Let's Get Social: Getting your Business Started on the Gram (Part 2: The Feed)

"They can't do what you do like you do. Period." - Jasmine Star

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Ok, guys, here it is - Part 2 of my 5 part series on getting your small business started on Instagram. In this post we'll discuss the star of your IG show: The Feed.

According to a Hootsuite report from earlier this year, Instagram users will spend a total of 28 minutes per day on the platform with 60% of people discovering new products when they're scrolling feeds. With numbers like these, it's a no brainer when it come to creating a space for your small business on the Gram. Remember, people come to Instagram to get inspired, discover things they care about and to purchase products they need. In fact, 81% of people use Instagram to help research products and services.

Yes, EIGHTY-ONE PERCENT!

All fired up now? I thought so. Let's Go! (said in my DaBaby voice)

Note: Missed Part 1: The Profile? Now would be a good time to go read that first then head back here.

At this point, you have your Instagram Business profile setup and you're ready to get started in sharing all the goodness your brand has to offer - getting those leads and building that loyalty. But before you jump into sharing pictures of an empty product closet with #winning or selfies of your boss while #livingmybestlife, let's first talk about some necessary upfront work to better prep your Feed strategy.

Before you get going you'll want to:

1. Take a step back to evaluate who you are and what you want to put out there into the world. I assume by now you've determined that IG is the right pace for you. Take a look at the competition. Identify your strategy, target audience, and goals. Setting yourself up correctly at the start will allow you to post to your feed with intention and not just "throwing spaghetti at the wall" (is that still an expression?)

2. Appearance is everything when it comes to your IG feed. You want to ensure that your brand identity is clear through your posts and your overall grid (the 3 across and 4 down of 12 boxes you see in your feed.) So take some time to really evaluate how you want your brand to show up.

3. Finally, determine how much time you have to dedicate to building your IG account. Instagram, like all social media platforms, requires constant attention and nurturing. You'll need to show up for it for some amount of time every day.

Here are the 5 things you need to keep in mind in order to cultivate a winning feed on the gram. And you got it, it all comes down to the C's.

1. Calendar. Developing a monthly content calendar is the first step in determining your content plan for your Instagram feed. When plotting out your plan, be sure to keep your strategies and goals in mind. All your content should sync up with these goals and include items 2-5 below. You'll want to consider "themes" or categories for your content. These could include things like: behind the scenes, product/service announcements, events, news, holidays, meet the team. Plot these themes across your calendar.

2. Cadence. Decide on how often you want to post. "How often should I post?" you ask. When it comes to determining the right cadence for your brand choose what you can do consistently. I typically suggest somewhere between 3-5 posts a week for a small business and no more than 1 post a day. If you can post once a day, 7 days a week, then great! But don't compromise quality content for the need to "just post". Choose a cadence that will give you consistent, quality posts. Consistent frequency and quality over quantity will give you the strongest engagement.

3. Curate. This is the part that takes the bulk of your time - and matters the most. If you are coming to the IG game with an inventory of professional photos and ready made graphics, you are already one step ahead. Most people are not. So before you even begin, start taking an inventory of your assets. Remember those "themes" I mention in C #1? Well now is when you match the asset to the theme. Consider reposting from other relevant resources in order to supplement your feed (be sure to properly give credit.) A big win is curating user generate content (UGC.) UGC not only gives you a limitless source of content it is also the cream of the crop when it comes to curating authentic content.

4. Create. Don't have any quality assets? Create them. Take your own photos or hire a professional photographer or create graphics quote blocks by using a tool like Canva. How about some stock photography from Unsplash? And once you've curated and created content use tools like Planoly and Later to help you visually plan out your feed.

5. Celebrate. Remember, this is supposed to be a celebration of your brand. Tell the world how great your product or service is by sharing quality content with intention.

Next up, Part 3: IG Stories. Please plan to have some fun!

Stay positive,

P.S. Need help with your content strategy? Contact me @manejahpr today!

Happy National Women's Small Business Month

Ok guys, did you know that #October is National Women's Small Business Month?⁠🤷‍♀️

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No, it's not a made up holiday - it's for real. And honestly it should probably be a 12 month thing (js). ⁠ But since we only get a month, let's make the most of it, right?

