Instagram Marketing Tips: Owning your online presence has never been easier

If you’re running a business in today’s online world, chances are that you’ve adopted Instagram Marketing as a necessary evil.

Some of us love it. Some of us can’t seem to make it work and are flying blind without any success.

Kryshla Salaris, the Chief Algorithm Whisperer and Founder at Shall We Social, has made a name for herself as the Instagram Coach who’s out to prove a point that you can DIY your online presence and smash it.

Her online coaching programmes and courses provide a startup-friendly alternative to outsourcing your Instagram Marketing at a hefty price tag.

Kryshla has caught up with me to share her view on all things Instagram, her personal journey into business and the unmissable trends for 2020 and beyond.

Let’s get straight into it.

Hey hey, Let’s start with a quick intro. Who are you and how do you help startups navigate the early days in business?

Hi, I’m Kryshla (pronounced “Krish-la”). I’m an Instagram Coach that helps women grow their business with Instagram, not just their follower numbers, through coaching + online training – including my signature program, Instagram Unpacked.

Can you share your journey into business life with us? How long have you been doing your own thing and how did specialise in Instagram marketing and coaching?

I started while on maternity leave from my corporate job (which I knew I didn’t want to return to!). A friend asked me to create a social media strategy for her new business. They loved it so much that they asked me to come aboard and implement it.

Soon after more clients followed and I never looked back.

I’ve been in business for 4 years now and have made a lot of mistakes (I’m sure I’m still making them!).

What were some of the mistakes you look back on throughout those early days?

Not trusting my gut. I once took a job based purely on ego. Yup, it’s embarrassing to admit, but it was for a well-known TV personality and I was a little star-struck. I knew that it wasn’t right for me and after only 3 days we both agreed to call it quits. I didn’t charge for my work which meant I lost valuable time and money in the process. Oh, and I walked away with a bruised ego and a huge sense of imposter syndrome.

Pricing myself too low. I suspect this is an issue for most business owners when they start out. But after some trial and error, I discovered that pricing too low can lead to a cascade of issues including resentment and not wanting to do the work because you don’t feel valued (even though you were the one who didn’t value yourself to begin with, not the client!). It also means that you have to take on more work, which can leave you feeling stressed and pulling late nights to get it all done. Or worse, unable to deliver the quality of work you want to. And that makes you more stressed. It’s a terrible cycle to get into. I’ve now learned to value my time and skills, which is better for me and my clients as they get the very best of me. Not some stressed, time-poor wreck!

Why is it important for startups to sort out an instagram strategy so you’re not posting blind and hoping for the best?

As a new business, getting your Instagram marketing right from the get-go will save you so much time! So many startups jump in and start posting without having a strategy to back it up or knowing who they are trying to target.

In my program, Instagram Unpacked, I show business owners how to create their own strategy so that they connect with the right people, grow their following of ideal customers (not just randoms or friends) and how to get strategic with their content. Because that’s what demonstrates their expertise, builds trust and grows their BUSINESS. It’s not just about follower numbers! Oh, and I make it fun!

What difference does posting on Instagram with a solid strategy to back you up make in terms of success for your business?

If you don’t have a clear plan to support what you’re posting on Instagram (or any social media platform) you’ll end up wasting precious hours every week. Effectively you’re creating the wrong content and sharing it with the wrong people – who, as a result, won’t engage and will never turn into paying customers.

Ultimately posting without a clear strategy will tank your Instagram account performance and drastically impact the amount of business you get from this oh-so-important social media platform.

What are your top 5 tips to Instagram success?

1. A clear picture of who you’re trying to target so you post content that resonates

2. A strategy to post the RIGHT content to optimise their account performance ON Instagram and feed into their business goals OFF Instagram

3. A consistent brand aesthetic so they can show up consistently and breed familiarity which leads to trust. And who do we buy from? People we trust! (That’s a catchphrase my Instagram Unpacked students will recognise)

4. The general know-how to create great content, captions and video (and the confidence to do it)

5. A plan that helps them to connect and engage with their existing followers plus attract new followers who are their ideal clients

social media marketing is surrounded by so much mystery. Can you debunk some of the ‘fake news’ we should let go of?

A definite myth is that you need to outsource your Instagram marketing.

Or buy sets of hashtags.

Or pay to play.

Anyone can successfully market their business online and it doesn’t have to cost the world.

As an expert in the fields, can you give us 3 Instagram trends to keep in mind when mapping your content right now?

1. Video. Reels has just launched and, while it’s far from perfect in terms of functionality, it’s yet another signal from Instagram that video is the future of the platform. Whenever Instagram releases a new feature it drives traffic to that part of the platform so now is the best time to get on there, create content and experiment. Right now you don’t have to complete with too many creators, but this will change over time so get ahead of the pack and get discovered by a new audience.

2. IGTV. Instagram is currently in the process of monetising IGTV with paid advertising which means they will be “rewarding” creators with increased traffic so get aboard the IGTV train if you aren’t already on it. The great thing about IGTV is that you can add a swipe up link from Stories (even if you don’t have 10K followers). This allows you to draw attention back to your IGTV content over and over – getting new eyes on it. That’s why I recommend creating high-value evergreen content for IGTV (such as tips, demonstration videos, tutorials, etc.) so you can keep driving traffic back to it for weeks and months afterwards. This saves you time and it’s a great way to show your expertise.

3. DMs (direct messaging). Mark Zuckerberg said that “the future is private”. Meaning that Instagram success is often more about what we can’t see. The social media giant is investing a lot more in private chat functionality and there’s talk of combining Facebook messenger and WhatsApp with the existing Instagram chat with added advertising/shopping functionality! Chatting to people in your direct messages is the key to building trust and making sales. Your ideal customer or client is more likely to open up and share their pain points with you in the privacy of a chat than in a comment on your public posts. Use the private environment to get to know your customer better by asking (and answering) questions. This will allow you to tailor your content and products or services to best suit their needs.

It’s time to share a proud moment. A moment that reassures you that you’ve chosen the right career path and made the right call to back your business idea.

One of my first Instagram Unpacked students, Shelley from @casualstep, was very sceptical prior to coming aboard. She had done courses in the past and didn’t see success. After the very first session I received a delighted message from her saying how impressed she was. She is now a loyal brand advocate – telling everyone she knows about the program and kicking goals online. She consistently gets sales from her Instagram stories and has built up the courage to go live (something she vowed never to do!). That persistence got her a large number of enquiries and brought in sales for her business.

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Keen to up your Instagram game? Use the discount code CANDO100 for $100 off Instagram Unpacked Self-Guided Learning, your one-way ticket to Instagram success.

This offer is valid until 31 December 2020 and applies to one-time payments only (not applicable for payment plans).

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If you want to follow Kryshla’s online adventures and soak up her Instagram tips, then simply hop over to her online platforms:

Website, Instagram, Facebook

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