Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business (Entrepreneur Ultimate Guide) [2 ed.] 1642011517, 9781642011517

Citation preview

Unlock The Power Of Instagram To Grow Your Business Audience, Build Your List, And Multiply Your Sales Discover how to successfully share your story, brand, and services with more than 2.3 billion people on Instagram. Business coach and direct response social media expert Kim Walsh Phillips gives you a step-by-step roadmap that takes you from setting up your account the best way possible to implementing strategies to attract and retain your ideal target audience. Packed with priceless insights and valuable resources, you’ll discover how to create celebrity status in your niche, grow your followers with a 21-day blueprint, turn followers into customers, clients or patients, launch products, and drive sales in the door. Plus, you’ll uncover how to effectively use Instagram Reels, Lives, stories and more to grow your followers and your revenue—without spending a fortune.

Kevin O’Leary • ABC’s Shark Tank

“In a sea of social media charlatans, Kim is the only person I trust to get dollar-measurable results.”

Dan S. Kennedy • Direct response marketing legend and author of the No B.S. book series

“We leverage Instagram every day to grow our business. Thank you Kim for everything you do for our market.”

Russell Brunson • Founder of Click Funnels and author of Dotcom Secrets

“Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business is the next best thing to having an expert sitting behind you, walking you through the whole process with humor and confidence.”

Leslie Gray Streeter • Author, The Black Widow and columnist for Baltimore Banner

“If you want to figure out how your business can win with Instagram, grab a copy of Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business.”

Michael A. Stelzner • CEO and founder of Social Media Examiner, author of Launch and Writing White Papers, host of Social Media Marketing podcast

“Because of Kim’s guidance on Instagram, I’ve been able to grow my following with a right-fit audience that is waiting to hear from me. I am thankful for her coaching and can’t wait for others to access her strategies in this book.”

Justin Guarini • Television and Broadway performer

ISBN-13: 978-1-64201-151-7

entrepreneur.com/books

PHILLIPS

Kim Walsh Phillips is a self-made MBA free millionaire and the founder of Powerful Professionals, one of the fastest growing companies in America. In less than one year, she went from 32 clients to over 11,000 and has generated over a billion dollars online. Named “a must to read by those in business,” she is the bestselling author of multiple books including The Shift: Scale Your Business And Multiply Your Wealth Without Sacrificing You and The No B.S. Guide To Direct Response Social Media Marketing, co-authored by Dan Kennedy.

$24.99 US Business / Marketing / Social Media Cover design by Andrew Welyczko

INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

“Not only is Kim the first social media marketer I ever heard that even mentions ROI, but that is her main focus. She is also the first marketer I have ever recommended to all of my Shark Tank investments and who I use for my personal business. We had her speak at our recent Mr. Wonderful Summit and the attendees loved it. She has my full endorsement.”

Instagram FOR BUSINESS 2ND EDITION

Identify and reach your target audience Improve your brand awareness and visibility Boost your sales by turning followers into customers

KIM WALSH PHILLIPS

Praise for Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business

Not only is Kim Walsh Phillips the first social media marketer I ever heard that even mentions ROI, but that is her main focus. She is also the first marketer I ever recommend to all of my Shark Tank investments. She has my full endorsement. —Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary, Shark Tank

If you want to figure out how your business can win with Instagram, grab a copy of Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business. —Michael A. Stelzner, CEO and founder of Social Media Examiner, author of Launch and Writing White Papers, host of the

Social Media Marketing podcast

If you have been curious about using Instagram for your business, this is the definitive guide you’ve been looking for. Instagram doesn’t come with a user manual, so most businesses are left resorting to trial and error, which can be a massive waste of time and frustrating to boot. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this guidebook, which will give you the why and the how to turn Instagram into a powerful spigot spouting out more clients, sales, and revenue.  This book doesn’t stop at teaching you how to share pretty pictures on your phone using Instagram. Instead, Kim dives deep into the step by step of how to grow your following (even if you’re starting from nothing), how to nurture that following, what to avoid, and how to turn that community into a valuable source of business. And best of all, Kim uses an easy-to-follow format sprinkled with valuable case studies and interviews with today’s top Instagram experts. I highly recommend this book. —John Corcoran, former Clinton White House aide and writer, founder of Smart Business Revolution, and cofounder of Rise25 LLC

In a sea of social media charlatans, Kim is the only person I trust to get dollar-measurable results. —Dan S. Kennedy, direct-response marketing legend and author of the No B.S. book series

This book is incredible! I’m not a big social media guy, but now I see that we were completely misunderstanding Instagram (and all social media, for that matter). After reading the Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business, I’m now clear on how to use the platform to find customers and build relationships that make money by using direct marketing to grow my business, something I honestly didn’t think we’d ever use. Thank you so much for a huge boost in understanding, your attention to detail, and caring about creating real results. Killer read. Well worth it! —Micah Mitchell, founder of Memberium

Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business is a completely approachable and beginner-friendly how-to, from sign-up to creating your own Instagram stories. Kim Walsh Phillips writes, as always, with both warmth and authority, and her guides are the next best thing to having an expert sitting behind you, walking you through the whole process with humor and confidence. —Leslie Gray Streeter, author, The Black Widow and Columnist for Baltimore Banner

From the opening quote to the food references that made me hungry, Kim Walsh Phillips connects with you from the moment you start reading her book. She can draw empathy and empowerment within the confines of the same sentence, making you feel like you are a part of her life and rooting for her all the while realizing that she is rooting for you. Change is never easy, but I believe taking the journey with Kim will help readers tackle the unpredictable world of social media in a way that will not only make them hungry for jam but starving for the next steps toward success. —Jason Plotkin, photographer for USA Today Network

“Because of Kim’s guidance on Instagram, I’ve been able to grow my following with a right-fit audience that is waiting to hear from me. I am thankful for her coaching and can’t wait for others to access her strategies in this book.” —Justin Guarini, Television and Broadway performer 

“Thank you Kim for everything you’ve done to help me grow my reach and build my brand on social media. I cannot recommend this book more.” —Rich Schefren, Strategic Profits 

“We leverage Instagram every day to grow our business. Thank you Kim for everything you do for our market.” —Russell Brunson, Founder of Click Funnels and author of Dotcom Secrets

“I follow Kim’s teachings on social media because they align with my values of income and impact . . . growing a business while making a difference in the lives of others. Kim uses social media to generously share great value with her tribe as well as to extend invitations to work more closely with her. It’s a beautiful balance!” —Sabrina Truscott, The Satori Method

“Kim’s focus on ROI when it comes to social media makes her strategies an asset to businesses looking to scale.” —Mike Michalowicz, author of Profit First

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

Instagram

FOR BUSINESS SECOND EDITION

Kim Walsh Phillips

Entrepreneur Press®

Entrepreneur Press, Publisher Cover Design: Andrew Welyczko Production and Composition: Eliot House Productions © 2023 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to Entrepreneur Media, Inc. Attn: Legal Department, 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA 92614. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Entrepreneur Press® is a registered trademark of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Walsh-Phillips, Kim, author. Title: Ultimate guide to instagram for business / Kim Walsh Phillips. Description: Second Edition. | Irvine, California: Entrepreneur Press, [2023] | Series: Entrepreneur ultimate guides | Revised edition of the author’s Ultimate guide to Instagram for business, [2017] | Summary: “Social media marketing expert Kim Walsh Phillips highlights what’s new and innovative on Instagram, and gives you the tools you need to get an immediate return on your investment. From updated cross-platform branding and marketing advice, to all new practical blueprints for funneling followers, this guide unlocks the latest secrets successful entrepreneurs use to grow their following and drive sales directly from Instagram”—Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2023001576 | ISBN 9781642011517 (paperback) | ISBN 9781613084632 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Photography—Digital techniques. | Instagram (Firm) | Computer file sharing. | Image files. Classification: LCC TR267.5.I57 W35 2023 | DDC 770.285/53—dc23/eng/20230117 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023001576

Printed in the United States of America 26 25 24 23



10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi INTRODUCTION

Why Instagram for Business? How to Make It Work for Yours. . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii The Letter That Changed Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

CHAPTER 1

Questions, Questions: Understanding the Why of Instagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Where Did Instagram Come from Anyway?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 It’s a Post, Not a Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 What Is a Sales Funnel, and Do I Need One? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Creating Your Marketing and Sales Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

CHAPTER 2

First Things First: Creating a Solid Foundation by Kim Walsh Phillips and Kelly Moderwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 The Rules of Direct-Response Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

How to Set Up Your Account for Maximum Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 How to Use the Instagram App. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 CHAPTER 3

Putting on Your Fancy Pants Outfit: Developing Your Instagram Brand. . . . . . 37 Developing Your Instagram Page Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Types of Instagram Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Corinne Crabtree, The No BS Woman’s Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

CHAPTER 4

Starring You: Leveraging Instagram for Premium Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 The Power of Stardom: Leverage Your Instagram Account to Strengthen Your Celebrity, Authority, and Expert Positioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 vii

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS Getting Ready for Your Close-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Sara McCord, Strategy First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 CHAPTER 5

Sometimes It Is a Popularity Contest: Growing Your Instagram Following by Kim Walsh Phillips and Kelly Moderwell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 The Power of the Hashtag, and How to Make Yours Count. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Spin the Wheel! Running a Contest on Instagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 10 Steps to Your Instagram Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Apps You Can Use to Run Your Instagram Contests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Growing Your Follower Base. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Nathan Chan, How Nathan Chan Grew Foundr to More Than 10,000 Followers in Less Than a Month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The 21-Day Blueprint for Growing Your Instagram Followers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Lorraine Dallmeier, Formula Botanica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

CHAPTER 6

All About the ROI: Turning Posts into Profits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 A Quick-Start Free Gift Blueprint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Carine Aucagos, Design et Fonctionnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

CHAPTER 7

Building Trust with Your Instagram Tribe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 The Dos and Don’ts of Emailing Your List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

CHAPTER 8

Cha-Ching! Driving Sale After Sale from Your Instagram Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 How to Drive Prospects from Instagram Followers to Customers for Life. . . . . . . . . 128 Choices and More Choices: Sales Campaign Ideas You Can Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Jennifer Allwood, Success with DMs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS CHAPTER 9

Your Instagram Product Launch Formula. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Developing a Campaign to Create Buzz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Advertising on Instagram by Kelly LeMay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

CHAPTER 10

Instagram Stories and Instagram Live: Your 15-Plus Seconds of Fame. . . . . . 153 Instagram Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Instagram Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Building Your Lux Toolbox with Instagram Apps for Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Instagram Reels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 What If You’re in a Controversial Niche? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Justin Benton, When Your Category Isn’t Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

CHAPTER 11

The Final Word: Magical Results!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 #UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

CONTENTS

ix

Acknowledgments

T

his book is dedicated first and foremost to God. Without Him, nothing is possible. With Him, this book was actually completed on time, with a lot of Uber Eats orders from Starbucks and without my family disowning me. Second is my snuggle tribe—my very tall husband, aka The Tall One, Ian, who is the most supportive and understanding human on earth, and my two fashion-fun-family-and-faith-focused girls, Bella and Katie. You are my “why,” and I don’t know how it is possible, but I love you more every day. To Mom and Dad, Gloria and Jack Walsh, because you are definitely the most awesome parents and MeMaw and PopPop that ever graced this earth. I hope to someday be at least half the parent you’ve been for me. Thank you to my Powerful Professionals team, who each contributed to the book and picked up the slack when I dove into my writing cave (aka beachfront hotel, lest anyone think I was roughing it). You are an amazing group of talented and inspiring professionals I am blessed to know. Thank you especially to Kelly LeMay, who has been with me longer than my marriage, and who knows where all the bodies are buried; to Kelly Moderwell for assisting with this book project; to Diane Laffoon for working on our promotions and events team for the book launch; to Ashley MacDonell, Jack Hollingsworth, Tanya Vestuto, and Kate Gilchrist for your passion toward our purpose and how you serve our community; and to Laurie Rollings for being my secret weapon in life. Thank you to my tribe of advisors, colleagues, and confidants—basically those who make the journey fun and support me when it isn’t: Brittney Walton, Sabrina and Tristan Truscott, Scott Whitaker, Sarah Jones, Erin Watt, Bridgit Motes, Tammy Dugger, Lauren Fisher, Lindsey Larkin, Amy Lober, Larisa Weaver (I can’t wait to read your book . . . hint, hint), Karin Tucker, Jason Tucker, and Leslie Streeter (can’t wait for your next book!); to

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

my editorial powerhouse, Demi Stevens, of Year of the Book press, my personal editor and writing coach, you are my writing fairy godmother, and I want to make sure the clock never hits midnight; to the Entrepreneur Press team and to the drive-thru Starbucks 1.2 miles from my house and strategically located in the middle of the three-mile drive to my kids’ school; and to my Keurig machine, for your caffeine contributions to fuel all my words, you are delicious (mmm . . . coffee . . .). And to YOU, fearless reader, not only for picking up this book, but also for wanting to find out how to make your social media more effective for your business. Keep on keeping on. You are going to change the world.

xii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

introduction

Why Instagram for Business? How to Make It Work for Yours

O

ne of my favorite quotes is: “The opposite to courage is not cowardice . . . The opposite to courage . . . is automaton conformity. After all, even a dead fish can go with the flow.” —Rollo May, Man’s Search for Himself

An experiment that aired on National Geographic’s TV show Brain Games in 2015 demonstrated the power of conformity. In a room of people where only one person was the subject of the experiment and everyone else was just playing along, a beep sounded repeatedly. Every 30 seconds the beep would go off, and people would stand up and then sit back down. After only three beeps, the subject of the experiment stood up as well. Even worse, when everyone else left the room, the subject kept standing with each beep, influencing newcomers to do the same. When asked why she followed along, she responded, “Because everyone else was doing it.” This is the problem with how most people use social media—following trends they see others doing with the hope that this might be the thing that produces results . . . one following the next, with none succeeding. According to a recent study by HubSpot, businesses claim that social media is effective for driving in quality leads, yet the number one source of traffic is still direct visits, meaning that people are not going directly from social media to their sites. So how do they know that it’s working? They don’t. This is why we need to break away from the majority if we want to get an ROI from Instagram. And no, you do not have to dance on social media to grow your business. Let me say it again for the sharply dressed crew with the nice shoes in the back row . . .

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You do not need to dance on social media to grow your business. In fact, you probably shouldn’t, unless you are a dance school franchise owner or launching your next dance craze video for Beachbody. In that case, dance on, my friend. Dance on. Otherwise, there are better strategies, and you will discover all of them in this book. So here’s the thing: If you aren’t getting what you want out of Instagram right now for your business, you have to (take a deep breath here) change something. You know what they say about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I know—change is uncertain by its very nature. Change can feel scary. Change can feel hard. But staying the same as everyone else is easy. It requires no risk and no effort. Yet I don’t wear high heels every day because they are comfortable. I have never been one to take the easy way out. I’m guessing you aren’t either, which is why you are reading a book about Instagram to improve your Instagram ROI for your business instead of scrolling your feed for ineffective ideas to copy. Why Instagram? Why should you use this for your business? Before you keep going through these pages of ROI yumminess, ask yourself if you should. Be discerning with how you spend each minute of each day, as you will never get this time back. So should you keep going with this book and Instagram marketing in general? First, let’s look at the facts: Businesses are using the platform. The following statistics are taken from a January 2022 article on Hootsuite (blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics): • More than 1 billion people use Instagram every month, and roughly 90 percent of Instagram users follow at least one business. • The number of people that have used Instagram to discover new brands is 50 percent. And two in three say it enables meaningful interactions with brands. • The number of users are more interested in a brand after seeing it in an Instagram story is 58 percent. • As of 2023, Instagram stories’ ads are forecasted to bring in almost $20 billion in global net ad revenue. • The number of Instagram users say they’ve gone ahead and actually visited a website to make a purchase of a product or service after seeing it in stories is 50 percent. This book was created to give you the tools you need to leverage all the buying power Instagram brings to the table and serve it to you on a silver platter. And I didn’t stop there, as most social media books do. Inside these pages, you will also find strategies for moving

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

your Instagram audience seamlessly from follower to high-value customer for life. This was a prerequisite for my agreement to write this book in the first place. You see, I am not just a social media educator or theorist. I am someone who grew her direct-response marketing agency from struggling to exit and then launched a successful coaching business, Powerful Professionals. When I was asked to write the first edition of this book, I only had 332 IG followers. I read, researched, and tested everything I could find about Instagram marketing and monetization. That first book was a compilation of what worked, what failed miserably, and what were the best strategies that allowed me to grow my account quickly and effectively—not just with followers, but with buyers. I now have more than 18,000 followers and more than seven figures of revenue generated from the platform. Through these pages, you aren’t just going to hear what worked for me. You will also discover interviews with the top minds in business, Instagram marketing, and traffic monetization. You’ll see example after example that you can swipe and deploy for your own marketing efforts. Keep reading, and together we’ll laugh, cry, and make fun of some of the crazy tactics that people think work on Instagram. More important, read this book to arm yourself with the strategies you need to realize real ROI through account growth and traffic monetization on the platform. Let’s get down to our nondancing business.

The Letter That Changed Everything And it was why I said yes to writing this book. For you. Maybe you can relate to this. In the beginning, I thought it should be easier. I saw people around me enjoying their success, taking time off, donating large sums to charity—and I felt lost. I was working all the time, to fill our agency with clients, service those clients once we got them, and manage a team to help keep things going. And even though I was constantly working, I was completely broke. There are a lot more fun ways to be broke than working nonstop. My answer for trying to make ends meet was to work harder. What could I do more of? What one thing could I push a little bit further that would finally make things easier? I was at home with my infant daughter, barely two weeks old and (finally!) sleeping and not crying. The easiest-going kid now, she was a colicky baby then and cried unless she was sleeping or nursing. So here she was sleeping soundly, looking like a cherub, and I started to cry. I had just read a letter from my bank telling me they weren’t going to cover my overdrafts any longer. This was how I had been making sure we had enough money for

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payroll. I couldn’t qualify for a line of credit, so I used my overdraft to make ends meet. Before I had my daughter, when our overdraft got too high, I would go out and attend more networking events, follow up with more prospects, and do everything I could to hustle up another project. I would end up taking anything offered to us, never being paid what we were worth, just to get enough money in the moment. Always in crisis. Always in fear. But this time I couldn’t follow my “kill yourself until you make it happen” business model. My daughter was barely born and needed me. But my employees needed me, too. And they had trusted me when they came to work for me. Alas, that, coupled with the crazytown hormones one has after giving birth, produced ugly, gut-wrenching tears. I am a woman of faith, and I did what I could in that moment—I prayed. I prayed that God would show me a way out. That I could take care of my daughter and take care of my staff. I prayed that I wouldn’t have to work as much so I could be more present for my sweet child. I prayed that things could just get a little easier. I was so tired of being tired and living in constant fear of everything falling apart. It was at this time that my good friend Jon Toy provided the answer to my prayers. He gave me a book that changed everything. It was called No B.S. Direct Marketing: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing for Non-Direct Marketing Businesses (Entrepreneur Press) by Dan Kennedy. This book showed me that not only can marketing equal results, but it can also equal fast results. Marketing could be my salesperson. Marketing could go out and hustle for my next job while I stayed home and took care of my daughter. The only problem was that Dan Kennedy—the guy who wrote the book that changed everything—hated social media and digital marketing. And that was what I was doing for my clients. But that wasn’t going to stop me. I was on a mission to change my path so I could reach a different destination. I started implementing right away (more on the “how” later in this book). And for the love of my then-sad-now-fabulous shoe collection and freedom to be a present parent, something incredible happened. It was a Saturday morning, and I remember it as clearly as if it was yesterday. I received a message on LinkedIn, as shown in Figure I.1 on page xv. I couldn’t believe it. Someone I didn’t know had contacted me directly. I hadn’t met him at a networking event, sat in on a committee meeting with him, or chased him down after a networking group. I didn’t have to compete in an RFP (request for proposal) process to land the job. For the first time ever, my marketing had gone out and hustled for me, and it had brought me a client. My marketing was WORKING! I am proud to say that I did land that client. It was for a few hours of consulting, at a rate about 100 times higher than what I’d been paid for projects before. My social media

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figure I.1 The letter that changed everything.

marketing had successfully repositioned me as an expert. This attracted a higher quality of client and meant that I didn’t have to compete on projects any longer because those that came to me were ready to hire my firm specifically, not shop around. My perfect prospect now came to me, asking to work with me and expecting to pay top dollar for the privilege. I had spent years struggling in a tiny apartment with no cable (this was before Netflix, back when that meant you had only one channel, and it was fuzzy), no health insurance, and no vacations to a complete, 180-degree turnaround. In one year of using direct-response marketing with social media, we grew our email list from 1,555 to more than 21,000 people. In that same year, we increased our income 327 percent. We were able to grow our agency to the point of sale and start a new business from scratch to multiple seven figures in less than one year . . . using the strategies you will find in this book. I’ve now been able to work with some of the top companies in the world, like HarleyDavidson Motor Co., Sandler Training, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Chem-Dry, Kevin O’Leary and his Shark Tank investments, Bravo TV, and more. The most rewarding part is the difference it is making in others’ lives. I get messages from our coaching clients all the time on how applying these principles to their businesses has made their lives better. Since I’ve pivoted from broke to booming, I’ve still cried many times, but they’ve been tears of joy as I’ve been at an event and someone I didn’t know has come up to me to tell me

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the difference this has made in their lives. Parents who were able to stop working around the clock can now be there more for their kids. Professionals who were able to build bigger audiences can finally get paid what they are worth. It is an honor now to get to work with amazing business owners who finally can scale their businesses. Deep down we all want to know that what we are doing has meaning. We want to know that what we do matters. Knowing that what I do actually impacts lives is the greatest gift of all. That and finally having the peace and prosperity I craved for such a long time. Before, I would automatically wake up every night at 3 a.m. (because that is the time my bank turned over the night’s numbers) and see how negative my bank account was. It was then that I would know what crisis I would have to fix next. I truly didn’t have a single peaceful night’s sleep for more than 10 years. Flash to the present where I am writing this very book on another vacation with my family and can disconnect without fear that it is all going to fall apart. I now spend virtually no time on fruitless networking or chasing down leads. I can spend my time doing things that matter to me vs. things I have to do. I can volunteer for my church and my kids’ schools. I can play. And develop. And rest. When I was struggling, I remember seeing others’ success and wishing I could have their “breakthrough”: that one day someone would discover me and what I was doing, and magically everything would turn around. It was like I was hoping for a “Breakthrough Fairy” to come along and make it all better. It took that breakdown in the kitchen with my daughter finally sleeping to realize that no fairy was going to solve this. I had to do something different if things were going to become different. I had to be the one to make that change. And it wasn’t going to be one big moment that would change everything. It would be the little steps I would take each day that would make the big differences later on. Little things, just like you picking up this book and deciding to read it so that you can improve your results. Are you ready for a change in your path? Are you ready to attract more raving followers and turn them into buyers for life? Follow along in this book and then make sure to check out Instaguidebook.com for more resources, such as a 30-day content template, sales strategies, and more! But most important, put what you learn into action. This book will take you through the steps to discover who your perfect prospect is, how to communicate effectively to them, and then how to turn followers into buyers for life. Instagram can be a moneymaking machine for businesses of all types. But it’s not just about engagement—it’s about the right kind of engagement. Along the way, you will read case studies of other entrepreneurs and businesses that have successfully used Instagram to produce results.

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I will share examples from my own business and those of my clients and colleagues who are effectively using Instagram to grow their businesses. You’ll meet Corinne Crabtree, who runs a paid tribe of 13,000 women in losing weight—and the mental weight they carry around, and Justin Benton, who made Instagram work for him in spite of being in a “not allowed” category, and Jennifer Allwood, who sells millions of dollars of coaching through her Instagram DMs, and Lorraine Dallmeier, who built a profitable brand with her company, and Sara McCord, who is strategy first on the cutting edge of leveraging your brand, and Carine Aucagos, who built a remote-delivered interior design business from her island home, and Kelly LeMay, who is our company’s super ninja behind the millions we’ve brought in via Instagram. From sales funnels to follower contests to product launches, you’ll learn killer techniques to turn nearly any Instagram audience into a network of loyal customers. One thing I caution you against is reading their examples and thinking “My business is different. This won’t work for me.” Instead, think “How can I apply this to my business?” That is how you can make lasting change in your current situation and create the future you once only hoped was possible. Are you ready? Today is the first day of the rest of your journey. Think of any failures from the past as plot twists getting you ready for this next chapter. Your story is being written every day, and you have control over the next page. It’s going to be a good one. Are you in? Post on Instagram and use the hashtags #IAmIn #UltimateGuidetoInstagram, and I will give you a shout-out. Plus, you can win one of hundreds of prizes. Let’s get started.

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Note: Throughout the book, you will find synopses of key points and resources you can use. Share these postables on Instagram and your other social media networks. Be sure to use the hashtag #UltimateGuidetoInstagram. We will be monitoring this hashtag and will jump in to reply, continue the conversation, and give out prizes. Go ahead and post one from the list on the next page now.

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#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Deep down we all want to know that what we are doing has meaning. We want to know that what we do matters. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #Kim WalshPhillips

Today is the first day of the rest of your journey. Think of any failures from the past as plot twists getting you ready for this next chapter. #Ultimate GuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Your story is being written every day. You have control over the next chapter. And it’s going to be a good one. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalsh Phillips

When successful business owners hear a good idea, they don’t think “My business is different. This won’t work for me.” Instead, they think “How can I apply this to my business?” #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

I’m in! #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips 

Be sure to go to Instaguidebook.com for more detailed instructions on how to use Instagram.

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chapter 1

Questions, Questions: Understanding the Why of Instagram

T

he history of Instagram reminds me of the saying: If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.

While the birth of Instagram was just 13 years ago, the idea for the photo app occurred years before, and it happened because of a different project.

Where Did Instagram Come from Anyway? Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are the official cofounders of Instagram. Systrom grew up in an upper-middle-class family in Massachusetts. According to rumors, he used to believe that getting rich quick through startups was something that happened to the other guy. (There was nothing quick about his story.) Systrom left the East Coast to attend Stanford University. After graduating, he wound up working for tech giants like Twitter and Google. Eventually, he started working in the marketing department of NextStop, which is a New York City subway directions app. At this time, Systrom decided to embark on a new project: an app called Burbn that combined features of the online game Mafia Wars and Foursquare’s check-in service. During production, Burbn turned into Instagram (gramlike.com/the-history-of-instagram). Thank goodness they changed the name. After many iterations, the app was released in the fall of 2010. It went from a few users, which mainly included friends of Systrom and Krieger along with several early testers, to the number-one free photo app in only a few hours. By that December, more than 1 million users had downloaded the app to their Apple devices. Over the next two years, Instagram continued to grow, and the founders started to add features like hashtags, high-resolution photo support, one-click rotate, and new filters. In 1

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August 2011, the 150 millionth photograph was uploaded to the app. A month later, Instagram had more than 10 million users, and at this time, the company secured $7 million in Series A funding (thenextweb.com/magazine/2013/06/21/instagram-a-brief-history/#gref). This deal valued Instagram at around $25 million. (They are valued at more than $100 billion now—score!)

The Facebook Adoption Because Instagram was initially set up as an iOS app, the program was available only through Apple until April 2012, when the company finally released a version for Android devices. Soon after, Facebook jumped in and bought the company for $1 billion in cash and stock. The final purchase amount was less, though, because the social site’s value took a hit on the stock market. The deal received approval in August 2012, but by December, the new owners ran into trouble by changing their terms of service, giving Instagram the right to sell users’ pictures to third parties without compensating or even notifying them. Understandably, users weren’t too happy about this, and a consumer backlash began. People even vowed that they would never use Instagram again. Given the platform’s current success, I suspect a number of them have now recanted. However, the backlash was enough to cause the company to retract those TOS sections regarding the sharing of photos with third parties. But the company’s reputation took a hit. This is just another example of the delicate balance between public, private, and social media networking.

