Why You Need An Instagram Strategy, with FREE Printable Check List

Instagram for business is essential, easy, free and accessible.

To use the most quickly growing social media, instagram, you need to use it effectively, to create engagement with your clients or customers, needs a professional approach.

By working through my check list, you’ll soon be growing your influence and getting your content seen my your target audience.

My strategy process can be used for your own business or if you want to be a VA and work on other accounts for your clients.

If you just like using it informally that’s fine, this post probably isn’t for you. Enjoy, see you on the insta!

You know that instagram is huge.

You’re just not sure how to use it effectively for your business?

Want to be an influencer? Want to use instagram as a way to reach out or attract work or income opportunities? Then read on, this can help you stay on track.

Don’t worry, we can work through it. OK?

So you’ve got a great photo of a beach, and can’t wait to show it to your insta friends. Understandable.

The next day, you take a fab pic of a meal with friends, the next an awesome shot of your dog.

Awesome! Instagram is a picture / image based media. Go post and share!

So, it’s that easy right?

You gain 10k followers and you earn 6 figures this year.

OK, and then you roll over and wake up.

Sadly the rumours and hype aren’t true.

Unless you’re a viral celebrity. Don’t forget many celebs have a full team, following their own strategy, as they know the power behind this amazing FREE resource.

In this post I’ll explain why this just won’t work, and why you need to create a clear strategy for success.

You’ll soon understand why getting your strategy right will save you time, and make sure you will attract your chosen audience effectively.

I’ve also created a FREE ‘Instagram Strategy’ printable download so you can stay on track.

If you want to just have fun and share images with friends, posting random pics is the way to go. However if you want to build your community, attract your tribe and build your business you need to focus.

Just dropping odd pics of your food or your pets won’t build your target audience. Even if you have a great camera, and artistic eye and the most expensive image filters you can find, you need a plan.

To use instagram as an integral part of your business you need to have a strategy.

Strategy? Well that just sounds boring, you’ve seen others just drop travel/family/pet (insert chosen hobby…) pictures at random and they’ve done just fine.

You can follow their lead, if that’s your choice my content maybe isn’t for you.

Go take pictures and have fun, no hard feelings. Instagram can be a blast!

Still here? OK, so let’s dig in.

What’s a strategy anyway?

Definition: a plan of action designed to achieve an overall aim.

So basically a strategy is a plan. Your instagram plan needs to support your business plan.

Why are you using instagram?

First of all reaffirm your ‘WHY?’ (Thank you to Simon Sinek for giving us the simple most effective way of identifying our purpose, direction and ultimately our focus.)

Then decide what you want to achieve through instagram.

Are you a motivator, an educator, a sales force, a store or maybe a writer or blogger. Instagram can, and is, used by anyone any business.

Will you be using instagram as a way to build your tribe, or as a direct sales ‘shopfront’ for your own products?

Remember you need to get 10k followers before some of the direct sales options kick in.

(TIP: Instagram is constantly updating, so watch for updates on this one!)

It may be you create an interim strategy until you reach that level.

Craghoppers Clothing – Click the image to have a look!

What’s your niche?

By identifying that, and sticking with it, you’ll help instagram deliver the right content to your explore page. That’s the easiest place to dive in and interact.

Think deep here, e.g. travel is not a niche. Travel for over 50s can be, or Backpacking Travel in South America, or even better Travel Socks for Hikers. You get the idea, really niche down.

Will your instagram feed be in line with your business themes, your niche e.g. meals if you run a cafe, make-up if you run a beauty business.

Or maybe you’ll post images of you living your life. I’d suggest a mix of your personality and business especially at the start.

Who is your target audience?

Once you decide who your audience is, you need to know how to reach them.

What do they like, what will they be searching for.

It could be your niche is bamboo knitting needles, so your audience may be searching for wool products, patterns, even daylight lamps or magnifying mirrors. As they like bamboo, they may be more likely to look for eco cleaning products. Think like your customer.

