How to make your own Gifs

How to make your own Gifs

by | Dec 1, 2021 | Instagram, social media

How to make your own Instagram Gifs

Any time you use someone else’s gif on your Instagram story, you improve their brand recognition, not yours. Meantime, it’s so easy to create your own gif to use on your social media. 

Simply record a video of yourself using just your smartphone. You can remove the background using the free Remove.bg app so you can use it as an Instagram sticker. To upload it, you will need to create an account on Giphy and go through their application process. You will also need to upload a minimum of 5 gifs before you’re considered a ‘creator’ on Giphy. Once you go through this process, you can search for your name within the Instagram hidden gif list. 

If you want others to find and use your branded gifs, make sure you include descriptive and searchable keywords. Keep your channel active by creating new Giphs and promote it on your social media!

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So you keep posting on Instagram but aren’t getting any sales?

So you keep posting on Instagram but aren’t getting any sales?

by | Jun 18, 2021 | Instagram, social media, Uncategorized

So you keep posting on Instagram but aren’t getting any sales?

I’m going to say something controversial: ⁠ 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔.⁠ ⁠ I have had so many clients come to me, upset that they post on Insta regularly but aren’t getting sales on their website. ⁠ It looks so easy on the outside, doesn’t it? We were all led to believe that social media is this holy grail of marketing, levelling the playing field between the big brands and the independents, giving everyone an audience without having to pay for ads.⁠ ⁠ Except that’s not true. At least not in 2021. That’s why retailers have to get smarter. Here’s what I tell my clients:⁠ ⁠

1. Check if the fault is with your website or the channel. Your Analytics should be able to tell you if you’re getting traffic from IG but it’s not converting – or if the problem is purely with your Insta and the traffic is just not there.⁠ ⁠

2. If IG isn’t bringing you any site visitors and your account isn’t growing like you would like it to, it’s time to look at your content: are your product shots well lit and high-res? Do you have a consistent look to your content? Are you posting content which provides value to your followers or just a product still after product still?⁠ ⁠

3. Are you a good community member? Nearly every brand I worked with assumed that social media is a ‘build it and they will come’ kind of a situation. Sadly, it doesn’t work like that. You have to be very active on Insta to make it work for you. I like to use an app called @dollar.eighty to build engagement and following and I promise you it works.⁠ ⁠

4. Lastly, don’t forget about all the other ways to get traffic and sales out there, other than social media. If you can cut out a bit of a budget, Google Ads and Pinterest are a really good option. Facebook and Insta ads are a bit harder to get a good return from so proceed with caution. But you also have organic search traffic, content marketing and PR to choose from, and none of these cost a penny!⁠ ⁠

instagram content planning process

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What to post on your Instagram if you’re a product-based business

What to post on your Instagram if you’re a product-based business

by | Mar 12, 2021 | ecommerce, Instagram

What to post on your Instagram if you’re a product-based business?

If you’re an ecommerce brand or an online boutique owner, I could bet $10 you are struggling to come up with ideas of what to post on your Instagram. I’d be willing to risk another $5 to bet that you’re not posting consistently as you run out of ideas and go through periods of ghosting social media altogether.

How do I know?

I work with dozens of business owners like this – hell, I’m one of those business owners too. We all know we should be marketing on social media regularly but who has the time for that? One thing I’ve found to be universally true for all my clients is that if it isn’t pre-planned, it’s not going to happen.

My process for creating social media content for my clients as well as my own brands is to plan is to batch-plan it. I’m not going to tell you how to plan a year’s worth of content in 3 hours because I don’t think it’s necessary and to be honest the very idea scares me. I plan Instagram content a month in advance using a 4×5 grid. Here’s what it looks like for my own ecommerce brand, Nola Plants:

instagram content planning process

I go into detail about my method for coming up with ideas and the types of content I plan in my free mini-course but the general rule is – Make sure every post provides value to your audience.

You can provide value in a few different ways, and I’m still experimenting with the most effective categories. The 4 that are more or less timeless are: aspirational, inspirational, educational and story.

Aspirational posts make your user feel like they want what you have or what your product can offer. Think glowing skin for a beauty brand, edgy look for a clothing brand etc etc.

Inspirational posts are pretty similar but they are meant to inspire your audience – make them feel something. On a most basic level these could be shareable quotes but also inspiring photos, videos etc.

Educational – this one is easy. You know your audience, you hear what questions they have around your niche and as the expert, you are perfectly positioned to give them the answers.

Story – this one is seeing a rise recently thanks to TikTok, which reminded us all how much humans are drawn to an interesting story. In many ways marketing is about telling good stories – whether that’s about you, your product, or something that you’re vaguely reminded of that has some kind of relevance to your niche.

I then fill out the columns making sure to come up with at least five ideas for each column. This leaves me with 20 posts, which is the perfect amount for a calendar month. I can, of course, come up with more and fill in all 30 days but it’s not necessary and coming up with 20 original ideas doesn’t feel as daunting.

If you’re still confused what exactly you should post, I’ve created this handy infographic for you with 20 post ideas ready for just about any ecommerce brand.

instagram posts for ecommerce brands

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30 Best hidden Instagram Story Gifs

30 Best hidden Instagram Story Gifs

by | Sep 4, 2020 | social media, Instagram

30 Best hidden Instagram Story Gifs

Last Updated:
Dec 1, 2021

Why does Instagram make everything so hard?? Take Instagram Story gifs for example – the best ones are hidden deep in the app! And the only way to find them is by searching the author…

The problem is, unless you know exactly what you’re looking for, it’s impossible to find the right sticker. So, to make things easier, I created this list of my favourite Instagram Story gifs or stickers for you.

How to use this list of Instagram Story Gifs?

Keep this page saved in your browser or save it to your Pinterest. When you want to post a story on your Instagram, you will have it handy to browse the style of gifs you want.

When you go to upload your story, press this icon:

add gif to instagram story icon

Next, press GIF and when a search function appears at the top you just need to copy and paste the name from this list!

Enjoy it and let me know in the comments which one is your favourite! If you try this on your Instagram, don’t forget to tag me at @dominikatracy ❤️

1. Boho

2. Anchetulil

3. Aesthetic

4. Vipapier

5. Berries

6. Haley Ivers

7. Lidiaontheroad

8. White dreams

9. Merelscorner

10. Boho white

11. Lizaproach

12. Nhena

13. Zoewodarz

14. Helenbucher

15. Fookplo

16. Studiojonesie

17. Prosadecora

18. Muchable

19. Rizzylydick

20. Natgracecreates

21. Olly Kit

22. Aurage

23. Anacepec

24. Friendsbynora

25. Zoesugg

26. Victoriagarza

27. Sasa Elebea

28. Madgenfou

29. Sarama

30. Twentyseven

30 best Instagram stickers

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I created this free Mini Course for product-based business owners to master creating engaging content for Instagram. Would you like to receive it?

Instagram Story idea for product shots

Instagram Story idea for product shots

by | Aug 30, 2020 | Instagram, Uncategorized

Cool Instagram Story Idea for product shots

If you’re struggling to create Instagram content for your product shop, I have some ideas for you!

Being creative and making your Instagram stories stand out is the best way to get attention on social media and attract site visitors to your store. 

If you try this on your Instagram, don’t forget to tag me at @dominikatracy ❤️

How to write the perfect Instagram bio

How to write the perfect Instagram bio

by | Oct 27, 2019 | social media, Instagram

How to write the perfect Instagram bio

The only thing more tricky than writing a good Instagram bio must be writing your Tinder profile. Ugh. If this is what you’re struggling with at the moment, I feel your pain, sister.

But, after many, many tweaks , experiments and hours of research I believe I found the secret formula to writing the perfect Instagram bio and I’m going to share it with you here. You’re welcome.

First of all, let’s establish what your Instagram bio is really there for. It’s your one, extremely brief opportunity to introduce yourself to new potential followers and let them know why they should make the extreme effort of lifting their finger to press the Follow button.

What it is not:

🚫 A chance for you to talk about your favourite food

🚫 To tell us your cat’s name

🚫 To list 17 different jobs you do (so you’re a life coach, real estate agent AND an actress??)

The perfect Instagram bio formula goes as follows:

Call out your ideal client + identify a problem they struggle with + show you have a solution

The best way to do it is with an I help  statement.

So for example:

I help busy mums lose their pregnancy weight in 2 months without going to the gym.

I help Etsy store owners make more sales.

I help spiritual women discover their chakras so they can improve their sex life.

Etc etc.

The point is be specific and offer genuine solutions. So, for example, don’t say:

I help women find their inner goddess – because literally no one knows what that actually means. Tell me how you’re actually going to improve my life and why I should care about my inner goddess, if that is your thing.

Emojis for the perfect Instagram bio

Let’s not pretend, emojis make everything better. They add an element of fun to even the most boring text (please don’t take this as my advice to include emojis in your next client invoice – there are limits).

But they definitely have an important place in instagram bios – to break the text up, make it more visual and personal. Think of creative ways you could express your message via the medium of emoji, like a unicorn, teacher or dollar sign.

Make it easily scannable

Many people wonder how to add line breaks in their Instagram bio (or why Instagram makes it so difficult). The very simple trick to do this is to write your bio using the Notes app on your phone and copy and paste it from there.

Include a link

Ultimately, Instagram should be just one of the methods you use to get people to your website and on your mailing list, not just an art in itself. The one space you’re offered in your bio to include a link is the most important element of this whole puzzle and you need to choose it wisely.

This is the place where you ideally want to promote your free offer which is connected to your mailing list sign up. Offer an incentive to click on the link and make sure you mention it’s free (if it is).

I am not a fan of Linktree for this, and I write more about my reasons for this here.

I also don’t recommend URL shorteners like bit.ly for your bio lin, as many people won’t click on a link these days if they don’t know what to expect from it. Include the whole URL or use Pretty Links to make it look like something a human being created and not just a random string of letters.

 

Don’t forget to pin this article to your Instagram Pinterest board if you enjoyed it and follow me on Instagram to see how it’s done!

I created a free mini course on how to plan 30 days worth of valuable Instagram content to help you come up with ideas of what to post. Drop your email here and I’ll send it to you!

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