Candice (00:00.098)

As you prepare for engagement season, I think it's time that we talk about what role Instagram should play in your overall marketing strategy for this year. I hope to present to you an alternative strategy using Instagram because I think a lot of wedding pros are actually using Instagram wrong. So if you've been feeling burnt out on social media and you feel like there has to be a better way to incorporate Instagram into your overall marketing strategy,

This episode is for you. You're here to grow a business, but not just any kind of business. You want to grow a profitable business with purpose, a business where you wake up every single day driven to serve your customers and make a difference in your own life. I'm Candace Coppola, published author, business coach, and your guide to building a profitable business with purpose. Join me here every single week.

as we explore how to build and grow your business with purpose. Get ready to dig in and have meaningful conversations about the strategies and techniques that will help you build your dream business. This is the power in purpose.

Candice (01:18.402)

Hey there, friend. Welcome back to the Power and Purpose Podcast. As always, it's me, your host Candice, and I have a very special episode for you today. It's part strategy, part mindset, part looking at something that you've been using and relying on and hating, hating to use, but feeling like it's a necessary evil in your business. It's all of those things mixed into one. We're going to have a conversation around Instagram today and I'm going to present to you

sort of the anti Instagram strategy strategy, because I feel like you might need a little boost in your marketing and you might need to start thinking about using Instagram differently than you have in the past. And we're building up into engagement season here on the podcast, sharing lots of marketing suggestions and strategies and tips. If you listened to last week's episode, I gave you...

steps to creating a six -figure marketing strategy in your business. And part of creating a six -figure marketing strategy is understanding what channels you will use to spread your message and attract the right customers. And one of those channels will likely be, and almost has to be, Instagram. But I believe that you might be using Instagram in correct.

And it's time for a change in your Instagram strategy. It's time to bring a new way of looking at Instagram as it relates to marketing for your business. So that's what today's episode is all about. Before we get into the meat of today's episode, I want to share with you one of my favorite marketing softwares that I think can help with your engagement season marketing, your six figure marketing strategy, and yes,

Instagram, especially in the way that I'm going to present it to you, this Instagram strategy today. Today's episode is generously sponsored by our friends at Engie. Engie is a marketing platform that helps you create a marketing strategy that will attract your customers this engagement season and also simplifies marketing for you. If you've never created a marketing strategy, really a day in your business, you're going to love Engie because Engie is your all in one.

Candice (03:37.996)

marketing team. It's the marketing team for wedding pros who can't afford to have a huge marketing team. I want you to go to CandaceCoppola .com slash NG, that's E -N -J -I, to learn more about NG and to sign up for a free trial. NG is going to help you not only schedule your social media content, but more importantly, create a strategy for your unique wedding industry business.

And it's going to help you execute that strategy. It's literally your marketing BFF and your marketing assistant. It does so much from social media scheduling to helping you understand your metrics and KPIs. And in just a few clicks, you can go through Engie's marketing quiz and your answers will help Engie create a customized marketing strategy.

for you. I think it's revolutionary. I think it's amazing. And I think you need to go and check it out. So again, go to CandaceCoppola .com slash NG to learn more, sign up for a free trial and stay tuned because we might have some really exciting things coming from NG, new features and even something really exciting and new later on this year. So stay tuned. Okay. So let's talk.

about Instagram and why I think you might be using it wrong to market your business. That's a pretty bold statement. And how I'm going to present the anti -Instagram strategy to you today using Instagram. I think it's time for you to take a different approach to your social media marketing, especially if you've been feeling burnt out.

overwhelmed and if your marketing lacks consistency on social media. This topic has been coming up a lot inside my coaching program, Wedding Pro Insiders, which is my one -on -one group coaching program for women in the wedding industry. We talk about a lot inside that space, but marketing and Instagram has been coming up a lot. These are women at some of the highest levels of business in the industry and they too

Candice (05:59.71)

are feeling the burnout, the overwhelm, the guilt around not marketing their business the way they've been taught to market it on Instagram. So we've been having this really big conversation there, and I've been advising them on this strategy for several months, and we've been implementing it in their businesses for those that want to test and experiment with this strategy. And what I noticed was is when I coached the women on this and when I

told them about my idea of using Instagram differently, I could instantly see it click for them and I could instantly see the relief they felt around using Instagram. And I want to bring this strategy to you here today because when I ask you how you feel about social media marketing, these are some of the biggest responses that I get. Social media is definitely the biggest hurdle for you.

