The Social Focus

Wait, what?  🤔 We’re talking about Pinterest today? You got that right! We know we know, we’re Instagram for Business, but we came across the lovely Emily Parsons from @letsgetsocialagency and we knew we wanted to talk to the expert! 

To start, Pinterest is not the same platform you may be used to… what do we mean by that? Well, Pinterest isn’t just the place to find that amazing key lime pie recipe or home decor inspo. 

If you’re a business owner that sells products and or digital offerings, Pinterest, in addition to Instagram, is the place to be!

Emily is the Founder and CEO of Let’s Get Social Agency. She and her business partner, Bri are passionate about helping e-commerce businesses scale with paid and organic Pinterest Marketing. We are thrilled to share this interview with you because we truly felt like the students in this episode. 

Here are a few things we dive into with Emily:

What is the starting point for a businesses getting started with Pinterest?

Is Pinterest a platform for all businesses?

Is there a connection point between Pinterest and Instagram? Do they help grow each others following on each platform? If yes, how?

How can we utilize Pinterest with a strategy?

What are your Top 3 Tips that most people don’t know about to use Pinterest to grow your business?

We have to say, Emily delivered! Some of the biggest takeaways we found were:

Pinterest is not a social platform. It is a search engine.

Creating fresh unique content to share will serve you better in your business rather than pinning others inspirational content.

There’s such a thing as Pinterest Mindset - you’re either in the “I want to be inspired mode” or when your business hat is on, you should be in the “how can I inspire others?” mode. 

Consistency is key. And lastly, Pinterest is a SHOPPING platform. Say. No. More. 

To connect with Emily, check out @letsgetsocialagency on Instagram or online at www.letsgetsocialagency.com 

And BONUS: Access three months of group coaching when you join The Pin Method!

JOIN HERE

You will receive access to 3 months of bi-monthly coaching and lifetime access to their private Facebook group. 

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

It's another round of Fast Friday and today's question is, “when and why should I be tagging my posts?” Tagging is a great tool and resource but there are certainly times when tagging may not be appropriate. One good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “who is included or involved?” For example, if you share an image that was taken by a professional photographer, you could absolutely tag them! But let’s say you’re posting about your morning routine and tag @kimkardashian - that is a big no no and certainly won’t do you any favours (in fact, it could hurt your account). 

Tune in as we share our insights on all things tagging on Instagram. OH! And if you’d like to tag us @thesocial.focus with a screenshot of you listening to this episode, we would LOVE that!

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer in an upcoming episode? Submit yours to [email protected] and include your Name, Instagram Handle and your Question!

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

The biggest set back that most people have when approaching Social Media and content creating is that they find overwhelming.

Our key to spending less time creating is BATCHING. We have talked about this so much. But still we have listeners and even members (yup, we’re calling you out) who are not batching and using a tool to get it done. Instead, they’re spending 30 to 45 minutes coming up with a new post each day. Finding a photo. Writing and tweaking their caption. Researching hashtags, and so on.

Here’s how to start batching:

1. Brainstorm. Think about what your content themes are. Our themes are, for example, Education. Empower, Entertain. Community and About Us.  Once that’s in place, think about what you have coming up. New products. Launches. A celebration. And lastly, what has our audience engaged the most with over the past few months (so look back at your insights for 3 to 4 minutes). 

2. Planning and Outlining. Mark down what days, and time of day, you’ll be posting over the week or 2 weeks. Using an app like Planoly helps with having a calendar in front of you, and using images to get it scheduled and in place. For now, mark down the topic, and couple point forms so you know what you’ll write about. Jot down at the same time the call to action. Lastly, pull in 15 to 25 images for now. Could be Stock images. Could be images you took, or were taken by your photographer. Or could be Canva pieces. If you don’t have the Canva pieces created yet, just think of the ideas first, and then we’ll get to creating shortly.

