We all know there's a lot of outdated crap out there, so let’s talk about what your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs to have in it for this year, in 2023.
But before we go any further, I need to clear up one of the biggest misconceptions I see about creating a social media marketing strategy for Instagram:
Content is not enough to grow your account.
We love content. We love being consistent with it. But if your social media marketing strategy for Instagram is JUST posting content… we're gonna need a little bit more than that, okay?
If you want to consistently get new people into your audience, get more leads for your business, make more sales, and get more conversions, your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs to have more to it than just posting content.
There is a very big difference between posting on Instagram and using Instagram as an actual social media marketing strategy for your business. So let's talk about it.
5 Things Your Social Media Marketing Strategy For Instagram Needs In 2023
1. Your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs Instagram Stories in 2023.
The first thing your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs in 2023 is Instagram Stories. And honestly, this is probably the most overlooked social media marketing strategy for Instagram.
A lot of people are familiar with using Instagram Stories for more personal things, like showing behind-the-scenes when you're traveling, what you had for breakfast, or your cute cup of coffee. That’s great! Keep doing that, because we definitely want people to be building that personal connection and relating to you as an actual human being.
HOWEVER COMMA
I don't see a lot of people utilizing their Instagram Stories as part of their promotion plans. I cover this more in depth inside The Instagram Marketing and Sales Academy, but here are a few ideas to get you started on the right track:
Let's say you're about to go into a launch. You could try doing a pop-up presale for your Instagram Story viewers BEFORE your actual public launch.
And I know you’re probably now thinking something along the lines of, “But Nicole, there aren't that many people even watching my Instagram Stories right now.” So why don’t you try doing some fun random giveaways in your Instagram Stories to train your audience to watch them more?
You can put up an Instagram post that says something like, “Make sure you watch my Instagram Stories today because I may or may not be doing a giveaway.” Or you can put in your Instagram bio something like, “Watch my Instagram Stories for my hottest tips.” Get creative here!
Another way to use Instagram Stories as part of your promotion plans is by taking advantage of the Close Friends list feature on Instagram. You could do some sort of five day challenge for your Close Friends list only. And then, at the end of the challenge, do a little promotion just for them.
There are SO many ways to use Instagram Stories to promote your business and increase sales, but doing mini trainings is one of my favorites.
For example, I have a course that shows you how to create your own digital courses. I did ONE mini training in my Instagram Stories talking about this… and booked a $10,000 client because of it.
And if you're over there having thoughts like, “I don't know if I can use that,” “I don't really have that much engagement,” or “I don't know if I can really make sales,” I literally just said I made a $10,000 sale using my Instagram Stories.
Just ONE Instagram Story mini training gave me a $10,000 sale. It IS possible, okay?
Whenever you're feeling frustrated, discouraged, or like you're not getting the engagement you want, just remember that there ARE people watching. You (yes, you!) are on somebody's vision board this year. They’re watching. They're wanting you to show up. So keep showing up for them!
2. Your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs personal branding in 2023.
The second thing your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs in 2023 is personal branding. Because it is NOT enough anymore to just have a logo and only post pictures of your product.
People want to get to know YOU. People want actual human connection. (Wow, what a novel idea!) They want to know the face behind the business. They want to know who you are as a person. They want to see your cute dogs. They want to know where you're traveling. They want to see what's in your bag. They want to get to know YOU.
Think about it. There's a reason State Farm has Jake, Progressive has Flo, and GEICO has a talking gecko. It’s because they are putting a name and a personality to that brand. That’s what branding is. It’s a marketing strategy to help you become more memorable.
HOT TIP: Think of three to five specific things that you already love doing and be intentional about mentioning them in your Instagram content.
For example, I love traveling to New Orleans. So of course, I'm going to show you the behind-the-scenes of my trips to New Orleans. And I might do the occasional random Instagram Story saying something like, "missing New Orleans as always.”
I also really love spooky things. I have a paranormal podcast called The Real Ghost Of… (because we're an all-female sassy team, kind of like The Real Housewives Of…). I travel and hang out in old, haunted, abandoned hospitals for fun. I also have a haunted doll.
Did you notice how specific those things about me are? People know these things about me because they’re specific TO me. I'm not saying shit like, “My name's Nicole, I'm a girl boss, and I love coffee.” Because, let's face it, that describes almost EVERYONE on Instagram.
What are the things that are quirky about you? What are the things that are weird about you? And bonus points, what’s something you've always been afraid to talk about with people?
As someone who offers 1:1 private coaching for coaches and course creators, it's freaking weird that I love hanging out in old abandoned hospitals, chilling in morgues, and hanging out with ghosts. Most people probably don't like doing those things.