marketing on social media feels like the heaviest lift. You feel like it's become overcomplicated, so complicated that you don't even do it because the thought of having to do it is overwhelming and quite frankly, not very fun. So you don't want to market your business. It's become the full -time job that none of us asked for. When you started your business, you could have never imagined that you would spend so much damn

time on social media, pulling all the levers, pressing all the buttons, and like a monkey trying to perform for the circus. It changes so often that you just can't keep up with the changes. So once you feel like you've got it figured out or you learn the latest strategy, then some marketing guru is going to tell you, no, no, no, no, no, that no longer works anymore. Now you have to do this.

It takes up more time than running your business or actually working with your clients. When you think about the amount of time it takes just to put out content on Instagram, you think about all the other things that you need to be doing that are more important, that are also money generating tasks or honestly just work that needs to be done for clients. You also say, I didn't start my business to do this all the time. I also hear when I don't

Candice (08:23.31)

post, I feel guilty. And that guilt sends me on this spiraling, not posting for weeks, maybe months situation. And then I feel even more guilt. And then lastly, and maybe just more universally, I just don't enjoy creating content for social media. I just do not enjoy it. Did you nod your head at any of that? Maybe all of that?

I would love to hear which one of these you've said to yourself this week. DM me on Instagram and let me know. Candice, when you said this, I was like, yep, that's me. I know it because I feel it myself. I also know it because this is what you're telling me. It's what you're telling me in email exchanges we're having when I email you. This is what you're telling me on coaching calls. If you're in any of my programs, this is what you're DMing me on Instagram.

I've even had conversations with my colleagues around this. had a coaching call with one of my colleagues and we were talking about this topic and really she was a large catalyst to this episode because when we talked about her business and her marketing strategy, she was asking me for advice. She started going to this huge spiel about how she had listened to a podcast series by an Instagram coach and they were telling her to do.

all this stuff and she's like, I'm to start doing this and this and this. And I just said to myself, my God, that sounds like my worst nightmare. So as she's describing all these hoops, she's going to jump through thinking that this is going to be the magic pill that solves some of her business problems. I asked her, said, do you want to do any of that shit? Like, do you want to spend your time?

doing any of that, posting five times a week and using trending audios and researching your hashtags and getting into engagement pods and DMing seven people at 730 in the morning, all these crazy ass things. I was like, do you even want to do this? And she's like, no, not really. I said, so why are you going to do it? And furthermore, what if you...

Candice (10:40.674)

just threw away all that advice and just used Instagram as one of the many ways that you connect with people and showed things that you were proud of, showed things that you enjoyed, stories you enjoyed telling or work that you're very proud of and used it to connect and have conversation rather than game the algorithm or become an influencer on Instagram. And through the conversation and the coaching calls, she had an aha moment.

And I think you're going to have an aha moment too. So here's where the root of the problem is with Instagram and your Instagram strategy. You have been conditioned to use Instagram like an influencer. All the advice out there is not bad, but what it's teaching you is how to grow an Instagram account. And

The large majority of wedding pros are trying to grow a business and there is a difference. So if you're trying to grow an Instagram account, hang out with me, listen to my philosophy and my strategy here, but this episode is probably not meant for you. This is meant for everybody out there who's growing a wedding industry business. Your dream is to plan weddings, it's to photograph weddings, it's to connect with clients.

It's to work on your art and to support people in that and to have Instagram be a lead gen source for you. If that is you, then my friend, I want you to stop using Instagram like an influencer. And I want you to start using Instagram like it's one of the many spokes in your marketing wheel where you jump on the platform,

to share your message so that it reaches and attracts the right people because that's all marketing is. But you also use it to create connections, to make new friends, to maintain your relationships, to show off your latest work, to have fun, to build trust, and to be relevant as a brand. When you look at Instagram as a connection tool, as a trust tool, and as a brand builder,

Candice (13:08.406)

And not as a space where you have to hunt for followers. You need to have the most likes. Your shit needs to go viral. You need to have a million views on your reel. You need to be doing all these things to get more, more, more, more. When you see it as a playground to test out your message, to share your work, to make connections, to build trust, and to build your brand, it changes fundamentally how you use the platform.