3. Before writing out each caption, or placing your images into the right post, head into Canva and finalize those pieces. If this feels daunting, stick to 2 or 3 maximum to create. Pull those final images into your scheduling app. Keep in mind that not all apps will allow you to use Carousels. So those will have to be saved in an Album on your phone - name it A+ Canva so it’s at the top of your Albums. Next, start placing the images into the schedule. And lastly, write out your captions. Writing everything in a row will help you to move through it quicker, because you’re writing juices will be in creative flow. 

4. Completion and Release. Since you just finished up all of your captions, continue with this same creative work flow by - re-reading (preferably out loud) your captions, edit, tweak, and fix grammar. Add in your hashtags to the appropriate post. Schedule them, with reminders. Tag anyone or any companies who are involved. And there ya have it. 

And like any muscle, the more you do this, the stronger you’ll become at batching. Again, don’t be hard on yourself the first time you do this. Start with a few posts. And then set a higher goal next time. And eventually, you’ll be batching 10 posts in no time. Reminder again, set that timer so you keep on track. 

Snag our free guide on Creating Better Captions!

Follow  @thesocial.focus
@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

It's another round of Fast Friday and today's question is, "is it OK to share personal images on my business page?" Great question!

We dive in (quickly) and share our insights and thoughts on posting personal photos and posts on your business Instagram page. 

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer in an upcoming episode? Submit yours to [email protected] and include your Name, Instagram Handle and your Question!

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Reels are a unique way to reach your audience and serve them in a fast, education and or entertaining way.  When we chat about reels, we do think it is important to have a good understanding of your audience. If you don’t feel that your audience is on the reels bandwagon - it may not be the best area to invest your time in.

But, like anything; it is always worth a try! Here are five things you should know about reels:

1. Reels are the perfect feature to either entertain your audience or to educate. Of course, you can certainly do a combination (which is perfect for showing your personality) but as a business; ensuring that you are creating content that is relevant and can either offer a solution to your audience or teach them something.

2. You don’t have to create and post all at the same time. We’ve heard it before that reels are tricky and can cause a bit of overwhelm or frustration. Our suggestion would be to bank content, take little snippets here and there and then piece them together when you have a few minutes. That way you don’t miss adding as much value as possible.

When we talk about adding value we mean; ensuring that you have included hashtags / adding proper titles and keeping them in alignment on the screen, choosing trending music that is catchy and relevant and of course, posting at the ideal time for your audience. And using a video editing tool is also a great resource. We like to use InShot and Video Joiner.

3. Make sure it captures your audiences attention. Similar to a caption, there should be some type of hook right at the beginning. Using phrases like “have you ever” or “ are you looking to…” and then follow it up with informative information that serves your audience. We want to entice them to watch the full thing. 

As a bonus to this; it’s also a good strategy to get them into the caption. Perhaps you could include a promise in the reel and add text to direct them to the caption to find out more. 

4. Select music or audio that is trending and popular *while still being relevant to you content and your audience). Did you know that while you’re watching reels, you can save audio from other accounts? This is a great way to get on those trending audio bites. 

5. Hashtags. Yup, we still need to ensure we’re maximizing hashtags. Currently, hashtags that have larger uses can still work well to include. And we should mention that your hashtags should be included in the caption - not the first comment. But ensure that your hashtags are still relevant to the content you are sharing and to your ideal avatar.

So that wraps up some tips to getting started with reels. But we also wanted to remind you that going viral shouldn’t be the ultimate goal with reels -Nat shares why towards the end of this episode.

Snag our free guide on Creating Better Captions!

And be sure to head on over to Instagram and follow along @thesocial.focus
@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Today’s question is “what ratio of Stock Images to Original Content should I use on Instagram?” Great question! Stock images are an incredible tool to help fill in the gaps (and save you time)! But we feel it is really important not to overdue it on stock photos. Your audience wants to get to know you as much as possible and so original content and imagery is very important. But like we said, stock photos are a great tool (which is why our members inside Instagram for Business get 30 styles stock images every month!)

