150: Demystifying Instagram: Expert Insights and Practical Tips from Heather Caldera
On this episode of Course Creator's MBA Podcast, our host, Dr. Destini Copp, is joined by special guest Heather Caldera, an Instagram coach and social media manager with 11 years of experience.
In this episode, Heather emphasizes the importance of responding to direct messages and comments on your own posts, as well as engaging with other people's content to show your audience that you care. The discussion then shifts to the type of content to post on Instagram, whether it should be all business or a mix of business and personal, and the various formats available, like feed, reels, and stories.
Heather talks the importance of building a community of engaged followers rather than just focusing on the number of followers and provides insights on creating a content strategy, utilizing features like reels and stories, and the power of engagement in building relationships and attracting ideal clients.
Listeners will walk away with actionable strategies for leveraging Instagram to grow their business while maintaining a healthy balance.
Mastering Instagram as a Course Creator: Insights from Heather Caldera
In today's digital age, social media has become an integral part of marketing strategies for businesses of all sizes. As a course creator, leveraging the power of platforms like Instagram can help you connect with your target audience, build a loyal community, and ultimately boost the success of your online courses.
In this episode of the Course Creator's MBA Podcast, host Dr. Destini Copp sits down with Instagram expert and coach, Heather Caldera, to discuss practical tips and insights for maximizing your presence on the platform. Let's dive in!
Building a Community on Instagram:
Heather Caldera stresses the importance of building a genuine community on Instagram. A community is more than just a number of followers; it's about fostering relationships, engaging with your audience, and creating a sense of belonging. By responding to direct messages (DMs) and comments on your posts, you show your audience that you value their input and care about their experience. Active engagement, both on your own content and other people's posts, helps create a loyal and supportive community.
Crafting the Perfect Instagram Strategy:
A key question that arises for course creators is finding the right balance between business and personal content on their Instagram profile. While the focus should primarily be on providing valuable content related to your course topic, sharing glimpses of your personal life can help humanize your brand and deepen connections with your audience. Heather suggests using the various formats available, such as the feed, reels, and stories, to showcase your expertise, personality, and brand identity.
Posting with Purpose: A Strategic Approach:
To effectively navigate the vast sea of content on Instagram, it is crucial to have a clear strategy. Heather recommends creating a content strategy that helps organize your thoughts and determines what to post. The intention is to grow your audience organically and engage with them consistently. It's essential to be realistic about your posting frequency, starting with a few well-crafted posts per week, if necessary. Consistency and quality are key, and finding a rhythm that suits your schedule and resources is vital.
Leveraging Instagram's Formats:
Each Instagram format offers unique opportunities to engage your audience and showcase your course content. Reels, for example, are an excellent way to increase reach and demonstrate your personality and brand without feeling pressured to follow trends or perform viral dances. The feed provides a space for sharing photos and carousels, which generate higher engagement. Stories, on the other hand, offer an authentic and personal platform to connect more intimately with your audience, sharing both business and personal aspects.
The Power of Engagement:
Engaging with your audience is paramount on Instagram. Responding to comments and DMs, as well as actively interacting with your followers' content, helps build relationships and make your audience feel special. Instagram has evolved into a space where people seek expertise and validation from influencers, making engagement a crucial element of success. Building and nurturing online relationships have become even more important, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finding Balance and Managing Social Media Overwhelm:
As a course creator and business owner, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the demands of social media. Heather shares her number one tip for managing this overwhelm: setting boundaries. It's important not to feel the constant pressure to create content and be present on Instagram at all times. By establishing specific boundaries, such as using the "do not disturb" feature on your phone, you can prioritize real-life activities, ensuring a healthy balance between your business and personal life.
Conclusion:
Instagram is a powerful tool for course creators to connect with their audience, build a loyal community, and promote their online courses. By following the insights and practical tips shared by Heather Caldera in this episode of the Course Creator's MBA Podcast, you can develop a winning Instagram strategy that engages your audience authentically.
Remember, it's not about the number of followers, but rather the quality of relationships and engagement you build. Embrace Instagram with a positive mindset, set boundaries to avoid overwhelm, and strive for a realistic balance between your business, Instagram, and personal life. Happy Instagramming!