Growing with Facebook After Facebook purchased Instagram, the company introduced popular features like photo tagging and a “Photos of You” option. It also extended photo tagging to include brands, which gained the attention of companies that were looking to expand their social media presence and jump into organic advertising. To become even more social, the company made it easier for users to share posts and videos through links and embed codes. This function lets you show content on Instagram in its original state by just copying and pasting an embed link with a website or an article. This was a clever move by the company because it lets users share their content in other places while potentially reeling in new traffic. The Facebook purchase also brought us natural-looking ads within Instagram. The social media giant claimed it wanted to use natural ads because Instagram users weren’t used to seeing advertisements on the app. Facebook started slow with just a handful of high-quality photos presented by a few brands. This marketing approach proved to be successful because about 5 percent of the app’s users liked the ads. By incorporating marketing, Instagram gave

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businesses a new advertising platform to help them reach new consumers. The “warm” look of an effective Instagram ad from this time period continues to work today, not only on Instagram, but on Facebook as well. By the end of 2013, Instagram added a private chat feature. With it, the app’s users can send private videos and photos to each other. Prior to the chat feature, the only way for people to communicate through Instagram was publicly, through comments and likes. Today, users can send private content to as many as 32 people at a time. They’re able to write captions for the images they are sharing, and after releasing a picture, they can have a conversation. With Facebook at the helm, the updates were strategic moves designed to increase the engagement levels of Instagram users and expand the site’s traffic.

The Future of Instagram for Commerce Social and mobile commerce are embracing Instagram in a big way. Not only is organic advertising a welcome form of marketing on the app, but it also highly engages users, placing Instagram in a unique position to support social and mobile commerce. Because mobile marketing is now available for many businesses (as 83.32 percent of people have a mobile device, with over 6.64 billion people), most companies are determining the best way to use it in their marketing strategies, and for retailers, Instagram has made it easier. Instagram was one of the first platforms to supply call-to-action tools for advertisers, in the form of “Install Now” or “Shop Now” links. When it comes to commerce, Instagram offers intimacy and immediacy for both consumers and companies. These options are engaging more users. Millennials are especially influenced by these kinds of call-to-action tools because they see their friends and other influencers install or buy those items (while my age group, aka those over 40, is more influenced by the ability to find our reading glasses—but I digress). This, more than branded content, gives companies more credibility with Millennials. These tools are transitioning Instagram from a marketing platform into a conduit for ecommerce, which decreases the number of clicks a consumer needs to purchase an item. It also makes mobile sales tracking easier for companies. Ah, the refreshing melody of “making it easier to purchase.” Beautiful.

Turning Business Profiles into Instagram Shops Users can visit a shop from a business’s Instagram profile or through their feed and stories. In the shop, they can browse and buy products directly from an Instagram profile. Instagram added its Professional Dashboard to help businesses discover insights and trends based on account performance and expanded the tracking data in analytics from 30 to 60 days. Small businesses can now directly link product pages, which will definitely drive more web visitors and sales.

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Businesses that have been waiting to enter the mobile advertising market are starting out on Instagram because the infrastructure is already there. For Instagram to remain a favorite advertising spot for commerce, the company will need to embrace business trends and needs consistently without annoying its customer base. No one wants another spamapalooza like Myspace. I do miss the constant requests for buying coins from Russia in my inbox, though—not!

Instagram’s Future with Everyday Users Kevin Systrom said in an interview with Time magazine, “We believe you can see the world happening in real time through Instagram, and I think that’s true whether it’s Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour, which trends on Instagram all the time, or an important moment like a protest overseas, or a march like ‘Je suis Charlie’ in Paris. We want to make all of those, no matter how serious, no matter how playful, discoverable and accessible on Instagram.” He went on to say, “At the end of the day, there’s no better way to consume what’s happening in the world other than images and video. And I think Instagram is at the natural nexus of both of those” (time.com/4059656/this-is-what-the-future-of-instagram-looks-like/). As you know, our world changes quickly, so while we may continue to embrace Instagram for years, it could also vanish in an instant. Only time will truly show us the future of Instagram. My hope is that with this book, Instagram will help your business achieve ROI in the here and now. Let’s start with the “what” of Instagram and then in the chapters to follow, the “how,” in order to achieve maximum ROI for your time, money, and energy spent in the app.

It’s a Post, Not a Marriage Let me start by sharing a story. I’ve been married to my husband, Ian (aka The Tall One), for 14 years. Like most couples, it was a while after we started dating before we told each other how we felt, and a while after that before we got engaged. Later on, we would admit to each other that we fell in love on our second date (truthfully these feelings may have been aided by the Italian guitarist serenading us, or the wine that preceded it). But neither of us told the other at the time because that would have been weird and a bit creepy. Before we got serious, a series of events needed to take place to build trust and commitment between us. The same is true for your business. As I’m writing this, Instagram allows only one clickable link in your account, via your bio, and in Instagram stories and ads. This means your individual posts won’t have links in them, forcing you to create content that connects. Focusing on that content and your messaging—and how it connects back to growing your business—can be confusing, and sadly most businesses get it wrong. Most fall in one of two categories:

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1. Spammy McSpammerson. Unfortunately, many businesses begin their relationships with prospects by asking to get married on the first date. Yuck! Or even worse, they come across like the worst used car salesman, looking to hawk goods from hello. All their posts are about their products, programs, or services and never about what their prospects really care about—themselves. 2. Too Chicken to Make a Move. Some companies do the complete opposite, posting endlessly but never connecting their content with anything that will convert their followers into buyers. This is like dating the love of your life for years but never asking your sweetie to marry you. When you never create a clear path showing your followers how to do business with you—and why they should—they won’t. They will move on to something else that meets their needs.

What Your Prospects Really Want The truth is, you have a purpose. You have a mission. You have a solution to people’s pain, and it is your duty to find those who need you so you can heal their pain. Done well, the process can be seamless and create lifelong client relationships instead of one-time, love ’em and leave ’em interactions. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with value, build trust, and then ask for the sale. Using Instagram as the basis of your marketing relationship is an effective way to create authority, credibility, and celebrity, while magnetically attracting your perfect prospects. But first, you must start with making your content all about your prospect and what they care about. So what do they care about? The reality is that no one cares about your products, programs, or services. What they care about is how those things will make their lives better. Focusing on that is vital to creating a tribe of loyal followers who will become your customers for life. Take time to consider what causes them anxiety when their thoughts wander during the day. What do they consistently hope will change about their lives? What keeps them up at night? Before you move forward with your Instagram marketing (or any type of marketing, for that matter), answer this question: How would your target market finish this sentence: “If I could just . . .” For example, clients of the following might say: Recruiter’s clients. “If I could just find a career that suits me, I could enjoy what I do.” Personal trainer’s clients. “If I could just get my abs back, I could finally feel comfortable on the beach.” Financial advisor’s clients. “If I could just get our retirement savings on track, I could take my wife on vacation without worrying about finances.” Realtor’s clients. “If I could just  sell my house for enough money, we could move closer to our grandkids.”

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My amazing tribe thinks: If I could just fill my sales pipeline and get more clients, I could reach and help more people and my business would bring my family and me the financial peace and prosperity we long for. (Yes, my tribe is the bee’s knees.) This translates into Instagram posts like the ones shown in Figure 1.1 below.

figure 1.1 Both these posts focus on motivation.

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I focus my @TheKimWalshPhillips posts on scaling strategies with mindset, motivation, and taking your business to the next level, along with some quick how-to tips. These posts tie into how my audience wants to build their own audience of qualified leads, turn those leads into clients, and become financially prosperous in the process. Truthfully, though, it can be difficult to get into your prospect’s mind. We are so used to focusing on our own products, programs, and services that we tend to concentrate too much of our marketing power on ourselves instead of our audience. An effective way to get into the mindset of your prospect is to write yourself a letter as though you are the prospect writing to you. In the letter, go deep into the problem and what effect it is having on their emotional well-being—go beyond facts to feelings. And make sure to answer the “If I could just” longing. This will put you into your customer’s mindset (instead of your own) and help you focus your promotion squarely on them. (See Figure 1.2 on page 8.) Set a timer for 10 minutes, and write yourself this letter from your prospect. (The timer is because you and I both know that if you don’t make yourself sit there and get this done, it won’t happen. When you finish, feel free to treat yourself, and if you’re buying, I’ll take a nonfat cappuccino with cinnamon. Thanks.) How would your prospect finish this sentence: “If I could just ______”? Spending time outside Instagram to prepare before you launch can be hard for the impatient get-it-done-now kind of person (ask me how I know), but it’s imperative for quickly succeeding on this platform. Getting inside your prospect’s mindset before you begin to create content will give you a head start in having an effective Instagram campaign. Once you have determined this, you can set forth on the rest of your marketing and sales funnel. Do this and you have the ultimate path to multiplying your impact and income, and the ultimate solution for scaling your business.

What Is a Sales Funnel, and Do I Need One? If you hear someone mention a sales funnel, they are not talking about some type of amusement-park ride at the beach where tourists pay money to glide down into the ocean on a slide that gets perpetually smaller (although that would be fun). A sales funnel is a customer’s buying journey, from prospect to client. When companies embrace the sales funnel technique, they usually divide the process into several steps. These stages range from when a customer first becomes aware of a product or service to repurchasing it after discovering its helpful properties. The term “sales funnel” is a good description of the process because the top of the funnel consists of a large group of potential customers. These prospective clients are just learning about your product or service and are expressing some degree of interest in it. The bottom of the

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The Letter Dear __________________________________________________________

(insert your name)

Before I met you, I ________________________________________________

(insert what life was like before)

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ then through you I discovered _______________________________________ (epiphany they made) ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ and I __________________________________________________________

(change that they made)

______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Because of this change, ___________________________________________

(what life looks like now)

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Thank you for ___________________________________________________

(what they are grateful for)

With thanks, ____________________________________________________

(client’s name)

figure 1.2 Write a letter to yourself from your ideal prospect.

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funnel features those few remaining clients who have already invested in your company’s product or service. The sales industry uses the funnel comparison because potential prospects drop off along the way. The ones who stay funnel down through the buying process, with the group becoming smaller at each stage.

What the Funnel Should Look Like Developing a sales funnel is the most important step in your Instagram marketing. It is also where most businesses make terrible mistakes. (Don’t be one of them!) When a coaching client first comes to us, typically there is no congruency between what they post for their business and what they ultimately want their prospects to do. Think of it this way: Imagine you are invited to your friend’s daughter’s birthday party. You received the invitation, and you can’t help but smile at the princesses, glitter, and feathers that fill the cover. You can tell this gathering is going to be adorable. Because you have manners, you show up with a present for the birthday princess and hand it to your friend when she greets you. Your friend looks very confused and asks, “Are you sure this is for Jenny?” You: “Yes. Isn’t it pretty wrapping paper?” Your confused friend: “It is indeed. It’s just that it says, ‘Happy Retirement.’” You: “I know. I wanted to use it because the images are so beautiful.” Your confused friend: “Um. OK. Thanks.” And she finally takes the present. Later, toward the end of the party, Jenny opens your gift. Jenny: “Mommy, I don’t know what this is.” You: “It’s a shoe polish kit! The best in the world. You’ll be able to polish your shoes until the end of time. It’s been around since 1985, and with its great formula it is the number-one choice for shoes. There are endless uses, and because it is a concentrate, a little amount—just the size of a dime—goes a long way.” Jenny: “Mommy, do I need shoe polish?” Your confused friend: “You don’t. Please give me the present.” You: “Wow. This party is a problem. You should have loved my gift. It is an amazing shoe polish kit.”

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And with that, you are never invited to a gathering at your friend’s house again. (Dang! That is too bad. Their crab dip was out of this world. You are going to miss it, I am sure.) Too often, businesses do this very same thing. They show up to the wrong party with branding or an offer that is a terrible match for their target market. They use images because “they are pretty” or offer opt-in opportunities that don’t appeal to their audience. Then they blame the medium for their lack of ROI, when it was the marketing campaign that was to blame. How do you prevent this from happening? Focus on who your target market really is. Think about what they want, not what they need. Attract them with images that will resonate with them. And make sure each step of the process makes sense. It works like this: First, someone comes across an Instagram post, such as the one in Figure 1.3 below, from a friend who liked or shared it, or through a hashtag search.

figure 1.3 One of my Instagram posts that someone shared.

Your messaging resonates, and your new follower wants to learn more. So they go to the link in your bio (see Figure 1.4 on page 11) and click on it. Your link sends them to a lead magnet that gives them an incentive to give you their contact information, so you can continue the conversation outside Instagram. This should always be the goal, because then you can nurture the relationship over time without the distraction of other shiny objects on the platform. The lead magnet (see Figure 1.5 on page 11) should address the pain point of your perfect prospect and have a similar look and feel as your Instagram posts. That way, the

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figure 1.4 My bio that sends customers to a lead magnet.

figure 1.5 An example of a lead magnet.

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prospect who is clicking through feels like they are in the right place. Then they enter their contact information to receive a reward in return (see Figure 1.6 below).

figure 1.6 A lead magnet gets customers to enter their contact information.

If it makes sense for your business, this is an excellent time to convert the lead into a customer. Once they have opted in, give them a chance to buy something. In this example, the new subscriber is given an offer for a free course on growing their audience (see Figure 1.7 on page 13). This is congruent with the lead magnet they just requested, and the wording is focused on solving the prospect’s pain point. Always make sure yours is as well. The prospect is given the option to book an appointment with one of our coaches on the thank-you page if they are interested in scaling their business (see Figure 1.8 on page 13). The marketing and sales process continues even if the prospect doesn’t book an appointment. This is so important if you want to get the highest ROI, because many will not be ready to pull the trigger the first time they go through your sales funnel. Your prospect is now in a nurture sequence that builds trust and cultivates the relationship into a sale.

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figure 1.7 Make an offer that is congruent and focused on solving the pain point.

figure 1.8 Offer to schedule an appointment with you.

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THE FORTUNE IS IN THE FOLLOW-UP Herbert True, who taught psychology and marketing at the University of Notre Dame, studied selling behaviors and prospect behaviors to find at what point in the sales process people became interested. He found that on average, it took five times of being asked for a person to say yes. Do you know how many times the average salesperson asked? Once. Imagine how many sales are being left on the table! The same holds true for marketing. Most companies send out one direct-mail piece, run one Instagram or Facebook ad, or send one email and are disappointed with the results. Frankly, if they get anything from doing just one touch to their prospects, they should be thrilled, because in general, one is not enough. One time I purchased a ticket for a sold-out marketing conference, and they shared that until someone registered, they continued to contact them, sending out 138 communication pieces. 138! Talk about persistent. Did I mention they sold out the conference? You know how many communications most organizers send out trying to fill their event? One to three. That’s it. Always develop a path to purchase for people who aren’t ready to buy right now.

The path from post to sale makes sense and is all geared toward the same perfect prospect. So how do you ensure yours is as well? You start by keeping it simple.

Creating Your Marketing and Sales Path Begin with the end in mind. While it may seem counterintuitive, begin with the last step you want your prospect to take. What do you want your prospect to do? Should they contact you to schedule a client consultation? Purchase a product? Subscribe to your blog? Listen to your podcast? Determining that final step will allow you to walk your full campaign in reverse, so that every image, blog post, lead magnet, and email leads seamlessly to the sale. After you’ve

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settled on your goal, work backward to create a lead magnet that would be valuable to your perfect prospect who would want to take that last step. Then create blog posts about that same topic. Finally, create quote image posts that pull content directly from your blog posts. This way, every marketing message you put out there is all leading to the same conclusion— doing business with you. At the start of a mastermind meeting that I run, our Inner Circle, I chatted with early bird attendees on Zoom and asked about their “origin stories” of how they joined our coaching program. No two people had the same story. One joined after attending an event. One had been in a lower tier of membership and ascended. One entered straight from a course. Another met me in a different program. One heard me speak at an event. And so on . . . Except that they all came through an offer focusing on what they want, were given a clear path to achieve their goals, and knew this was exactly what they were looking for. So they joined. It was the exact fit for their business growth goals. In other words, I made them an offer to join the class. Without that, none would be in the program. Here’s what you may be wondering: How am I so comfortable selling? I have spent a lot of time and energy shifting my thinking around sales as service. I cannot truly deliver what you need unless you commit with your time, money, and energy, and I cannot provide the level of service you require without the resources to support your mission. Both of which require an exchange of capital. If my need to avoid rejection is greater than my need to impact your life, I won’t make the offer. I will stay in a zone of comfort and mediocrity. If, however, I want to change your life, I will ask for the sale. It is that simple—not always easy, but always that simple. So give them the chance to solve their problem, take away their pain, receive their pleasure. Make them the offer. And change their life and yours. Start by mapping out your Apex Accelerator (see Figure 1.9 on page 16).

What Is the Apex Accelerator? Back in the day, I had a really complicated business. We did all the things: short-term marketing, long-term marketing, one-day VIP Days, 30-day sprints, social media marketing, consulting clients and coaching clients, courses and workshops, events and intensives . . . And for every offering, we needed a different marketing campaign. After I sold my marketing firm, I decided to simplify the biscuits out of our business model. Now all the free content from our social media marketing, podcasts, and books

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figure 1.9 Prospects enter from a free offer and ascend to higher tiers.

flows into a webinar with only one offer for a course that comes with a ticket to our virtual event. At that event, we make an offer for our group coaching program and mention our Mastermind. Some clients go straight from meeting us to our highest level, and others rise from Power Up to Inner Circle to Elite, like my coaching client Kevin Mar, who owns Kaizen Academy fencing school. He started with us in Power Up, doubled his business, moved on to Inner Circle where he quadrupled it, and now he is in the Elite level, having just doubled his team and been named one of the top 10 fencing schools in the nation. We call this model, the Apex Accelerator. It is a clear path from prospect to most valuable client, rising to the top of our service offerings . . . the Apex. Because we focus on our ultimate goal, every Instagram post and marketing message is focused to attract my ideal client match at the top. I call this person “My Apex Alex.” For me, that is a business owner who is successful but not as successful as they want. They’ve relied on word-of-mouth marketing and referrals to grow, but it hasn’t worked as quickly as they hoped. They’ve spent some time and money on marketing with no ROI, and they’re

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fed up with it. They’re ambitious, athletic, and take action. They just need the right blueprint to finally get this to work for them. Because the path for my prospects is clear, all our marketing is focused on this person. Yours can be Alex, or Ally, or Jennifer, or Jordan. Start there, and your messaging becomes much clearer. It will also make Instagram the ultimate tool in attracting, engaging, and converting your Alex into a customer, client, or patient. In case your brain is arguing “I don’t want to pick just one person to focus my messaging on,” think of this scenario: You are single and sitting in a coffee shop. A gorgeous person walks in, and you feel an instant spark. They turn your way, look in your eyes, and smile. Ooooooooh . . . You feel a little flash of heat. A zing. A flutter. You feel special. And interested. Until you see this fancy-pants flirter do the same thing to someone else. And then another wink. And another. Dang. That special feeling is gone. That person is a jerk. Oh, wait, that isn’t a flirter. That’s your business. When your business tries to appeal to everyone on social media, no one feels special. Nor will they be attracted to you. So if you’ve been thinking the more lattes you buy—er, the more leads you attract—the more clients you are going to get, that’s just not how it works. Social media is a cocktail party of virtual escapism. People want to have a great time, to laugh, to be inspired, to spy a bit on their exes (yeah, we all do it, admit it). But they aren’t there to be sold to or educated or lectured. Instead, find your perfect prospect and give them exactly what they are longing for. Give them enough that they will leave the virtual cocktail party with you and accept whatever you have to offer them. So how do you figure out your “who”? This person is typically one of three things: 1. A client of yours, past or present, who is a delight to work with, respects you, and has the money to pay you 2. Someone you know who you would absolutely love to work with as a client 3. You three years ago, before you came up with the solution you are now selling Before you start marketing effectively on social media, you need to know who you are marketing to—the more specific, the better. Pick your Alex/Ally and effectively reach your people on Instagram.

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After all, Instagram is a tangible, visual representation of your business and your brand. The captivating quality of your brand and content will allow you to continually market to your prospective and current followers. By doing so, you will achieve low-effort, high-impact marketing that directly calls your audience to action and moves followers along your sales funnel with every post. Throughout this book, you will discover how to effectively develop each stage of that marketing funnel. You will unlock the power of brand development, content creation, and communication techniques to ensure each step is congruent and effective for your target market. Ready to get started? In the next chapter, we’ll discuss how to set up your Instagram account for maximum success.

POWER STRATEGY “Hi, I’ve never met you before and I am super interested in buying whatever you are selling. Can you tell me all about it?” said no one ever. Yet most businesses approach their marketing this way, and so they struggle. They lead with the sale, they lead with themselves, they lead with no value. How can you do this differently? Start by solving one problem your target client has and offering value for free upfront. Like: “7 Ways to ___________________ (outcome) Without ___________________ (something they don’t want to do)” Examples:

7 Ways to Make Money with Your Cell Phone Without a List 7 Ways to Become a Bestselling Author When You Don’t Have a Big List 7 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism Without Giving Up Foods You Love 7 Ways to Scale Your Business Without Sacrificing Everything That’s Important to You Then simply create a quick video showing those seven ways, and you’ll have a free course to use as your giveaway to attract your right-fit client, while keeping it all about them, value, and building a relationship before making the sale. Got your “7 Ways” title yet? Take time to write one today and see the difference it makes in building your business.

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#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables It’s a post, not a marriage. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips The truth is, you have a purpose. You have a mission. You have a solution to people’s pain, and it is your duty to find those who need you so you can heal their pain. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Focus on who your target market really is. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Always develop a path to purchase for people who aren’t ready to buy right now. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com to download the “Path to Purchase” worksheet.

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chapter 2

First Things First: Creating a Solid Foundation by Kim Walsh Phillips and Kelly Moderwell

I

[Kim] had no idea that what I was doing before was wrong—most business operators don’t. I thought it should work, but it just didn’t. And when it did, I didn’t know why. I had no idea which parts of my marketing were working and which weren’t, so I just did more of it and more often, and hoped for the best. As I shared in this book’s introduction, I struggled for an extremely long time to make my business successful. I labored harder than I thought possible and tried a million “things,” hoping something would produce revenue. When I did get a major sale, I usually had no idea why, other than what the prospect told me. This tends to be the way most businesses track clients and sales, and it is riddled with assumptions and false data. When you start tracking your leads and sales sources, however, you will often find the prospect is wrong about where they think they came from. Accurate measurement requires more sophisticated ways of measuring ROI.

The Rules of Direct-Response Marketing When I first read Dan Kennedy’s book No B.S. Guide to Brand-Building by Direct Response: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Plan to Creating & Profiting from a Powerful Brand Without Buying It, I was blown away. For the first time, I saw how marketing could equal results. I could track each action, and when I found something that worked, I could scale it, fast. When I found something that didn’t work, I could eliminate it quicker than an anchorman after a vulgar tweet. Over the years, I have tweaked Dan Kennedy’s strategies and those of other mentors I have learned from, and added a few of my own as I found what works, what doesn’t, and what is my taste for doing things. Digital marketing gives us tracking options that go far

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above what was ever possible before. It would be downright silly not to take advantage of these. And while Dan tends to be a gruff guy, as do many direct-response marketers, I tend to be a bit glam and have adjusted my style accordingly. (Hint: Your marketing does not need to be ugly—more on that in a sec.) Many direct-response marketers think social media is complete fluff, and for most companies, it is. That is because most marketers do not apply any direct-marketing tactics to their strategic approach (if they are even strategic at all). My firm spends millions of dollars on social media ads and is using direct-response marketing principles to achieve financially rewarding results for our clients—and, frankly, for us, too (which makes us giddy). In this book, I will share how to apply these principles to Instagram, but they work for all types of marketing, and they should be used accordingly. It is my hope that you will find these principles as profitable as I have.

Direct-Response Marketing Rule 1: There Will Be TRACKING and MEASUREMENT Ever hear that line attributed to department store founder John Wanamaker: “I am convinced that about one-half the money I spend for advertising is wasted, but I have never been able to decide which half”? This philosophy is bogus. Everything in marketing is measurable. Everything. And if it is not, you should find another strategy quickly or fire the person running your marketing. How will you ever know the ROI on your social media marketing unless you track it? When it comes to Instagram marketing, do the following two steps: 1. Use a unique URL and landing page in your bio. This way you know that every lead you get came from this source. Use tinyurl.com, bitly.com, or buy a new domain name to create this link. 2. Use a unique email address in your bio description. Create an email address just for Instagram so that when leads come in with this “To” line, you know where they came from.

Direct-Response Marketing Rule 2: There Will ALWAYS Be an OFFER or OFFERS In Instagram, you never want to come across as a sales predator pouncing on your next kill, but you do need to give your prospects a consistent opportunity to connect and do business with you. If you don’t, you will not realize a return of your marketing dollars and staff resources spent online. Your marketing funnel will launch with the click of your bio link in your Instagram profile. Make sure you draw attention to this link in your post description and bio so that

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visitors are given an opportunity to buy at some point. Remember, you are providing a solution to a need, and you are doing your prospects a service by giving them a chance to buy. There are many types of offers you can run in an Instagram marketing and sales funnel.

Lead Generation An incentive for your recipient to provide contact information is done through offering something of inherent value that is so good your recipient would pay for it, except they won’t because you are giving it away for free. This can include incentives such as:

A report/white paper/guide A sample chapter of your book An ebook A video A gift certificate A sample A webinar A checklist A script Templates A swipe file A video training series A ticket to a live event A discount code/certificate

Sale It is possible to sell directly to cold traffic on social media. We do it every day, but you must remember a few key things. There should be something special about your offer, such as:

It is being sold there first. It is being sold for less money. It starts with a free trial. It comes with bonuses. It is time sensitive. It is such a good deal it is impossible to say no.

In contrast, if you sell the exact same thing for the exact same price on social media as you do everywhere else, then you are most likely not going to realize great results. Social media is a cocktail party, not a shopping mall, and the only way to get people to pay attention to what you are selling is to make it a really good deal. Do that, and everyone will pay attention and want in.

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At any one time, only a small percentage of people have intent to buy. In fact, 80 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned. For the rest of your target market, you need to create intent, so an incentive is needed. Some examples of offers our clients are running effectively on social media: Women’s Institute for Gynecology & Minimally Invasive Surgery LLC runs a campaign starting with a guide on how hormones affect your body and mind and then encourages the prospect to schedule an appointment. The American Society of Tax Problem Solvers offers accountants five letter templates they can use with their clients to communicate with the IRS. Financial planner John Smallwood offers a guide on ways to cut expenses so you can have more money for retirement. Phelan Dental offers a free training seminar for other dentists and sells a training course at the end—bringing in more than six figures each month, on autopilot. (This does not suck.) Modoma Health and Wellness offers an introductory massage for $39. All very different offers for different types of businesses. But all are offering something of value as a first step so they can collect prospects’ contact information.

Direct-Response Marketing Rule 3: There Will ALWAYS Be a REASON to RESPOND NOW “I really could be busier. It’s just that I don’t have enough to do. If you could give me a few more things to fill my day, I would appreciate it,” said no one ever. Let’s face it. No one is waiting around hoping you will give them more to do. Every prospect you encounter is busy and distracted, and unless you give them a reason to act now, they won’t. That’s why so many gyms offer boot camps: “Sign up now for the 21-Day Challenge: Abs from Flab to Fab!” Adding a reason to respond now gives that thing you can otherwise put off “until Monday” a deadline. Time-sensitive triggers include limited quantities, limited time, or are event, day, or time specific.

Direct-Response Marketing Rule 4: There Will ALWAYS Be CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS on How to RESPOND Want your followers to comment on your post? Tell them. Want “hearts”? Request the double tap. Simply telling your audience what you’d like them to do (the call to action) can increase your engagement. And testing different calls to action can mean a big payoff. There was one test the Obama campaign ran that increased donations by $60 million . . . simply by testing different images and calls to action.

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Direct-Response Marketing Rule 5: Brand Is Important, But It Is Just the FIRST Step of a Marketing and Sales Funnel In contrast to some old-school direct-response marketers, I believe your marketing need not and should not be ugly. If you make branding just the first step in a strategically executed marketing and sales funnel, you can leverage it to develop trust and authority positioning. Eighty-nine percent of people surveyed will buy from a brand they follow on social (alistdaily.com/social/sprout-social-index-2020/). Social media channels are a one-to-many solution for getting the word out about your products and services. By creating a strong brand presence on social media, you can reach a broader audience. After all, you are looking for lifetime customers here. Not one-time transactions. Branding is a strong way to start to build that trust. (See Chapter 3 for more on building your Instagram brand.)

