Despite what the online world might have you believe, there actually is no ‘one’ perfect way to do social media. Every business is unique, so naturally every Instagram strategy for business has to be too.
I know, I know – it’s not what we’re taught online. There’s so much out there about the top tips, tricks, and hacks to use that it’s all too easy to get sucked into a serious case of comparison. Whether that’s comparing yourself to what everyone else is doing, or to what you believe you ‘should’ be doing, there’s only two results: doing nothing at all, or doing things you feel icky about. So how do we get around that?
As a social media manager, I truly believe the best social media strategy is simple: do what you can to give yourself the best chances of getting seen, and focus on creating in a way that doesn’t make you feel like sh*t.
And if you take anything away from this - please let it be that. Don’t let your Instagram strategy make you feel like sh*t.
(But I’m sure you’re hoping for some advice that’s a tad more practical too, so let’s look at 3 approaches to Instagram strategy for business that you can adapt to suit your specific goals…)
Instagram strategy #1: Grow - Nurture - Sell
Think of this way of content planning almost as a 3-step funnel.
You’re going to think about creating:
Content to grow
Content to nurture
Content to sell
Content to grow would be content aimed at reaching new eyes, who don’t necessarily know who you are yet. Relatable, shareable content that when someone new sees it, leads them to think “ooh I need to follow them.”
Next up, content to nurture. This is content aimed at those already in your world, building up trust and a real connection with them. This content has some sort of value exchange, like sharing behind the scenes or something a bit more personal. Alternatively, it could be more generally educational, for example on a topic relevant to your industry.
The final piece of the puzzle is content to sell. There are so many ways to incorporate sales content into your strategy that isn’t just BUY THIS THING but if you don’t shout about what you do, how will anyone know to buy it? (I’ll do a whole separate blog on selling, so stay tuned for that)
How you choose to split your content between these themes will depend on what your goals are for your socials right now. If you want to grow your following and focus on community, then growth and nurture content should be your priorities. If you’re in the middle of a launch, you’ll likely need to dial up the sales content.
Instagram strategy #2 - Content campaigns
Here’s another way to look at your plan - create campaigns for yourself.
What do you want to focus on right now? Think about the service you want to push and focus all your content for the next week or 2 towards that.
This doesn’t mean selling and repeating the exact same content over and over. You can still incorporate the grow-nurture-sell funnel, but always with that same service at the core. One of the huge benefits about this approach is that it takes away some of the decision making/panicking around “what shall I post?”
Think about:
Who would be interested in this service?
Who do you want to work with on this service?
What are their pain points?
How does your service help them?
Focus on just that one persona and one service for your campaign.
Instagram strategy #3 - Answer all the questions
The final way to look at your content is to answer all the questions:
who, what, when, where, how?
A golden rule for social media content is to always assume your audience know nothing. Answer allllll the questions. Multiple times.
Does your content share:
Who - who do you work with?
What - what do you do for them? What’s the transformation for your clients?
Where - if your service is location-based, this is especially important. But even if you work remotely, is that clear too?
When - what’s your availability? Is there an earlybird offer ending soon or a deadline to buy tickets to your workshop?
How - how do people work with you? Do they send you a DM, or fill out an enquiry form?
And if you think “I’ve already shared this…” Share it again. You’re not repeating yourself as much as you think you are, I promise.
How do you choose which instagram strategy is right for you?
Did you feel a pull towards one of those options above? (Or maybe you felt a pull away from one – that’s useful information too). Go with your gut on which one feels easiest to use for your approach…or, of course, you can use a combination of all 3!
It all comes back to not letting your instagram strategy make you feel like sh*t.
You can’t do it all, you don’t have to be perfect – heck, my own socials definitely aren’t! – but you do owe it to yourself to try to find a way that works for you. The more you enjoy creating your content, the more your audience will enjoy it. Your happiness will literally radiate through the screen, and when your audience hear the passion you have for what you do, they’ll fall in love with you. Plus you’ll show up more regularly, because it won’t feel so daunting. Double win!
Want help with your instagram strategy?
If you want some support taking this to the next step, check out my Content Plan services, where you’ll get everything you need to crack on with creating and stop getting stuck in the planning.
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