30 Days of Instagram content in 8 Steps

It’s our belief that when it comes to blogging for business – content is king – Including social media & Instagram content. Lately, we’ve been specifically obsessed with Instagram. So, to help you get ready for May and  planning your Instagram content, we’ve got a list of 8 steps for brainstorming all the fun and wonderful things you can and should be created for building that brand awareness on Instagram.

As we go through these ideas, be sure to take note of things that relate to your audience and your niche. First thing is first though – You should know that all the different social media platforms have their own etiquette for how often you can and should share new content. For instance, on Twitter, you can share new blog posts and links multiple times an hour and be depending on your following, many people wouldn’t notice the frequency.

However, on Instagram, you should keep your new content to just 1 to 3 new posts a day. With that in mind, you’ll want to keep the “self-promotion” to a minimum as this can seem pushy on Instagram. What is more likely to get you noticed and a more engaged following is a balanced mix of promotional content with relationship building content.

Now that you know the above, let’s go through the steps for building a balanced mix of content for Instagram.

Step 1: Establish the months Social and Popular Themes –

Understanding what you are going to post throughout the month is as simple as taking a few minutes to look at the calendar ahead and taking note of anything that your audience might find enjoyable to see, read, share and engage with. Knowing what is coming up in popular culture is social marketing 101. If you’re not currently sharing social media posts around these themes at least occasionally, I think you’ll find that you are missing out on opportunities to connect with new followers.

Take the Oscars for instance. The Oscars are typically in February and if you’re a fashion blogger, you better know that and be planning your social media schedule around important events like the Oscars. The more you engage with popular themes on your social media and use relevant hashtags, the more likely you are to hit the spot for new and existing followers. So, be sure to take notes and consider any note worth holidays or popular topics for the month and write down any ideas that instantly strike you as content worthy. For instance, if you’re a health blogger, you may want to focus a lot of energy on “Mental Health Month”?

enjoyed a morning of meditation and positive conversation around mental health with @gabbybernstein, @thehappilyeva and @project1in4 in advance of #mentalhealthmonth campaign kicking off on 5/1. #repost @inscapelife #hopeandgrace #lovephilosophy

A post shared by philosophy (@lovephilosophy) on Apr 24, 2017 at 8:35am PDT

Example of May Holiday / Observation Themes:

• May Day
• Mother’s Day
• Cinco De Mayo
• National Teachers Day
• Memorial Day
• May is Mental Health Month
• May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
• May is Asian American Heritage Month
• May is Jewish American Heritage Month
• May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month
• May is National Bike Month

Here is a complete list of other unique and bizarre holidays in the month of May.

Related Post: Editorial Calendar Ideas to Inspire and Make you a Better Blogger

Step 2: Establish Important and Related Hashtags –

Hashtags are important on Instagram and Twitter. These little words that start with # are the way that your audience is going to find your content. As May goes along, you might want to pay attention to trending hashtags in case something important comes up.

However, there are hashtags that remain popular during the month of May that you can plan on using and start researching alternate’s for.

For instance, you’re going to find that #mothersday is VERY popular with over 8 million uses. If you’re a stationary shop owner, consider using something similar to #mothersday but with less usage like #mothersdays or #mothersdaycard . By using a hashtag that doesn’t get used as much will ensure that your post wont get lost on the day you use it but will also help your post be seen by an audience that is still likely to find your content.

Step 3: Plot out when you’ll publish new blog posts

Just like this Instagram Content Calendar, it’s important to have an idea of the different blog posts and things you will be sharing on your blog for the month. This would be considered your editorial calendar.

With your editorial calendar in hand, go ahead an fill in a few areas on your Instagram content calendar and plan when you will promote your recent blog posts and freebie opt-ins to your followers.

YAY! I booked a client…. now what?? There are SO many steps to walk through before, during, and after we’ve booked a client and YES, it is possible to go with the flow and figure it out as you go along. In fact, you can even become pretty good at going with the flow, HOWEVER, if you want to run an organized, consistent, professional business, then it is extremely important to have a clear written out workflow that you follow with each of your clients! Come read more about creating and updating your client workflow here —> #linkinbio <— #theacademytoday

A post shared by The Academy (@theacademytoday) on Apr 25, 2017 at 7:24am PDT

Step 4: Make a list of influencers or Followers to @mention

Mentioning others is a great way to increase your reach to new people who may not be aware of your brand. So, save a few days on your Instagram content calendar for @mentioning people and influencers who are are related to your niche. These people may be influencers that your audience may already follow or someone you think they may want to follow.

Related Post: How to theme your instagram grid

I can’t take how adorable each of these designs are! @yejipaints ?

A post shared by Create buzz for your business (@creativehiveco) on Feb 9, 2017 at 6:42pm PST

Step 5: Fill in areas with tips and tricks related to your niche

What better way to establish authority in your niche by sharing your knowledge? The simple use of tips and tricks is a great way to increase awareness of your brand but also gives your following a helping hand. These types of post are great because they aren’t promotional but they stay on topic. Heck – why not just pull a direct quote from one of your recent blog posts?

Our final blog post for BLOG TIP MONTH is all about those keywords… Have you done your keyword research? Are you using the correct words and phrases to bring in your target audience? ? Don’t drown in a deep Google sea of competitive keywords. We give you a straight-forward guide to developing your set of niche keywords that will help increase your ranking on Google? #blogtip

A post shared by Social Media➕Digital Marketing (@chroniclerepublic) on Apr 15, 2017 at 2:13pm PDT

Step 6: Fill in a few stories and content about you

Your followers don’t always want to hear about you, but it’s good to sneak in a day or two on your Instagram calendar where you help your following get to know you better. These can be posts about how messy (or organized) your work space is OR it could be a long story about how you got started in your business.

Sometimes it takes getting outside of the city to remember how beautiful our natural world really is. ? On our recent trip to Australia, Damien and I reconnected with nature in a way we hadn’t done in ages, from nights watching sunsets on the beach to mornings spent exploring our friends’ AMAZING acres-wide farm (did you guys see those Stories??). ?? I find having those moments to reflect on your surroundings makes a huge impact when you go home to city life – you tend to think more about your effect on the environment and how you can change your daily routine to be a better global citizen. ?? #10000tozero @obcanada #partner

A post shared by Lauren McPhillips?Toronto (@thisrenegadelove) on Mar 22, 2017 at 6:13am PDT

Step 7: Add in humorous and inspirational quotes

Quotes and humor are little bite sized but share worthy posts that act as filler. In fact, you may find that these get the most likes and or comments because they are quick and easy items for your followers to engage with.

Just ONE more day till the weekend – we got this, you guys ???? (I’ve had to remind myself that SO many times today! Is this week feeling crazy long for anyone else?! ???) #tbt

A post shared by Lizzie Darden (@lizzie_darden) on Jan 26, 2017 at 3:10pm PST

Step 8: Gather all related images and links

Your final step for filling in your Instagram Content calendar is gather all related images, graphics, and links. You can do this easily by spending a day or two batch creating and shooting images OR downloading stock photos like those that can be found in our free stock photo library.

There you have it! 8 steps to creating and filling out this months Instagram Content calendar. Good luck and don’t forget that you can use these same steps for every month. Here’s an example of what a month of content might look like: