I love trying new things. In a year where so many direct sellers have had to pivot their party businesses to the virtual world, there have been many learning curves and mastering new platforms. But with that comes creativity and fun! I sat down recently with one of my business besties, Wendy Cannin of Cannin Plannin, to talk about Instagram events. So many direct sellers have mastered the art of selling on Facebook this year. And you know what I say… after you master one thing, move on to learning something new!
So maybe it’s time to move on and dig into new sales avenues!
Here are some of the tips we chatted about for taking your direct sales business to the next level with Instagram events. Psst… I’m going to let you in on a little secret… it’s not that hard to pivot from Facebook parties!
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BE A LEADER & JUST START!
The number one tip is just to start. Be a leader in your business and be creative!
So often, we get stuck in the analysis paralysis mode of what if it doesn’t work out, what if I look silly, what if I do something wrong, I’ve never done this before, and Facebook parties are working, so why try this now. The list goes on.
Stop the excuses and just go for it!
If you’re a team leader, try it out so you can be a pioneer for your team and inspire them to take big leaps for their business. Set the example! You wouldn’t be hanging out with us here at Savvy Selling if you didn’t have big goals. Sometimes trying new things and doing it scared is the way to reach them! I have faith in you, friends.
USE WHAT’S WORKING FOR YOU ON FACEBOOK & ADAPT FOR INSTAGRAM
If you’re already partying on Facebook, you just have to move what you’re doing there to a new platform. Your business is all about sharing your life-changing products at the end of the day, creating engaging content, finding new team members, etc. So really, you’re just doing this in a new place!
If you do a multi-day party on Facebook, do a post every day on your Instagram. If you usually do one-hour parties, schedule all your posts via Facebook Business Suite to post over an hour, and you can then engage in the comments.
Use what’s working for you on Facebook and reimagine it in the Instagram world.
HASHTAGS ARE EVERYTHING
Since there are no official “events” on Instagram like there are on Facebook, your party will be all about the hashtags! You want to come up with a unique hashtag for your business that has never been used before. If you’re partying with multiple hostesses, each party should have its own unique hashtag unless it’s a multi-hostess party.
If you want an example, head over to Wendy’s Instagram party hashtag #plannanigans to see what she has done in the past for a little inspiration.
USE CANVA TO MAKE YOUR INSTAGRAM EVENT INTERACTIVE
An Instagram party works best when you link your posts to content that your followers and customers can check out. Each Instagram post can read “check out the link in bio,” and then with Linktree or Campsite.bio you can have the links readily available. Post content can be anything from quick product release images to how-to videos, whatever you would usually post in your Facebook group, just repurpose that.
In Canva, you can use the posts you share on Facebook and resize to Instagram with a click to share easily. They also allow you to create mobile-first websites which you can use for even greater interaction.
CROSS-PROMOTE ACROSS YOUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
Like any other party, the key to success with your Instagram event is ensuring people know about it! Use whatever channels possible to promote “attendance.” People won’t know they’re missing out if they haven’t been invited in the first place, right? Share in your customer group, your Facebook business page, your Instagram business page, your email follow-ups, your current Facebook parties – all the places!
Let them know that you’ll be running an Instagram event on your business profile with the hashtag they can follow. Easy peasy—it’s the same as sharing a Facebook link!
ATTACH A FACEBOOK GROUP TO THE PARTY
One feature most direct sellers love about Facebook is the Facebook Live within a private group option for parties. It’s something you may miss during an Instagram party, so why not add it on as an additional part of the party for even greater reach and engagement? Use one of your links to invite these Instagram event customers to join you on a Facebook Party group. You’re also building a community and can still share all those Facebook Live videos like explaining your products and allowing new friends to meet you “live.”
EMBRACE HOST COACHING
Think about it this way, friends. Instagram events are just like a Facebook party in square post form. You create the content, create a hashtag for your people to follow, invite all the people to follow the hashtag, and then party! It’s the same thing as Facebook, right? So host coach the same way you would a Facebook party. Give your hostess the hashtag, tell her to share it with all her friends, and give her a goal for the number of hashtag followers. Just adapt how you host coach for Facebook and find the Instagram parallel.
You’re still providing the tools, encouraging them to engage and tag their besties, and getting them awesome freebies, right? Use that to help frame your mindset to make Instagram host coaching seem less like something new and more like something familiar.
START WITH YOUR VIP GROUP
If you’re nervous about trying out an Instagram party, do it with your biggest supporters from your customer or VIP group! Tell them you want to try a little something new and would love it if they’d share and follow along to give their feedback. Even better if it earns them the chance to win some goodies!
DON’T JUST DO IT ONCE & GIVE UP
Not everything works out on the first time, friends. As much as we perfectionists wish that were the case, sometimes building up a new party format for your business can take work and a little bit of trial and error. If you don’t have mind-blowing results after the first try, that’s normal. If you do, you’re a direct sales superhero!
Use your business account for your Instagram party since you’ll be selling, but also so you can get the post analytics. Take a peek at which posts had the most engagement and use that to drive your future Instagram event planning efforts. More engagement means more sales and more followers!
GROW WITH A MULTI-HOSTESS FORMAT ONCE A MONTH
Once you get rolling and want to grow, start with multi-hostess party formats! Create one hashtag a few of your best hostesses can share. Start with one that is fun and expected a month, so it’s not totally taking over your feed. You can introduce new catalog releases, new seasonal themes, tips, and tricks. The plus is everyone will see it; it’s not a closed group like Facebook, so you may even get more traction and interaction, which is a motivator for your hostesses, too—use it!
IT’S TIME TO PARTY ON INSTAGRAM!
Alright, friends! Are you feeling inspired? Embrace the first tip and just do it. I know you can! Start by creating your goals for the party. Do you want to get more followers on your Instagram business page? How about pushing more people to your educational content on your Facebook Group from your Instagram following? Or do you just want to make some sales? Whatever it is, use that as motivation, take your current party formats and just tweak it using the tips above. You’ve got this! I can’t wait to see what magical things trying something new will do for your business and confidence.
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Want a proven plan for growing your direct sales business without feeling like you're chasing your tail? The Direct Sellers Business Blueprint explains the 4 key areas you must master to build a simplified, systematic business. It will even tell you which area to tackle first, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed or confused about what to do next. The best part? It's completely FREE!
Mary Haynes is a highly successful direct sales leader turned strategist and coach. Her passion is helping party plan people streamline and scale their businesses using simple, proven strategies. Her goal is to eliminate business overwhelm so direct sellers know exactly what to do and when to do it. Mary is also a homeschooling mama that lives in sunny Florida with her husband, 4 kiddos, 2 dogs, and various other backyard animals.
