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Frustrated over the Instagram Algorithm? Here’s what to do!

The frustration over the decrease in Instagram likes and comments has been mounting. I really feel your pain and frustration, especially when it comes to HOURS and HOURS of work you’re putting in. You’re absolutely not alone! This post goes into platform frustration and offers some other ways to use your time to help you break out of the frustration…and have success again!

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

Disney’s Frozen was so 2016 for us, but that theme song really says something.

We have to let it go.

What am I talking about? Your frustration (and mine…) .

Specifically the frustration of social media platforms. In January I’m leading a viral content summit (which you’ll get all the info for later in December) and we’ll be teaching you how to get your posts and blog to go viral, but for now, we’ve GOT to address the elephant in the room (or…monkey….or whatever animal you like…unicorn?)

Social media is quite literally driving people mad. I see posts every single flippin day…

…in my group. In other groups. In my inbox in emails…it’s everywhere.

I don’t have the answer to what the heck is going on with the algorithms, but I do want to just give a reality check here.

The easiest way to get over frustration…is to just let it go. When we find ourselves getting so heated and irate over social media platforms…then we need to re-access. 

I know…it’s your business, but it’s also a platform. Just *one* platform out there.

Let it go and try something new.

Over the summer I was frustrated. I had a different type of platform frustration. After a year a half of podcasts, way over 100,000k downloads, 197 episodes (and a third pregnancy!) I was planning on taking a nice summer break.

I lined up interviews, I had huge intentions of taking the summer off from interviews and pre-scheduling everything out for the entire summer.

I got everything ready. Except… I could not bring myself to edit and schedule those interviews. I would write it down every single day…and then not do it. This is extremely NOT like me. I’m an action taker.

I got more and more frustrated with myself for not doing it.

It was putting a damper on my summer.

Until one day I woke up and just said, I HAVE to let this go.

I was so concentrated on what I “should” be doing (the podcast) and how I thought I should be growing my business, that I never stopped to think about the fact I CAN and SHOULD take a break.

Katy Widrick has these two wise questions, “is it working? Is it fun?” And the second one was a big fat NO for me.

So I took an unplanned hiatus. I just stopped.

…and you know what nothing happened. Nothing broke.

I actually figured out where I should spend MORE time that produced BIGGER results. I got inside my communities and made connections. I collaborated in other ways.

I let it go.

What are you holding onto, that is making you completely crazy?

Ask yourself, is it fun? Is it working?

Now if your frustration is coming from Instagram or Pinterest, let’s try some other things out.

social media is frustrating

4 more ways to break out of platform frustration:

  • Switch it up. Create content in a different way. Do something you don’t usually do. Do videos, live stories, boomerangs, something outside your comfort zone.
  • Reach out to your audience. Email them. Get on the phone with two people. See how you can help them.
  • Collaborate with people. Find 2-3 bloggers/influencers/colleagues and see how you can work together. (In my fb group: you can find people here in this post!)
  • How can you spend your time differently? If you free up time from your frustration platform, how can you spend time to have MAXIMUM impact on your business?

I officially give you permission to take a break from what’s frustrating you. Go for a walk. Listen to a podcast. Connect with a friend. Connect with your audience.

I challenge you to walk away from the thing that is frustrating you this week! Hit reply and tell me what you’re going to do instead! A re-set is always a good thing!

Plus, as a bonus you may find yourself more inspired than ever!

And stay tuned….2018 Planning Party coming December 4th and the Viral Content Summit starts January 3rd! Tickets go on sale mid December!

plan your goals

If you want to be added to the 2018 Planning Party Wait List go here! We’ll be writing, creating and planning goals and projects that WORK!

 

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Put Yourself out there with Rachel Mansfield

Rachel Mansfield  has had absolutely explosive growth on Instagram and on her blog in the past year. She’s only been doing this for a year which is completely, completely amazing. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and connecting with her through social media and offline too. She is just full of so much information and I know you’ll be inspired by all of her growth this past year.

What you’ll get out of this episode:

  • What you need to grow your instagram accounts
  • How to reply to every comment you get on instagram
  • What is most important to show to your followers
  • figuring out your purpose with your instagram account
  • What held Rachel back in starting sooner.

To subscribe to the Blissful Bites Podcast and listen in iTunes click here! 

Tell us a little bit about rachLmansfield.com and what you do.

I currently live in Manhattan with my husband who I married in September and I started my Instagram account about last March. It stemmed from an idea of me wanting to make a side income. I wanted to sell overnight oats in a jar because, as my readers know, I love overnight oats. I just started posting about them on my Instagram account and my husband kind of laughed at me and said, “You’re not selling overnight oats. Why don’t you just share your recipes?” I started to do that and then July 31st is my blog anniversary. I started to really see the potential of what I was sharing on my Instagram account. So, it’s a little bit of an unconventional path where I started Instagram and then transitioned into a blog.

As long as what you're sharing is quality, people will want to follow you @rachLmansfield #blissfulbitespodcast Click To Tweet

How did you actually grow your Instagram account to 50,000 followers?

There’s no secret sauce. There’s no tips or one secret that everyone thinks that other Instagramers have. I always just say that you need quality content and you need engagement, you need your community and your tribe to support you and want to see what you’re sharing and as long as what you’re sharing is quality people will want to follow you.

grow your instagram account

What would be your best advice to starting out and really growing your Instagram?

I would say to have a common ground like what is the reason you want to have an Instagram account. Do you want to share your favorite fitness routine? Do you want to share your recipes, some travel, lifestyle and I think that when you first starting you want to be as targeted as possible. I just finally started branching out into a little bit more like the lifestyle type post it took me almost a year to even post a selfie of myself on my account. You want to be known for something before you start going crazy and dabbling in everything. Pick a targeted topic and stick with that for a little bit of time and see how that goes.

 

Rachel Mansfield

 

What has been your most proud moment in this crazy whirlwind year of yours?

I think the whole journey in general has been… I was walking on the street the other day and I just started hysterically crying which makes me sound like a ridiculous drama queen but I’m so grateful for this journey. When I first started I said to my parents, “I’m going to get 10,000 followers on Instagram,” and they’re like, “Okay Rachel, good luck to you.” And they didn’t get it. My parents are in their mid-50’s and they don’t understand what social media really means at this point and the fact that’s turned into my now full time job, it’s unreal. I think when Elite Daily recently recognized me as one of the top healthy food Instagramers then my mom text me, “I really think you’re on to something.” And I think that was really like when you have your baby, your pride and joy and someone recognizes your hard work that makes you so proud because you actually realized what you’re doing might be making a difference.

What has been your biggest flop or disappointment to date?

I would say not starting this earlier which I know is not technically a flop within the year but I guess just like not taking the initiative to make a blog and start an Instagram in an earlier date.

What do you think held you back from starting sooner?

Rejection. You create something that you put so much hard work and effort into and to share it with other people, I mean obviously there are people who will always not like it, there’s always going to be someone who is negative and doesn’t like what you do but when you just have that confidence to speak out, it’s just a rewarding feeling.

Rachel Mansfield on the Blissful Bites Podcast

What would you say to someone who is in your shoes where you were a year ago and they want to start but they are afraid?

Just do it. There’s no reason not to. The worst that could happen is that it isn’t as successful as it could be and even if so then whatever you put yourself out there, you tried and the best that could happen it could turn into your job and you could be following your dreams in the most unexpected, unbelievable way.

How do you decide what brands to take on and work with?

My biggest thing is that I will only work with the brand if I personally and authentically love and use their product.

Why do you think that’s so important so you don’t branch out from what your audience knows?

Right now the food Instagram world is so saturated with so many different bloggers and everyone is talented. They’re all trying to share their product and recipes with their community. You need to be careful because if a brand reaches out to you, that’s amazing but do your research on them. They could be reaching out to 50 other bloggers at the same time and next thing you know you’re all posting the same thing. It just doesn’t make you look authentic and you want to make sure you’re true to your brand and you’re not just doing something that everyone else is doing.

