It’s that time of year, folks. The New Year is upon us, goals are being set, end-of-the-year blog posts are popping up everywhere and people across the globe are downloading and sharing their Instagram Top 9. This little tool is such a fun way to look back upon your year and even bring back to memory posts you may have forgotten about. However, while this has become a fun tradition, I want to challenge you to take a deeper look at your Top 9, especially if you’re an entrepreneur. It’s probably telling you more than you think it is.

When I look at my Top 9, a few things jump out at me immediately.

1. MY CONSISTENT COLOR PALETTE. You guys – I just really, really love my aesthetic. It’s so lovely, soft and pastel. I don’t say this to brag at all. You see, it’s taken me years (and years and years) to identify what works for me, what my ideal client is drawn to and ultimately, what lights my heart on fire. Instagram is a visual platform. We consume content from Instagram first with our eyes first and so it stands to reason that the more visually appealing your feed is, the more likely it is that your tribe will engage with it. Now, you feed certainly doesn’t have to be soft colors and flowers. If your work is bright and full of vibrant color, own it. If your entire feed is monochrome, own it. Whatever it is that you do well, stick to it. A visually consistent feed is at the top of the priority list here, friends.
2. THE TYPES OF IMAGES I POST. My community responds well to seeing images about weddings, first and foremost, and second – about me. I’ve been working hard to include images of myself into my feed this year and I think it’s paid off. My business is called Katie McGihon Photography & Film. It makes sense, then, that people know the lady behind the name. If you’re not posting images of yourself on your feed, I implore you to try it! I promise the engagement is worth whatever feelings of bashfulness you may feel. If people are willing to follow you, they would like to know you. Promise.
3. THE STORIES I TELL. When I looked back and read the captions that correlate with my Top 9, they each told the story of my life, something challenging that I was dealing with, a situation that was weighing on my heart and so on. You see, the more open and authentic I am with my community, the more they can relate to me. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I am my brand but the more I share about myself, the more my community engages. In fact, one of our Spring grooms said to me recently, “I follow you on Instagram so I feel like I know you!”. This was a huge compliment, friends. People care about you. They care about your life and who you are as a person. Don’t b afraid to open up and let people in on your triumphs and struggles.

Something that’s really helped me in my approach to social media has been to craft a KMP&F Social Media Mission Statement. All of our posts are filtered through this mission and it helps me to create honest and authentic content for my community to consume. You can read it below.

SO – what is your Top 9 trying to tell you? What is your community responding to? Is your color palette cohesive and on-brand? Which images are inspiring your community into engagement? What types of stories are worth being told? I hope you’ll take some time as you reflect upon last year and really listen to what your Top 9 is trying to tell you.