I have nearly 1,000 followers on Instagram, how did this happen?
When I started working for myself a little under a year ago, I set up an Instagram account just for my business. I have been somewhat consistently posting over this time and this week I was pleased to see that I now have close to 1,000 followers (insert shock emoji). I know that this is VERY small in the scheme of things, but for me it feels slightly crazy. That’s because I oscillate between feeling like no one is listening when I post or that I’ve completely missed the mark. Here are the things that I have found helpful to keep me going over this time and gradually build up the audience I have. If you are one of them – thank you!
Understand Your Audience
I am regularly thinking about who my audience is and why they have chosen to follow me. It’s easy to get caught up in what you want to say, but I find the key to creating engaging social content is knowing what your audience wants to hear. As a communications professional myself, I feel like I have a good understanding of what our pain points are and what information is likely to be most useful. When I put my audience first, I really notice a difference.
Consistency is Key
Forcing myself to regularly post has been painful at times, but it does pay off. For me, consistency doesn’t mean posting every single day, but rather having a predictable rhythm that allows my audience to anticipate and look forward to new content. I find that showing up regularly creates a stronger connection and trust.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
My small amount of social media success has certainly not happened overnight. I think the biggest thing that has kept me going is reminding myself that while the gains have been small, they have also been consistent. I don’t aim for virality at all, rather I focus on being consistent and connecting with the people who have been kind enough to hit my follow button.
I really do treat my Instagram profile as an experiment and find joy in trying new types of posts, especially when they resonate with followers. Making the decision to start talking to camera directly felt soooo daunting, but now I don’t think twice about it. I know that I’m a very, very small player in the scheme of things, but I’m quietly proud of where my profile is today.
If you’re not already a follower, feel free to check out my Instagram profile over at @hill_plussss