Direct-Response Marketing Rule 6: RESULTS RULE. Period There is an endless supply of conjecture by marketers, PR professionals, and “branding experts.” Be very cautious whenever you hear a universal truth about any type of marketing. My Elite Digital Group team places thousands of ads each week for clients across industries, locations, and products, and we have found that nothing can be deemed a universal truth, not even within the same industry. The only thing that you should use to determine your spend and marketing direction are the results of your own marketing. This is why you need to track and check everything every day. Our reporting to clients tells them exactly what they spent on ads and our fee and how many qualified leads or customers they received that day. Keeping an eagle eye on spending and results allows us to quickly scale a campaign up or down without having to guess if it is working. As you develop your marketing and sales funnels, you will most likely find your own set of rules. I encourage you to start with the ones I outlined in this chapter and then tweak and add more as you find a system that works for you. Above all else, let results, not conjecture, be your guiding force.

How to Set Up Your Account for Maximum Success For a complete step-by-step guide on setting up your account, visit the book bonus site at Instaguidebook.com. A few tips in setting up your account: You will be asked to enter your birthday information when setting up your account (see Figure 2.1 on page 26). This is to verify that you are at least 13 years of age, which is the minimum age you need to be to have an account (bit.ly/3IlX11z).

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figure 2.1 Enter your birthday.

It is also used for security purposes, and if you are ever locked out, you may need to show your driver’s license to confirm, so I suggest putting in your actual birthday. You will then get a confirmation email with a code at your email address. Add that in to confirm your account. See Figure 2.2 on page 27. You will then be able to edit your profile. Here you will be asked to put in the name that you want to appear when someone views your profile, what pronouns you prefer, your username, URL you’d like to link to, and a brief bio. I find it helpful to draft my bio in a document outside of Instagram and paste it in. At the writing of this book, you have 150 characters to use, so use them wisely. Your bio should not really be about you but about “them”—your target market. Share with readers why they should connect with you by stating your unique selling proposition (USP). Tell them quickly why they would want to do business with you vs. anyone

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figure 2.2 Enter confirmation code sent to your email or phone.

else in the world and how it benefits them. Then follow it up with a link to a landing page offering value. If you have a lead magnet—like a free course, webinar, or video series—that is a great place to start. If not, then send them to your blog or another value-rich page on your site. You can also add a profile picture. You have the option of uploading an existing picture, taking a new picture right then, or choosing not to have a profile picture at all. Remember, this is your chance to let your followers get to know you a little bit, so make your personality show. (But don’t let too much “show,” if you know what I mean. And I am pretty sure you do.) My recommendation from a branding perspective is to only use a professional headshot, and no matter what, do not use a selfie. If you want to be treated like a market expert, look like one. You will be able to select if you are a creator or a business. You can change this option later if you choose. I find more tools in the “Creator” category so I suggest going with that to start. Instagram offers professional tools to make connecting with your audience easier such as suggesting following other businesses, inviting friends to follow your account, and marketing tools such as insights and ads (see Figure 2.3 on page 28). You can select set up right then or skip to the fun part of setting up your profile.

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figure 2.3 Set up your professional account and start connecting with your audience.

You are almost finished . . . you just need to add a professional photo (smile), your name, username, bio, and website (see Figure 2.4 on page 29). And now you are an official Instagram business! Obviously the first thing a client will search for when trying to find your business is the name; however, the difference that will set you apart from other users and gain landings is choosing a name and profile picture that make your brand linger in your viewers’ minds. Your username should be the name of your business so people can easily find you online. The only problem is that your establishment’s name may already exist somewhere else in the world, and may be taken on Instagram. In that event, it will be your profile picture and description that uniquely identify your business in search results.

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figure 2.4 Setting up your profile.

If you are the face of your company, use your professional headshot as the account profile picture. If your company does not have a figurehead, use your company logo as your profile picture. (More on that later.) If your business doesn’t have a logo, get one. Not only is it essential for a business to have a logo, this is the first thing users will see when typing the business’s name into Instagram’s search bar. You can use Canva (canva.com) or the app Word Swag to create your own. This logo should be the same image you use across all your social media platforms to keep your

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personal branding consistent. Navigating between your various social media platforms will be more intuitive for your clients if all the pages have identical imagery.  You may be thinking “Seriously, can I create my logo myself?” I have no graphic design skill and yet I was able to easily create multiple product, course, and program logos with these apps. And getting something done is way better than nothing at all—no excuses! (Hear me yelling that at you in the deepest Jillian Michaels voice possible, and while you are down there, gimme 20!) The last step in setting up your business profile is adding a description in the bio section that gives a brief summary of what your business is all about (see Figure 2.5 below). This can be a condensed version of your mission statement, a message for your fans, or anything else you want to say that will convey the soul of your enterprise. Just like your personal branding, try to keep your info blurb similar across all your social media profiles. At the very end of your text, include a URL link to your professional website. Directing traffic from your social media profile to an actual website will add legitimacy and ultimately result in conversions that will gain you business.

figure 2.5 Add a brief description of what your business is about to your profile.

How to Use the Instagram App Now that you’ve finished setting up your profile, it’s time to start using the app. Unlike that Steps app you downloaded last year, used for three days, and then conveniently moved to

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the fourth page of your screen search, do not download and ignore. We are about to get our Instagram ROI on, and this is going to be good! Let’s start by adding some pictures to your profile. Click the plus sign at the top right of the screen, select Post, and either take a picture directly from your camera phone or import an existing photo from your library. Once you have a picture snapped or selected, it’s time to edit the photo using the filter presets within the app or tweaking the individual characteristics of the image. Click Next when you’ve finished editing the photo (see Figure 2.6 below).

figure 2.6 First, take a picture directly from your camera phone or import a photo from your library to upload to Instagram.

You are then presented with all the tagging and linking options that make Instagram great for businesses. Let’s break down what each section does and how to best use it.

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The first box allows you to write a caption for your photo (see Figure 2.7 below). In this space, you want to insert text that communicates the intent behind posting the picture, along with some categorized keywords (otherwise known as hashtags—see Figure 2.8 on page 33). A hashtag, denoted by a “#” symbol preceding a single word or unbroken string of words, is how Instagram creates searchable content categories.

figure 2.7 Write a caption to your photo that communicates the intent behind posting the picture.

Businesses use hashtags to attract the attention of public users and gain followers. It is important to include three to four hashtags to cover a broad range of user traffic. Keep them relevant to your industry to avoid spamming. For example, if I were the owner of a coffee shop, I wouldn’t include #Roofing in my caption because that has nothing to do with coffee. (Duh, Ms. Obvious.) Instead I would include hashtags like #latteart, #barista, etc. that are directly relatable and garner the attention of other people in that industry as well as potential customers. This is how you build relationships with followers as well as other businesses. (See Chapter 5 for more details.) The next box, marked “Tag People,” is exactly what it says. (OK, not exactly. It’s not like you are going to run around putting shiny gold gift tags on your peeps.) This comes from

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figure 2.8 Be sure to include hashtags that will get your prospects’ attention.

the same terminology used by Facebook and other social media sites, to indicate someone is mentioned in your post. This is where you tag other users to link your media content with their profiles. As a business owner, the best use of this feature is to tag other independent businesses that you may be collaborating with or clients you might feature. This will provide a link for your followers to explore your business partners’ pages, and it shows that you conduct honest business. If you don’t want to include a tag within the actual photo itself, you also have the option of linking to another profile by typing a username in the caption with the @ symbol before the name. This creates a link to the other user’s Instagram profile. Adding tags also directs user traffic to your page by linking your profile with the people or businesses tagged in your photos. Their followers can see photos those users were tagged in by clicking on the tab for tagged photos. Basically, if a user follows a partner business you’ve tagged on Instagram, chances are they will find you by association. That’s a win-win for you and the other enterprise you’ve teamed up with. This is where some businesses will spam and spam some more by tagging other Instagrammers who have nothing to do with the post, just to get their attention. Once is fine if

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HOW TO MAKE WRITING POST DESCRIPTIONS EASIER ON MOBILE I hate typing descriptions on my phone. Hate, hate, hate. I get spelling errors, write really short ones because I get lazy, or tend to flub up the whole thing. I have found a work-around, though—I write all my posts in the Notes app on my Mac (which syncs with my phone in the iCloud) and then snag it from the Notes app on my phone to paste in. Other options include Evernote, Google Notes, or any other list-making app that syncs to both your computer and phone.

done with purpose. But do it all the time, and you’ll become an annoying gnat to be swatted away, as you will deserve. (Can you tell I hate being spam-tagged?!) Next is the option to “Add Location,” if you want your followers to know where you are. This is obviously not applicable if you run a business purely online or from your private residence. (Unless you want to be found. If that’s your thing, this feature is all yours.) If you have a brick-and-mortar establishment, it would be wise to include your location in your posts so your followers can find you. Adding your location to your Instagram post creates a link under your username that users can click on to find a pinned map of your location as well as posts you have either made or been tagged in. This is yet another way to direct online traffic to your Instagram page for more landings and conversions on your website and social media platforms. Score! You can also link your other social media profiles with Instagram. The accounts you select will now show up as sliders at the bottom of the photo information screen. Just tap the sites you would like Instagram to post on before you tap Share, and voilà! Now your filtered photograph from Instagram and all those content-rich hashtags have posted to all your other social media pages. Your contacts and followers from those other sites will also see you have an Instagram feed that they can start following and interacting with.  I am not a huge fan of linking your accounts because I find that my reach is better on each platform when I post directly, but if you are short on time, it might be your best option. However, I will mock you when I see you do that. (Just kidding—I won’t mock you. But you still shouldn’t link. Wink.)

Adding Effects and Filters Filters are one of the reasons Instagram is so popular. With the touch of a button, we can apply the same filters the media uses to make our photos pop, skin look more even, or the sunset pinker. I know, I know—it’s a distorted reality. But if I could apply these filters to

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myself in real life, I would in a nanosecond. It really would have helped in those first months after my daughters were born. To discover how to apply filters to your photos, visit Instaguidebook.com. Now that you are all set up and have an idea of how the app works, it’s time to start using it to earn a high ROI. In the next chapter, we’ll dive into creating your Instagram feed’s look and feel.

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Finding success with Instagram begins with setting up your account correctly. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Write your bio to really be about “them”—your target market. #Ultimate GuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Tell viewers quickly why they should want to do business with you over anyone else in the world. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Only use a professional headshot, not a selfie. If you want to be treated like a market expert, look like one. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Businesses use hashtags to attract the attention of public users and gain followers. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

If you don’t want to include a tag within the actual photo, you can also link to another profile by typing a username within the caption. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com to download more than 20 postable images!

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chapter 3

Putting on Your Fancy Pants Outfit: Developing Your Instagram Brand

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et’s start with a confession of sorts, shall we? Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me anything. I am the one gabbing here. The scoop is: I am a stalker. Or maybe it’s more like a gawker. When I am not traveling with my kids, I can get myself into trouble. You see, when I’m with them, all my time and energy are focused on making sure they don’t knock someone over who is running to catch a flight while my girls are running around the airport for the sake of running, or getting them a snack, or arguing about why they need to take Dramamine before the plane takes off. (Yes, it is ironic that a family of travelers suffers from motion sickness. But I will spare you from the story. You’re welcome.) When traveling by myself for work, things are different. My eyes have time to wander. They can scan the room without doing the “one, two, OK, they’re both there” check 754 times. I can relax and observe. The problem is I can get into trouble, because without meaning to, I often stare, especially when I spot someone who is really pulled together and elegant. I’m in awe and a little jealous, but mostly I stare because I am trying to figure out their secret. Being a chic traveler is something I aspire to when I grow up. Don’t get me wrong. I am not a total schlep who wears pajama pants and a stained T-shirt on flights. (When did flying like a hungover undergraduate become acceptable, anyway? Said the sudden Etiquette Queen of fashion and travel.) I do make an effort when traveling, not for the benefit of my fellow travelers on the plane (no offense, 5A!), but for those I might run into at my next speaking gig. Often I stay at the same hotel where I’ll be speaking, so I try not to show up looking like a hot mess. Still, nobody’s going to use me as Example A of having it all pulled together.

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All goes well until my target of “learning by observing” notices me and I have to quickly look away. But this habit comes in quite handy when it comes to social media marketing. There, you can observe and be inspired as much as you want, and they’ll never notice a thing.

Developing Your Instagram Page Brand Maybe you know someone who just seems to “get it.” They have the perfect number of accessories, the perfect match of pattern to solid, the perfect combination of formal and casual. Their brand proudly announces to the world that they care, but not too much. They personify visual branding at its best and are a walking billboard for success. This should be your goal for your Instagram account. Your feed should exude a brand that makes it clear who you are and what you stand for, quickly and succinctly. Personify consistency from post to post, so that if you showed someone 10 random posts, they could tell they were all yours. I was terrible at this in the beginning because I was still figuring out what my posts should look like. Even though the design was professional, they weren’t putting out the overall vibe that represented my brand (see Figure 3.1 below).

figure 3.1 Some of my terrible posts from when I was just starting out.

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There was no unifying theme and nothing visually compelling about the posts, and they quoted all sorts of folks—none of them, however, were me. Thankfully, I eventually wised up and followed one of my favorite pieces of advice from the TV show Mad Men. If you don’t like what is being said, change the conversation. So we did. Now my posts are all unified in look, feel, and messaging. My follower count increases every day, and post engagement has improved dramatically. Figure 3.2 below shows a sample of my current posts. I then took examples from those posts and made myself a brand board, using a very sophisticated method—I pasted them into a Word document. I kept this page in front of me as a guide each time I created new posts to keep my look on-target for my visual brand. Where I have settled is pretty simple. I create reels, short videos, and picture posts, and I use Word Swag—my favorite app of all time—to create all my Instagram images, using the same font each time. (It really is my true love. If I wasn’t married to my wonderful husband, Ian, I might attempt to marry this app.)

figure 3.2 Samples from my current Instagram posts.

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Word Swag offers variations within a font style, so my posts can look different but still unified. I tend to blur or soften the background image to make the text pop and mix up those posts with a clean modern look. And you can add on your name, username, or logo afterward. If your brand were a person, how would you describe its personality? I mean, “awesome” is a given, but what do you want to convey in each post? A photo to appeal visually? An inspirational quote to motivate? A lifestyle to entice? What message do you want to share most with the visitors to your page? Remember that people don’t want to connect with a logo or a product—they want to connect with a person. Take, for example, my work with Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank. When he first asked me to work with him, his account was a lot of product shots and one-dimensional promotion (see Figure 3.3 below). When we switched up his content (see Figure 3.4 on page 41, his engagement, interaction, and follower count exploded to an increase in likes from 1,708 to 9,830/12,862. The exciting thing about building your brand is that you can make it into whatever you want. Start exploring options on Instagram, and then focus on your message and brand. It is going to be amazing. Just like you are.

figure 3.3 Earlier post from Kevin O’Leary’s Instagram account.

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figure 3.4 New posts that use a story to connect with prospects.

The Types of Instagram Posts  Single post includes one featured photo, meme, or quote (see Figure 3.5 on page 42). A carousel allows users to upload a maximum of 10 videos (up to 15 seconds each) or photos in one post (see Figure 3.6 on page 42). A story allows users to post a photo or video that disappears within 24 hours (see Figure 3­.7 on page 43). Reels invite users to get creative by recording and editing short videos up to 60 seconds long and adding music, effects, and voice-overs (see Figure 3.8 on page 44). Live broadcast allows you to connect with your followers by livestreaming video in real time (see Figure 3.9 on page 44). A feed video can be taken with your mobile device’s camera or uploaded from your library. Videos can be up to 60 minutes long (see Figure 3.10 on page 45).

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figure 3.5 Example of a single post.

figure 3.6 Example of a carousel post.

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figure 3.7 Example of a story post.

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figure 3.8 Example of a reel post.

figure 3.9 Example of a live broadcast post.

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figure 3.10 Example of a feed video post.

Want to reach more people while establishing yourself as a celebrity in your niche? Try sharing a quick tip via video and posting it as an Instagram reel, like the ones in Figures 3.11 and 3.12 on page 46. Here’s how: 1. Record your video featuring a tip or strategy. I like to keep it simple and use Zoom. 2. Edit the video on your phone to make it a square. 3. Upload as a reel to Instagram. 4. Add a “sticker” of captions. 5. Pick your cover photo. 6. Write a bit of copy for the post. 7. Post! These quick videos have more virality than regular posts and are a fast way to add value to your prospects. Try it today and let me know how it goes!

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figure 3.11 Example of a quick-tip video posted as an Instagram reel.

figure 3.12 Pick your cover image.

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INSTAGRAM EXPERT

Corinne Crabtree, The No BS Woman’s Strategy Corinne Crabtree is an American author, life coach, and motivational speaker with an extensive audience that worships her straight talk and occasional profanity. She’s amassed more than 9,000 paying members from all over the world—at $59 per month—in her private online weight-loss program for women. Her calling card is that she lost 100 pounds, and you can, too. Q: How do you leverage Instagram to attract members to your No BS brand and your free course? I like to teach a concept that is important for my audience to understand. Then I share an example of how it plays out in my life. I want people to feel like a “No BS woman” even before they become a member, so I try to make sure to always keep it interesting and real. Q: Do you map out posts in advance or create content as it’s happening? If I’m going to sell something, I want to be able to really touch my followers’ pain points, so I create content first and then build social around that. Q: What does the planning and execution look like for a big launch? Typically we have a planning meeting three to four months ahead where tasks get assigned, and then the team builds everything out in Airtable (see Figure 3.13 on page 48), including emails, subject lines, and social. One month prior, we finalize what we’re doing and identify anything that should change from what we did previously. Then, if the event I’m selling is at the end of the next month, doors open at the beginning of the month for the launch. Q: A lot of people don’t know how to work with a team for social media. They think either you hand it all over or you do it all yourself. What is it like for you? My team looks at stuff we can use again—graphics and all. For upcoming launches, we usually just change the dates, except for that time I changed my hair length. Basically if we try something new, they give me a shot list and I run around my house taking pictures with my phone . . . stuff like me throwing confetti or taking

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figure 3.13 Airtable team assignments. a drink of water. I do have professional photography, too. Sometimes for special things they’ll say, “Can you talk for under 30 seconds . . . like, ‘It’s day one and I’m fixing to go live and you’re not gonna wanna miss it’? Then the same for day two, etc., just change your top every day.” They’ll tell me the parameters and what they want so I can just talk to the camera. Q: How do you and your team manage comments and DMs? On my Facebook public pages, we just let them talk. They already feel engaged on Instagram. My team checks DMs [direct messages] and responds as needed. If someone is looking for my free course or the podcast, they just answer. If it’s more involved, they’ll explain, “This is Corinne’s team,” and they’ll let the person know that either they will be able to help or they will send the message on. We try to be very transparent about who is responding. For things my team thinks would be best if I answered personally, they’ll screenshot it and put it into Slack for me. Q: How do you use other people’s success stories when someone tags you or #NoBSWoman? We keep everything in an Airtable database. If success stories were posted internally, we always ask permission to share. Weight loss is so personal. I would be disgusted with myself if we shared someone’s journey who was hoping to keep it private.

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Q: Do you have any mindset advice for business owners who get paralyzed by looking at everyone else’s social media, thinking they’ve got it all together? Ask yourself, “Is this a process problem, or a me problem?” I like to try new strategies I find in other people’s content, but it has nothing to do with my self-worth. If I’m looking at another creator’s content and thinking “I suck,” then that’s my ego. That’s me making it a problem, deciding I’m more important than my business. And I don’t ever want to think that way. It’s my job to take care of my self-worth, not my business’s. Q: What are your hopes for social media moving forward? There’s a lot of noise on social and I want to be part of the solution, to make sure the noise is beautiful to my people’s ears. I want to be an influencer who gives them a safe space, an oasis to learn what they need to know, and a community to share.

figure 3.14 Sample posts from Corinne’s Instagram feed.

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figure 3.14 continued

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#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Your feed should exude a brand that makes it clear who you are and what you stand for—quickly and succinctly. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #Kim WalshPhillips

Design your posts with the same look and feel each time. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

If your audience is engaged, they’re not sick of hearing from you. #Ultimate GuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

There are enough others out there. Be you. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com for a branding guide for your Instagram posts.

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chapter 4

Starring You: Leveraging Instagram for Premium Positioning

I

didn’t even slow down. I heard someone call my name, but I ignored it because I thought, “That just can’t be for me.” When I realized she truly was talking to me, I almost did a happy dance right then and there. But that would have totally negated what just happened. So the happy dance happened later, when I was alone in my hotel room. That was the first time I was ever stopped in an airport to have my picture taken with someone. (See Figure 4.1 on page 54, for the evidence!) I was blown away. And ecstatic! And, I admit, glad to have a witness (the limo driver for my speaking engagement). It made the moment a little more scrumptious. Especially when he said, “Wow, I drove Rod Stewart’s wife last week, and no one recognized her.” (Rod Stewart’s wife, if you are reading this, no offense intended. Also, send me a DM. I can help you with your brand.) For me, this was a fan-freaking-tastic moment of giddiness. Now, to be fair, this spotting wasn’t random at all. It’s not like I was traveling with the kids to Disney World when a superfan stopped me. I’m pretty sure that level of fame will only happen if I accidentally join an international spy ring when I thought I was just getting a really good price on Prada shoes. (“But they were tweed, and they were beautiful,” I would sob as the handcuffs closed around my wrists.) I was in an airport at the conference destination where I would be speaking, for an organization that routinely features me in their content and social media. The person who stopped me knew me from those promotions. So it’s not like this happens often, but that’s the point. To leverage celebrity, you don’t need to be famous worldwide. You only need to be well-known within the niche you serve. That’s a whole lot more attainable than Justin Bieber stardom.

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figure 4.1 The first time I was stopped at an airport to have my picture taken with someone I was blown away!

The Power of Stardom: Leverage Your Instagram Account to Strengthen Your Celebrity, Authority, and Expert Positioning Attaining celebrity status is not about an ego boost (although I’m not going to lie—that was nice, too). Instead, it is about premium positioning so you become magnetic to your target market. Your perfect prospects will line up to see you, and they will pay you top dollar as the celebrity expert you are. The best clients in the world want to hire the best consultants, coaches, doctors, and experts . . . so position yourself as the best. For example, you would expect to pay Bobby Flay a lot more money to cook dinner for you than a random chef you found at the seafood restaurant down the street, even if that latter chef is actually more talented. No matter your niche, celebrity positioning is a powerful tool to grow your tribe quickly and convert them into top-paying customers for life. Before you embark on your path to stardom, it is important to lay the groundwork for celebrity success. Your profile must be on point with your brand before you begin promoting.

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POWER STRATEGY Who has two thumbs, is really smart, has a cute smile, and should be quoted more often? You, of course. In fact, one of the quickest ways to build authority and gain brand equity is to have the things you say, aka the “gems you drop,” quoted by other people. You can make this happen more quickly if you start quoting yourself, by creating quote posts with my favorite design app, Word Swag (wordswag.co/). Go into your content, your live broadcasts, your blogs, quoted interviews, and proposals, and pull out content to use as quote posts. Then simply design and post them. While it is weird to talk about yourself in the third person (so Kim should never do that), it is not weird to quote yourself in your content. You can build your brand around that. If you don’t tell others how to quote you, and what messaging your clients and superfans should share, they won’t know what to do. But if you give them the “how” and the message to share, they will. And the more you are quoted, the more brand equity and authority you gain. An easy-peasy yet powerful strategy.

Getting Ready for Your Close-Up If someone were to visit your social media pages and/or website without knowing anything about you, what would they think about you or your company? Does your brand messaging communicate what you want your visitors to know? If you are like most people, you need to tweak your brand message quite a bit to make it clear to your target market. Don’t be ashamed. We all started out with an embarrassing look. Just pick up any People magazine and look at the “Before They Were Stars” section to see a celeb’s awkward moments. It’s an issue for everybody, companies and individuals alike. But that isn’t a reason to bury your head in the sand. You can develop celebrity positioning with just a few simple steps.

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Get a Professional (and Recent) Headshot It’s time to amp up your game and go beyond the iPhone selfie (ick!). Celebrities have good photos, and so should you. To find an affordable professional photographer in your area, check out Thumbtack (thumbtack.com/) and search for “headshot photography.” Or you can post your job there and photographers will give you their estimates upfront. Another option is to search Instagram for #photographer[insert your name of town] and see examples of their work. And stop using that photo from 20 years ago, no matter how good you look in it! Those images are most likely hurting your trust factor with your prospects, as they look just as fake as a bad stock photo. (If you’ve done this, when you show up to your sales call, pop up on your webinar, or start doing any live social media, your prospect will feel like you started the relationship with a lie. Lying is lame, so get in the game with a current photo.) You’re cute—now smile!

Get Professional with Whatever You Link in Your Bio In the first edition of this book, I suggested you should hire a professional to create your “Free Gift Funnel,” to lead prospects off your Instagram page and to your website. Not so anymore. We’ve created a premade “Free Gift Funnel” you can snag at Instaguidebook.com. In there, you have the landing page, thank-you page, and free gift templates ready to go. It just got that easy.

Make the Camera Your BFF, Seriously Any time a microphone or professional camera is in front of you for any reason, have someone take your picture. Then share those photos periodically online. Whether it’s when you’re speaking onstage, being interviewed for a podcast, or simply getting an award at your local chamber of congress, leverage these photos as blog images and post backgrounds. Celebrities are photographed often, so you should share these photos online as though you were your own paparazzi. No matter how cheesy this may feel to you, remember that positioning yourself as a celebrity goes a long way toward getting you paid more, and post that photo!

Feature Your Content in Your Posts If you got a spot on the Today show, would you use it to promote someone else’s work? I sure hope not. If most of the time you are sharing other people’s content on your page, stop. This is your opportunity to shine by setting yourself up as an expert in your industry. Feature

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your content and develop your own images and posts. Start with any blog posts you’ve written—are there images and quote nuggets you can pull out to run on your Instagram page? If you don’t know where to start, begin by listing 12 questions your prospects tend to ask when you meet with them, and answer those. Then turn them into image quotes and long-form comments for Instagram. Now it’s time to share your message with the world. Thankfully you don’t have to stand in line at 4 a.m. for 90 days at the Today studio door to earn your publicity and celebrity status. (Although, if that’s your thing, have at it.) Instead, you can leverage the power of your Instagram account and the rest of your marketing funnel to establish your stardom. See Figures 4.2 below and 4.3 on page 58. The steps are rather simple.

figure 4.2 Share behind-the-scenes content with your viewers to help them know, like, and trust you more.

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figure 4.3 Your posts are your opportunity to shine—make the most out of them!

Start Small and Then Go Smaller It’s easier to be well-known to everyone in a town of 5,000 than a city of 5 million, and you can’t be all things to all people. Pick a niche, and then choose a narrower sub-niche within that niche. Focusing on a smaller target market will grow your fame quicker. Once you’ve picked your target market, zero in on a small portion of the group/industry/ subculture. Stay focused on appealing to these individuals until you have achieved celebrity status within this group. After that point, if you want to reach another subset of your target market, you can move on to the next subgroup. Identify at least one group, association, or other organization that serves your niche, and make it your mission to become a celebrity within it. If you can strategically and methodically develop a relationship with an organization that serves your niche market, it’s a lot more effective than starting from scratch. You’re leveraging a group that has already brought members of that niche together. Dive deep into getting to know their members and leadership. Find a way to volunteer, such as joining a committee or advisory board or working at an event. The secret to getting in good is giving first and asking second. Follow the organization’s social media accounts and begin commenting on its posts at least twice a week through your professional page. Make meaningful comments that show you actually read and connected with the content. (The worst thing you can do is post something pointless so you sound like Mr. Spam Man. No one wants that.)

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figure 4.4 Featuring someone else’s content is OK sometimes if it’s done for a reason and with proper attribution.

The next time you attend one of their events, use Word Swag to create posts from quotes you hear at the event and post them on your page while tagging the group with photos from the event (see Figure 4.4 above). Even though this goes against the recommendation I made earlier to feature all your own content in your posts, this time it’s done strategically and with purpose. Keep the ratio at four posts of yours to one post of theirs, and you will be in great shape. Only use this strategy when you are aligning with an industry leader.

