7 secrets to growing a tight-knit community on instagram. www.iammichellegifford.com

7 Secrets to Growing a Tight-Knit Community on Instagram

Instagram, Social Media

7 Secrets to Growing a Tight-Knit Community on Instagram

Do you want to grow your community on Instagram, but don’t know how to get started? Or even know if your growth strategy is working? I have some amazing tips to share with you in this post that come from one of my favorite people–Brooke Romney. She is a best-selling self-published author, influencer, and mom. Her Instagram community has exploded over the past couple of years, and she’s going to share 7 secrets to growing a tight-knit community on Instagram. So, if you’re ready to scale, this post is for you!

 

 

 

One thing that I often mention is how you need to be strategic in who you attract to your Instagram community. If you create a reel that isn’t necessarily in your niche and you gain thousands of followers from it, this could actually become detrimental to your growth. You want to attract followers who will turn into loyal customers, so your content needs to reflect the type of products or services you offer. Nailing down your niche in every reel will help grow a community that is a safe, thriving space for you and your people. And Brooke’s strategy is a perfect example of how to create this community every budding influencer dreams of! 

So, if you’re just starting out or if you’ve hit a place where you can tell you’re ready to really commit to turning your side hustle into a thriving business, you’re gonna want to lean in and soak up these 7 secrets to growing a tight-knit community on Instagram from Brooke. 

 

7 secrets to growing a tight-knit community on Instagram. www.iammichellegifford.com

 

7 Secrets to Growing a Tight-Knit Community on Instagram

Brooke has always loved writing. She first started her writing career writing for newspapers and magazines. But when that market shifted, she stopped that job, but still really wanted to write. She started a blog, so she could continue to write. She’d share things like places to take your kids and other tips similar to that. However, when she moved to Utah everyone was already doing that, so she thought how can I keep writing, but shift my focus? Then, she started sharing things that were close to her heart and that’s when things pivoted for her business.

However, while she was doing the thing she loved and gaining more followers, she was hardly making any money. She felt like she was working a part-time job, but was only getting paid here and there. In 2019 she had a pretty substantial following and was writing consistently, but the money was not coming in. Now, over the past two-ish years, her community has grown into this huge, safe, and supportive place for her and her followers. How did she do it?

 

Instagram Community Secret #1: Create a product you & your audience are passionate about.

Some of Brooke’s most popular products are her book, “I Like Me Anyway” and “52 Modern Manners for Teens.” When she published “I Like Me Anyway” she was hoping to sell enough to break even but it actually performed really well, far more than she was expecting. It resonated with a lot of women and that boosted her following a ton. 

After that, her stage of life changed from having littles to having teens. She was craving a community that talked about the ups and downs of raising teenagers. She knew there was a huge community of moms that talked about toddlerhood, but where were the teen parents hiding? Brooke started posting a myriad of things about teens on her Instagram, and her account exploded. 

She quickly saw that this niche was needed and there were tons of parents out there who were just like her–wondering if they’ve done a good job as a parent so far, why their teens act the way they do, and how to teach their teens to act appropriately toward others. She started posting manners for teens on her Instagram, and people ate it up. Soon, people were asking for a printable version of them, but Brooke wanted it to be a book. However, she knew she wanted the book to be something that stood alone and could be integrated into the decor of your home. She worked with a designer and created “52 Modern Manners for Teens.” 

What product could you create that you AND your people would be extremely passionate about? Brooke followed the interest of her audience and that’s a huge part of why her book did so well.

 

Instagram Community Secret #2: Make your Instagram about community, not about you.

Brooke said she contributes a lot of her thriving community space to her focus being on the people in the community and not on herself. She’s not there to show everyone the clothes she’s wearing, how great her kids are, or anything like that. Her community continues to be a safe space for parents to learn and connect with each other. They are all there participating because they know it’s a space where they can receive support and guidance from one another as they navigate through these years with their teens.

Brooke makes it a point to really hear out her followers by reading their comments, replying to them as often as she can, and creating content that they are showing interest in. Whenever her followers have suggestions she listens and respects everyone’s different ideas and opinions, and she holds her followers to the same standard. Doing this is what has allowed her community to still feel close and intimate no matter how big or small the following. 

 

what to know to grow a thriving Instagram community. www.iammichellegifford.com

 

Instagram Community Secret #3: Push through the failures.

