Influencers. Brand Ambassadors. Raving Fans. It's called influencer marketing and it's the buzz on every business's list and toping every marketing budget.
But when you're a small business, every dollar counts. So is influencer marketing worth your while or is there anything you can do to take advantage of this latest marketing trend?
Read MoreIt sounds weird - for a business owner to "brand yourself" - but in fact, whatever you do in business, it's now your job not to only sell what you do, but sell who you are. I mean, with over 2 BILLION people on social media, how else do you expect to actually stand out?
Because in fact, no matter what kind of business you have and whoever you are, you are a walking personal brand. Yup! Your personal brand is what people say about you after you have left the room.
Read MoreWhether you are a blogger or a business owner, getting a perfect eclectic Instagram feed - one that is cohesive and branded - begins with understanding YOU. This is about understanding your Instagram aesthetic - the NUMBER ONE thing that will attract your followers - and making sure it portrays YOUR aesthetic.
Algorithm updates - they happen so often that you almost want to ignore them...that is until you realize that NOT knowing and applying these important updates to your own Instagram marketing will keep you STUCK, NOT growing, and buried in a feed of millions of other posts.
But these updates are hard to ignore as they are stealing your Instagram experience, keep you from your followers, and resulting in feeling unliked and not knowing why.
So as an update on "How To BYPASS the Instagram Algorithm" post, please read this post carefully and apply it as soon as possible. At first glance it will seem as though Instagram is against you and trying to steal your insta-joy - but THANKFULLY - Instagram really wants to create an authentic and more valuable connection for you and your followers. Many of these new changes are to avoid comment bots, Instagram "pod" comment groups, and other previous sneaky tricks used by people to NOT work. (yay!)
Read MoreThere's a new influencer in town, and it's called a MICRO-INFLUENCER. Let's hear it for the small brands, the people with the smaller following on Instagram and other social media platforms. It turns out size doesn't matter - or at least in the way that you think.
Traditionally, it has been the goal of most people on Instagram to pursue a large following. Known as a "macro-influencer", people with hundreds of thousands to millions of followers produce a pavlov dog response in people trying to make their own impact with their social media feed. But now, in a time when people - consumers - are starting to get picky - picky on what they want to buy, brands they trust, and now turning to reviews and recommendations from friends over big box options - there never has been a better time to stand out as a smaller brand.
Read MoreYour brand story. It's a confusion to many whether you are a fashion blogger, a coach, or a fitness instructor, you have a brand story. It's not just your own story and it's not the creative and cohesive design on your website - it's actually a STORY that is told through the art of words and images.
As a business strategist AND a creative writer, blogger, and stylist, I've seen people talk about design. And I've seen people talk about business tactics. But few are actually talking about the how to combine the two and use it in your actual marketing - how to tell your brand story on social media.
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