That’s Money Honey: Is Being An Instagram Blogger Enough?

Just like that it’s already the first Wednesday of the new month! And that means a new topic in our blogging 101 series – That’s Money, Honey!

Today’s topic is one that may be controversial, but it is one I feel pretty strongly about. It is about diversifying your brand presence to cover multiple avenues. To put it bluntly…making sure you actually have a blog. And when I say blog, I mean a website that you own, and not just an Instagram presence.

There are a lot of folks who start out on Instagram and wait months and possibly years until they finally launch their blog. But there is an inherent danger in just being an “Insta-blogger.”

Here are four reasons why you actually need a blog.

1. We Don’t Own Our Instagram Pages.

Unlike our little blog pieces of the internet, we don’t own our Instagram pages, Twitter feeds, or Facebook pages. Let’s paint the scenario. Perhaps you have 500K followers on Instagram but no blog. You’re making a killing on posting fees for huge brands right and left. And one day, Instagram is no longer a thing. It could all be gone as quickly as you can say hot potato, and then what? You’re high and dry. Scary, right?

2. A Blog Lets You Create Useful and Helpful Content.

Instagram is a fabulous place to share our message in short form, but a blog is where you can really get to the meat of helping your readers and creating useful content. Instagram is so fun, and I absolutely love it for inspiration and as a tool to drive traffic to my website. But the main focus has always been, and will always be what I own, and that’s right here in front of you. Unless the internet comes crashing down in some massive apocalypse, I will always have glassofglam.com.

3. You Control Your Blog.

Instagram is always changing and messing with its algorithm. Your blog, on the other hand, will never change unless you decide to change it. It is one thing you can count on if you’re serious about building your business. Instagram is so fleeting, and the chances someone will see your content in the sea of ads is pretty low. So whenever a brand asks for an Instagram promotion, I always try to sell a blog post as well. Blog posts live on the internet forever, and they’re searchable forever.

For example, I have blog posts from years ago that are still performing and selling, but they’re completely buried on Instagram now. Like this post I wrote about how much makeup I could fit in my makeup bag (and the accompanying forever forgotten Instagram post). I can tweak it, re-promote it, and count on it to perform for years to come. I love that so much!

4. Instagram Followings Are Increasingly Fake.

These days, the most effective way to grow your Instagram is with giveaways. A lot of the time, folks are following you just because you followed them. Then they unfollow you if you unfollow them. Ick. Ever notice those fake attention-desperate comments on your post that clearly says your cat is sick? Like “what a cute kitty!” Well, yes, but they’re sick so you’re an asshole. Most of the time, people are only commenting on your post because they want attention. The people who really want to know you and enjoy your creativity will be following your blog. Because they want to hear what you have to say. And that’s how you make money, my friends.

It is so important to remember that Instagram and other forms of social media are ways to promote and drive traffic to your blog. Instagram is a great tool and a wonderful reflection of yourself and your brand (read more about branding here). But don’t put all your eggs into one basket. Get yourself a website ASAP!

Make sure you check out what Dani has to say on this topic, too!

And don’t forget to check out our other blogging series posts!

-Roxanne