Welcome
All New Deals for 2019 as long as I can post them. More coming.
I have been able to come up with training videos and training courses from some of the top people in the industry and was able to get the rights to share them with you. Right now I am working to set up an online school and am having to do some experimenting. Be patient while I figure out the right way to do this. UPDATE: I am moving all the videos to a SINGLE platform and from there you will be able to see them all as a subscriber there. This will start happening within a few months after I have that all paid off. Much simpler for you and me.
Welcome to WSO Update .com.
The main topic of this website will be the Warrior Forum Special Offers.
Most of these items are groundbreaking products for the internet marketers worldwide and I will be bringing as many as I can here. It can be difficult to sort through there.
There will be top sellers and small sellers and all in between so you can see all the niches.
You also will be able to view the first portion of the ads and be able to decide if it is a product that interests you.
Life is a short amount of time so why waste it. Let me do the work for you.
Thank you for visiting the site.
Bonus – buy from here and get a handpicked bonus package. It is way too hard to list what you will get for each deal since you beed things that complement each product. Just email us at charles_osborne@hotmail.com with your purchase info and collect.
I have no way of knowing who buys what since I am just an affiliate for most deals here so you need to let me know when you buy.
Other packages coming.
Boom or Bust? How Covid-19 Changes the Digital Marketing World
This may be of interest to you.
The Coronavirus has changed the marketing landscape. Click here to find out how.
We hope you enjoyed this.
Transformational Leadership in Affiliate Management Context
This may be of interest to you.
Leadership transforms management. Transformational leadership, specifically, tends to work wonders when applied to any management environment, but especially when applied to affiliate management. Back in 1978, when James MacGregor Burns introduced the concept, he defined transformational leadership as a process in which “leaders and followers help each other to advance …
Transformational Leadership in Affiliate Management Context Read More »
The post Transformational Leadership in Affiliate Management Context appeared first on Affiliate Marketing Blog by Geno Prussakov.
We hope you enjoyed this.
5 Changes I’ve Made to My Daily Routine for Better Life-Work Balance
This may be of interest to you.
I know. It is absolutely an incredible privilege that I get to work from home and enjoy this so-called “dot com lifestyle” as a freelance writer, editor and blogger. It affords me a lot of flexibility, both in terms of time and location, but this also brings with it a great deal of responsibility and the need for a lot of self-discipline.
While you might suspect that convincing yourself to stay on task and actually work is one of the greatest challenges you’ll face — avoiding distractions is a constant battle — another big challenge that you’ll face is giving yourself enough room to breathe. In other words, you have to know when to stop working and give yourself the space to enjoy some non-work related life things.
Life-work balance can feel like a myth, and life-work integration may sound much more appealing, but the truth is that you can’t and you shouldn’t be working all the time. Some of your best creative inspiration will strike when you allow your mind to rest and activate the “default state.” Speaking for myself, I’ve endeavored to implement at least these five changes into my regular day-to-day routine.
1. No Email or Social Media Before Breakfast
It wasn’t all that long ago that I’d habitually charge my smartphone at my bedside. This is a very common practice, especially since so many people use their phones as their alarm clocks. However, I found that this led to some rather detrimental habits. Namely, the first thing I’d do in the morning is roll over and start scrolling around on my phone, all without even getting out of bed. You’re lying to yourself if you say that you’re being extra productive when you do this. You’re not.
Nowadays, not only do I typically charge my phone in another room, but I also avoid looking at it for at least the first half hour or so of my day if I can help it. I’m human, so I fail frequently, but that’s the goal. I’ll brush my teeth, make and drink my coffee, and do other regular morning routine things before I see what I missed overnight in email and social media land.
2. The Two-Day Rule of Daily Step Goals
Realistically, the “10,000 steps” benchmark is really arbitrary. It’s completely meaningless, because everyone’s health situation and exercise needs are different. What we can learn from all this step-tracking, though, is that especially for sedentary computer-bound people like bloggers, we need to get up and move more often. We also need to cut ourselves some slack now and then.