When Brooke finished writing her first book, “I Like Me Anyway”, she was working with a publisher who ended up dropping her. Here she was who just poured her heart and soul into her first work and tons of money for the editing process, and now she has no one to publish it. She was so committed to getting her words into the world, that she kept thinking about how she could make it happen. 

She got in contact with some amazing people who taught her how to do the self-publishing route and she decided to give it a try. Looking back, this was a total blessing in disguise. When Brooke was going through it, she felt like losing that publisher was a huge failure. Now, she’s so grateful she was able to self-publish because she’s been able to do it two more times now and learn and grow into exactly who she wants to be because of it. 

 

Instagram Community Secret #4: Don’t be afraid to promote yourself and/or your products.

In today’s world, no one is going to listen to you if you aren’t willing to promote yourself or your product. There is so much competition out there and people’s attention spans are shorter and shorter because of it. You have got to be comfortable with talking about yourself and the benefits of your products in a way that relates to your audience and hooks them in from the very beginning. Otherwise, you simply won’t be successful. 

 

Instagram Community Secret #5: Connect with other influencers and brands in your niche. 

If you’re serious about making money and turning your hobby into a business, one of the best ways to grow is by connecting with other influencers and brands in your niche. This is a great way to build up your community because you will meet others who are in the same boat as you and you can be excited for each other as you launch new products and grow your businesses alongside one another. 

This strategy is what really helped Brooke establish the community she has today. About a year before her first book came out, she got way more intentional about her time on Instagram. She was posting nearly 5 days a week and reaching out to others in her niche. And she would comment on their posts, dm them, and offer genuine support and encouragement as they were growing, and because of that, they did the same for her. This strategy was way more effective in getting publicity for her book than if she were to call random people and ask if they would read her book now that it was published. 

Brooke and I have noticed several times that people want to launch a product–and then start promoting it on Instagram. However, you should be getting on Instagram right now and supporting people and building those relationships right away. Brooke nourishing those relationships for an entire year before her book came out was a huge game-changer for her book once it did release. And it’s because she already had that established community of support and mutual interest. 

Biz Pro Tip: Having a successful online brand really comes down to two things: creating great content and supporting other people.

 

how to grow a booming IG community of loyal buyers. www.iammichellegifford.com

 

Instagram Community Secret #6: Remember that it’s OK to be misunderstood.

As you continue to grow your audience, negative comments will inevitably happen. For most of us, it does not matter how many positive comments there are because we will get stuck on the two negative ones and get offended by them. This is definitely something you’ll have to practice over time, but remember that it’s OK to be misunderstood. Everyone does not and will not see things the way you do and that’s OK. 

When those negative comments pop up, read them and then let it go. Instead of running that comment through your mind a hundred times, remind yourself of why you’re showing up, the people you get to serve who DO understand you, who you are as a person, and how you love yourself for it. Check out this post HERE for more mindset tips for biz owners and influencers.

 

Instagram Community Secret #7: Play the long game.

Brooke’s Instagram account didn’t take off until six years later. If she would’ve stopped in year three she would have missed out on so much. And this is the same case for you. Play the long game for your business and stay committed to why you’re showing up day in and day out. Yes, it’s exhausting and hard, but I promise you it will all be worth it. 

So, make a plan and keep moving forward with growing your business. And my team can totally help you out with that if you’re really wanting to grow but just need that professional experience and guidance to give you a kickstart. We want you to succeed and if you really believe in what you’re doing and what you want to accomplish, we want you to be willing to do everything you can to make it happen. Check out what we can do for you HERE!

Also, remember to not compare your year one to someone else’s year five, or what year it may be. We are all on our own journey and as long as you stay focused and committed to showing up then you will find the success you’re looking for–and so much more than you ever imagined! 

 

best secrets to growing a tight-knit Instagram community. www.iammichellegifford.com

 

7 Secrets to Growing a Tight-Knit Community on Instagram

Isn’t Brooke amazing? I learn so much from her and she is a true genius at growing a safe and supportive community! I hope you are able to take these 7 secrets to growing a tight-knit community on Instagram and start implementing them into your strategy. These will really help you make that shift that your business needs in order to grow the perfect community of loyal buyers and friends. You can follow Brooke on Instagram @brookeromneywrites and me @iammichellegifford. We hope to chat with you soon!

Also, if you loved what you learned here and are just booming with this idea of cultivating your own community, you should totally join mine–it’s my Money Maker’s Coaching Group. It’s a group of the most amazing women who meet every week and I give them coaching on everything they need to grow a successful biz online. Check it out HERE

 

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