Oh, the swipe up. The coveted bonus you receive upon reaching the 10k follower mark.

Someone once hired me to grow their account to 10k just so they could have this feature.

But the truth is, when you know how to break down a sale simply, it just becomes a nice little bonus.

The sale always begins with your content.

Without relevant, valuable, and connected content for your unique ideal client – no ones going to swipe up anyways.
⠀
The next step is to actually invite them to work with you (or my personal favorite, to download your free offering so they can be put into an email marketing funnel that nurtures the relationship further.)

Here are some other ways to support someone in making the next step with you without needing to say the words “swipe up.”:

1. “Slide into the DMs,” as they say, and invite them to slide into yours.

This is ALWAYS (even with the swipe up) the best way to sell. Especially as coaches. Having a connection before purchasing a high ticket item is pretty necessary at this point, and I find DM’ing to be the most effective way for both the algorithm and the individual.

Just tell them to drop YES in the comments if they want it so you know to DM them the link.

Or you can just tell your peeps to send you a DM if they want a link to something and you can respond with it.

Either way — DMs are where you start conversations and build stronger relationships. (And, while we’re at it, it’s also where you leverage the algorithm.)

I talk more about that here.

2. Give step-by-step directions in your call to action.

Walk them through every step they’ll have to take to eventually get them to do what you want them to do.

For example….

To download your step by step guide for landing 2 new clients in 7 days just…

• Tap the link in my bio
• You’ll see 3 link options, click the one called “2 new clients in 7 days!”
• Fill in your name and email address
• And it will be in your inbox in 5 minutes or less!

This works with purchasing, subscribing to podcasts, liking posts, and more.

3. Creating content that give people more of an opportunity to experience YOU and your value.

This might include…

• Facebook groups
• Free challenges
• A series of training videos that people opt-in for
• Free guides

If you create content that solves problems, you won’t need the “swipe up” to get them to want it.

This is an example of paying attention to your CONTENT so you can impact people powerfully and get them to take action.

4. WATCH YOUR WORDS!

When what your client needs and what you share matches – that’s when the magic happens. Spending time getting to know your audience and the language that they use is a content strategy in itself.

Read the captions of your competitors to get a feel for what your ideal client is asking for, then create content to support what they want.

If you’re solving their problems and demonstrating your value with your content — you can move the needle without a fancy swipe up feature.

 

For content strategies that help you create a stronger impact, go here ==> whatthehecktopost.com

A few months ago, Instagram started testing the user experience of a feed where we cannot see how many likes everyone else is getting.

Meaning… you can see how many likes your images get. But no one else can.

I wrote a blog about what this means for your business here.

Earlier this week, we learned that Instagram is now expanding their testing to more countries including Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand!

So why am I telling you this?

Well, personally, I think this is a GREAT idea and I hope they roll this out worldwide.

It will take the pressure off of us to create content for likes.

Plus, it means we’ll have to focus on ALL aspects of engagement and not just “liking.” (Those of you who know me well know I call this MEANINGFUL INTERACTION, or M.I., and I have a list of at least 9 ways the algorithm tracks engagement that is worth WAY more than a “like”, particularly if you have a business.)

It also means we’ll have to think about how we get discovered.

As Instagram changes their features, one thing they’re paying special attention to is their search engine.

Now — more than ever before — we can get discovered by those we can best serve.

And as the platform changes, making sure we check off all the boxes and that our page is in a position to TRAVEL will become more important than ever.

So today, we’re answer thins question: What are 6 ways we can leverage the algorithm so we can be found on Instagram by people we can help?

Watch the video for 6 tips.

Love,

Sophia

PS: For weekly content strategy, go here ==> whatthehecktopost.com

I’m going to be doing a few big presentations on the algorithm over the next few months so I wanted to give you some details about what we’ve been finding so you can leverage it for your own content and business. 

Currently, my algorithm presentations are exclusive to a few events that I’m speaking at but if I get enough requests, I might decide to do a live webinar before the end of 2019. Email me and let me know if that’s on your wish-list!

Anywho — back to getting you algorithm-approved!

TIP 1: The IG algorithm predicts how much you care about a post based on what you “like.”

This ain’t new, but it’s worth mentioning. 

Instagram’s algorithm pushes content that it thinks you’ll want to engage with based on past behavior on similar content.

This is why posting traffic focused content (content with the goal of getting likes / comments) is so important. [Hence why I share so many quotes and engagement focused prompts in What The Heck To Post!!]

If you make it easy for people to engage, this signals to the Instagram algorithm that your post is quality, engaging content that more people will want to see. 

That doesn’t mean you need thousands of likes to get the Instagram algorithm on your side, you just need to try to get more than your average and work up from there!

TIP 2: Post consistently.

Even if that means once every 3 days — just be consistent about it. If not, you will lose your regulars and have to build yourself back up again.

[After 6 months of not posting on my page, this is what I’m going through right now!]

When you post consistently good content, you’ll not only improve your engagement but you’ll tell the algorithm that you’re a quality account which makes it more likely that you’ll show up in discovery tabs.

Plus, you’re just increasing your chances to get in front of people, which keeps them active with you (again, good for the algorithm. View tip #1!)

That said — DO NOT JUST POST FOR THE SAKE OF POSTING.

This is something I’m going to talk a lot about in coming months. But really do give thought into what people WANT or NEED from you.

Ultimately your content cannot be decided by you, it has to be decided based on your target market. 

TIP 3: The algorithm favors people you have a relationship with.

“Relationship” is determined based on something I call M.I. [Meaningful Interaction.]

So here’s a tip:

Don’t comment or respond to comments without the conversation in mind. 

For instance — let’s say someone comments on one of your images with a heart emoji.

Don’t respond back with another heart emoji!

Respond with a question like… “Did this resonate?” or “What do you think about this?” or “Have you heard of this before?” etc.

Start a conversation.

This makes it more possible for them to respond back, which — on the algorithm end — makes the relationship analytically stronger. [It also makes the relationship in REAL life stronger, for the record!]

To increase M.I., also comment on other profiles’ posts! Here’s training to help.

TIP 4: Be consistent with your vibe

I gotta be honest, I’m not one of those social media strategists that thinks you have to spend so much time on the look of your feed.

I think it’s awesome when a feed is beautiful! 

But being worried about what things look like can get in the way of your consistency.

HOWEVER — on the flipside, and with today’s algorithm — I also think it’s important to have a branded look so that — if your content does show up on someone’s feed they recognize it and know to absorb it!

For instance, I love @MindBodyGreen.

When I’m scrolling — if I recognize a @MindBodyGreen post — I stop to read it.

And I can tell from a mile away if it’s a @MindBodyGreen graphic, even though there’s no person or face or even brand colors associated with it.

It just has a recognizable vibe.

Since M.I. is so important in today’s algorithm, this is where I think branding becomes important.

If people like the stuff you post, it can be a reason for them to want to stop and absorb it, which will give you more traffic.

I think it also demonstrates to NEW followers that you’re a business with something to say on a consistent basis. There is INTENTION on your feed and I do see value in that.

TIP 5: Post when your audience is online.

Use Instagram’s insights to find out this information, or an app called WHEN TO POST which has a ⅖ star rating, but I really like it!!! 

Cool.

That should get you started. 

Come back to this space next week for tips on the IG story algorithm! 

XO,

Sophia