How to Ace Instagram while Preserving Mental Health with Viv and Tash

This weekly podcast inspires you to step outside of your comfort zone. My name is Zaakirah Muhammad, and I'm your host of the Living Legacy Podcast. I am a cancer survivor, brand cultivating strategist, author, and world traveler. This Living Legacy Podcast features women of purpose sharing stories of resilience. They are single and married. They are artists and entrepreneurs who run businesses and juggle parenthood. If you are ready to hear interviews about professionalism, entrepreneurship, travel, life, and love, you are in the right place. They will share stories of how they overcame adversity while seeing life through a different lens. Let's get into it. This episode is sponsored by my new book called Seeing Life Through a Different Lens, a survivor's memoir on overcoming adversity with resilience. You can visit zaakirahnayar.com.

So today's guests on the Living Legacy Podcast are Viv and Tash. They have cracked the code of Instagram influencer marketing. So they know how to use their voices on Instagram and all other social media channels through their business, Ace the Gram, which is also a podcast by the same name. So although they focus on all things Instagram, they together have grown their following to up to 1.9 million followers. That's a big number for anyone else who's just getting started with their businesses or just getting started with Instagram. and where we are in the current events, it's perfect and almost imperative to start to use Instagram or any social media network to continue to grow your business. So without further ado, hi Tash, hi Viv.

Hi.

Thanks for having us on.

Yeah, thanks so much for having us.

How are you guys? You're like twins. You always like speak at the same time almost.

I know, it's so confusing because we're in New Zealand, so we're in total lockdown at the moment. I don't know Whether you guys are the same, but so we are normally in the same place and we can normally sort of pick up on different body language cues, but we've had to sort of adjust over, you know, to doing it over Skype or Zoom, which has been very interesting. We did a couple of podcasts with no video and that was a disaster. So I'm glad you've chosen Zoom today.

Yeah, yeah, I think it's gonna be a transition. Of course, there's people like us who've been used to things like this, just used to, you know, technology, but then it's like, okay, how do we make this work? other ways. So it's a challenge. It's a challenge.

Yeah. Yeah. No, we're definitely lucky that we have a business which is technology-focused and we can continue working when so many businesses are currently closed. So it is a blessing.

So that's— I feel like that's what we're going to talk about today. We're going to educate those who don't know how to use Instagram or aren't even sure if they're using it to the maximum. So who wants to get started with Talking about how and why you started.

Yeah, sure. Do you mean on our journey to Ace the Gram?

Sure.

Yeah, sure. So Tasha and I actually are from the same small town in New Zealand called Tauranga, but we didn't actually meet until we went down to university or college in the South Island, so the other end of the country. And it wasn't until the 3rd year of our degrees that we actually met each other and found that we were both sort of using Instagram for different reasons. So At the time, I was using Instagram to grow a small sportswear business. So Instagram became the platform that drew or pushed the most traffic web-wise over to my site to make sales. And then Tash, on the other hand, used Instagram more of a tool and a portfolio so that when she was going out to potential employers in the food industry, she could sort of give them something that was more than just a CV. So for us, we came to it in different, different ways, but But it's meant that moving forward, we do sort of have that brand and that influencer perspective that allows us to work really seamlessly with, you know, brands with campaigns and running accounts and so on.

What is Ace the Gram really? Like, what is it that you really do?

We call ourselves an Instagram specialist company. So we help brands either from the beginning, so get on Instagram. We help set up their account with them. We help develop a strategy. We help figure out how we're going to find their target audience on Instagram and convert them to their service or their product. Um, or we work with brands who are already using Instagram to optimize their marketing experience. So, you know, whether it's influencer marketing campaigns or, um, you know, taking over their account and working with them to optimize whatever they're doing currently. Um, and I think, you know, all of our experience in the industry and the different companies and countries that we've worked with has allowed us to get a broad insight into the different strategies that would be specifically effective for different companies. So yeah, it's really cool because it, you know, it's always new and Instagram's always evolving, so it stays relevant and sort of interesting for us.

So why Instagram though? Because of course there's, I mean, you could do almost the equivalent on Facebook or even Twitter. I mean, slightly different because every social the network is different, but why Instagram?

