Hey Reader,

We were in the car driving back from meeting a client for coffee, and Jo was catching up on notifications on Instagram. Even tho she recognized the name and spent a couple of minutes on their profile scrolling around, trying to place why she knew their handle, and figure out what they did - she eventually just gave up because they didn't pass the "glance" test and didn't get a follow or link-in-bio click.

When people go to your IG profile, they're generally looking for answers to 1 of 3 questions:

1. Who are they (this account)?
2. Do I want to follow them?
3. Can they help me?

As we're starting to do more 30 Day Content Plans for clients, these are the things we're looking for in our included IG audits to answer those questions (questions are written from the perspective of your ideal client).

Level one: Who are they?

1. Who's the person behind the account, and what do they look like? People trust people - It doesn't have to be in the title, but is your name in the bio or large enough in a pinned post that, within seconds, someone knows who they'd be messaging with in DMs or getting on calls with if you work together?
2. What kind of account am I looking at? Are they an agency, an influencer/vlogger, a personal account, a founder with a separate business account, or a personal brand that offers a specific service I might be interested in (most commonly answered in the bio).
3. What do they do? Can it be understood in a sentence or less, and without scrolling? #goldfishbrain

Level two: Do I want to follow them?

1. Do I like what they're posting about right now? Highest priority: current stories, top 9 posts (reel covers matter here), and highlights (recent matters) - does at least some of it connect back to what you want to be known for?
2. What are they consistently posting about? People often scroll one or two pages down before actually following, so being consistent on a few things for at least a couple of weeks comes into play here.
3. Does this account add value to me? - Is it educational, motivational, or entertainment? And is it relevant to me? (This is where being clear on your ICA's needs & goals is really helpful).

Level three: Can they help me?

1. Do they work with people like me? Either through specifically calling out who you work with or relatable statements, are you indicating who your offers are that can be seen quickly - this is done in bio, pinned posts, or every couple of posts on feed
2. Do they understand my needs/problem? This is where different types of posts come in handy, because you can be really specific about the problems you solve (case studies, work with me, or FAQ post), how you do it (BTS, portfolio, and case studies), and the common results your clients see (testimonials, collab posts with clients, and stories).
3. What's the next step if I want to work with them? Maybe people Know, Like, & Trust you, but have no idea that you're taking on new clients right now.. or even how to reach out.

Instagram is called "social media," which gives the vague notion that it's for connecting with your friends - and to be fair, that's where Myspace & Facebook started back in the day, as a way to connect with friends. You had inside jokes, you already knew what your friends cared about, and it was awkward to introduce yourself in a post because everyone already knew who you were and probably even had your phone number.

That's not what social media is anymore.

As a business owner your goal is for new people to come across your social profiles every day that have never met you and know nothing about you - if you don't take the time to make sure that it's easy to understand these three questions at a quick glance to your profile, it's the equivalent of having a brick and mortar store with amazing products but not putting any signs up so nobody knows to come into your store or what's on any of the shelves.

You don't have to do it alone.

Included in every 30 Day Content plan that we sell is a content audit where we'll be looking at your title, bio, highlights, links & pinned posts to determine if your dream customers can easily understand if you're a good fit for them. Along with a personal to you (non-AI) content plan with 3 post ideas for you to create that balance your expertise, your clients' desires, & your personal brand.

If you want to have a content plan that will take you through the fun times that are Black Friday, hit reply, and we can (hopefully) fit you into one of the spots we have available next week.

See you next week.

Lyndon