As a DJ, you’re constantly engaging your audience in the real world through meaningful interactions, amazing live shows, and incredible sets. However, as anyone should know these days, there’s more to spreading the word about your music than being active online. You also need to ensure that you have the right presence online too.
A website can be a handy tool to pull focus to your music, but it’s only the first step. DJing is all about building a relationship with your followers and fans. For that – you need a social platform. Social media channels come in a variety of shapes and sizes these days. You probably already have a growing presence on YouTube, and maybe you’re generating more attention on Facebook lately too.
However, if you haven’t started to invest in these Instagram hacks yet, you could be seriously missing out. Instagram has about a billion monthly users – and they’re usually younger people – the kind you want to attract to your shoes. So, how do you create an Instagram hacks strategy that really turns up the volume on your promotional strategy? Here are a few Instagram hacks that you need put into action!
Here are the steps for the Instagram hacks we will cover to help you increase your instagram followers:
- Create an account
- Experiment with content
- Embrace video
- Create a content calendar
- Show off your account
- Find the right followers
- Work with other people
- Engage with your audience
- Use hashtags frequently
- Be consistent
Let’s dive into the 10 Instagram hacks
1. Create an account
The first thing you’re going to need to thrive with these Instagram hacks is an optimized account. In other words, you need your profile to be decked out with all the right information (and images).
Start by filling in your bio with everything that users need to know about you. Remember, you can only include a single link in your Instagram bio. It might be worth linking to a page that constantly updates with your recent performance videos, or you could link people to a booking page instead. Look At how DJ Fat Tony has used these Instagram hacks and has completed his Instagram account with highlights from his Stories, a high-quality profile picture, and more:
Key points to remember include:
- Your username: Choose the name that your audience is going to remember. Sticking with your DJ name is a good bet, just make sure that it’s spelled the same across all platforms.
- Your profile picture: This is your chance to showcase your professional nature. A high-quality headshot is a great way to show people what they can expect from you.
- Links and hashtags: If you have a hashtag that’s linked to your content, then share that in your bio, along with your chosen link.
- Highlights: You can add snippets from your Stories to the top of your profile. This could be a good way to show off your latest presentations.
- Business: A business account on Instagram will allow you to tap into extra features, including analytics, so you can see which of your posts have the biggest impact.
2. Experiment with content
What kind of content are you sharing on Instagram? The best option is to get to know your audience. Find out what people in your community want to see by looking at what your competitors are sharing online or finding out what kind of content your people already like and follow.
If you took our advice and got an Instagram business account (instead of a basic account), you’ll be able to access Instagram Insights, which show you what kind of content your fans are interacting with most. The more you post and experiment with different filters, captions, and other content, the more you’ll learn about your fan preferences.
Here’s just some of the content you need to consider:
- Standard posts: Regular updates are a crucial part of your Instagram strategy. High-quality photos of your equipment, your audience, and anything else that’s relevant to your audience are a must-have.
- Instagram Stories: Stories are a great tool for DJs, because they allow you to share snippets of experiences in the moment. You can post clips from your shows or give people a behind-the-scenes sneak peak at your mixing processes.
- Instagram Live: live videos are a great way to showcase the kind of experiences you can deliver with your sets. Invite people to check out your upcoming shows in advance, then give them a chance to tune in for some songs.
3. Embrace video
If you’ve already experimented with YouTube and Facebook videos in the past, then you’ll know this can be a fantastic way to generate attention for your DJ career. In a 2020 report, 89% of video marketers agreed that working with visual content gives them an excellent ROI.
With Instagram videos, you can showcase the entire “set” experience that you can give your audience, promoters, and anyone else who wants to work with you. It’s a chance to build connections with your fans by showing them what happens behind the scenes when you’re mixing and creating songs. You can also generate attention from companies that want to work with you by showing off your happy gig attendees.
Aside from live video and brief video clips that you can post on your Instagram newsfeed, the social media channel has also been rolling out new features over the years. For instance, IGTV allows you to post longer videos, depending on how many followers you have. IGTV videos have their own tab on the Instagram app, which means that they give you another way to spread brand awareness. Check out @DJSIMZ.X’s IGTV videos here:
Another recent addition to the Instagram roadmap is Reels – a feature that supports mini video clips, in the same style as TikTok. Reels could be an excellent tool for DJs that want to reach a younger audience, particularly Gen Z.
4. Create a content calendar
A content calendar might sound like a lot of work for a DJ with a hectic schedule – but it’s extremely valuable. If you want to build a positive relationship with your fans, then you need to post regularly, according to a schedule that your fans can follow.
Start by figuring out what your posting schedule should be. Around one post a day is a good place to start, as most Instagram users log into the platform on a daily basis. To find the best time of day to post, you might need to do some research. There are companies online like Sprout Social that have shared their findings on the best posting times for most industries. For media producers, like DJs and presenters, Tuesday through Friday at 11 am to 3 pm is a common choice.
We’d recommend checking that information against your own findings on Instagram Insights. Remember, your business account can show you when the majority of your fans are logging in to check out your content.
Once you know for sure when your best days and times are for posting, you can even schedule certain content to publish in advance. You might need to access third-party services for this, but there are tons of scheduling options out there. When you schedule your posts in advance, you ensure that you always have a way to continue engaging with your audience – even when you’re busy at the club.
5. Show off your account
If you’re posting the right content at the right times, your chances of attracting on Instagram are sure to go up. However, it always helps to give your visibility a little extra push. Promoting your Instagram account is a lot like promoting any online presence. You should be posting links to your Instagram on Facebook and YouTube and making sure that people can find your profile from your website.