It no longer is this space that you go to where you feel like you have to constantly be performing. And instead you can show up in ways that feel intuitive and natural to you and your personality and your business. So the strategy I want to share with you today is changing the role that Instagram plays in your overall marketing.

loosening up the reins that it has on you, letting go of pretty much anything you've been taught about Instagram. And that's going to be hard to do, by the way. And approaching it with a fresh set of eyes and hopefully a renewed creative spirit to share the joy of your work, the things that make you happy, and to build relationships on the platform. That's really at the very bare minimum.

what you should be using Instagram for, even the maximum. And if you have a marketing strategy like the one I taught you about in the previous episode, or like the one that Engie can create for you, you will see that Instagram is just a spoke in the overall marketing wheel. When you have a diverse marketing strategy where you're harnessing the power of SEO, you're using things like Pinterest, you're focused on networking and relationship building,

Even if you have an email marketing funnel and you have ways to nurture people through your automated email marketing funnels, Instagram no longer carries so much weight in your marketing universe. And you're able to relax a bit and not feel as if if you didn't post today, the whole wall is going to start tumbling down and everything is going to start falling apart.

Candice (15:32.98)

One thing I know for sure is that when you are excited about something, you will talk about it. So when you photograph a beautiful wedding or you get an amazing client in front of your camera and the images are just to die for, you are going to rush to share them. When you are working on a wedding design, an invitation design or something behind the scenes and you're so proud of it, you share it. I want you to get

back to sharing things that excite you, that light you up, some of your best work, the clients that you're excited about. I want you to get back to sharing that on Instagram and stop focusing so much on all the rules you've been taught, the latest features that get rolled out, what Instagram's telling you to do, and also to diversify your marketing a little bit so Instagram doesn't become

the heaviest marketing lift. Now, when you stop using Instagram as an influencer and you start using it as the business owner you are, it takes a huge weight off your shoulders. It shifts your mindset. And I think you can clearly see what role it plays in your marketing strategy. And you can use it to that ends, even experiment a little bit, have some fun. And it doesn't...

It isn't such a boogeyman in your business anymore. It's not one of those things that you dread opening, that you feel burnt out using, and that you just feel like takes up way too much of your time. In fact, it takes up so much less of your time because it no longer plays on your mind of what you're going to post. You no longer worry about having to have the perfect Instagram grid feed.

post or marketing strategy, and you free yourself of a lot of the rules that were created to grow Instagram accounts. Think about all the rules that you follow, all the hoops that you jump through, and do they even work? And do you even give them a chance to work? Because they're so overwhelming to keep track of, and there's so many things that you have to follow, so many rules you have to follow that it's not fun. So you don't

Candice (17:57.442)

do it in the first place. I like to say an Instagram account that attracts clients is one that is active and that is sharing joyful content or content that people want to consume, that people feel connected to. And the only way to share content that people feel connected to is for you, the creator, the business owner, to feel connected to the things that you say and the things that you put out there in the world, the things that you feel excited about.

If you're excited about it, you're going to talk about it. That's just the formula period for marketing. So I want you to get back to the things that excite you. If you're not excited to create reels and to do all these things in relation to that, don't do it. If you're excited to post certain things on Instagram, show the behind the scenes of your everyday,

If you're not excited to use Instagram as a diary of your life, don't share it. Get back to the things that you're excited to share and stop using Instagram like an influencer and start using it as a business, as a place to create connection with other vendors, other people in your industry and your clients to build trust. People who discover your business

through SEO, referrals, whatever your different funnels are, they do go to Instagram to see if you're legit, to see who you are, to make sure that you have current work, that you're active. And so you build trust on Instagram by being consistent, by sharing more of your personality and the bits that you feel excited to share. So it naturally is a trust building tool.

When people see other vendors commenting on your Instagram posts, when they see clients thanking you for an amazing job well done, that builds trust. It's almost like the reviews people see on Amazon. They see that real human engagement from you, but also from your audience, the people who follow you, and it builds trust. Focus on creating connections that help build trust for the next generation of clients.

