You may have heard Instagram being referred to as a megaphone for your business’ message. A way to reach more people and draw them in to the services and offers that you provide. However, we all know the megaphone is only as good as the words being spoken into it. For example, have you ever been to a crowded event and the person trying to direct everyone is giving instructions that don’t make much sense? “Go to the right? My right or your right? Or did he say, ‘sit tight’?”

Business owners are doers. They haven’t gotten to where they are today without taking action, and lots of it. It makes sense then when we learn how many business owners take to Instagram to promote their business. They try out different content marketing tactics they’ve picked up from watching others without any real understanding about the marketing mindset that goes along with a successful Instagram marketing plan.

They gauge progress around measures like number of times each week they’re posting, followers, and likes rather than metrics that connect to the important stuff, like revenue.

To avoid this hamster wheel of continual content creation without any real results that you can track and use to make smarter content each time, here are 9 questions to ask yourself before your next Instagram post.

Can you clearly identify in only one sentence why your customers & clients should choose you?

Chances are if you are running a thriving business that people desire, you’re not the only one in your industry. This means you need to get clear about why someone is choosing you when their options are many. By focusing on these values in your marketing and social content you will undoubtedly attract more clients simply as a result of giving them the chance to align with the distinguishing features of your business.

Why do people want what you offer?

Your answers here are going to help you generate stronger content that speaks to your ideal customers. You’ll be speaking to what your customers desire rather than what you think makes your business excellent. It’s important to distinguish between the two and let your customers be the focus of your business.

What is the current awareness level of your audience and your offers?

It’s easy to swing the sales pendulum too far one way or the other. Often times businesses will overly promote their offers in a way that results in a fatigued and disengaged audience. The other side are those who never directly promote their offerings and are losing revenue opportunities because of this. A new business will need to spend more time educating their audience on what they have to offer whereas a local, family favorite can instead share more content that reminds people to stop in and pick up their favorite treat.

Every buyer has objections, do you know your ideal clients objection(s)?

Creating content with the awareness of what your audience’s fears, objections, and hesitancies are will give you a clear, direct message that resonates and is remembered. Every buyer has to overcome their objection before they make a purchasing decision. No matter how big or little the purchase is. Common objections tend to circulate around time, money, failure, and trust. What will your clients be thinking about when looking to buy with your business, and how can your content help them feel great about that decision?

What is your ideal clients’ buying journey with you?

Are you able to jot down on paper how your clients/customers typically spend with you? A business who sells a one-time big offer (example: wedding photography) will have a different content marketing strategy than someone who can repeatedly service the same customers (i.e. a coffee shop or chiropractor). Once you recognize your buyers journey you can decide how you want to connect with those buyers on Instagram to help you see real results like ease of sale, referrals, repeat spending, or more spending frequency.

As you move on to these last questions think about if someone were to visit your Instagram account right now. What would they find? Would they find what they need to engage and buy with your business? Let’s find out!

Is it very clear what your business offers?

Anytime someone arrives to your Instagram feed they should be able to tell within seconds what it is your business offers. There are many features within your account to achieve this. A few to consider and review are your Instagram handle, profile name, bio, and photos showing on your feed.

If you have a best selling service or product, would I be able to tell what it is?

Work smarter, not harder. Let your momentum work in your favor and easily continue to sell what sells well to more people, more frequently, with more ease. By freeing up some mental energy you can work to improve on others areas of your business.

Does your account showcase who it is your serve?

Using many of the same features I mentioned above you can make it really easy for your ideal audience to feel like they belong in your community. Helping consumers identify and connect themselves to who you serve will make it easier for them to engage with your content, follow your account, and then choose to spend with your business.

If relevant, can I tell where you are located? Are “next steps” easy to find?

Never lead a buyer to a dead end. If your business has hours, locations, etc. put that information in plain site. Some 70%+ online account views result in an in-person visit within 24 hours. But the longer they have to spend looking for this information, the more likely they are to look at your competitors instead. Whoever makes it easiest for their audience to engage, will win more business.

Always start with the end in mind. Where should your audience go after looking at your account? What can you do to help them easily take that action?

They key to creating a successful content marketing plan is learn, familiarize, and practice the concepts that make this method so effective. And now you have a list of proven questions to consider as you go to create your next Instagram post, and the many to follow after that one.