Hindsight is always 20/20, am I right? I’m sure you’ve had experiences with your business or online brand that have made you feel this way as well. I want to normalize learning from these experiences.
After my Instagram account was hacked, all I had built came crashing down and I was forced to start over. Through that experience and a lot of trial and error, I have proudly grown my new account to over 61K followers! I encourage you to put in the hard work with the long-term in mind as I share with you 3 things I would do if I was starting over on Instagram from zero.
Engage
If I had to start over (again) the first thing I would focus on is engagement – engagement with followers of a business that’s similar to your own. Engagement is the bread and butter of a successful and thriving Instagram profile. Without good engagement, you simply cannot have growth.
I break down the fundamentals and importance of engagement in a recent blog post. Go check out Best Instagram Engagement Hack That You Might Not Know About for my recommendation on the Whos, Whats, and Whens surrounding effective engagement!
With the right practices and boundaries in place, engagement doesn’t have to become a daunting task. It can be an exciting interaction and lead to you landing that sale or connection. Focus on that genuine engagement and connection with people and watch your profile thrive!
Network
The second thing I would focus on if I was starting over, is Networking with other influencers, bloggers, or entrepreneurs. Networking bridges the gap between connection and growth. It allows you to make the connections you need to learn, thrive and expand your following as an entrepreneur.
Now, there are many creative ways to network and collaborate. A common networking collaboration is going live on another entrepreneur’s page/profile. Talk with them beforehand and decide if your expertise is relevant and make a plan to go live and educate. The simplicity of appearing to another audience can come with a huge benefit to you and your active following.
Use this opportunity to present your expertise and offer something at the end for them to partner with you on! This could be a free piece of content, a product discount, and an invitation to follow you for more expertise.
Content
If I was starting over on Instagram from zero, I would focus largely on applicable, relevant, and beneficial content. I would present that content in a form that usually goes viral like carousels and Reels.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when providing content to your audience. You want to avoid posting just to post. I understand how difficult it can be to come up with content week after week, but posting just to post will not keep your followers around. They follow you for who you are as a genuine human being and for the useful information you provide to them.
The first thing your content needs is relevancy. Do your research and find out exactly what your potential clients have as a pain point or problem to be solved. This will aid in the information you provide in your content.
The second thing your content needs is an effective form of presentation. If your content is presented in a way that’s easy on the eye, with a bright and natural filter, in a video form, or as an informational carousel graphic then you’ll catch their attention in those first few seconds and draw them right in!
Even though starting over from zero came with many frustrations, I now get to use my Instagram platform to share with you what I learned on my journey of growth and success. Focusing on these three parts will equip you with a strong foundation for your profile to thrive and reproduce on. Whether your goal is to have a large following, make money, or simply influence, you can use these 3 things to take your Instagram to that place.
I’m curious, is there anything you do differently if you were starting over from zero?
Love, Monica