Read it or watch it...
Hey beauty!
Today on the blog (and in the FB Live above 🔝which you can choose to watch instead of reading) I'm talking ALL things Instagram!
Including:
The purpose behind the platform (it's very different to Facebook!)
How Instagram can help you to grow your health coaching business
The BEST kind of content to post to Instagram to grow your know/like/trust factor
Why you need to add Instagram Stories to your Insta-strategy, too, and how to use it
Consider this your introduction to effective Instagram-ing for health coaches and wellness entrepreneurs. 😉
So, let’s dive in!
Instagram is AMAZING for sharing your personal brand, marketing your health coaching business, and sharing your message.
It is literally THE platform of the moment, wouldn’t you agree? And with the introduction of IGTV just last week, I don’t see it disappearing anytime soon! ;)
But I’m going to keep things simple for today and stick to your Instagram grid, your captions, and your Instagram Stories.
THEN once you’ve mastered those and feeling confident, we can start to look at IGTV.
Cool?
1. KNOW THAT IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FOLLOWER NUMBERS
First things first, I have to remind you that success on Instagram is NOT just about the numbers of followers you have! You’ll go so much farther with 200 active followers who engage with what you do, than 2,000 uninterested ones…
And with the new Instagram algorithm, the account that will likely be shown to others is the one with the most activity and engagement on it, NOT the numbers of followers. So do not fret about growing your numbers at a crazy rate, these things take time and are NOT the only goal. 🙂
So really, our purpose with Instagram is to foster engagement and cultivate connection with our ideal client.
Because Instagram is a SOCIAL platform and your followers are really your friends.
To do this you can:
Craft compelling posts…
Share value (by providing gold nuggets of information that help your followers)…
Respond to your comments…
Pour your love into the platform, and invest time into your community...
Get a little vulnerable, and share your personal and business stories…
And connect at a human level as well as a ‘leader’ / ‘teacher’ / ‘expert’ one.
On Instagram, you get to wear a couple of hats, which is awesome! 😉
2. THIS really MAKES A DIFFERENCE ON INSTAGRAM
The power of Instagram comes when you don’t just share what you do and show how you can help people (although you MUST do that too)...
But when you also share who you ARE.
I’ve said this before, in a previous FB live and blog post on How to Shine on Social Media - but it is SO important to remember that we are human beings building businesses based on human connection.
Your value as a health coach isn’t only found in WHAT you’re selling - although that is really important too, and is something you must talk about on Instagram - but, it is also found in the fact that YOU are the one selling it.
Is this post helping you think about your Instagram account as a business to help grow your audience and impact? If so, continue to work on these ideas in your very own worksheet I made for you. Click the button below to get it instantly.
Because the only thing that can truly differentiate you from your peers and competitors is YOU!
And Instagram is a great place to share who you are - and give a window into your world and thoughts - and it’s often the only way people can tell if they would be a good fit for working with you!
3. SHARE STORIES AND QUIRKS TO CREATE CONNECTION
When you tell stories and share pieces of yourself you will humanise your business and your brand.
So stories about who you are - the BIG WHY behind what you do - how got you here - pivotal points in your life - and pretty much “who the beating heart is” behind your health coaching business. 💗
Storytelling matters because it makes things memorable. Did you know that people are more likely to remember a story than they are a product name? Pretty crazy right?
I mean, you’ll probably already know one of my “brand stories” if you’ve followed me for any length of time. My story of how I had realllllly bad adrenal fatigue and left my corporate career to pursue health coaching… or how I finally learned how to leverage my marketing expertise to create success as a health coach…
So you’ll become known for specific stories. Not just your informational and educational posts. Someone will remember you because of that post you wrote about your adrenal fatigue - it will stick in their mind!
And beyond that, you can create FUN connection points that ALSO make you memorable!
Insta doesn’t just have to be a place for interesting or inspiring stories.
