Follow me h*es, PERIOD! Cut that check, I'm serious! Lol heyyy Pretty Vee. As you can tell from the title of this write up, we'll be chatting about Instagram. And if you know me, you know I have a love-hate relationship with 'The Gram.' I love following all the guru's and getting my motivation up. I love the pics and videos and all the connectedness you feel. I hate that it's considered a highlight reel and that people feel like they can just say whatever. Also hate when I start comparing myself to folks on IG and it starts to consume me. But all in all, Instagram has been pretty beneficial for me as I grow my brand. I'm able to share my blog posts and products with people all over the U.S. and also build my tribe through honesty and transparency.
I try to use Instagram as strategically as possible. I post about twice a week on my grid consistently. And I post all the time on my stories. I'm working to build my grid posting up to about 5-6 times a week. I'm more of a pictures and words girl versus video content. They say video content will soon be king so I'm working on mastering it. The main goal of my IG is to help promote my blog and personal brand. I don't have a fabulous grid set up or anything. I kind of just let it flow.
Recently I've adopted the lengthy caption because it's helped me bring more attention to my writing and my blog. A lot of people read my captions and are then more intrigued to check out my blog. It's really a great help when it comes to driving traffic to my site. To me, this whole branding thing is a learning process. I've kind of been shooting my shot and figuring out what works.
My best advice for running these IG streets is to always be yourself. There is a lot going on in the Instagram world. A lot of ads, a lot of folks editing their pictures to death and a lot of folks stepping out of character for the sake of getting followers and attention. Do not let these social media antics make you get out of character. If you can't be an influencer by being yourself, I wouldn't suggest trying to change yourself to fit into a certain box. Enjoy the social aspect of it. Meet new people and make new friends. Spread positive energy and information. Just don't over-consume.
There are a million and one things i can say about IG lol. Both good and bad. My advice would be to have fun with it. And remember, it is a social network, so pour into both aspects of that.