What If I told you I’m leaving Instagram?
How did that question (aka subject line) make you feel?
· Curious to know why I’d be leaving the 'gram?
· Nodding in agreement, wishing you were off social too?
· Wondering why anyone who runs a small business would even consider moving away from such a brand-building platform?
Well, however you feel, I should first let you know that I’m NOT leaving IG right now. The reason I wanted to write about this though, is that this past week I’ve had more than five separate conversations, or instances, where the idea of it came up.
It started on Monday morning when I stumbled across this video from US-based photographer, Jordan Hawkins, about his decision to leave the gram. "Even when I am alone, I'm on my phone...I'm on Instagram...I realised the need for alone time in my life...time where I could really focus on the tasks, goals and visions for my life".
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Later that day, I interviewed the wonderful Sean Woolsey for my podcast (his interview is out 4 Feb, subscribe to my podcast so you don’t miss it). I first encountered Sean via Instagram back in 2012 and we connected when I interviewed him a few times for various US media. During our discussion on the podcast I asked him if IG still holds the same weight as it used to for his business and he admitted, “I am actually off of it right now. I’ll probably go back but yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram”.
Then, on Tuesday and Thursday I had three clients admit during separate 1:1 coaching calls that IG had played a pivotal role in their business but also, “it often leaves me feeling depleted and worried I’m not doing enough” and "I just don't feel great about the platform anymore, it's causing so much anxiety on so many levels".
As I say ALL the time in my Marketing for Your Small Business course and in any speaking gig I do, social media is just ONE connection channel and it may not being the one having the greatest impact on your business goals. Marketing shouldn't be ad-hoc and scattergun, you need to have a plan and understand how, if at all, Instagram feeds into this.
When it comes to IG and your business, you want to know the answers to these questions:
· Why are you on there? Is there a goal or objective or is it just because you think you should be?
· Are you looking at the data? A simple way of doing this is to use a dashboard for Google Analytics (like these free ones) to see how much traffic, contacts and conversion results from this platform.
· Are you fully utilising it? IG is so much more than simply adding a post to your grid. If it's where your audience is and you KNOW it works for your business as a connection channel, then make sure you have a strategy for connecting (i.e., converting via DMs or building awareness through strategic brand collaborations or IG Lives)
· Do you know if IG reach equates to action? Sure, you may get great reach but what are you doing with that reach? How it is helping you with the goals and objectives you set for this platform, and in turn, your business?
· How much effort and energy is it taking up? Where might that energy be better directed? Or, how can you time block to make sure you're only giving IG the minimum time it needs? (If you struggle for content ideas (for IG or elsewhere), check out my 90-day Content Calendar with 100+ ideas.)
Instagram is just ONE tool for connecting with your audience, growing brand awareness and guiding people to interact or purchase from you. As I teach in my course and, will be teaching in detail in my upcoming 8-Week Marketing for Your Small Business Coaching Program (starting 16 February 2021), time is precious and marketing needs to be strategic in order to not only have more success in hitting your biz goals, but to leave you with more time and energy for other parts of your business and life.
If you have ever felt like certain social media channels take more from you than they give, or are just not an enjoyable form of marketing anymore, it may be worthwhile checking out Marketing for Your Small Business (either the online course OR the course plus the 8-week coaching program). In it, I go through everything I've learned in the last two decades to ensure you can not only plan your marketing (now and in the future) but you really understand why you're doing it. The 8-Week Coaching Program runs weekly from 16 February to 6 April.
Lastly, when it comes to scattergun marketing tactics or scrolling the gram, it's perhaps wise to consider the words of author Annie Dillard,
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." How are you spending yours?