Instagram users engage with 4.2 billion posts on Instagram every day. And if you are actively using Instagram for network marketing, your post could easily be one of them.
For many, Instagram is still a new platform. But you’d be surprised to know that it’s the third most popular social media platform after Facebook and YouTube. So, if you are already on Facebook and YouTube, and aren’t getting the amount of traction you’d like to see, I suggest exploring Instagram for network marketing.
Why Use Instagram for Network Marketing
Not everybody is on Instagram. Instagram is still not as saturated as Facebook. This means there’s a lot of potential on Instagram to grow your brand organically.
Apart from this, there’s a lot of potential in Instagram for Network Marketing:
Visual Platform
Instagram is a highly visual platform. And visual is one of the best ways to cut through the clutter and really get your audience to take notice of your products. This is excellent for Network marketers as you can showcase your lifestyle, products and events, add hashtags related to what you have to offer e.g. #skincare, #redlipstick, #proteinshake
Less Distrust
We all know how most people approach network marketing. With a pinch of distrust.
According to Psychology Today, Instagram is the happiest social media platform because there’s little of those bashings you see on Facebook. Instagram’s latest algorithms are actually created to put a stop to online bullying. When someone wants to post a negative comment, Instagram’s AI will make out if it’s offensive. Before the user posts the comment, the AI will ask, ‘Are you sure you want to post a comment?’, giving users the chance to reflect on what they post.
Network marketers can really do with some positivity. You will probably see a lot less of,
‘The baby should be taught some manners.’
‘This XYZ spa made me wait 2 hours because I didn’t get a prior appointment. Don’t go there’.
Attraction marketing
Attraction marketing is a brand new strategy for network marketers. That’s because it works. In Attraction Marketing, you basically approach prospects from a different perspective. Instead of contacting your prospects, you get them to contact you.
How?
You make your brand and yourself so attractive that others want to follow you. And Instagram is all about attraction. That’s why Instagram for Network Marketing makes so much sense. All those stunning pictures will get your viewers to pause scrolling for a while and be inspired. That’s when you engage and connect with them. Bring them a step closer to sales.
Despite all this, many businesses are still not exploring the potential of Instagram. When I asked, the most common responses were:
- I don’t have the time.
- I don’t know what to post.
- How do I take those stunning pictures?
- I don’t even know what are hashtags?
- How can I achieve growth on Instagram?
Well, if you are ready to give it time, I can help you overcome the rest of your reservations and really start using Instagram for Network Marketing:
Instagram Growth Tips for Network Marketing
Using Instagram for Network Marketing can really be the game-changer with these tips:
Your Instagram Bio
Let’s start with the basics: your Instagram bio. This is where you tell your audience about yourself. It’s your bio that will give context to all your photos.
Here’s how to prep your bio for optimal results:
Your Photo
Your photo is probably the first thing your prospects will see when they view your profile. Show them a picture of you. You want them to see you, not your brand. Putting your brand up there comes out as sales-y or pushy but a selfie builds connection. It comes across as more approachable and personal.
The username
Your username can be 30 characters long. As a network marketer, you should be promoting yourself here and not your brand. I recommend you use your name. You could add a break and write network marketer after that, but I don’t suggest it mainly because of all the negative energy around MLM businesses. Word it cleverly if you want to use Instagram for Network Marketing success.
Your bio
Use your bio to tell your prospects a little about you, why they would want to follow you and a little about your MLM business. See how Alicia Calascione has done it.
She doesn’t use the word network marketer but manages to get enough interest for her prospects to want to check out her website.
Website
If you have a website for your MLM business, you should be putting it here. You could edit the website to show different pages on your website. For example, new blog posts or new product launch.
For websites, there’s also an option of LinkTree. With LinkTree, you can direct your viewers to a landing page that offers a number of options. This benefits your viewers to then be able to have direct access to what they are looking for. But it also supports you as Instagram only allows one link via your profile, but when using LinkTree, you can offer your audience with multiple choices. I strongly suggest adding links to your private Facebook Group, your blog or personal website, your products, a contact page to get in touch with you and an about me section, so viewers can connect with you further and see exactly what it is you can support them with.
Instagram Posts
Since Instagram is a highly visual platform. Good pictures make up a good impression. This isn’t really hard to achieve.
How to Take Stunning Pictures:
- Invest in a good camera. Even your phone camera will work if it’s a good quality one.
- Create a good composition. The golden rule of composition is to think of your picture as a two by two grid. Place your main element where the four lines in the grid meet. And the best place is the top-left point.
- Retouch your photos. Filters are here to make our Instagram lives easier. Use them. You can take your editing skills one notch higher by downloading the Adobe Lightroom CC to edit your pictures.
- Create Your Unique Look: Have you come across an Instagram profile where all images have the same feel and colours? If you are wondering how they manage to do that, it’s because they have use presets or filters. You can create and save your preset in Lightroom. Later, when you are planning to put in a new picture, apply the saved filter on the picture for a consistent brand image. If creating filters isn’t your thing, you might want to purchase pre-made filters. And simply create a stunning theme with just a click.
Instagram Posting Strategy
Before you start posting on your Instagram feed, get a strategy. Think of the what, when and why of your content.
What are you going to post? This is where most people draw a blank. What to post on Instagram? Ideally, only 20% of your content should be sales content. The rest should be informative, entertaining or helpful.
Think of your target market. What do they want to know? What makes them laugh? What do they need help with? Answer these questions with your posts.
