Instagram Growth for Beginners
Whether we like it or not, social media is an integral part of advertising ourselves to book jobs and spread influence as a dancer. But, it doesn’t take being a marketing expert to learn how to do this. So, let’s start from the beginning, and go through building your dance influence step-by-step.
Establish professionalism
Whether your account is public or private, there’s two things that other dancers and professionals in the industry will see regardless, so it’s even more critical to make a good first impression-
a. Your username- refrain from including numbers or silly names. To be as simplistic and professional as possible, include your first/full name with some underscores or dots as needed, maybe followed by a dancer/official
Ex: sarah.dancer, sarah_dancer
b. Your bio- you only have a few characters, so make the most of them! Include your dance studio, a possible tagline or quote, and any awards/dance titles you want others, especially new, potential followers to know that you’ve received
2. Content
It’s often the niche/clear Instagram accounts that do the best- rather than posting random videos, focus on dance content, and after establishing yourself with a consistent audience with consistent likes and comments/engagement, then you can post more miscellaneous content based on what you’re feeling. Here’s some ideas
Dance quotes
Dance freestyle sessions
Class videos
Convention videos
monthly/weekly/event recaps
3. Consistency and longevity
It’s not enough to post dance content and establish professionalism, now you must make it a routine! Try to post weekly or 2-3 times a week or more, rather than ‘whenever you feel like it’. A huge part of social media is building a community, and just like regular relationships, these are built through consistency! Download the Habit Tracker from DanceVibes to build up this habit!
Other social media tips:
Balance posting both reels and carousels: both perform well (contrary to popular belief that only reels work)
Respond to comments and likes to build your community
Initiate your engagement: post notes with questions for your followers, and comment questions or polls on your posts!
Include hashtags: 8-10 is a sweet spot, and here are some other considerations when using hashtags:
If it has 100 or more posts with it already, it’s a good one!
Also check the content associated with that hashtag to ensure it’s appropriate