Instagram has become one of my favorite places to hang out . Most of the time when I’m out and about , I use the apps on my phone to not only create content on the go, but also plan and automate posts. Here are my top 5 apps I use to create or plan posts for Instagram.
Plann – When I wanted to make my Instagram stand out more and create a layout, I used Plann to plan my layout before posting to Instagram . I can share posts or schedule posts through Plann.
Tailwind Tailwind is my go to app for all things Instagram automation . You can schedule image and video posts ahead of time .
When to Post I use this app to helpmme decide the best time and day to post to Instagram. The app logs into your account and analyzes the activity and gives you the optimal time to post .
Canva I use Canva to create social media and blog graphics for myself and my clients. The great thing about Canva is that you dont have to know photoshop or remember which dimensions to use.
Hashtags I use this app to generate popular ans useful hastags for my post . You can create and save a list of hashtags that you use daily.
Now that you’ve taken the first step in creating your new Business Instagram profile, it’s time to focus on creating a profile with purpose. Today we are going to discuss the anatomy of a good effective bio and get our creative juices flowing and get into a little into branding.
Anatomy of your bio
You only have 150 characters to tell the world all about you and your business. Let’s make the best of it. I prefer to start out simple and tweak as I go. In my opinion, your profile should include the following:
Who you are (Titles, accolades, etc)
what you offer (Services, Products, Interests)
how to contact you ( Email, other social profiles, etc)
What action you want them to take ( Call to Action)
Who Are You
Who are you? What title or titles do you or others give you? If you are a Life Coach, then you should include that. Here are some examples.
Life coach, Brand Coach, Social Media Consultant, Hairstylist, Natural Hair Stylists, Master Cosmetologist, Certified Personal Trainer, Personal Trainer, Blogger, Food Blogger, Food Enthusiasts, Web Developer, Web Designer.
What You Offer
What services or products do you offer? Here is a basic phrase I like to use:
I help ____________________________
I help soloprenuers find clarity in their lives and businesses
I help small business owners with their WordPress websites.
or
I create _______________________________
I create handmade soaps and products for children who have sensitive skin
Custom handmade jewelry for free-spirited women
Keep it simple and use the least amount of characters as possible
How to contact you
This section is pretty self-explanatory. This a great opportunity to use emojis in the place of letters. You can either include your other social media account names or your email address:
Example: FB: OneMooresolutions or
Call To Action
What action would you like your audience to take? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter? Perhaps you want them to check out your website? This is the perfect space to include this link in your profile. If you have multiple places that you want them to go, you could sign up for a free Linktree profile. Linktree gives you the ability to link to multiple sites. You could also create an Instagram Landing page, but I’ll save that for another discussion.
Put the pieces together
Now that we’ve broken it down, it’s time to put the pieces together. I created a fillable worksheet that you can use to help you revamp or clean up your Instagram bio. Click here to download the sheet.Click Here to download the worksheet. Once you complete the worksheet, take action and update your business profile.
Branding
As a bonus, I wanted to discuss branding. This section will help you when we start to discuss Layout and design. In order to create some consistency, it’s a good idea to incorporate your brand colors into your profile when you start creating content. If you already have brand colors, then you’re ahead of the game. If you need help with choosing colors. I always suggest choosing 2-3 colors. I use this site to create color palettes and get ideas. Save your palette and keep it handy for our next lesson on creating graphics and planning a layout for your Instagram profile.
I hope this is all helpful . Contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Trying to choose the right social media platform for your business can be a little overwhelming. Recently I’ve talked to a few people who are intimidated by social media and need a little help getting started. Today’s post is an Instagram quick starter guide. This post is for anyone that needs to take the first step in getting started with an Instagram account for their business.
Before I give the quick steps, let’s discuss the reasons why you should have a business account instead of a personal account. A business account gives you more tools and analytics for your business than a personal profile doesn’t offer. You can see your insights and analytics. In laymen’s terms, you can see who’s visiting your account (Gender, Age, location) and the times of day that are the most popular for your profile. You can also see how well your posts are doing. Having this information can help you create targeted content and measure your progress.
Ok so here’s the process for creating a business profile.
1. Sign up for an account. If you are creating a profile from your phone, download the app.
2. Upload a profile picture and basic info. You can use a logo or a great headshot as a picture. If you are a solo business owner, I would recommend a picture of yourself. If you are a salon owner and the account is used to market your entire salon, it would be a great idea to use a team photo or logo.
3. Switch to a business profile (Side note: You must have a FB Business account in order to switch to a business profile)
4. Link your account – link to other social media accounts. You have a few options, but I recommend starting with Facebook and Twitter.
