Dwynwen Hopcroft of Loch Ness Knitting shares five short tips to assist those who aim to aspire to do more with their Instagram accounts.
If you’ve been admiring others and wonder how to make your Instagram account more meaningful, this is the place to start. They aim to transform your account from a pretty shop front to a productive business tool.
Maybe you’ve been present on social media for a while but are frustrated at low engagement, wondering why your posts are not reaching the audience you know is out there. In these short tips I explain a bit more about what works behind the scenes and how Instagram makes some of the choices of which posts to share and not!
Social media has great potential to introduce you to a new audience and to enrich the experience and connection with your existing customers. However it is not mysterious or magical, it is a tool that can be used bluntly or skilfully. There are many courses and seminars available to improve your social media marketing, perhaps you are thinking about taking on a marketing professional . These tips will provide some basic starting points to help you have an informed discussion about marketing services and seminars and consider if this is the right decision for your business. These tips will also help you to have a deeper discussion about the purpose and potential for social media marketing and your business.
FOCUS – Instagram can sometimes feel like a hungry animal that requires constant feeding, but reacting to this can lead to a messy selection of images that confuses your audience. Staying focused and planning your content helps you to stay in control of your feed.
DOCUMENT – When you start to use Instagram it can be confusing to see Instagram stars with millions of followers have super curated feeds full of glossy high production images. Be reassured that your audience isn’t looking for that! They want you, give them the behind the scenes exclusive, tease out the details in your work. As makers we are sometimes frustrated that the times, skills and experience in our work goes undervalued. Here is the place to show all of that in as much detail as possible.
LEAD – Your Instagram account is a business tool, not your family album or high school popularity contest. Take control of your own ‘following’ feed and reap the rewards.
BE ACTIVE – Learn how to contribute and support your creative community online without undermining your own Instagram profile.
VALUE – Learn why some post types and actions are more valuable than others on the Instagram platform.
Dwynwen Hopcroft at Loch Ness Knitting is an independent yarn dyer specialising in creating a range of sustainable, natural and hand dyed yarn using materials from the local Loch Ness area.
Telling the story of sustainability can be complex so Dwynwen uses Instagram @lochnessknit, Facebook @lochnessknitting and her YouTube channel Loch Ness Living to provide audiences with more details of how her work is inspired and created.
Loch Ness Knitting reaches a wide audience, from pure yarn enthusiasts to those with a sentimental connection to the area, many planning their visits years in advance. Dwynwen actively collaborates with other businesses to create products, content and broaden audience reach. She also gives freelance advice on how to manage and improve social media content and layout, how to optimise paid for services such as Facebook ads and open up new revenue streams via social media channels. Contact Dwynwen by email lochnessknitting@gmail.com.
