Why I Don’t Like to Spend Time on Instagram

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like to spend my time on Instagram. Like, at all.

See the proof in that over at my Instagram account @kylegoldie.

Looks bad, right?

There’s valuable content there, but I don’t post very often. I don’t show up in the Insta Stories very often. I don’t do much on IG at all.

Yet I still have a multiple six-figure income at the time of me writing this post.

 

 

Personally, I find the platform to be really surface, fake, and even toxic at times. And that’s without even talking about the level of distraction that Instagram creates.

Sure, the platform can be great for some people. And some people may absolutely love it. Maybe they even find most of their clients there. But for me, I just need to be true to myself and what I enjoy. Heck, I’m 34 years old now going on 35, and I’ve been playing the social media game now ever since AOL Instant Messenger, chat rooms, and dial-up connections.

I was on MySpace, then Tumblr, then YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Model Mayhem, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and the list goes on and on.

Now they’re talking about how TikTok is the platform to be on for organic growth, more views on your products & services, etc. Especially if you are marketing to Generation Z (those who are born right after the millennial audience). But for me, that’s another hard pass. I’ll get to why in a second.

Sure, you can build out teams (at least a virtual assistant – VA for short)… but I did that. I had teams running it for me. All my content, all my paid ads on these platforms, and it just felt…. wrong. It wasn’t me.

The more and more and more I learned from my own coaches, the more they were teaching me to do things that were completely against my own personality and the things that I didn’t enjoy doing. And I don’t care how much money I earn if I don’t enjoy it. That’s the God’s honest truth, too.

In this time where I was being told what to post on all my different social media platforms, I was also running ads to a free webinar.

But why?

I hate webinars. I know what they are. I know you know what they are.

Sure, you can get some golden nuggets out of a webinar, but there’s never a “transformation” from a webinar. It’s a tease. It’s a snippet of what you can learn inside.  And from a digital marketing perspective, I get it. I really do. But it was yet another thing that just felt inauthentic to ME, regardless if the digital marketing strategy worked.

 

Authenticity to SELF & happiness over everything else.

 

And that’s really how I feel about Instagram in general – and why my Instagram strategy on my coaching account @kylegoldie is going to radically change. Heck, I might even delete all my current content.

I feel like Instagram is one of those platforms where you just post because “you have to.” Personally speaking, I even coach on this exact topic with my private clients. I tell them to “be where your ideal client hangs out online.” And as a business coach for photographers & wedding pros, my audience hangs out online a lot within the Instagram and Facebook platforms.

But here’s the problem.

As a true coach, and someone who truly cares about getting others results, posting little captions in the effort of building engagement on there won’t really help anybody. It won’t benefit you, and it won’t benefit me. And that’s just a waste of time for everyone. And then you’re having to then think about the suggested daily InstaStories to do (which is 5-7, by the way), and do that every single day. Nope. Hard pass from me.

You know what I would rather do?

Actually build relationships.

Actually build connection.

Actually build sales.

 

As an educator, I see beyond the content that influencers are posting.

 

I see the strategy behind it.

I know why they are posting a photo of XYZ, and why they are saying certain things in the caption. I know why they are using certain hashtags or saying certain things in their Instagram stories. I get it. I see it. I just can’t muster myself to follow along with that same level of inauthenticity.

I’m not saying every influencer is inauthentic, but I am saying that I know what they’re doing.

And what they’re doing just isn’t right for my personality and my self-respect.

It just feels wrong.

 

So, what do I do instead? And what do I recommend if you feel the same way?

 

First, I plan out my feed with intention. For an example of this, you can check out my wedding photography Instagram account @LumaWeddings.  And as a Seattle wedding photographer, I still get plenty of leads through social media – especially Instagram… without really ever being on the platform.

There, you will see lots of photos of couples & clients that I have photographed over the years.

Do I post those every day? Heck no.  I schedule them. And I personally use OnlyPult to schedule out that content (as of right now, anyway).  That said, it’s not an API-approved platform by Instagram, so it’s not doing things in the “green light” so to speak.

If you are wanting to check out some other platforms – and without overwhelming you with all the options – weigh out OnlyPult with Later or Planoly.

Then when it feels right for you, do some InstaStories, and share the most valuable, informative, educational, or entertainment-based posts to highlights. And do so with absolute intention.

That OnlyPult link gets you 10% off, if you choose to go that route.

 

 

What’s my plan moving forward with @kylegoldie then?

 

It’ll be more “quick tips,” graphic content, and sort of a blend of my multiple accounts. After all, I’m multi-passionate, and I’m not going to be hiding that. Why? Because you might be multi-passionate as well, and I have the knowledge that can help multiple different sets of creative business owners.

You ready for the change?

You ready for true authenticity?

I know I am.

Let’s do this.

Give my account a follow over at @kylegoldie.

I promise you that it’ll be worth a follow with the content to come.

See you there.