It allows you to connect with people from all over the world that share the same interest. Example: If you meet someone at a convention, you can give them your username and they can follow you from now on. Personally, I've made several connections this way. With those connections, they can share your content and vice versa which is another way to " word of mouth" market.
With your Art, Writing, and Cosplay you can use up to 30 hashtags in a post. This allows you to reach a much broader audience than you would normally on Facebook. However, only use hashtags that pertain to what content you've posted. You can make up your own hashtags too. Example: My business Rogue Universe, my slogan is Go Rogue Be You, so I created a hashtag #goroguebeyou and now if I ever look for that, it pops up.
You can do giveaways, contests, and so much more with Instagram. A lot of people put in the rules of their contest that they must follow XYZ. The goal is to gain more followers and hopefully snag a potential customer, right?
Once you start hitting over 10,000 followers, companies start looking at you and asking you to be affiliates. This is probably more useful for cosplayers and social media influencers.
Content is key. Since Instagram is a visual social media platform, you want to make sure you have your products, costumes, displays, and anything else photographed well. In turn, if you have nice-looking products on Instagram you may start selling quite a bit, cosplayers could get many followers, and so on.
Do you need help setting up your social media platform? Need help coming up with a catchy Instagram username? I love helping with this stuff. Check out my Social Media Platform help page for more info!