one girl band // using Instagram for business (+ personal)

I'm a huge fan of Instagram, as you all know. There's no hiding it. It's pretty much the only thing I use my phone for. Since launching my business, IG has been the main social media I've stuck to, as it's where I see the most results. When I made the 'shop independent this christmas' lettering last November, I had no idea it would reach the amount of people it did, but thanks to Instagram, it was propelled into cyber space, and it helped my business massively. It also taught me some valuable lessons.

The community itself is enough to make me spend hours on my phone. Full of inspiring and motivational ladies, Instagram has made it possible for me to 'meet' these wonderful people, and I love that we all speak like old friends. It's a special place for small business owners, creatives, mums, anyone!

 I know a few IG'ers have been debating opening up a separate account for their personal lives, as they've dealt with people stealing images of their children or just overall hate when they post something someone might not want on their feed (selfies are fine, don't let anyone tell you otherwise!). I, personally, couldn't do that. Not only because you have to log in separately EACH and EVERY time (no time for that), but because I want my customers to see me. I firmly believe as a one girl band, I am my brand. Therefore, I should show glimpses of personal life,if it interests anyone, as well surround them with work related images and a lettering or two.

I like to think I have a good mix of personal/business posts, although I could probably work a bit more on that, but I do think it's beneficiary for small businesses to show the 'small' in them. We're not large corporations who have a thousand employees. We're usually one or two people, working incredibly hard to create a successful career for ourselves, and products that everyone loves. People should be able to see that, as well as what we're doing on our once-in-a-lifetime day off.

Of course, it's all completely up to you. If you'd rather just post business things, go for it. You know what works for you. No one will force you to post a selfie, I promise. And if you do choose to do the mix, remember that even when you're being 'personal', don't push it. Customers don't really want to see your before and after pictures, nor do they want 6 pictures in a row of your dog (even if he is the freaking cutest thing). Make your personal images beautiful too. Beautiful content is a lot more likely to be shared, liked and commented on, which in turn increases your brand's awareness and recognition.

Learn to balance it all, and you'll see the results soon enough.

Part of the one-girl band series- a series looking at being the one-girl-band behind your small business, plus the trails and tribulations that come with being self-employed.