The Importance Of Your Identity

One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make is thinking they need to follow in the footsteps of those successful "stars" in their industry. It is easy to fall into that trap. You see those who are in your industry and think, "Okay, I just need to do exactly what they are doing."

Here's the thing. It is inevitable you are going to check them out and see what they are doing. In fact, if you are not, YOU SHOULD. The key is not to become obsessed. Do not copy. Do not second guess what you are doing. Don't go switching up your strategy just because a "successful" competitor does it another way. 

People have done what you are doing. The thing is, it has never been done by you. You will be your own spin on it. Your voice and identity can not be replicated. Use that to your advantage. Your audience can tell if you are being authentic or not. Authenticity is such a powerful selling tool. It builds trust, thus making it easier to make sales. 

Banned Hashtags

By now you already know the importance of hashtags on Instagram. They help reach a larger audience, especially to your target client. Instagram allows you to post 30 hashtags at once, but not all hashtags are allowed. Instagram has specific hashtags that cannot be used. Here's what to know:

• Some hashtags are banned forever

• Some hashtags are banned temporarily

• If you use banned hashtags, your account can be blocked

Always check to see if a hashtags is banned before you use it. To do so, search under tags for your hashtag. If it doesn't appear, it is banned. As you can see below, #beautyblogger does not appear. 

If you already have a list of hashtags you use regularly, check to make sure all are allowed. At times using a blocked hashtag can disable even the allowed hashtags.

Here is a list of current (2018) banned hashtags: 

What Not To Do On Social Media

Social media. In theory, it should be fun and simple. That does not mean that there isn't strategic planning that goes into the content you see. Whether you are a new entrepreneur or a veteran business owner, here are five things you should never do on social media. 

1. Only promoting your product/services. Don't be selfish. Be a resource of information, not just a seller. 

2. Posting all your content at once. While it can be tempting to post all your new content at once, don't do it. You will annoy your audience and will likely end up with a few less followers.  There are several scheduling tools that allow you to schedule your posts to go live at optimal times. Hootsuite, Buffer, and Tailwind are just a few great examples.

3. Going hashtag crazy. Hashtags are great, but they come at a price. Use too many and you look spammy. Use to few and you lose out on a higher audience. The key is to use a mix of hashtags related to your industry, related directly to your post, and to what your ideal client is checking. 

4. Never engaging with your audience. Social media is meant to be social. When your post receives comments, comment back. Like and comment on others' posts as well. 

5. Going off brand. The easiest way to avoid this is to have your brand statement and brand styling board in your sight when creating your posts. 

Instagram's Sneaky Privacy Update

Instagram recently made an update that you probably aren't aware of. You used to be able to browse Instagram without anyone know when you were online, unlike some social media platforms (looking at you, Facebook). Gone are those days, unless you change your privacy settings. 

Instagram has now released a "Last Active" update. This feature can be seen in your Direct Messages. A time stamp appears in your message and shows when you last used the app.  In addition to this, Instagram automatically enabled the "Last Active" update when they rolled it out. Luckily, there is a way to disable this feature. 

Profile - Options - Scroll down to Show Activity Status - Disable

Once you disable your activity status, you will no longer be able to see other's activity either. 

Now you can go back to scrolling on Instagram and avoiding those DMs without being called out. 

Why Your Follower Count Doesn't Matter

Remember when social media was just about fun posting and informing your followers on what was going on with you? Long gone are those days. Somewhere along the line, everyone became obsessed with how many followers they had. It has only been fueled by the programs that allow you to buy followers. But here's the thing - they aren't going to help your business. 

This is one of the most misunderstood elements of social media. Your follower count does not matter. You could have 10,000 followers but if most of them are spam or not your target client,  what's the point?  

So, what DOES matter?

How many of your followers are your ideal client. 

What good are your 10,000 followers if only 200 are people who are actually interested in your product/service? Your ideal client is actually reading your posts and watching what you are doing. The others? Not interested. 

It can be easy to be caught up in the follower number game, but do yourself a favor. Ignore it. Focus on providing content that your target audience will love and connect with. If you do so, your business will reap the benefits.