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One thing I’ve learned in the past few years while growing my platform is that I want to reach followers – authentic followers. This translates into quality over quantity; letting go the vanity metrics. Click below for show notes!
Ep. 35: 7 Focused tips to reach followers (and what NOT to do!)
12-Week Insider Intensive
Authentic Instagram Engagement Facebook group
A Quick Word on the Insider Intensive
Before I share what did and didn’t work for me, I want you to know the doors just opened for my spring 12-Week Insider Intensive. This is a thriving community of godly women from all walks of life – authors, speakers, podcasters, MLM’s, bloggers, and business women, all focused on growing an authentic platform while broadening their reach, learning marketing techniques, and honing their messages to connect with their target followers on the platform. This Intensive starts April 5 and I would love to have you join me if this sounds like something you’re looking for. I will leave the link to the Intensive in the show notes, but I wanted to quickly share a testimony from Joni Scott, who went through the 5-Day challenge with us and after watching a Zoom roundtable with my current 12-week Insider Intensive members, decided to join the course! Here’s what she said to me in a direct message:
I have been praying about a new platform to use for my writing/podcasting. During the 5 day challenge I focused on just making genuine heartfelt comments to my new Instagram friends. I then noticed I was doing the same at work, in person! Which THEN made me realize how I usually hide from people I don’t know well. (Online and off) That alone caused your 5 day challenge to be life altering! I wanted to thank you for that.”
I’m tearing up just reading this again! What a blessing. What a tool we have at our fingertips to not only broaden our message and promote our product, book, or podcast, but to reach others for the kingdom in the process!
Wow. We’ve been entrusted with a lot here. Therefore, without further ado, let’s delve into what worked and didn’t work for me on Instagram and I just have to wonder if you’ve done some of these things too? Listen in.
7 Focused Tips for Reaching Followers
When first navigating the platform, I didn’t understand the point of social networking. I just thought it was about getting followers, I didn’t realize the marketing potential available to me through growing an authentic community. As a result, I stumbled a few times, made several mistakes, quit the platform only to return again.
However, there was just a visually different draw on Instagram that aroused my curiosity. As I learned more and tested methods, I realized what I was doing was not working.
In my recent 5-day growth challenge inside my Authentic Instagram Engagement fb group, I shared 4 things I tried that didn’t work, plus 7 focused tips that helped grow my community. This is the second half of the training from that week, and if you didn’t catch the first half, called 5 steps to Authentic audience growth in episode 34, go back and listen to that next.
Things I’ve done to reach followers that haven’t worked:
- Been a ghost admin of a large follow train, Let follow trains participated and follow trains that sucked up all my time and energy. This is NOT a good way to reach followers in the long run!
- Been inconsistent and spread too thin
- Focused on only my own content and remained an island
- Jump from freebie to freebie
What has worked:
- Connecting with like-minded people
- Scheduling content
- Creating my own content
- Spending lots of time in stories
- Using avatar specific hashtags
- Staying in my lane
- Being me and not someone else
A Word on Community
You can grow on Instagram, but it takes intention and clarity. Growth takes Community.
And Community? Grows Opportunity!
Did you find yourself nodding your head at any of the things I did that didn’t work? Follow trains? Inconsistency? Additionally, are you isolating yourself instead of entering into community? Freebie seeking?
The key is community. Start reaching out and making connections with like-minded people who share your values, spend time in stories connecting with others, use avatar specific hashtags. This means be YOUniquely you, stay in your lane, and don’t do what everyone else is doing! Lean into yourself and stand out!
Resource to Reach Followers
Moreover, I want to reiterate that if you don’t know where to start with community but you’re seeking to learn how to do all of this with a community of like-minded Christian business women, we would love to have you. Check out the 12-Week Insider Intensive right now by clicking in on the show notes and see if it might be exactly what you’re looking for. Firstly, you’ll gain access to my Community Marketing Framework and make the connections you need. Secondly, it will be coupled with the knowledge you’re seeking to grow your platform authentically and effectively. Remember, community grows opportunity!
Above all, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and I so appreciate you being here. Now – go out there and get growing your platform authentically.
Join us for the 12-Week Insider Intensive starting April 5, 2021!
Click this link to learn more.
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