Lessons
Class Introduction
13:31 2Establish your Launch Goal
06:20 3Identify the Logistics
08:55 4Prep your Visuals
05:16 5Research Hashtags
15:29 6Adjust your Bio
05:40 7Document you Starting Stats
07:22 8Tease your Launch
21:32Define the Beginning of your Launch
11:14 10Consider the Algorithm
17:24 11Define Aesthetics for your Feed
33:41 12Brand your Descriptions
07:16 13Share your Content Consistently
03:56 14Optimize your Process
15:35 15Think about Instagram Stories Differently
22:37 16Brainstorm Story Content
11:23 17Create your Stories
11:44 18Leverage Engagement Opportunities
24:27 19Plan a Livestream Schedule
07:03 20Entertain your Live Audience
13:28Lesson Info
Establish your Launch Goal
Now that you know what you could possibly launch and I think all of you are in your mind thinking what can I be launching on Instagram so I can get more people to know who I am, so I can make more money doing what I love, you need to establish your launch goals, okay? You need to know what is the mission of your launch and what do you want Instagram to help you do? This has to be focused and consistent from the very beginning of your launch, all the way to the time you wrap it up. Because you know, this is what happened with me when I bought the arm tights. I wanted to go back to that story. In their feed on Spanks, September 17th, they announced that something was coming. They announced that they were starting something new. And then they slowly teased that it was coming. And then they did a count down. And then they continued to tease the event so that you would keep going back to Instagram to see what it was they were gonna be announcing. And then they finally announced the arm tigh...
ts. And even after the announcement, then they're showing people wearing them. The endorsement of the success of the campaign. Okay, so you need to know what your mission is gonna be of your launch, and what you want Instagram to do to help you with your launch. And a successful launch will build awareness around your brand, so that followers keep coming back. And that's your goal. Your followers on Instagram, you want them to keep coming back, so that when you have something to sell, they will turn into a paying customer. Okay, so what's the main goal for your launch? This is what you need to decide. Are you looking to increase traffic to your website? Or drive awareness around your movement? Or sell a new product? Or to simply get views on a video? Or maybe sell seats to your next event? Or maybe you just want to get some feedback. Like what is the goal? So, number one is to decide what that goal is. Okay, so here are three examples of what you can do. So, May Designs, I actually wrote the account names out so you can see. And the reason that May Designs, you can't see the account name is because I'm gonna talk about this later, but this particular image is in highlights of shop. So that's why the name's not there. They were launching, May Designs, primarily, or at least I've purchased journals from them, and they're starting to launch something new. So they did a little tease in their Instagram stories, cause that's where you can start. And I'm gonna be talking about Instagram stories later. I just want to show you, these are examples of what you can launch, being consistent. So notice, even the type colors throughout a launch are consistent. The Dry Bar, my favorite account on Instagram. I go there often. Whenever they launch a new location, they always have the name of the location, it looks black and yellow like this. They take the hello buttercut hair dryer, and they do something clever. And I'm gonna be showing you a couple more images with that, but the launch of a new location, the point is that it's always consistent. And then, Sunny Lenarduzzi, who's gonna be here with you on Thursday, she did an amazing job launching her podcast, teasing it, and telling you countdown, and then finally launching it. And I'm going to be showing you more about that in a little bit as well. So you need to understand who is the person that you're trying to target. Right? Because a good launch on Instagram is only gonna be successful if you are targeting the right people. The followers who are most likely to comment, engage, and purchase for you. So I want you guys to say to yourself, who is your audience? Where are they hanging out? What do they like to see? Who are they following? And by the way, when you open up Instagram and you swipe to the left, you can actually spy on any account and see what their activity is, meaning you can see what accounts they're liking, what accounts they're commenting on, and what accounts they start following. So looking at your ideal customer and client and watching their activity will give you ideas on what you can do for your launch. Nod if that makes sense to all you guys. Yeah? Okay. So a lot of people don't even know that you can swipe to the left and know the activity of all of your followers. So spend time doing that and see what they're doing. And when you do that, you'll know exactly where they're hanging out, what accounts they're hanging out on, because the truth is, it's not enough to think about who you want to reach. You have to understand what their behaviors are on Instagram. That's what you really need to know. So back to The Dry Bar. Okay, I know every photo that show up in my feed is The Dry Bar, simply because of the way things are stylized, the way they're consistent with their branding. The Dry Bar knows that the people who go in, mostly women, kids occasionally, they know their target audience, they know that they like dogs, that they like fresh flowers, that they like magazines, they like funny quotes, they have dogs, like funny dogs, this dog, I mean, my dog comes with me every time I take, my dog, Mr. Cody comes with me every time I get a blow dry, and they all know him there. And they're like, he's sitting next to me when I'm getting a blow dry, and they love that he's there, they welcome that he's there, and everyone that works there interacts with him. And we do Instagram stories, and it's part of the brand that Ally Web has built around The Dry Bar. And literally, when you go to The Dry Bar's Instagram account, that's what it feels like when you physically walk into the account. That's doing Instagram consistently, on point with your brand. There's no disconnect. Okay? So let's recap this section. Know what the main goal is for your launch, and research the habits of your target audience on Instagram. And by the way, guys, this takes time.
Ratings and Reviews
Cat in the Moon Photo
Can I just say, "I LOVE Sue"! I took her three day course on CreativeLive back in January when I had finally decided that I didn't want to be the only photographer NOT on Instagram. I took that class knowing absolutely NOTHING about the platform and by the end of it, I was up and running. When I heard that she was doing a new class, I knew I had to see it. By the end of the day my head was exploding with information. There are so many new things on IG that I am already WAY behind the times and have so much work to do. Sue delivered the course in true Sue form - highly entertaining and energized. The examples of successful businesses that she uses are so inspirational and make you feel like, "Yes! It IS possible!!" I am sooooo glad I own the course, because there is no way I could get the full benefit from just watching it once. I will be going back to this class MANY times as I develop as an Instagrammer!
a Creativelive Student
I love Sue's energy and her passion for her work is contagious. She is animated and articulate, making learning about Instagram not only fun, but inspiring. I found her tips to be very intuitive and easy to implement if you have the desire and drive to take your Instagram to the next level. I'm at a point where I've grown my Instagram to a respectable amount (13K), but I want to take it to the next level, so I'm doing a one-on-one consultation with her. I really appreciate all the work she's done into creating a program to uplevel your Instagram game.
Nick Davis
Amazing class, super helpful for understanding how to make your Instagram work for your business. And Sue B is engaging and fun to listen to. But make sure you have a pen and paper ready, because there's so much important information you're going to want to write it down! I'm about to start again from the beginning and this time take notes!