My biggest tips for creating your brand

Every now and then I’ll get asked how I grew my account and what some tips I would have for starting out on your own! I feel so grateful for the opportunities that I have had since starting One Balanced Life almost two years ago. And honestly I can still remember when I hit 1000 followers and I was SO excited. I never in a million years would have thought that 1000 people would be interested in “following” me on here, let alone where I am at now. Starting this journey has never and will never be about the numbers. But to be completely honest, I did have my period of that being a total road block in my presence on Instagram, which I will explain more below.

I could write on and on about all of these tips and tricks for how to be seen, hashtags that are great to use, being engaging, etc. but that doesn’t feel the most important to me. Because I 1000% feel that I am where I am at right now because I didn’t stop believing in myself. In what I am capable of, my dreams & why the heck I was just sharing my meals on social media. This can apply to anyone, not just those starting a blog or growing your Instagram presence. Maybe you’re working to get that degree that you’ve dreamed about or that position at work that you’ve always wanted. Just don’t give up. On yourself, on your dream. You are enough and you’re capable of big things. Believe it.

A few things that I have found to be helpful in this process:

1) Find your voice: I think its so important to create this voice on your page where it’s basically like how you would talk to your friends. Keep it fun! People are going to be drawn to what makes you, YOU. So the more you share that through your captions or blog posts, the more people will keep coming back to your work! Don’t overthink things. Just say what you want & what feels right.

2) Be authentic: Share what feels good to you. People will be able to pick up on what isn’t genuine to you. Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing on social media. Once you do, it’s easy to loose your authenticity. Share what you actually love, not what you think will get the most amount of likes.

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“Your worth is not measured by the number of followers or likes you have ”

3) Stop worrying about the number of likes & followers you have: I went through a time where I was so caught up in the number of likes I was receiving, who was/wasn’t following me, and all this crazy stuff that simply just does not matter. I can’t tell you how once I stopped caring about these things, I saw my success in other areas. I also just didn’t feel bogged down by the comparisons. It can be rough if you let it. Your worth is not measured by the number of followers or likes you have. Let me repeat that, YOUR WORTH IS NOT MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS OR LIKES YOU HAVE. okay I feel better now 😉

3) Don’t stop believing in your purpose: really, don’t give up. there were so many times when I was like what the heck am I doing? I was basically posting my food, getting worked up about all of this bs and then be like okay maybe this isn’t for me. but I didn’t give up. I worked through it. There was a bigger purpose there. You may be the only person that understands what you’re doing and what you’re trying to do, so be your biggest cheerleader.

I thought it would be cool to share a few blurbs from some of my favorite gals about their tips on creating your brand & vision. Not only are these girls inspiring to me, but I’m lucky enough to call them friends and look to them if I’m ever struggling. Definitely check their Instagram & blog out because these girls are rockstars.

1) Rebecca from @xxrlilly:

“Stick to your gut. Doing what everyone else is doing, isn’t going to help you stand out! I had a friend once tell me she felt like all she ever posted were smoothies and her feed was boring. I told her to stick with it—she like smoothies and her community was interested in what she liked. Seems simple enough, right? Anywho, now she’s creating things like ‘smoothie challenges’ to encourage people to add more nutrition to their morning routine this way. The people who follow you like you for you and if you want to post something and they don’t like it, let them leave. Take yourself seriously. You are an asset. You’re talented, creative and DIFFERENT. You have something unique to offer the world. Never lose sight of that. Find it & let it shine.”

2) Erin from @erinliveswhole:

Establish your voice and use that same voice in everything you do. Whether that is through Instagram, through your blog, through your videos—it helps allow everyone to feel like they know you and can trust you!

Show up every day and prepare yourself so that you can show up every day. Even if that means planning out a few weeks ahead of time or only popping in each day, just show up!

Consistency is key. I’ve found that posting at the same time every single day has kept my audience coming back!

Be authentic!! People can tell when you’re not being trust to yourself or being real. Pretend like your audience is your friend and you would want to have a chat with them!

Find your tribe and love them hard. There are so many people out there doing similar things to you, and it has been amazing to turn some of those people into real life friends! Reach out, engage, go for coffee, workout together, & have fun outside the internet!

3) Shannon from @fitstrongshann:

“When it comes to creating your own brand, I have two tips: always stay true to yourself and remember WHY you’re doing this. Do not feel intimidated by how vast the world of Instagram is and how many other people are also in the same niche of instagram you’re trying to introduce your brand to. trust yourself, your instincts and follow what you’re passionate about. and don’t be afraid to engage in the community, it’s the best part!”