The Future Of Travel: “Consumers are searching for travel with meaning.”

The Future Of Travel: “Consumers are searching for travel with meaning.” with Lisa Niver and Candice Georgiadis

Consumers are searching for travel with meaning. Tour companies will continue to offer trips with connections to local people and ways to learn about life in the destination.

As part of my series about “exciting developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Ellen Niver, M.A. Education. Lisa is a television host, travel journalist as well as a passionate artist, educator and writer who has explored 101 countries, 6 continents and sailed on cruise ships for seven years on the high seas and backpacked for three years in Asia. She is the founder of We Said Go Travel which was read in 212 countries in 2018 and named #3 on the top 1000 Travel Blogs. Find her talking travel at KTLA TV and in her We Said Go Travel videos with over 900,000 views on her YouTube channel. She has hosted Facebook Live for USA Today 10best, is verified on both Twitter and Facebook, has over 150,000 followers across social media and ran fifteen travel competitions publishing over 2500 writers and photographers from 75 countries. She has been a finalist for five Southern California Journalism Awards in the past two years and won an award for her Jewish Journal article. Niver has written for AARP, American Airways, Delta Sky, En Route (Air Canada), Hemispheres (United Airlines), Jewish Journal, Luxury Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Myanmar Times, National Geographic, POPSUGAR, Robb Report, Saturday Evening Post, Scuba Diver Life, Sierra Club, Ski Utah, Smithsonian, Trivago, USA Today 10best, Wharton Magazine and Yahoo. She is writing a book, “Brave Rebel: 50 Adventures Before 50,” about her most recent travels and challenges. Look for her underwater SCUBA diving, in her art studio making ceramics or helping people find their next dream trip. https://wesaidgotravel.com/

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

After college, I moved to San Francisco for graduate school and decided to take a year leave. During that time, I took two classes that changed my life. I enrolled in ceramics as well as scuba diving. Decades later, creating pottery and looking for creatures underwater are still two of my most favorite things. I have always loved to travel but teaching preschool I could not afford to scuba dive which led me to take a job at Club Med. From Club Med, I worked on cruise ships for seven years which has all been an amazing adventure and led me to my current career in journalism.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I have always wanted to share good stories. Lately, I have been talking travel on KTLA Television in Los Angeles. For President’s Day, I was live on the news talking about our Founding Fathers, George Washington and our Founding Mothers, Betsy Ross. If you have not been to Philadelphia lately, I highly recommend visiting The Betsy Ross House, National Constitution Museum and Museum of the American Revolution. I went to college at PENN and I have always loved Philadelphia. We had over 5.8 million impressions on Twitter about the segment. I feel fortunate to be able to educate people about our country and our world.

KTLA Philadelphia segment: https://ktla.com/2019/02/18/travel-expert-lisa-niver-talks-about-a-philadelphia-getaway/

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Once when I went to a magazine conference in Arizona, I received an email from SouthWest Airlines about my flight from Burbank to Phoenix. I looked at the computer in shock — I was already in Phoenix. I needed a flight from Phoenix to Burbank. What had I done? I realized when I was searching for flights that I found a cheaper flight and booked it but I booked both legs of my flight from Burbank to Phoenix instead of one each way.

That day I thought that making travel plans are challenging. There are many details to wrangle and keep track of. One lesson I learned is to slow down and do one thing at a time. I also often think of what a carpenter taught me, “Measure twice and cut once.” It is important to double check my work and make sure I do the best I can.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

For my 50th birthday, I challenged myself to do 50 new things. I was so scared of most of the adventures but I was able to do them all with help. I still cannot believe some of the things I was willing to try. I have written articles about many of them and am working on a book, “Brave Rebel: 50 Adventures Before 50.” I love hearing from readers about how they have been inspired to try new things themselves.

I have to say that if my 50 year old self called my 49 year old self to explain what was going to happen, I would have hung up in disbelief. I would never have believed that I would mountain bike, jump out of an airplane and travel on safari but I did!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

In order to thrive, we all need time to rest and play. For my stories, I am working in places where most people are on vacation. I look for a balance and make time for restorative choices. I pick trips where I will do something I love like SCUBA diving or visit a new location which renews me. I schedule time each day to exercise and make sure I eat well and make plans with supportive friends. For me, it is crucial to get enough sleep. I say no to many invitations so that I can focus on my writing and video editing at home. Finding balance is a constant process.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I am very grateful to Maren Rudolph of Travel Classics Magazine Conferences. She invited me to come to her conference and I was able to have one on one meetings with many incredible editors which led to print stories in Luxury Magazine, Delta Sky, American Airways, Hemispheres (United Airlines) and EnRoute (Air Canada). I also was able to place stories in many online publications from my meetings at Travel Classics.

Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries? Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation? How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?

I have been creating travel videos and sharing stories in my “This is What it is Like Style.” When I first worked in travel for Club Med, I was impressed that in each village you could find the place where they took the brochure photos. I felt like they accurately represented what the village would look like when you arrived.

Lately with all of the photoshopping and photo editing, consumers often feel misled with the advertising versus the reality. With video, you can see where I went and exactly what it is like. I have had many comments from readers about my adventures. They say that they want to walk with polar bears or dive with sharks and experience something new.

I have been sharing my video links on my social media and many people are then discovering their next favorite vacation.

Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?

Consumers are searching for travel with meaning. Tour companies will continue to offer trips with connections to local people and ways to learn about life in the destination.

I believe more people will travel with a group in order to learn a new skill. I have been asked to lead a travel group and share about how to start a travel blog and create a travel article. It is a chance to learn something from taking a surfing lesson to building a website.

In order to make sure they will love their holiday, more people are using travel advisors who specialize in creating the ultimate experience.

Traveling with family whether a multi-generational experience or “skip-gen,” where grandparents take the grandchildren without the parents, will continue to rise as people want to spend time with the people who are important to them and have top experiences together.

Many people need to disconnect and will continue to use holidays as a respite from technology and demands on their time. Consumers are overwhelmed by their responsibilities and travel is a perfect way to reconnect with personal goals and start anew.

You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?

My perfect vacation experience is to go somewhere new! After seven years sailing on cruise ships and three years living in Asia, I have been to 101 countries. Right now my wish list includes Greenland, Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, Antarctica, Galapagos, Iceland and Brazil among others! There is so much to see in this world and I love to learn about new cultures and places.

Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

By sharing stories, I feel I am bringing more goodness to our world. I wrote about a women’s economic development project for Ms. Magazine and I published Enock Masaki’s story of how he was a refugee in Africa and migrated to the United States.

https://wesaidgotravel.com/a-child-of-the-universe-by-enock-makasi/

https://wesaidgotravel.com/can-bicycles-change-the-world-ms-magazine/

I hope to share many more stories and inspire many more readers.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would like for everyone to remember that around the world all parents want the best for their children. No matter what country I am in, I have seen that families all over our planet hope that their children will grow up healthy and with opportunities to make their dreams come true. We are all more alike than different and I hope that we can live together in peace.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

We Said Go Travel: http://wesaidgotravel.com/

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/WeSaidGoTravel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesaidgotravel/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wesaidgotravel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.niver

Facebook WSGT: https://www.facebook.com/wesaidgotravel/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wesaidgotravel/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaellenniver/

articles, videos and TV segments: http://lisaniver.com/one-page/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

The Future Of Travel: “Consumers are searching for travel with meaning.” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Future of Travel: “The near-term future will provide a deeper embrace of the intersection…

The Future of Travel: “The near-term future will provide a deeper embrace of the intersection between people and the built environment.” with Beth Campbell and Candice Georgiadis

Today, we are finding extreme focus on wellbeing and general health. The near-term future will provide a deeper embrace of the intersection between people and the built environment. The opportunity can be found in the creation of spaces that actively contribute to human health, performance, and well-being by blending innovation in technology, health, science, and design. These build upon the common practices of sustainable design; we are now venturing into arenas of enhanced health from the built environments we experience.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Beth Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Wilson Associates. With more than 25 years of experience in global design, Beth Campbell, CEO of global interior architecture firm Wilson Associates, is a formidable leader with an exceptional ability to navigate extremely complex scenarios. A LEED-certified, registered architect, Campbell has a robust portfolio of high-profile projects. Most recently, she was Executive Vice President and Head of Design for Westfield Corporation, where she successfully orchestrated an organizational transformation for the corporation’s internal design team. Prior to Westfield, she spent 16 years at Gensler, serving as Managing Partner in Las Vegas, and Global Account Director in San Francisco. Campbell earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kent State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University, in addition to being LEED certified and a registered architect. She is currently based in Wilson Associates’ Los Angeles office.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

When I was eight years old, I knew I wanted to be in the architecture and /interior design field. My parents — as with all parents in the ’70s — spent Saturday nights at friends’ houses for card club or a cocktail party. Of course, the kids were shuttled along and promptly placed in the yard or basement to play (Mid-West / East Coasters get it — we all had finished basements tricked out as a game room). Every night, when I would come home s, I would wait for my parents to fall asleep and would then draw the host’s house — and promptly redraw it, with a better layout. A few months into this pattern, I came home to find a drafting table with T-Square and a table lamp. My dad had one requirement: “please just wait until your mother is asleep, we don’t want her worrying you’re not getting enough sleep!”

