Why is my Instagram dead?
That is the number one question that I'm getting from small business
owners and entrepreneurs right now.
So if you've noticed a decline in your engagement or maybe your follower
account, don't take it personally.
It's definitely happening to everyone.
It's just very competitive on Instagram right now.
However, there are definitely specific steps that you can take in order
to cut through the competition.
So if you're looking to promote your business and make some money, in today's
video, I'm going to walk you through each step so that you can get out there
and start killing it on Instagram.
But before we go any further, I just want to introduce myself.
My name is Michelle and I am a creative strategist.
And if you're just stumbling upon this channel, welcome to Learn With Shopify.
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if you are an online entrepreneur and you're starting, running
or growing an online business.
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So I work with countless small business owners.
And I started noticing a trend.
I started noticing that they were saying they were lacking engagement.
Or that they were having a hard time making sales on Instagram.
So I went back, did some research and I found out exactly why this
is happening to everyone and how you can beat the algorithm.
Okay.
So first let me explain why you're actually having a hard time growing
and making sales on Instagram.
Every social media platform is going to go through a life cycle,
just like everything in life.
So it's going to start with launch, then it's going to move on to growth
and then monetization at its peak.
Now the first phase is the launch.
So at this point, Instagram was figuring out what their value proposition was.
They were doing all that behind the scenes work, and they were just getting started.
If you were a business or if you were a creator on Instagram at this time, this
would have been a very easy time to grow.
Now, realistically, you probably weren't because you probably
didn't even know Instagram existed.
The next phase is the growth phase.
This is where Instagram would have started to pick up some steam.
So when you hear people saying, oh, Instagram really isn't what it used to be.
They're talking about that time when it was, you know, wild.
There was a lot of engagement, you could have gained followers super quickly, and
that all happened during the growth phase.
So this would have been about five years ago.
And at that point it was just really easy to grow your account.
There was a lot of engagement and if you were on it enough to
monetize back then, you would have seen a lot of sales coming through.
But if I think back to where I was at in 2016, I was probably somewhere
on my couch in my living room, hearing all my friends talking about
Instagram, but not on the platform yet.
But those days have come and gone
my friends, because Instagram is now at the monetization phase.
They're really focusing on profit.
So what they're doing is they are working with advertisers to sell user's attention.
So that really just allows them to pay their employees and run their business.
Instagram is no longer handing out exposure like it's Halloween candy
and they are the biggest house on the block, but instead they're
keeping their exposure precious.
They are only electing a small portion of the population to be the chosen ones.
Those people are getting all the growth.
They're getting all their exposure.
Now I know this sounds elusive, but you can be a chosen one.
So here are the four things that you can do to make it to the other side,
become a chosen one so that you can start growing your business and start making it.
Tip number one is make content that no one has ever seen before.
All right, so now that we know that Instagram is in the profit or the
monetization phase, we can gather that they're going to be willing to help you
if they can make a profit off of you.
So in other words, they're going to reward you with exposure
if you keep users on the platform for longer.
This is because, that's going to mean they can show more ads to your audience
and collect money from companies that are willing to pay for those ads.
So if you make content that no one has ever seen before, you're going
to help Instagram reach their goals
and then they're going to help you reach your goal.
So let's use this fake hot sauce brand just as an example of what not to do.
Okay.
So rule number one in making scroll-stopping content is, do
not post bland product photos.
Product photos with a white backdrop is amazing, but those should be
reserved for the product page on your online store or your Shopify store.
You're going to have a very hard time standing out by posting product
photos like this on your Instagram.
But in sharp contrast, take a look at how you can still show your products, but in
a creative and a different and fun way.
So look at this guy, he's making a hot sauce fountain.
I think that is genius.
And this is really going to make people stop and watch.
So those people that are stopping and watching, they can potentially turn into
followers and then one day down the line, they can turn into customers as well.
Also, don't try to be perfect.
I know this one's a bit of a hard one, but perfection is 100% expected on Instagram.
So to be different and to make content that people have never seen
before, try adding a human element.
So while this picture over here is, you know, it's obviously stunning,
this photo lacks a human element.
You know, it's perfectly lit.
It looks like maybe it was taken at a studio.
So instead embrace the human element with your photos and with your videos.
So when we look at this video here, in contrast, we can see that, you
know, maybe it was taken with a smartphone, you can see people's
natural reactions to how spicy the hot sauces are, and there's a storyline.
So it has a human element.
So keep that in mind as you're creating your content.
Ever wonder how you can make money on Instagram, like the many
influencers and brands that you see when you open up the app?
Register using the link below to gain access to a free webinar
that's going to walk you through proven methods for growing an Instagram
following from scratch, and the variety of ways that you can start monetizing
with as little as a thousand followers.
So in just 45 minutes, you're going to learn strategies to get more
engaged followers and you're going to learn how to use Instagram to drive
traffic and sales to your store.
