How to Market Yourself on Instagram without a Team

When many brands start out on Instagram, they are often the brainchild of a single person. Creating a team of people to handle all aspects of marketing can be too expensive in the early days.

Fortunately, there are many ways that people can create practical and successful marketing solutions on their own without a team of professionals. Moreover, many of the available tools are free to access and use.

There are also many habits that individuals can master that will help them succeed in marketing by working smarter rather than harder. Here are some tips for marketing yourself on Instagram without a team.

Plan the Details

If you’re ready to launch your brand or get more engagement, it’s time to make a plan. Start by identifying who your audience will be and what you’re offering to them. Then, use this information to guide you in determining your brand aesthetic and vibe. You’ll want to plan your look down to the details, including:

• Your logo or profile picture

  Create a simple but visually memorable logo. If you’ve elected to use a unifying color, make your logo that color. Many brands choose a font to apply consistently as well.

• Your branded and niche hashtags

  Take a moment to create a brand hashtag that will represent you both in your own captions and when you engage with other content on Instagram. Your hashtag is a way to help you track your impressions and engagements and for your audience to track back to you. And using niche hashtags consistently ensures that your target audience can find you within the niche.

• Your color or filter

  Simple design choices can significantly impact your look. Remember, many of the most iconic brands have chosen a color you’ll find in nearly all of their content. You can use the same technique with a color or filter that delivers a professional touch to your brand.

• Photo and video editing

  Creating content that changes significantly from one post to the next can be jarring. But many people lack the editing skills to create consistent and professional content. Fortunately, many third-party apps are compatible with Instagram and help anyone achieve their desired look without too much headache.

Get Organized with Third-Party Apps

Creating, editing, scheduling, and posting content takes a lot of time and work if you try to do it all by yourself. Fortunately, many apps help you organize and create a consistent feed of quality content even if your whole team is Me, Myself, and I.

Third-party apps can help you batch your content and schedule it on a central calendar. In addition, many of these apps help you design a content calendar incorporating more than one social media account so you maintain a consistent look.

Finally, consider using an app that also delivers your social media feeds in one central dashboard, allowing you to respond to comments across multiple platforms. Third-party apps can effectively supply you with a ‘team’ without needing the capital to invest in actual people.

Some of the most comprehensive third-party apps you can integrate are:

• SproutSocial

  In addition to desktop access, SproutSocial users can access their social media feed and work on post scheduling via a mobile app. However, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee after a trial period.

• Later

  Start with a free account for basic services that will get you off the ground, and then upgrade to a paid account with Later to expand your reach. Later helps you do everything from planning to publishing. In addition, Later can even help you access content if you don’t have the time to create some.

• Buffer

  You can try Buffer out for free for 14 days, but after that, you’ll need to select a plan if you like its features. In addition to managing content editing and posting, you can also manage hashtags and monitor your analytics.

• HootSuite

  Although initially designed for Twitter, HootSuite has expanded far beyond and now works with many social media platforms. You can access HootSuite for free, but the features are minimal. There are multiple plan levels depending on your budget and the features that work best for you.

Stay Consistent and Get the Likes You Need

Getting noticed and getting a favorable boost from the algorithms is a challenge. You might be creating great content, but without any Likes, you’ll stagnate in anonymity. One way to give yourself a leg up is to get Likes from a service like Stormlikes.

Stormlikes offers a free trial, so you can see how it works and packages that fit every size Instagram account. Getting more Likes on your posts helps them perform more favorably in the algorithms. People are more likely to find you on the Explore page. Getting a boost of Likes on your content helps drive your visibility when you’re just starting out and need as much engagement as possible.

Check Your Analytics

When promoting your brand or service, the best way to do this on Instagram is to create a Business or Creator account. By transitioning from a Personal account, you can access analytics tools that will help you identify what content is performing best and where your customer engagement is. You should take the time to check your analytics often since these insights will tell you what style of content is most successful or where your audience is focusing on the most.

Remember, many third-party apps deliver outstanding analytics. However, you’ll still want to create a Business or Creator account for your brand to access the free marketing tools that Instagram provides. And working without a team means you’re probably working within a tight budget, so free tools are an invaluable resource.

You Can Successfully Market Yourself on Instagram without a Team

Eventually, having a team can be a great way to handle the large volume of work that many brands have. But you can successfully market yourself without a team if you have a plan and know where the best tools are.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or you have some experience, there are a ton of great resources available that can help you rocket to your goals. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a few resources—not all of them will apply to you or work best for what you’re doing. Find what fits, and you’ll see success and create a good work-life balance.