Over the next couple of weeks, I will be discussing with you about how to grow your Instagram and the necessary steps to keep your following growing at all times. Sounds good right?!

So many people jump head first on social media, especially Instagram without taking the time to actually research and understand each step that is needed to make sure they are successful on the Instagram platform.

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Instagram is a great a very popular social media tool and has been named the fastest growing social network. You want to make sure that your business is getting the most out of what Instagram has to offer. One way to establish this is knowing who you’re talking to and how to grab their attention.

Knowing that Instagram is the fastest growing social media network, then you most know that you are completing with thousands to get your business to stand out. That’s where this post will help you. I’m going to show you how to create a banging content plan for Instagram, which is the step that most people miss but very important.

I've even got a free workbook for you, that will assist you with creating content and guide you through this post that you can download and print out. Sound good?

Download your workbook here:

Okay, let’s do this! *fist bump*

STEP 1: WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?

Just like a business plan, your content plan is a very important part of growing your audience on Instagram. One of the first steps that people tend to overlook on Instagram and especially in their business is identifying their ideal audience. But why do you really want to do that? What advantage would you have?

When you identify your ideal audience, it makes it easier for you to create content and easier for your audience to find you. I think that’s what you call a classic win-win situation.

1. What are you selling

First think about what you are selling. You really want to understand your product or services before creating content. Briefly explain your product or service.

2. Identify goals of your ICA

Now think about why you created it? What advantage does it have over your competition? Why would someone want your product or services?

STEP 2: WHO WANTS THIS PRODUCT

Your business won’t be for everyone and it shouldn’t be. Your services or products should only focus on one particular market. Now this isn’t to say other’s won’t purchase what you have to offer but you want to make sure that you are attracting the right people.

Answering these questions

1. How old is your ideal customer? (Age)

Determine which age range your ideal customer falls in. Reframe from placing a 20 or 30 year age range in this category as a20 year-old won’t be attracted to the same thing as a 50-year old would.

2. Gender

Pretty self-explanatory when it comes to create your ideal customer. Who will benefit most from your business, males or females?

3. Occupation

Is your customer unemployed or do they work 50-60 hours a week? Understanding what they do in their everyday lives is great to determining relatable content and good times to post.

4. Hobbies

Identifying your ideal customer’s hobbies is a good way to relate to them when it comes to posting your content on Instagram or any social media platform. Think about what they would most likely like to do and use that to your advantage.

5.Lifestyle

This is a very important factor when identifying your ideal customer. What do you think their lifestyle is like? Is your ideal customer a stay-at-home mother? Then you may guess her life is chaotic and juggling her home, fitness, children, husband, and other personal needs.

6. Martial Status

Though there’s actually no way of knowing if your audience is single, married, or divorced, it’s still important to identify this aspect of their lives. By knowing this information, it will be easier for you to create content based off of pain points.

7. Interest

Again, you may have no idea what they like but what do you think they would like? Remember this is your ideal customer based on your services or products.

Are you selling fitness products? Then you may can guess your ideal customer loves running, watching health eating programs, or learning about the newest gadget that keeps track of your steps.

STEP 3: RESEARCH YOUR COMPETITION

Unless you just invented a new product or service that will take the world by storm, then most likely you will have competition. It’s important for you to research your completion to see what they are doing currently.

1. Identify their strengths

Determine what’s working for them and how you can incorporate some of that aspect in your content. This should be a good inspiration for your own unique content.

Understand that incorporating some ideas that are working for your competition is not a free pass for your copy their work. Copycats are frowned upon and your followers will identify you as unoriginal. You don’t want that.

Sometimes it can get a bit discouraging when you are researching your competition and you notice how far behind you are in comparison. Know that your competition had to start someone and was once in your position.

Being consist and creating a plan for your success will get you to where you want to be in no time. This content creator will assist you with getting there even faster so stay focused and getting going.

2. Identify their weakness

I love this aspect of researching my competition. Though I get inspiration for a ton of accounts, I also get to identify what they are lacking and incorporate it into my own content. It’s a great way to set yourself apart from those in your industry.

STEP 4: IDENTIFY YOUR CONTENT

1. How will you monetize your business

It’s great that you have a product or service to sell but just simply selling that one services (i.e. copywriting) or product (i.e. mugs with quotes) won’t completely be enough.

You need to determine additional methods to make income for your business. It has been said that most millionaires have 7 streams of income. Though starting out, 7 may or may not be too many to juggle, adding different streams is a must to sustain.

Write out 2-3 additional methods of income to add to your business.

Now that you have completed this entire content plan, take all the information you have gathered and create your content based off of this. Each post you have should relate to what you have identified above.

You should have a good idea of when to post based on your ideal audience occupation and what to post based on their lifestyle and hobbies.

For example, you wouldn’t post an image of a 60 minute daily bootcamp with a stay-at-home mother as an ideal customer at 12 AM. That doesn’t fit your target. If your selling fitness, then post things that can be incorporated in their lives that are quick and easy.

Okay, now you’re on your own, my friend. By doing this, I know that you will be on your way to attracting your ideal followers and transition them into customers in no time.

If you’re still super eager to learn how to grow your Instagram following then I’ve got something MAJOR coming for you in a couple of weeks. Make sure you sign up for the free Instagram Content Planner so that you are notified when the details are released.

ALREADY IDENTIFIED YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER, THEN WHAT ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITH ON INSTAGRAM? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.