Why we can’t let IG be the focus of everything (for bloggers, for comparison, etc) use it the right way to engage, share beautiful content bt don’t let that be the ONLY source of inspiration and connection
I promise you one thing. I will not use this post to complain about the algorithm. I want to – but I won’t. Instead, let’s talk about how to use the platform for good. How to make the most out of it. And, most importantly, how to NOT use it.
First things first…Instagram doesn’t have to suck.
If you’re not a blogger or if you don’t use Instagram for business purposes, there’s a good chance you don’t even think it sucks. On the other hand, there’s this thing called the algorithm that basically controls how much content you see and when. Just because you follow me doesn’t mean you’re seeing my content in real time or at all. There’s not much we can do other than pay thousands of dollars for ads to fix that. No amount of begging my followers to like or comment seems to do the trick so instead of letting the low engagement get me down, I’m choosing to get back to the basics and start using Instagram for it’s original purpose. To engage and be inspired.
It’s crazy to think that just a few years ago we were happy to post our Valencia filtered shots of coffee cups. We interacted with our friends, found new accounts to inspire us and didn’t let a stupid algorithm control that. While I will continue to use Instagram as a means to serve up creative storytelling content for my business, my new goal is to not let the numbers distract me from the true purpose of the social network. To actually network. I want to interact more with my followers and find new sources of inspiration to spark creativity. I want to stop hitting publish and then quickly exiting out of the app so I don’t track the number of likes I don’t get. I’m going to comment more when I love something and share awesome content with my friends. I’m going to be social and be creative and connect with my community – and I’m excited.
And spoiler – IG isn’t the only way we can connect.
If you’re reading this, you know I have a blog. But it seems like a lot of folks forget, don’t know or prefer to just use IG. LaurenElyce.com is why I even started creating content for the gram in the first place. I’m not an Instagram model. I’m not an Instagram Influencer. I am a blogger. I write four new stories a week. Each one is published right here. I love sharing more than a few sentences especially when we’re talking about the real stuff. On top of new blog posts, I also have Facebook and Twitter accounts where I share post round ups, favorite products, etc. AND I have a Pinterest that I use often as a source of inspiration sourcing.
Oh, and did I mention there’s also a newsletter. Weekly emails delivered straight to your inbox with posts from the week and exclusive content not published anywhere else. Click here to subscribe if you haven’t already – I promise you won’t be disappointed.
So let’s connect on and off the gram. And when we’re on the gram, let’s start ignoring the numbers (for real this time) and focus more on the connections and inspiration!