Curate Their Content to Position Yourself as an Expert Post a couple of times a month tagging the organization (i.e., use the @ symbol and its username). This will not only help distribute your post to more people (because Instagram may show your post to some of the organization’s followers), but it will also alert the group that you mentioned it. If you take the time to curate the content (by adding commentary or questions to your post), it will help demonstrate that you are an expert in the subject

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matter, build your relationship with the organization, and position you as an authority in your niche.

Leverage Your Photos to the Moon and Back Celebrities are photographed often, and you should be, too. This means attending events in your niche, going to meet and greets (both in person and virtual), and having your photo taken with as many well-known speakers, leaders, or actual celebrities as possible. You may feel like a complete tool for doing this, but this strategy is pure gold when it comes to positioning. Post these photos one at a time on your social media and tag the other person. This also means showing up to events well-dressed and well-informed—meaning you should know who the VIPs in attendance are and be able to talk to them intelligently about their work. Thanks to social media, this task has never been easier. Don’t be a lazy-pants. Instead, do a little research before you show up. Others in the crowd won’t bother, and this will help you get a little extra time to chat with the VIP. I did this at an event with Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, and scored a review and testimonial for the book I was writing at the time. (I was nervous to approach him, but the payoff was so worth it.) I shared that story in the first edition of this book. Since then he has become a client, paid me to fly in to teach his leadership team about social media, and still refers to my teachings with his team to this day. Live boldly, and you too can access thought leaders in your niche.

Feature Celebrities in Your Content After you’ve developed a relationship with these celebrities or organizations, request to interview one of them (or, in the case of an organization, one of their key leaders who is well-known within your niche) and post it to your blog. Create valuable content to open and close the piece and well-designed social media posts to promote it. You can also create Instagram posts using the celebrity’s quotes from the interview and tag them in the image. This will help to further build your relationship with the organization and establish your positioning as an authority with its members.

Get in the Spotlight Magazines regularly feature celebrities on the cover as a way to boost sales. It’s time you were featured as well. After you have built a solid relationship with an organization by following the steps above by regularly featuring a celebrity, influencer, industry expert, or publication in your social content, ask them about guest blogging or guest columnist opportunities. Write content that is thoughtful and valuable, not self-promotional, and that meets the publication’s requirements. (If you are unsure about word count or rules about

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picture inclusion, ask.) Once the article is published, promote it like your celebrity status and future autograph requests depend on it. First, give yourself a high five, and then pull out quotes from the article, turn them into Instagram posts, and tag the publication’s Instagram account. Once you have gone through all the steps we have just covered, the secret is to stay consistent—as in, don’t give up! Continue to tag, post, photograph, interview, and guest post. Repetition is the key to establishing authority/celebrity/expert status. It generally takes me about 12 to 18 months to conquer a niche. That may seem long, but the payoff could not be more worth it. A year of consistent effort for a lifetime of expert positioning and premium pricing? Yes, please!

INSTAGRAM EXPERT

Sara McCord, Strategy First

I have good news for you: You can create a more effective Instagram strategy. The number-one marketing mistake I see business owners make—not only on social media—is that they start with communications targets rather than business goals. In other words, their plan revolves around, say, a certain number of reels per week (that’s an example of a communications target). So when the algorithm changes and reels don’t have the same reach, they’re stuck. How are you going to see an ROI on the platform? This is a time to follow the classic adage to be stubborn with your goals and flexible with your methods. Generally, when Instagram makes an update that stalls reach in one area, they’re pushing users toward a specific feature. (For example, users saw a 30 to 50 percent decline in static photo insights when Instagram increased traction for reels.) If you start with your business goal—such as to gain a certain number of new clients, reach certain people in your industry, or increase retention and positive sentiment in your community—you can adapt your communications methodology to whatever is trending on the platform.

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS As Instagram frequently updates its features and algorithm, following the platform’s best practices may not be the way to go. Rather, focus on what you can control: the overall goal you’re driving toward and the breadth of content you can create to connect with your audience. After all, buying is an emotional decision. Since its inception, Instagram has made us feel many things:

That food looks delicious. I want to get that recipe book. That person looks successful. I want to use their strategies. That resort looks relaxing. I want to book a trip. That living room looks beautiful. I want to find that coffee table. Lean into the opportunity to make your audience feel something, and then make it clear where they can go to take the next step. Just don’t get mired in whether it takes a story, reel, or image to get them there.

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Positioning yourself as a key expert drives prospects to come to you and gives you the leverage to get paid what you are really worth—which of course is a lot. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Get ready for your close-up—the payout is marvelous. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

Being embarrassed about what your brand looks like right now isn’t a reason to bury your head in the sand. Take action. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #Kim WalshPhillips

Time to smile! #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips Give social clout before you ask for anything. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #Kim WalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com for “12 Ways to Pose to Improve Your Photos.”

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chapter 5

Sometimes It Is a Popularity Contest: Growing Your Instagram Following by Kim Walsh Phillips and Kelly Moderwell

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hen it comes to building a business, does it matter how many followers you have? I (Kim) mean, isn’t that number really just about boosting your ego? Not exactly. Human psychology is such that we make decisions based on what is likely to produce the safest, most positive outcome. Seeing others go first is a big part of that decision-making paradigm. It comes from the herd mentality of our ancestors. (Stay close to your tribe, and you are much less likely to become Tony the Tiger’s supper.) Think of it this way . . . If you are in a new town and looking for a place to eat, are you going to the restaurant with two cars in the lot (probably the server and the cook) or 20 cars? I guess it depends whether you are looking for a quick slim-down method called food poisoning. If you went to a crowded beach and no one was in the water, would you go running in? Or would you first wonder why no one was swimming? Perhaps Jaws was spotted moments ago? There are a lot of naysayers when it comes to growing followers. Usually it’s those who don’t have any. (Funny how that works, isn’t it?) There are four main reasons why growing your followers is so important: 1. Social proof. More fans mean more social proof that you have a legitimate business. If someone goes to your Instagram page and you only have around 200 followers, it doesn’t give them the confidence to move forward. They need social proof to believe

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you are the right fit before they opt in, let alone become your customer, client, or patient. Think of it in terms of shopping on Amazon. If you’re looking at two nearly identical products, selling for the same price, but one has 10 times as many reviews— which do you purchase? 2. Referrals. Want referrals without having to ask for them? The sweet biscuits and gravy thing is, every time someone follows your page, it shows up to their friends and family. Naturally, your best customers come from word-of-mouth, and this is the way to speed such introductions along. 3. More reach. There are people right now just waiting to hear from you. There are pains you can heal, problems you can solve, joys you can create, customers you can get, clients you can convert—but only if you can reach them. By expanding your social network, you can reach more people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I reach thousands each week (see Figure 5.1 on page 65). 4. The sweet ring of the cha-ching. When you grow your followers, not only will your advertising cost less, but you can also make sales to them directly, as we do every single week. Ready to get started? Read on.

The Power of the Hashtag, and How to Make Yours Count You can’t use Instagram for business without the almighty hashtag: the # symbol followed by a word or words that describes the post or who it is for. Although they’re widely used on Twitter, hashtags are controversial among Instagrammers. Some despise their use, while others overuse them. Here’s my take on it: When it comes to using Instagram for business, it would be foolish not to take advantage of hashtags. Even using just one hashtag can increase interaction more than 29 percent. The most popular hashtags are general words like #love and #summer. (See a list of the 100 most popular hashtags on page 69.) However, these really don’t do anything to drive engaged, quality traffic, as they are not specific and just attract numbers instead of potential right-fit clients. The more specific you can get, while still staying with a frequently used hashtag, the more successful you will be at attracting an engaged and on-point audience. So how do you find the right hashtags to use? Start by reviewing 20 of the most popular brands and companies in your niche and checking out the hashtags they use. For example, I searched for #entrepreneur (see Figure 5.2 and 5.3 on page 66). Make a list of these and start testing them on your posts. You will quickly be able to determine what works and what doesn’t. Remember, the more specific, the better.

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figure 5.1 Insights Overview shows the reach and engagement of your posts.

Once I had my list of 20 top brands and companies in my niche, I went through each of their pages and made a list of the hashtags they used on their posts. I was able to find 15 that all the profiles had used, so I started to test different combinations of them on my posts. A few seemed to garner many more followers and likes, while others

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figure 5.2 I searched for #entrepreneur and found the top posts using that hashtag. Use hashtags in your posts to be found similarly by people searching with the hashtags you use.

figure 5.3 Top posts using #entrepreneur.

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didn’t seem to make a difference. Keep track of how each hashtag performs while you are testing. You may be thinking that it’s super frustrating to type all these hashtags in each time—don’t do it! Instead, save them in an online list keeper like Apple or Google Notes or Evernote. That way, you just need to copy and paste. Plus, you can type in the hashtags on your desktop so you can work seamlessly between desktop and mobile. That is my jam. The maximum number of hashtags you can use is 30 for a post and 10 for a story. If you use more, Instagram will delete your comment. Statistics show engagement increases 79 percent with 11 hashtags, so that is a great place to work up to. Start slowly, and as you find hashtags that work, incorporate and build on them.

Beyond Growing Followers Besides using hashtags to grow your followers, categorizing your content using the # symbol can be a powerful marketing tool. Among your list of hashtags, include a signature one that is just yours to reinforce your brand. For example, when I launched my book No B.S. Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Guide to Producing Measurable, Monetizable Results with Social Media Marketing, written with Dan Kennedy, we used the hashtag #NoBSsm (see Figure 5.4 below). This not only created a brand for the book, but also built a tribe around it (see Figures 5.5 and 5.6 on page 68).

figure 5.4 People are still posting images of the book with the #NoBSsm hashtag to this day.

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figure 5.5 Another post with the #NoBSsm hashtag.

figure 5.6 Another image with the #NoBSsm phrase.

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THE TOP 100 MOST POPULAR HASHTAGS According to Post Planner (postplanner.com/), they are: 1. #love

29. #beauty

2. #instagood

30. #instalike

3. #instagram

31. #smile

4. #fashion

32. #family

5. #photooftheday

33. #photo

6. #beautiful

34. #life

7. #art

35. #likeforlike

8. #photography

36. #music

9. #happy

37. #ootd

10. #picoftheday

38. #follow4follow

11. #cute

39. #makeup

12. #follow

40. #amazing

13. #tbt

41. #igers

14. #followme

42. #nofilter

15. #nature

43. #dog

16. #like4like

44. #model

17. #travel

45. #sunset

18. #style

46. #beach

19. #repost

47. #instamood

20. #summer

48. #foodporn

21. #instadaily

49. #motivation

22. #selfie

50. #followforfollow

23. #me

51. #design

24. #friends

52. #lifestyle

25. #fitness

53. #sky

26. #girl

54. #l4l

27. #food

55. #f4f

28. #fun

56.

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79. #inspiration

58. #handmade

80. #lol

59. #hair

81. #cool

60. #nails

82. #workout

61. #vscocam

83. #likeforfollow

62. #bestoftheday

84. #swag

63. #vsco

85. #fit157

64. #funny

86. #healthy

65. #dogsofinstagram

87. #yummy

66. #drawing

88. #blackandwhite

67. #artist

89. #tiktok

68. #gym

90. #foodie

69. #flowers

91. #moda

70. #baby

92. #home

71. #wedding

93. #christmas

72. #girls

94. #black

73. #instapic

95. #memes

74. #pretty

96. #holiday

75. #likeforlikes

97. #pink

76. #photographer

98. #sea

77. #instafood

99. #landscape

78. #party

100. #blue

Another very popular niche filled with yummy pictures of gourmet dishes and recipes I will never make but will save in the mistaken belief that I will need them for my future imaginary dinner party. #InstaDelusional

Finally, another very popular use of the hashtag is to run contests, and we will dive down into contest ideas and how to make them work for your business next in this chapter. Whether you want to grow your followers, launch a contest, or build your brand, hashtags remain one of the most powerful tools on the Instagram platform. Leverage them to increase your authority online.

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Spin the Wheel! Running a Contest on Instagram The number-one reason most people use social media is for entertainment—and a momentary escape from reality. To tap into this audience behavior, try gamifying your account. From the Oxford Dictionary, gamification is: “The application of typical elements of game playing (e.g., point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.” Getting your community involved in a contest is an effective way to gamify your marketing and brand message. But it comes with pros (yay!) and cons (boo). It’s best to know both sides before you launch.

Gaming It Good on Instagram Instagram contests don’t have to offer extravagant or budget-busting prizes, like a trip to Disney World, to catch the attention of casual browsers, especially those who may already be interested in your brand. They can be as simple as posting a pic and asking for caption suggestions. The key to success with whatever contest you run is to have a good idea and a solid implementation plan.

Instagram Contest Ideas Start with an idea of what type of contest you want to run. You can make it as simple as clicking a button to enter. Get creative or use variations of reliable concepts like tagging friends or posting theme-related pics. (We need a selfie stick! Stat!) Contests you can run on Instagram generally fall in the following categories: Like to win. These are contests where all a participant has to do to enter is follow you on Instagram and like one of your posts. You announce the contest by posting an image or an update. Pros: They are easy to set up and easy for visitors to enter. Cons: Engagement and brand association are low. Hashtag-generated. Participants are asked to enter by sharing a video or photo with a contest-specific hashtag, with all images/videos with that hashtag in one stream. Pros: It establishes an emotional connection to your brand and creates a common viewing area to increase engagement. Cons: It creates a barrier to entry by asking for content, and complicated instructions (e.g., upload a pic, get your friends to tag it) can discourage participation. This one is really rewarding when it works well, but it’s pretty risky until it does.

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Email-requested. Often combined with a request to become a follower or submit user-generated content. These contests also require participants to give up their email address to enter by clicking on the link in the bio. Pros: It builds reliable email lists and is a possible source of more content. Cons: There is a barrier to entry, and prizes usually have to be enticing enough for participants to be willing to give up their email address.

10 Steps to Your Instagram Contest Once you know what type of contest you want to hold, the next step is to actually run the contest. Determine when it will start and end, because even a highly successful contest has to end at some point. This creates a sense of urgency and gives people an added incentive to participate. Running a contest on Instagram also involves the following 10 steps: 1. Tell Me What You Want, What You Really, Really Want: Establishing Your Objectives. Set your objectives and decide what you hope to gain from the contest. Do you want more followers? Are you looking to build brand awareness or create brand loyalty? Do you want a specific number of mentions or a certain amount of usersubmitted content? The more specific your objectives are, the more likely it is you’ll see positive results. 2. Bam! Hashtag It Up. Create a new hashtag for your contest, or use one that’s also being used by one of your competitors or a popular national brand. If you are effective in creating a storm of posts, you can overtake their use of the hashtag and capitalize on any mention of the hashtag in their marketing. See what contests your competitors are currently running to get an idea of what seems to resonate with your target audience, and look at other Instagram contests to get a feel for current trends. 3. Seniors with Unicycles? Define Your Market/Audience. Tap into your target demographics to get a better idea of who is likely to participate and whether Instagram is really the right social media platform for your contest. Seventy percent of those who use this platform are under 35 years old, with most users falling within the ages of 25 to 34, followed by those 18 to 24 years old. Further define your target audience so you’ll have a better idea of what type of contest to present. 4. More Cowbell! Come Up with a Theme That Works for You that Creates More Excitement, Interest, and Personality to Your Posts. Whether it’s seasonal, topical, or something else specific to your business, have a clear theme for your contest. 5. Give It to Me, Baby—Your Prize, That Is. You might be able to get away with “bragging rights” for some contests, but you’ll need something more substantial to encourage significant participation. Prizes can come from your inventory of

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products or be something a little more attention-getting, like concert tickets, gift cards, or a trip. Whatever the prize, state it clearly upfront, and use it to promote your contest. 6. Step One, Instagram. Step Two, World Domination. Decide if you want to limit your contest to Instagram or include other social platforms. If Instagram isn’t your most popular platform, running a parallel contest on other platforms can have the added benefit of promoting your Instagram account and attracting more followers there. 7. No Playing Ball in the House! Establish the Ground Rules. An effective Instagram contest needs clear ground rules. Post the rules to avoid any confusion or potential issues when winners are selected. Other than clear start and end dates, you’ll want to lay out: • Eligibility requirements, including any age limitations • How many winners you plan to have • Whether you’ll announce the winner’s name or just state that a winner has been chosen (which may be a good idea if you’re going to allow participants under 18) • Prize or prizes to be awarded • Requirements for entry 8. What Shall We Call This Thing? Title Your Contest. Your title should simply describe what the contest is about, such as “Holiday Photo Contest.” If you want to title it with a hashtag, check on a site like hashatit.com/ to make sure your preferred hashtag isn’t already in use. 9. Shout It from the Rooftops! Promote Your Contest. Get the word out about your contest with a post on your Instagram account along with your other social media accounts, website, and blog. Make the announcement post visually appealing, because Instagram is a visual platform and this is what will attract people browsing through their latest posts. Further promote your contest with: • Your email newsletter • A well-crafted press release • Personalized email messages • A mention in your regular ads or in-store ads if you have a brick-and-mortar store • A QR code on your ads to allow mobile users to instantly enter 10. C’mon, Don’t Stop There! Follow Up. When the contest is over, announce the winner and promote their winning entry with a post on Instagram. If it’s just a “like-towin” contest, you can still spotlight the winner in a post. Send out thank-you emails to all participants or post a “thank you” on your Instagram account to everyone who took the time to enter your contest.

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CONTEST INSPIRATION FROM BIG BRANDS Find inspiration for specific Instagram contest ideas by taking a look at some of the successful social contests that bigger brands have run. Granted, these guys have more to spend, but you can use a similar idea and tailor it to your available budget.

Avocado. Created a contest with #loveonetoday that users could post recipes with the hashtag and be entered to win prizes including a Vitamix blender. Winning recipes are featured on their site: https://bit.ly/3Dxbq82.

Sofa.com. Regularly holds giveaways of bedding to those who post photos with their couches and beds and will repost user content on its pages. If you delight in interior design pictures, beware. I got lost for a hot minute on their Instagram page with the incredible user-generated photos they feature at instagram.com/p/CMory8NBbB6/?hl=en. They have nearly 200,000 Instagram followers and posts get a lot of engagement, which is not the norm for furniture companies. One to model for sure.

Pepsi—Pepsi Suite Experience. By offering tickets to the VIP party at PowerFest—a popular local summer concert event being hosted by the cosponsor, radio station WCKX-FM—as the prize, Pepsi generated a lot of social buzz with this Instagram contest. In addition to promoting the concert, it gave Pepsi’s brand an added boost.

Starbucks—Red Cup Contest. Using the hashtag #RedCupArt, Starbucks asked customers to draw something on their cups and submit photos along with the hashtag. The prize was a $500 e-gift card. In less than a week, the holiday-themed contest generated nearly 25,000 entries.

Valpak—Submit a Photo with Mom Contest. The popular direct-mail coupon company asked its followers to submit a photo with their mothers, with the hashtag #MomMomentsSweeps. It resulted in nearly 700 unique entries and generated a lot of interest and engagement, which is definitely the kind of payoff you want to achieve. (File that under “things that are obvious.”)

BabyCenter—Summer Photo Contest. The website dedicated to providing info on pregnancy and parenting got plenty of attention with a summer photo

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS contest. Users were asked to submit summer-themed photos of their babies for a chance to win a gift card. Based on something a lot of mothers already do anyway, it perfectly targeted the same audience who was likely to visit the site.

The Marvel Studios Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes. The big brand studio used a hashtag contest to engage superfans to share a favorite Marvel memory or a personal photo with various hashtags, including #Marvel10YearSweepstakes, #BlackPanther, #IronMan, #InfinityWar, and #CaptainAmerica, for a chance to attend the Avengers movie premiere. The contest created one unifying gallery of all the creative entries for the audience to explore and for Marvel to engage followers through stories and posts.

MVMT Three Watch Giveaway. The premium watch and accessories company chose to maximize reach and engagement by giving away three watches from their new collection. MVMT asked followers to follow them, tag two friends in the post, and click the link in the bio to sign up for early access to the collection. Linking the external page generated email subscribers for future marketing efforts.

Apps You Can Use to Run Your Instagram Contests Apps can help with some of the technical aspects of contests, beyond what you can get through Instagram support. If you’re running a like-to-win contest, you can skip this step and run your contest without any apps. Just post an update on Instagram to show that you are running a contest. Otherwise, consider the following third-party apps: Votigo (votigo.com/). Run and track your contests involving user-generated content, including photo contests, enter-to-win contests, sweepstakes, and video contests with this full-service app that includes an assortment of analytics tools. Gleam (gleam.io/app/competitions). This marketing platform offers four apps: competitions, social galleries, rewards, and email capture. The competition app, unlike other apps, verifies the entries to social networks (where allowed), saving time, reducing the number of steps for entry, and driving higher-quality entries.  Wishpond (wishpond.com/). Use this app to collect your contest photos by specifying the required hashtags. You can collect up to 5,000 entries. You can also use it to create voting galleries for contests in which you want to let your followers pick the winner.

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Woobox (woobox.com/). If you’re going to run a multiplatform contest, install this app on your Facebook page to collect participation information directly from Instagram and other social sites to better track results. You can also use it to fine-tune your galleries and integrate your brand image. ShortStack (shortstack.com/). You’ll gain access to more than 30 widgets, another 30-plus themes, and nearly a hundred templates you can use for your contests; its detailed analytics provide real-time results. Iconosquare (pro.iconosquare.com/). Customize your galleries by adjusting colors and gain access to advanced metrics with this app that tracks such things as daily engagement rates and participant location. You can also embed the landing page or photo gallery for your contest.  Use your available stats to gauge how your Instagram contests are doing. Instagram has plenty of metrics available, and you can further enhance those with some free analytics tools. Regardless of what you use, you’ll want to know if you’re getting a spike in traffic during your contest and, more important, whether you’re meeting the objectives you set prior to the contest’s launch. If you plan to repeat your contest, keep records of your results so you can compare them to future efforts. Successful contests can easily boost your brand image while providing a fun way for your audience to stay engaged with you. To sum it up, gamification = awesome.

Growing Your Follower Base Ah, you’ve finally found it! The Easy Button chapter of this book. Just say a few words, spin around twice, and you will instantly have a thousand new Instagram followers. Or not. Unfortunately, there is no magic potion or spell you can use to suddenly get new followers, but as someone who has experimented and grown her account herself, I know firsthand the good, the bad, and the ugly of Instagram. And I’m spilling all the beans. Even the pintos. I read all I could, tried all I could, and documented everything. Some of the advice I found was completely awful—like trying to post at an exact time that will somehow make a huge difference, when the time changes all the time making this goal impossible. Some advice was fantastic, like how to engage your audience. You will love the double-tap magic (Instagram lingo for “liking” a post). What worked best is a little embarrassing, but I’m going to share it anyway. And then, on page 93, I’ll give you a blow-by-blow, 21-day formula for growing your tribe while maintaining your sanity.

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THE REAL DEAL: A SAD LITTLE START I only became serious about growing my Instagram when I started writing the first version of this book. Until then, most of my social networking time was spent on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I had nurtured and cared for those accounts, and they had flourished, each with thousands of followers. This is an important tenet in business growth: Go deep before you go wide. Spread yourself too thin, and none of your social media marketing will be effective. Because Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn had been smooth sailing for my company, and I was planning to write a book about effective Instagram marketing, it was time I dove into that platform. At that point, my Instagram following was loyal and engaged but tiny. I had no idea what I was doing, so I started down the path to research what was working for others.

Some Advice Stinks Seeking what would work best, when I wanted to start growing my account, I read a lot of books about Instagram, checked out blogs, and listened to podcasts. If it had the word Instagram on it, I consumed it. That was how I found the magical formula that works every time. Bah! You know this isn’t true. (But you were secretly hoping it was, weren’t you? I don’t blame you. I was, too.) I tried almost every tactic I read about, and a lot of them didn’t work at all. My numbers actually went down when I used some of them, which was (if you are keeping track) the exact opposite of what I wanted to happen. But some of the advice worked incredibly well, allowing me to grow from just a few hundred to thousands of followers in less than 30 days. So it is possible, but it isn’t magic. Specifically, some of the strategies I share worked for me, but they may not for you. It’s all about trying and experimenting and doing what works best for you.

Hashtag It Up, Baby—Or Not Hashtags are really important on Instagram, but there are huge disagreements when it comes to the “This is how many hashtags you should use to get the most followers” debate. Am I the only one who pictures a bunch of hipsters hanging out in a dark coffee shop arguing about this? They are sitting with flat whites and soy chai lattes, and one is arguing

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that hashtags will ruin the authenticity of Instagram, and the other is like, “Ruin what? I just want to sell more of my photography, dude.” I guess maybe it’s just me. When I searched for “how many hashtags should I use,” it returned 3,450,000 results! Good grief, Charlie Brown! On the positive side, it means there is no shortage of ideas. A sampling of the different advice I encountered included Hootsuite’s blog sharing, “The consensus is that about 11 hashtags is a good number to start with. But the most common number of hashtags to use on Instagram is between 3 and 5.” So 11? Or 3 to 5? Less is more? Sprout Social shared, “This is a tricky question because the answer varies wildly. Within a caption, it’s recommended to use one to three hashtags. If you enter more hashtags as the first comment, then up to 30 hashtags would be acceptable. However, this is not to say that you should use 30 hashtags for every post.” Huh? The more I read, studied, and researched, the more confused I became. From “don’t use any” to “use a couple” to “use all 30”—there are even two articles from Buffer that advised the exact opposite strategies. The advice I read was almost as contradictory as the advice I got while pregnant, and in that same way, it is frustrating and exhausting enough to make me want to just eat some cheese and nap. The best advice I found was to check out how many hashtags people in your industry use. Then experiment and see what works best for you. There’s no reason to get stressed out. In fact, every post is a chance to experiment—so that’s what I did. I started with just a few hashtags and tried all the way up to the maximum of 30. (Reminder: Don’t go higher than 30. If you do, Instagram will delete your comment.) I have found the “use 11 or more” advice works best for me (see Figure 5.7 on page 79), but after that, there is no exact number I aim for. Now that I have more than 18,000 followers, I don’t always hashtag—but that’s more lazy than strategic. Also, if you write your image caption in a notes app on your computer and then paste it into the comment field on your phone, it is so much easier. You can add a series of periods and hard returns after each line so your hashtags won’t even show up unless someone opens the comment. Most don’t. By the way, don’t put a space after any of the “.” If you do, Instagram will squish all your copy together and it will look like a hot mess. No one wants that. Also make sure to change up your hashtags regularly except for your branded hashtag (which you should use each time—like for this book #UltimateGuidetoInstagram).

Ask a Question for Engagement In the section beginning on page 88, I interview Nathan Chan, CEO of Foundr. Nathan successfully grew his Instagram following to more than 10,000 in just a few weeks. This is from Foundr’s free Marketing 101 Instagram Guide:

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figure 5.7 Using 11 or more hashtags works best for me.

View every post to your account as an opportunity for your followers to engage with you. With very few exceptions, every single post we add has an opportunity or invitation for some kind of audience interaction. We do this either in text we overlay on top of the image, or in the post description (or both!). Give your fans something to do, and watch your account spread like wildfire. Please, don’t mistake this to mean you should ask your followers to do something for you every time you post. [See Figure 5.8, page 80.] This is important. Engagement doesn’t mean “buy our thing,” “give us your email,” or “share our account with everyone you know.” It’s much lighter than that. You’re asking them to do something that makes them feel good, helps them to engage with their friends, or reaffirms their beliefs or goals. [See Figure 5.9, page 80.] In other words, engagement should be something they enjoy. Most of the time, this will be as basic as asking people to “like” if they agree, [or] asking them to tag a friend to share the post or their own thoughts about it. We frequently will ask our followers questions related to the post. Our posts that contain questions drive 300 percent more interaction than those without a question. I have tried asking for the tag multiple times and have not found it to work. Maybe my audience is different, so I have decided to give this technique a break for a while. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it. See what works best for your account. Your people might like tagging more than my people. Then maybe they can tag my people. And then we can have a good old-fashioned game of tag. Wouldn’t that be lovely? Sigh.

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figure 5.8 This is an example of a post that asks followers to tag other people.

figure 5.9 Another example of a post from Foundr that asks followers to tag someone in the comments section.

