MrsMLMode, Marie Louise Pumfrey shares Instagram top tips

This week I was invited by the Lone Design Club to talk about Instagram and becoming a fashion influencer with my two pals Coral (aka @Stripeycoral and Hayley aka @ladyofthemanor) at their London Fashion Week pop-up shop in Covent Garden.

I have been working as @MrsMLMode on Instagram for over 18 months and the journey has been fun and completely fascinating. As I said last night, as long as you have Wifi, everyone can have a voice, a platform and create a business – thanks to this very clever app.

We were joined by almost 80 fashionistas which proved to be a fun night with cocktails courtesy of Lanique, and some great networking.

If you are interested in building your profile on Instagram and developing a career as a fashion influencer, I just wanted to share some take out tips from the event.

Instagram stories. Hayley is a big fan of stories and has found this aspect really helped build her audience and engagement. ” Don’t over think,” she said. “Just do it” – very good advice and something I will definitely do more of.
Consistency and posting with a theme. Having a mood for your grid is an effective way of building a brand and identity on Instagram. Coral talked about how her theme is colour and how important a consistent approach is.
Time to post! Instagram will give you recommended times on when best to post. However, general consensus amongst us and the crowd was ignore! It might not work with your daily schedule or home life and I personally think it often gives out a strange time. We all post early morning. Hayley is first up at 6.20am and Coral is convinced you need to post just before 7.00am, at around 6.50 to miss the rush! For me, I get jinxy and try and go for bang on 7.00am – if i miss the spot, the post I fear will die!!
Plan your business. For me – have a goal. Look at what you want to achieve and write a plan. Consider what your audience will be interested in and start reaching out.
Final tip, came from Hayley. Hustle! Get out there, Network, chat and reach out to brands that you want to work with. Wear their pieces. Tag, comment and connect.

Anyway that’s enough from me! Many of you know I host regular Instagram Master classes. My one next Thursday has now sold out but do get in touch if you want more details ml@mlpr.co.uk

Bye for now – Love Marie Louise aka @mrsmlmode

PS – Huge thanks to Laura McCluskey for organising the event and Lone Design Club for hosting