So you have a blog where you do business.
You and your blog are branded, your content is top notch, your mission statement makes you happy, your content upgrades are amazing and everything is good in the world.
Now what?
IT’S TIME TO TACKLE SOCIAL MEDIA!
If you haven’t branded your blog or small business yet, it’s time to do so. It really is the best way to make you look professional and stand out in this ever-competitive blogging universe.
I believe in being present in all Social Media but only passionate about one or two. Instagram has growth tremendously in the last couple of years
Why?
Instagram is a predominantly visual space. Everything comes in through the eyes and the feels. Instagram is also highly engaging and that is precisely how you can build a loyal following. You will find bloggers in businesses just like yours as well as the users that will ultimately be your clients. They are all in the same place!
I will move forward on the premise that you already have an account so I can get right to showing you the ins and outs of using Instagram to promote your blog, your posts, your newsletter and your content upgrades!
MAKE SURE YOUR INSTAGRAM BASICS ARE WELL SETUP
I’m talking about your account!
This is where your branding on Instagram must be ever present but not overbearing, where your message is perceived in a way that will pull people in, instead of pushing them on to another account.
There are two parts to your Instagram existence; the profile and the feed. They are both important and they both have creative possibilities.
The way your entire account looks is very important because people will see it as a whole and if it isn’t appealing, they won’t follow you.
- USER NAME
Your Instagram name and username are a two-part team. The “username” is what goes after the @ sign and is how people look for you and remember you. Your “name” is what shows up right under your username and is what shows up in the search. Your name is the first line in the profile and shows up in bold letters.
In the description, make sure you use separate lines to display separate points about you, your blog and your business. Be Precise, concise AND creative. Use emojis!
- YOUR FEED
Your feed is where things can get really fun and is what will make you really stand out.
There are many ways you can promote your blog posts on Instagram, but you always have to remember to stay on brand. For example if your colors are usually muted, don’t post a photo in full vibrant color and vice versa. (Unless you have a contrasting checkered composition. More on that later)
MAKE SURE EVERYTHING YOU POST FITS WITH YOUR BRAND
Its ok to make mistakes, just delete what you don’t like and try a new approach. It’s all about experimenting!
HERE ARE SOME POSTING IDEAS TO GET YOUR OFF AND RUNNING:
- Use the same branded graphics from the blog posts and create the square Instagram version.
- Post “coming soon to the blog” photos with messages telling your followers what they can expect to see in the next few days. Follow through with what you promise!
- Take behind the scenes photos of what inspires your blog post. If there was a photo shoot involved, show the set up and the photographer at work. If you are the photographer then have someone take a photo of you taking the photos!
- Use quotes from your post and make images with them. Think of how you make a “click to tweet”. Short and sweet, and wording that will catch your followers’ attention.
- You can even promote old blog posts and say something like “from the archives” and in the call to action say, “search for so and so in the blog”
- Create a giveaway on Rafflecopter with something you can give your followers as a prize. It can be a service, a product or even an amazon gift card. Promote it on Instagram, use the link in the profile to take them to a landing page where they sign up to your newsletter to enter the giveaway.
- Do you publish guest posts? Do a feature on your author, do a couple of shout out posts about their Instagram account and blog before and after you post about their guest post.
- Use you Instagram as a mini blog and use the caption to write mini blog posts that you can finish off with, “read more about this on the blog”
Example
Instagram @thattravelblog
Website: http://www.thattravelblog.com
At Target Points we can help you go through the core aspects of promoting your blog using Instagram. Contact us today at 516.467.1846 or visit www.targetpointsinc.com.
You can learn much more about Social Media in our eBook how to attract customers with Facebook.
