Intro: Create engagement on Instagram: my story revealed

Learn how to create engagement on Instagram by following the Instagram Insider Hacks Podcast – so easy, your mom can do it! (Click below for episode notes.)  Intro to Instagram Insider Hacks – how I figured out Instagram and got it to work for me – and how you can too!

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Resources

Follow Ruthie on Instagram

Check out Ruthie’s book “Empty Nest Awakening”

Listen to Ep. 64: Building A YouTube Channel From Repurposed Content

Listen to Ep. 61: Combining Instagram and email marketing in 5 smart ways

Intro: Instagram can work for you; my story revealed

Have you tried to make your space on Instagram, only to be discouraged? Wondering how to create engagement on Instagram? Are you thinking “Been there, tried that, it’s just not my space”?  Or perhaps you’ve become so discouraged that you’re paralyzed, not knowing what to post? maybe you think it’s just not worth your time.

If this is the case, I totally get you. I was there myself before – before I quit three times. However, Instagram intrigued me. I wanted to make a go of it. I liked the transparent photos, the different connections on the platform, and the possibilities to show more of my personality in stories.

If you haven’t been on IG for a hot minute, you may not know that the platform changes at the speed of light.  Literally – new features present themselves every week – it’s enough to make your head spin!

If you stay on top of it, you can make the platform work for you.  But if you don’t…well, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone in your corner?  Someone in the loop that shows you those new features and explains how they can benefit your brand and message? And the tech for how to use them?

Instagram may not be for everyone, but I figured out how to make it work for me. And I’m pretty sure it can work for you too!  In fact, if you follow my advice, I guarantee it will.

And oh by the way – the term, “So easy your mom can do it”?  Well, that’s my generation – the empty nester 50-60’s-sh sister who’s been told “You must be on Instagram to get your book, product, etc, out!”

In other words, I”m your mom.  Remember the “your mom” jokes?  Yeah…that’s me.  But judging, from the clients I’m getting, it’s you too.  You are me.  Here’s how that translates:

It seems that my followers are either:

My age (the mid-life empty-nesting mama)
An old soul (younger than my age but Instagram confuses you)
A social media hater but you’ve been told it’s a necessary platform

Taking the pivot; learning to create engagement on Instagram
Back to quitting Instagram 3 x – on the 4th time the thing I did differently was start using stories. once I tapped into the magic of stories, I realized the potential was definitely there.

To grow my audience, platform, connectivity into true fans and followers.

I began to be consistent. I shared funny things about my day. My grandkids, my husband, our RV travels. I shared inspirational quotes, funny GIFs and stickers, and even the deeper thoughts about my faith in God.

Over time this lead to deeper connections with my audience. They became interested in which doctor’s appointment I was attending with which parent ( if you don’t know by now, I just entered my 11th year of caregiving)

People became concerned about my parents help my caregiving role.

They thought my husband was funny, they thought I was funny, they enjoyed following my trips out of state – mostly to Tropical regions like Florida, but sometimes Colorado, Tennessee, South Carolina, and more.

I attended a bloggers retreat with some of my best buddies. During one of the sessions, my friend was leading, suddenly, the train of conversation turned on me and they began barraging me with questions on how I was making Instagram look so easy. It floored me at first,  but my girlfriends had noticed a change. Do you know what that change was?

Simply put, they noticed I was delivering value, humor, .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}