Whats your message? Is there a need for it? Is it something relevant? Can people connect with your story? Is it practical? Tactical? Functional? Lets keep it moving.
“When I started my brand I did not fully do my due diligence which made my branding messy. There was a lot more stuff I didn't do."
I jump onto IG stories from time to time and speak about past experiences as well as the mistakes I've made so others can learn from it. I didn't really have anyone showing me the ropes when I started out, if I did I would have saved a lot of time and effort. I also share tips/ tricks and how to, so make sure to follow me https://www.instagram.com/staremix
Consistency is so important, just like everything we do day to day in life. Whatever we put in we will get back. Do you agree? Try to understand that quality, quantity and consistency is key and with your content you can build trust. So many brands do not use videos... Now what goes viral?
Early this year I started doing videos on IGTV. The series feature is brilliant! I really should of done this a long time ago! My wife told me to try this ages ago but I'm stubborn but more so I was too busy focusing on my aesthetic - I didn't want to add videos because of the icon thing in the top corner. Someone said to me, sometimes ugly is good!
OCD is real, trust me, I know but its not that bad lol. You're missing out on so much if you're not using all of the 'free' available tools that a platform is offering!
Instagram also love when you use them! It helps with reach and they can clearly see that you are using it, so when a new feature comes out on BETA, and they are testing, they notice your profile.
If your results are slowing down, or you're not getting enough engagement, you need to change.
Try out some of the new features, including the carousel (10 visuals post) they are great! If it doesn't work, you can always edit/ delete and try again. Remember, you can still add value on videos. I've recently started to use alt tag feature (alternative language text) it provides a visual description of photos for people with visual impairments. This can only be read if someone is using a screen reader to access Instagram.
Sorry off topic, so people love simple (something they can understand). You need to think about how you can make your message clear and simple. So the question is, what does your story need to have to connect with your audience?
Each story has a format:
Hero - your audience/ customer
Villain - the problem
Narrator - YOU, the brand
For example, Vaseline is the narrator (the brand). The villain is the problem which is dry skin lol. The hero is your customer who you are solving the problem for, you get it?
How do you tell a story though?
With realness and emotion. Your story has to connect with your audience and it has to make them feel. We fall in love with the brands mostly because of the founder, its always personal just like this blog lol. You learn about the person's passion, you get me?
The story has to be engaging. I would recommend telling
your story through video format. Videos are everywhere no?
Which goes viral, photo or video?
How do I get people to tell my story or request reviews?
One thing is most people do is read reviews, thats facts. I bet you read Google reviews before you go out to eat somewhere or YouTube to read comments for a product/ service you're interested in? This is called social proofing. This influences purchases. When you sell something, ask for a review. Offer an incentive because you are asking for their time.
Think of it as LinkedIn when you are asking for friends or colleagues to leave you a recommendation. Now some may say, yes but something pops up and they forget, we are all busy unless "you do me and I will return the favour." This works because I do it lol. So offer a discount for their time or free delivery off the next purchase, anything attractive or whatever you can offer just give a little. In the long run it will help you.
Just ending on this note - story telling is a key element regardless if you're a business or a personal brand. Your message must be clear.
Big shout out to @thebkh and ola_pelo from Instagram LIVE's conversation. I've included some tips above from their "Consider it handled" sessions. These guys are awesome! Make sure to sign up to my mailing list for more content!
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