Do you have 2 or 3 tips that you can share for people who are looking to work with brands and how to be true to your voice and customize it without kind of selling out to your audience?

The first one is to always get a contract when you’re working with the brand whether it’s a compensated post or not. You want to make sure that the expectations are clear. Another thing is just because a brand asks you to do something doesn’t mean you have to do it sometimes brands are learning too. Just do what works for you, don’t only listen to what the brand is asking for.

Where do you see yourself and your blog and your whole business in 5 years?

I hope that everything continues to grow at this speed and I’m grateful for what I’ve accomplished this far.

How do you stay balanced?

I don’t. It’s such a struggle for me. I just implemented a rule no phones in bed because it just helps me. I leave my phone on the couch and I get into bed and I’m done. That’s step one towards balance. Two is I go to Barre 3-5 times a week. I go there at 9:45 and if I don’t go there my whole day is just like out of whack.

Share one thing that you want your readers and followers to know about you that you think they don’t know.

I hate food photography. It’s my least favorite part of what I do.

Follow Rachel:

Rachel is in her mid-twenties living in the heart of Manhattan with her husband Jordan. She has been blogging for the last 10 months where she shares her latest recipes, go-to products and lifestyle tips. Rachel has a passion for sharing food that tastes amazing and makes you feel amazing.

 

Do you want to learn from and connect Don’t forget to sign up for the Food Entrepreneur Summit! Early bird only lasts until May 16th!

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Success isn’t about fortune with Ashley Horner

Ashley Horner is an absolute power house she has a lot of roles wife, mother, works with body building.com, has a training facility, editor-in-chief for train for her magazine, has a clothing line ebook and it keeps on going. Besides having complete training plan she offers inspiration and motivation on the daily on Instagram. I had to have Ashley on to really ask her how she does it all.

Blissful Bites Podcast iTunes

Tell us a little bit about Ashley Horner and what you do.

Right now I’m in Virginia Beach and I have a training facility out here called American Sled dogs. It’s a free training facility we offer classes and it’s an open gym membership availability and we offer this facility to anyone who has a deployed spouse. They can come train here for free and really let out their emotions out on the gym. We kind of guide them and walk them through that deployment. I’m a mother, I have 3 little boys, I’m a tri athlete, power lifter, ultra runner, pro body builder. I have the Unbroken Foundation which is a foundation that helps battered and abused women find beauty in their strength once again and I have a clothing line called Valkerie.

I love that you’re so passionate about helping women and helping military spouses. How did you get the idea to go in that direction?

It’s awesome that I have the platform that I have in social media and to be able to be that voice not only in the fitness industry but on a broader aspect internationally but I don’t just do it for likes or for follows. I feel like there’s a bigger purpose of what I’ve been building for the past couple of years some might like to call it my empire. I feel like in the last year I’ve been searching for that greater purpose. Not just being a fitness person or just a trainer but how I can reach the broken people who truly need help and military is close to my heart. I’ve always been a huge supporter of the military. I have tons of friends who are spouses of the military and not only that the battered and abused women. I have no personal stories or scars that could even compare to what they have been through but I know there is some building blocks that have to happen from the moment they reached these shelters to building themselves up, to be whole again and to really feel beautiful once again and find beauty in their strength.

To be able to have an impact on people’s lives, that’s true success. No matter what anybody wants to do, as far as an entrepreneur, if they’re passionate about it they will be successful and they’ll realize along that journey that success isn’t just about fortune, it’s not about fame but at the end of the day it’s going to bed knowing you gave 100% that you’re fulfilling your passion, you’re changing lives.

Success isn't about fortune with @hornerashley #blissfulbitespodcast Click To Tweet

ashley horner interview

How did you actually start out and how did you take the leap to start so many different businesses?

I literally was broke. I had no money and I had just $5000 saved up. I put most of that into creating an online business and online store. I wrote my first ebook, Becoming Extraordinary. I was so nervous when I first launched that because who’s going to believe in my training and my philosophy.  I was using social media as the platform in terms of marketing myself and showing these trainers bits and pieces of it but I was so scared and I kept telling myself, “Ashley, you just have to trust yourself, you have to trust your vision, wanting to help other people. You have to trust what you have believed in this entire time.” And so I did.