To this end, I’ve employed the two-day rule. Ideally, I’d like to meet my daily step goal each and every day. Of course I would. The two-day rule states that I can miss one day here and there. However, I can never miss two days in a row. This forces me to get up off my bed and walk around, even if I don’t have a more traditional exercise or gym routine to speak of. (I really should, but one step — or 10,000 steps — at a time.)
3. Focus on Family on the Weekend
We all understand that a big part of the appeal of running your own business and being your own boss is that you also get to set your own hours. We must also understand that this allows for a lot of room where work can creep into your non-work life too, guilting you into being productive at all hours of the day.
I’ve oftentimes said that because I can work at any time, I feel like I should be working all the time. That’s just not healthy.
Up until recently, my schedule has indeed been remarkably flexible. The days of the week really didn’t matter to me, aside from avoiding the Sunday crowd at Costco. That being said, ever since my daughter started kindergarten, my days and weeks have become more structured. I can be more productive while she’s at school; conversely, I make myself more available on the weekend for family bonding time. That’s called balance.
4. Death to the Living To-Do List
Being productive means being organized. I’ve written about building a better to-do list on this blog before. For my part, I tend to keep a bigger to-do list for the week or month, plus a smaller one for each day. That’s how I can keep track of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.
In the past, I’ve fallen into the trap of adding to my to-do list as the day went on. If I worked more quickly than I had anticipated, I may allow some of tomorrow’s tasks to creep into today’s list. The net result is that I’d always end up with an unfinished to-do list at the end of every day, because I just kept adding to it. No more.
Instead, I always set up my daily to-do list the night before, putting no more than about five items on there. I know how much I can reasonably accomplish. If things go very well and I actually knock all five items out faster than expected, then by golly, I’m taking the rest of the day off.
5. Eliminate Screens Before Bedtime
We end where we begin. Again, I’m human, so I fail at this one frequently too. It’s still a goal of mine. Broadly speaking, I’m trying to avoid working in particular and screens in general for at least an hour before I try to go to sleep. I’ve long since struggled with falling asleep, and I know that looking at a screen — computer, smartphone, TV, etc. — before bedtime can be detrimental in that regard. Easier said than done, of course. There’s always Netflix and YouTube.
What about you? Do you have any specific actionable tips for better life-work balance? Let’s hear them in the comments below.
We hope you enjoyed this.
The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People
This may be of interest to you.
The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People by Jim Kukral and Lisa Picarille was written in a fun, conversational style and I read it in one sitting, which is a rarity for me.
The whole time I was enjoying the hell out of it and laughing to myself.
It’s for anybody who has to deal with jerks, idiots, and terrible people… so all of us.
I am hesitant to call it a self-help book because that feels a little hokey to me, but it really is. And it’s a tone that was enjoyable, rather than preachy.
There is some profanity, but I’d say it’s an amount that is entertaining, and not distracting. The only thing that put me off a little bit was the frequent lack of an Oxford comma, but I was able to get past that because of the fun content.
The post The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People appeared first on Affiliate Marketing Blog.
We hope you enjoyed this.
Leveling Up: Is It Time for Managed WordPress Hosting?
This may be of interest to you.
Have you ever wondered about managed WordPress hosting? Are you curious if it’s worth the higher price than your regular or shared WordPress hosting?
When you first started your site, you might’ve chosen a regular web host or shared WordPress hosting because it was cheaper, which made sense at the time. But now that your site is popular and getting lots of traffic, it needs more attention.
Managed WordPress hosting can be the solution if you’re in this situation. In this article, we’ll explain what managed WordPress hosting is and highlight the pros and cons. Then, you can decide whether managed WordPress hosting is right for you and your site.
