How to Create a Winning Instagram on a Budget

Instagram is growing like wildfire and if you've put off learning how to use it for your blog or small business, now is the time to learn how to create a winning Instagram on a budget.

Instagram on a budget

Be consistent with your brand

Your Instagram posts will create a story for your brand – a gallery of opportunities to connect with people and grow your business.

The Instagram Expert Sue Zimmerman says, “Think of 3-5 words that describe your brand. Write it down and commit it to memory because you should always post with those words in mind. Remember, consistent posting is everything. People who recognize your content are more likely to stop, engage, and even click over to your website. Your brand is unique; ensure your Instagram branding strategy captures it.”

Create a solid posting schedule

A recent Forrester study found that “Instagram delivered 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook and 120 times more engagement per follower than Twitter.

With stats like that, there’s no denying the opportunity to be found on Instagram.

But before anyone connects, they want to learn more about you. This will take a commitment to actively showing up on Instagram.

Create a schedule that easily integrates into your current social media strategy. Set a time to post your content each day and then additional times to come back and engage with your community.”

Save time by batch-processing your posts

Spending one chunk of time to plan and create your week of Instagram posts will make posting regularly much easier.

Create a plan for your weekly content based on the day of the week, blog posts you're creating, or events you have planned. Keeping a stash of photos on your phone to use later is also a huge time saver.

Be smart with social media tools

Keep your costs low by maximizing your social media without bloating your marketing budget.

I recommend the following Instagram tools:

Adobe Spark – create awesome social media graphics on the go or on desktop

Canva for Work – great if you work with a team

Plann That

Canva for photo editing

I was recently a guest on Jeff Sieh's Manly Pinterest Tips show, and we talked about changes on Instagram.

I hope you have a few ideas for growing your Instagram account without spending much money. Work smart, plan ahead, be consistent, and watch your Instagram account grow!

Have any questions? Let's hear them in the comments below.