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Emojis This is one of those little ninja tricks for creating a pattern interrupt in your post. Behavioral psychology and neurolinguistic programming use the pattern interrupt technique to change thought  patterns and behaviors. It is meant to help your post stand out in a crowded Instagram feed and make your audience stop whatever they were doing and pay attention to you. You can use emojis to bring attention to your call to action, such as when you ask them to share the post with others or comment, or simply to bring visual attention to your photo description. I have found this easiest to do by using an emoji search site. I copy the image into my notes when I write the caption and then copy it on my phone for the post itself. One of my favorites is Emojipedia (emojipedia.org/).

Most Popular Listed below, in descending order of popularity, are the currently most visited emoji meaning pages among Emojipedia users: Heart Hands Red Heart Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes Sparkles Turkey Christmas Tree Fire Saluting Face Wrapped Gift Face with Tears of Joy Face Holding Back Tears Thumbs Up Skull Party Popper

Check Mark Check Mark Button Melting Face Backhand Index Pointing Right 5 / SOMETIMES IT IS A POPULARITY CONTEST: GROWING YOUR INSTAGRAM FOLLOWING

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Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes Eyes Winking Face Smiling Face with Hearts Star Thinking Face

Black Heart Loudly Crying Face

Star-Struck Backhand Index Pointing Down Santa Claus Snowflake A few ways to use emojis include: While commenting on another user’s post (see Figure 5.10 below).

figure 5.10 Use an emoji to draw attention to your comment on another user’s post.

While tagging someone else in a comment (see Figure 5.11 on page 83). While engaging your audience by asking them to pick an emoji to complete a sentence or a post (see Figure 5.12 on page 83). While creating more visual interest for your post (see Figure 5.13 on page 83).

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figure 5.11 Use an emoji to tag someone else in a comment.

figure 5.12 Using an emoji for engagement.

figure 5.13 Add an emoji to create more visual interest for your post.

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I have not had enough results to say definitively whether it helps, but it does make my posts more visually interesting. I use them most of the time, so I give this technique a thumbs-up.

Post Frequency This is another area where I have found a lot of different opinions. I post three times a week and at least one story a day, and that works for me. But you may be different. This is as clearcut as most elections in Florida—as in, not so much. I believe you should post at least three times per week, but whatever rate you choose, keep on keeping on with that to maintain consistency and engagement. If you keep changing the frequency with which you post, it does seem to impact reach and engagement. (Imagine if your favorite TV show were on once a week, then suddenly every night, and then once a week again. It might get irritating.) Figure 5.14 on page 85 shows both monthly and weekly growth.

Timing This topic was a bit nuts. I mean, I found every answer possible. According to HubSpot, “The best times to post on Instagram are Mondays and Thursdays at any time except between 3 and 4 p.m. in your target audience’s  time zone.” Spark says, “Posts between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. receive the highest engagement.” That’s totally different. Yup. And here’s another, per ShortStack: “If you want people to like your Instagrams, the most ideal time to post is at 5 p.m. EST on Wednesdays.” Easy, right? Wait, not so fast! Following a request from The Huffington Post, Latergramme (a service that lets users manage and schedule Instagram posts) ran an analysis of more than 61,000 posts to determine when photos received the most “likes” and comments. The Latergramme team also broke down the best times for each day of the week. According to the data, the most “engaged” time on Instagram shifts from day to day: On Monday, for example, 5 p.m. is actually a pretty crummy time; engagement is highest at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. On Friday, 1 a.m. and 8 p.m. are apparently the sweet spots. And yet another piece of advice from ShortStack says, “Before you post your photo to Instagram, there are two things to keep in mind: your audience’s time zone and what time they’re most often checking Instagram. Most Instagram users log in in the morning and in the evening, on their way home from work or school. According to analytics company Simply Measured, the best time to post on Instagram is on Wednesdays between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. For brands, the least favorable time to post is in the middle of the night because an Instagram photo typically has a life of only around four hours before it gets buried in followers’ feeds.”

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figure 5.14 This is the breakdown of my growth over 90 vs. seven days.

Here’s the conclusion I came to: I post when I can. I don’t get bogged down with times, and you shouldn’t, either. You have more important things to worry about. Like planning your world domination, and when the next true crime documentary is coming out.

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Share the Love But I love him! Why doesn’t he love me back? Thankfully, this drama doesn’t play out as much on Instagram as it did back when we were in school. Or when my single girlfriends share their horror stories. (No offense to my sisters currently fighting the fight.) In general, liking other people’s posts is a great way to increase engagement and your following. Find a bunch that you like, double-tap them (it is fun—really—that is why they enabled the double tap), and enjoy looking at some fabulous posts. Don’t worry, it isn’t goofing off. You are building your empire!

Use the Right Filters I noticed a distinct difference in engagement when I started using certain Instagram filters. It turns out those filters aren’t just vanity—they can dramatically improve your results. According to a study of Instagram images, using filters can increase account engagement. Uniform colors with a richness in tone perform better. And good news is, you can apply an Instagram filter that deepens the color or creates a more uniform tone. What kind of filter works best? After examining five different types, researchers found the top filters for increasing the chances of views and comments are those that create: Correct exposure warmer temperatures Higher contrast Corrected exposure filters were tied to more views, while warmth had the biggest correlation with comments and higher contrast getting more likes. Two types of filters had negative correlations: Saturation correlated to slightly lower views, and age effects led to lower comments. So filter it up, Jedi.

Clubhouse Fairly new to the scene is the Clubhouse app, an audio-only social media network released in 2020. In that platform, you can link your Instagram account to your profile and use content there to engage and drive followers. Clubhouse has driven thousands of new followers to my Instagram account. (A “How to Grow on Clubhouse” guide is included in your Ultimate Guide to Instagram bonus pack at Instaguidebook.com.)

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figure 5.15 You can advertise on Instagram with an awareness advertisement and link it with your Instagram account.

Advertising While organic Instagram growth continues to thrive, there is a faster path to success with the pay-to-play model. You can advertise on Instagram with an awareness ad (see Figure 5.15 above) and link it with your Instagram account. I ran one of these for around $500 and received a couple hundred followers from it. We were able to target our perfect prospects, so while costlier than grass-roots efforts, it built an audience of key prospects. Depending on your budget, advertising can be a viable option.

Shoutouts On Instagram, a shoutout is a mention of another person’s account in your post image and/or caption. Some accounts will do this for free, while others charge for it. Shoutcart (shoutcart.com), for one, is a service that will help match you to someone willing to sell you a shoutout. I have not tried this strategy yet, but I know a lot of products and brands that have. I suggest keeping it on your radar as an option, but start with the 21-Day Blueprint I have outlined on page 93 first.

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INSTAGRAM EXPERT

Nathan Chan, How Nathan Chan Grew Foundr to More Than 10,000 Followers in Less Than a Month Nathan Chan is the CEO and publisher of  Foundr (foundr.com/), a media and education company for young, aspiring, and novice entrepreneurs. He’s had the pleasure of interviewing rock-star business leaders to find out what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. Q: Tell us how you started. I tried many tools and marketing channels. When I shared with entrepreneur friends that I was using Instagram, they all told me it was a terrible channel for business. They said, “Only fitness and fashion brands should be on there.” We’d had an account for three years, set up and managed by an intern, with just a few hundred followers before I jumped in. I started by researching hashtags and writing better captions. This landed us a serious spike in magazine subscriptions. After just 24 hours of testing, I noticed an extra hundred downloads for our magazine. Better yet, we were making an extra $100 to $200 on subscriptions. In the first two weeks, we grew to 10,000 followers back in 2014. Q: Do you think that kind of growth is still possible today? Definitely. It all comes down to getting as many influencers or other accounts as possible to share your content and engage your audience. While it might be harder to get followers now, it is vastly easier to get engagement. With the “s4s” model—share for sharing, essentially—all the top Instagram accounts promote one another’s accounts. Even National Geographic has done this. It is an “I’ll share your post if you share mine” concept. Alternatively, money can change hands. This is where you pay another person or account to share your content, or perhaps you send them free products. Either way, to get someone to share your content, there has to be some sort of value exchange. All the top Instagram accounts do this. Q: How can someone get started with s4s when sharing a partner’s content may not be as valuable as them sharing yours? How do you find folks who might be willing to get into a partnership with you on this?

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS One of Foundr’s early readers offered to help. She said, “I’ve read the magazine and absolutely love it. I have an opportunity where you can post your Richard Branson issue on my page with 20,000 followers and I can drive traffic for you.” I gave it a try. She charged me $50. We posted the Richard Branson cover with details in the caption to download the issue in the App Store. It didn’t work, so I blew it off. I decided maybe Instagram just wasn’t a good source of traffic. What I later discovered was that I shouldn’t have mentioned where they needed to go, because it looked like too much work. Instead, the caption should have tagged my Instagram account, and then in the bio I should have linked directly to the Branson article. People just aren’t going to type in an address or download another app. You have to make it very easy for them. I later reached out to a friend I knew on Instagram who had grown from 10,000 to 100,000 followers in a short time. He suggested I try the share-for-share method again, but this time ask the brand to tag my profile in the caption instead. It was very successful. I then offered to feature other Instagram profiles in Foundr magazine in exchange for shoutouts, and it aided us to grow quickly. Q: That’s amazing, but if someone is just doing this for the first time, how should they approach it? They probably don’t have a digital magazine they can leverage. First of all, dig deep and think about what you can potentially offer to a partner. Maybe it’s an ongoing promotion, like links in your blog articles or a link to their site from your website resources page. You can always find something worth trading. Or you can just pay like we did in the beginning. To find potential partners, check if they list an email address in the account bio. Often that is an indication that they are open for business. Start small and find a caption and/or image that produces results—and then find other potential partners. Q: So what is the overall goal of your account? And how has it changed over time? We’re aiming to build community [see Figure 5.16 on page 90]. But then you need to move that community off the social media platform because Instagram or any other platform could shut down your account. There’s nothing you can do about it at that point. I don’t think it’s wise to rely solely on platforms you don’t own. For us, the goal has been to build our own media base. We want to grow an email list and a newsletter—whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat,

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS you name it—to drive people to our home base and capture their contact info, which allows us to stay in touch, build more trust, and provide more value. We treat Instagram as a channel, just like any other (SEO, Google, Twitter, Facebook). They’re all marketing channels that allow us to facilitate our relationship with the prospective customer and interest those who want to join our community.

figure 5.16 Foundr says that their overall goal is to build community. Q: Where do you go for inspiration for your posts? When I first joined, I looked around for accounts that produced the best content in the startup motivational niche. Then I started following them. We usually follow fewer than a hundred accounts and get enough inspiration and ideas for posts we can create or repost. We also have a lot of collaborative partners to help us grow rapidly, too. Now, more than ever, it’s about relevancy. It’s about posting the best possible content that your audience will love, and triggering an emotion that makes them really want to tag their friends, mention their friends, like it, share it, screenshot it, repost it, or make it a screen saver. That’s the whole goal. [See Figures 5.17 and 5.18 on page 91 and Figures 5.19 and 5.20 on page 92.] Find out more at https://foundr.com/ or @foundr on Instagram.

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figure 5.17 Foundr’s posts target aspiring and novice entrepreneurs.

figure 5.18 Getting followers to like a post so much that they use it as a screen saver or repost it is one of Foundr’s goals.

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figure 5.19 Another goal for Foundr is to post content that triggers an emotion that makes followers want to tag their friends.

figure 5.20 Foundr’s posts are about relevancy and posting the best possible content.

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The 21-Day Blueprint for Growing Your Instagram Followers When it comes to growing your Instagram following, there is a lot of contradictory advice out there. I’ve tested what works and what doesn’t and come up with a 21-Day Blueprint that will help you increase your following with right-fit prospects who are ready to buy from you. Follow these steps to grow your following now.

Day 1 Research 20 brands in your niche and write down the hashtags they use. Get a good night’s sleep; you have an empire to build.

Day 2 Develop a brand board with the look and design elements you want on your page. Create your “Commenting Squad.” This is a group of people you organize made up of friends, peers, employees, or anyone else who can be dependable to get the job done. When one of you posts something, you each commit to comment and like one another’s postings to add more street cred and start the social algorithms rolling. Take a nap. Because you can.

Day 3 Write your posts for the month. Give yourself a hand massage. Your digits are likely tired.

Day 4 Design your posts for the month using the Word Swag app and record your reels. Buy an artist’s smock because you are now officially a “creative type.”

Day 5 Post your first post, writing a good description and using the hashtags you found were popular in your niche. Prevent yourself from cursing out your phone by typing up the description in your Notes app on your desktop and then pasting it in on your phone. Ask your Commenting Squad to like and comment on your post. Like the posts of 10 followers of other Instagram users in your niche. Do a little happy dance. You are on your way to more followers.

Day 6 Post the second post, again writing a good description and using hashtags popular in your niche.

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Like the posts of 10 followers of other users in your niche. Keep on boogying.

Day 7 Continue to post each day. Tap your right hand gently on your left shoulder because you deserve a pat on the back.

Day 8 Post and add an emoji to your comment. Like 10 posts by other people’s followers in your niche, and comment with emojis. Pretend not to be super excited that you are getting more followers, but secretly do a little jig when no one is looking.

Day 9

Post and add emojis to your comment. Like 10 posts by other people’s followers in your niche, and comment with emojis. Pick your best-performing post so far and promote it. Dream of having an emoji created in your honor someday because of your Instagram awesomeness.

Day 10 Post and add emojis to your comment. Pick another best-performing post so far and promote it. Pour out a little mineral water on the sidewalk for the dollars you will sacrifice in the name of growing your Instagram following.

Day 11 Post and add emojis to your comment. Like 10 posts by other people’s followers in your niche, and comment with emojis. Resist the urge to add emojis to every text and email you write for the rest of the day.

Day 12

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Do some additional research on hashtags, and test adding some new ones to the mix. Post and add the new hashtags to the post description. Ask your Commenting Squad to like and comment on your most recent post. Like 10 posts by other people’s followers in your niche, and comment with emojis.

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Start making a hashtag symbol in the air when others high-five you. After all, you’ve got to be in it to win it and might as well start a trend.

Day 13 Test running two posts in one day to see what happens to engagement. Like 10 other accounts and comment with emojis. If Doublemint gum is still a thing, chew it in honor of doubling up your efforts.

Day 14 Analyze the double posts to see if you should continue or stop. Post accordingly. Analyze results so far of your promoted posts and promote another post. Congratulate yourself on how cool you are and how well this is going.

Day 15 Continue your daily posts and likes as you have been doing. Check out some of the leading Instagram pages in your industry to see which of their posts are performing best. Do not get jealous. This is research, not a comparison game. Treat yourself to the beverage of your choice. You’ve made it to more than twothirds of the way through the blueprint! Cheers!

Day 16 Continue your daily posts and likes. Write a few new posts based on what you have learned from watching other accounts. Daydream about being interviewed by Entrepreneur magazine thanks to your Instagram genius.

Day 17 Continue your daily posts and likes. Design those new posts with Word Swag. Wear your artist’s smock out to pick up an extra-customized obscure coffee drink. Resist the urge to order it on your mobile app so you don’t have to say all the bizarre ingredients out loud. You’ve earned this moment. Savor it publicly.

Day 18 Post one of your new posts. Check on the progress of your promoted posts. Are you getting followers and/or more engagement? If yes, congrats and keep going! If no, try “Allow Instagram to Pick the Audience for You” feature on the post and see if your results improve.

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Pour a little more mineral water on the sidewalk.

Day 19 Post another new post. Like 10 other people’s posts. Create your own touchdown dance when you check your follower numbers. You are a champion.

Day 20 Post another new post. Like 10 other people’s posts. Schedule the stylist for your first on-air interview about your social media success that someday will surely happen.

Day 21

Post another new post. Like 10 other people’s posts. Toast your success. You did good. Congratulations: You completed the 21-Day Blueprint! Run a post with #21DaysDone #InstagramGuide, and you can win one of 100 prizes!

For more inspiration, check out the sidebar on page 88 where I interview Nathan Chan of Foundr. He quickly grew his Instagram account to more than 100,000 followers, and it brought thousands of customers into his business. Currently, they are at 3.6 million followers.

INSTAGRAM EXPERT

Lorraine Dallmeier, Formula Botanica Lorraine Dallmeier is a biologist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, an online school that teaches people how to make their own skin-care, hair-care, and makeup products using natural botanical ingredients. With more than 17,000 students and members in more than 180 countries, they are on a mission to make skin-care formulation as common as making yourself a cup of coffee. Q: How have you leveraged the power of social media as a growth strategy?

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS We use social in two different ways. The first is to build community. The second is to build the brand. Social has been a huge player in that. It was first about really finding the messaging and figuring out what resonated with people, then continuing to put out entertaining educational content. The more generous we are, the more reciprocity we get. I’ve viewed social media as a way of continuing to educate people, an extension of what we already do. I sit with my education team and explain, “You’re not just educating the people who’ve paid for the courses. You’re also educating everyone around us.” We have 113,000 followers on our Instagram account. And they’re the right followers. It’s been really instrumental in our growth. Facebook is the other big one for us with groups we use for building community. Q: Do you ever take people from Instagram stories to your Facebook group? We cross-pollinate as much as we can. The free Facebook group now has more than 71,000 members. Then we have a paid group as well for all our paying students and graduates. The community in there is just fantastic. I employ a community manager and about seven student mentors, so we have 24/7 coverage. Q: How did you take your content from the idea of edutainment to the growth of followers? What was the process? First I had to find my feet and really figure out what I was trying to say. Now that I have a content marketing strategy, every single week we produce a new piece of content for our email marketing list: a blog post, podcast, or sometimes a video. The email is super simple: a header with a nice little picture, a bit of a teaser, and we add a PSS during launches. In addition to email, we use social as a key role in reaching as many people in as many places as possible. Once I cracked that code, I couldn’t hope for the algorithm to just magically make us appear in people’s newsfeeds. That was never gonna happen, despite all my hard work on finding the right hashtags. So now when someone signs up for one of our freebies, they get told instantly to come and follow us on Instagram. We have 150,000 subscribers on our mailing list, and every single one of those people has been invited to come and follow us on Instagram. Once I did that, we saw a steady stream of followers, which has been absolutely amazing. I don’t think you

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS can grow any of your social platforms without it tying in with something else you’re doing. Q: How do leads come in originally? Are you doing paid ads to a free gift? Is it referral marketing? During a big launch, over half of the leads are paid. But in the early days it was all organic. So people found us on Google through our content marketing strategy with what we were writing. The free course and training have always been a direct extension to the paid material. Once people land on our website and realize we’re a school, they’re like, “I wanna study here.” Q: How do you come up with the content you publish each week? It’s a two-pronged strategy. First, I look on Google for topics people are searching. For instance, I said to my team a few years back, “Hey, I think ‘homemade skin care’ is a good keyword.” So we wrote something like “8 Things You Must Never Do When Making Homemade Skin Care.” It’s still up there with our most popular blog posts because people still search for that term. The second part of the strategy is just asking our existing followers and customers what they want us to write about. And they’re not short of information! Then we provide some education around those topics, which obviously then leads into our paid education. But using that two-pronged approach, we now have over 400 blog posts. There are months when we’ll have over half a million hits on the website, which is phenomenal for Google search ranking. Q: A lot of your students are now starting their first business or a new project or product. Can you talk about how you suggest they leverage Instagram to grow their following and create sales? Quite honestly, a lot of them really struggle with this issue. The number-one thing I hear our graduates say is, “I don’t like marketing. I’m gonna outsource that straight away.” But I remind them they need to do it because it has to be authentically them. I use the word authentic because the ones who do exceptionally well are the ones who have fun with it, are just themselves, and have something to say. Startups often fall into that trap of thinking they have to be corporate and glossy. Yet when they are just themselves, they see more success. You just have to be yourself and show yourself to the world.

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Q: How do you coach them past that mindset obstacle? I’ve even had team members struggle with that. They think that because we work in the beauty industry—which we don’t . . . I mean, we’re an education provider and an internet marketing company, but they perceive themselves as working in the beauty industry—they feel like they have to look a certain way. Now, what I say is the world of natural skin care is very different. People tend to really embrace that well-being component a lot more than upholding some societal beauty standard you would get from a big brand. We’re not there telling you that you’re not good enough if you have wrinkles. Nonetheless, it’s absolutely something they struggle with. We try and work with our students on their mindset. My team runs visibility challenges in our online Facebook classroom. We ask people quarterly to just film themselves, put themselves out there. We say, “This is a safe space. You’re here with people who love and support you. Just have a go at it, and we will be your biggest cheerleaders.” It’s awesome to see people sort of push themselves a bit in what they perceive as a safe space . . . then replicate it online. We also use our hashtag to help people gain confidence in being more visible. When they actually tag their photos or videos using #FormulaBotanica, we reshare it so they get in front of more people in the community and get more followers as well. We post, “Are you using the hashtag? Here are some photos that we’ve picked up from our community this month.” Then we post that in our stories and get even more followers off the hashtag. It works really well. Our students and graduates have also created their own hashtags— #formulabotanicastudent (with 2.5K+ posts) and #formulabotanicagraduate (1.2K+ posts)—which we had nothing to do with! One final tip is that we had branded stickers made for us and our community on Instagram. Search “Formula Botanica” in the GIF stickers area of Instagram stories. Our GIFs have now had over 250 million views and have offered us another simple but effective tool to further grow brand awareness. View the GIFs at giphy.com/formulabotanica. Learn more at formulabotanica.com.

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figure 5.21 A handy glossary carousel getting ready for the launch.

figure 5.22 Sneak peek of the launch masterclass.

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figure 5.23 A reel showing what you’re going to learn to make in the class.

figure 5.24 Behind the scenes filming the reel. They put a lot of BTS content on Lorraine’s account.

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figure 5.25 A reel celebrating new student enrollment.

figure 5.26 New students are encouraged to post selfies using #FormulaBotanica.

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figure 5.27 Students are encouraged to post their completion certificates.

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables The more specific you can get, while still staying with a frequently used #hashtag, the more successful you will be at attracting an engaged and onpoint audience. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Gamification is exciting because it promises to make the hard stuff in life fun. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Toast your success. You did good. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

I did it! #21DaysDone #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com to download your own “Instagram 21-Day Blueprint”!

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chapter 6

All About the ROI: Turning Posts into Profits

I

was recently coaching a group of accountants about how to get more clients  in  their firms. We were walking through our signature model: 1. Magnet: Attract the exact people you want to work with. 2. Opt-in: Invite them to a complimentary online masterclass or give them a free gift in exchange for an opt-in. 3. Monetize: Invite them to become your client by purchasing services upfront without a sales call.

After I gave a few examples, they got it and became rather excited, especially because once they did the webinar a few times, they could automate it and keep sales coming in  without having to do anything. The thing they got hung up on was trying to be clever with the title of their masterclass. But when you call the masterclass the exact thing you want to sell, those who attend your webinar are the perfect fit to become a client. Always choose clear over clever. A few examples: For accountants: “3 Steps to Getting More Profit from Your Business and Never Open QuickBooks Again” For an attorney: “How to Protect Your Intellectual Property Without Filling Out a Single Government Document” For a marketing agency: “The Secret to Scaling Your Business Without Tech Overwhelm” For a relationship coach: “How to Attract Your Soulmate and Never Navigate Online Dating Apps Alone Again”

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Can you see how those titles would attract the exact right-fit client for their offers? Then you are starting to understand how to turn Instagram marketing into leads, customers, and sales. It’s all about focusing on the “one big idea” that solves your clients’ pain. So how do you do this? Play a game with me. Can you guess the brands that solve these problems? 1. Dirty cabs that are expensive and hard to find 2. Instantly look great in your clothes 3. Get immediate access to answers 4. Eliminate having to spend, on average, $28K a year to go to college Answers . . . 1. Uber 2. Spanx 3. Google 4. Udacity All $1 billion (Udacity, Spanx) to $1 trillion (Google) unicorn brands. The most successful companies focus on solving a problem, not on what they do. But most business owners do the opposite. They focus on what they do—their process and benefit. Shocking, but none of us woke up today dreaming about your process. The other thing successful brands don’t do is focus on what is wrong with you. Spanx doesn’t run ads that remind you  “You ate way too many of your momma’s Christmas cookies.” Instead, they focus on how you can “instantly look great in your clothes.” If you know anything about people, telling us what is wrong with us is not a way to make friends. So what is a problem your target market has? What do they want? Some examples: Financial advisor: They want to retire with enough money to keep the lifestyle they have now. Parenting coach: They want to raise successful and happy kids. Marketing agency: They want to get more customers. Estate attorney: They want to make sure their family is taken care of after they are gone. Whatever it might be, figure out what your right-fit client wants and then simply craft your offer by putting the words “How to” in front of it. Financial advisor: How to retire with enough money to keep the lifestyle you have now Parenting coach: How to raise successful and happy kids

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Marketing agency: How to get more customers Estate attorney: How to make sure your family is taken care of after you are gone This allows you to become the person, business, or brand that gives them what they want. You eliminate your competition because you are the obvious and only choice to solve their problem. How do you translate this to making sales on Instagram? First, develop your free gift or masterclass. Next, pull tips and strategies from your free gift or masterclass and make them into posts.

A Quick-Start Free Gift Blueprint Here’s how to do it: 1. Visit AnswerThePublic (answerthepublic.com/), a site that mines Google searches for consumer data. 2. Look up the top questions people are asking about your industry. 3. Record yourself answering them. That’s your free gift. Call the video your “free course,” and you have a high-value giveaway that builds trust and sets you up as an authority. 4. After the opt-in page, put a moneymaking offer on your thank-you page. This can be a digital product, an event ticket, a physical product, or an appointment with you or one of your employees. For instance, we offer The Audience Builder Blueprint as our free gift. It’s a course I recorded giving strategies to grow your audience and generate more leads and sales—exactly what my target market is interested in. Then on the thank-you page, we offer a call with a coach. On this call, we offer them opportunities to work with us. Our Scale F.A.S.T. Formula Live campaign started with an opt-in page offering a free LiveCast masterclass. We sent emails to our list promoting the campaign and linking to the opt-in page (see Figure 6.1 on page 108). The thank-you page had a prerecorded video announcing the moneymaking offer for a ticket to the three-day Scale F.A.S.T. Formula Live event plus a bonus pack, all at an exclusive price, available right then from the link on the website (see Figure 6.2 on page 109). The thank-you page then redirected my audience to get their ticket and bonus bundle on the Scale F.A.S.T. Formula Live website. You could then either purchase the tickets or say “no thank you” and head straight to the confirmation page (see Figure 6.3 on page 109). The LiveCast masterclass and Scale F.A.S.T. Formula Live event were promoted in Instagram and Facebook ads, reels, posts, and stories (see Figure 6.4 starting on page 110).

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figure 6.1 Opt-in page to the LiveCast webinar.

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figure 6.2 The thank-you page with a special offer for a ticket to the three-day live event.

figure 6.3 Redirect page to the ticket and bonus bundle.

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figure 6.4 Ads promoting the event in a variety of post types.

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figure 6.4 continued

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figure 6.4 continued

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figure 6.4 continued

Miscellaneous Resources For keeping track of ideas: Evernote (evernote.com). Collect ideas from the internet, take notes, and convert your discoveries into easy-to-read presentations with just a few clicks (or taps). For project management: Basecamp (basecamp.com/). A “virtual office” that allows you to collaborate with team members and keep information all in one place online. Store files, create a schedule and deadlines, and converse with teammates over each “to-do” throughout a project. For lead generation: ClickFunnels (clickfunnels.com/). Create beautiful web pages inside a sales funnel and guide your customers through the sales process—no need to learn how to code! For video creation and storage: Searchie (powerfulprofessionals.com/searchie). Content creators can store, manage, and transcribe their content on the platform. Imagine having a team to transcribe and organize all your media so it’s easier to use. You can search with keywords, upload from third-party platforms, and organize your content. For spreadsheet database: Airtable (airtable.com/). An easy-to-use platform for creating and sharing a relational database. For video and graphic design: Kimp (powerfulprofessionals.com/kimp). A monthly subscription service for unlimited design of videos and graphics.

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For building email lists: Quiz Funnel (powerfulprofessionals.com/quizfunnels). A platform to create custom quiz funnels and surveys to grow your email subscribers. For customer relationship management: Keap (powerfulprofessionals.com/automated). CRM software for email, text messaging, landing pages, and payments. For LinkedIn prospecting: Dripify (powerfulprofessionals.com/dripify). Multifunctional LinkedIn automation tool designed to help your team improve its prospecting. For video streaming: StreamYard (powerfulprofessionals.com/streamyard). A livestream video studio that can broadcast your videos simultaneously over multiple platforms. For Facebook leads: Group Leads (powerfulprofessionals.com/groupleads). Email marketing software that automatically converts new Facebook group members into leads. For webinars, videoconferencing, live events, and chats: Zoom (zoom.us/). A video platform that has all your video communication needs in one place.

INSTAGRAM EXPERT

Carine Aucagos, Design et Fonctionnel Success from a 31-Day Reels Challenge I live on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. After four years of exhausting work in a private clinic as a midwife, I couldn’t handle the stressful environment and the mistakes and pressure from upper management. I had always been fascinated with drawing and design, so I started my own business as an interior designer. I took an expensive certification course and was ready to sign my first clients—but I knew they wouldn’t come on their own. Luckily, my brother, Sébastien Night, is a marketing consultant and a colleague of Kim’s, so he helped me set up my first evergreen webinar to sell my services. I exceeded my sales goals in the first few months. Armed with newfound confidence (and amazing before-and-after case studies of the houses I’d remodeled), I decided to significantly raise my prices. At the new price points, the “ads into a webinar” model no longer worked, so I started experimenting with Instagram (@designetfonctionnel) because I believed my target market would be very active there. I started out in fairly timid fashion—a few publications here, a

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS few stories there—for a result of 10 new clients in 10 months (approximately USD $13,000), which didn’t suit me at all. As my savings melted like snow in the Caribbean sun, I decided not to lower my prices back down. Instead, I would create an offer I could deliver remotely, and I would double down on Instagram. I started following people who were already successful on the platform to inspire me, and I kept experimenting. I finally figured out I could use reels to vastly increase my visibility. I knew my product was great and could help a lot of people, but my main problem was that few people knew about it. I committed to posting one reel per day for at least a full month, then I’d take stock on Day 31. On Day 1, I had 1,825 hard-earned IG followers. After 10 days and putting tons of effort into publishing my first nine reels (going all out with music, video editing, etc.), nothing new had happened. But I had committed to a full month and couldn’t give up so soon. From Day 11 on, the number of my new followers tripled every day, reaching 740 new followers per day. (I should mention my tiny island has less than 500,000 people, and less than 10 percent of those are even in my target market!) I am now also reaching other French-speaking islands, and one of my reels got more than 170K views. Like clockwork, I started getting up to a half dozen qualified DMs per day. (A “qualified” DM is “I need help with my interior design! What services do you offer?”) These turned into about four scheduled closing calls per day, all without spending a cent on ads. So 11 days after the start of my reels challenge, I generated my first sales. Typically, one in four calls converts to a sale, at an average value of EUR 700 (as of late 2022, roughly equal to the same amount in U.S. dollars), for a “virtual remodel.” Now I can do my work without even traveling to the client’s house! My number of subscribers increased by 7,300 in one month. Since then, subscribers and sales have continued to flow in. In the space of a few weeks, I achieved more sales than I had in the previous 10 months! So I’m doubling down on my reel strategy! @designetfonctionnel designetfonctionnel.com/

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figure 6.5 Carine Aucagos used a 31-day reel challenge to boost her following and engagement on Instagram.

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#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Three steps to driving sales from Instagram: Magnetically attract, get the Opt-in, and Monetize your offer—as in MOM knows best. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

When you call the masterclass the exact thing you want to sell, those who attend your webinar are the perfect prospects to become clients. #Ultimate GuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Always choose clear over clever. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalsh Phillips

Focus on the “one big idea” that solves your customers’ pain. #Ultimate GuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

The most successful companies focus on solving a problem—not on what they do. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com to download your Instagram sales funnel template. 

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chapter 7

Building Trust with Your Instagram Tribe

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ink. Orange. Yellow. All blending into one another with fiery tones and tenacity. The sunsets are amazing. Stunning, really. I remember the first time I saw one from my husband’s family’s cabin. I was dumbfounded for a moment. The view on the U.S. side of Lake Ontario is magnificent to any of us lucky enough to visit. The somewhat rustic structure there isn’t what’s valuable, though. It is the place where it is located. If his family had built the same cabin on rented land, then the generations after who have come to enjoy this place might never have had the chance. Long ago the landlord would have sold the property for millions, uprooting the life and memories built there. Never. The land must be owned, cherished, and cared for—for many generations to come. (You can almost see an American flag rippling in the background, can’t you? Funny, because one time my cousin-in-law painted one on the cabin’s roof, but that’s a story for another day.) Too many companies forget the dangers of building on rented land. If you rely on Google traffic, Facebook ads, your Instagram followers, or any other single media channel to reach your audience, you are playing a daily game of Russian roulette. If you aren’t diversifying your traffic sources and capturing contact information quickly, you risk losing your business every single day. At any moment the social media platform may shut down, kick you off, or change format. If you rely on one traffic source, at any time your whole business could be demolished. When it comes to the one-source traffic issue, Dan Kennedy says it best: “One is the loneliest number.” (Yes, Three Dog Night said it before he did, but Dan was talking about marketing, which is my jam.)

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First, resolve to rely on more than just one media source for traffic. Just using Google Ads? Expand to Facebook ads, guest blogging, networking, and/or public speaking, for example. Make sure there is more than one way for you to acquire new customers so if any of them disappear tomorrow, you won’t vanish as well. Second, quickly obtain your prospects’ contact information and move the conversation outside your lead source. Once you know who they are and how to reach them (mailing address, email address, and/or phone number), you own the contact, you no longer have to pay to access them, and you aren’t at risk each time your lead source changes. Third, use more than one media source for communication. Don’t rely on just Instagram posts, emails, or a monthly newsletter. Effective marketing is multichannel for market saturation and protects you if there is ever a drastic change to your marketing platform (such as being locked out of your email provider; it can happen easier than you think). You have the link in your bio as step one, but where should it go? Know the path forward for your prospect before you ask them to take the next step. One of our private clients, sales coach Stephanie Chung, blogs about selling when you aren’t the cheapest option. Her blog posts alone have resulted in high-end clients from around the world. Sharing relevant content with your audience is a profitable way to grow your business. Another private client, Justin Guarini, invites prospects to a webinar as their next step. People may come to his page because they were a fan from American Idol, his stage performances, or his Dr Pepper commercials as Lil’ Sweet, but they quickly realize he is a leading authority on nailing your audition, and those who are interested in this content take the next step. And wellness entrepreneur Jana Danielson has visitors take a survey to uncover what their fitness style is before moving on to offer a course based on their answers. No matter where you send your prospects, the next step will require you to connect with them off the platform. When people opt in to your list via your Instagram account, most won’t be ready to buy, so it is important to email them. In Chapter 8, I’ll show you how to take all those opt-ins from your Instagram account and turn them into customers, clients, or patients. First, let’s talk about the nitty-gritty of successful email communication.

The Dos and Don’ts of Emailing Your List Cheap, quick, trackable, and easily measured: These are just a few of the reasons email is the number-one marketing channel for most businesses. When it comes to making your Instagram marketing turn a profit, becoming more effective at email marketing is what lies between you and success. The reality is you cannot copy what other people are doing, because most of them are doing it wrong. And duplicating something that isn’t working won’t magically succeed for you.

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Instead, apply effective direct-response marketing tactics to your email campaigns to realize the highest ROI possible. Effective email marketing starts with getting the voice, tone, and topic on point. If you miss the mark there, you ruin your chances of turning your prospect into a customer for life. I like to start creating an email campaign by thinking of my personal relationships. (Don’t worry, this isn’t a crazy dating story.) I am blessed to have a few best friends for whom I would jump in my car at any time of day or night with whatever supplies they asked me to bring, even if it included rubber gloves, a garbage bag, and a shovel, and I would not ask any questions (but would be sure to bring wine). One of these friends is my girl Brittney. She and I were first introduced one night in Palm Beach, Florida. (This is when I actually used to go out after 7 p.m. and frequented places that didn’t give out paper menus and crayons.) When we met, we didn’t take a shine to each other right away. But after running into each other a few times and having more conversations—letting each other into our lives, seeing that we were on the same page for most things (except football—she follows it, I only watch it for the commercials), we became friends. We grew closer over the months that followed, so much so that later that year when I met Ian and he went from a date to fiancé, I asked Brittney to be one of my bridesmaids. She is now an auntie to my girls and one of my dearest friends. We both know where the bodies are buried and nothing— no matter how gorgeous or delicious the bribes may be—will ever get us to uncover them. The more we shared with each other and the more value we gave, the more our relationship grew. The same is true of the members of your tribe. Giving them value and opening yourself up to them over time will help you build a strong relationship of trust. It is through building this trust that you can move to the next step of making the sale. So when you begin to create your email content, I want you to think of one of your best friends. If they had a need you could help them fill, how would you do it? What would you tell them? What questions might they ask that you could answer? Begin to write your email as if you are helping that best friend with a problem. The draft should make sense if you sent it directly to them instead of to your entire list. Write with genuine authenticity, and your message’s sincerity will come through and resonate with your target market. Simply follow these steps: 1. If (friend’s name) has a need for (my product, program, or service), what questions would they ask me? How would I answer them? Make a two-column list—one column for questions and the other for answers—of 10 such questions. 2. Flesh out each of your answers into 10 separate emails of asking a question and giving an answer.

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3. Pull out quotes from your emails and blog posts and turn them into Instagram posts. 4. Have someone create the images for you, or use the Word Swag app to create them yourself. Now you are ready to put out authentic and valuable content that is congruent from your Instagram account to your email marketing. You have sincere, engaging, and meaningful content to begin nurturing and building trust with your target market. I even bet you will find this process easy because when you can just be yourself, help out with the thing you know well, and have a sense of purpose, things are just easier. That said, there are a few additional things to keep in mind when it comes to your email marketing.

Personalize The more personal your email can appear, the more effective it will be. Use personalization tactics, such as including the recipient’s name in the subject line and a couple of times in the email. You can also mention the name of their town or company or spouse. Depending on the customer database and the email marketing program you use, personalizing an email is as simple as inserting a few merge fields before you send it out. Recently I received an email from DigitalMarketer that was extremely clever (see Figure 7.1 below).

figure 7.1 An email from DigitalMarketer.

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Check out how they personalized the subject line and the message. I mean, they probably should have had Ryan Deiss’s name in the email, too, as a signature, but the short and sweet nature of this email and the personal touches certainly got my attention. Are you getting complimentary posts from your subscribers? Snag screenshots of what they are saying and sprinkle them throughout your emails as social proof of the good work you do (see Figure 7.2 below). Nobody wants to be the first to work with you. They all want to know that other people like them have chosen to do so. Incentivize posting and sharing your email content on your subscribers’ social network accounts, along with a hashtag or certain phrases. I give away free reports, ebooks, and other goodies to those who share emails, and you can do the same to create a team of ambassadors on behalf of your business.

figure 7.2 This is a screenshot of a subscriber’s complimentary post that I incorporated into an email.

Test Different Times and Days of the Week to Send Messages Most email programs come with analytics to show you which day of the week and time of day is best for sending emails to your audience. (Once you’ve sent enough to collect data, that is.) For my business, Tuesdays and Thursdays work best, but even that isn’t always true. (Confusing?) One of my best-performing emails was sent on a Friday at 5 p.m. I once read that the best time to send is 4:30 a.m. CST, and a fast track to deletion is from 1 to 2 p.m. CST. But the truth is that there is no “best” time that works for everyone. Check out your own numbers and go with what works for you.

Formatting Hacks We have tested this a bunch and then a bunch more. The best-performing emails include a screenshot from a video with a play button that links back to the video. Second best are

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text-only emails. Also, a letter format tends to do better than a designed newsletter. Really, anything that seems more personal generally outperforms a fancy, corporate-looking newsletter.

Subject Lines Entire books have been written about subject lines. There is an incredibly fascinating psychology behind why some words move us to open an email and others don’t. A few subject line ideas: Numbers. Try using unusual numbers, which come across as more specific and authentic, such as: 743 pairs of shoes vs. 700 $3,218 received from my first customer How I paid 17 cents for my new car Question marks. Test ending your subject line in a question mark. Good idea? Yes, yes, it is. Curiosity and intrigue entice your reader to open the email. In addition, it interrupts the pattern of other emails that aren’t ending their subject lines with punctuation.

Black or blue? Will this work? Did you get your investor’s funding kit yet? Seriously?

Percentages. Percentages vs. absolutes help make a fact more believable 95 percent of the time. (See what I just did there?) Test putting a percentage into your subject line. Only 14 percent of your readers believe you. 99 percent of people dieting need to do this. 87 percent of business owners are doing this wrong. Video. Include a video image in your email and tell the reader it awaits them inside by placing “[Video]” in your subject line. It’s a great way to add interest and a visual interrupt to the other emails in their inbox. Let’s face it, we’re all a bit lazy, and most people would rather watch a video than read a book—even a book as awesome-sauce as this one. 7 Blog Ideas [Video] A 10-Minute Ab Workout That Is Actually Fun [New Video] Incentive. Let your audience know something amazing is waiting inside the email for them. Drive their click by enticing them with value. (This is why I always get sucked into buying the foundation and the eyeliner at the beauty counter. I covet the free lipstick. Never mind that I just spent $300. The free gift drives me forward.)

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7 Deadly SEO Mistakes (Free Report) Facebook Live Video Template (Free Template) Re: Use the “Re:” when you are following up with someone. This one is super successful, but you should use it sparingly or your audience will catch on that it isn’t in response to a previous email but a marketing ploy to get your emails opened. But this technique does tend to increase conversions when you use it, so choose your best opportunity and fire away! Personal pronouns. As I shared above, the more personal you can make the email, the better. Using “you,” “your,” etc. creates a sense that you are speaking directly to the reader. Why YOU need to update your profile The mistake you are probably making with your budget Did you know this? Confusing, shocking, or just plain weird subject lines. This is why the National Enquirer still exists.

The Perfect Hoodie for Anyone Who Just Can’t Bear to Leave Their Cat Man Bitten on Penis by Spider for the Second Time This Year Woman Pays Through the Nose to Punch Andrew Tate in Face Steve the Cat Has Achieved His Lifelong Goal of Becoming an Honorary Lamb This Piano-Playing Chicken Will Knock You Over with a Feather

When all else fails, go negative. This is why when there is a car crash on the highway, everyone slows down. We can’t help but stare at the tragedy. This is not a statement on our culture—just a reality of who we are.

Things are bad (maybe) Don’t take it personally, but— I hate technology I’m sorry

Borrow credibility from another source. Use something other people might know in your email subject line. What Mark Zuckerberg Knows The McDonald’s Way Steve Jobs WAS WRONG and You WERE RIGHT Celebrities are killer for open rates. My best-performing email open rate of all time came from, “What Oprah got wrong and Ashton Kutcher got right.” My second best was, “How Obama did it.” We cannot get enough of celebrity culture. Use it to your advantage.

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Be the Taylor Swift of Your Newsfeed What Justin Bieber Just Bought Kristen Bell Wants to Partner with YOU In the next chapter, we will dive into how to get our audience to the next step of the customer life cycle—my favorite one—the sale.

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Make sure you have more than one way to acquire new customers—so if any of them disappear tomorrow, you won’t disappear as well. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

Begin to write your content as if you are helping your best friend with a problem. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

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chapter 8

Cha-Ching! Driving Sale After Sale from Your Instagram Page

I

have a little secret. It took me a while to figure out, so I want to share it with you now in the hope that you will get this all nailed down quicker. But first, let me tell you a little story. I was doing a speaking gig somewhere in Florida for a national association. I can still smell the room. There was only one motel in town, so I was stuck there even though it smelled horrible, it had obviously seen its fair share of illegal activity, and I was pretty sure my identity was about to be stolen by the front desk clerk who had scanned my driver’s license and credit card. I knew I could never put myself through this ridiculous torture again. Something had to change. Because I obviously couldn’t sleep, I spent the night writing a blog post inspired by a recent article about pricing yourself higher in your marketplace. My firm had begun to do that the previous year, but I still had some clients at the old rates. That was because I was scared of what would happen if I raised them. The problem was that we were spending so much time servicing those old accounts that we couldn’t focus on growing new ones. To supplement our income, I did speaking engagements, like the one that had brought me to this “end of the world” motel, where I couldn’t take my shoes off or use the shower. OK, so you’ve got the picture: shoes on, sitting on the bed, exhausted and scared, ready to send out a blog post about why my firm charges more than others, and giving an incentive to my list to book a prospect call with me so I could bring in some real money and wouldn’t have to travel to scary hotels anymore. But just as I was about to hit send, I stopped.

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I thought of a certain woman in my town who always talked badly of me when I positioned myself as an expert in my industry. She didn’t take kindly to my premium pricing or elevated brand, and she was known to start trash-talking the moment she saw me marketing. Do you have someone like that who sometimes holds you back? Maybe it’s a parent, a boss, or a co-worker. Or maybe it’s that unqualified guidance counselor who said you wouldn’t amount to anything. For me, it was someone I had volunteered alongside on a few boards. Someone who held some political clout in the small town where I lived at the time. True, it was just small-town clout, but to me, at that moment, it felt huge. So there I was on this gross bed in this gross hotel, and I was allowing the fear of this woman to stop me from improving my life. That’s when it hit me: What am I doing? That woman wasn’t going to get me out of this hotel. She wasn’t going to pay my bills. She wouldn’t do one single thing to make my or my family’s life better. Only I could do that. And only I could share the message with the world that I was born to share (with God’s help, of course). I couldn’t let her stop me, because doing nothing wasn’t going to get me anywhere. That was when a verse came to mind: “He that began a good work in you will continue to perform it until it’s complete” (adapted from Philippians 1:6). God certainly didn’t plan to keep me in that motel forever. So I hit send. And you know what? My firm got more prospect requests that week than ever before. They were all coming to us knowing that we charged premium pricing, and they were ready to pay it. We were able to work with those businesses and help them get their word out to those who needed to hear it.

How to Drive Prospects from Instagram Followers to Customers for Life So the secret I wanted to whisper to you at the beginning of this chapter? You and I were created with a purpose. The fear of what others will think is just a roadblock to our final destination. We were created with majestic intentions, not mediocrity. If you don’t take action, no one will be blessed by what you were created to do. The product, program, or service that you offer will help those who need it so much that you have a divine obligation to put yourself out there for your audience. One way to make this happen? Start selling. Don’t gloss over this chapter and focus solely on follower growth through your Instagram account. You have to get to the stage of selling so you can truly fulfill your purpose and, of course, receive an ROI from your Instagram marketing. Here’s the thing, though: In order to sell, you have to do something most people won’t. You have to be different. You have to stop looking and sounding just like your competitors do.

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Maybe you don’t think you do. Most of our private clients don’t realize it. When asked about their competitors, almost every new client answers, “We don’t really have any.” Unfortunately, your prospects won’t see it that way. If your marketing isn’t showing up any differently, chances are you look just like everyone else—and that makes you a commodity. And commodities only compete on price. Which won’t work unless you are the biggest in your niche, like Walmart. “Being the cheapest sometimes on most of the days” is not a great distinction. What makes you stand out from your competitors? And how can you leverage that in your marketing so that you can excel at sales?

Offer Value in Your Instagram Bio Tell your qualified prospects why they should follow your page and how it will benefit them (see Figure 8.1 below). You can even offer a lead magnet to give them a quick win in their relationship with you (note the link in the bio in Figure 8.2 below). Make sure they know right upfront what’s in it for them if they decide to follow your page.

figure 8.1 This bio tells you exactly what the company’s page is about.

figure 8.2 Another bio that tells you what you need to know about the company (and links to a page on their website offering a free lead magnet in exchange for contact information).

Fill Your Posts with Value Focus on your unique selling proposition—that one big idea that makes you different—and post valuable content centered on that one thing. My USP is that we connect marketing with sales, because you have value and deserve to be paid for it, and you have a unique purpose that should be shared with the world. All my posts are in line with this big idea (see Figure 8.3 on page 130).

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figure 8.3 Focus on your unique selling proposition when posting.

Make Your Posts and Ads About Your Target Audience, Not You Focus on their needs and how you alone can meet them. Most brands emphasize their products and services. Stand out by concentrating on your target market instead (see Figure 8.4 below).

figure 8.4 Focus your posts on your target audience, not your products.

Talk to Them  Ask questions and have a conversation centered on your one big idea. Engage with folks and build trust so that they know you are looking for relationships, not sales. When you

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figure 8.5 Posts that ask questions help build engagement and trust among your audience.

ask questions, they are much more likely to engage. You can see an example in the post in Figure 8.5 above.

Be Willing to Be Controversial The most successful brands have raving fans as well as big detractors. Which means, some might not like you. But if you aren’t willing to go there, you also can’t attract a big following of raving fans. I speak up against “branding only” campaigns because I think they are a waste of time, money, and energy of small businesses who can afford it the least, but that is what many social media marketers charge for. Those that do speak up against me. I also share that you shouldn’t rely solely on referrals or word-of-mouth for marketing because you can’t control it. Those that only teach those strategies aren’t in support with my point of view. But I am OK with that. Just like a magnet, to attract some, you need to repel others.

Be Authentic One of my pastor’s sermons focused on the masks we wear in different aspects of our lives. Wearing a mask is exhausting. (Did you ever try to work out in one? I did at the beginning of the pandemic—that was a one-time-only experience resulting in me turning a majestic shade of crimson.) Wearing a mask also creates a barrier to developing real relationships (are you smiling under there?). Take the figurative mask off. Stop trying to be someone else

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and instead be real with your audience. Different is good. Different stands out. People relate more to those they believe are being real. Occasionally let your fans in a little on your life, your family, and who you really are as a person (see Figure 8.6 below). People want to do business with people they know, like, and trust.

figure 8.6 Occasionally let your fans see into your life so they feel like they know you.

Focus on Transformation, Not Information This is the most important point to remember. Your competitors focus on the features of their products and services. If they are slightly more advanced, they also emphasize the benefits. But you are better than that. You will focus on how those benefits will impact your customers’ lives. How working with you will give them peace, take away pain, or bring them joy. This will not only help you make the sale, but it will also position you as the leading authority in your marketplace. The transition from Instagram follower to customer for life can be seamless and fast. Simply concentrate on telling them why they should pay attention and take action, and why it is the best decision they will ever make. Are you ready to make the sale? In the next section we will dive into how to make a sales funnel work with your Instagram marketing.

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Choices and More Choices: Sales Campaign Ideas You Can Use “I go on Instagram to read more about products, programs, and services.” Said no one. Ever. A harsh truth: No one cares about your product, program, or service. No one. What they do care about is how it will make their lives better. For most prospects, that should have something to do with saving time, saving money, or eliminating a pain or frustration they are currently experiencing. What they don’t want is more information. So (warning, controversial statement here) I recommend that you forget “Blueprints and Checklists” as your lead magnets. When it comes to social media marketing, I have found the greatest success in focusing on buyers instead of leads, skipping over giving them information, and instead selling them a low-cost tool. Because a buyer beats a lead or a “like” every time. Selling something upfront allows you to: Obtain real contact information. When someone enters their credit card details, they have to give you their correct phone number and a real email address so they can get the thing they just bought. Get more information than you could normally. When entering a credit card number, your buyer will give you their mailing address, even if the item costs just $1. If the offer were a free digital download, there would be no reason to give you that data. Acquire a buyer instead of a lead, developing a stronger relationship from the start. Give your sales team higher-quality leads to follow up with as well as something to talk about—the item they just purchased. Fill your email list with more qualified leads, which increases email open rates and the overall deliverability rating from Yahoo and Gmail.

A Prize for Lead Generation We have run lead-generation sweepstakes for many local businesses, in which each person receives a prize of a gift certificate toward a product, program, or service (see Figure 8.7 on page 134). For example, for a business selling a $10,000 product, a $500 certificate can be a desirable prize to their prospective customers—and a fantastic lead generator. We have one client who gives away a day of handyman work to attract contracting jobs. Think strategically about what your perfect prospects might want as a way to start the sales conversation.

Most Important, Start Selling! Capture customers through their comments on your post or through DM (direct messaging). This is a great way to start selling from the first contact.

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figure 8.7 Offer a prize your key prospect wants.

I don’t know if that mean lady still talks trash about me. She very well may, but I don’t pay attention anymore. And you shouldn’t listen to the negative voices any longer, either. Start selling to those who need your products, programs, and services and fulfill the passion and purpose you were created for.

Selling Without a Funnel The good news about any offer, free gift, or masterclass is that you can start generating sales and producing leads before you set up a single landing page. Instead of directing prospects to a link in your bio, simply tell them to comment on the post or shoot you a DM (direct message.) In fact, I had a conversation with the amazing life and business coach Jennifer Allwood, who focuses on helping Christian women run online businesses, and she shared how many of her sales come from inviting prospects to send her a direct message.

INSTAGRAM EXPERT

Jennifer Allwood, Success with DMs Q: How did you start using Instagram to grow your business, and how are you using it now?

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS I never used Instagram to show pictures of my kids or my cats—since I don’t actually have cats. I was intentional about always using social media for business. Instagram offers a better possibility of reaching the people that are following you. From a numerical standpoint, your good content reaches more of your audience on Instagram than the other platforms. I try to entertain and encourage and teach, to some degree. However, where I’m actually converting leads to clients is through DMs—direct messages. During my podcasts, I invite people to DM me if something resonated with them. I know if I can engage them in conversation, good things happen. I spend time every single day building relationships. People comment privately to me in DMs, and I continue the conversation to help them make sure that they feel seen and heard. Because of the pandemic, many people are just lonely and feel overlooked and left behind, desperate for some connection. The byproduct of connecting with people in DMs is that a lot of them become clients. Q: Walk us through the process. You put a post out, someone DMs you—what happens from that point? For instance, this morning I was DMing a woman who makes handmade soaps. She had listened to one of my podcasts and it inspired her, so she sent a DM to let me know. I could tell she didn’t have a lot of followers, as I was looking at her bio on Instagram before I responded. So I thanked her and asked if she was in one of my coaching groups, because I really would like to help her with her IG bio. I gave her some suggestions about how to get clear on what she offers and who she really helps . . . then I said, “You know, if you ever want to get in my coaching group, let me know.” I would’ve given her the suggestions either way. The honest-to-goodness truth is I want to see women win in online business. It’s just those little tweaks that really get momentum rolling. Even if someone doesn’t join my coaching group, if they get a little bit of momentum and tell other people, there’s a ripple effect. I use my DMs intentionally for that purpose. When someone wants more info about my coaching, I ask questions to help learn what kind of coaching they actually need: “I have a monthly group. I also have a course that’s eight weeks long on how to make money in eight different ways online. And I have a mastermind. Tell me what your need is, and I can tell you which of my groups would probably be a really good fit for you.”

