You know that consuming app you hate to love that everyone tells you is going to help your business but it’s not bringing you clients or growing… like at all?

Yeah, I’m talking ’bout Instagram and, seriously, it CAN work for your business… if you show up in a real, genuine, full-of-service kinda way.

I see most entrepreneurs making 4 big mistakes on social media. If you’re making ’em too, no shame! We’ve all been there.

But I want to address them right now so you can fix ’em, grow this platform, and show up in a way that’ll have clients blowin’ up your inbox to work with you!

And if that sounds too good to be true, it’s not! I know from experience <3

Mistake #1: You’re a Bad Date.

Think back to your college years. You’re out with your friends looking hawtttt as hell standing at the bar trying to get the bartender’s attention to order a round of shots.

Some cheeseball walks up, orders for you without asking, tells some bad jokes, and asks, “Wanna get outta here?”

What’s your first reaction?

I’ll tell ya mine: helll nahhhh. Don’t just roll up here and assume I’m going to bang you cause you spend $5 on me. How you mean?!

That feeling is icky…AF. And truly, that may be how your audience is feeling if you’re trying to sell straight out of the gate.

The purpose of Instagram isn’t to make a sale. It’s to start a relationship.

How would you talk to someone on a blind date? Would you start listing all of your accomplishments and spend the entire dinner talking about you?

If your goal is a second date, that’s likely not the best tactic.

Shift your focus off of you and what you can get out of the interaction onto how you can serve and get to know your audience.

I guarantee your followers will come back for more because they’ll feel seen and heard.

A general rule of thumb? 80% or more of your content should be storytelling + valuable, actionable content. 20% or less should be sales-related: i.e. sharing your offerings or services.

Mistake #2: You’re not showing your humanity.

People don’t want to interact with logos or products; they want to interact with real people + brands they trust. You build trust by being genuine and generous.

The whole point on Instagram is that people want to know more — likely about you, your life, the behind the scenes, the “why” behind what you create.

The behind-the-scenes and life stuff might feel awkward at first, but as you share it, it writes a bigger story for your followers to connect with. Don’t skip those posts!

Check out this survey from 2017:

So, this begs the question: what is the story that you want to become known for beyond what you sell?

All of those little stories should form your brand pillars + the strategy behind what you share.

Pick 4-6 categories that really represent what is important to you. For me, these are community, travel / adventure, yoga + meditation, inspiration / quotes, and my coaching offers.

If you browse my IG, I cycle through these categories every 5-6 posts.

Majority of what I share has nothing to do with my business. It has to do with what I believein, my values: minimalism, a debt-free + soulful lifestyle, growth, adventure, accountability, and mindfulness. 

People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it. If you haven’t already listened to Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” get on dat. It’s game-changing.

Mistake #3: You’re not clear on who you serve.

As Marie Forleo says, “If you’re talkin’ to everybody, you’re talkin’ to nobody.”

If you try to market to everyone, your messaging will be vanilla, forgettable, and lost in an ever-increasing sea of internet noise.

Always always always be mindful of who you are creating content for. Think about the person you want to serve and speak directly to them…

Like a real human with a name, gender, hair color, an age, a marital status, and occupation.

• Where does that person hang out?
• What keeps them up at night?
• What podcasts do they listen to?
• How do they dress?
• What’s their dreamy fantasy?

This could be based on an actual customer you already have that you adore or maybe it’s a compilation of people in your life that you’d love to work with.

Ask: How can my post address a specific pain point of my soulmate client + give those who read it an easy win today?

And forget about that judgy uncle in Minnesota who you’re afraid you’ll offend. You’ll never reach your tribe if you’re trying to appease the critics.

Mistake #4: You’re not taking the time to mindfully answer comments or DM’s.

I see so many accounts, especially business accounts, ignoring the comments under their own posts.

If someone is taking the time to reach out to you, don’t take that for granted. A lack of responsiveness can communicate that you don’t care about your community and can undermine people’s trust in your brand.

Instagram is a social network. So, be social and react to comments. You wouldn’t walk away mid-conversation at a party and leave the person speaking to you hanging, would you?

I know that answering emails, DM’s—#allthethings— takes time and, granted, sometimes messages fall through the cracks.

But I promise you, it’s time well-invested.

People are the lifeblood of your business. Build credibility with them by always being reliable and responsive.

All of these things, done well, create raving fans and raving fans share things that impact them with their circles. Word of mouth marketing is a snowball effect. Be consistent and it will pay off in the long run.

If this kind of content is your jam and you’re ready to do the deep work to create a thriving, sustainable online business, click here to hop on the waitlist for the Soulful Business Mastermind.

Cheers to becoming more fully YOU!

Xoxo