Candice (20:23.116)

you're destined to book. And also see Instagram as a place to build and grow your brand, to build brand awareness. know, marketing isn't one specific Instagram post or blog post you write or podcast episode you record. Marketing is a series of tasks, of content, of messages over a period of time that together, collectively,

build your brand. I want you to think of marketing like one drop in a bottle. Picture a large bottle and one drop of water in that bottle. That one drop of water is yesterday's Instagram post. And that one drop of water in the bottle isn't going to make a huge difference in the overall brand awareness of your business. It's not going to make a huge wave. You can barely even see it rolling around at the bottom of the bottle. But

Tomorrow, when you put another drop of water, let's say you write a blog post or you introduce yourself to a new vendor or new to you vendor, you drop another bottle of water or another drop of water in the bottle, it grows. Your water in the bottle becomes a little bigger. It becomes a little thicker. Every day that you actively market your business and build your brand, you put a drop of water in the bottle.

That one post on Instagram is not going to make or break your business. That rarely happens. And when it does happen, it's almost never pre -planned. It's almost always spontaneous. Or it's almost always the culmination of the drops that came before it. Think about the latest trend, very mindful, very demure.

You have this trans creator on TikTok who's been creating for years. And then suddenly one video goes viral. Everything changes. That would have never happened had that creator not created for years. so marketing and building your brand is the sum of all of the actions you take over the years that you're in business, not

Candice (22:48.716)

just one thing that you post. So when you start to see Instagram and even your other marketing channels as adding one drop of water in the proverbial jar or bottle, you realize that your business success doesn't hinge on getting it right every single time. But instead, the impact in marketing is over time. It's the consistency.

It's the multiple drops of water in the bottle that accumulate. And I want you to think about Instagram in that way and think about everything that you share there is just one drop in the proverbial bottle of your marketing. And over time, you will build a brand that people come to recognize and know. A brand that I like to say when they scroll social media and they see your work,

They hear your voice or they see your face. They know it's you. Now on the podcast, I'm going to be inviting some wedding industry brands that have done this really well. I'm really excited about this upcoming series that we have behind the brand. I'm going to be interviewing people I know who have built incredible brands that people recognize, figuring out what's the secret sauce behind your brand. And I guarantee that

Part of their strategies is they see marketing as the collective sum in building their brand, not as the singular posts, the singular videos, the singular connections they make, but rather the sum of it all has helped to build their brand and that is their secret. So if you take anything away from today's podcast episode, I want you to take away that you can stop using Instagram as an influencer.

And instead you can use it as the business owner you are trying to build a business outside of Instagram. Let it be one spoke in the wheel of your marketing strategy. Diversify your marketing strategy. Have more than one way for people to discover you. Especially things that are off platforms you don't own and you don't have much control or say over how they work.

Candice (25:10.816)

And start using Instagram and all your marketing channels, thinking about it as the sum of all of your work rather than singular. Don't put so much emphasis and over -analyzation on singular posts or singular marketing drops. Instead, think about the sum of how all of it helps to build your brand, create connections, and build trust with

your audience. Instagram should be connection, trust, and brand building, and it's very fundamental. You can experiment and have fun with whatever you want after that. So tomorrow, after you listen to this episode and you think, okay, it's Wednesday, sweating Wednesday, I got a post, I want you to think about how can you create connection? How can you build trust?

And how can you just build your brand in today's post? What's one thing that you can say? What's one drop of water in the bottle that you can leave behind? I want to thank Engie for sponsoring today's episode. Don't forget to go to CandaceCoppola .com slash Engie to learn more and stay tuned because as I teased, we will have something really fun coming up soon.

Regarding marketing and Engie, I'm really excited about it. We're in the beginning stages of thinking through this, so stay tuned. And also, I want you to stay tuned to our Behind the Brand series, what it takes to build a brand that's recognized in the wedding industry. And if you have somebody that you'd like to see me interview for that series, by the way, shoot me a DM, let me know who they are.

I would love to sit down with somebody that you've been following closely, that you've been kind of obsessing over, who you're like, their brand is like my ideal business. I would love to hear who that is for you. And I would love to invite them on the podcast and figure out what's the magic behind the brand. How did they become so recognized in the industry? So stay tuned for that. As always, I want to thank you for being here today. I'm excited to hear from you how our conversation today.

Candice (27:23.532)

switches up your thought process around Instagram, and I will see you in the next episode. Remember, there's always so much power in your purpose. Until next time. Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's episode of the Power and Purpose Podcast. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode and consider leaving a review. Head over to powerandpurposepodcast .com to access all of the resources and links

mentioned in today's episode. That's power and purpose podcast .com. I'll see you next time.