BUT it's also very memorable, right? lol
And if you have any hot tips on haunted places I should travel to, please send me a DM on Instagram and let a spooky bitch know.
3. Your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs shorter content in 2023.
The third thing your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs in 2023 is shorter content. Because, let’s just be honest here, everyone has the attention span of a goldfish these days. (Shout out to my fellow ADHDers! lol)
In the age of TikToks, Instagram Reels, and streaming services that don’t have commercials… our attention spans are really freaking short. And this needs to be considered when creating your social media marketing strategy for Instagram.
Please do NOT write an Instagram caption that’s continued in a comment and then continued in another comment. Because the cold hard truth is nobody's gonna read that. Even on Instagram carousel posts (the swipeable ones with text), I'll probably only read the first one to three and skim through the rest.
Pay attention to how YOU consume content, and then translate that into your own social media marketing strategy for Instagram.
What are you doing when you're on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok? When you're watching somebody's Instagram Stories, when do you start tapping next? When do you stop reading? When do you start tuning things out? When do you notice that you stop paying attention?
If you have something longer that you want to say, create a long-form piece of content. That's why I'm now doing YouTube videos and blog posts. They’re a lot easier to consume than a 10-page Instagram science report, right? Nobody has time for that. 😂
4. Your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs off-the-cuff promotions in 2023.
The fourth thing your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs in 2023 is off-the-cuff promotions because the traditional way of launching in the online business space is a whole freaking ordeal.
I think we can all grab a beer and cheers to the fact that launching on Instagram is a whole freaking thing, right? 🍻
You're planning it out months in advance. You have a whole launch calendar. You have your pre-launch period. You have your pre-sale period. And then you have your public launch period. Then maybe after the public launch, you're going into some sort of related offer that's a downsell for the people who didn't enroll. IT'S A WHOLE FREAKING THING.
When I first started learning how to launch, I was told to tell everyone in my life that they shouldn't expect to see me for the duration of the launch. I was told to have all my meals delivered so that way I’m fully present for my launch.
And I don't know about you, but I do NOT have time for that. I have ADHD and some other chronic illnesses. I don't have the energy. So here’s your big permission slip:
You don't have to do all that either.
For example, let's say you get an idea tomorrow morning and think, yeah, that sounds fun. Cool, DO IT. Don't spend a freaking month trying to make the perfect sales page.
For example, I launched a $5,000 program and didn't have time to do the sales page for it… so I put it in a Google Doc. It was literally “click the link in my bio” and the link in my Instagram bio was a Google Doc. And I still made 30k from that launch. 👀
Have fun and do more off-the-cuff promotions this year. And bonus points, this is also gonna make you a lot more relatable. People are not perfect. And it’s actually pretty unrelatable for business owners and entrepreneurs to seem like they have their shit together all the time and do not ever go through any issues or struggles. Because of course we all do!
So if you ever have an idea, and are like, oh crap, I don't have time to do this sales page…. just SAY THAT then. Why not? Go pop on your Instagram Stories and say something like, “Oh my god, I had this amazing idea this morning. I'm so freaking excited! I just need to get a couple things together. Should I announce it tomorrow?” And then let people vote. Put something engaging on there. And your people are probably gonna be like, heck yeah what is it? So then you can just say, “I didn’t have time to do a perfectly polished sales page, so it's on this Google Doc.”
Launching doesn't have to be a whole freaking ordeal if you don’t want it to be!
5. Your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs to get people off Instagram and onto your email list in 2023.
The fifth thing your social media marketing strategy for Instagram needs in 2023 is to get people off Instagram and onto your email list. Because, as much as I love Instagram, you don't actually OWN your account.
Instagram can get hacked. It can get deleted. Instagram could be shut down. It's happened before, right? We don't actually OWN Instagram. That’s why one of the top priorities to work into your social media marketing strategy for Instagram in 2023 should be to get people off Instagram and onto your email list.
Whenever you’re in between launches and working on lead generation and visibility… you should not only be priming people for whatever your next offer is that you’re gonna be launching, you should ALSO be getting them onto your email list.
Just gonna say this one more time for the people in the back:
You need to get people onto your email list! 📣
Because unlike Instagram, you OWN your email list. You can literally go onto your email service provider, print out a list of all of their names and email addresses, and then you can get back in contact with them. You can't do that on Instagram.
Want more hot tips and tricks for creating your social media marketing strategy for Instagram?
If you want more hot tips and tricks for things like creating your social media marketing strategy for Instagram, I have a quiz to help you find your badass business persona, and it's going to give you an analysis of exactly where you are in your business right now, what the next steps are that you need to take to help you get to that next level, and some free resources to help you get there.