What Is Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting is a concierge hosting service where the hosting company manages all the technical activities of running a WordPress site. They handle the installation and upgrading of WordPress, doing regular backups, install plugins for you, ensuring website uptime, and scalability of the hosting servers to keep your site running smoothly.
The idea is to offer a hands-off WordPress experience, so you can focus on running your site and business. You handle everything on the “front” of your site, while the managed hosting company deals with the “back” end of it.
One of the reasons people like managed WordPress hosting is the premium support they get for their site. You get help from WordPress experts with a ton of experience with the platform and hosting, so they know the answer to any question you might have. It’s like having a personal WordPress mechanic and coach that’ll take care of your site before anything goes wrong with it, then explain what happened and how they fixed it.
Next, let’s look at the pros and cons of managed WordPress hosting to see if it’s right for you.
The Advantages of Managed WordPress Hosting
- A Fast Website – Managed WordPress hosting servers are configured specifically for WordPress, so your site will always be fast, even when it gets a lot of traffic.
- Regular Backups – They schedule regular backups of your WordPress site and offer restore points if you ever need to revert to an earlier version. Most companies will offer you a backup schedule, such as daily, twice a week, or weekly.
- Security – Your site is well-protected when you use a managed WordPress host. They have a tight security layer that actively scans for malware, blocks hackers, and they usually will install an SSL security certificate for free. Your site and data are safe with them.
- Automatic Updates – They handle all WordPress platform and plugin updates automatically, so you don’t have to worry about doing them.
- Expert Support – The staff at a managed host is highly knowledgeable about and skilled with WordPress. They’ll offer advice on the best plugins to install and the ones to avoid, how to speed up your site, and more.
- Development Tools – While the available options depend on your managed host, most offer some development tools to help you create or test your site. E.g. Staging areas, version control of your site, etc.
- No Downtime – Because they’re monitoring your site 24/7 year-round and use high-quality servers, your site will always be up.
That probably all sounds really good, right? But you’re wondering about the disadvantages since there are probably a few. Keep reading to find out more.
The Disadvantages of Managed WordPress Hosting
- Higher Price – Managed WordPress hosting is significantly more expensive than shared hosting. Base plans usually start around $30 a month, while a base shared hosting plan can be as little as $3.95 per month. Just remember what you get for your money, and the extra costs make more sense.
- Limitations – Because the hosting servers are specifically configured for WordPress, you can only host a WordPress-based site on them. That’s normally not an issue since you were already creating a WordPress site. Additionally, your site cannot run all WordPress plugins on a managed host. They usually block plugins that slow down your site or that duplicate features they offer to you, such as caching or backups.
- No Email Hosting – This is another limitation, but merits being called out by itself. A managed WordPress host will not offer you an email address for your website. You’ll need to sign up for private email hosting separately.
- Less Control – You don’t have as much control over the technical aspects of your site if you use a managed WordPress host, but that’s why you hired them, right? You wanted to free up your time from all the maintenance and admin work, so you could focus on your business. But if you’re the type that always wants to know what’s going on, you might not be able to with a managed host.
By now, you’ve probably got a good idea of whether managed WordPress hosting is for you, but if you need a bit more info, here you are.
Should You Choose Managed WordPress Hosting?
For most people, the price of managed WordPress hosting is the deciding factor for them. If you’re just starting with a WordPress site, shared hosting will work fine for you.
That said, there are situations where managed WordPress hosting is the better option, even from Day 1. For example:
- Freelance web designers who build WordPress sites for clients.
- Businesses, bloggers, and influencers whose reputations depend on their site.
- Online stores and eCommerce sites who need reliable uptime and advanced technical service to handle their stores.
- High-traffic websites that need reliable uptime and fast loading.
There are many reputable managed WordPress hosting companies to look at, including WP Engine, SiteGround, DreamHost, and Liquid Web. Do an online search to find one that matches your needs and budget.