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS What’s interesting is that so many people come back and say, “I’m shocked that you responded to me, and it wasn’t your team.” In full disclosure, we have tried the team approach to respond to my DMs a couple of times, since I do have 360K Facebook followers and over 100K on Instagram. But it felt totally inauthentic. I just hated it. As a woman of faith, I decided “You know what, God? If I don’t have time for people, I don’t have enough time.” I feel convicted that I need to be the one replying to my DMs. Q: Do you intentionally schedule time to check DMs? Or is it filling things in when you have time? With four kids and a busy business, I like to decompress for the day on social media. Other people watch TV, but I would rather watch Instagram. A lot of times I spend my evenings responding to DMs after the kids are in bed. Other times during the day, when I look down and see how many notifications I have and it makes me feel jumpy, I’ll try to get in there and just knock a few out. Not every single one needs a full reply. A lot of times I’m just “heart-ing” things, but when one catches my attention I want to spend some time. I used to ignore the slimy DMs from people who just wanted me to promote their things—especially when they don’t even follow me—but recently I’ve tried to take that as an opportunity to teach a better way of doing business. If the first time you and I engage, you’re asking me to promote your Kickstarter, that’s not good. Sometimes I do voice messages because it’s so much faster than typing things out. Other times I use quick copy/paste replies because it makes my life easier when people are asking the same questions I’ve gotten over and over about one of my courses or coaching. DMs make it all easy. Q: Does the full sales conversation take place in DMs or do you direct them into a phone call? I don’t ever do phone calls because none of my programs are that high priced. Our mastermind is around $1,500 a month, and I still feel like that price point isn’t enough for a phone call. I’ll let them know that we can chitchat back and forth by DM. That to me is a better use of time than trying to schedule a 15-minute call. We just converse there, and then I’ll send them to a sales page. My mastermind, for instance, has an application. I tell them to let me know if they have any questions. Sometimes they’ll come back with a reply, and sometimes

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS I’ll see them in the mastermind. Other times I never hear from them again, but at least a seed has been planted. I always try to make sure there’s a balance of giving them something so they feel like they got a nugget—a form of encouragement, maybe a Bible scripture, or just an “I’m rooting for you and I love your product.” It’s amazing. That goes a long way. Q: What are some of the things your coaching clients are using right now to effectively grow? I’m doing a lot of coaching now on how to do reels. The truth of the matter was that I was resistant at first to doing reels. I’m only doing them because it’s what the algorithm wants and needs in order to get content in front of people. It’s definitely not my first love, but it’s gotten so much easier. I’m never going to be dancing and pointing, so I use my reels to share ideas that I’ve seen or done that still feed the algorithm, because the majority of my followers don’t want to dance and point either. Teaching that there’s a different way of doing reels, which Instagram loves, is the main thing I’m focusing on right now in my coaching groups. In the feed, it’s about developing relationships, encouraging, and teaching, and then in the stories it’s sharing behind the scenes. It’s like the “business mullet.” Business in the front (on the feed), and party in the back (in the stories). Stories are where you really develop that know, like, and trust factor, but reels are what gets shared that will hopefully get you more followers. Q: What are you coaching people to do in those reels? It depends a lot on how an individual is wired. Ninety-nine percent of my clients are female, and a lot of them are creative. Creative people don’t like to be put in a box. They don’t like to be told what to do. Some are wired for a more confrontational type of content on social media. They can handle pushback, whether it’s talking about something that’s going on in the news or that relates to their industry. Others just are not wired for the argument. If you are not confrontational, you shouldn’t be putting up something that’s going to rub people the wrong way. You’re going to be sucking your thumb in a corner. But for those who are OK with the confrontation, it’s those sorts of posts that will grow their followers more than any other. You’ve got to decide which hills you’re willing to die on, and what things you’re willing to take a stand on.

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS For instance, in the middle of the pandemic, I did a reel about being a mama bear to my children, in defense of getting masks off our kids at school as my youngest was struggling big time. I went into that reel tiptoeing . . . because I knew it would irritate some people. But it’s super interesting when people know what you stand for. You will repel some people but magnetize the right audience to you. The more that I come out with my thoughts and beliefs and take a stand on certain topics, I lose some followers but gain more than I lose. Those people say, “This is a girl I can relate to,” or “This is a girl that I wanna share just because I’m proud of her for taking a stand on something.” It’s those controversial things that get shared out, that get you new followers. Q: As a woman of deep faith, I love that you bring that into business. How do you counsel your members to allow that faith to help lead into their purpose? The Bible says we’re to be fishers of men. So if we’re to go out and make disciples of the world, where do we find people? They’re on social media. The majority of my coaching students are women of faith. I tell them, “Not all of you are supposed to be leading with faith in your business on social media. You can be a Christian business owner but not have to necessarily bring that up. When you’re talking about your business, it will probably just leak out of you in different places.” I talk with them about how Chick-fil-A doesn’t lead with Jesus. They lead with chicken. Hobby Lobby leads with glitter and craft supplies. So many times a Christian businesswoman might think she needs to bring her faith into it. Not necessarily. But people in the marketplace will instinctively know, by the way you handle customer service and the way you handle DMs, that you are representing Christ. Keep social media in its rightful place. Don’t spend more time online (and focusing on online followers) than you spend with the very people who are in your home. For me, this is the balance that I’m constantly having to walk. How do I make sure that my first priority is my husband and my children, giving them more of myself than the people online get of me? Setting boundaries is something I talk to my women about. We shouldn’t attach our worth to the number of followers we have or the number of likes or comments that a post gets.

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#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

We were created with majestic intentions, not mediocrity. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

The fear of what others will think is just a roadblock to getting to our destination. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

If you don’t take action, no one will be blessed by what you were created to do. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Be willing to be controversial. The most successful brands have raving fans as well as big detractors. Your goal through your posts is to attract your perfect prospect and repel everyone else. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

A harsh truth: No one cares about your product, program, or service. What they care about is how it will make their lives better.  #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com to download your “Instagram Postable Power Pack.”

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chapter 9

Your Instagram Product Launch Formula

L

et me in, let me in! Remember when Google+ first launched? They did an incredible job at building buzz for their social networking site. Only a few people were able to join at first, and then those people could invite others, who got an invitation to a waiting list. It created desire, interest, and frankly the belief that Google+ was going to blow us all away. Of course, we now know it was kind of lame, but at the time we didn’t—and that’s the point. It doesn’t really matter how good your product is—at least at first. Great marketing can make your launch successful no matter what. The same goes for every iPhone launch. There is secrecy around the features, a release date announced ahead of time, and a limited supply available. As an admitted Apple junkie, I not-so-secretly want to get a camping chair and be first in line for the newest offering each and every time. Ultimately, my love for sleeping in a bed and bathing win out, so I never do. But I want to. I did join the Apple program that lets me upgrade my phone each year so I can always have the latest and greatest model. Because they break so quickly? Nah. It’s because Apple’s marketing is amazing. And I’m not alone. Apple has sold more than 2.2 billion phones since the iPhone’s first release in June 2007. They’ve released more than 30 models, and as of 2022 they sell more than 400 iPhones every minute. This is in spite of a continual increase in price of about 11 percent—even more proof that with great marketing, price isn’t an issue. This is incredible, if you think about it, because Apple used to be a hot mess. More than two decades ago they fired Steve Jobs for the failure of the personal computing systems he helped develop. Apple wasn’t always the force to be reckoned with that it is today.

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You could be the next Apple. Leverage your launch well, and you can increase your followers, subscribers, customers, and market share. You can create a tribe of loyal followers who perhaps someday will tattoo your logo on themselves, like the great brands of Nike, Harley-Davidson, or the aforementioned Apple. But you must be strategic instead of sporadic, as most businesses are. Companies like Simple Green Smoothies are the exception. They have more than 400,000 Instagram followers and engage their massive, loyal community with 30-day challenges. They focus on one simple habit—drinking a green smoothie each day. At the end of each challenge, they offer a 21-day eating program. They have kept it incredibly simple, and it has paid off in spades. Jadah Sellner, cofounder of Simple Green Smoothies, says, “I always encourage people to think about what the gateway drug was for your transformation. Because you’re usually several steps and years ahead of the people you want to teach, you think ‘I want to teach you everything that I know,’ but it’s too much information in the very beginning. You’re trying to basically just open them up to want to learn more. What are the simple action steps to move them closer to that transformation? The transformation that we’re promising with the 30-day green smoothie challenge is you’re going to have more energy, you’re going to crave healthier foods. That’s the promise. It’s how can we get them to that promise in the easiest, most convenient way possible.” (SPI Podcast Session 205 on smartpassiveincome.com) This simple marketing and sales funnel, promoted primarily on Instagram with images of smoothies and recipes, produced more than $86,000 in sales the first time they launched it. It has generated more than $1 million in sales since then. The Simple Green Smoothies Instagram page (@simplegreensmoothies) has produced a multimillion-dollar revenue stream for the two stay-at-home moms who founded the company. Plus, they are achieving their overall goal of better health for their followers. Jadah adds, “We just believe that every dollar we make means that someone said yes to their health. That’s what really inspires us to keep going and grow this business. It’s not just about us having freedom to spend more time with our families, but actually to be changing and transforming other people’s lives.” When it comes to launching your product via Instagram, there are four phases to any successful campaign. First, identify your target market and their needs. Second, build desire through a buzz campaign. Third, get them to opt in so you can move them off Instagram. And fourth, get them to happily hand over the cash. (And better yet, invite their friends to come along!)

Developing a Campaign to Create Buzz Want to creep out guests at a dinner party? Start the conversation with a sales pitch. I kid you not, I was at an event like this recently. I was invited to a luncheon only to discover

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it was a loosely veiled sales pitch. It definitely did not encourage me to attend anything this “guru” put on in the future. It also might not surprise you that they ended up under investigation by the FTC the following week. I don’t wish ill upon anyone, but I can’t say I was shocked. Going right in for the sale and trying to trick people into buying just doesn’t work. Even worse, it can ruin your chances of ever selling to that prospect in the future. The same dynamics are in play on your Instagram page. Lead with the sale, and you will not be invited to the party again. On the other hand, allowing followers just to “freeload” on content while never asking them to do anything will not pay the bills. So what’s a savvy and successful marketer like you supposed to do? The minority—those actually making money from their Instagram traffic—condition their audience to buy and stoke the fire of desire before they launch a product, program, or service. They are training their audience to be ready to pounce when there is an opportunity to buy (see Figure 9.1 below).

Advertising on Instagram by Kelly LeMay Growing your organic audience and engaging with your followers on Instagram is an important strategy for any business. But if you want to take the highway to results, as

figure 9.1 Developing a campaign to create buzz.

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opposed to the scenic route, you need to run ads on Instagram. By creating beautiful ads with a strong call to action, you can target your specific Alex or Ally with the message they’ve been waiting to hear.

The Basics There are a few things you need to have in place before you can start running Instagram ads. The first is a professional Instagram account. If you are using a personal account, it’s easy to switch that over to a professional one in your account settings (when I say easy, I mean four button clicks). Not only will a professional account allow you to begin advertising, but you’ll also be able to see key insights about the people engaging with you online. Bring on the data! You’ll also need a Facebook Ads Manager account (because you run Instagram ads through Facebook). If you use Facebook ads, you can reach the dashboard at facebook.com/adsmanager/.

Navigating the Options When launching an Instagram ad campaign, there are options to consider. Sometimes all the buttons and levers can feel overwhelming. But just like riding a bike, you’ll get the hang of it—and maybe you’ll even learn how to pop a wheelie or two.

Ad Placement There are oodles of ad placement options on Instagram, the most popular being Instagram feed, stories, and reels. If this is your first time running ads, stick with the “automatic” placement. The system will analyze which placement will give you the lowest cost per view and adjust your budget automatically to reach the most amount of people possible. That was easy, right? Moving on . . .

Ad Type Choosing an ad type is sort of like packing for vacation. You never know what you are going to need, so you bring the long-sleeve shirt, the short-sleeve shirt, every length of pants, flipflops, dress shoes, sneakers, and 47 pairs of underwear. You never know which ad type will resonate best with your audience, so you need to try them all—static images, videos, stories, and carousels. Let’s start with static images. Think of these as a billboard on a highway. You have three seconds to grab someone’s attention with a static image, so it had better be engaging and eye-catching. Videos and stories combine movement with sound and allow you to engage with the viewer in a way that a static image cannot. Whether it’s silly, serious, or pulls at the heartstrings, video is a great way to engage the audience’s emotions.

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Carousels allow you to add multiple images and videos to one ad that the user can scroll through. This type of ad is perfect for featuring multiple products or telling a story through a series of images.

Ad Objective The options for ad objectives range from app downloads and brand awareness to conversions. Choose the objective that most closely represents the goal you are trying to achieve. Instagram knows everyone’s online habits (shocker, I know). If you choose an objective of “video views,” Instagram will show your ad to people they know are most likely to watch a video. If you want to send more traffic to a new blog on your site, choose the “traffic” objective, and Instagram will show your ad to people they know often click through to outside websites. The most valuable objective is the “conversions” objective. It will typically cost more per click, but it focuses on getting the desired outcome you are seeking (opt-in or sale), so it has the greatest chance of producing the desired result for you. Using this objective will optimize your ads to show them to people who are most likely to provide their contact information in exchange for a free gift. Yahtzee!

What Should My Ads Look Like? Each ad type has its own factors to consider, but in general, there are two main parts to every ad: the image or video, and the words that go along with it. When it comes to writing ad copy, it’s best if you have an English degree and at least 300 hours’ worth of market research. (Kidding.) A super simple formula to follow is the “ThreeLine Post Formula” (see Figure 9.2 on page 146). (We got so carried away with creating the formula that we forgot to give it a sexy name.) It goes like this: Line 1: Ask a question related to the outcome. Line 2: Tease a solution. Line 3: Call to action. Tying everything back to the outcome of your offer appeals to the reader’s pain point. Think about it. If you saw two different ads for the same turkey baster (I’ll admit it’s dinner time as I’m writing this and I’m quite hungry), and one said, “Made of state-of-the-art material,” and the other said, “Never have a dry Thanksgiving turkey again,” which would you be more likely to click on? Probably the one that talks about the problem you want to solve! Place that very same messaging right on the ad imagery. The strategy is to appeal to every type of learner. Some people will read the fine print, while others prefer to look at the image with a short message. Everyone has their own unique style of learning, so advertisers need to check all the boxes.

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figure 9.2 An example of the three-line post formula.

Testing imagery is one of my favorite pastimes because you never know which one will perform best. This is why it’s important to test a wide range of images or videos. For any campaign, you’ll want to test six different images in the mix (see Figure 9.3 on page 147 and on page 148). Some ideas for different visuals include:

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A photo of yourself (you ARE the guru!) A photo of the outcome An illustration or icon A video of yourself

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figure 9.3 Split-test your ad imagery because you never know what will perform best.

A video of the outcome An image featuring red, white, and black (these colors always perform well) An image with money in it Whatever you do, the key is not to overthink it. Set a timer to develop the images and videos. It’s easy to fall into a pit of analysis paralysis. Remember, no one is going to be showing these ads at your funeral as examples of what you did with your life. This is just round one of testing to generate baseline stats. If you don’t have those, you can never improve.

Audiences and Targeting Now that you have your ads, it’s time to choose who to show them to. Some audiences are warm (meaning they are already engaged with your brand in some way) and some are cold,

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figure 9.3 Split-test your ad imagery because you never know what will perform best, continued.

so this will be their first introduction to you. Whatever the goal of your campaign, here are five easy ideas for audience targeting: 1. Video views: Create a video views audience to retarget anyone who watched a video of yours on Instagram or Facebook. Tell them what their next step is (for example, “sign up for a webinar”). 2. Profile and page engagement: Create an audience of your most engaged fans and followers from Instagram or Facebook. These are the people who are most likely to take action! 3. Multiply your raving fans: Create a look-alike audience from your list of buyers, existing fans, followers, video views, and page engagement. This tells Instagram to go out and find more people who have the same likes, habits, and demographics as your most engaged audiences.

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4. Facebook core targeting: This includes things like: • Job titles • Employers • Publications/trade magazines your audience reads • National associations they belong to • Competing services/brands 5. Custom audiences: This is where you can upload your list of prospects or customers to target or retarget those who have visited your website to bring them back. The best audience to start with is look-alike buyers, but if you don’t have that, just pick any audience you’d like and launch!

How Will I Know If My Ads Are Working? On one hand, the Ads Manager platform gives you all the stats your little heart could desire. On the other hand, there are SO many stats it can feel overwhelming. The truth is there are only a handful of stats you really need to pay regular attention to. The main one is the link clickthrough rate (LCTR). This is different from the CTR (all) stat that Facebook likes to highlight. CTR (all) calculates the percentage of people who clicked on your ad in any way, shape, or form (sharing, liking, commenting). While I love when people share our ads with their network, I really want to know the percentage of people clicking on our ads, which the LCTR provides. Your LCTR is the first thing to check when your ads aren’t performing well. It’s sort of like how the doctor checks your blood pressure regardless of your symptoms. It’s a great indicator of the overall health of your campaign. As a general rule of thumb, your LCTR should be around 1 percent.

What to Do When Ads Are Going Not-So-Great Your doctor doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution for every problem, and the same goes for advertising on Instagram. Here’s a list of common ad “ailments” and what you can do to get them producing leads and sales on autopilot: Issue: Low LCTR + Low Results Things to Check: Are your ads set up correctly? Is your tracking set up correctly? Are you targeting men with an ad for lipstick (for example)? Rethink your messaging. Is it outcome-driven and speaking to the pain points of your audience? Is your audience too specific? Instagram will optimize your ads for you, so if you go with a broader audience that may help to get the results rolling.

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Issue: Good LCTR + Low Results Things to Check:

Double-check that tracking is set up correctly. Check functionality of the landing page (e.g., no errors, slow load time, etc.). Is your landing page messaging congruent with your ad messaging? Is your opt-in form “above the fold” on your landing page? Are you asking for too much information on the opt-in form? Generally you only need to collect first name and email (plus an optional cell phone field for text reminders).

Issue: High Spend + Low Results Things to Check:

Double-check that tracking is set up correctly. Check functionality of the landing page (e.g., no errors, slow load time, etc.). Is your LCTR low? (If yes, see Low LCTR + Low Results above.) If there are no issues with the above items, your daily budget may be too high. Try lowering it.

Issue: Low Spend + Low Reach Things to Check: Is your budget high enough? Is your audience large enough?

What to Do When Ads Are Going Well The first thing you should do is a little happy dance in your chair! After that, there are a few things you can do to keep the party going and scale your results.

Budget Increase If your ads are going well, you can increase your budget every day. Instagram gets a little crazy if you go from, let’s say, $30 per day to $400 per day, but we’ve found if you increase your daily budget by 20 percent you can scale quickly without poking the proverbial bear. If you find your cost per result increases, skip a day to let everything even out.

Add More Audiences Testing new audiences is a great way to scale an already proven funnel. Is there another segment of your list that could be used as a look-alike audience? Or maybe the same campaign could be replicated for another niche that you serve.

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New Images When things are going well, it’s always a good idea to have a few new ad variations in your back pocket. After you’ve been running the same images for a while, your campaign might start to experience “ad fatigue.” That’s when your cost per result starts going up for no good reason. You can easily add some new images to your campaign to freshen things up.

Helpful Hacks There are lots of tools out there to help you easily create beautiful and professional-looking Instagram ads. Pexels (pexels.com/) is a great resource for downloading beautiful (and free!) stock photography. But my absolute favorite tool is Canva Pro (canva.com/pro/). Not only do you get access to hundreds of presized design templates and beautiful font packages, but you also get thousands of stock images and videos at your fingertips. And it’s super userfriendly, too. The cost vs. benefits ratio is so worth it.

A Final Word of Advice No matter what your industry, be sure to check out the Instagram advertising guidelines (facebook.com/policies_center/ads). It’s always a good idea to be up-to-date on changes that could affect your industry. And finally, have fun and remember, you got this!

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Want to creep out guests at a dinner party? Start the conversation with a sales pitch. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Allowing followers just to “freeload” on content while never asking them to do anything will not pay the bills. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

By creating beautiful ads with a strong call to action, you can target your specific market with the message they’ve been waiting to hear. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

Those who are making money on Instagram are training their audience to be ready to pounce when there is an opportunity to buy. #UltimateGuideto Instagram #KimWalshPhillips

Tying everything back to the outcome of your offer appeals to the pain point of the reader. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

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chapter 10

Instagram Stories and Instagram Live: Your 15-Plus Seconds of Fame

A

ccording to the Pragmatic Rule, you have about 10 seconds to grab a prospect’s attention. It takes skill to generate a compelling message in such a brief time, but with Instagram stories and Instagram Live, marketers are called to face a further challenge. Both allow brands a unique way to interact with their fan base. Similar to Snapchat, stories contain an interesting set of short video clips or images that will disappear after 24 hours. The Live option notifies followers about videos that are being recorded in real time. And users love it!

Instagram Stories Instagram stories allow you to share moments of your day without permanently enshrining them on your profile, easing the fear of overposting. There are three options for posting stories: live, boomerang, or normal (I’ll explain each a little further on). Once you upload these short videos or images, they are grouped together in a mini slideshow, with your profile picture as the cover photo. They will appear at the top of your followers’ feeds but disappear after 24 hours.

Before Creating Your First Story Adjust your story settings: Click the three-bar icon in the upper right-hand corner of your profile page. Select Settings; then Notifications; and then Posts, Stories, and Comments. You can choose to allow likes from no one, everyone, or only people you follow. You can also hide your story if there are certain people in your audience you do not wish to share it with (by going to Settings, then Privacy, and then Story).

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Viewing Stories The stories that appear along the top of your feed are organized left to right, from most recent to those already viewed. New stories will feature the colorful Instagram ring (see Figure 10.1 below). When viewing them, you can like the story and send a DM to the creator if you wish.

figure 10.1 Instagram stories appear at the top of your feed.

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Want the step-by-step guide for creating an Instagram story? Visit Instaguidebook.com.

Instagram Live This feature engages users much as Facebook Live does. If your followers have live notifications turned on, they will receive an update when you are recording and be able to watch your video in real time. However, when the video is over, it doesn’t stay on your profile or story. It disappears altogether, similar to Snapchat’s 60-second snippets. A huge business benefit of using the Instagram stories and Live features is that your account can reach followers who don’t normally have notifications turned on for your individual posts. They will automatically see your Instagram story at the top of their feed, and stories give you the added benefit of being linkable to content outside Instagram. And with Live, your followers are notified when you start broadcasting—an advantage over other Instagram content. Leveraging the platform’s different features will enable you to get the most out of Instagram.

Building Your Lux Toolbox with Instagram Apps for Success There are a bajillion (official count) apps you can use when it comes to Instagram marketing. I have discussed several throughout this book (I think I mention Word Swag almost every other page). But there are many more available for photo editing, scheduling, and more. The following is a collection of some of the most popular.

Add Text to Images Font Candy (apps.apple.com/us/app/font-candy-photo-text-editor/id661971496). A variety of appealing typography designs can be incorporated into your Instagram photos with Font Candy. Text can also be inverted into the background. Custom quote templates display your favorite sayings on your pics. Available for iOS only. Photo Editor (iPhone: apps.apple.com/; Android: play.google.com/). With Photo Editor, also known as PicLab, you select your images, add the desired wording, and tinker with the font and size. After you get everything set up the way you want, post your image to Instagram. Available for iOS and Android. Word Swag (wordswag.co). Create beautifully custom text layouts with just a tap. YouCam Perfect (perfectcorp.com/consumer/apps/ycp). Add a touch of whimsy to your Instagram photos by scribbling all over them with YouCam Perfect. Doodle, write messages, and mark up your photos to your heart’s content. It’s perfect. Available for iOS and Android.

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Galleries

Have2Have.it (have2have.it/). Take advantage of your clickable Instagram link by using this app to create a gallery of images followers can select to be directed to products or content. It also allows for easy tagging and conversion tracking. Available on iOS or through their website. Layout from Instagram (iPhone: itunes.apple.com/; Android: play.google.com/). Create collages of up to nine images with an app that takes layouts to the next level. Select pics from your camera roll or take fresh pics with the Photo Booth feature. Available for iOS and Android. PicCollage (pic-collage.com/). Seasonal stickers, backgrounds, and handy templates are some of the attractive features of this app. Available for iOS and Android. Pic Stitch (iPhone: itunes.apple.com/; Android: play.google.com/). Present a collection of Instagram photos without the annoying pixelated look with this free app. Choose from hundreds of layout options to create an attractive grid, and then save and post your collages. Available for iOS and Android. Pixlr (pixlr.com/). A collage maker is combined with a top-quality photo editor in this mobile app. The hundreds of editing options allow for plenty of attention to every detail of each photo you wish to post. Available for iOS and Android.

Image Quality

A Color Story (acolorstory.com/). Add a splash of color and brightness to your Instagram photos with this easy-to-use app’s hundreds of filters. More than 120 effects, 20 free tools, and the ability to add curves and create custom filters make this app even more appealing. Available for iOS and Android. Afterlight (afterlight.co/). Russ, Coral, and Bay are among the more than 130 filters you’ll have access to with this app. If you’re posting landscape pics, you’ll love the selection of natural textures. Borders and text, including hashtags, can also be placed over your photos. Available for iOS and Android. Black (itunes.apple.com/us/app/black-b-w-film-emulator/id939009354?mt=8). Discover the power of black and white in the digital age. Described as an analog film emulator, this app lets you produce high-quality black-and-white photos with a cool retro look. Available for iOS only. Facetune (facetuneapp.com/). Say goodbye to dark circles, blemishes, and other imperfections with Facetune. You can even fix gray and thinning hair and readjust the focus in your photos by blurring out other people or background distractions. Available for iOS and Android. Hipstamatic (hipstamatic.com/apps/). Produce retro-inspired images with an assortment of lens combinations on this photography app. There are several

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versions available: the original Hipstamatic Classic; the Hipstamatic X, which offers a wider array of filters and an Eazy Camera mode that chooses an effect for you; and TinType, which goes for an even older retro effect based on daguerreotypes and other very early photographs. Available for iOS only. Instasize (instasize.com/). Quickly edit and post videos and photos with filminspired filters. You can also add borders, stickers, and collage frames and take care of any necessary touch-ups. Available for iOS and Android. Noir Camera (apps.apple.com/us/app/noir-camera/id1574850033). Mix things up with your Instagram displays by transforming some color images to black and white. This black-and-white photo editor is high-quality enough for professionals yet simple enough for everyone else. Available for iOS only. Perfect365 (perfect365.com). Give your photos a one-tap makeover with this app. Imperfections, such as red-eye and laugh lines, are easily edited out with a few taps. You can see what you look like with different makeup looks as well. Available for iOS and Android. Photoleap (photoleapapp.com/). One of the most powerful editing tools on the market to use on your Instagram photos. Everything from layers to blending modes to filters and effects can be adjusted with a few taps. Create abstract, street art, or graphic designs on this app, too. Available for iOS and Android. Priime (priime.com/). Easily add filters to your Instagram photos with this userfriendly app, designed and developed with professional photographers. Editing features allow for a multitude of fine-tuning and other adjustments necessary to create professional-looking images. Available for iOS only. SKRWT (skrwt.com/). This app is designed to fix distortion and perspective problems in photos, so it’s especially useful if you’re posting shots of buildings and other large structures on Instagram. You use a responsive dial to separately adjust vertical and horizontal planes and correct for lens distortion. Available for iOS and Android. Slow Shutter Cam (cogitap.com/ssc/). Add shutter speed effects to Instagram images with the various capture modes available on this app. Tap the Capture Settings button on the lower toolbar to experiment with motion blur, light trail, low light, and other modes. Available for iOS only. Snapseed (itunes.apple.com/ca/app/snapseed/id439438619?mt=8). Snapseed can give you the same results you would get with professional photo-editing software. Simply tap to make edits and retouch images. You can also resize photos before posting or exporting them. Available for iOS and Android. Squaready (iPhone: itunes.apple.com/; Android: play.google.com/). If you’re not satisfied with Instagram’s layout and editing features, you’ll love Squaready. It sizes photos into Instagram-ready squares without needing to crop out important

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elements. It works especially well if you want to add some pizzazz to existing photos and display larger images. Available for iOS and Android. Superimpose (superimposeapp.com/). Easily blend two separate photos into one with Superimpose. Masking tools allow you to remove the background from an image and replace it with an entirely different one. The foreground can also be resized, rotated, and moved as you play around with placement before posting. Available for iOS and Android. There’s also a more advanced version packed with extra features, Superimpose X, available only for iOS. VSCO (vsco.co/). Share one image or many all at once with VSCO. It’s unique in that it’s both a place to edit photos and a platform in itself where images and other content can be shared. Available for iOS and Android.

Scheduling, Marketing, and Promotion Hootsuite (hootsuite.com/). Managing your Instagram account via Hootsuite allows you to promote and comment on photos, engage with followers, and schedule posts. There’s also the endless cross-promotional possibilities of posting on different social media networks at the same time. Available for iOS and Android. Iconosquare (pro.iconosquare.com/). Download this app to keep track of the Instagram stats that matter most to you. In addition to tracking growth and other analytics, you can also schedule posts, keep an eye on your competitors, and pinpoint the days when your followers aren’t so active. Available for iOS and Android. Later (later.com/). Schedule and manage posts from your PC or mobile device. Easily view what’s already been posted and see what you have scheduled to run in the future. Schedule reels, image posts, and carousels, and measure analytics for your posts so you know what’s working. Available for iOS and Android. Like2Buy (bazaarvoice.com/products/social-commerce/?redirect=curalatecom). A brand can be linked to its accompanying Instagram profile to allow browsers to shop by using this service. Photos can also be tagged and posts can be scheduled from the dashboard. Sprout Social (sproutsocial.com/). Grow your social media presence with this popular app by using Sprout Social to track trends, hashtags, and engagement levels, among many other useful analytics. Available for iOS and Android.

