So you’ve asked yourself these 5 questions and determined that Instagram is the right fit for you and your business. You have the bandwidth, you know your audience, and you have goals in mind. You’re all ready to launch. How do you launch well? Avoid these 7 mistakes when creating a new Instagram account and you’ll be golden.
Read MoreThis week, I launched my podcast, It’s a Lot, where I have honest conversations about social media, parenthood, and other things that are a lot. My first guest was therapist and content creator Alaina Brubaker. Five years ago, I interviewed her here on the Serve Me the Sky blog about starting her therapy Instagram, what inspired her to start creating content, how she developed her aesthetic, how she’s grown a following, and more.
Read MoreSo you have a great idea for an Instagram account and you’re all ready to launch… or are you? 🤔 It’s easy to get swept away by an exciting new idea, but social media requires a significant investment of time, energy, and resources that you must carefully consider before diving in. Here are five questions to ask yourself before starting an Instagram account so you can be in the best position possible when you launch.
Read MoreThis fall, I’m teaching a college-level social media course at Nazareth University. The students and I are both learning lots, and it’s been a great experience so far! The midterm project I assigned was pretty unconventional for a social media class: the students had to read a book about social media from a list of five suggested titles and then review it in a traditional paper and an Instagram post or TikTok. My goal was to encourage them to think critically about the platforms we use every day in our professional and personal lives. It was fascinating to read my students’ observations, discuss the books as a class, and see the intersections between them! Today on the blog, I’m sharing a little about each book and what it tells us about the myriad ways that social media shapes our culture and our world.
Read MoreSince its inception, Instagram has not allowed users to include clickable links in captions. The result is the infamous ‘link in bio’ culture, where individuals and businesses alike encourage their audience to visit their bio and click the one link there to follow through on the desired call to action. Because Instagram only permitted one link in a user’s bio, a few different workarounds arose so users could drive their followers to multiple different calls to action. Some people optimized their Instagram bio by using third-party tools like Linktree; others (myself included) advocated for creating a hidden landing page on your own website. Now, neither of those options is necessary, because in spring 2023, Instagram added the ability for users to include up to 5 links in their bio. It’s quick, easy, and effective! Here’s how to set it up:
Read MoreIn their efforts to stay relevant and serve many audiences, Instagram keeps adapting quickly and adding new features. Instagram Collab posts were announced in late 2021, but I still see a lot of confusion surrounding this feature. This feature is particularly useful for brands and influencers, especially when partnering IRL and are looking to increase their reach online. Today, I’ll walk you through what exactly an Instagram Collab post is, when to use one, why they’re beneficial to your social media strategy, and how to create one. Let’s dive in!
Read MoreIn the past, I’ve written about why I use a scheduling tool as a social media professional. Creating and managing content, engaging with your online community, staying on top of trends and changing algorithms, reviewing analytics and adjusting your strategy–it’s a lot of work! Scheduling content in advance helps me make my social media work a bit more manageable. That’s why I was excited when Instagram released a new feature: scheduling posts natively right in the app! Here’s what you need to know:
Read MoreAs a social media strategist, one of the most common questions I get is, “How often should I be posting on social media?” Like many things in social media, the answer starts with “it depends.” It’s also evolved over the past few years as the social media landscape continues to change rapidly. Last year, I wrote about where to invest your time and effort on social media. But once you’ve decided which platforms to focus on, how do you figure out how much to post? As is often the case, quality is more important than quantity–but there are other factors at play too. Without further ado, let’s dive into social media posting frequency!
Read MoreAs a social media professional, one of the most common questions I get is, “which social media platforms should I be on?” Social media is always changing–you’ve got to keep up with the old standbys of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, then there’s pressure to hop on new platforms, and there are options like LinkedIn and Pinterest to consider. How do you know where to focus your time and effort? Social media is a ton of work, so you want to make sure your time is well spent and that you’re not spreading yourself too thin. Today I’m sharing my best advice for where to invest your time and effort when it comes to social media marketing.
Read MoreAs TikTok’s popularity continues to rise and Instagram keeps pushing Reels, it's becoming increasingly important for brands to be willing to show their face on camera in videos. Whether you’re a small business owner or a nonprofit marketing manager, showing up on camera can be a great way to connect with your audience.
But…it’s hard! It can be uncomfortable and awkward to film yourself and put it on the internet. If you’re looking to get more comfortable on camera so you can film TikToks and Reels, these tips are for you.
Read MoreDigital, Social, & Creative by Emily Hessney Lynch.