5. Spread the word
This is a good time to get the word out. Find contacts and FB friends to follow. Instagram will recommend people that you should follow.
That’s it for now. You’re all set up and ready to dive into Instagram. In the next post, we will dive more into strategy. Have questions now? Feel free to contact me.
I remember when I first started my journey as an entrepreneur and the only options I had to receive money from my clients were cash, check, and Square or PayPal. Things have evolved in a short time. Today I want to share the 2 mobile apps I use to get paid quickly.
CashApp
CashApp is my new favorite way to receive money quickly. CashApp is a mobile payment service created by Square. You can quickly receive payment for services rendered from your clients. No need to send an invoice. Simply send your CashApp ID to your client, and they can send you whatever amount is owed. You can keep the money in your CashApp and transfer it later, or you can use the Cash App card that is connected to your account.
Creating an account is simple. Use my referral link to get started today. We both get $5.00 added to our accounts when you sign up!
Venmo
Venmo is a mobile payment app that was developed by Paypal. You can use it to send and receive money from other Venmo users. You have the option of keeping the money in your Venmo account or transferring it to your bank account. Venmo just added the Venmo card that is linked to your account and can be used to make purchases outside of the app.
I personally use these apps daily. Sometimes I like to randomly send my friends money for Starbucks, or pay contractors for quick work requests.
What apps do you use to receive money or send payments? Comment below and let me know. As usual, if you have any questions. Do not hesitate to contact me.
The shutdown is still in full effect. Last week I shared a post on how to make money during shutdown with PoshMark. Today I want to share a quick and simple solution that has helped me earn extra money every month.
A few months ago, a good friend referred me to Capterra. It’s a site where I can earn extra money writing quick reviews on software that I use every day. I can’t lie, I was a little skeptical at first, but I figured it was worth a try. BTW, this links in this post are my referral links.
Choose software that you currently use or you’ve before.
Complete the review and submit. For every software review, you write, you could earn money for each review.
Once Capterra reviews your review and approves it, they will send you a payout for every review via gift card. Your choices are Visa, Amazon, Starbucks, or Apple Itunes. You could also donate your earnings. You are allowed to write up to 10 reviews per month.
That’s it 🙂
So far I’ve written reviews for Quickbooks, Trello, LastPass, and few others. Writing a review is easy if you’ve used the software often. I’ve used my earnings to make purchases while on bedrest. I purchase my bedrest necessities from Amazon, to order and I use it to order food via GrubHub or Ubereats via the Visa gift card option. Last month I made an extra $100 dollars. It’s not enough to pay the rent, but really came in handy when I needed it.
I hope this helps bring extra money to your household this month. Every penny counts. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need some help coming up with strategies to bring in extra income.
Watching the news and social media feeds can be a little frustrating and depressing. I can’t imagine how it feels to not get paid for going on 24 days now. Instead of focusing on all of the problems this shutdown has created for families, I want to focus on some possible solutions that could help bring in some source of income during these tough times. I wrote a blog post about 9 ways to make money online, but this post and the next few posts will go into greater detail on how to get started with a few of these sources.
Today I am going to discuss Poshmark.Poshmark is a place where you can sell fashion online. Last year I set up my posh closet using old items from my closet that no longer fit or that was just there collecting dust. I also picked up a few pieces from the local thrift store for under $2.00, researched the resell value and used that as a baseline price for my posh closet.
Here are the steps to get started on Poshmark:
Create an account on PoshMark. You can use my invite code (OLIVIABTHOMPSON) when you sign up to receive $5 in your account. Make sure you choose a good username and profile pic. (Smile : ))
Once you are signed up, click on the sell on Poshmark link on the top right corner. You will be instructed to download the mobile app, which is a great way to run your Poshmark store on the go.
Once you are all set up, it’s time to add your listings. In order to add listings, you must have good pictures of your item that you are selling from different angles. Take a look at some examples from my closet. These pictures were taken using an iPhone and the sidewalk in the front of my home.
4. Next add your title, description, and price. If we use the shoes above as an example, I would set my price between $15.00 or $16.00. The original price for these was $25 and they are gently used. The buyer would be charged 6.95 for priority shipping so the total listing price includes the cost of shipping.
5. Double check your details and publish your listing. You can share your listing on the social media sites that you’ve connected. Repeat this process for any additional listings.
Poshmark has been a great stream of income that really helps during the in-between paycheck times, or when I needed some extra income, and needed to eliminate some unused items from my closet. You can take a look at my Poshmark Closet here: https://poshmark.com/closet/oliviabthompson
This is just one way to make extra money during the shutdown. For more assistance with getting started with Poshmark, or to get help with finding solutions, feel free to contact me or schedule a session.
