As most of you probably know, my Instagram/Facebook accounts were temporarily disabled for a few weeks earlier this month. It came out of the blue; I was literally waking up on our trip in Aspen and went to check my IG…when I realized I couldn’t log in. Cue my freakout and confusion since social media is a huge part of my job. Right away I texted my team, and they were having the same issue with my account – no one could log in, and I had pretty much no info as to why except for a vague email saying my account had been disabled.
Three weeks later, I finally got my account back. And it wasn’t easy. I had my management team, partners at Instagram, basically anyone who could lead us in the right direction, helping on my account. I’ll spare you the details, but it got to the point where Austin had to take pictures of me in our home, holding a sign with a security code to prove that it was me who owned my account.
I went through all the emotions over those three weeks. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with social media. And sure, it was nice to not have access to it, but I was really upset to think that all the hard work I put into building my Instagram business over the past 9 years was gone…overnight. My Instagram, in particular, is a major factor in my business. It’s how I book a lot of my partnerships, drive traffic to blog posts and other content channels, show my engagement stats, share content, and most importantly, connect with my community one-on-one. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get my account back or if I’d need to rebuild from scratch.
But in the midst of all the frustration and worry, I was also filled with gratitude. While I was stressing about the IG situation, I was very grateful for one thing: having other business outlets and diverse streams for content. I wasn’t able to connect with y’all on IG, but I have built several other ways to share content over the years – which is what I want to talk about today. I see SO many influencers and other small businesses only rely on Instagram for their work, and while I’m not judging that AT ALL, I’ve now experienced the importance of diversifying your content. IG can literally be gone tomorrow; none of us have control over it, and even though we all “know” that…I don’t think we actually plan for the situation.
Of course, you know your business best, but I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk a little bit about how I diversify my own content. After recently losing my IG for a while, I’ve realized the importance of this, more so than ever. I hope it’s helpful to you as well!
xx Ash
HOW TO DIVERSIFY YOUR CONTENT
WEBSITE/BLOG: Before Instagram, blogs/websites were the main channels for sharing content. I still share new content on mine 2-3 times a week and think I always will – it’s my first love when it comes to this job. Plus, it feels like a better overarching storage place for all content – especially since Stories and things shared on IG only last for 24 hours. Within my website, I also have links to pretty much everything pertaining to my business and where to find me, so I think of it as a hub for all things TTD. I know a lot of people don’t see the value in sites anymore, but to me, that’s a mistake.
NEWSLETTER: I started investing more time and energy into building my newsletter list in 2020. I think of this as a place to connect with those of you who 1. really love the brand and everything that we do, and 2. prefer emails over checking Instagram for content. Since newsletters give you direct access to people’s emails, it’s a great thing to have in case of emergencies (aka losing your Insta!). I produce exclusive content that only my subscribers see on my newsletter, so like I said, it’s like a VIP list for people who want even more TTD, outside of IG. If you aren’t subscribed, you can sign up here!
LTK: In terms of affiliate commission, it’s a large part of how most influencers make a living. Though Instagram is relied upon to share that info with people, LikeToKnowIt is the actual app where most of us share our outfits, home links, etc. I’ve been a part of that community for years and it’s an easy way for my followers to shop my life – with or without IG. I share content over there daily.
AMAZON STOREFRONT: On top of the newsletter list, maintaining my Amazon Storefront has been a big priority for me over the last couple of years. I know a ton of y’all like to shop Amazon, just like I do, and this is another income stream for influencers. Again, I rely on my IG to share what I’m putting on the Storefront but it doesn’t technically have anything to do with IG. People can come and shop your storefront to see what you’re buying and using whenever they want.
PINTEREST: Personally, I love Pinterest. It’s where I get a lot of inspo – whether it’s for my house, fashion, or for the boys – so I share lots of content on Pinterest. Oftentimes, my stats show that I actually get more new traffic (to my site or IG) via Pinterest vs. people finding me on IG, so I think it’s a huge asset for anyone in this industry.
FACEBOOK GROUP: Since FB/IG are the same these days, I didn’t have access to my Facebook group during this time BUT it’s just another example on diversifying content. Some people prefer FB to IG, and I love that you can create Private Groups (which mine is if you want to join!) so that it’s a small, safe community for TTD members. It’s fun to see y’all talking to each other, sharing suggestions or inpso, and I love popping in there for advice myself!
TIKTOK: I don’t have many followers on TikTok (user name is ashley.n.robertson) but it’s obviously a large newer platform – and another way to diversify your content and following. Let me know if you guys would be interested in seeing more from me on Tiktok!
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