What’s Not Working on Your Instagram Account? Here’s How to Find Out & Improve Your Business Strategy

Today we’re going to get into all things related to the ‘gram. Sure, you’re good about consistently putting content out there, but are you actually making sure it’s working for you? If you’re putting effort in without seeing much of a return on your time investment, it might be time to start rethinking your strategy. 

In case this is your first time tuning in, let me introduce myself. Reporting from my laundry office in small-town Illinois, this is Virginia Kerr. And I’m here to help you stand out and make money by leveraging and up-leveling your social media videos. I’ve been in the TV and video industry for more than 20 years. Four TV newsrooms, hundreds of videos, blogs, and podcasts later, I’m here to share what I’ve learned with women ready to get the most out of their hard work. 

Does video intimidate you? Make you want to hide? I’m excited to help you push through your limiting beliefs and show you that you can shine on video! I’m closing the gap by teaching you easy systems and sharing templates that help your videos get in front of your ideal clients. 

Welcome to This is Virginia Kerr, The Podcast! Let’s get started!

How to Evaluate Your Account

To know if your content is reaching new audiences and connecting with current ones, you need to examine the analytics of your content as well as your account itself. Let’s start with your bio; it’s small but mighty. Make sure your name is in there, as well as a photo of you in the profile picture. People want to know you and that they’re not buying a service from a catfish. Your bio should be short and to the point, aimed at your ideal client.

Your highlights should be reflective of your bio, directed at your ideal client, and offer more information about you. They also need to highlight the problem you or your offer solve, as well as testimonials from current and past clients. They need to be up to date too, so people aren’t missing out on your most recent testimonial because they’re cycling through videos from 2 years ago. 

Next, take a look at your grid of photos. Is your offer obvious in the first 12 posts? That’s the view a newbie gets as they explore your content, and many times that view is the deciding factor as to whether or not they’re going to stick around. Make sure your pictures are curated and compliment each other and further solidify your offer.

Monitoring Engagement is Crucial: The Bottomline

It’s no secret I recommend posting stories 5-7 days a week, depending on where you are with building your brand. But here’s a little secret many don’t know- the more followers you have the less reach you have with your stories. Here’s the breakdown:

• 10,000 followers or less – 6.2% reach
• 10k-50k followers – 5%
• 50k-200k followers – 2-3%
• 200k+ – 1.5%

Making sure you’re hitting or surpassing the average for your following is vital. The stats will tell you if you need to overhaul your strategy or keep doing what you’re doing. Keep track of not only views but also participation. Are people actively DMing you, or participating in polls? 

If you post a carousel post, are people swiping through till the end? If not, you need to work on producing more compelling content to get them scrolling through to the last slide. Here you want to monitor comments, saves, and shares to inform your content going forward. If something is working why potentially break it, but if you notice engagement is lacking, it’s time to try some different strategies.

Reels and IGTV have their own barometers for how you’re doing, and I go into them in detail on the latest episode of This is Virginia Kerr, The Podcast and of course, my program This is Video School. Hint, hint. 

Consistently posting will go a long way in maintaining your audience and finding new followers, but only if you make sure it’s doing what you need it to do. Evaluation and evolution of strategies based on the stats is a vital component of your brand strategy as you grow your business. Don’t take anything personally, and remember that even if your content isn’t working the way you want it to, it will. You just have to adjust. 

If you liked what you learned here, head on over to Instagram and share it on your IG stories and tag me, @thisisvirginiakerr

For more information about the podcast, or to learn more about This is Video School, visit my website. I would love to connect with you more on social media! You can find me on Instagram or join my free Facebook community, This is Video and Content Strategy, to help you level up your branding, messaging and video so you can grow your audience and convert followers into customers.

I look forward to seeing you there!