Networking and Engagment

Disclaimer

When you start to change your content plan, show up more consistently on the platform, or ask for a sale, you WILL LOSE FOLLOWERS. This is NORMAL. What's happening is what I call the "spring cleaning" effect. You're getting rid of followers that you've outgrown or that just take up space. It's likely that as you apply the concepts from the strategy module, for a couple weeks, you'll dip down a few followers, and then start gaining new followers but they feel like they get cancelled out by people who unfollow, before you start growing. But when you start growing, you'll have a stronger, more targeted and appropriate audience than you've ever had before, and your growth will be steadier and more rapid.

Taking Your Connections Off the App

Just because you make a connection on Instagram doesn’t mean it has to stay there.

Professional connections (meaning, when you create a bond with another person in your own or a parallel industry) can be made even stronger through partnerships, collaborations, co-hosting of events, profile takeovers, and more, because these very public associations offer the opportunity to cross-utilize each other’s audiences.

How many times have you been on Instagram and entered a giveaway where the requirements included following an account you’d never heard of before? If it was a well-planned giveaway, then it’s likely you were more than happy to follow that account, because there was crossover interest between the account you were already following, and the one you needed to follow to enter. Thanks to that giveaway, you’re now aware of (and may very well shop with) another great brand.

Hosting in-person events (post lockdown) has benefits as well: If you host a pop-up, or a networking event, then those who attend can be encouraged to tag both the hostesses of the event, prompting a lot of attention in a short period of time for both businesses, both on Instagram and off.

Always be thinking of ways to make your networking efforts multiply!

BONUS Lesson!
How the Algorithm Works

The first 18 minutes of this video go deeper on some of the ideas we cover in the above lesson on Networking & Engagement. This segment was live streamed and then saved to the Alexis The Greek IGTV channel.