When you’re trying to grow your business on Social Media, what do you find most frustrating? How Facebook’s algorithm seems to change every other day or how everything on Instagram seems to be so perfect that you can’t even begin to think about using it for your business?
The truth is, we’ve all been there. When we decided to expand our brand and branch out to other platforms, Instagram was as foreign to us as MySpace is to our children. But we decided to give it a go. And you know what happened? For a very long time, Instagram was the second source of traffic to our website! And as of the writing of this article, it ranks at number 3 (after Pinterest)!
Do you want to learn how you, too, can use the magic of Instagram to grow your business and crush it?
We sat down with Chalene Johnson, one of the most brilliant marketers out there, who also happens to be an Instagram master! She recently completed a deep dive into Instagram’s insights and discovered what your approach should be! Curious to see what she found out? Let’s get right to it!
Chalene Johnson: Instagram For Business (Insights & Engagement Tips)
Chalene is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts one of the highest ranking business podcasts out there! She’s the definition of being “on fire” and with her numerous Academies, she’s helped thousands of people define and design their brand, and build the business of their dreams!
Now, Chalene has focused on Instagram. Why? Because Instagram is blowing up! It’s the hottest trend out there and, if used properly, it can bring tremendous results for your business! So let’s dive deeper into her findings!
*Want to know how to show up and prospect on Social Media in general?
Instagram for Business
Disclaimer: You should convert your Instagram Account to a Business Account!
Here’s the deal. Before you learn how to run, you need to learn how to walk.
That’s why before you begin to use Instagram, you need to make sure you know the ABCs of your business. And that boils down to discovering 2 things:
- Who your Lifer is — you may have heard of it referred to also as a “customer avatar”. Lifer, in this case, means “you 5 minutes/hours/years ago”. It’s the 1 person you know everything about and the 1 person you imagine when you create and market your product.
- What makes you uniquely YOU — it’s very simple. If you don’t know who you are, you won’t stand out from the crowd. And if you don’t stand out from the crowd, you’ll never be successful. If you’re looking for extra tips about how to discover what makes you uniquely YOU, check out our training about 5 Steps to Discovering Your Brand!
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s turn our attention to Instagram itself.
The Truth About Instagram Today
With the recent updates, Instagram is now 5 different platforms all combined into one!
OMGeee! Really?!
Yes! Let’s take a look. You have:
- Regular Instagram feed where you can post pictures;
- New Instagram feed where you can post videos, picture carousels, etc.;
- Snapchat with Instagram Stories;
- Periscope with the ability to go Live;
- YouTube with IGTV!
That sounds so overwhelming!
It really does. But don’t worry! If you know what you’re doing, everything will seem as easy as 1-2-3!
Newsfeed vs Stories
So where should you spend most of your time and efforts? Should you focus on posting gorgeous images on your Feed or should you invest time in Stories?
Fact of the matter is, it all depends on your goals.
#1: Newsfeed
Here is where you attract NEW followers. That’s right! The best way to bring in fresh people is to focus on putting together beautiful images with captions! And of course having a hashtag strategy that will put you in front of your lifers.
#2: Stories
Here is where you get deeper with your existing followers. Stories are raw and they allow people to get to know you! And you know what happens then? People start to like and trust you! And we all know that people do business with people they know, like and trust. So it’s a win-win!
Instagram Stories
Did you know that the average person spends about 53 min per day on Instagram? Yes, that’s the window of opportunity you have to catch your people’s attention and build trust with them!
We know, we know… that’s not a very long time. But that’s where Instagram Stories come in! Because they’re the fastest way to create deep and meaningful relationships with your customers!
Ideally, you should post 3-5 Stories per day.
That’s so much!
Not if you know what you’re posting about! And Chalene has a ridiculously cool formula called REDIC that will help you do just that!
These are the 5 types of Stories you should publish every single day, and what REDIC stands for:
- Relatable — this post shouldn’t have anything to do with your business, but rather it should be something people can relate to (like preparing breakfast, going to the gym, etc.);
- Educate/Enlighten/Entertain — in other words you should motivate your audience;
- Dialogue in the DMs — this is where all that Curiosity Marketing comes in! Create a Story that will provoke and invite people to talk to you;
- Interaction — Instagram loves engagement, so do a Story where you ask people to take a physical action (like answer a poll or double tap or swipe left on your carousel);
- Capture e-mails — this is a more advanced strategy but basically, it refers to driving people to your website and/or a freebie you’re using!
PRO Strategy
Phew! Is your brain getting all busy with this gorgeous information?
And Chalene has a few more incredible tricks up her sleeve!
Because here’s the thing… This last type of Story in which you Capture people’s e-mails — it can be tricky. Because if you have 10,000+ followers, then you can do a simple swipe up with link. BUT! If you have less than 10,000 followers, you won’t have that opportunity.
So what can you do?
Quick Replies
Imagine you create a Poll, asking people, “Do you want my 3 recommendations for XYZ (problem)?”, and they have to answer, “Yes” or “No”.
Once that’s done, go to your Insights (IMP: make sure you have a Business Account) and check out all the people who replied with “Yes”. Now go to their profiles and send each one of them a message with your link!
How simple is that?!
And are you ready for the BEST part?
You don’t have to type out your answer to each individual separately. That’s right! You can just go to Your page —> Settings —> Business Settings —> Quick Replies! There you can add as many variations as you’d like! And ta-daaa! Now you can send your people a personal message within seconds!
Text Replacement
You want to do the same for your comments? Not to worry!
You have the same type of function on your phone! Just go to Settings —> General —> Keyboard —> Text Replacement!
Now you’re all set and ready to crush it on Instagram!
These were Chalene’s BEST tips and tricks about how to use Instagram for Business! Did you love them or did you L-O-V-E them?! Which one will you implement first? Let us know in the comments below!
Additional Resources to Help You Build Your Business:
- The Key to Hacking the Facebook Algorithm
- 10 Prospecting Tips You’ve (Probably) Heard Before – But Are You Using Them Yet?
- 7 Reasons People Don’t Buy from You
- 5 Best Business Curiosity Posts for Facebook
- LIKE Our Page to Plug into our LIVE Videos Here
Want to Know What Tools we Use to Build Our Business and Our Brand?
- Resources – we often get asked what tools we use and recommend, so we put together one page with all our favorite resources. Enjoy!
Feel free to share this with anyone who might enjoy it and also comment below on your favorite tip or your biggest takeaway. We can’t wait to see your comments!
Email: support@mylifestyleacademy.com
We help Network Marketers and Entrepreneurs create a profitable online business around their personal brand.
PS: If you would like to generate more leads, close more sales, learn how to build your Network Marketing business using Social Media (without spamming your friends and family) and become a top earner in your company, Click Here to plug into our brand new Social Media for Business Masterclass (unless you’re already crushing it).
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