Three Rules for a Better Wine Instagram
and permission to break these rules... sometimes.
This weekend, I binged several YouTube videos on “How to gain 10K followers on Instagram in 30 Days!” As a social media manager, it’s my duty to watch these for you to sort out the good stuff from the BS (you’re welcome 😘). As I was watching, a pattern emerged: much of the advice each creator gave contradicted the advice of the others. Welcome to social media marketing, where no one can agree on anything! It’s great here!
Anywho, here are three tips for a better Instagram. Since there are clearly a thousand ways to skin a cat (what an awful phrase, by the way), here are also three situations where you might want to do the opposite. YAY!
Okay, as we were:
Schedule your content (and don’t!)
One thing I recommend for my busy clients is to use a content scheduling platform like PlannThat, Later, or even Meta Business Suite to help post consistently. You are a busy person. You’re often wearing so many hats that the “post on social media today” hat is the first one to get tossed in the corner, there to gather dust until all of a sudden, “OH SHIT!”
A social media scheduler can help with that. You simply put together your posts, visuals, and captions for the week or month, schedule them out, and Bob’s Your Uncle! Some planners even show you what your Instagram Grid will look like, so if you’re an aesthetic freak like me, you can put them in an order that fits the vibes well.
However, there are some drawbacks to solely relying on your scheduler.
An emergency might happen, and in the chaos, you might forget you scheduled something; then, the post that goes out comes across as a little tone-deaf. I saw this happen at the beginning of the COVID lockdowns, where wineries had scheduled posts to go out saying, “Come visit us!” and then had to scramble to take them down. More recently, I saw a winery do a “visit us” post that was clearly scheduled before the Lake Fire forced many wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley (including theirs) to evacuate. It created some mixed messages for their audience and looked extremely tone-deaf.
You can forget to engage. A big recommendation I have is to engage in the fifteen or so minutes before and after you make your post, but if you’ve scheduled your content, it can be hard to remember to do this. For this reason, I recommend setting a calendar reminder for yourself once you’ve scheduled your post (AND scheduling your posts during a time when you know you’ll have some free minutes to do this valuable engaging).
You miss out on Instagram’s great tools. The major drawback to using a scheduling tool is that it often doesn’t give you the option to take advantage of all of Instagram’s really useful tools. Instagram actually rewards you for using their tools—like adding up to three “topics” to your Reels, adding music to your carousels, and even simply using their fonts/text on your Reels and Stories—by extending your reach. My recommendation, if you can, is to use your scheduler to remind you that it’s time to post.
Though you can schedule your posts directly on Instagram, I recommend using PlannThat, which can auto post for you when you need it to or which will remind you when it’s time to post. It will then allow you to download the visuals to your camera roll and copy your caption to your clipboard so all you need to do is upload and paste, then tag on any additional tools you’d like to use. OR, if you need to change what post goes out that day for reasons, then you can reschedule that post for another day rather than scrambling to delete the post if it went out at an inopportune time.
Follow your strategy closely (and be flexible!)
Once you’ve taken the time to build out your content strategy, it’s a great idea to stick with it as closely as possible. You can’t know if what you’re doing is working unless you give it a fair shot. So I recommend doing something several times (or even for a few months) before giving up on it.
That said, as we saw with scheduling content, sometimes we need to be flexible. If you’re seeing a consistent pattern of low engagement or feedback that suggests a change is needed, please adapt! Social media algorithms and tools update pretty much weekly, so what worked yesterday may not resonate today.
For example, if you notice that your audience engages more with posts during specific hours outside of your planned schedule, adjust your posting times (if you can). If you notice a piece of content performing really well (like a Reel, for example), consider incorporating more of that style of content into your strategy even if you’ve already scheduled certain content out (heyooo, we love a good callback!)
The point is a good social media strategy balances commitment and consistency with the ability to pivot when necessary. Keep an eye on your analytics and look for patterns and anomalies.
Quality Over Quantity (and Stay Active!)
I’m in favor of posting sustainably, which is why my go-to recommendation for clients is “Quality Over Quantity.” I am not a fan of posting for the sake of posting. It often leads to lazy content that does nothing to actually help you reach your goals.
And I think we sometimes take our content a little too seriously and let perfect be the enemy of the good. In general, it is better to focus on higher-quality content that engages and gives value to your fans, but if your goal is to grow your following on Instagram, posting more frequently will help you reach that goal.
I recommend starting with two posts per week to build up that muscle and then increasing your posting frequency to 3-4 times per week—so long as you can do it sustainably.
Do your best, and don’t burn yourself out.
Bonus: Hire a Professional (and Do It Yourself!)
When the scale, scope, or complexity of your social media strategy extends beyond the expertise or bandwidth of you or your team, bringing in a professional social media manager is a great idea. Sometimes you are too close to your business and can’t see the forest for the trees, so a professional can help bring fresh ideas to your strategy.
That said, if finances don’t allow for that investment just yet, I recommend finding someone on your team who is enthusiastic and has the capacity and desire to take on the added work of content creation, posting, and engaging. Moreover, handling your social media efforts in-house can keep your team connected to your brand’s voice and community. You and your team know your brand better than any third-party hire could ever, and having boots on the ground weekly, if not daily, will help keep your strategy fresh and authentic.
Here are some options for balancing both options:
We will talk more about what to look for in a social media manager in a future post, but the quick and dirty is that if you are in a position to hire someone to fully manage your social media, be sure they are local and have a pulse on your region (and knowledge of the wine & alcoholic beverage industry). Also, stay communicative with them. I find that my best-performing clients are the ones who meet with me at least monthly and take an active interest in their strategy. Those who are completely disconnected just don’t see the same results.
If you don’t want to fully relinquish your social media but know you still need help, find someone who can offer either a one-time social media strategy session or monthly coaching (hi, I offer both of these services!). These are often lower price point options than full management and combine the knowledge and fresh eyes of a professional with the advantage of you knowing your own brand. Monthly coaching has the added benefit of accountability, which is often the thing that people really need, vs full management.
Finally, if you aren’t in a position to invest in a professional to help you or you feel confident that you can do it yourself (I believe in you!), then continue reading publications like this to stay up to date on social media tips and trends. I provide weekly insights into marketing.
In conclusion: There’s no wrong way to show up (and there are ways to show up better!)
If this entire article has taught us anything, it’s that (again, this is the worst phrase ever), there are a thousand ways to skin a cat. How you show up on Instagram or any social media platform, for that matter, will depend on you, your audience, and your goals. But there is one truth: there is always room for improvement.
The TL;DR
And, if you can, hire a professional