Mentioned In This Episode:
Where to find Heather: Website and Instagram
Heather's free gift: 2023 Instagram Content Calendar (Coupon code: SHEISSOCIAL)
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Transcript:
Dr. Destini Copp [00:00:02]:
and my special guest today is Heather Calderra, Heather is an Instagram coach and social media manager and she has been in the industry for 11 years managing over 30 accounts for a variety of businesses and teaching over 60 plus women how to use Instagram for their business. And, Heather, I am super excited to chat with you today and we're gonna be talking about Instagram. And I know the audience members who are listening here today, I would I would go out on a limb and say probably 99% of them use Instagram in their business. So they're gonna be super interested in all the great tips that you have for us. But before we jump into the discuss and can you tell the audience a little bit more about you and how you help people?
Heather Caldera [00:00:52]:
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me too, first of all. A little bit about me. I mean, like you've mentioned, I've been doing social media marketing for 11 years. I started my business. She is social 5 years ago in 2018. And then once 2020 hit, I lost all of my social media clients, but it was actually perfect for me because I was wanting to pivot out of that section of my business. And that is when I began to start coaching women on how to use Instagram realistically for their businesses. So I've been doing that. For the past 3 years, I've also brought back social media management. And then when I'm not working on my business, I have a mom of 4, And so I get, like, the struggle of finding balance between being a mom, being a business owner, being on Instagram, all of those scenes. So what what I really help women with is trying to you know, I don't think there's really ever such a thing as balance. But figuring out how to find that time to run your business be present and consistent on Instagram realistically, but also be able to put your phone down and spend time with your kids and your family.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:02:28]:
So, Heather, I have to ask you, how old are your kids? And are they boys or girls?
Heather Caldera [00:02:32]:
Yes. So I have 2 girls, 2 boys. My girls are 9 and 6, and then my boys are 4 and 2.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:02:42]:
Well so between two years old and nine years old, you have your hands full, I have to say.
Heather Caldera [00:02:48]:
Yes. Yes.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:02:50]:
Now, Heather, we were talking a little bit before we start a recording. And I know that one of the things that you like to emphasize and what you work with clients on is building a community on Instagram. So tell us a little bit about what do you what exactly do you mean by that? because Instagram's a social media platform. But how how do we go about building a community? And what struggles do you see that business owners like us have with with you know, with the social media account like Instagram and they can ensure that it doesn't overwhelm us in our business.
Heather Caldera [00:03:31]:
Yeah. I think that for a lot of business owners, when it comes to Instagram, I think that they're first issue. And maybe it's not something that they really recognize, but They see it as this platform that is well, when they see it as, like, a necessary evil, they think that they absolutely have to be on it in order for their business to thrive. And so that provides a lot of problems when it comes to them being present on there. And when it comes to, like, them selling their products or their services, And when they first just approach it with this negative mindset, and it's not something that they enjoy, And when I speak about building your community, I I don't like for your my focus or my client's focus to be on just growing your followers because You can have an Instagram platform that has, like, let's say, 1000 followers. and you have spent this time building relationships and growing this community of a thousand people. who are your diehard supporters. They're gonna buy everything that you sell. They're gonna engage with everything that you post. They're gonna watch all of the stories that you post, and that's more important than growing you're following to over 20 k and still only having, like, this small group of people who follow you. So when it really, what it comes down to is seeing that bigger picture of does having 10 k followers, 20 k followers really matter if they're not engaging with you They're not watching the content that you post. They're not liking any of the content. And if they're not doing any of those things, then they're definitely not gonna be buying from you or supporting you?
Dr. Destini Copp [00:05:42]:
So when people are, you know, going to build what you call a community on Instagram. What are some things that they need to be doing? And what what are we doing wrong? because I think a lot of people, you know, put myself in this category may be struggling with this.
Heather Caldera [00:05:59]:
Yeah. There's I mean, there's a lot. There's a lot of things that I see these, like, needs are doing wrong. But one of the themes is one of the main themes is engagement. And that is not only you working on getting that engagement from your audience, but also giving that engagement. So in order to have that kind of a relationship, you need to give that engagement first. So when I'm nice engagement. I mean, like, responding to comments that you get on your post, responding to DMs that you get from your stories, but also going out into Instagram and engaging with the people who are following you who are your potential followers, your ideal clients, and interacting with them on their content and their post as well. Because, really, What what Instagram has become is this platform where we kind of we're all kind of in a sense, like, influencers for, like you know, I don't wanna put us all in a box. But when people are following you they're looking to you for your expertise, and they're kind of in a way, like, a fan of yours. And so when you spend that time to engage with them and interact with them in their content, but you're making them feel special, you're validating them. And those are things that feel really good to people and feel really good to your ideal clients, and people absolutely love that. I mean, I love when people respond back to me. So, yeah, I think engagement is one of those huge themes. And then when you're building your community, also focusing on growing relationships. So you know, it is over social media, so it's a little bit weird. But I think ever since 2020 and the pandemic, we've we've kind of had to pivot to being more present online and learning how to grow relationships online. And, really, what everybody is looking for online is to grow those relationships and be all up in your business instead of what you're doing on a day to day basis. And so when you are again, engaging with those people you're responding to their messages and their comments, That right there are just, like, little things that you are doing to grow and build a relationship with them.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:08:49]:
And I think those are some great tips. So not only making sure that we're responding back to DMs and responding back to people who've posted on our post, which I think most of us should be doing that or are doing that today, but also going out and responding on other people as a counts and really kind of, you know, showing them that, yes, we care we care about you also. Yeah. Now let's switch gears just a little bit here and talking about what type of content do you recommend that we post out on Instagram. Is it all business? Is it mix of business versus personal? Let's let's you know, I'm a throw a lot of things at you. So bear with me. Is it just in the feed, or is it reels or stories, kind of walk us through what you recommend as a strategy.
Heather Caldera [00:09:40]:
Yeah. 1, I recommend creating a strategy. Right? Because it especially with how Instagram is today, well, one that is 500,000,000 daily users. So and then with, like, the the launching of Reals a couple of years ago. Like, there is just so much content being pushed at us that you feel like you have to keep up with it, but you don't you don't really So when I'm working with my ladies, I always begin with, hey. Do you have a content strategy? Because, 1, This is gonna help you organize your thoughts and figure out what can you post and what should you post in. And that can be business related. It can be personal related. It can be, you know, mom stuff. What it it can be whatever you want. It it it is your Instagram. And remember that, you know, the including, like, the personal and the mom stuff, that helps to make you real to your audience, especially if your clients all come from Instagram or if you're not just local based, making sure that you have some kind of a connection that seems real to your audience, so including that personal aspect. And then that content strategy strategy is also not only gonna help you organize your thoughts, but it's going to grow your audience organically, it's going to help keep you consistent and keep you on track for how you create for Instagram. So I know that there are so there's a so many other Instagram experts or gurus or whatever you wanna call them out there on Instagram. And I do see a lot of them posting, like, yeah, you should be posting every day, and you need to be creating 5 reels a week and posting to stories this time, this time, and this time. And for my audience, my community, my ideal client, that is just not realistic. And I think that not realistic for a lot of women who own their own businesses and our moms. And so my approach for my Instagram and my clients is to be very realistic. So I tell them, like, hey. If you can only post three times a week, that is perfect, that is a great place to start. If you are, like, thinking right now to yourself, like, I can only be consistent with 1 post a week, then start there and just make sure that you are always consistent with it. And then as far as, like, what to post and where it kind of depends. So reels are great if you are wanting to increase your reach and increase your following as well, reals reach out to like, almost always, their their reach is going to be to people who do not follow you. It's also have a great place where you can showcase, like, your personality, more about your business and your brand. And when when I do teach about Reals, I just like to remind my clients, like, hey. You don't need to do any of those trendy dance is. You