Using Instagram to Connect with New Readers

I’m new to using Instagram for business purposes and decided to run a little experiment.

Here are a few questions I’ve asked this past week. I shared my answers as part of the post but didn’t really get the response I was after. I’m thinking next week I’ll add my response to the comments section to see if the response is better.

What was your dream job growing up? #questionoftheday When I was little my only ambition was to get married and be a mommy. ^_^ Once I was in Junior high I grabbed onto being a Pediatrician and stuck with that until my Freshman year in College. (changed to Psychology then to Nursing) I finally graduated with a Biology degree only to determine I dislike medicine. ^_^ After children I did study to become a Doula which matches my heart more, but after my second son was diagnosed with Bipolar which doesn't really work with being on call for Mommies. While my boys were growing up I was mainly a stay-at-home mom with little bits of working as a File Clerk, Receptionist, and Data Entry clerk. (Temp agencies) I pursued my hobby - crocheting - for a while but decided against it as I was starting to lose the enjoyment in it as business sucked the life out of it. (for me) Now, I am a virtual assistant which concentrates on many of the things I enjoyed about blogging/business. (Social Management, Blog management, and Autoresponder management) I'm in my 40's so it interesting to the evolution of my life "dream job".

A photo posted by Beth Duggan (@saraassistsyou) on Apr 8, 2016 at 6:21am PDT

Do you find it easy to be “social” on social media?

I am a shy introvert so being social is work for me. I find being online is easier but transferring my personality onto the screen can be tricky. I find that I either appear robotic or over excited which seems fake.

Posting these type of open-ended questions helps me get to know my readers, but it also helps them know me. It allows people to see that I’m not a robot, but someone just like them with fears and struggles to overcome.

#questionoftheday What's your biggest fear? For me, I think 'fear' is my biggest fear. It blocks so much of progress. Thinking about (fearing) an outcome only paralyzes me. I overanalyze things and eventually talk myself out of it. I have to constantly give myself pep talks.

A photo posted by Beth Duggan (@saraassistsyou) on Apr 7, 2016 at 7:18am PDT

Another experiment I am doing is scheduling posts to Instagram. I am using Hootsuite which isn’t really scheduling, rather it sends a notification to your phone to post to Instagram. I must have an auto-ignore feature in my brain because it seems that I always miss the notifications.

Do you use an app to schedule your posts? Which do you recommend and why?

Working on anything exciting lately? #questionoftheday I'm working on a few social media accounts for clients. I get to set them up and schedule posts for the month. What I really enjoy about this is learning about different businesses. A few businesses I've worked with: Custom Candy company Life Coach Financial Translator Wedding Planner Inventor Web Designer Hotel Social Manager Author Blogger

A photo posted by Beth Duggan (@saraassistsyou) on Apr 6, 2016 at 6:15am PDT

Productivity Tip: Use templates or pre-made backgrounds to save time on graphic creation

I made a set of 10 background images for Instagram. They are optimized for the network and all I need to do is add my text and logo. I use PicMonkey (affiliate link) but you can use any editing software or app.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Instagram ready backgrounds. Simply add your text and logo

Another quick tool for making graphics for Instagram is Buffer’s Pablo. Simply select the image type (Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter), choose an image for the background, and add a quote. When you are ready you can either download the image to your computer or share directly to Instagram. You can even add a Header and Caption to your image.

See sample below:

Tell me a little about you? What do you do? I'm a virtual Assistant ^_^ What do you enjoy doing? I enjoy reading and watching KDramas ^_^ What's your favorite meal? Currently, it's Kimchi with anything ^_^

A photo posted by Beth Duggan (@saraassistsyou) on Apr 5, 2016 at 6:12am PDT

Join me on Instagram @SaraAssistsYou where I share quotes, daily rainbows, and outsourcing tips