As your site grows, you’ll have less time to maintain it, so getting managed WordPress hosting might be a good option for you. It’ll cost you more per month, but you’ll save time and effort so you can concentrate on your business instead. Leave the technical side of things to the WordPress experts. They’ll make sure your WordPress site is blazing fast, is always up, and always updated with the latest versions of plugins and the platform. A managed WordPress host might be the best investment you make in your online business.
Syed Balkhi is an award-winning entrepreneur and online marketing expert. He is the co-founder of OptinMonster, WPBeginner, MonsterInsights, and WPForms.
We hope you enjoyed this.
The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People
This may be of interest to you.
The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People by Jim Kukral and Lisa Picarille was written in a fun, conversational style and I read it in one sitting, which is a rarity for me.
The whole time I was enjoying the hell out of it and laughing to myself.
It’s for anybody who has to deal with jerks, idiots, and terrible people… so all of us.
I am hesitant to call it a self-help book because that feels a little hokey to me, but it really is. And it’s a tone that was enjoyable, rather than preachy.
There is some profanity, but I’d say it’s an amount that is entertaining, and not distracting. The only thing that put me off a little bit was the frequent lack of an Oxford comma, but I was able to get past that because of the fun content.
The post The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People appeared first on Affiliate Marketing Blog.
We hope you enjoyed this.
The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People
This may be of interest to you.
The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People by Jim Kukral and Lisa Picarille was written in a fun, conversational style and I read it in one sitting, which is a rarity for me.
The whole time I was enjoying the hell out of it and laughing to myself.
It’s for anybody who has to deal with jerks, idiots, and terrible people… so all of us.
I am hesitant to call it a self-help book because that feels a little hokey to me, but it really is. And it’s a tone that was enjoyable, rather than preachy.
There is some profanity, but I’d say it’s an amount that is entertaining, and not distracting. The only thing that put me off a little bit was the frequent lack of an Oxford comma, but I was able to get past that because of the fun content.
The post The Unskippable Handbook For Dealing with JERKS, IDIOTS & TERRIBLE People appeared first on Affiliate Marketing Blog.
We hope you enjoyed this.
📅 2020 Content Marketing Calendar + 100 Social Media Ideas (Free Download)
This may be of interest to you.
Need EASY social media ideas and an organized calendar for ALL of your 2020 content marketing?
I’ve got you covered. 
Smart marketers are gearing up for 2020 and getting set up for an AMAZING year!
This part always makes me feel totally overwhelmed to be honest.
It’s like my brain freezes up just thinking about it all, especially right after the holidays & new year!
This year though, I found the PERFECT solution. 
I discovered Angie Gensler, and the 2020 “Done-For-You” Social Media Content Calendar she created. I don’t even know how it first crossed my screen, but I’m SO glad I stopped and checked it out!
If you’re scanning in a hurry, there are 3 points in this note:
1. I scored you 20% off this GREAT content calendar (and it’s already inexpensive!). If you’re in a hurry click here and use code LYNNTERRY for the discount.
2. Her free downloads are FULL of brilliant ideas. You definitely want to grab & use those. Start with this one: Free Social Media Cheat Sheet
Both of those 
are great for ANY niche and any business model.
3. Her funnel is SO simple yet so WELL DONE, that I encourage you to analyze it 
and use it as a working model to emulate…
Whether you get her done-for-you 2020 content calendar or one of her handy free downloads, pay attention as you move through the steps.
She does not oversell, but she DOES overdeliver. It has a super smooth flow, and leaves you with a GREAT impression.
Definitely one to model in your own marketing. It’s a beautiful live example of the kind of experience you want to give YOUR audience.
That alone is incredibly valuable!
The BEST Social Media Content & Marketing Calendar I’ve EVER Seen…
I could tell you all about it but that would probably take several paragraphs.
I will say it’s the best format I’ve ever seen, it’s VERY easy to use and customize, you can share it with your assistant or team if you have one – there is literally NOTHING lacking about this content calendar.