About a year later my father arranged for me to stop by a local architect’s office on the way home from school. It turns out, he studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and had an abundance of FLW books — all of which I worked my way through over the coming months. I was hooked.

I’ve had the great fortune to work with some amazing clients over my architectural career. With these relationships, I’ve been able to express my passion for design excellence around the globe. With my extreme desire to learn and grow, I have built a skill set of global business, design and executive coaching that have served me very well in honing my craft. Bringing to bear my passion for design, my appreciation for global cultures, and my in-depth industry knowledge will allow us to continue to build on the legacy of Wilson Associates.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first started in the industry, I would frequently be sent to the job site for project reports, so I could learn and observe first hand how we construct buildings. I would wear pencil skirts, and with my runner’s legs it caused a stir with the contractors on site. They paid me little to no respect when inquiring about the construction progress. Luckily for me there was a seasoned superintendent on the job, and he set the crew straight. I quickly learned to dress the part — you can look good, just dress appropriately for the job at hand. And more importantly, I learned the valuable lesson of developing allies with those who are the decision makers.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Wilson Associates’ strong legacy can be summed up in one word: PEOPLE. The founder’s focus centered on the talent, the clients, our partners and our communities. We are reinvigorating this focus and ensuring all passion and energy is put into bolstering our connections in all we do.

Wilson has a great signature brand in hospitality, but there are still opportunities to work on complementary atelier brands such as Blueplate Studios (Wilson’s F&B focused studio) and Atelier Tristan Auer (its Paris-based, boutique and lifestyle luxury property focused studio). That also makes it easier to give talent more scope for growth and evolution. We need to look at brands and sub-brands within the Wilson family to allow the company to work in different ways. Blueplate Studios, for example, is a holistic offer. They can get advice for chefs from Paris and help consult on uniforms, in addition to designing the space.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

We should be focused on ‘work life integration’ rather than ‘work life balance’. The word balance implies there is a distinct answer that is right; when in fact, like pistons, the obligations and opportunities in life are constantly in motion. With this precept in mind, the appropriate answer to health, wellbeing and success at work can be found in recognizing that there are seasons when you must work more and seasons when you need to focus more on your personal being. Curating and owning your energy and focus expenditure is the key to success.

To truly strike this integration with success, you must surround yourself with people whom you trust to benefit the overall system at work and people who support your mission — at work and at home. As I feel I am always a work in progress, I would rate my efforts at a B+ over the past few months. I am currently

working to bolster my supporting team and work while continuing to infuse energy towards my personal life.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’m so fortunate that over the span of my career I have had some amazing people to guide and mentor me. I’ve had opportunity to work with incredible leaders around the globe, all of whom have added to the person I am today. The person with the deepest business impact is Art Gensler, hands down. He represents authenticity, passion and caring. Art stands for client-first thinking, and then gathers people around him in an innovative setting to do great design. I learned that if you focus on the people first, not the bottom line, this will drive joy and success in all you do.

Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?

It is an amazing time to be a designer. There are so many influencers to our design solutions, and we foresee the following to be the key areas where the deepest impact will be felt.

• Technology — data and analytics are creating highly informed buyers, savvy businesses and distinct advantages toward building products and methods. Rapid innovation and artificial Intelligence will drive deep changes to how end users experience our spaces.

• WELL Buildings — the intersection of human health and real estate are creating a dynamic approach to how we curate the built environment. The opportunity can be found in the creation of spaces that actively contribute to human health, performance and well-being by blending innovation in technology, health, science and design. These build upon the common practices of sustainable design; we are now venturing into arenas of enhanced health from the built environments we experience.

• Frictionless Expectations — The ‘Amazon Effect’ has dramatically changed the way we shop. However, the Amazon Effect has spilled over into many areas of our lives, to the point that many people expect to find little to no friction in their daily interactions. Whether buying dish soap, ordering room service at a hotel, or buying a new car — we all want ease, speed and quality in every aspect of our experiences.

