Back to the Basics

Instagrams original purpose was a place to be social, share photos, and connect with others. Now, there are more sale ads than regular posts it seems. However, there are ways to grow your business while building a community and do it in a way that feels natural.

Let’s go back to the basics. Who are some of your favorite creators on the platform? What type of content do the offer? Asking yourself questions like these will help you pinpoint the basics and help you to stop overthinking social media. If you can go back to the basics and focus on creating content you want to see and creating content thats original, you’ll have no issues growing your following with a community rather than strangers.

5 Tips To Follow

1. Ask your why you are posting. Every time you post there needs be a reason behind it. Are you looking to educate, show your knowledge, or show the human behind the brand, etc? Get clear on the purpose behind the content.
2. Try these 3 prompts
   • Look for feed back
     • Create a reel or infographic that shares that you are looking for feedback. This is a great, honest way to say you want to please your audience and create for them
   • Your go-to tools
     • Share your favorite industry tools. If you create candles, share your favorite tool you use. If you create recipes, share a kitchen tool. Make it personable AND valuable!
   • Host an interactive challenge
     • Host a free social media challenge. This can be a habit, a business tool, etc. and then show up every week on stories to encourage people to stick with the challenge
3. Take the time to engage back!
   • Make sure you are responding to comments, asking questions, and answering DMs
4. Spend 20 minutes 5 days a week intentionally engaging with others.
   • Find people in your niche and comment something authentic on their posts
   • Find your ideal audience and engage with them. DON’T SELL TO THEM! and don’t make it weird. Be a normal friendly person!
5. Utilize your IG stories.
   • Create polls, do AMA (ask me anything), show behind the scenes, and more.
   • Stories are where the community building really happens. Don’t forget to show up multiple times a week!

Put It All Together

Once you’ve gone back to the basics and you’ve asked yourself the questions, write down your answers. Then create content ideas that align with those answers. Next, go through steps 1-6 weekly. By doing so, you will begin to see the difference in your monthly engagement and analytics.

Comment below if you have any questions and let us know if you love the tips! If you want more ways to create a community, download The Playbook to get hundreds of content ideas at your fingertips!