Paper Cuts: The Three Most Important Details to Have In Your Social Media Profile

I am totally, completely, utterly obsessed with Instagram. It's a constant feed of inspiration, beautiful images, and business tips. Instagram is also one of the most powerful networking tools I've come across. Not only do most of my invitation clients find me through Instagram, but so many of my closest industry friends and I started out after finding each other on IG. Furthermore, I've found myself reaching out to others on IG for styled shoots, collaborations, and local get togethers.

Clearly, I cannot say enough postive things about Instagram.

However, there are THREE things that are so, so, SO important for people to include in their profiles to ensure they get the most out of their PROFESSIONAL online profile. If you are a business, your Instagram account needs to be a way for potential clients and collaborators to connect with you, and if you are missing the following three things, the connection is SO much harder to make.

Here are those three things that you MUST include in your profile.

1- YOUR NAME: Unless you're a huge company with a PR team like Minted, Target, or West Elm, most people are following you because of you, personally. They want to connect with the person behind the photos and that's hard if they don't even know your name.

2- YOUR LOCATION: I cannot stress this enough! People want to work with others who are near them - it's an instant connection that draws people together. Oh! You live on Long Island?! So do I! Let's grab coffee! or Oh my gosh, my cousin is getting married in Maryland, I'm going to give her your information! If you're selling a product online, location might not be as important, but if you have a brick and morter location, or if you're a photographer, you NEED TO HAVE YOUR LOCATION (all the shouty capitals!).

3- WHAT IT IS YOU OFFER: This might seem like a big 'doh', but there are so many profiles where I scratch my head and wonder "What the heck does this person do?" Are they a photographer, wedding planner, calligrapher, printer, florist, invitation designer, jeweler, blogger, stay at home mom who loves cooking and is trying to launch a cookie company? Whatever it is that you do, let people know.

So there you have it, the three things I always look for when I click on somebody in Instagram. What are the most important things you look for in a profile?

Wednesdays here on the blog are all about sharing Paper Cuts, which is a behind-the-scenes, down to Earth business advice series. I hope you've enjoyed today's Paper Cuts topic, and look forward to having you back next time! To read past Paper Cut posts, click here.

Sincerely,