Raise your hand is you found 2020 hard on your business- go ahead, I’ll wait…
Now lower your hand and grab a pen because you’re gonna wanna take notes on this one.
2020 was no bueno because we didn’t know what was coming. Now that we are all on high alert, there are no excuses to not be ready for ANYTHING (global pandemic, social unrest, MURDER HORNETS?! We are one unsupervised lab experiment away from IRL Jurassic Park)
But one thing stayed the same: people bought shit.
Maybe it was different shit. Maybe it wasn’t your shit (trust me, I know, it sucks) but people still bought.
2021 brings a lot of uncertainty because we are naive to think that at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, things will go back to normal.
We have months of the pandemic ahead of us, and YEARS of recovery. Our society will never be the same again, so why not have a say in how we shape the future (hint* shape it with your business as a necessity)
And if you are a small business, you need to get in front of your audience and scream your loudest to get their attention. With so many people out of work, or with limited opportunities due to the pandemic, you better bet that they will be hustling to get a side income going.
This means more competition to get your audience’s attention. One thing we know is that when people were stuck working at home or on lockdown, Instagram usage went up 40%+, competition increased, reach went down and hashtags (which were on fire before) became less effective.
The algorithm was flooded with new information and changed the way it categorized and delivered content (so. much. content)
So, if you want your business to thrive on Instagram in 2021, here are 10 tips (plus a couple extra) that you need to know to grow:
Strategic Bio
Your Instagram bio is a 5 second snapshot of your business and you need to get it right to keep your audience on your account. If you are unclear, confusing, off brand or boring, users are going to click the back button and keep on scrolling by.
Believe it or not, your bio is actually searchable (outside of just your handle) and you can use different sections to help target and get seen by your ideal customers.
And for such a small space, you may be surprised to learn that there are actually 8 different sections you need to optimize to build a bio that attracts paying clients.
If you want a complete guide on how to optimize your bio, download my Bios That Bait guide HERE.
Highlight Your Customer Path
Remember when Instagram introduced highlights and we all created thousands of albums that were boring and completely useless? Yeah, I did too- no judgement. But… Did you ever delete them?
before you go purge your highlights… read on…
Your highlights section should act like a website menu to bring focus to the parts of your business or customer path you want your audience to notice.
Try creating a highlight for each product type or service that you offer and answer some FAQs. Not only will this help educate your audience, you will actually free up some time by not having to answer the same questions over and over again.
Stay on brand
What does your brand say about you? Whether you are a large corporation, a small business, or a freelancer, how you show up online tells a story- do you like the one it tells about you?
Branding is so much more than logos, colour pallets or aesthetic feeds. Those are just representations of the brand.
A brand is a set of values that you stand by and the value that you bring to your clients. When I work with my Social That Sells clients, we build out brands that mean something.
While the colours may change, the purpose does not. Your brand should not change every single year. That’s not a brand customers can trust.
Use your social media to stay clear and focused on your message and purpose.
Create clickable captions
“WHHHHHAAAAT? You cAn’T cLicK oN cApTionS!”
Wanna bet?
There is exactly one place in your captions that your audience can click on and it’s hella important that they do.
Welcome to the “see more” button.
If your audience doesn’t click on this button, all that time you spent creating the perfect caption is wasted.
And if you are running a small business, you don’t have time to waste.
You need to make sure that those 125 characters you have before that button appears are juicy as hell so your audience wants to click to read more.
I have created my trusty guide, Captions That Converts, on how to structure your captions to convert your audience into loyal brand ambassadors.
Create Shareable Content
If you want your audience to grow in 2021, your content needs to be primed to share.
We intrinsically trust the recommendations of people that we trust. So, if your content gets shared on Instagram, you will jump to the head of the line in the whole “getting to trust you” phase of the relationship, and that audience will be more likely to buy from you.
There are certain types of content that will be more likely to get shared on Instagram. It will be a little different for each business, depending on your brand (so stay true to you, boo) but here are a few options:
- Bold statements
- Quotes
- Informational graphics
- Carousels that tell a story or teach a lesson
- Photos that break the mold of normal (hello authenticity and real)
Try incorporating these into your rotation and see how often they get shared!