So the next tip is to be consistent.
Now I know you guys have definitely heard this advice before, but it's super
important because being consistent tells Instagram that you are a trustworthy
account and that you are reliable.
So if you're the type of person that has, you know, a hard time staying motivated
and a hard time being consistent, I know it happens to all of us,
here are a couple of really helpful tips for you guys.
So number one, use a scheduling tool.
So you could use a free tool like Later, and Later's gonna allow you to schedule
content so that it automatically posts...
later.
That way, you're not posting a ton when you're super motivated and
then completely falling off the map when you start to get busy.
So something like Hootsuite, something like Later, those are really going to
help you stay on the ball and on track.
Secondly, set a dedicated time to plan and shoot your content.
So if you decide on every Sunday at six, for example, I recommend that
you put a recurring event in your calendar and turn that alarm on, baby.
Once you hear that alarm, you're going to drop everything that you're doing
and you're going to start creating.
So the closest route of consistency is actually patience.
So my last piece of advice for you is, just be more patient with yourself.
If you're trying to be consistent, you're going to also have
to be patient with yourself.
Growth right now on Instagram is not going to happen overnight,
you know, like we discussed that.
But if there are 365 days in a year, and you promise yourself that you're going to
post once a day, that is 365 opportunities that you're giving yourself to blow up.
Every piece of content can be that shot.
So really, trust the process, you know, trust, yeah, the universe.
Enjoy.
Have fun.
And if you are consistent and if you are patient and you are dedicated
about growing your business, then success will just naturally come.
Rule number three is don't be boring.
Crazy advice, but what I'm trying to say is, have whatever is
going on in your content be super active and be super dynamic.
So if we look at this picture right here, you know, there's
really not much going on.
There's just, you know, we're just looking at some ingredients.
But if we look at this video here, this is dynamic.
This person is showing us the ingredients still, but he's showing
us how the hot sauce is made.
Now, obviously don't give away your secret sauce, but maybe showing some crazy or
unexpected ingredients, for example, maybe that can catch people's attention.
So hopefully now you get a better sense of how to make content
that no one has ever seen before.
Now, if you're stuck for ideas, it happens to all of us.
Honestly, I would just recommend you hop over to Tik tok, see what people
are doing on that platform, because it's super creative over there.
And then just bring that content over to Instagram, but make sure that
you're putting your own spin on it.
Next tip - think like Instagram.
So we've definitely done a lot of, you know, this kind of
thinking like Instagram, even just throughout this video.
But in order for you to succeed on Instagram, you
want to think like Instagram.
What's on their agenda and how can you use that knowledge to further your business?
So them dropping the reels feature, that is a perfect example of how
you might have, you know, taken that opportunity, to think like them
and propel your business forward.
Obviously from a business standpoint they were competing with Tik Tok so
we can wager a guess that they would reward early adopters with more exposure
if you were to use reels early on.
So, you know, just getting your brain into that mindset of, you know, thinking
like Instagram that can really help you and propel your business forward.
Next tip is stop making selfish content.
So I actually heard Gary V say this first, but when I heard it,
I was like, so accurate and I wanted to share it with you guys.
So selfish content is anything that you post for, you know, your own agenda
or your own ego or your own business.
And I think that it's really easy to fall into this trap of making
content that fulfills your own needs.
I mean, I know I've done it before.
I think we've all done it before, but what we want to focus on
is providing some sort of value.
So those examples that I showed you before they were selfless, they were funny, they
were interesting, you know, they really took the viewer into account first.
And you just, you know, you want to notice that none of them said like big
blowout sale or like new product drop.
You know, you want to assume that people don't care about your products,
but what they do care about is consuming content that's good.
So after you command of viewers attention, that's when you can start thinking
about monetizing that attention later.
And honestly, this is a little meta considering that's exactly how
Instagram did it with their platform.
You know, first they got the user's attention and then they monetized it.
And I think that's, you know, full circle and this is a perfect
place to end off for today.
But before we wrap up for the day, if you're looking to grow your business
with Instagram, then Shopify is going to have everything that you need.
It allows you to sync your product catalog to an Instagram shop so that
you can easily create ads and shoppable posts, transform posts and stories into
shopping experiences with products.
Offer a smooth shopping experience by bringing the look and feel of
your Shopify store to Facebook shops.
Expand your audience through Facebook ads and use Shopify to create,
track and manage your ad campaigns and orders all in one place.
You can get started with a free 14 day trial.
No credit card required.
And building an online store is a lot of fun and it is super easy.
Plus the powerful features and the free apps are going to make marketing
really simple and it's gonna allow you to make more sales more often.
So I will leave a link for you guys in the description box if you're looking
to get started on your business journey.
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Thank you guys so much for watching and I will see you in the next one.