6 practical steps to use Instagram to promote your coaching business
In just 10 short years, Instagram has become a powerful marketing tool that savvy entrepreneurs are embracing. As of December 2020…
Instagram has over 1 billion active users, which means your market almost certainly uses Instagram, and so do your competitors.
· 67% of US adults use Instagram, so while it doesn’t have the reach of Facebook (yet), it’s definitely a platform worth taking advantage of.
A younger crowd, more than half of Instagram users are between the ages of 18-29, if that’s your market, Instagram is the place to be.
63% of users check their Instagram feed at least once a day, that’s a lot of eyes on cell phones!
Not only that, but the platform has enjoyed double-digit year-over-year growth and shows no signs of slowing down. Clearly, it’s time to embrace Instagram and the power it promises as part of your overall marketing plan.
Instagram is like a stripped down version of Facebook, with an emphasis on mobile image sharing. As with other social networks, you interact with other users on Instagram by following them, being followed by them, commenting, liking, tagging, and sending private messages. You can also save the photos you see on Instagram.
Because it’s so visually oriented, Instagram has multiple filters that you can apply to enhance photos and videos. Additional photo editing options allow you to straighten the image, adjust brightness and warmth, and overlay color. For videos, you can disable audio, select a cover frame, and if you’re using the iOS app, you can trim videos.
unique challenges
But Instagram presents some unique challenges, and it might make you wonder if it’s worth it. The main ones are:
1) First of all, it fully works with a smartphone. Unlike other platforms, you cannot post to Instagram from your computer. In fact, you can’t even post to it from third-party apps. It is fully designed to appeal to mobile phone users. So in markets where mobile usage is high (and let’s face it, that’s pretty much everywhere), Instagram is a no-brainer.
2) It also focuses on images and videos. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+, where text updates are still the norm, Instagram requires photos. The text (called “subtitles” on Instagram) is secondary, although unlike other platforms, Instagram is quite generous with its character limit. Keep in mind that even on other platforms, images often outperform text-only updates. So focusing on images in your marketing is probably a good thing.
instagram for business
But Instagram isn’t just about photos. With a business profile, you can highlight your brand’s mission and goals, present your products, capture leads, and drive sales.
When you sign up for Instagram, there is a personal Instagram profile option and then there is an “Instagram for Business” option. It’s like Facebook in that the personal profile is for personal use, and the business profile is where you can make offers. (If you already have a personal profile, you can easily switch it to a business profile or have both.)
As an added feature, the business profile gives you access to analytics, which means you can see statistics and demographics of your followers and their likes. This helps you understand who your target audience is and what they like. You can also pay to promote your posts, something you can’t do with a personal Instagram account. As with Facebook, if you want to make sure people see your business posts, you’ll have to pay for it.
Instagram and Facebook
You probably know that Instagram is owned by Facebook, which means you can actually link the two platforms together to reach both your Facebook and Instagram audiences.
When you run an ad on Facebook, you can also run it on Instagram. Or if you post content to Instagram, you can also have it automatically posted to Facebook. This saves you time and helps keep your social media accounts consistent.
So how can you put Instagram to work in your marketing?
Here are 6 steps you can take to start using Instagram to promote your business:
Step 1: Optimize your profile
As with any platform, Instagram asks you to create a personal and/or business profile. This is where new followers will find out more about you, who you serve, and what your personality is like. It’s your chance to shine… in 150 characters or less.
Step 2: Start growing your community
Above all else, Instagram is a social network, and that means active participation in the community is a must. Focus on finding and following the right people – influencers in your market as well as your dream customers. Once you find these people, start conversations with them to start building relationships.
Of course, the ultimate goal of all social networking is to get your online community to subscribe to your list, so you have control over how you interact with them. After all, any of these companies could disappear tomorrow, leaving you empty-handed.
Step 3: #hashtags #matter
Perhaps more than any other social network, Instagram relies on hashtags to sort and categorize content. Users who are interested in certain topics can choose to “follow” certain hashtags, just as you might follow other users.
You can put the power of hashtags to work for you by using a thoughtful combination of tags designed to get your content found and followed:
1) The first hashtags to include are the popular/common types. So for example if you are sharing inspirational quotes that could include #inspirationalquotes, #inspiration and #quote. This will get your content found by those searching these broad topics. Not everyone in this group will be your ideal clients, but that’s okay.
2) The second type of hashtag to use are those that are specific to your audience or niche. #Podcasting, #WAHM, #virtualassistant, #businesscoach and others like these are used less often, but will appeal to a much more targeted market.
3) Another type of hashtag you’ll want to use is basically asking for a follow. These include #follow, #followme, and #follow4follow, among others.
Step 4: Develop your brand
If you’re having brand issues, you’re not alone. It’s one of those things that feels so murky and vague that it’s hard to pinpoint. Is it a logo? The colors on your website? your slogan? It is all that and more.
This is what you need to keep in mind when thinking about your brand. Done right, branding makes every post, photo upload, and social media update instantly recognizable as your own. is what makes you YOUR—thoughtful use of:
Idiom
Colors
· Sources
· Attitude
Personality
And for photos, it means being as consistent as possible with composition, styling, filters, and other elements.
Step 5 – Create a content strategy
As with other platforms, when you use Instagram for your business, you may want to create a content marketing strategy. To do that, first determine how many times a day or week you want to post. Some trainers post once a week and others post several times a day. Whatever you decide, it is important to be consistent.
And follow this guide to content composition: make a third of your posts about your brandone third exchange content from influencers or their users, and a third actually sale your product or service:
has) Brand: To help your followers get to know you as a brand, include your values, mission, and “why.”
b) Exchange: This includes reposting what your followers post (and, of course, giving them credit). Followers love it when you repost their images. It makes them feel validated and appreciated by your brand. Reposting influencer images will help you get noticed.
against) Sale: Sales posts should not be pushy and should reflect your brand personality. Use lifestyle photos of your products and/or services to show them how your product or service would improve their lives.
Using a content strategy in conjunction with a content calendar can keep you organized and help you design your content in such a way that it benefits your business as well as your customers. A content calendar can be an Excel spreadsheet, a Google Doc, or a WordPress calendar plugin. But there are also plenty of content calendars available online. Just pick one! Then use it to map your content based on your content and marketing strategy.
There are also products, like “The Ultimate Content Creation Toolkit” that can help you find topics for your content, create a combined marketing and content strategy, and organize it all on a calendar to schedule.
Step 6: Start (or join) a conversation
All social media is about relationships. Ultimately, it’s not about making sales, getting more followers, or generating traffic. It’s about making a real connection with individual people.
All of those other things—sales, traffic, and followers—are a result of the connections you make. And what is the easiest way to make a connection and build a relationship?
Join (or start) the conversation by doing the following:
Like and share the content that moves you
Say hello to those who inspire you
Follow people who have something of value to say and share
BE one of the people who say, do and share valuable things
In summary
Instagram is a social platform that you could use no matter what your product or service is. It’s a simple yet powerful platform to get engaged followers, targeted leads, and additional sales. By creating an Instagram business profile and using its many features, you’ll have another way to market yourself to a whole new audience.