Here are some stats you should know:

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▶️In 1972, women only owned 4.6% of all businesses in the United States. As of 2019, women owned 42% of all businesses.

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▶️There are nearly 13 million women-owned businesses in the United States, employing 9.4 million workers and generating revenue of $1.9 trillion.

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When you own your own business it's not 9-5, it's 24/7 and you love every minute of it. (Yes, even those sales calls, Cheryl Burget!)

Looking for ways to celebrate and support female entrepreneurship? 👊 Head here to learn more: https://www.business.com/articles/womens-small-business-month/

P.S. And...happy #nationalbossday to all you female bosses out there! 💪

Stay positive,

Let's Get Social: Getting your Business Started on the Gram (Part 1: The Profile)

"Evolution is uncomfortable but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.” – Rachel Hollis

So you want your business to be on Instagram?

But it isn't.

You have so much to share about your brand and your business.

But Instagram is not really your thing.

It's too crop tops and high waisted jeans and you are "too old", "too shy", "too weary" - and even if you wanted to do business on Instagram, you have no clue where to begin. Well, I'm fairly confident that you are not too old or too shy for Instagram and it doesn't take much to get your business going. I got you!

I know the thought of creating content to support a new social profile feels overwhelming. The images, the captions, the hashtags, the stories, the reels, the IGTVs, the Lives, and those selfies, all can put even the best IG'er in a head spin. But with over 1 billion active monthly users spending an average of 28 minutes per day on the platform, not being on IG is kind of a missed opportunity in your overall marketing strategy - wouldn't you say?

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, you may be surprised to hear that 80% of Instagram's users follow a brand and 65% of top performing posts feature a brand. Over 200 million people on Instagram visit a business account every day. And although Instagram can feel very consumer-y in nature, B2B brands like IBM, Mailchimp, Intel and Adobe are paving the way for businesses to speak creatively to other businesses in a way that has never been done before. In fact, more B2B companies are finding innovative ways to appeal to a wider audience by leveraging Instagram's creative attributes, experiencing first hand the stark contrast to its jacket and tie wearing cousin, LinkedIn.

In the first of a 5 part series on Let's Get Social: Getting Your Business Started on the Gram, we'll discuss this most important part of your Instagram presence: The Profile.

Note: You'll want to get your Instagram Business account setup before you continue. Check out this quick tutorial and then come on back here to keep going.

Here are the 5 things you need to do in order to create a winning business profile on the Gram.

1. Decide on a name. Who are you? Or who do you want to be? Make it easy to remember. The great news is it does not need to be the same as your IG handle, but it helps to choose something that makes sense to your business. (i.e. LeBron James went with @kingjames for his handle - of course he did)

2. Choose an engaging profile picture. As you might expect for a visual platform, this piece is pretty important. Now, as a business perhaps it makes sense to use your logo OR maybe a photo of one of your brands/projects or if you're a solo-preneur/entrepreneur like myself, a fun portrait works great - just make it close up (sorry, no body shots), sprinkle in some personality and consider a background that makes the image pop. Whatever you choose be sure it fits in a 110 x 110 pixels frame.

3. Figure out where you want to send people to learn more about you. This could be your website, a recent article you were featured in, or a blog post. IG only allows you to add 1 URL in the space BUT with the help of some 3rd party tools like Linktree and Later, you can create a link that accesses links associated with each post on your feed. (Intrigued? Ask me more about it!)

4. What do you do? What service do you provide? Who do you help? Part elevator pitch, part call to action, this piece is so important and is your hook for any swiperbys. And you can be creative here, using emojis and hashtags to tell you story (here's a great example from Later Media). It's also a great place to include your special offering. But don't get too long-winded. IG only allows 150 characters in this space.

5. What's the best way to reach you? Instagram allows you to add 3 contact options in your business profile: email, phone number and address. It's a good idea to use all three but not necessary. The point is to make it easy for you to be found exactly when a potential new customer needs you.

Wow, look at you, all up on Instragram with your business. Nice work.

Next up, Part 2: The Feed. Get your content ready!

Stay positive,

P.S. Need help with your content strategy? Contact me @manejahpr today!