money should always be a priority. Here’s a brief summary of how to approach this:
Start with a Clear Monetization Plan
- Identify Your Revenue Streams: Determine the various ways you can monetize your account, such as sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, selling products or services, and creating premium content for subscribers.
- Build Partnerships: Establish relationships with brands and companies that align with your niche. This can lead to sponsorships and collaborations that benefit both parties.
- Create Valuable Content: Ensure your content not only engages your audience but also provides value that can be monetized. For example, if you offer fitness tips, consider creating and selling workout plans or nutrition guides.
- Promote Consistently: Regularly remind your audience about your products, services, or affiliate links in a way that feels natural and not overly salesy. Use calls to action in your posts and stories to drive sales.
- Leverage Analytics: Use Instagram’s analytics tools to understand what content drives the most engagement and sales. Focus on replicating successful strategies.
- Leverage TikTok, Instagram & Youtube for profits!
- How to set up your profile the RIGHT way!
- How to build your strategy for maximum profits!
- How to make brands beg YOU for promotions!
- How to build a loyal audience that will follow you for life!
- The dirty-little-secrets other Influencers are ignorant about!
Conclusion
Building a successful Instagram brand involves more than just posting pictures and videos. It requires strategic planning, consistent branding, and a focus on providing value while also entertaining your audience. Remember, the key to long-term success is balancing niche-specific content with broader, trending topics to maintain engagement and grow your follower base.
“Monetize your passion, entertain your audience, and transform your brand.”
The Online Growth Guru
Feel free to leave your comments below or contact me if you need more help. I’m here to support you on your journey to Instagram success!
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