Instagram is becoming more and more prominent with every passing day, which is why I am going to make a very bold statement: all small businesses should be on Instagram. It’s becoming too important for you to avoid it any longer!

I know there are so many social media platforms you to utilize, and I know it’s overwhelming. When you’re just starting out on your crazy online marketing venture, I recommend you starting with Facebook and Instagram and branching out from there. I know what you’re thinking: “But OCL, I have no idea what I’m doing on Instagram!” It’s okay; that’s what I’m here for, and today, I’m flying solo and walking you through Instagram Basics 101.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• What Instagram is all about. I break down how Instagram is similar to Facebook and also highlight some of their differences. For example, Instagram is an extremely visual medium, so you need to post a picture or video every time you post on Instagram whereas on Facebook, you can post text without an image and people will still read it and pay attention to it.
  
• How hashtags work and how to effectively utilize them. If you want to be noticed on Instagram, hashtags are the way to make it happen. I also share my favorite hashtag strategy, which is to summarize your post in one word and then check out that hashtag. See what other people are using as hashtags, borrow those hashtags, and post them as a comment to your own post!
  
• What a shadowban is. It’s a way for Instagram to moderate and regulate the content people are posting, effectively keeping spammy people or content out of people’s feeds. However, if you mix up your hashtags every time you post and take hashtags from people who are visible on Instagram, you should be in good shape.
  
• My “5 areas of life” tip. This is my favorite way to mix up what I post on Instagram. Think of five major areas of your life, and make sure a couple of those areas are personal and unrelated to your business. Cycle through this five areas; if you’re not sure what to post simply think back to one of the areas you haven’t touched on in a bit, and boom. Easy content!
  
• Quick tips for Instagram marketing. I talk a bit about why you need to get an Instagram business account and some ways you can properly utilize Instagram as a paid marketing medium.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Traffic and Leads
• One-Click Lindsey
• The Click Technique
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

There’s so much more to say about Instagram that I didn’t cover in the show notes, but that’s why you need to listen to the full episode! If you haven’t used Instagram before and are ready to try, then hit that play button and dive in!