Helllo lovely people! This is the eighth post in my THS guest blogging series. The author of this post, Dre, is an Instagram Coach + Foodie who’s content has me and thousands of others alternating between learning and drooling haha. I’m thankful she wrote this piece on having a purpose driven social media presence because it is filled with necessary information to set you up for success in this multi-billion dollar social media industry. You can also get access to her incredibly popular hashtag course here. Enjoy!
It’s time to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think back to your first 50 followers on Instagram. Each social media notification made you light up, you excitedly browsed each of their profiles, trying to learn more, eager to make a connection. When it came time to produce content, you thought about them, didn’t you? You wanted to create something they appreciated, something they would find useful and stared blankly at the cursor for hours writing that first blog post.
But then it all changed.
The rat race began, and Instagram became a slew of numbers buried under mountains of pressure, algorithmic anxiety, and trying to keep up with the times. Personal stories turned into coupon codes and teachable moments turned into swipe up’s.
What happened to us?
Do you remember the day you created your Instagram account? When you were you excitedly deciding on a username, setting up your bio, and posting your first poorly edited and filtered picture? It all seemed so simple. It was a space to tell your stories, share your thoughts and ideas, and hey- maybe gain a few new friends along the way.
Only a few years ago, the Instagram economy was much purer at heart. The commodity? Cute photos. The currency? Free-flowing likes, fast-growing followings, and a feed that covered any topic that brought you joy. But as time goes on, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most: your purpose.
The Purpose Driven Instagram is one that I’m so passionate about sharing with you because it is the magic bullet that we all seek: a solution that allows us to feel creative, authentic and inspired once again without sacrificing revenue and opportunities on social media.
See, your social media audience is craving connection now more than ever. Your audience desperately wants to feel AND believe that your intentions behind your content are still pure, that deep down, you care about them and not the bottom line.
Are you willing to be that person for your audience? Someone who has a primary focus to serve others with a positive spirit, authenticity, and loyalty? I can tell you what the reward for this will be: a support system of fans that will click on your links, share your content, and spread your message for you.
Sounds like the dream, right?
To bring back the magic and purpose to your account successfully, you’ll want to break the foundation into pieces you can tackle.
Let’s start at the beginning:
1. Who do you help?
If the record is already scratching while you nervously look down at your phone, don’t panic! You might be thinking, “Help people? What do you mean “help people?” I’m a lifestyle, food, or mom blogger, and I’m NOT a teacher!”
At first, it may be challenging to think of how you are helping someone else in the world on social media, especially when the concepts seem so intangible. However, you CAN help your audience, but it can’t be passively, you must strategically OWN it as a part of your daily content!
There are a few ways to help on social media:
- Motivate
- Inspire
- Inform
- Educate
Does this seem a little more realistic? Which of these will your content fall into?
2. What problem do you solve?
This person that you show up to serve every single day needs to feel like a very close ally. Depending on “how you help,” this relationship might look a little different, perhaps it’s teacher/student, sister/sister, or guru/mentee.
When you’ve developed this close bond with your audience, their “problems” or hurdles will start to present themselves much more clear to you. Is it finding time in their busy lives to nurture themselves, their marriage, or their job? Perhaps it’s that they feel hopeless with fashion and look to you for a deeper understanding of how to dress, and more importantly, feel their best.
The reality is unless you are Kim Kardashian (and if you are, hey girl – call me!), people don’t click the “follow” button because you exist; it’s because they want access to something you offer them. The more in tune you are with how you can serve this need, the more you’ll see your conversions increase.
3. Creating and living up to your purpose and promise.
What is the social media promise that you’re making to your audience? That you’ll only recommend fair and ethical products? That you’ll provide them applicable advice multiple times a week? That you’re a real source of education on a particular topic? The options are endless.
Keep this promise and unspoken agreement in your mind each time you make a recommendation, create a post, or generate a story. When your actions align with your values and promises consistently, your audience forms a deeper bond with you, trusting your guidance.
The longing for connection is not one that we will see cease in the coming years, so it’s time to adapt and refocus back to the basics of relationship building and selfless service. Can you imagine the difference a post could make in someone’s life if you showed up every day seeking to inspire and connect with your audience rather than push them the next coupon code? Hint: An Instagram ecosystem full of increased happiness AND increased sales.
Let’s make this a social media movement – Are you with me?
–Dre
All images in this blog post were taken by Erin of Sew Stratton.
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