All these trends drive design solutions with agile infrastructure and require forward-thinking, curious designers who are passionate about enhancing guest engagement at every level.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?

Both business and leisure guests are looking for engagement in their travels. They are looking for local and authentic experiences — whether it’s inside or outside a hotel. It’s our job as designers to fully embrace the cultural nuances of a surrounding location into the hospitality interior spaces. Travelers are eager for cultural experiences that are interactive and all-encompassing. Designers are incorporating different elements of culture into each and every design detail such as the branding, graphic design, lighting, FF&E, and artwork in a property. Food and beverage spaces should not be an afterthought, they should be environments that stir social and emotional experiences.

There are so many drivers today in our global economy, and just as many for our industry. We are watching demographic shifts, clean technologies, over-tourism and rapid innovation disrupt global development activities. We see that Asia Pacific and the Middle East will continue to lead the development and project growth models for the foreseeable future.

How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?

Not only are we designing amazing spaces, we’re creating experiences that are engaging as well. Engagement is key, not only for guests, but for our clients, the designers, and everyone involved. Everybody wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. We want to be involved with something connected to our heart.

Today, we are finding extreme focus on wellbeing and general health. The near-term future will provide a deeper embrace of the intersection between people and the built environment. The opportunity can be found in the creation of spaces that actively contribute to human health, performance, and well-being by blending innovation in technology, health, science, and design. These build upon the common practices of sustainable design; we are now venturing into arenas of enhanced health from the built environments we experience.

Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?

The Smartphone has changed the way designers approach public and private space. Everybody expects frictionless engagement. Amazon trained us to be part of the intersection of tech and personal engagement. Time is a commodity. Intriguingly, though, one thing that isn’t changing is the need for a concierge or personal greeter. High touch is still very much a valid service philosophy, but guests now want to have it on their terms.

We’re evolving the ways that spaces are designed so as to meet guests’ ever-changing needs for engagement and flexibility. Lobbies won’t likely change drastically, but certain elements are evolving. Front desks (in hotels that have them) will be different and more streamlined. Opulent luxury will be more about high touch and high engagement. Luxury won’t be about travertine, necessarily. Instead, it will be about situationally appropriate elements such as gracious lighting, wide-open spaces at a beach hotel or sconces in small spaces. That’s the essence of the design trend I see: more flexibility of choice — how you choose to engage, different people, different ages; spaces that ebb and flow all day.

You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?

As I travel for a living, I am fortunate to experience vast and varied locales. I find such inspiration from experiencing new people, new cultures and discovering local architecture. Any trip that allows me to explore and discover new things, whether that’s in wine country or at the beach. Regardless of the country or city, it would have to have a complimentary integration with nature.

Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be a catalyst for change and impact to our communities through the built environment. But most important to me is the opportunity to influence others’ lives. I realize this both in the larger setting of global corporate goals and locally in my everyday choices. Whether it be global strategies or personal coaching, I strive to listen, help others and truly connect.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Be Kind. I feel so strongly in today’s political and global economic environment, we need to be better to our neighbors. It can start with one person — with you. By being nice to a stranger, an authentic compliment, a moment of caring, a text of encouragement, and simple smile. It can be dramatically contagious! As we are on this earth one time, we owe it to ourselves and others to make the most of our contributions. So today, choose to be positive and know that every interaction is a chance to learn and give back. You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you surely can choose your reaction. Make a difference, live the “no, not me; you first” attitude.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can follow Wilson Associates on Instagram at Wilson Associates

And on LinkedIn at Wilson Associates

Thank you for joining us!

The Future of Travel: “The near-term future will provide a deeper embrace of the intersection… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

How to Use Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business: “I like to employ the give, give, give…

How to Use Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business: “I like to employ the give, give, give, and then take method.” with KJ Blattenbauer and Candice Georgiadis

Look, we all are in business to sell. How else are your bills going to get paid? But that doesn’t mean you have to jam your offerings or products down people’s throats. I like to employ the give, give, give, and then take method. I offer up free content, tips, educational posts, and a fourth kind gesture before on my fifth post I sell to my audience. This way, they get to know me and engage with my brand, while also gaining insight, before I sell them. I’ve warmed up my audience by practicing this method!