The best thing to do is watch the short video at the top of this page and then scroll down and watch the second short video where she gives you an inside look so you can SEE the content calendar and how it works.
If you LOVE it, don’t forget to use the discount code LYNNTERRY for 20% off. I got MINE for 20% off, so I asked her for a code I could pass on to you too. 🙂
I’m pretty confident you’ll be as impressed as I was…
She did an AMAZING job with this calendar! 
You will NEVER struggle with “what to post” AGAIN.
While it’s a “social media content calendar” I got TONS of ideas for videos, blog posts, email newsletters – pretty much ALL the content I’ll ever need to create.
And you can plan it all out right there on the calendar, customizing it to the way you run YOUR business.
The editable format is the BEST!
2020 Done-For-You Content Calendar 
discount code: LYNNTERRY (20% off)
Not ready to commit, but need GREAT social media content ideas?
This is also a great way to analyze how she has her funnel set up, and check out how HER content marketing flows!
Download the FREE Social Media Cheat Sheet
I hope you enjoy both of these resources as much as I’m enjoying them myself. 🙂
It takes entirely too many hours to try to create something like this from scratch!
I love that she has all the holidays & observances plus TONS of post prompts and content ideas (strategically designed to increase engagement) already loaded right into your content calendar – ready to customize and GO. 
I’ve bought countless planners and calendars over the years, but this is the FIRST one I’ve actually been inspired to USE. It was so easy, I opened it up and got started straight away. 🙂
Go ahead and download one or both of those resources and have them ready…
I’ll be back with a FUN surprise that will help you build a responsive, buying audience in 2020 that will level-up your online business! *cheers*
Best,
p.s. The 20% off discount code EXPIRES in a few days. 
Download the 2020 Done-For-You Content Calendar
use discount code: LYNNTERRY for 20% off today
We hope you enjoyed this.
14 Ways to Ensure Company Growth Doesn’t Outstrip Business Communication
This may be of interest to you.
Some businesses have seen a period of massive growth lately, especially those that deal solely with online sales and services. While this development is promising, it also opens up a business to another problem — that of having their growth outscale their ability to communicate.
Business communication deals with how the company interacts with and informs its employees and its clients, which includes the overall branding promise. Naturally, a small company is likely to have a different approach to a larger one, simply because of the scale of the communication involved.
However, as businesses grow in size, many of their focus areas and key elements that helped them get to where they are today tend to fall and get lost in the mix. Unfortunately, this happens to a great majority of businesses and brands, and it just doesn’t have to be this way.
Recommendations and Tips in on How to Ensure Your Company Growth Doesn’t Outstrip Business Communications and Engagement
We consulted 14 entrepreneurs from YEC about the best ways for a business to ensure that their communication keeps up with their business growth. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Be Open to Feedback and Change
Maintaining effective communication through growth is something that’s hard to get right. In my experience, the trick here is not some grand multi-step strategy. You’ll never get that right — at least I don’t. The trick is to be able and willing to listen. When you’re receptive to feedback, your team will inform you when they lack context. I see my job as listening and adapting.
2. Create Brand Guidelines
Brand guidelines can be a one-page document that helps the whole team understand what is on or off brand. Having the guidelines written down helps if they need to be changed as well, which can happen if there are changes to the business that need to be reflected back in the core brand guidelines (example: acquisition of another company with a different brand positioning).
3. Replicate Your Voice
In an ideal world, you can just hire employees who “care” as much as you do about staying on brand. In reality, it’s next to impossible to find those employees, and it takes a lot of time to properly train them. As such, the next best thing is to “replicate your voice.” You can do this through company documents, training materials, videos, websites, social media and even a message to callers who are on hold!
