Is Instagram the best for marketing?
I have this annoying niggle that keeps telling me I’d better show up more on Instagram, or it looks bad.
If you go over to my Instagram, you’ll see I’m a sporadic poster and at the time of writing this blog, I haven’t posted anything in over a week.
Why haven’t I posted on Instagram in so long?
I’m here to unpack this with you, if you’ll indulge me! And I'd love for you to comment below and share your thoughts on this with me.
Weekend before last, I jetted off to Venice for 3 nights with my best pal of 20 years. I instructed her on the plane to get loads of photos of me “living my best life” for my marketing.
I fully intended to show myself embodying what I talk about in my marketing - I hit 6-figures working 20 hours a week and I have time freedom and the spare cash to go on holiday at the drop of a hat.
But something stopped me from posting my holiday pics with that message.
I ended up sharing one Instagram story from Venice. There’s nothing on my grid from the trip.
Why didn’t I maximise this opportunity to showcase on Instagram, me living my “best life as a successful entrepreneur”?
3 reasons I didn’t post on Instagram:
Venice was so incredibly beautiful that I wanted to soak it up through my eyes instead of through my phone
I don't want to blend in and become another ‘laptop lifestyle’ account on Instagram
I didn't need to post!
My intuition and marketing compass was telling me loud and clear: “Curating a feed of inspirational photos on your Instagram is not your USP”.
It’s not anyone’s USP! There are too many accounts sharing that stuff. It’s all blending into one.
Email marketing is better than Instagram marketing
My USP is about how I lean on my email list instead of social media.
My USP is about smart marketing and avoiding pumping all my time and creativity into content for a platform I don’t own or control.
My USP is that someone from my fairly humble background, with no financial leg-ups, can create a 6-figure business on her own terms.
I don’t think you need to see the highlight reel of my life to resonate with that message. This is why I write an email to my list every week!
Email marketing is more powerful than a throwaway pic on Instagram of me eating a pistachio cannoli.
Not convinced? Here are 8 reasons why Email Marketing is the best marketing channel.
My tips for finding more time in your business
If you’re craving more time freedom in your life and work, here’s my best tips for you (I live by these):
Put your phone down because it’s sapping your time and creativity Lock it in the car if you have to
Create a marketing plan focussing on creating content and sharing value away from social media and becoming know for what you do
Outsource posting on socials to a good VA so you don’t have to go there
Stop wasting your time with reels (unless you can prove the ROI right now!!)
Do something you love every day - go for a walk, read a book, swim and sauna, play with your kids, see your bestie
This way, you’ll develop the freedom to enjoy your life right NOW and you’ll have more time to serve your clients and do the big picture stuff in your business.
That’s how I do it!
Read more of my thoughts in The Biggest Marketing Mistake Online Business Owners Make.
If you want to use Instagram strategies to engage your email subscribers, check out my free, instant access masterclass - How to use EMAIL like Instagram - Discover My 3 Hottest Hacks To Explode Your Email Click Rate Using Instagram Tactics.
Thoughts? Please share in the comments.