Everyone has their reasons for social media, while some just want to connect with family and friends, others are looking for a platform in which they can promote their services and products. If the latter is you and you’re feeling a little overwhelmed on how to “brand” your content, look no further. This article will help you set up your Instagram for monetary success.

1. Switch to a business or creator account
   First and foremost, if you are using Instagram for anything other than personal usage, you should set it up accordingly. Instagram has an option for creator and business accounts to be marked as such, both with added benefits. These account types will be given access to tools like insights, tagged products and brand partnerships. Both features are valuable for the proper monetization of your products and services.
2. Post only relevant content
   It cannot be stressed enough that if you are operating a brand/business account and sales are your first priority, you should only be posting content relevant to making sales. This means laying off the personal posts about how much you love long walks on the beach during sunset. If you absolutely must post about your love of beaches and sunsets, find a way to incorporate your products into the post so that your audience knows you’re still dedicated to the craft–or else you risk losing your following.
3. Seek partnerships to grow a relevant audience
   The bad thing about paying for a large following is that the audience often isn’t relevant and won’t interact, let alone buy from your posts. If you plan on paying money to “buy” your followers, consider investing it in partnerships with creators who already have an active audience and a proven track record of selling products similar to yours.
4. Apply for verification
   Last, but certainly not least, if your brand is of any sort of notoriety you should apply for a verification (blue checkmark) to establish that your account is legit. Businesses and creators with large followings have the best chance of having verification requests approved, however, large followings are not always a necessity. There’s no denying that consumers are more likely to buy from brands that are verified.