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Burn out. Overwhelm. Anxiety. Not our favourite things. But they exist. They are real. And they happen to us all. In this episode, we chat about some strategies and experience surrounding business overwhelm. What was supposed to be an interview with a special guest (sometimes things happen and plans change) we decided to take the questions lined up for our guest and ask them to each other. So yeah… we basically interview each other but promise it is a genuine and rewarding conversation that you won’t want to miss out on.  

Some of the things we share are; 

Eliminating parts of our business that no longer serve us and or give in to the overwhelm. Ang shares that a lot of the time we overwhelm ourselves to try and be everything to everyone and a lot of that stems out of scarcity (ie: “I need the money!!”) And yet, sometimes eliminating things can leave opportunity for the things we truly love to fill in the void.  

What are the signs a business owner should look for when it comes to stress and overwhelm? Nat shares that some of the signs are when we don’t feel like ourselves. Maybe we’re short tempered with our friends or family. Perhaps it’s when you start to miss deadlines. Sometimes they are just little signs that creep up. In fact, Nat had an experience in her business where she asked herself, “why can’t breath?” That heaviness. Those physical feelings. These are all major signs that overwhelm has crept in. 

Time management. One of the most important things that can make your business run smoothly. Ang shares two things she has always done in order to manage her time. One being keeping a physical notebook with her at all times and prioritizing what the most important things are that need to be done. Segmenting the tasks by time can also help alleviate stress by ensuring things that are the most important get done first. Second to that, she sets a timer. Having a timer adds a little bit of pressure but helps keep her focused on the task at hand.  

Social media overwhelm…. Yes it is real too. And give yourself grace. It’s natural and normal to take social media breaks. (Hint, this is where a scheduling app can come in really handy!) 

Saying No… does that make you cringe? Because we’re telling you, it is so empowering! Nat shares an experience of saying no - like, literally no to business. But it’s for a very good reason and didn’t hurt her business growth.  

To round out the episode, we chat about our favourite tools on Instagram as well as boundaries around social media! Enjoy the show! 

For details on our membership course and community, Instagram for Business, click below: 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW!  

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus  

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto and send us a DM!  

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We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!) 

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

Today’s question is “when should I have two separate Instagram accounts?” We get it… nobody wants to add more to their plate. But if you offer two different services or products to two different avatars; it is really important to make sure you’re speaking to them directly. 

Would you like us to answer your question on an upcoming Fast Friday? Email us at [email protected] and include your name, Instagram handle and question. 

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

In this episode, Ang is solo on the mic and sharing her experience creating her first digital offering; her online styling course.

Have you ever been asked the same questions over and over again? Is there something that people tend to come to ask you about often? Or are you looking to broaden your reach with your expertise? Well friend, a digital offering or an online course may be just the next step in your business.

Before Nat and Ang launched their online course and community, Instagram for Business, together, Ang had created and launched an online program helping her clients learn to style imagery for social media. It began as a potential way to inject revenue into her business as Christmas had just wrapped up and the winter months were her slow season.

The best part? She launched and started selling spots into her program before even creating the content. But the best part about that strategy was when her first two participants joined; it completely validated that this was a good idea.

With little to no upfront costs, she was able to map out a lesson plan, record tutorials and videos using programs like Canva, Keynote and IMovie and host it for free in a private Facebook Group. She was able to accept payment through her business website that had PayPal capabilities and for local participants accepted e-transfer.

Using the Facebook Group provided the opportunity to drop out the scheduled lessons as well as check in utilizing the Facebook LIVE feature. All deliverables were offered in the Facebook Group and she was still able to connect with everyone (all while being on vacation in Southern California).

If you are interested in getting your digital offer started, we'd love to hear about your idea!

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus
@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW!
(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)



We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

Kajabi is our host platform of choice for our online course and community, Instagram for Business.

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Today’s question is "How often should I post on Instagram?" Yup, this is one we hear a lot! And in truth, the answer will be different for everyone. A few things you should take into account are; knowing your audience, knowing your limitations and also creating quality content (not just quantity).

Would you like us to answer your question on an upcoming Fast Friday? Email us at [email protected] and include your name, Instagram handle and question. 

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus
@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW!
(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)



We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.