Becoming Intentional with Instagram
Instagram is by far my favourite of the social media platforms. I rarely post anything on Facebook, I mainly use it for messenger purposes while in Canada. I have never felt completely comfortable using Twitter - there's one Twitter chat I get involved with and even then it can feel overwhelming. Instagram feels like home territory. I love photography and I love sharing my photography.
I am not an expert when it comes to Instagram. Nor do I have a large amount of followers (as my follower count above clearly shows). There are definitely ways that I can improve my strategy with Instagram - especially as I don't really have a strategy at the moment!
Recently I, like most of the world, have been focusing on decluttering my life. You know the book everyone talks about, the one that can provoke eye-rolls when mentioned - 'The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up'. My efforts to declutter took a standstill when we packed most of our stuff into boxes for my parents attic and the every day stuff into suitcases for our year abroad. However I have noticed that I am now more mindful about how I use my time and money.
A lot of my time is wasted on social media and I knew this needed to change. I want to become more intentional about the way I use Instagram. I realised this about the time Instagram announced the algorithm change. My feed was full of people encouraging everyone to turn on notifications - I personally don't need to spend more time looking at my smart phone!
As I thought about how I use Instagram and what I could change to make my time more productive, I focused on three areas.
1- My Instagram Profile
I had a quick revamp of my account. I updated my bio (I hate writing about myself so I always procrastinate doing this) and I changed my profile picture.
I looked at the areas I blog about and whether or not these areas are reflected in my profile. If someone new looked at my profile today is it varied and informative or is it full of photos of my nephews (I have been guilty of the latter). I tend to post 1-2 photographs a day and if more than one, it's at different times of day. I know I'm not a spammer on Instagram, but there are more things to consider:
Are my posts uplifting?
Do my posts reflect who I am and what my interests are?
One of the main reasons I blog is to tell my story, I hope that others are encouraged to tell their stories. I don't want to post on Instagram for the sake of posting. I want to focus on the idea of telling stories and I hope that my Instagram can spark some inspiration for those wanting to document or tell stories.
Are my posts visible?
This is achieved by having a public profile and using relevant hashtags for the image in question. I am starting to explore different hashtags, if you have some favourites please share them with me in the comments!
2- The Accounts I Follow
I unfollowed someone on Instagram today. This individual posted something that I disagreed with. I didn't immediately click unfollow, I'm not a bigot. I was about to comment and politely express an alternative view and start a discussion, but then I saw that others had already attempted this. This account holder had a 'no you are wrong and my view is right. End of story!' attitude. I came away from the post feeling frustrated and like my opinion didn't count because it differed. This was something I reflected on for several hours until I decided enough. I went to the account, I looked at previous posts - was this just a one off, but otherwise I enjoyed their posts? The answer was no, so I unfollowed.
I want to come away from Instagram feeling inspired and happy. I want to be uplifted by the posts that I read. No one likes to be around people who moan or belittle others and I'm certainly not going to invite them into my home via my phone. I want to become more intentional about the accounts that I follow and the feeling I am left with after viewing the accounts.
I am also starting to make an effort to find new accounts to follow that inspire and motivate me.
3- Instagram - A Social Media Platform
There is someone I see a lot on Instagram, not because this individual is spamming my feed with posts but because they are so social! They like or comment on most, if not all, of my photographs but they also appear on other people's posts.
It is so easy to just scroll through and look at the pretty content. I have started making a real effort to comment, like and to respond to comments on my posts. I know that when the algorithm is introduced it is going to show me posts from people I interact with. The other upside of being social on Instagram is I have already noticed an increase in interaction and it makes it more fun!
Do you have a strategy for Instagram?