I think there’s a difference, people can have dreams and they can sit on them and think about them for years or they can go and chase down that dream and never stop until they have reached it. That’s what I do. I don’t just like think about something in my head and think, “Oh. Maybe that will work…” I find a way I want to do that. I am going to find a way to make that work.

Can you share specific moment where you just felt super proud of your business and all the things you’ve grown?

It’s been awesome working with bodybuilding.com in creating the training program, Charlie Mike which is something that I wanted to do with them from day 1. On launching that training program, going out to the bodybuilding.com headquarters and standing in front of the entire staff and facility of bodybuilding.com, members and people who have been with me from day 1, like my managers and Daniel and Keith. To be able to stand up and tell them thank you for always supporting me. That was a surreal moment, to stand up in front of all those people. Another one was I recently signed with Reebok. I have 2 girls that work with me directly and they help answer emails and correspondence with some of my bigger companies that I represent, and Reebok was super impressed with the professionalism of my team that I have.

Can you share a disappointment or flop?

One of the things I really struggled with was finding individuals who have the same work ethic as I have.

 How do you even to manage an account like Instagram that has 380,000 followers?

There’s really no rhyme or reason to my Instagram or my social media feed. I just try to post and be as transparent as I can and real to my followers. To really try to self reflect and remember why I started in the first place and I let my viewers really try to see that through social media.

What would you say your best tip for growing your Instagram?

I would just say make sure to at least post three times a day. Being transparent is always key as far as branding, in a world full of gold fish, how will you stand out? How are going to stand out as an individual? And what makes you different and what makes you unique? I think that is really important and what people are forgetting. They think that just because they take a picture, have a professional photographer take their photo, they’re automatically a fitness model.

What is the one thing you do in your day that contributes to your success?

Well, definitely the quiet time I have in the morning is really important. I try to have open communication with my team. There’s not one specific thing that contributes to my success. I think it’s important to have weekly team meetings. That’s something that we do in the gym that’s with my coaches.

How do you juggle everything?

Every moment of my day is my planner. I use my time very wisely. Every moment of my day is scheduled and I am very busy.  I don’t think there’s a specific formula for balance. You just have to play everything as the week comes and stick to that schedule but you also have to be really flexible and know that it’s okay if you missed a training session or if you have a meeting you absolutely cannot miss. There’s ways around things just to make everything flow together.

Do you believe in balance?

Yes. I definitely believe in balance. I have a specific time where I’m not on my phone anymore. Whenever I get my boys I shut off work until they go to bed.

Tell us a little bit about your Unbroken Foundation.

The Unbroken Foundation is a brand new foundation.  I will be running from Virginia Beach down to North Carolina which will be 280 miles in efforts to raise $15,000 to 20,000 to rebuild them a house. Hopefully their house will be fixed and then I can come in there and build them basically like a weight training room with one of my training programs Breaking Boundaries or Recreating New and help them with that.

Click here to listen to Ashley Horner on the Blissful Bites Podcast in iTunes

Connect with Ashley:

Ashley Horner is a wife, mother, and unbelievably talented athlete. She also owns a training facility in Virginia named American Sled Dogs and is the Editor-In-Chief of “Train For Her” magazine. Ashley is also the founder of the Unbroken Movement Foundation, owner of the Valkyrie clothing line, and author of 13 ebook trainers. Ashley is undoubtedlyone of the most well-known and respected female voices in the fitness industry.

This episode was sponsored by Make Media Over. Use code BLISSFUL for 10% off your package! 

NEW podcast giveaway! (2 Bags Blissful Eats granola, 5 Pack of Not Ketchup, sample pack the Granilla Bar and variety pack of mixes from Among Friends and Smart Cookies from Bitsy’s Brain Food) by filling out the form below AND/OR writing an iTunes review and sending a screen shot of it in an email to me!

Blissful Bites Podcast Giveaway

 

ashley horner interview

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