123MISTERNIGGA123

IGA E-Course

I'm happily convinced that if you've implemented the last 3 lessons in this course, you have officially passed the "foundational" stage! Congrats. Now on to some more of the juicy stuff!

Lesson 4:
What over-caffeination and scantily clad men taught me about marketing a business on Instagram

1. You don't need to have a business to make money on Instagram

Now I know most of you DO have a business that you're ready to promote on Instagram but I want to address this for those of you who don't. When I started menandcoffee I had no idea I would eventually turn it into a business. It was simply an idea I thought people might like.

A few months later I was doing everything I could to try and monetize the surge of followers I was receiving.

So, if you are passionate about something, don't wait any longer to start an Instagram account for it because you never know who you are going to impact, and who knows, soon enough you too may find yourself transforming your hobby into a business of it's own.

Also, keep in mind that the same concept applies if you have a business but you don't have anything to offer yet. You can easily build up your audience and create hype around what you do, then when you do have an offer {whether it's free, or paid} you have an audience ready and willing to scoop it up!

2. 'Focus' and 'Success' go hand in hand

I'm not sure if you've noticed but some of the most popular and successful {i.e. income generating} accounts on Instagram stick to the 'focus' of their feeds like glue.

Soon after I started menandcoffee I made a conscious decision to never post a photo of just a man, or just coffee. Instead, every single photo had to include both a man and coffee. This simple decision solidified my brand, and strengthen my relationship with my viewers by giving them EXACTLY what they were looking for {and expecting from my account!}

So my advice to you is to be extremely intentional about every photo you upload. Before you press 'share' ask yourself if this photo supports the focus of your account. Is it going to confuse your followers? Or support the content you've already shared?

Now, you don't need to be as strict as me. My account could have been successful with a mix of coffee, men, and men and coffee shots, but if I added photos of cafe architecture, or meals I ate alongside my coffee, it would have really desaturated my brand.

So, stick to 1-3 types of images you share on your account, and do not stray from them. I repeat: do not stray!! If you need to post a random image, use your personal account. There your feed can be as jumbled and inconsistent as you want {I know mine is!}

3. Quality Images = Quality Coin

I mentioned the importance of high-quality content in the lesson 2 video but let's dive into that concept a little deeper.

Remember this: the type of content you share directly reflects the type of people you will attract. When you don't take the time to make sure your visuals are on point, you are effectively cheapening your brand. Again, cheap brands attract cheap customers.

On the other hand high quality images make your account appear put together, attractive, successful, even luxurious. And this in turn, attracts luxury customers. Customers that put value in high quality goods. Customers that are willing to pay premium prices to get what they want.. See what I'm saying?

So, like I mentioned before, if you don't think you're a great photographer, that shouldn't hold you back. You can use stock photos, hire a photographer, or take advantage of user generated content {UGC}

In fact, menandcoffee is strictly run on UGC {people tag #menandcoffee and I use those photos to fill my feed!} Because I have stuck so strongly to only using super high quality images, I've attracted high-end photographers who do shoots specifically for my account, as well as attracted a clientele of people willing to pay a pretty penny to be featured. {Again, high-quality images attract high-quality followers & customers!}

* One thing you must always keep in mind when using UGC is to give proper credit. It is very faux pas to use someone else's content without giving full credit, so be sure to not only tag them in your caption, but in your photo as well.
Lesson 4 Homework

Head over to the Lesson 4 thread in the Instagram Marketing Mastermind and answer the question I have waiting for you!