I’ve never been a Facebook girl, never will be and Twitter was getting boring and with my blog growth at a standstill. I needed something, so Insta it was. I had these visions of wonderful photos and taking pictures with things like a giant Birthday Balloons, did that; Christmas tree lots and pumpkin patches & Old Trucks!
Reality is, pictures aren’t instantly better on Instagram, they’re still the same old pictures you’ve been taking and if you don’t travel weekly or have an interesting place to take photos, or a dedicated assistant, LOL, they can sometimes be a little vanilla, but that’s OK if that’s what you have to work with!
It is a complete love-hate relationship with this social platform. For this post, I’m going to break it down into three things. The things I adore about Instagram, the frustrating things about Instagram and Tips to grow your Instagram.
I am by no means any expert, but I am a research girl, so I did my research for almost a year about Instagram before I even joined. I felt prepared and quickly learned some of the ropes. I still have a lot to learn and I’m hoping that will help me maximize my priorities and not spend so much dang time on there! Particularly, getting sucked down rabbit holes, LOL! Don’t we all?
INSTAGRAM PROS
OK here is what I adore about the Gram! Hands-down, the community and relationships there! I was truly worried about the comparison and all the younger girls dominating but definitely not the case! Everyone is so uplifting and supportive and there for you if you’re struggling with something and shared on your stories. I truly want to lift up others there and they do the same for me! It’s a beautiful thing!
Just like the Blog, I’ve even “met” people on Instagram that I’ve become real life friends with. With Insta, I’ve been blessed to meet people close by that I can actually get together with. We bond over local loves.
The opportunities it has opened in regard to the blog and acquiring products. I did fairly well with affiliate links and ads and some sponsorships on my blog, but I’ve been opened to even more opportunities on Instagram, often in exchange for great free products that I would’ve maybe purchased anyway!
Stories are fun! It took tons of getting used to, hearing my own voice, not feeling awkward but you get used to it. They’re fun to do and watch. It just once again, takes time.
You get inspiration from other people's Insta photos much like Pinterest.
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You get inspiration from other people's Insta photos much like Pinterest.
INSTAGRAM CONS
The cons, oh the cons! I will try not to make a huge list but sometimes they do outweigh the benefits. First of all, the creeps! I even shared once in my stories how I’ve been offered an allowance to be some creeps platonic friend. No thanks, my husband gives me an allowance, LOL! Block, Block, Block.
Then, it’s the constant barrage of people wanting me to join their fitness routines or pick up a side hustle or buy into diet products or how to be successful promotions. Nope, I’m good on all accounts. I’m early retired for a reason and I do just fine with my fitness and diet, LOL!
Oh, and let’s talk about the people who follow and then Unfollow. Yes, sometimes it can be hard to tell, and I know a lot of my friends have tracking apps for that but I keep a list and go in and physically check it every now and then. There was one time when I followed someone who I truly admired and thought the admiration was mutual only to be devastated that she unfollowed me. I know I should not take it personally, but I actually called her out on it and she felt so bad and said that it was because of a service and that if it ever happens again to let her know. I so appreciated that honesty. Trust me, I get it, everybody wants to grow but not have to be following thousands of people because you don’t want that many filling up your feed and not be able to see all the people you love when you scroll. However, don’t follow me if you’re going to Unfollow me in a day or two. I appreciate the people that follow and stick around and often times it’s those people who I interact with that I absolutely want to follow back!
And finally, I’ll leave my last con at the algorithm! Before I was on Instagram, I often heard about this but had no idea what it meant in relation to the app. Now, I totally get it. Instagram has total control over if what you share gets seen and that is just wrong!
I hate NOT seeing the people I love in my feed or seeing posts from 2-3 days ago. Please keep it current and in order Insta!!
And on that note, please do not take away the likes, it’s not a game, it’s just nice to see who actually likes viewing your stuff!
I hate NOT seeing the people I love in my feed or seeing posts from 2-3 days ago. Please keep it current and in order Insta!!
And on that note, please do not take away the likes, it’s not a game, it’s just nice to see who actually likes viewing your stuff!
INSTAGRAM TIPS
Ok, the growth! My goal was 1000 followers each quarter, so by the end of this month I was hoping to have at least 4000 and I have surpassed that. Now, keep in mind I am not normally a numbers girl but if I do want to continue to be successful and have growth, then I need to get to that golden 10,000 that makes it easier for your readers to just swipe up to find a product. If my account was just a personal account, I wouldn’t even care about the numbers, but it is indeed part of my business and an extension of my blog. It’s so funny, because when I started thinking about joining Instagram there were so many people that told me, had I joined it when I first started blogging almost 5 years ago, I’d be making six figures by now. I really don’t pay much attention to that, yes the extra money is fun, but it’s my hobby and it’s awesome to be creative and share what I love with others!
So, let me share with you what has worked for me to grow my Instagram.
Hands down, the number one thing is ENGAGEMENT! I like and comment like crazy! And not just a comment like “so cute!” Rather, I leave genuine comments! Does it take a lot of time? YES! But it’s worth the work and I love complimenting others.
With that being said, BE AUTHENTIC!!! That is so important to me!
With that being said, BE AUTHENTIC!!! That is so important to me!
To help with time spent on Insta, I usually only post 3 times on week and on the same day I publish a blog post, but I do spend 3-4+ hours broken up on those days engaging. During the days in between, I comment for about hour.
Take care of your followers first, engaging with them, then check the comments from those you follow and find new profiles to comment on. Sometimes they follow you.
Tread lightly with giveaways. I’ve only done a few and one was a little sketch. Make sure the person or team running the giveaway have a lot of followers, communicates well, they unfollow as soon as giveaway is over so not as easy for participants to unfollow and prices to join are reasonable. A good majority will continue to follow you if you have good content. One thing I won’t do is buy followers or join a growth service.
Refresh your feed often so you can see more of those you follow.
Try to do stories but don’t feel obligated especially if it makes you overwhelmed. Stories are Hard!! It took me forever to get used to my own voice on there. And I don't think people hear everything I say as scrolling through is a thing, lol!
If I really had to give only one Tip, it’s the genuine, hard work commenting on as many as you can and answering your comments. People like to be heard and valued.
Here’s hoping year two teaches me even more. Tell me what YOU think about Instagram. I am a huge believer in lifelong learning and change is inevitable so who knows where Insta will takes us. But above all, have fun, stay true to you and take media breaks to clear your head! Now, I’m off to take pictures with pumpkins, lol.
HAVE A LOVELY DAY!!
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xo
