How to generate more leads using Instagram
Something I hear from people quite often is "I've stopped using Instagram as it just doesn't work for me".
I know that Instagram (in particular but social media in general) can be a very powerful generator of leads and sales for your business as it's one of my own main sources of leads and new clients. But, I also know there are things the people do incorrectly with it.
So, today I want to share three reasons why Instagram (or other social media platforms) is probably not generating the results you are looking for - either in terms of growth or in terms of followers turning in to paid clients.
Problem 1: Inconsistency
When I tell you guys you need to be consistent on social media in order to see results I really mean it.
The problem is that what I think many of your hear me say is that you need to post every day for a few weeks to start seeing results.
In reality what you need to be doing is posting every day (or even twice a day) for at least 6 months or more to be seeing results.
You have to play the long game with Instagram and you have to be consistently showing up every single day, day after day, for months and months on end before you're likely to see any sort of results with it. Trust me - I've been on Instagram for something like 8 years now and I just hit 40,000 followers - I'm telling you - it takes time!
Like with most things in life it takes a lot of time, effort and consistency to get the results you are looking for.
Problem 2: Your content is all over the place
The next issue I see often when I check out the accounts of people who complain that 'Instagram isn't working for them' is that the content they are posting is all over the place. It doesn't tell a story. In some cases it isn't all that appealing to look at and quite often it isn't directly appealing to a certain kind of client.
Remember you only have a few seconds for someone to look at your profile and decide whether or not to follow you.
Here are some practical fixes you can do to improve the chances that they will hit that follow button:
improve your profile description to talk about exactly who you help and what you do
make sure you feed looks appealing - Instagram is a visual platform and if your images look bad or don't all work together then you are unlikely to get the follow
edit your photos with the same filter
plan your grid in advance so it looks appealing (I use Later for this)
I also have a whole bunch of videos and other content about Instagram that will help you up your Instagram game so check these out:
How to use Instagram strategically
Mistakes I see designers make on Instagram
3 ways to find more design clients on Instagram
Ideas for what to post on Instagram
Problem 3: You are posting too much of other people's content
I am not against people curating and sharing content created by other designers. But I do want you to think about doing this and whether it is the right strategic move for your business.
If you are trying to build up your interior design business and be seen to be an expert within your niche then what do you think it says to your potential customers if all they see on your Instagram page are images of other people's work?
When you are first getting started it may be a necessity to be curating work of others so you have something to fill your feed but as soon as you start doing any sort of work I want you to be documenting your own work rather than posting too much work created by others.
When I was working as a designer I had a blanket rule that I wouldn't post any work of other designers. Everything that was on my page was my own design work. Yes, this meant I didn't grow as fast as some of the other big interior design accounts that shared inspiration images created by others - but the way I saw it was why would I use my own marketing channel to advertise the work of other designers - it just didn't make sense!
So have a think about whether you might be posting too much work of other designers and not enough about your own design process. If you don't have client projects you are working on yet then why not create and post mood boards, samples flat lays, SketchUp drawings, CAD floor plans - whatever you're working on!
I hope some of those ideas are helpful and PLEASE never think that Instagram won't work for you as it's just an excuse that you're using. Think about whether it's more to do with one of these reasons above and ask yourself what you could do to step up your game.
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
DO YOU WANT TO….
Improve your professionalism?
Find more clients?
Bring in more revenue?
Create better systems and processes?
Then check out my business courses and templates for designers and architects.
These courses and templates leave you with work done - not just a long list of things you need to do next. We have a really strong focus on taking action and getting things created that improve your business.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy