331 – Instagram for Beginners with Allison Scholes of Boss Lady in Sweatpants

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT For 4 weeks beginning next week, the podcast will be published on Saturday instead of Monday to hopefully be more convenient for listeners. After this test, I'll review and decide if the change stays or goes. Let me know what you think. Now, on with this week's episode. Instagram can be a powerhouse of connection and traffic for your business. But if it just feels too complicated, today's episode is for you. We're breaking down the basics of Instagram for beginners so you can finally get started with this key social platform. Today, we are joined by Allison Scholes. And you're going to love the name of her company - are you ready? Boss Lady in Sweatpants. So perfect, right? Allison helps mompreneurs build their Instagram presence through coaching, creative copy, and content. On her podcast called Social Media for Mompreneurs she guides busy moms on how to build their brand online in just minutes a day. Even when those minutes are super hard to come by. Allison believes social media should be fun and easy, not daunting. With her sassy and fun personality, mixed with her creativity and love for sweatpants and coffee, she's able to deliver simple and creative tools that help Mompreneurs boost their business with confidence and ease. BUSINESS BUILDING INSIGHTS If you want to grow your brand, you have to be your authentic self. Get crystal clear on why you're on Instagram (or any social media platform). It could be to build brand awareness, build community, or drive traffic to your website. Stick with one Instagram account so it's so much easier to manage. Because YOU are the brand, not your products. <-- Listen to the full conversation for more detail on this. Instagram for Beginners Remember - Instagram is not a sales platform. It's a connection platform. <-- tune in for the full discussion on this. Write your Instagram bio around your ideal audience. It should have three important parts: who you serve what is their main problem and what is your solution Focus on a specific objective or goal for the next 60 to 90 days so your content can be very concrete. Build know like and trust. Build brand awareness so you can expand your audience. Create content categories (aka post types). Try: lifestyle posts behind the scenes tips and tutorials. show your process (people can relate with you when they see that) use photos of your product as backgrounds behind quotes Map out your content monthly and weekly. Plan and schedule your content a week before so all you need the following week is to engage and be fully present on Instagram. <-- Tune in for details on how to create your schedule! Forget what gurus say about how often to post. Do what works for you and feels good. Show up on Instagram in a way that feels right and aligned with your business and your brand. Start with one feature on Instagram (feed, stories, IGTV, or reels) because if you're not consistent with that, there's no way you're going to be consistent doing all the features on Instagram. Once you feel comfortable and consistent with one thing, then add another. Focus on quality followers rather than quantity. Pay attention to which post gave you the most reach or engagement...