If you already have an account on Facebook, you can cross-promote posts on Instagram to your Facebook audience. All you need to do is turn on the cross-promotion settings in your Facebook business account, as Facebook owns both platforms.
Remember:
- Add an Instagram button to your website: Buttons make it quick and easy for users to jump to your Instagram page from your website. If possible, you should have a button that’s present on every blog post and page.
- Connect social media strategies: Not all of your followers will necessarily be active on Instagram. Make sure that the people on Facebook, Twitter, and other profiles know they can find you elsewhere too.
- Consider paid promotion: Paying for ads on Facebook and Instagram can strengthen your reach to new fans when you’re just getting started. Make sure you carefully choose the kind of audience you want to reach before you start paying for ads – To be clear, we wouldn’t consider this to be an Instagram hack but it’s worth bearing in mind.
6. Find the right followers
Any great DJ knows that the quality of your fans matters just as much as the quantity, if not more-so. When you start building your strategy online, it’s important to ensure you know who you want to attract. Start by creating a “user persona”. This is basically a description of what your ideal fan might look like. Think about where your biggest fans are from, what they enjoy, what kind of age range they’re in and so on.
Once you’ve got an idea of what your ideal fan looks like, make sure that your target your posts to speak their language. Get the tone of voice right based on how your fans communicate and pay attention to the way that competitors speak to the same audience. Remember, you should never pay for fake Instagram followers.
Although it seems like a good idea to have thousands of extra followers linked to your account, the backlash of deceiving your followers far outweighs the benefits. Fake Instagram followers have absolutely no ROI, and they don’t engage with your account. They also don’t help you with creating any brand buzz for you as a presenter.
Stick with genuine people who can like your posts, comment on your content, and share your videos with other people online.
7. Work with other people
As a DJ, it can be tempting to try and do everything on your own. Partnering with other producers and artists can be difficult, as you never know who’s really going to support your growth. However, sometimes, connecting with other brands and influencers can make a lot of sense.
For instance, if you know a local club promotion team that has a huge following on Instagram, consider working with them on a promotional event. You could give them a slight discount on any performances you do in that venue in exchange for them sharing your business information and promoting you to followers.
Alternatively, consider working with influencers in your space. Influencers have a huge impact on today’s social media audience, and they don’t have to cost a fortune to work with either. You could even just offer some smaller influencers tickets to your next gig or help with their own music mixing strategies in exchange for visibility online.
One of the best ways to collaborate with another company or person when you’re trying to grow online is to run a competition.
Ask your followers to tag their friends on your post for a chance to win something awesome – like a VIP experience, or a free gift. Just make sure that you’re genuinely delivering something that has real value. Try working with the person or business you partner with to create a deal that will generate as much buzz as possible.
8. Engage with your audience
As a professional DJ and artist, your social media strategy should always revolve around building positive relationships with your fans. Unfortunately, a lot of people just getting started on Instagram forget that they should be having two-way conversations. Don’t just leave your audience to like your photos and comment on your videos.
To engage your audience, start by making sure that you pair your photos and videos with captions that connect with your followers on an emotional level. Think about the buyer personas you created earlier, and the messages that will make the biggest impact on them. Next, think about responding to some of the comments your fans leave from time to time.
As your social media presence grows, it’s going to be tougher to respond to every comment or message. However, you should do your best to reach out to your audience when you can. This helps you to come across as down-to-earth and approachable, which sets you apart from the other DJs in your space.
If you can’t respond to every comment, consider re-posting some of the images your followers share of their time at your gigs and events. Or you could @Mention the people who came to your last gig to help them feel like they’re part of the action. Remember, user generated content (the videos and photos that your fans take) often creates more credibility for your company.
9. Use hashtags frequently
Hashtags might not have started life on Instagram, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable for your social strategy. The right hashtags make it easier for people in your area to find your gigs and events. Make sure that you use geographical tags, as this will boost your chances of appealing to the local fans who are going to come to your events.
If you’re not sure which hashtags to use, it’s best to avoid anything that’s overly popular. Hashtags that have tons of posts connected to them are hard to rank for, so your chances of earning attention on the web goes down significantly. Instead, think about the specific hashtags that your followers are more likely to look at like #LocalDJ
The more you post on Instagram, the more you’ll be able to see which hashtags generate the most attention for you. Remember, alongside your standard Instagram Insight tools, you can also boost your chances of getting more informative reports by using social media tools. Just make sure that you do your research into each of the options available before you begin splashing cash.
Once you know the hashtags that work best for you, make sure you don’t use the same ones over and over again. Although it’s fine to reference some tags frequently, you also need to shake things up from time to time too.
10. Be consistent
For modern DJs, a strong online presence is crucial to ensuring that you can make the right impact on your target audience. It’s not enough to just interact with your offline fans these days. You also need to make sure that you’re constantly generating daily posts. the Instagram algorithm rewards accounts that post high quality content CONSISTENTLY!
Final thoughts on these Instagram hacks
Instagram is an often over-looked solution for today’s DJs, who assume that they only need to make themselves stand out on Facebook and YouTube. However, with so many ways to generate attention through your Instagram profile these days, failing to get involved could mean you’re missing out.
Once you’ve built up an audience on Instagram you can then look at ways to send them to your other platform using a service like Linktree (linktr.ee).
We’ve actually done a video on how to use this service and you can take a look just below…
Good luck making your mark on Instagram with these Instagram hacks!
Let us know how you build your audience in the comments below.