Become a CTA master
Quick pep talk: I know you don’t want to seem salesy but you are a business, not an influencer (unless you landed here by mistake) so you have to get comfortable with selling your business #sorrynotsorry.
And honestly, if you don’t feel good about selling your products or services, then you need to take a hard look at your business. Your products or services should bring value to someone. If not, then you should refine until they do.
There used to be a rule in social media that you could only sell 20% of the time and had to deliver value 80% of the time.
That time is long gone… thank god.
You can sell every damn day if you want to. While, I wouldn’t necessarily do a hard sell every single post (mainly because it’s exhausting), just tagging your products to your Shopify store or bringing attention to the link in your bio goes a long way in getting people to notice what you sell.
So, every single post should have some kind of call-to-action to either engage, share, click a link or DM you (among many others). It doesn’t have to be a direct sale, but it can be a step in taking the relationship to the next level (bow chicka bow wow)
Get Visual
As much as I wish the aesthetic feed was a thing of the past- it’s not. It’s still something you should pay attention to.
However, it should not be the thing that stops you from showing up online.
Aesthetic feeds help build trust. If you look like a brand that has it together, your audience will assume that you do.
Instagram is a visual platform. If your visuals are not compelling, your audience will not stop to read the captions you spent so much time working on.
That doesn’t mean that you have to face tune within an inch of your life or become a pro at photoshop. It means taking a little more care to use the same set of filters on your photos or making graphics with your brand colours.
It doesn’t have to be a huge deal but it will help in the long run.
Don’t copy/paste your hashtags
Guuuuyyyyyysssssss… why am I still seeing people post the same hashtag group every single post?
Imma lose my mind over here.
Hashtags can be a vital piece to growth. And while they’ve been a fickle bitch in 2020, you can’t let go of them just yet.
Hashtags are the only organic way of targeting your audience and categorizing your content. So, no matter how frustrating they may be, you need to spend some damn time getting them right.
One of the most important things about hashtags is that they are relevant to your content. Don’t be posting hashtags that have nothing to do with what you’re posting. You will only piss off the algorithm and confuse the nice people who actually click to read your post.
I have a strategy that I use to get your content in front of the dreamy clients you’ve been waiting your whole career for and helping you put it all together so that you can post fresh groups every time without having to start from scratch.
You can save $10 OFF my hashtag strategy course HERE when you use the coupon code INSTA2021
Ask Your Audience
You want your audience invested in your business? Then let them in on the conversation! There is no easier place than social media to get instant feedback on your business and what your customers want from it!
Marketers used to have to pay huge dollars to get the kind of market research that is available just by having a conversation.
If you are launching a product, let your audience weigh in on colours or finishes. If you have a service, ask them about what to include.
The opportunities to connect and learn from them are endless. And someone who has weighed in on your business might be more willing to buy from it!
Get in on the Conversation
Social media is meant to be social. Don’t be the jerk who expects a zillion comments but never gives any. Go outside of your own account and start some conversations with your audience. Show them you are in it for more than their money by contributing to the conversation thoughtfully.
And the key word here is “thoughtfully” if you leave 6 heart emojis, no one is going to give a shit. But if you act like you were in an actual conversation and ask questions, bring up good points and are funny- people will notice and come check you out.
BONUS TIPS! And you thought I was done at just 10…
Meet your audience where they consume
You might post on your feed but your core audience watches stories. Don’t just share your post to your feed. Jump on stories and share the content there too. Talk about what was in your post, elaborate, and let them see your face and make the connection with the business owner as they do.
You will see so much more awareness on your content if you deliver it in their preferred format. It’s not just about the likes after all… it’s about getting the word out about your business so you can increase your sales.
Try other platforms
I know I know.. The last thing we all want is to have to learn a whole new platform. Ugh. But with a new platform comes new opportunities. There seems to be a new one jumping up every month (I just joined Clubhouse but still don’t know how to use it…) so pick and choose your battles (and platforms) to see if you can tap into an underserved market somewhere else.
OK lovelies- that’s all I have for today. What happens in 2021 is going to be anyone’s guess. But if you show up, believe in your business and serve with integrity, you can’t do wrong by your audience or your clients.
What other tips do you think should have made it to this list?