Video Boomerang Maker (apps.apple.com/). Create share-worthy short looping videos from a longer video to put a new spin on some old images. Available for iOS only.

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InShot (inshot.com/). Produce instantly engaging videos for your Instagram page with this video editing app. Cut; splice together; add your own music, voice-overs, sound effects, and cinematic filters; plus many more editing tools. Available for iOS and Android. Lapse It (lapseit.com/). Use your mobile camera to capture images as time-lapse or stop-motion videos for your Instagram page. The award-winning app displays on-screen info as it captures and uploads directly to Instagram. Available for iOS and Android. VideoShow (iPhone: apps.apple.com/; Android: play.google.com). A simple video editing app is especially useful for preparing quick clips for Instagram. Ready-made templates make it easy to create videos capturing moments likely to attract attention. Available for iOS and Android. Vintagio (apps.apple.com/us/app/vintagio/id335148458). Create vintage-quality videos with audio soundtracks and filters to produce videos mimicking the films of yesteryear—everything from the silent films of the 1920s to the glittery disco infernos of the 1970s. Pro mode also allows you to add multiple videos, transitions, and photos. Available for iOS and Android.

Video/GIF DSCO (vsco.co/). Pronounced “disco,” DSCO is a GIF-making tool in the photo and video app VSCO. Capture and edit animated GIFs with an assortment of presets before uploading the results to your VSCO profile. After you’ve uploaded your GIFs, share the results via Instagram. Available for iOS and Android. Motionleap (iPhone: apps.apple.com/; Android: play.google.com/). Magically bring your photos to life by animating them with 3D effects with this easy-to-use camera app. Available for iOS and Android. Photoleap (photoleapapp.com/). Prepare your own GIFs for Instagram with this app. It offers a nice selection of overlays and effects; and there’s the emoji rendering, which is a fun feature all by itself. Available for IOS and Android. PicPlayPost (mixcord.co/pages/picplaypost). Tell a story with your Instagram photos, GIFs, and videos by exploring the features of this app. Blend media forms to make your page more engaging: photo/GIF collages, video wallpapers, animated text, and more. Available for iOS and Android.

Instagram Reels According to Instagram, reels are the fastest-growing content format on both Instagram and Facebook, and users on both platforms spend more than half their time watching videos.

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And believe me, you can lose hours of your life watching people dance, cook, and put on makeup. Reels allow you to get creative with your content. Whether it’s educational or entertaining, you can record and edit short-form vertical videos that run for 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds with your Instagram camera tools or upload a video from your own camera roll. You can also add effects and music or use your own original audio.

Create Your First Reel Don’t know what to record? Try getting ideas from other creators. Special techniques like transitions and filters can level up the look of your reels. For the complete step-by-step guide on how to create a reel, visit Instaguidebook.com. Note that you can record more than one video for a reel, as long as they don’t add up to longer than 60 seconds. The progress bar at the top shows how much you’ve recorded. You can also save your reel as a draft and continue editing it later.

What If You’re in a Controversial Niche? Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are), Instagram doesn’t love all industries. Certain niches are forbidden from advertising and even posting on the platform. And the site forbids things like spam (because no one woke up today wanting to be spammed), illegal behaviors (like no Godfather-esque planning on the platform, or using illegal drugs . . . aka keep it legit ya’ll. You can see an up-to-date listing of guidelines to follow at Instaguidebook.com. Other ad categories have restrictions about how and where they can be used. Like if you have alcohol, it can only be shown in countries where alcohol is permitted and to only people over 21 years of age, and if you are promoting a dating service or credit repair, you have to apply for permission. To find out if your niche is in a regulated category, visit Instaguidebook.com. You may apply for permission directly to Meta to run ads in some of these categories, but many are not allowed at all. So what can you do when you are in a restricted or prohibited category? I asked Justin Benton for insights because he was able to successfully scale his business using Instagram while selling CBD products, which fall under one of the restricted categories.

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INSTAGRAM EXPERT

Justin Benton, When Your Category Isn’t Allowed My story with Instagram began when we started a company about seven years ago. We were trying to solve a health crisis with my son after he was diagnosed with a severe form of autism. (See Justin’s son Shea in Figure 10.2 below.) On the journey of trying to clear the fog for him, we came across research about cannabis and hemp helping kids with epilepsy. Because both issues are neurological, we thought it could help with our son. In diving down that rabbit hole, we also found research that juicing the plant had helped people with cancer.

figure 10.2 Justin Benton’s son Shea, previously diagnosed with autism, now successfully integrating on a team sport after treatment.

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS Fortunate to live in California where it is legal to grow, possess, and use cannabis, we grew our own and combined it with raw hemp. In combination with a clean diet and good nutrition, my son is no longer on the autism spectrum. Amazing! That was our journey. When I found out there was so much misinformation out there, I decided to apply everything I had learned about sales and marketing to educate others. While there are stores in select states that sell such products, during the pandemic, most people started shopping online. But selling hemp and CBD products online—especially using paid advertising—is extremely challenging. Since the hemp and CBD space is one of many restricted industries on Instagram, we had to find other ways to reach out to ideal clients who were looking for natural ways to find pain relief. To survive the new COVID–19 business climate, we were forced to dive into online sales. Even though CBD is not on the Schedule I or Schedule II lists of chemicals and it does not produce an intoxicating effect, the industry is banned from advertising on major platforms like Google, Facebook/Instagram, and Twitter. We had to get creative, so we turned to Instagram influencers as a way to bypass the restricted advertising platforms while still getting our message out there. Chet Holmes was the first person I came across who used the term “Dream 100.” The concept is that you make a list of your top 100 dream clients and dedicate time to attracting them and others in their same category. Chet experienced tremendous success for a magazine owned by Warren Buffett’s partner, Charlie Munger.  The second time I came across the Dream 100 concept was with Russell Brunson. His version suggested the Dream 100 should be a list of the 100 people who already have your dream audiences. For example, his list included Tony Robbins, who had the audience Russell craved. Russell knew if he could make a meaningful connection with Tony, he would benefit greatly from exposure to Tony’s audience. So Russell did anything in his power to serve Tony and after 10 years of persistence, he finally felt close enough to ask Tony for a favor—to help promote Russell’s new book, Expert Secrets. This is the framework I implemented to get our products in front of our dream clients. The first thing you need to do is clearly define who your dream client is. What are their challenges? What are their frustrations? What has their journey

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS been prior to finding you? What questions do they have about your product or service? A resource I like to use is answerthepublic.com. Once you have defined your dream client, you need to find out who already has the largest collection of those people in their audience. For us, it was professional golfers 50 years and older. People in this demographic consistently experience chronic pain issues. We targeted golfers on the PGA Tour on Instagram and started sending them IG messages about our family’s story, emphasizing how golfers around the world used and loved our products for aches and pain. Then we hired a salesperson  to visit the players at tournaments and continue the conversation about the benefits of our products, offering them free products in exchange for letting us know how they liked it. We continued sending them free products whenever they wanted more, having our salesperson educate them and ask how it was helping. This led to a collection of invaluable testimonials. In less than 12 months, over 50 members of our golf Dream 100 were using and loving our products, and we had dozens of testimonials to put on our Instagram! We even had one of the pro golfers, Steve Flesch, love our products so much he offered to put our logo on his golf tour bag in exchange for more free product. (See a variety of testimonials from pro golfers in Figure 10.3 below.)

figure 10.3 Testimonial posts leveraging golf pros with name recognition.

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figure 10.3 continued

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figure 10.3 continued

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS We at 101Hemp.org are on a mission to heal the world in thanks for what this miracle plant did for our  child. In March 2020, we decided we had to become digital marketing experts, with a goal to reach 1 billion people by 2025. As Doc Brown said in the movie Back to the Future, “You can accomplish anything you put your mind to.” The same holds true for all of us on a mission to reach the clients we’ve been called  to serve. There is always a way when you surround  yourself with experts who have done it before, as you’re learning in this book. Never give up! Happy healing. #HealTheWorlders

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables Growing your organic audience and engaging with your followers on Instagram is an important strategy for any business. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

If you want to take the highway to results, as opposed to the scenic route, you need to run ads on Instagram, #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Each ad type has its own factors to consider, but in general, there are two main parts to every ad: the image or video, and the words that go along with it. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Tying everything back to the outcome of your offer appeals to the reader’s pain point. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Be strategic and appeal to every type of learner. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Everyone has their own unique style of learning, so advertisers need to check all the boxes. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com to download a list of our favorite tools for marketing with results!

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chapter 11

The Final Word: Magical Results!

M

aybe there’s no magic button, but the results are magical! Ever see a testimonial like this?

It was so easy! I spent all day just surfing my feed while my follower count grew, as did my web traffic, email list, and sales. Plus, I got super skinny and my love life improved. And I never even had to get out of my pajamas, yet I was camera ready, with no filter needed. This is the best course ever, and everyone should buy it! —Anita Integrady

Many marketing “gurus” out there hawking books, goods, and services have magic potions for sale: “Drink this and the results will be incredible.” Their unscrupulous tactics are atrocious, but they are not the only ones to blame, of course. Those paying for the snake oil are buying into a reality that even they know doesn’t exist. They weren’t forced to make those purchases, yet they make them anyway, knowing the shortcut they’re hoping for probably won’t work. Unfortunately, there is no big red button, no magic potion, no manifestation you can do to get the results you are looking for. Real results come from a successful strategy implemented and refined over time. Consistency is the true “magic” behind it all. The good news is that getting a solid ROI from Instagram doesn’t require the advertising budget of a McDonald’s or Pepsi. Sweat equity and showing up again and again, before the results start to show, is where the real ROI comes from. And if you don’t want to spend the time, hire a freelancer or firm that understands you and can get real results. (As in, require them to open their Ads Manager in front of you and show you the results.) Demand measurable proof of success or don’t give them your money. You worked too hard to earn each dollar to let someone else (or yourself) squander it. 167

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The most important thing to remember is that you have purpose, and it needs to be shared with as many people as possible in order to serve them. You are not simply a business. Your mess of the past is meant to become not only your message, but also someone else’s miracle. When you match what you do with those who need it, you are solving their pain and making their lives better. And they are on Instagram, right this very second, waiting to hear from you. Instagram marketing puts the tools in your hands to create the brand, message, audience, and business you are dreaming about. Stop dreaming and start doing. Are you still reading? We’re done, so now it’s time to go out and fulfill your purpose! Find a supportive friend who can cheer you on. Join a business networking group or mastermind, and snag your bonuses at Instaguidebook.com. We can’t wait to get to know you. Be with others who get it and will help keep you accountable to your fears. You owe it to your tribe. You owe it to the next person you were meant to help. You owe it to yourself. And as you post away, I’ll be watching, resharing, and cheering you on. For you, my friend, were made to thrive.

#UltimateGuidetoInstagram Postables There is no big red button, no magic potion, no manifestation you can do to get the results you are looking for. Real results come from a successful strategy implemented and refined over time. Period. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

The most important thing to remember is that you have purpose, and it needs to be shared with as many people as possible in order to serve them. #Ultimate GuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Be with others who get it and will help keep you accountable to your fears. #UltimateGuidetoInstagram #KimWalshPhillips

Resource spotlight: Visit Instaguidebook.com for a “21-Day Instagram Sales Plan.”

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11 / THE FINAL WORD: MAGICAL RESULTS!

About the Author

K

im Walsh Phillips is the founder and CEO of Powerful Professionals, a business coaching and education company. She went from 32 clients to more than 11,000 in less than a year and is an MBA-free self-made millionaire. Named “a must to read by those in business” by Forbes magazine, she is the bestselling author of multiple books, including the No B.S. Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing, cowritten with Dan Kennedy, and The Shift: The Anti Hustle & Grind Handbook for Powerful Professionals. She’s the behind-the-scenes secret weapon of some of the biggest names in business, including Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank, Dan Kennedy, Profit First author Mike Michalowicz, Harley-Davidson, Hilton Worldwide, and High Point University, and has spoken on stages beside some of the world’s top thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, Barbara Corcoran, and Gary Vaynerchuk. She resides just outside Atlanta, Georgia, with her very tall husband and softballobsessed girls and is fueled by faith, love, laughter, and lots and lots (and lots) of coffee. Speaking engagement inquiries, media requests, and discussions about Real Housewives can be directed to powerfulprofessionals.com/contact/.

Kelly Moderwell Kelly has a creative energy that she uses only for good and does so in her role as Marketing Coordinator at Powerful Professionals. Kelly has previously worked in the pet care industry developing client relationships and curating experiences for veterinary practices. After working in a specialty law firm for eight years, Kelly looks forward to

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

sharing all aspects of her marketing skills and experience in digital and social media with our team and clients. Kelly being a graduate of The Ohio State University is a big Buckeye fan. She is an outdoor adventurer who can be caught most weekends snorkeling (secretly is a mermaid) or hitting the links. She has a beautiful daughter who keeps her on her toes and on-trend with the latest TikToks!

Be sure to go to Instaguidebook.com for more detailed instructions on how to use Instagram.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Index

Note: Page numbers in italic type followed by the letter f refer to pages that contain figures.

ad types, 144 audience targeting, 147–148 basic needs, 144 determining ad effectiveness, 149–150 growing followers with, 87, 87f guidelines, 151 steps when ads are going well, 150–151 testing ads, 146–147, 147f, 148f three-line post formula, 145, 146f Afterlight app, 156 Airtable database platform, 47–48, 113 Airtable team assignment database, 48f Allwood, Jennifer, xvii, 134–138 AnswerThePublic.com, 17, 107 Apex Accelerator, 15–18, 16f Apple, 141 apps. See also software tools Clubhouse, 86 contest running, 75–76 galleries, 156 GIF creation, 159 image quality, 156–158 scheduling, marketing and promotion, 158

A account setup, 25–30 birth date, 25, 26f business description in bio, 30, 30f business names, 28 confirmation code, 26, 27f logo creation, 29–30 profile and bio creation, 26–27 profile photos and data, 27–29, 29f tools for connecting with audiences, 27, 28f acolorstory.com app, 156 ad category restrictions, 160 ad creation tools, 151 advertising on Instagram about, 143–144 ad copy, 145 ad creation tools, 151 ad objectives, 145 ad placement options, 144

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video creation, 158–159 Word Swag, 29, 39–40, 55, 59, 93, 95, 122, 155 Aucagos, Carine, xvii, 114–115 Audience Builder Blueprint, 107 audience targeting, 147–148 authenticity, 131–132 Avocado contest, 74 B BabyCenter Summer Photo Contest, 74–75 Basecamp project management software, 113 Benton, Justin, xvii, 160–166 Benton, Shea, 161, 161f bios, 26, 30 birth dates, 25, 26f Black app, 156 Boomerang Maker app, 158 brand consistency, 38–41, 38f, 39f, 40f, 41f, 42f, 106 branding, 25 Brunson, Russell, 162 Burbn, 1 business descriptions, 30, 30f business names, 28 buzz, creating, 142–143, 143f C call-to-action tools, 3 cannabis sales business, 162–166 Canva Pro, 151 carousel ads, 144 carousels, 41, 42f, 100f celebrity positioning, 54–61, 54f, 57f, 58f Chan, Nathan, 78, 88–90, 90f–92f chat feature, 3 Chung, Stephanie, 120 ClickFunnels.com, 113 click-through rate (CTR), 149–150 Clubhouse app, 86 community building, 89, 90f

172

INDEX

confirmation codes, 26, 27f content sources, 98 contest apps, 75–76 contests, 71–76 controversial content in posts, 131 conversions ad objective, 145 converting leads into customers, 12 Crabtree, Corinne, xvii, 47–50, 49f–50f CRM (customer relationship management) software tool, 114 CTR (click-through rate), 149–150 custom audiences, 149 D Dallmeier, Lorraine, xvii, 96–99, 100f–103f Danielson, Jana, 120 database software, 47–48, 113 Design et Fonctionnel, 114 direct messages (DMs), 133, 134–138 direct-response marketing rules about, 21–22 branding as first step in funnel, 25 clear instructions for responding, 24 offers, 22–23 reason to respond now, 24 results rule, 25 tracking and measurement, 22 DMs (direct messages), 133, 134–138 dream clients, 162–163 Dripify, 114 DSCO app, 159 E edutainment, 97 effects and filters, 34–35, 86, 156–157, 159–160 email addresses in bio descriptions, 22 email campaigns best-performing emails, 123–124 creating email content, 121–122 incentivizing posting and sharing of content, 123

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

personalizing email content, 122–123, 122f, 123f scheduling sending of emails, 123 subject lines for emails, 124–126 email list building tool, 114 email-requested contests, 72 emojis, 81–84, 82f, 83f engagement, 78–79, 86, 130–131 Evernote app, 113 expert status positioning, 59–61, 59f F Facebook Ads Manager accounts, 144 Facebook core targeting, 149 Facebook leads tool, 114 Facebook purchase of Instagram, 2–3 Facetune app, 156 feed videos, 41, 45f filters and effects, 34–35, 86, 156–157, 159–160 Flesch, Steve, 163 followers, growing, 63–103 about importance of, 63–64 advertising for, 87, 87f Chan’s growth strategy, 88–90, 90f–92f Clubhouse app for, 86 contests for, 71–76 Dallmeier’s growth strategy, xvii, 96–99, 100f–103f emojis for, 81–84, 82f, 83f engagement for, 78–79 filter use for, 86 frequency of posts for, 84, 85f hashtags for, 64–70, 66f, 67f, 68f, 77–78, 79f liking other people’s posts for, 86, 91f shoutouts for, 87 tagging people for, 79, 80f, 90, 92f timing of posts for, 84–85 21-Day Blueprint for, 93–96 follow-up, 14

Font Candy app, 155 Formula Botanica, 96–103 Foundr.com, 88–92 free gift blueprint, 107–114 Free Gift Funnel, 56 G gallery apps, 156 gamification, 71–76 Gleam app, 75 Google+ launch, 141 Group Leads, 114 growing your following, 63–103 about importance of, 63–64 advertising for, 87, 87f Chan’s growth strategy, 88–90, 90f–92f Clubhouse app for, 86 contests for, 71–76 Dallmeier’s growth strategy, xvii, 96–99, 100f–103f emojis for, 81–84, 82f, 83f engagement for, 78–79 filter use for, 86 frequency of posts for, 84, 85f hashtags for, 64–70, 66f, 67f, 68f, 77–78, 79f liking other people’s posts for, 86, 91f shoutouts for, 87 tagging people for, 79, 80f, 90, 92f timing of posts for, 84–85 21-Day Blueprint for, 93–96 Guarini, Justin, 120 H hashtag-generated contests, 71 hashtags, 32, 33f, 64–70, 66f, 67f, 68f, 77–78, 79f hashtags top 100 list, 69–70 Have2Have.it app, 156 headshots, 27–28, 29, 56 Hipstamatic app, 156–157 Holmes, Chet, 162

INDEX

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

Hootsuite app, 158 I Iconosquare app, 76, 158 idea tracking software tool, 113 image quality apps, 156–158 imagery in ads, 145–147 images, adding text to, 29, 39–40, 55, 59, 93, 95, 122, 155 InShot app, 159 Instagram, Facebook purchase of, 2–3 Instagram apps. See also software tools Clubhouse, 86 contest running, 75–76 galleries, 156 GIF creation, 159 image quality, 156–158 scheduling, marketing and promotion, 158 video creation, 158–159 Word Swag, 29, 39–40, 55, 59, 93, 95, 122, 155 Instagram founding, 1–4 Instagram Live, 155 Instagram shops, 3–4 Instagram stories, 97, 153–154, 154f Instasize app, 157 iPhone launch, 141 K Keap, 114 keywords, 32. See also hashtags Kimp, 113 Krieger, Mike, 1 L landing pages, 22 Lapse It app, 159 Later app, 158 launch formulas, 141–142 launch phases, 142 Layout from Instagram app, 156 lead generation, 23

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INDEX

lead generation software tool, 113 lead magnets, 10, 11f, 12, 12f, 14–15, 27, 129, 133 lead-generation sweepstakes, 133, 134f leads, 98 LeMay, Kelly, xvii Like2Buy app, 158 like-to-win contests, 71 liking other people’s posts, 86, 91f LinkedIn prospecting tool, 114 linking to other accounts, 34 linking to your website, 30 Live, 155 live broadcasts, 41, 44f location, 34 logos, 29–30 M marketing and sales path, 14–18 Marvel Studios Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes, 75 masterclasses, 105–107 McCord, Sara, xvii, 61–62 media sources for communication, 120 Motionleap app, 159 MVMT Three Watch Giveaway, 75 N naming your business, 28 niche restrictions, 160 Noir Camera app, 157 note taking app, 113 O offers, 12, 13f, 22–23 O’Leary, Kevin, 40–41 P path to purchase, 14–18 pattern interrupts in posts, 92 Pepsi contest, 74 Perfect365 app, 157 Pexels.com, 151

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

Photo Editor app, 155 Photoleap app, 157 PhotoLeap Cam app, 159 photos, profile, 27–29, 29f Pic Stitch app, 156 PicCollage app, 156 PicPlayPost app, 159 pictures and captions, adding to profile, 31–32, 32f Pixlr app, 156 positioning, 54–61, 54f, 57f, 58f, 59f post types carousels, 41, 42f, 100f feed videos, 41, 45f live broadcasts, 41, 44f reels, 41, 44f, 45, 101f, 102f, 115, 116f, 159–160 single posts, 41, 42f story posts, 41, 43f posting frequency, 84, 85f posting quotes from others, 59, 59f posts, about, 4–5 posts, timing of, 84–85 power strategies, 18 pricing, 127–128 Priime app, 157 profile and bio creation, 26–27 profile and page engagement, 148 profile photos, 27–29, 29f profile setup and editing, 26–35 bios, 26, 30 business descriptions, 30, 30f filters and effects, 34–35 hashtags, 32, 33f linking to other accounts, 34 linking to your website, 30 location, 34 logos, 29–30 pictures and captions, adding, 31–32, 32f profile photos, 27–29, 29f tagging people, 32–34

prohibited categories, 160–166 project management software tool, 113 prospects, understanding, 5–7, 6f, 8f Q Quiz Funnels, 114 quote posts, 55 R raving fans, 131, 148 reach, 64, 65f reels, 41, 44f, 45, 101f, 102f, 115, 116f, 159–160 referrals, 64 relevancy, 90, 92f restrictions on ad categories, 160 Robbins, Tony, 162 S sales, 23–24 sales campaigns about selling, 128–129 authenticity, 131–132 benefits of, 133 controversial content in posts, 131 creating buzz with, 142–143, 143f DMs in, 134–138 engaging with your audience, 130–131 faith and, 138 focusing on your audience, 130, 130f lead-generation sweepstakes in, 133, 134f offering value, 129, 129f transformation focus in, 132 trust building, 130–131, 131f, 132f unique selling propositions in, 129, 130f sales funnels, 7–14, 18 sales funnels software tool, 113 sales path, 14–18 Scale F.A.S.T. Formula Live campaign, 107, 108f–113f scheduling, marketing and promotion apps, 158

INDEX

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

search mining site, 107 Searchie platform, 113 ShortStack.com app, 76 shoutouts, 87 signature hashtags, 67, 67f–68f Simple Green Smoothies launch, 142 single posts, 41, 42f SKRWT app, 157 Slow Shutter Cam app, 157 Snapseed app, 157 social media as a growth strategy, 96–99 social proof, 63–64 Sofa.com contest, 74 software tools. See also apps CRM, 114 database, 47–48, 113 email list building, 114 Facebook leads, 114 idea tracking, 113 lead generation, 113 Linked-In prospecting, 114 project management, 113 spreadsheet database, 113 video and graphic design, 113 video creation and storage, 113 video streaming, 114 webinars, live events, chats, and conferencing, 114 spam, 160 spreadsheet database tool, 113 Sprout Social app, 158 Squaready app, 157–158 Starbucks Red Cup Contest, 74 static images in ads, 144 stories, 97, 153–154, 154f story ads, 144 story posts, 41, 43f StreamYard, 114 subject lines for emails, 124–126 Superimpose app, 158

176

INDEX

sweepstakes apps, 75–76 Systrom, Kevin, 1 T tagging people, 32–34, 79, 80f, 90 target markets, focusing on, 10, 10f testimonials, 163, 163f–165f, 167 testing ads, 146–147, 147f, 148f text, adding to images, 29, 39–40, 55, 59, 93, 95, 122, 155 three-line post formula, 145, 146f tools selection, 27, 28f traffic ad objective, 145 traffic sources, diversifying, 119–120 True, Herbert, 14 trust building, 121, 130–131, 131f, 132f 21-Day Blueprint for growing followers, 93–96 U URLs, 22 usernames, 26, 28, 33, 34, 40, 59 USPs (unique selling propositions), 26–27, 129, 130f V Valpak Submit a Photo with Mom Contest, 74 value, 129, 129f video ads, 144 video and graphic design service, 113 video and graphic design software tool, 113 video conferencing platform, 114 video conferencing software tool, 114 video creation and storage platform, 113 video creation and storage software tool, 113 video creation apps, 158–159 video streaming, 114 video streaming software tool, 114 video views ad objective, 145, 148 video/GIF creation apps, 159

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

VideoShow app, 159 Vintagio app, 159 Votigo.com app, 75 VSCO app, 158 W webinars, live events, chats, and conferencing software tool, 114 website, linking profile to, 30 Wishpond.com app, 75

Woobox.com app, 76 Word Swag app, 29, 39–40, 55, 59, 93, 95, 122, 155 Y YouCam Perfect app, 155 Z Zoom, 114

INDEX

177

Be sure to go to Instaguidebook.com for more detailed instructions on how to use Instagram.

Unlock The Power Of Instagram To Grow Your Business Audience, Build Your List, And Multiply Your Sales Discover how to successfully share your story, brand, and services with more than 2.3 billion people on Instagram. Business coach and direct response social media expert Kim Walsh Phillips gives you a step-by-step roadmap that takes you from setting up your account the best way possible to implementing strategies to attract and retain your ideal target audience. Packed with priceless insights and valuable resources, you’ll discover how to create celebrity status in your niche, grow your followers with a 21-day blueprint, turn followers into customers, clients or patients, launch products, and drive sales in the door. Plus, you’ll uncover how to effectively use Instagram Reels, Lives, stories and more to grow your followers and your revenue—without spending a fortune.

Kevin O’Leary • ABC’s Shark Tank

“In a sea of social media charlatans, Kim is the only person I trust to get dollar-measurable results.”

Dan S. Kennedy • Direct response marketing legend and author of the No B.S. book series

“We leverage Instagram every day to grow our business. Thank you Kim for everything you do for our market.”

Russell Brunson • Founder of Click Funnels and author of Dotcom Secrets

“Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business is the next best thing to having an expert sitting behind you, walking you through the whole process with humor and confidence.”

Leslie Gray Streeter • Author, The Black Widow and columnist for Baltimore Banner

“If you want to figure out how your business can win with Instagram, grab a copy of Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business.”

Michael A. Stelzner • CEO and founder of Social Media Examiner, author of Launch and Writing White Papers, host of Social Media Marketing podcast

“Because of Kim’s guidance on Instagram, I’ve been able to grow my following with a right-fit audience that is waiting to hear from me. I am thankful for her coaching and can’t wait for others to access her strategies in this book.”

Justin Guarini • Television and Broadway performer

ISBN-13: 978-1-64201-151-7

entrepreneur.com/books

PHILLIPS

Kim Walsh Phillips is a self-made MBA free millionaire and the founder of Powerful Professionals, one of the fastest growing companies in America. In less than one year, she went from 32 clients to over 11,000 and has generated over a billion dollars online. Named “a must to read by those in business,” she is the bestselling author of multiple books including The Shift: Scale Your Business And Multiply Your Wealth Without Sacrificing You and The No B.S. Guide To Direct Response Social Media Marketing, co-authored by Dan Kennedy.

$24.99 US Business / Marketing / Social Media Cover design by Andrew Welyczko

INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

“Not only is Kim the first social media marketer I ever heard that even mentions ROI, but that is her main focus. She is also the first marketer I have ever recommended to all of my Shark Tank investments and who I use for my personal business. We had her speak at our recent Mr. Wonderful Summit and the attendees loved it. She has my full endorsement.”

Instagram FOR BUSINESS 2ND EDITION

Identify and reach your target audience Improve your brand awareness and visibility Boost your sales by turning followers into customers

KIM WALSH PHILLIPS