You can and should also share FUN quirky things like your love of yoga pants, that acai bowl from your local cafe, your obsession with matcha lattes or Kate Spade stationery - these kinds of connections can seem ‘silly’ but they are so amazing for building relationships with your audience and growing your ‘know, like and trust’ factor.
So that when the times come to sell, your tribe trusts and KNOWS you so much more.
Because the bottom line is we buy from people we know, like and trust.
4. SHOW YOUR FACE AND POST PHOTOS OF YOUR LIFE
Humanise your brand and business by sharing your face, and photos from work and life. I know that when it comes to our businesses, it’s uncomfortable to get on camera; but in order for people to truly understand and admire you and your health coaching services, they need to know the person and the places behind it too!
There is so much power in human connection. Harness this with stories as I just said - but also with photos from your life, snapshots of your work, and pictures of you.
Things like 📸
Anything using daily in your work - like your laptop. Your journal. Your notebook. Your kitchen. The office or gym you train or coach people out of. The candle that you burn at your desk. Showing these things you use in your work helps people picture what it’s like working with you!
Show yourself behind the scenes in your office, cooking, coaching, working out - show your life happening! That creates so much connection and kindredness.
Your professional brand photos, beautiful headshots, clean images of you, include your hand, your shoes, your home in your photos - anything that offers real human connection.
5. SHOW UP ON INSTAGRAM STORIES
Another great way to create engagement, build relationships with your followers, and craft compelling content that your target audience LOVES to peek at is to play on Instagram stories!!
Instagram stories are an AMAZING way to show the real you, to give people a peek behind the scenes, and to show them how you “do health”.
I recommend posting 3-8 stories per day if you can! Why? Well, with Instagram’s algorithm, accounts that are active and engage on the Gram daily (this includes Insta Stories!) are shown more in other feeds… so it pays to be consistent.
Think... What you had for breakfast? Your morning routine? What you eat while you’re out? Your exercise routine? How you schedule your day? Your family life? Your pets? What do you do for fun? What music do you listen to?
The possibilities are endless here and people LOVE seeing your face, getting to know you better, and having a window into your world… (Human beings are curious creatures, and we all love connection 😍)
Hot tip:
Your Instagram Stories can also be saved into categories as a highlight reel when people either come across your page at first or if your audience is having a catch up on what you’ve been up to, and get an overview of what you’re about…
You can highlight topics like: Client results / On the blog / Morning Routine / Workouts / Gratitude / Journaling / Healthy Baking
Again, the possibilities are endless - what would YOU like to create and what would YOUR ideal client love?
Jot down some ideas right now of stories you can Highlight on your Instagram Feed!
6. You have to REPEL in order to ATTRACT ✨
In order to attract your tribe, you have to repel other people. If you appeal to EVERYONE nobody will know what you’re about! You’ll be so vanilla and sanitised that there is really no reason for you to be on Instagram for your business at all.
You want to attract people who LIKE what you’re about. Someone who likes your aesthetics, who sees the world the same way you do, and who likes the way you present your products and services.
And that means you have to REPEL other people.
That’s why you’ve gotta be SO OK with turning some people OFF - so that you can turn other people ON with your feed, your photos, your captions and your stories.
That’s such an amazing and freeing permission slip, isn’t it?
You don’t have to please or cater to everyone. You get to be yourself. Because you want the right type of person to follow your Instagram … not just any old person!!
So your Instagram content has to speak to HER. And most of all, reflect YOU.
Talk to her (your dream follower and ideal client) about your services and your own journey. Inspire her with your stories. Share your real life, and your business life. And share valuable content that helps her.
Do all these things consistently and you will ATTRACT and befriend her.
And the more you attract people who love your content - and connect with YOU - the more you’ll attract people who want to interact and engage. And when the time comes, buy from you!!
Happy Instagram-ing beauty.
Love,
Amanda xx
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your FREE Instagram 101 Worksheet! Click the button below to grab it now!
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