I had the pleasure of interviewing KJ Blattenbauer, a business strategist and publicist with more than 22 years of experience helping entrepreneurs and influencers get more clicks, coverage, and collaborations. KJ has been recognized as one of the Twin Cities’ 25 Women to Watch by The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and as a Trailblazer by VoyageDallas. Her expertise also has been featured on Entrepreneurs on Fire, PR Daily, Refinery29, Inc., The Today Show, Entrepreneur, USA Today, and more.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’m a small-town girl originally from North Dakota. My original plan was to attend the University of North Dakota, a tradition in my family, and major in communications as a precursor to law school.

Somewhere in the midst of undergrad, I fell in love with the subject of public relations, and I convinced myself that being in PR meant I’d be sitting poolside having drinks with celebrities nonstop as my career. Boy, was I wrong!

I got a heavy dose of reality when I took my first PR internship with Fleishman Hillard. Once there, I was assigned only tech and finance clients. Which led me to quickly find a way to take even the most complex, and sometimes boring, topics and make them newsworthy and fun. From there, I started working in roles with both agencies and corporations representing brands like Best Buy, Dow Chemical, US Bancorp, Life Time Fitness, and Rock-n-Roll Marathons. Now, I’ve made a career out of it by having my own agency.

Can you explain to our readers why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?

As someone who has learned to use the various platforms to my advantage — and completely transform how I do business — I definitely consider myself an authority in social media marketing. Since I’ve gone all-in on social, my numbers have skyrocketed to nearly 20,000, highly-engaged followers and my email list has tripled in size.

As an example, my lead generation tools and efforts on Instagram alone are currently converting at 64%. And, I’ve been able to take what was once a word-of-mouth, limited referral stream of revenue and pitch and promote my offerings to a worldwide audience with a simple post or tweet and a few hashtags.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

Being a publicist, one of my favorite ways to use the Instagram Stories feature is to take the day’s top news headline and turn it into a teachable moment for my followers. I recently was sharing commentary and insight on how to address negative media situations using a PGA golfer and the poor way his management team handled the situation — which made this player’s issue much worse — as an example. By taking a real-world situation and showing an actionable solution that can apply to a professional athlete or even a side hustler’s first negative Google review, a series of short video stories on Instagram helped me land not one, but two professional athletes clients, as well as additional PR clients.

None of these folks would have heard about me, or seen my insight in action, without Instagram Stories. You have to love the power of social media!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

While I don’t know if I would consider either to be funny, two of the mistakes I’m guilty of can definitely be huge lessons for your readers.

The first is not understanding Pinterest in all its glory. When Pinterest first launched, I wasn’t using it for my blog posts or to promote my PR services. I thought it was a tool for saving pretty pictures and do-it-yourself party planning ideas. However, it’s an amazing search engine that rivals Google. And you can’t beat it when trying to drive traffic to your blog or offerings. I cringe when I think of how many missed opportunities I’ve missed out on because I’m just now starting to use my 7,500 monthly viewers to my advantage.

I also cringe thinking about my first few years on Instagram. Why didn’t any tell me that Instagram is the greatest promotional tool ever created? I wasted so much time posting images I thought were okay and then taking up valuable real estate in my captions by only posting Marilyn Monroe quotes or other song lyrics and sayings I thought made me sound so deep. If only I could go back and tell myself that the captions are where you can engage, promote, educate, and form amazing relationships — I wouldn’t’ have wasted all that time.

The lesson I learned from both of these mistakes is that social media platforms are powerful tools. Think before you use them. Understand how they can boost your brand forward or blow up your dreams. Think before you tweet, plan before you post, and don’t waste valuable promotional space by not using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to your advantage.

Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?

Instagram is definitely my jam as far as social media platforms go. I show up on there multiple times a day to share, post, engage, and interact with my followers. Whether I’m launching something new or sharing tips and tools that I know will help them move their businesses forward, I love the photo, video, and written capabilities Instagram gives me.

By showing up daily and making some tweaks to how I promote and position myself on Instagram, I more than tripled my income in 2018 over 2017. I’ve been able to take my PR business from purely word-of-mouth referrals and month-to-month pitching clients to daily leads and traffic that leads directly to passive income products — almost eliminating my need to take on monthly pitching clients entirely.

Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.

Use your profile as a business card

The first impression people have when they see your Instagram feed, is your bio. Treat it like your business card. Make sure it is catchy and informative. And that it shows them the value you’ll be able to provide them. I love this trusty formula: who you are + what you do + who you serve + why should they follow you. And make sure you avoid a salesy tone!