– Bill Mulholland, ARC Relocation
4. Build a Strategic Communications Plan
Create brand guidelines that define tone, style, etc., and make the guidelines available to your communications team(s). Build out a strategic communications plan that maps the various outreaches, both internal and external, that will be needed as part of the business’s growth. Make it clear who is responsible for each communication and who signs off on its compliance with brand standards.
5. Leverage Automated Tools
Make sure you have automation tools and systems in place. This way, the brand can scale without heavy manual oversight, and creative roadmaps can receive the proper attention they deserve.
– Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
6. Audit Communication Channels
The larger your organization is, the more detailed of a process that will need to be laid out in order to ensure continuity and correct messaging. Like a game of telephone, conduct an audit to understand where gaps in communication may be occurring and be prepared to revise your process.
– Matthew Podolsky, Florida Law Advisers, P.A.
7. Create a Chain of Accountability
As your business grows, it’s critical that everyone stays on the same page. When you add new departments or see massive growth in one of your teams, assign leaders to keep each group accountable. This chain of accountability ensures that everyone’s on the same page.
8. Have Daily Meetings
For rapid and sustainable growth, you must have daily meetings to make sure your communications are on brand. Nothing goes out without several sets of eyes on it and those working on these communications are held accountable for performance and delivery. We check in multiple times per day — it does not need to be long, but a morning and afternoon signs-of-life check does wonders.
9. Maintain Personal Connections
Because most of my employees work off-site, it’s important to communicate as often as we can with one another and that they feel supported by me. We hold a quarterly all-hands staff meeting where we go into more detail and ensure that everyone gets to know one another. With a rapidly growing business, unless we have regular get-togethers with our team, people start to lose that personal connection.
– Jennifer A Barnes, Optima Office, Inc
10. Create a Schedule
Like everything else, communication needs to be planned to be effective. This means investing in the right tools, creating fixed weekly meetings, quarterly appraisals, one-on-ones and more. Use calendars and create reminders for these meetings so that they’re all in place and clearly communicated. It’s just a matter of planning “up” as your business grows.
11. Establish a Single Tool
The means of communication are becoming endless, from Slack to email to phone or IM, so it is no surprise that interoffice communication becomes a problem the larger a team becomes. Put a process in place that streamlines communication on certain topics into one single location and on one identified platform. This way, everyone knows where to go to stay up to date.
– Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.
12. Take a Step Back
Sometimes you just need to take a step back from all the craziness that comes with day-to-day management of a business and ask yourself, “Is this on brand?” If you continue to ask the question and be true to your core values, communications will remain on point.
– Josh Weiss, Reggie
13. Train and Delegate
As your business grows, it’s not realistic to think that you can maintain the same level of interpersonal communication as before. The next best step is to train key people in your business to communicate on your behalf. Lead by example and also create documentation that outlines what to discuss. This will keep things consistent across the organization.
14. Hire a Content Marketing Agency
When you need to scale communication both internally and externally, it’s helpful to hire some help. A content marketing agency can help you with everything, from your company blog, to bylined content, to internal communications and speeches from executives, and can ensure that everything is consistent and on brand.
– Kelsey Raymond, Influence & Co.
How to Focus on Growth and Business Communications
For most businesses and brands, it’s all about the bottom line and trying to reach new goals and levels every quarter. However, the last thing you want to do is hit your goals while jeopardizing your customer and B2B relationships that you’ve worked so hard for.
To best accomplish this, we highly recommend you go through each of the tips and expert advice featured above and start implementing these solutions into your own business or brand.
If you enjoyed this content today, be sure to read our other expert tips on how to handle a PR crisis and increasing traffic to your site while working with a low budget.
The post 14 Ways to Ensure Company Growth Doesn’t Outstrip Business Communication appeared first on Zac Johnson.
We hope you enjoyed this.
6 Things You’re Doing Wrong on Instagram
This may be of interest to you.
