When your weekly screen time report pops up on your phone, do you cringe? Do you look at the stats and realize you’ve spent most of the time on your phone on Instagram? Do you wonder what the ROI is on your scrolling?

 

When we think of all the algorithms, strategies being pitched to use by Instagram influencers and marketing gurus who want to tell us how to create amazing content for 30 days in just one hour and how people can buy likes and followers, it’s hard to know where to even begin.

 

Is Instagram even worth it anymore– Is it worth your time and energy using the platform to market your business? While it seems like the answer might be ‘No’ when looking at the chaos of the social media world, we’d like to say ‘Yes!’ but offer you some insight on what is ACTUALLY going to be worth your time.

 

Who is your ideal client?

If you ask us, the first and biggest step in your social media campaigns is getting completely clear on who you are talking to on Instagram. Who is your ideal client? Who is it that you are trying to target with your posts, your community engagement and even your promoted posts? If you’re taking a shot in the dark and just posting nice photos, engaging with anyone who has a ‘pretty profile’ or setting very vague promotions on Instagram, you’re risking missing out on connecting with the people who actually care about you– your business, your messaging and your offerings.

 

No matter what you are doing in your business, but especially when it comes to the saturated market of Instagram, you need to become very clear on who your ideal client is so you can make the most of the time you are spending on the platform.

 

If you’re taking a shot in the dark and just posting nice photos, engaging with anyone who has a ‘pretty profile’ or setting very vague promotions on Instagram, you’re risking missing out on connecting with the people who actually care about you– your business, your messaging and your offerings.

 

What’s your objective on Instagram?

The second step is to get clear on your objectives on Instagram. What’s the reason BEHIND the post? Why are you engaging? Why are you sending DM’s or commenting on other people’s posts? Why did you post this picture instead of that one? Instagram has so many features that if you aren’t clear on your objectives, you’ll be spending ALL of your time on Instagram feeling like you’re shooting in the dark trying to do Instagram stories that engage, commenting on a bunch of posts, starting an IGTV channel, etc.

 

Here’s our little secret…

Who your ideal client is will directly impact what your objectives are on Instagram.

 

Imagine your ideal client is a mom in her mid 40’s who loves to shop at local food and craft markets trying to get back into the work world. How would you speak to that person? What kinds of images and posts would draw them in? Would they care to watch an IGTV channel? Would they welcome a DM from you? If your objective is to sell a product to this hard-working mama trying to find herself again and gain the confidence to get back into the work world, you’ll need to tailor your messaging directly to her. Depending on your business, you’re pitching all the perks that resonate with this mama on Instagram. Your messaging will fall flat if you don’t! She either won’t see it or won’t care.

 

Let’s try another example– YOU are a freelancer who offers graphic design packages to clients. You have a low entry price point to help new businesses understand the importance of branding and you work with them to build a brand– not just a logo. You love designing for femme-led creative businesses full of heart and grit. Breaking that down, you can pop out who your ideal client is… female,  new business owners at the beginning stages of business ownership looking to do business right. So what is your objective with Instagram? Most likely to showcase the branding work you’ve done, highlight how easy and fun it is to work with you, share testimonials and share what the process is to show your ideal client just how great it is to work with you!

 

It just begins to fall into place.

Your Instagram strategy begins to fall into place just by considering simply who your ideal client is and what your objectives are on Instagram. These two are the building blocks to coming up with your entire Instagram strategy and using it to really work for your business– not adding up to seemingly endless hours of scroll time that makes you cringe at the end of each week.

 

These two are the building blocks to coming up with your entire Instagram strategy and using it to really work for your business– not adding up to seemingly endless hours of scroll time that makes you cringe at the end of each week.

 

Instagram is always changing and if you’re trying to put a strategy together, there is a lot of random information out there that can be hard to sort through. In our Curated Grid online course, we go from Ideal Client, Building a Brand and Using Your Brand to helping you curate content for your feed, teaching you how to speak to your ideal client with your brand voice, what to put on your feed and how to build a community online that wants to engage with you and your business. Check out The Curated Grid Here.