Social Media

Let's Connect On Instagram

I've learned this 👆the hard way. I love takin

I've learned this 👆the hard way.

I love taking my own photos 📷 and especially enjoy curating my feed. As a designer, this is second nature for me.👩‍💻 ⁠

But there was a point where, even though I consistently posted “pretty” photos my account was NOT GROWING!

Then I completely changed my content strategy and started posting different content types like infographics, carousels, reels etc.

I also started engaging with my target audience by researching relevant hashtags and liking and commenting on posts.

And I did that consistently.

But the truth is, even if you have a pretty Instagram, it won’t ever matter if no one knows it exists.

You’ve got to leverage your social media and actually get out there and be social.

And, make sure your content not only looks great, but offers value so that when people start noticing you through your engagement efforts, they’ll love your content and hit that follow button.

It’s been a minute since I’ve done this so, le

It’s been a minute since I’ve done this so, lemme take a moment to say Hi 👋 and share a few biz and career facts about myself.⁠
⁠
I’m Sarah and I’m an ex-business owner/freelancer/contractor turned full time in-house Creative Director.⁠
⁠
I lead 4 separate teams and sometimes I’m not sure how I manage to do it all 🤪 but I suspect that it might have something to do with my commitment to bringing my “A” game to everything I do. ⁠
⁠
I’m learning how to be patient and manage multiple personalities and working styles with understanding and grace. It’s not easy work but it’s worth it. ⁠
⁠
I’m detail and solutions oriented and I see problem solving as a creative and fun task which has served me well in my career so far.⁠
⁠
I’ve learned how to give effective feedback and delegate like a pro.⁠
⁠
I accept that I am a work in progress and, although I always aim to exceed expectations, I embrace my failures as opportunities to learn and grow. ⁠
⁠
Now it’s your turn! Who are you and what is your career and biz special sauce?⁠

Some of you might not want to hear this🙉, but I

Some of you might not want to hear this🙉, but I’m gonna say it anyway.⁠
⁠
📣⁠ Stop striving for perfection and start making progress!⁠
⁠
As a reformed perfectionist, I think I have a little something to say on the matter. ⁠
⁠
I spent years striving for “perfection” only to realize that it was a sneaky form of procrastination and often gave me an “easy way out” of doing some of the harder (but worthwhile) things in my life. 🤦‍♀️⁠
⁠
Not to mention the self doubt that it fostered and the negative thoughts that it fed. 🙅‍♀️⁠
⁠
It took me years to shift this mindset but when I did, I mean WOW. ⁠
⁠
My confidence began to soar 🤗, I started setting and achieving smaller more realistic goals ✅, and began being so much kinder to myself 👩‍❤️‍👩.⁠
⁠
Practicing something helps you begin to do it better and better. ⁠
⁠
Enjoy the small wins and feel free to take this as a case study in why making progress is way more cool than being “perfect” ever could be. ⁠
⁠
Did this hit home for you? Let's chat about it below 👇⁠

👆The only self care tip you need to hear this w

👆The only self care tip you need to hear this week.⁠
⁠
What ways do you practice self care? ⁠
⁠
And, if you're slacking in this area, what are some ways you can prioritize yourself this week?⁠
⁠
I'll go first. ⁠
⁠
I will make time to workout this week, even for just 30 minutes whenever I can. ⁠
⁠
This for me is a way I can love and care for myself this week because I need the extra boost of endorphins 💪.⁠
⁠
Ok, now it's your turn. What's one thing you can do THIS WEEK to give yourself a little TLC? Let me know in the comments 👇

I don't have anything to post today. Comment a 😫 if you can relate.⁠
⁠
Like, really. I don’t have anything ready to post this week. ⁠
⁠
I’ve been really busy with work.⁠
⁠
For those of you who don’t know, I am the Creative Director for @iamsupercharged and @thekwanzajones brands and I lead our in-house creative media team. ⁠
⁠
I’ve been working closely with my CEO to plan some of our upcoming campaigns (which I'm super excited about). ⁠
⁠
That means that I haven’t had time to create any posts for you all here on my personal account. ⁠
⁠
I do have content topics planned and have some of the assets partially created, but just couldn't make time this weekend to get my content created in time to post. ⁠
⁠
And, I’m working on being ok with that. ⁠
⁠
I enjoy creating content here on my account, especially when I know you all find it useful. It’s my way of sharing my expertise and giving back to my community.⁠
⁠
I’ve managed to keep up a consistent posting schedule since September of last year when I decided to start consistently posting engaging, educational and inspiring content 3x a week. ⁠
⁠
To be totally honest, with my current work schedule it hasn’t been easy AT ALL. But I made it happen, until the past few weeks. ⁠
⁠
So instead of making a thing out of it, I’m going with the flow, taking it easy on myself, and acknowledging it here with you all. ⁠
⁠
If you find yourself in a similar place today, then know you are not alone and that it’s totally fine. ⁠
⁠
BTW, this is really forcing me to rethink my content strategy and find new ways of creating high quality content in the least amount of time. ⁠
⁠
I’m taking this on as a challenge and will 100% share any tips or tricks I develop in the process. ⁠
⁠
See you next week! 🤞⁠

The one Instagram strategy that can go in 2021 in

The one Instagram strategy that can go in 2021 in my opinion is...⁠
⁠
Cold DMs. Hate them 🙅‍♀️⁠
⁠
They are spammy, inauthentic, and a waste of time (both yours and mine)...so do yourself a favor and skip this one Instagram marketing tactic. ⁠
⁠
Auto DMs are so easy to spot and are one of the quickest ways to get me to delete your message. ⁠
⁠
I mean, think about it. If you were your own ideal audience, would you like getting a “fake” message? ⁠
⁠
And I call them fake because it is clear that you have zero interest in really knowing how my 2021 is going so far. And you definitely don’t care what my life goals and aspirations are. ⁠
⁠
Oh and, it’s so great getting a “thanks for the follow” when I NEVER followed you. 🙄⁠
⁠
There is nothing that will ever replace true authentic connection. ⁠
⁠
When you hear an Instagram guru say to make sales in your DM, I promise you that the really good ones mean you should be making authentic and genuine connections in your DM. ⁠
⁠
Be ready to answer any questions that your audience may have, especially if you have a product or service to sell that can help them with their issues. ⁠
⁠
Only DM someone if you genuinely want to connect. Otherwise, it’s just plain intrusive and weird.⁠
⁠
Who else hates getting DMs like this? 🙋‍♀️⁠
⁠

Want to know how to start using Instagram Insights

Want to know how to start using Instagram Insights the right way? ⁠
⁠
I’ve put together this case study to give you a peek into how I use insights to regularly inform my content strategy and ensure that I’m not wasting time creating content that no-one cares about. ⁠
⁠
It’s always helpful to see the actual tips and tricks in action.
⁠
But, promise me one thing...that you’ll do the homework at the end! ⁠
⁠
It’s simple and easy, so No Excuses! 😉🤓 ⁠
⁠
If you start using these tips, be sure to let me know in the comments below!!⁠
⁠

Be That Girl. You know. The one that decided to go

Be That Girl. You know. The one that decided to go for it. ⁠
⁠
So, let me back up a little. ⁠
⁠
I was once in a similar place where I felt paralyzed. ⁠
⁠
I had just been laid off from a job I HATED and immediately saw this as the blessing it was. ⁠
⁠
It felt like a newfound freedom, and in my mind, this opened up so many possibilities.

What I did not expect was the confusion that followed. ⁠
⁠
Going back into the same field was NOT an option for me but I had no idea exactly where to go from there. ⁠
⁠
It took a bit of soul searching and about 3 months of feeling utterly lost for me to make the decision to walk away from that career, go back to school and get the training I needed to make a complete career change. ⁠
⁠
Still, I was not 100% sure that it was the right decision, but I had enough info and internal direction to know it was the right move to make. ⁠
⁠
Was it risky? Yes! Was it scary? Yes!

Did it turn out to be one of the best decisions of MY LIFE? YES. YES. YES. ⁠
⁠
I am so grateful that I decided to go for it. ⁠
⁠
Is there something that you’ve been thinking about doing for a while but keep talking yourself out of it? ⁠
⁠
What’s keeping you stuck - fear or circumstance? ⁠
⁠
I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!⁠

Follow me on Instagram // @sarahlunadesign