It's Not Just A Pretty Photo...

The CEO of POSH PR®, The Caroline Doll, talks about Instagram strategy and what really goes into curating content!

MYTH: A curated Instagram feed with pretty, styled photos will result in business success.

FACT: A curated Instagram feed with pretty, styled photos is nothing without the hard work behind it.

There seems to be a huge misconception in this industry that if you have an aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed with beautiful pictures, your business will flourish and you’ll be super successful. I am also under the impression that most new business owners believe that if you have "a lot" of followers on social media you are making a six figure income in business. 

WRONG. Those pictures are simply pictures unless you have a strategy and hard work behind them.  Your income is NOT directly related to your following on social media.  It is influenced by your hard work.

I’m having an amazing time at the Creative @ Heart conference in Raleigh this week teaching breakout sessions on Instagram styling to attendees. I definitely LOVE sharing my tips and tricks to a beautifully curated Instagram feed... BUT, the truth is there’s so much more to curating content than just the pretty photos. There’s a PR strategy behind every single post!

In my “PR Behind The Pretty” Instagram intensive, I start with education on the marketing tricks behind having pretty photos on your feed. There’s a rhyme and a reason behind every post and photos should be carefully thought out and strategized to get the most out of Instagram’s social media platform.

TIP: Ask yourself these questions before each post: What's my end result? How does this connect and engage with my ideal client? Does this post fit in with my business mission?

The FIRST thing I always say when teaching an Instagram workshop is this: I do NOT want you spending more time curating your Instagram feed than you do actually making money. Do not spend hours walking around your house trying to figure out WHAT to take a photo of.  Trust me, I am also guilty of this at times. I want you sending those tough (and maybe scary!) emails to potential clients. I want you streamlining your business processes so you can be more efficient and take on MORE clients... hence, more money! I want you making money not just making pretty photos. 

Now, don't get me wrong... I 100% want your social media and Instagram feed to be aesthetically appealing to you and your ideal client.  However, do not overthink this process. For example, I went into a closet yesterday (it was the only white wall I could find at the time!) and threw my hair into a bun and snapped the selfie that you see pictured above.  This photo was the HOOK. The words in the post were the connection point. The call to action is the link in my profile. PS: This entire process took 10 minutes. 

Of course, I love styling photos and have even made a career out of curating content for major brands! But, the real use for those pictures is far more in depth than just a few items placed on a marble slab. There's a ton of thought that goes into when, where, and why each photo is posted.

If you take anything at all from this post and incorporate it into your business, it should be this: When you stay true to yourself you have NO competition! Make sure that the photos that you are styling reflect your heart and your brand. You will instantly be separated from the rest!

{Sign up here for a FREE GUIDE to The PR Behind The Pretty!}

If you want to learn more about the “PR Behind The Pretty”, sign up for my November business intensive here! We’d love to see you there!