Why Use Instagram

What differentiates Instagram from other social networking platforms is the pronounced lack of words; it is visual.
It works well for designers of all sorts - from furniture to gardens to jewellery. Its a perfect medium for anyone wanting to show off what they do.

The mobility of Instagram is another reason why it's so successful. 
No need to go home and fire up the desktop or find the nearest coffee shop and haul out the laptop; everything's done from the convenience of your phone, posting as well as viewing. You upload the latest images, your followers get the experience of being right there with you, and the best part? You get instant feedback in the form of 'likes' and comments, and often plenty of them.

Fans who follow your feed are key to your success.
For example, when they 'like' certain images, their followers can see those images, and if they like them too, can decide to follow you as well... and so on. Word of an interesting or entertaining feed can travel lightning fast and you can attract hundreds or even thousands of new fans in surprisingly short periods of time. But simply getting more and more followers is not enough; you also have to keep them. The way you do this is through your story, your narrative. It has to be good; it has to get people involved and hold their attention for more than short periods of time.

But you also have to be patient.
Don't expect to thrill your fans right off the top. As with everything else in life, practice makes perfect and experimentation is a big part of that. So don't be afraid to continually test new ways and approaches of posting. If one doesn't work, try another... and another... and another. Sooner or later you'll figure it out, but you have to be willing to put in the effort to get there and occasionally embarrass yourself along the way.

If you're going to take Instagram seriously, posting pretty much every day is recommended,
and anywhere from one or two images on up to a handful (but not much more than that). They don't all have to be your work, but should at least give followers insight into who you are and what attracts you.

Being open, honest and giving is another essential part of getting 'likes' on your posts and growing your fan base.
Don't be afraid to show people where or how you work, and images of work in process. Let them in on what you do, how you do it, and don't obsess that someone might steal your secrets or ideas, or copy whatever you're doing and make one just like it. You don't have to tell absolutely every last secret, but people genuinely appreciate being able to see the world behind.