We get these questions All. The. Time. How do you post every day? (p.s. we don’t!) How do you share Reels as much as you do? Truth is we are definitely not perfect and being consistent on Instagram is hard!
It’s not about posting daily or multiple times each day. It’s great to have a goal, but entrepreneurs put an insane amount of pressure on ourselves to show up without a reason why. Why are you trying to show up every day? What are you hoping to get out of posting every day? As small business owners, we sometimes fail to think about our audience and instead choose to please the Instagram algorithm first.
Can we take a different approach please? Can we all choose to focus on our people over the algorithm? Once you agree with that, let’s talk about finding the motivation to be consistent on Instagram based on your rules— not the algorithms rules.
First, Consistency is Queen.
It’s not about posting every day; it’s about being consistent and realistically asking yourself how often you can show up and feel good about it. Here is how often we show up across a variety of our priority platforms:
- Podcast: Once a week, every Monday
- Email: Once a week— Tuesday Tips & Sips
- Instagram: 3-4 times a week and we (usually) never post on the weekends
Would we love to show up more on these platforms (and others)? Of course! But it isn’t realistic for us right now, and that’s okay! Set goals and aim for consistency. If you miss the mark one week (or two or three, or four), don’t beat yourself up. We’re all human, and everyone understands. Be authentic and let your audience know what’s going on and people will be more than happy to be there for you.
Second, Focus On Being Intentional.
If you have a busy week and you feel like you’re only posting for the sake of posting, it won’t benefit you. You’re putting fluff out there, and your audience can see right through it. Sure, every once in a while its fun to share your coffee order, but this should be a rarity.
Having intention behind consistency will give you the best opportunity for growth, engagement, and how you want to show up on that platform. In order to do this, you must have an Instagram strategy in place. Making sure that each and every post has a purpose with a clear call to action.
Here are 3 things to motivate you to post consistently
1. Share great content.
Share content that showcases your expertise. Your Instagram content should educate or entertain your audience and align with your brand. Don’t ever be afraid to share “too much”. Sharing your tips, strategies and expertise showcases your authority. Your audience will respect you more for it. When you share content that educates and gives back, the engagement will show up.
2. Engagement is the name of the game.
When people comment, engage and resonate with our content, it’s the best feeling! It aligns with our strategy, and reassures us that the content works. This couldn’t be a better motivation to keep posting. Why? Because the content works. It is receiving results and that makes it all more worth wile to post more often and reach your goals.
3. Feeling ahead and not behind— our favorite consistency tip!
It feels amazing when we’re ahead and caught up on content. We never feel motivated when we’re working from a state of feeling like we’re trying to catch up. We know you know this feeling!
When these three things are in harmony, you will find yourself more motivated to keep going rather than feeling like you’re failing. It’s a big mindset shift to view it as a new week and not get stuck in the “I’m behind” mindset.
Finally, Be Sure To Set Boundaries on the Apps
This has been so helpful for us— especially for our mindset! We set time limits on the apps, to avoid mindlessly scrolling. Doing this made us realize how often we open various social apps with no objective in mind. It turned out we were doing it more from a state of boredom than intention. It’s a terrible habit you don’t realize you have until there’s a barrier to be conscious of.
Another thing that helped us was to turn off notifications for Instagram. They are huge distractions throughout the workday because you feel like you need to respond immediately. Spoiler: You don’t! In case you are looking for more ways to set boundaries in your life— here are a few of our favorite boundary tools.
As business owners, we put so much on our plate for content creation. It’s okay to take a step back and focus on showing up intentionally and consistently. Don’t feel pressure to post every day. Instead, find a system that works for you and stick with it!
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
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And to submit a topic or a question for next week’s episode, send us a DM on Instagram! See you on Monday!
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