don't need to be singing or acting. Like, you can literally just record, like, a b roll footage of yourself of yourself. Like, I've been recording myself, getting my Starbucks coffee and just drinking it in my car. And I've been using that for creating rails. So so just making it super easy for yourself. Feed content is great for, you know, increasing that engagement, increasing those likes if that is something that you want. And I always recommend, like, including a photo of yourself at least a couple times a month so then people know who you are, what you look like who who they are working with. Carousels are great, great post for engagement on in gram, they do receive, I believe, it's 4% more engagement than any other post on Instagram. And then stories are your place where I actually don't teach about a story strategy because I don't think that you need one. think stories are this place where you don't need to be all perfect and curated. You can show up with makeup, no makeup, in your PJs, whatever you want. It's a place where you you really get to show your audience who you are and how you work on a day to day basis and how it's a it's a place where they can really get to know you and it's where you build that, like, no interest with your audience. And your stories are really going to be the place. that kind of convinces your audience, like, hey. Yes. I wanna work with this person, or, no, I don't really care for this person. you know, maybe I don't wanna work with them. And in stories, I always like to say, like, this is where you need a post. Like, yes, of course, about your business, but don't be afraid to get personal too because it could be the It could be you sharing that you just binge watched all 10 seasons of Vander Pump Rules And, like, it sounds so silly, but that can be the one thing that somebody can connect with you on. that is going to convince them to work with you on as well. So it's just creating, like, those connections where you can you know, build those relationships with your audience and where they feel comfortable enough with you on, like, a personal level to where they feel like they can work with you as well.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:16:06]:
So what I'm hearing and correct me if I'm wrong, I'll need this. What I'm hearing is Instagram Reels are a great place to kind of build out brand awareness. You know? It'll reach people who don't know you. The feed is a great place, like, for carousel posts, get some kind of engagements there. You can build your followers, build your likes there. But stories is where at where it is to kinda share some of that personal aspect and really kinda showcase your personality, and that will be that will help people determine, yes, I wanna work with that person or no, they're just not for me.
Heather Caldera [00:16:42]:
Yeah. Yep.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:16:44]:
So can you we're about to wrap it up here. But before we do, can you give the audience any last minute tips about Instagram and how they can use it in their business?
Heather Caldera [00:16:55]:
Yeah. My I guess my number one tip would be not to let it overwhelm you, and I know that's like, so much easier said than done, but definitely don't feel like you have to constantly be present and constantly be creating content on Instagram. You can successfully show up Monday through Friday and create the content that you need to and build those relationships, but also still be able to put your phone down and or, like, I always like to say, like, I put my phone on do not disturb around 8:30, and then I don't take it off of do not disturb until, like, maybe 8:30 in the morning or 9. So I'm very I have very specific boundaries when it comes to social media. One, because it's my job, and, like, I could be on there 247 if if I really wanted to. But it's exhausting too, I get it. So I really like to set those boundaries and let people know, like, you do not also have to be on Instagram 247. Like, you can create the content, and then you can put your phone down. You can go play with your kids. You can go on vacation. You can pick up this book and read it. You can go binge watch that Netflix show, whatever it is. So definitely not to let it overwhelm you, stress you out, and remember to be present in real life as well.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:18:33]:
And those are some great suggestions and tips. And, Heather, thank you so much for joining us today. Yeah. Before we hang up here, can you let folks know where they can find you, and I believe you have a free gift for them also.
Heather Caldera [00:18:47]:
Yeah. So you can find me on Instagram. It's she is social. It you'll know who I am because my whole feet is very pink and bright and just girly. So you you'll know you've come to the right place. And then my free gift is access to my 2023 Instagram content calendar. So it's a 12 month content calendar of content prompts or ideas for you to use for your Instagram. Some of them are very specific like, hey. Create this real. or do this on your stories, the weekends. I don't put anything on the weekends unless it's, like, a holiday. But I incur I like I said, I encourage my audience, my clients to take the weekends off of Instagram and enjoy their lives. And it's very the calendar prompts are also very general, so they can be used for any business in any industry.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:19:52]:
And, Heather, thank you so much for joining us today and giving us all of these great tips about Instagram.
Heather Caldera [00:19:59]:
Yes. Thank you for having me.