[bctt tweet=”People buy from those they know, like and trust (KLT). A great way to build the KLT factor is via instagram.” username=”https://twitter.com/ChristieAdams23″]

The main priority is authenticity. Simply put, if you hate cats, don’t post pics of cats.

Using the dreaded, gorgeous # are the secret to finding and attracting your tribe.

That’s a whole other subject for another time.

(Book a call if you’d like to chat about this, I’ll share some tips!)

If you don’t have your strategy sorted, it won’t really matter what # you use anyway.

Where is your audience?

Are you only working locally, in your town, your country, or will you be in the global marketplace? Geo tagging is a great tool for this kind of targeting.

(TIP: Always add the location to your post, don’t get lazy. Did you know you can tag photos with other locations too. So you could post a holiday pic from Spain, but tag it for your home town if you want your local audience to see it.)

Where will you find your perfect contact or customer?

What are they searching for in your area?

Who else is working in that area, successfully, or not?

Learn about your target location, again, think like your client.

[bctt tweet=”Jump into local Instagram # and see what’s trending. Interact with people in comments on local posts. Remember it’s called Social Media for a reason…be sociable!” username=”https://twitter.com/ChristieAdams23″]

What will you serve to your clients?

In the ‘real’ world, you can network with people who are your potential clients. To do that on social media you need to know what they’re interested in.

What type of content do they like?

Survey your clients, ask them what they like, how they consume media. What is likely to tempt them to share it?

Give value.

Again, think like your clients. (Getting the idea?)

Do your customers prefer to watch video? You may need to create video for IGTV.

Are they busy, so prefer the speed and accessibility of insta stories?

Stories used to ‘disappear’ after 24 hours, but now you can highlight or archive them so that’s no longer a problem.

The most successful instagram feeds have some form of consistency to them. You need to give your audience what they want. Remember why they followed you in the first place.

When can you start? When are you audience online?

It’s a really good idea to get your ideas in place before you dive in. It’ll mean you’ll be clearly telling the instagram fairies (aka algorithm) what you like, and who and what you’d like to see in your content.

Check out your ‘explore’ page (the magnifying mirror icon) regularly as this will give you an idea of what instagram thinks you like.

Already posted loads of random pics of food and cats?

It’s OK. You can pivot, delete old posts, tidy up your feed, change your themes.

Don’t worry.

it’s OK to switch it up. Just don’t do that too often or your tribe, and importantly the instagram algorithm may think you’re being spammy.

You’ll need to regularly analyse your insights. If you haven’t already make sure you’re in a business account to do this.

Set a time and day in your schedule to do this.

You need to know when your audience are online. This way you can ensure you post at the optimum time, you’ll be available to interact with comments, and make real connections.

Which posts are working, which aren’t.

My instagram ABC

Here’s where I share a secret, it’s one of my ‘insta tips’ that I share regularly in my Facebook Group and Email Newsletter (see below)

Just 3 letters to keep in mind every time you post:

Active
Brand
Consistent

Active

Post everyday, interact, comment, like, follow

Brand

Use your brand colours or fonts, stick to your message

Consistent

Post at the times your audience is active, stay within your niche

OK, I’m convinced, how do I get my hands on the FREE Instagram strategy check list?

I’ve put together a FREE printable Instagram Strategy ‘cheatsheet’ especially for you, so if you’re a solo-preneur, a newbie or a VA with 15 insta clients, you can print it off for each client/account.

Just fill in this form and I’ll make sure you get the download!

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Want to take your instagram further, why not book a FREE call with me and see how easy it is to step things up.

If you’d like to link up with others who work independently I have my FREE The Independent Freedom Creative FREE Facebook Group?

It’s packed full with creatives who write and work independently (or want to!)

Kindness is a key element, and it’s not spammy.

There are weekly threads where you can ask questions, self promote and join in on global networking.

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Christie Adams

Books and Midlife Adventures