We’ve talked about branding before. We know it’s important. We know intentionality and meticulousness are crucial. But maintaining consistent branding for your Instagram business is an ongoing effort, and it’s something that I see fall to the wayside all too often as an online business coach.

I know how many things you have on your plate as a business owner, and I know how easy it is for things like content tone and hard-hitting visuals to fall off the list when you’re trying to get so many other things done. But, the truth is that you can’t afford for even one post to fall short of your brand standards.

Consistent branding builds trust between you and your audience. Business growth hinges on customer relationships, and online business owners have to work even harder to build and maintain those relationships in a virtual space.

Okay now that we’ve hammered that home (getting off my soapbox), let’s move on to the “how.”

Below is a little cheat sheet to make your life easier. If you do nothing else but follow these guidelines, you’ll stay in the green with your branding while ensuring your content is compelling and engaging.

Check Your Bio

An optimized bio is critical to helping users understand who you are, what you do, and how they can find your products and services. It sounds obvious, I know, but I’ve seen countless Instagram business owners overlook this step when setting up their profiles.

First things first: your username. Your handle should be simple, easily identifiable, and unique to your brand.

Next, we have the profile pic. No matter how good your phone’s camera is, a regular ol’ photo won’t do here. You need a professional picture that reflects your brand. This doesn’t always mean you need to hire a photographer, but editing may be required to ensure your profile pic is on point and on-brand.

Your bio should be simple and sweet. Tell them what you do and how to reach you in as few words as possible. You can include emojis if that’s on-brand for you. Don’t forget to include a call to action and a link to your website – these are essential to an optimized bio.

The good news is that once your bio is optimized, you don’t have to worry about it again unless you go through a rebrand or feel compelled to update the verbiage.

Now onto real goods: content creation.

Obviously, you’re intentional and specific about what you post. But when things get busy (when are they not?) it is not uncommon for Instagram business owners to forget some basic elements.

Spend Time on Visuals

I know they can be tedious to create, but visuals matter. You could have the most compelling caption in the world, but people will scroll past it without a second thought if you don’t nail the visual element first.

It might seem like the least important thing on your to-do list, but taking the time to create branded imagery that appeals to your audience can make or break your sales.

Add CTAs

You have done all this work to develop well-branded, engaging content, but you forget to add the call to action. This leaves your followers without an easy way to access your services/products.

CTAs are your best friends. Everything you post should include at least one – sometimes more if your caption is lengthy.

“These are great tips, but I still have no idea how to keep up with it all.”

One pro tip that I have shared time and time again is batch create. It never fails. If you’ve never taken this approach to content creation, you’ll be amazed by how much of a lifesaver it is. Whether it’s photos, captions, videos, or all of the above, curating in bulk and posting incrementally saves you from constantly being stuck in the rat race that content creation can be. This also allows you to be more particular about what you post and eliminates the temptation to publish half-hearted content for the sake of just getting something out there.

For batch creation to be effective, however, you need to establish your content calendar. Know what type of content you want to post on what days and then produce all pieces of content for the month at the same time.

Another great time saver when it comes to content is reposting from your followers. If someone gives you or your products a shout-out, share it! Let your followers lighten your content load.

Work One-on-One with an Online Business Coach

I love helping Instagram business owners create sustainable processes for success. No matter what your goals are, my programs can help you reach them. Hire me as your online business coach today to get hands-on guidance on how to sell on Instagram and set your business up for growth.