3 Quick Instagram Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs

If you’re an online health coach, energy healer, nutritionist, or trainer who feels absolutely intimidated by the idea of using Instagram to market your business, don’t worry – I’ve gotchu covered. There are THOUSANDS of accounts showing off their seemingly (*cough cough*) successful businesses they’ve built with perfect presets – how do you get your foot in the door?

Some of my most-asked questions relating to marketing businesses via social media are the following:

My business isn’t just like every other business, so I don’t want my Instagram to look like every other (coach’s, nutritionist’s, etc…) Instagram. How do I avoid the cookie-cutter look?
Instagram is great for posting…but how do I use my platform to actually FIND real, paying clients?
I don’t have the money to promote/boost my posts…what now?

While building my business I’ve NEVER (nope, not once) paid for advertising. I’ve used social media exclusively to find, keep, and wow clients…meaning I know exactly how to help you do the same.

Read on for some of my top Instagram marketing tips for entrepreneurs!

1. Be real in your captions. People can sense artificial content from a mile away.

The number one way to scare away potential clients? Post exactly what you think they want to hear. Share only the good parts of your journey, use perfect presets, and NEVER let them see you sweat. Bonus points if you’re posting exactly what every other coach in your industry is posting! 😛

This approach doesn’t work for a variety of reasons. First, no one’s life is perfect, and your clients know that. Acting like it is means losing out on a chance to make real, valuable connections with your audience through common struggles and let them connect with you as what you are – a living, breathing person. Just because you’re a coach doesn’t mean you have to have everything figured out in every aspect of your life! Just because you can’t cook doesn’t mean you don’t kick ass in energy healing. Let your audience in on your REAL life, helping them trust you more and see that, you, too go through similar things as they do.

Not only will this help you make authentic connections, but will also help you stand out from other coaches in your industry who are stuck using the cookie-cutter approach to Instagram marketing, making it one of my top Instagram marketing tips for entrepreneurs. Your audience will trust you the most when you get vulnerable, and when you’re just being real. This has been one of the most important parts of building my brand – staying incredibly real, authentic, and vulnerable with my audience so they know I’m a real human.

2. Use hashtags intentionally.

Let me say it louder for the people in the back: STOP spamming your comments section with random, cliche hashtags just to try and boost your posts’ visibility. Not only does this look unprofessional and spammy to your followers (as well as anyone else who stumbles across your page) but limits your chances to be found by people who are actually interested in YOUR services. Don’t use the hashtag #energyhealer if you don’t specialize in energy healing, only because you think it will help you get likes and views. Choosing hashtags that your potential clients are following and searching is a great way to find clients who are looking for the exact services you’re skilled at. Research some of the top hashtags for your niche, but also THINK about which hashtags your ideal client is actually looking up. Think in HER language – not practitioner language. You can use up to 30 hashtags — put these all in the comments section so it’s not in your actual post.

Doing this will allow your posts to show up under hashtags used by potential clients, allowing you to advertise your business via the hashtag’s page without spending a dime. Plus, it’s a great way to go out there and connect with your ideal client herself!..

3. Don’t be afraid to BE in your own photos.

Looping back to number one, authenticity is SO important when marketing yourself on Instagram. Think back to the last time you’ve browsed other Instagram pages in your niche – how many pages did you see full of fun graphics, big, bright text, and a great color scheme – but not one picture of the coach’s face?

If you’re thinking “I’m a coach, not a model – who wants to see my face on my business’s social media?” you’re approaching Instagram with the wrong mindset. If you want clients to pay for services from you, it’s important to show them who you are. Posting pictures with inviting smiles that showcase your own life can completely transform the intimacy of your page and help you get valuable leads. People want to SEE the person they’re going to work with! The phrase, “It’s nice to put a face to the name,” speaks for itself.

This is one of the most important Instagram marketing tips for entrepreneurs because it’s SO easy! You don’t have to spend hours developing a new business strategy or drafting content…snap a photo of yourself doing something you love, edit it (or not!), and post it to your business Instagram with a thoughtful caption giving potential clients a glimpse of your life. This will help them connect with you on a deeper level and subconsciously encourage them to reach out! And not having a photographer is NOT an excuse – you can always take a selfie!

If you’re still feeling intimidated by using social media to market your business, I cover all things Instagram marketing IN-DEPTH in my business group coaching program, No Bullshit Business School. If you’re an online coach who wants to build a 6-figure business, you do NOT want to miss out on this course!

It’s perfect for any coach or service provider who: