It’s not about the number of your followers, it’s about your level of engagement.
If your audience takes action from your suggestions, that is extreeeeemely valuable.
That is what an influencer is.
Learn how to become an influencer.
HIGH ENGAGEMENT = HIGH POTENTIAL PROFIT.
Engagement comes with the trust that you build with your audience.
Therefore, you should be focused on building trust through daily content.
HIGH TRUST = HIGH ENGAGEMENT.
So what are 3 tangible ways to do that?
- Build A Powerful Profile
- Capture The Viewer’s Attention
- Cultivate A Strong Network
We are going to dive into how to accomplish the 3 points above in detail broken down into 13 additional points.
BUILD A POWERFUL PROFILE
1. Create a searchable profile
Instead of using your name as the first line in your bio, tell people what you do, who you are, or what you post about!
This makes your profile extremely searchable.
People usually type in generic words like “blogger” or “inspiration” to find people they want to follow instead of names.
Also, make sure to categorize your Instagram page such as “Entrepreneur” or “Public Figure”.
For example:
For my personal brand @elainerau, I say what I do “Full-Time Blogger” and what I post “Inspiration”.
For my professional brand @ladybossblogger, I say what I post about “Entrepreneur Tips+Quotes+Inspo”.
2. Build a personal + professional brand
If you have a lifestyle brand, then it’s best to have one account, but if your professional brand can stand on its own, it’s best to separate them.
Why separate them? This way you can tap into two different niches as you grow your audience simultaneously for both. This allows for more opportunities and ways to branch out in the future.
For example:
Numerous companies such as;
- ReviveLight – beauty
- HealthlyLine – health
- Sudara – fashion
Have all reached out to me for paid influencer campaigns because they like my content on @elainerau, and all I do is take photos of my life from my iPhone! But I would never post the same kind of content on my professional feed.
Notice the influencer shoe campaign that I took with some of my besties that is running diagonally down my feed and organically woven through.
Now, my professional feed is 80% text versus my personal feed which is the exact opposite.
Female entrepreneurs have reached out to me to get interviewed on my blog and companies looking to sponsor guest posts have reached out to me on @ladybossblogger.
See how this allows for multiple streams of income?
BTW if you’re wanting to tap into the influencer world, check out my course here and use promo LADYBOSS20 for 20% off! 😉
However, two accounts can be a lot to manage… so don’t go about it alone! There are loads of social media management tools available to you such as;
I use these 3 tools to auto post on my accounts and plan my feed months in advance. It takes me just a few hours to set everything up, then I’m hands-free on all my social media accounts for months!
PRO TIP: When coming up with a brand name, make sure that you’re not boxing yourself in with labels such as 20-somethings or partners-somethings, make sure it’s an evergreen name you can use for years to come!
If you need a brand name, click on the free business generator tool below!
3. Post a killer profile picture
Your picture should be your face, not your logo. The more professional, the better and having a solid color background helps make you stand out.
People want to know who is behind the brand, but of course, make sure it makes sense with your brand.
I like to use the same photo as a branding method. When people see the same image twice, it makes them look again.
I have the same headshot on all my international pages in addition to my main accounts for this very reason, so people know the accounts are all connected.
4. Write an informational bio
Make sure to include general info such as;
- How you help others or what you do
- A little bit about yourself to allow others to connect with you
- Big accomplishments and accolades
- Where people can connect with you or contact you
- Call to action to check out the link in your bio
Other elements that are good to include can be;
- Your skills as keywords or hashtags
- Descriptive emojis, just make sure not to overdo it
- Where you’re located (assuming it makes sense to know for your business)
- A compelling question that you answer
- A call to action to join your FB Group or subscribe to your email list
5. Make sure to have an amazing cover story
Your cover story is your first 9 pictures so that the minute people land on your page they can see visually what you’re all about.
- Make sure to have a cohesive color palette by treating all the pictures you post the same
- Your photos should match your bio’s expectations
- Try your best to generate emotion and intrigue
PIN THE IMAGE BELOW!
CAPTURE THE VIEWER’S ATTENTION
6. Take beautiful pictures
You don’t need a DSLR to take incredible photos, however, it never hurts to know your way around a camera.
Here are some ideas to help you know what to take photos of:
- Flat lay
- Landscapes
- Food display
- Famous landmarks
- Decor
- Selfies
- Outfits
- Interiors
Now BEAUTIFUL photos and CURATED photos are quite different. In order to build trust, you have to strike a balance between beautiful and curated.
The photos that usually perform the best (in terms of engagement) are actually usually the photos that look the most authentic.
For example:
The image below is poorly lit and honestly kind of blurry, but I actually made a few sales from it!
Versus the following photo that was taken by a professional and highly edited, barely even got noticed.
7. Carefully craft your captions
This is key to user engagement!
- Use your caption to tell your story!
- Include an excerpt from your blog to lead them to your posts.
- What are you trying to get people to do? Make your comment a call to action!
- Ask people a question and tell them to comment with their answer.
The most important thing is that everything should be connected:
- Your photo
- Your caption
- The text on your image if you choose to do that
In the photo below, I am posing with cat tails shaped like a heart, which makes sense with the quote about love that I stuck on there. Then my caption talks about my thoughts on commitment and I ask my audience what they think… and so the discussion begins!
It doesn’t matter if you have 5 followers or 5K followers, start writing thoughtful captions and making it a habit, even if people don’t respond initially. Or in the very least write “Like if you agree” to ensure you have a call to action.
8. Use targeted hashtags
Geotags and hashtags both help you get your account discovered.
Check out all-hashtag.com to help generate the best hashtags!
For example:
Here is a perfect example. The post below reached over 10K impressions, however, only 139 of them were generated by the hashtags.
In contrast to this post below that got half as many impressions, but almost ALL of them came from hashtags. Make sure to take advantage of the built-in insights from your Instagram account to see what’s working and what isn’t!
9. Be consistent above all
All great accounts have consistency in both when they post and how often they post. Create categories and subcategories and templates for everything you post to streamline the process!
Instagram favors accounts that post DAILY, so make sure you’re playing to the algorithm by posting daily, preferably at the same time so your audience knows when to expect your new posts!
PIN THE IMAGE BELOW!
CULTIVATE A STRONG NETWORK
10. You have to be social
You have to get out there, meet other people, and connect with people. That is the whole point of being on social media! It’s a huge virtual chat room so start some genuine conversations.
11. Connect with people
Show people some love. Post about people you find inspiring. Do shoutouts. Write a testimony or review on a product or service and tag the brand. Do everything you can to connect! Or have a call to action asking other people to connect for you!
For example (read the caption):
12. Create a community
Repost or use a hashtag to create content together. Use captions to provide tips and advice. Instagram is a networking event!
Use and follow #ladybossblogger! Just click on the photo and click follow.
13. Get people involved
The more your viewers feel like they have a say in what you do, the more likely they will engage with you because their voice matters!
If you loved this post, please pin the images.
April Swann says
Great read. Thanks for all of the tips.
Elaine Rau says
My pleasure <3