LET'S TALK PROFESSIONALISM AND PERCEPTION
You know how you dress and act professionally when you go on an interview for an office job? You make a point of turning your “worst qualities” into positive ones, and you show just enough of your personality and passion, but not too much to be overwhelming? This is EXACTLY what you need to think about when creating your website.
Now for you’re Instagram, its quite a different interview process. Think of it like an audition instead. Imagine that you are going into a room of judges and you want the part of the prima ballerina, the lead in the play, the actor in the film. You are competing with so many other super talented and motivated individuals who all want that same role. Yet, somehow you have to outshine them. You don’t have much time to do that. The attention spans of the judges are short, their patience is short, and there are so many auditions to get through. But you push that aside and think, I should get this role, I’m the best for the part. This is the approach when creating and managing your Instagram feed.
Think about your audience
Often there are difference audiences, and if not, different mind frames while looking at a website vs. Instagram. On a website, someone sought you out. They are looking to see how legitimate you are. They are thinking, “Are you worth my money?” ”What do you stand for?” “What are all your offerings and how do you present them?” They want the facts, they want to learn, they want to buy, they want it to be simple, fast, and easy.
The audience of Instagram is an entirely different beast. These potential customers are searching aimlessly throughout the day, seven days a week. Sometimes with noise, sometimes on mute, sometimes alone, sometimes in a crowd simply out of boredom. Their attention levels vary. Their desire to literally be on the platform at all varies. They might go down a rabbit hole and spend hours searching or they might get annoyed and spend seconds. It’s harder to predict what they want and if they are getting what they want. So you just have to stand out. You have to show who you are, what you care about, and what you can offer. You can show your personality, your style, your values, and your role models.
This is you and your business on display, and if you’re lucky, something you do will resonate with someone who is searching and scrolling and clicking so much so that it warrants a like, a follow, a save, or maybe even click on the shop or website link.
Let's talk about Investment
When you are creating a website, you are ideally doing so thinking long term. This will cost money and time. It takes quite a bit of writing, thought, analytics, and SEO. But when you are creating your Instagram, it's not a one time thing-- it's essentially never ending. You have the chance to archive or delete things you no longer like. You can try out different styles, colors, and techniques. You can play and shift as trends, customers, and technologies change. It’s a chance to get creative and innovative and not be afraid to try because it wasn’t some massive preplanned, expensive e-commerce project. It’s a chance to interact with your customers and learn who they are and what they like. It’s a chance to learn about your competition and what they are doing. As you track your Instagram analytics, you alter your posting times, the type of posts you do, and what you boost vs. create as an ad. It’s a time for learning and growth.