Also, even though Instagram is a very now and here kind of platform, most experts plan their content months in advance. You should do that too. Creating a plan not only saves time, but it also steers your brand into a direction.
Pro Tip: Take 5-10 pictures every day. Every time you go out, make it your mission to take at least 5 pictures. They don’t have to be yours. You see a beautiful pattern. Snap a picture. You see something odd. Snap another picture. Make it a practice. You don’t have to post them all together. Think of these as your Instagram resource library.
Hashtags
If there’s one thing you shouldn’t miss on Instagram, it’s the hashtags. To understand the importance of hashtags, I suggest you do a little experiment. Post two pictures. One without hashtags, and one with 10-15 hashtags of your relevant industry. The next day, check the insights for both your pictures. This moment would be your eye-opener on the importance of hashtags, trust me.
Hashtags make you searchable on Instagram. When you use a trending hashtag, you get more eyes on the picture. Plus, it helps you become part of a conversation. And that’s what social media is about, isn’t it?
The next question you will probably ask is, what hashtags to use and how many on Instagram for Network Marketing?
Most experts recommend using 10-30 hashtags. But don’t go above 30 because that looks spammy. Do a little research. Check out hashtags your competitors are using on Instagram for Network Marketing. There are also websites you can use to help you with your hashtag research. There’s Rite Hashtag and All Hashtag. And because you will probably be using a lot of the same hashtags, create a hashtags list and save it somewhere accessible.
I recommend dividing your hashtags into three categories:
- Brand relevant
- Industry-relevant
- Content Relevant
So for example, you are promoting a skincare brand. You post a picture of your skin routine. Some content relevant hashtags would be beautiful skin, skincare routine, skincare review, feeling happy. Industry hashtags would be organic skincare, skincare products. Brand relevant hashtags would be naming the brand or any hashtags your brand recommends or has used in the past.
Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are inspired by Snapchat, where you can post short 15 second videos or photos. Every Instagram expert will recommend that you use Instagram stories, especially if you don’t have a very large following. Why do these stories work?
Instagram stories are displayed at the top of your Instagram feed. Unlike the photos you post on your Instagram feed, your stories aren’t affected by any complex algorithm. These are shown in chronological order. So, if you keep uploading stories on a daily basis, you will be seen more often.
So, what should you be posting on your stories? Here are a few ideas:
- Share Personal Stories: Introducing a new product or flavour? Working on a new project? Give your followers a look into the inside. This is a way to really build that connection.
- Do a Poll: Polls do well with increasing engagement. Make these very simple. Relate them with your industry. For instance, if you are working with protein shakes. Ask them peach or coffee, which flavour do you like? Remember, people don’t have a lot of time. Ask a question where they don’t have to think for more than 10 seconds. Because your video is going to move off their screen by then. So, no brain teasers.
Instagram Highlights
You might already know that Instagram stories don’t stay on your feed for more than a day. After 24 hours, they magically disappear from the top bar. But that doesn’t mean they are deleted. You can still access them and have your viewers see them too.
That’s where highlights come in.
Instagram highlights are basically stories you still want your viewers to see. They become these little icons below your bio, so basically, these are a great way to offer a visual bio to your followers.
Think of highlights as the tabs on your website. What are the basics you offer? For instance, your MLM business relates to travel. You might want to create tabs for the places you offer travel for. Like Disney World, Holiday Deals, Budget Deals, and Corporate.
User-generated content
Did someone just tag you in a photo on your profile page, raving about your product or service? If you aren’t using that free content, you are losing an opportunity here.
Posts by other users lend your brand credibility. 85% of the users consider User-generated content (UGC) to be more reliable than branded content. When you regram that photo, your prospects are going to think, ‘If XYZ person lost so much weight through her program, this means it works!’
It’s called word of mouth marketing; the best kind of marketing there is.
Plus, you aren’t spending your time, energy or resources in creating the content. You are getting it for free. You can use UGC on your Instagram feed, stories, and even your highlights.
Ideally, you should be promoting users to create that content for you. Here’s how you can do that:
- Create your own unique hashtags. Use that hashtag in all your content and get your users to use the hashtag too. You could create a giveaway around that hashtags. For instance, if your customers post a picture of them using the brand, they could win a free product or service if they used a certain hashtag.
- Ask them. Happy customers are happy to share their experiences.
Bonus: Instagram Tips for Your MLM Business
Here are a few more tips that will help you create your brand on Instagram:
- Don’t put too much effort in selling. You don’t want to come across as pushy. Instead, focus on creating a brand- you.
- Be social. After all, Instagram is a social platform. Every day, spend 20-30 minutes engaging with your target market. You can do this by following prospects, replying to comments, liking photos of your target audience or of your industry and commenting on popular posts.
- Don’t go crazy with your posting schedule. Ideally, you should be posting 1-2 times a day. Find out when your target market is online. You can check this by going to the insights tab. Click on audience and scroll down to the bottom. There’s a followers’ bar chart at the bottom which shows what time your followers were online.
- Use geotags. I don’t know why people don’t use them. Whenever you post a picture, don’t forget to add your location. Geotags helps you connect with your local audience. If that’s your target market, then you don’t want to lose another way to reach your audience.
- Lastly, my best tip when using Instagram for Network Marketing is to be consistent. Don’t ghost out. That’s the worst thing you can do to your brand. A dead profile translates as a dead brand. Remember, results will come in a few months.
