Ah, Instagram…an infinite pool of selfies, posh meal posts, and cute puppies, am I right?

Actually, Instagram is so much more than that. When used correctly, Instagram can help your lash business thrive. You just need to figure out how to leverage the giant social media platform for business and the good news is that you’re probably already ‘on’ Instagram.

Maybe you post once a week or every hour, on the hour.

Whatever the case, sharing your stories on Instagram is one of the best ways to promote your business in today’s social media crazed world.

However, there’s a LOT of confusion around how to utilize Instagram for business and I totally get it. If you’ve only ever used social media for connecting with friends and family, it can be crazy overwhelming to even know where to start for a business.

Instead of worrying about what friends and family might think of you if you post yet another update of your kids, you’ve got other things to think about. I’m talking things that can keep you up at night.

You know, things like algorithms, hashtags, followers, DMs, stories, IGTV, Live video…that kind of thing. It’s a lot, especially if you’re new to using the platform for business and a little apprehensive about incorporating Instagram into your marketing strategy.

But not to worry, I’m going to help you understand what true VALUE is on social media.

(FYI…posting that zoomed in, up the nose shot of your client’s eye and leaving a butterfly emoji followed by “Text to Book your appointment” is NOT value).

Before we get into the good stuff, I recommend that you have a listen to episode 2 of Lessons of a Lashpreneur, where I talk about the Instagram algorithm in depth. I know, it’s not the most glitzy or glamourous topic out there, but like it or not, you need to improve your understanding of the algorithm because it WILL play a major role in how you approach your social media marketing strategy.

{If you want to listen to the podcast episode on this topic, click on the player at the top of the post. Alternatively you can watch the video below, or read on…}

1. Experiment

When we talk about “value” on social media, we need to understand what it is and what it isn’t.

Your conclusion will depend on your individual circumstances such as you, your business, and what type of content your audience wants to see from you.

To find out, you need to experiment.

So, grab your lab coat and start conducting social media experiments. If you find that one post crashes and burns, don’t fret about it.

Just because one experiment doesn’t go your way, it doesn’t mean that Instagram isn’t for you.

Before getting started with your experiments, I suggest that you carry out a full Instagram cleanse. This means unfollowing people who can’t help you to grow your business. It means removing followers that will never buy what you’re selling. I explain how to do this in episode 71  of Lessons of a Lashpreneur, so make sure you check it out (you can thank me later).

While experimenting with different posts, keep a close eye on what type of posts get the most engagement and reach.

These are the type of posts that your followers clearly love. Don’t give yourself a hard time if a post (or 20 posts) don’t get much engagement. It doesn’t mean it’s time to give up, it just means you’ve got to keep experimenting.

2. Look at the metrics

Are you tracking your metrics? If not, I’ve got some news for you. You can’t grow what you don’t know. Cheesy, yes…but it’s true. If you’re not tracking metrics, it makes it a lot harder to know what’s working and what isn’t.

So, what is good engagement? And, how can you tell if you’ve got good engagement or not?

You could scratch your head and aimlessly ponder for hours OR you can use the simple formula I’m about to show you.

The average Instagram organic engagement is 1 to 3%. That may seem pretty low but right now Facebook’s average organic engagement is just 0.1% so if you compare the two, you’re far more likely to get more organic engagement on Instagram than Facebook.

Let’s take a closer look at your own engagement. If the average is anywhere from 1 to 3% and you’ve got 100 followers, you’re killing it if you get three likes or three comments, etc.

What you can do is take the total number of likes and comments from your last nine posts and divide that number by the number of followers you have on the platform. Once you have that number figured out, turn it into a percentage by timing it by 100.

This will help you to find out how much organic engagement you get on average and by comparing your number to the average 1 to 3%, you can have a better idea of how well you’re doing.

3. What is value?

Value means different things to different people. It really depends on who your audience is. If you’re trying to target lash artists, the value you provide to that audience will be VASTLY different than if you are trying to target lash clients.

I’m going to go ahead and assume that you’re a lash artist who wants to target lash clients.

The best way to find out what lash clients want to see from you is to ask!

First, start by asking yourself relevant questions and begin brainstorming answers so that you can know what type of value you can provide to your followers so you can be seen as the authority and go-to lash artist in your city.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

• What might someone want to know about eyelash extensions?
• If someone has NEVER had eyelash extensions, what might they ask you about and how you would answer?
• What is the most common question you get asked?
• Why do YOU love eyelash extensions?
• Why does your favorite client love eyelash extensions?
• What are the top 5 benefits of eyelash extensions?
• What is a common belief about lashes in your city that couldn’t be further from the truth?
• How can you help a client make an informed decision in selecting a lash artist?
• What breaks your heart about some of the lash work being done in your city that you do differently?
• Is there a story about a client you can share of how your services transformed the client?

You can download all of these questions right here: www.TheLashpreneur.com/IGValue

Did any of you pick up on a running theme here?

Education is the TOP VALUE you can provide

A few key takeaways that I want you to take away from this is that first of all, you should never take a single post as a definition of whether an entire platform works or not.

Next, you need to STOP listening to all of the other Debbie downers online who say Instagram doesn’t work. What do they know, right?

Those that say Instagram doesn’t work – AREN’T GETTING CLIENTS OFF THE PLATFORM – so why would you take their word over the 25 million businesses that do use Instagram to market themselves?!?!

Another key piece of advice I have for you is to look at successful business owners and lash artists who you aspire to be like and see if they’re utilizing these platforms to market their business. Because if it works for them, it can work for you too.

Join the Momentum Mastermind!

We have a special announcement! We have a new program launching in January of 2020 that is just for those of you high level Lashpreneurs. This elite coaching experience has been created for individuals who are doing six figures or more in their business and are looking for an opportunity to scale.

Are you interested?!

Visit thelashpreneur.com/momentum to sign up for our waitlist now!

Happy business building!

Have a good one!

Tara Walsh

The Lashpreneur