Over 2 billion people actively use Instagram monthly and over 500 million are daily active users.

This makes Instagram an extremely daunting environment to enter when launching or rebranding your business no matter how small or large. This leaves most brands questioning how they will stand out.

My biggest finding over the past few years is to be authentically you! We know before starting any business you must find your niche, what makes you different to your competitors. So why wouldn’t this translate into your social media presence too?

I am a strong believer that every brand has its own voice and you should use it to your advantage. We can’t help but follow our favourite influencers day to day lives, maybe even knowing more details about them then we do one of our good friends. Why not do the same with your brand? Excite people daily, let them in a bit closer.

Consumers love personalities that are relatable, realistic and entertaining. Don’t be afraid to let yours shine. What is the worst that could happen? A few haters? At the end of the day haters are still engagement. You want your consumer to resonate with you, they may not have the same “A Day In the Life” and materialistic items but they may like your brand, your morals, your values, your aesthetics and you may even make them laugh!

Allowing your consumer to get closer keeps them attached. No matter how big or small your brand you will have followers. Followers are faithful, they trust in you! They will share updates of your unique voice and branding with their friends and family creating more fans, more engagement, and a larger following.

Be confident in who you are, you have come so far to start a brand or business which not everyone is brave enough to do. So why not take the leap and put yourself out there to the 500 million daily active users.

Once you find your voice, your niche, your brand personality you will feel the flow. Most importantly that sweet spot is what differentiates you from your competitors. No one wants to see the same campaigns repeated from the same brand categories. Copying and repetition doesn’t differentiate you from your competitors. It gets you lost at sea; you will drown. Your consumer will know they saw that swimsuit somewhere but can’t remember the exact brand because everything looks the same. Maybe even leading them to go scrolling through Instagram long enough for a competitor to come up and that’s it, game over.

I found my brand personality and my unique voice, now a competitor is copying me? Who cares?! At the end of the day if you have had enough influence to allow competition to copy imagine how much influence you have had overall! Take it as a compliment, they couldn’t find their voice and yours is clearly working. Your real OG fans and followers will know anyway and at the end of the day these are our loyal consumers, right?

Most importantly have fun, creating your online presence is scary. But after all there is no right or wrong. There is no Instagram or TikTok rule book. So what do you have to lose by having fun and being you? The world is your oyster and social media platforms allow this oyster to be 500 million active daily users. Kill it <3