As the social media platform that reportedly boasts the highest engagement rate of them all, Instagram is a coveted space for influencers, marketers and brands alike. While there will never be any sort of magic bullet approach to Instagram, or to any content-driven platform for that matter, there are some obvious mistakes you’ll want to avoid when trying to extend your reach, maximize your potential, and grow your presence on Instagram.
1. You Lack Consistency in Posting
The importance of consistency is (at least) two-fold. First, just as you should decide on a reliable publishing schedule for your blog — editorial calendar plug-ins are great for managing that — you should also be mindful of how frequently you post on Instagram too. You really need to avoid unleashing a flurry of content over a couple of days, only to have the account go almost dormant for weeks. Be consistent. Ideally, you want to have a new post on your main feed at least once every day or two. This keeps the grid looking fresh and active, and it surely helps with the algorithm for organic reach too.
2. You Don’t Maintain a Consistent Style
Second, just as you will likely stick to a certain format for your blog, the same is also true with Instagram. While you may not need to set hard and fast rules, you will want to develop something that resembles a signature look. This might include choosing certain color palettes, sticking with certain font choices, or applying the same small number of presets. It’s about managing and meeting expectations, and establishing a brand identity.
3. You Focus on Yourself Too Much
I know that this can sound completely counter-intuitive in the context of social media, especially since Instagram very much leans into a “look at me” kind of approach. I get that. And it’s true that the overwhelming majority of the things that you post on Instagram are probably going to be about you and your experiences in some way. What I am saying, though, is that you need to think about how you can frame this content so that it’s not just about you. It’s also about how this can benefit your followers.
Think about your audience and how you can best satisfy their wants and needs. If you’ve got a food-centric page, then remember to include pertinent information in the caption, like the name of the restaurant, name of the dish, and what makes it special. How can you inspire through choice quotes or provide guidance with helpful tips? What purpose are you serving?
4. You Stick Only to Squares
It’s true that you want to maintain a consistent style with your Instagram posts. And it’s also true that Instagram started out by forcing users to post only square photos. However, that limitation is no longer in place. In fact, while the grid on your profile will default to squares, the actual posts themselves do not need to retain the 1:1 aspect ratio.
Instead, you may find that it’s in your favor to utilize a slightly taller aspect ratio, like 3:4 or even 2:3. The advantage here is that your post will take up more vertical real estate as users scroll through their Instagram feeds. It’s also advantageous to leverage video or carousel posts upon occasion too; your carousels can consist of taller photos too! It makes no sense to use the “photo grid” style of post anymore.
5. You Don’t Capitalize on Your Bio
Until you reach 10,000 followers, you’re not going to have the “swipe up” feature in Stories. Since your bio only allows for a single link — hence why everyone uses the “link in bio” approach — you might think that your bio functions in much the same way as a Twitter bio or the byline bio you might have in an author box on your blog. Not so! There are many creative ways you can maximize the impact of your Instagram bio.
Instead of writing out a single line of plain text, consider leveraging line breaks in a creative way. Think about how you can integrate emojis too; travel bloggers oftentimes put the country flag emoji of where they last visited or where they are currently. And while URLs in bios aren’t “clickable,” you can include easily memorable short URLs (301 redirects on your own domain are an easy way to do this) for key pages you want to highlight.
6. You Forget About Stories
Ever since Instagram “borrowed” this feature from Snapchat, Stories has quickly risen in popularity among users. Whereas IGTV hasn’t gained nearly as much traction, Instagram Stories are a great place to engage with your followers in real time, providing more of the “between the posts” type content that isn’t necessarily as polished or curated as your main feed.
In addition to posting to your main feed every day or two, ideally you’d like to add new content to your Stories every day, several times a day. You don’t want to overwhelm your followers, but you do want to keep your brand front of mind, and this means pushing your Stories out so you remain near the beginning when they open the app. Take advantage of questions and polls to encourage greater engagement.
These are just some of the basics when it comes to finding some success on Instagram. What other major pitfalls should users avoid?
We hope you enjoyed this.