As a publicist and business strategist, my current bio reads: Business strategy and publicity for entrepreneurs and influencers // Featured on Entrepreneurs on Fire, PR Daily, Inc., USA Today, Buzzfeed, and more.

It tells who I am, who I serve, how I can help, and where you’ve seen my expertise before. All in a few short sentences.

Make yourself recognizable Stay Recognizable

All your posting on Instagram will be for nothing if what you post doesn’t show who or what your brand truly is. The key is to stay recognizable! Choose an Instagram name that’s the same as, or related to, your business’s name across other social media channels. Make sure you keep your profile image uniform across all channels, too.

If your business is named Kathy’s Cakes and Cookies and I know to find you on Facebook using /kathyscakesandcookies, I’m going to assume that you’re under the same handle on Instagram. But what if on Instagram you’re actually @cakesandcookiesbykathy? Then nine times out of ten, whomever has @kathyscakesandcookies is getting all your mentions, attention, followers, and sales.

Use one link to boost your brand

On Instagram, you have only a single chance to directly lead a click over to your website. Always include the link to your online shop or a targeted landing page in this spot. And don’t use a third-party provider, like Linktree. Instead, make an additional page on your website where you can direct people to the top three or four (no more) important areas of your business.

Because my blog posts, media coverage, and offering links change almost daily, I created an additional page on my website that includes the top three links on a constant rotation to help my audience find the appropriate information. You can view it here: kjblattenbauer.com/clickme.

Don’t be a slime ball

More than 38 percent of people say they are influenced by a brand’s social media, and 35 percent are influenced by retailers on social. Which proves social is ripe for selling — but don’t be a slime ball about it. Post good visuals that allow viewers to make their own decisions without feeling pressure from you, removing the dreaded used-car salesman feeling from the scenario. Also make sure that your captions convey action without being overtly pushy or worse, disingenuous.

Look, we all are in business to sell. How else are your bills going to get paid? But that doesn’t mean you have to jam your offerings or products down people’s throats. I like to employ the give, give, give, and then take method. I offer up free content, tips, educational posts, and a fourth kind gesture before on my fifth post I sell to my audience. This way, they get to know me and engage with my brand, while also gaining insight, before I sell them. I’ve warmed up my audience by practicing this method!

Build a community

Build a community by offering promotions and exclusive announcements to your followers. Fill your feed with special offers, bonuses, and insider announcements. Studies have shown that people will follow a brand to take advantage of perks and giveaways, so give your followers that incentive.

You know how you encounter newsletter popups and other promos when you first visit a brand’s website and then you join because you feel special or like an insider? You can use those same tactics to make your fans and followers feel welcome and a part of the community by sharing exclusives on Instagram. I highly recommend a giveaway of $50 or more to grow your following.

Be consistent

From your handle to how often you post, it’s important to stay consistent on Instagram. If your followers know you as one name on Facebook, they’ll easily assume you’re under the same name on Instagram. And if you’re not? They may never find you. Don’t make people guess! Along those same lines, if you want to be popular and gain followers (and make sales) on the platform, show up daily — or at least on a regular basis. The worst thing you can do is post nonstop for weeks and then take months off from the platform. That inconsistency will hurt you in followers, views, and your bottom line.

The truth is Instagram rewards you for being on their platform and engaging with others. By showing up consistently and engaging with your audience, you’re showing the powers that be that they should make sure people see your content more often. And, because it takes more than nine interactions with a brand before consumers are moved to act, wouldn’t you want to post nine days straight and make a sale on that tenth day versus dragging it out and waiting? I thought so.

Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

If I could inspire a movement, it would be to reintroduce kindness into the mainstream. Whatever happened to being kind to strangers or others just because it was the right thing to do? It feels good to be kind! I’d love for our society to move away from what I perceive as constant anger and instead get more comfortable with facts, not feelings conversations. We might disagree on subjects or have differing stances on an issue, that doesn’t mean we can’t be civil to one another. A smile, simple greeting, manners, or common courtesy — these things go a long way and make our world a better place. I wish more people would lean into being kind.

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

Being new to the Dallas area, I’m currently fascinated with Mark Cuban. I’d love to have even five minutes to ask him a few questions about how he strategizes.

Thank you so much for these great insights. This was very enlightening!

How to Use Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business: “I like to employ the give, give, give… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.