PLATFORM is a creative professional development workshop series from the Kingston Arts Council designed to help the creative community grow its skills and make new connections. On Saturday 18 January, we hosted Ottawa-based visual branding specialists KLEKTiV23 (Eyob Tzu and Nathalie Valois) for a professional development workshop focused on Instagram.
The goal of this workshop was to demonstrate artists and arts workers how to maximize their Instagram presence to build their visual voice and brand.
Participants explored how to connect to their audience on Instagram, practical tools for organizing their Instagram feed, Instagram trends and tips and tricks for managing your insights. The session also included artist case studies and KLEKTiV23’s own experiences growing online communities, to help them actively develop and apply smart, straightforward strategies and allowing them to grow and professionalize their visual identity on social media.
Based in Ottawa, KLEKTiV23 (@klektiv23) provides brand creation and strategic marketing consultancy for artists working in the music industry.
Social media guru, Tzu is a graduate from the Music Industry Arts Program at Algonquin College. He is an abstract visual artist, a rap artist, a photographer and a poet. Tzu brings his skill in storytelling to speak through his visuals, making every detail count to make the story breathe easy.
Nathalie is always on the lookout for opportunities and growth in an ever changing industry. She has worked with institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada and Edible Ottawa before getting involved with the visual world through videography, and co-funding KLEKTiV23 with Tzu.
RESOURCES
Preview (app) is an app used to organize our Instagram feed. It helps release the stress of “what to post next”, which is the most stressful part of consistent posting. There is a free version of the app that lets you organize and visualize your planned posts. The paid version posts on IG directly for you. It’s a really useful tool for beginners.
Later.com is an evaluation tool. It helps you know how effectively you are using Instagram by comparing your posts and engagement to other content being created in your industry/sector. This in turn gives you an idea of what you can change in your strategy to be more visible in that industry. They also have a great blog, full of insights. Check their “Training” page for free Instagram Training Courses.