Yeah, I suppose for, um, you know, where I started with the sportswear, I did run a few Facebook ads and stuff and I found them really effective. But I also, um, you know, Instagram just cost me my time. So as a student starting a business, I had, you know, I was very, um, you know, resource or financially poor, but I had a lot of time and I was sort of time rich. So for me, it meant I had time to test strategies, you know, figure out what was working in the marketplace. And then I think for Tash, would yours probably be more around the creative aspect and that visual side of things?

Yeah, definitely. So I think my background is more creative, so it was always developing visual assets, I guess. And that's why Instagram I was drawn to most out of all the platforms, because it was basically an online portfolio which got to showcase all my work in such an easy format. So that's what drew me originally to Instagram.

Perfect, perfect. Yeah, I can definitely agree with that. Actually, my 8-year anniversary of signing up for Instagram was last week according to Facebook Memories.

No way!

And so I was like, why did I sign up for Instagram? But then I remembered I signed up really to first follow my favorite artists, 'cause by that time they were using social media to post the behind-the-scenes photos from their concerts, especially if it was a concert that I knew I was going to go to. So I would love to just see, okay, who's going? or what cool photos did they post? And then ironically, I am a photographer. My background is also photography. So I was like, I should be using it for my own business. So what ideally helped you to get started with learning Instagram and then taking what you've learned to teach others?

Yeah, I suppose it sort of came as, you know, that learning phase came for 2 reasons. Number one, there was a massive need for it. You know, for both of us, we needed to, you know, needed to make it work. Um, and then second to that was also just the enjoyment factor. So I really enjoyed the platform. I still enjoy how, you know, Instagram can be so effective and you don't necessarily have to have it take over your life. You don't need to, um, you know, have it take up a heap of time. Um, there's plenty of ways that you can sort of leverage the platform. You know, Facebook ads are a whole different beast, but if you look at Instagram, there's like no distractions. If you can capture people with your content and keep them interested, solve that problem, provide value, you're going to captivate them and you'll start to see some really good returns from that. So I think, yes, we needed to, um, we both had very strong problems of our own that we needed to solve, but we also both enjoyed the platform. I don't think you can do anything, um, with such, um, you know, gusto if you don't enjoy what you're actually doing.

Yeah, and I think Instagram does have that privilege of a lot of people we talk to say Instagram is their favorite social media platform. And because it does have that easy interface and is so visual, and it suits so many different industries, so it can showcase, you know, your whole brand of the backstory, the key messages, and what you're wanting people to know. I think more than a lot of other platforms are a little bit more complicated. And but yeah, I think that's why we were initially attracted to it because we were getting results from it for our different outcomes. But yeah, and then I guess as we delved deeper into things like the algorithm and figuring out how other people were growing and emulating some of those strategies and then refining those and testing those.

So I've learned as well that there's so many different ways to organically, at least first organically, grow your following between tagging and not just hashtagging, but tagging other people, tagging your location. There's many different ways to tag. So I love that. And even with the algorithm changing all the time, there's still ways for businesses to grow. Now, what do you think other businesses, small businesses, influencers, or those who want to really start to use Instagram a bit more during this time could do having more downtime to focus on our side businesses?

Yeah, I think the first thing that people could figure out is, you know, what is their intention using Instagram at the moment and become crystal clear on that of, you know, whether they want to have more clients, whether they want to, um, you know, have their Instagram as a finished portfolio showcasing their work to then attract, um, you know, an audience so that they can sell prints of their work, or, or what it is specifically that you want to get out of Instagram so that you can figure out a strategy that will help that. And then once you know that strategy, it's doing things like figuring out that there are different ways, discoverability techniques that we can get our content in front of more people. And so, you know, using hashtags, using location tags, and figuring out leaders in our niche. So, you know, big reposting accounts and maybe art or photography, or, you know, for your brand, figuring out who those key players are and interacting regularly with those people. And then, you know, it's just figuring out how we can use stories to show the behind the scenes of everything we're doing. And then just coming up with a bit of a strategy so that it's not just, you know, thinking from scratch every day what you're going to post on Instagram. You sort of know the direction that you're going in and what you want to get out of it.

Because I'm like, I'm taking all the information and I'm like, oh, these are good tips.

Yeah, yeah, no, I—

what else you got?

Yeah, no, I totally, I totally agree with Tash. You know, it all comes back to, you know, why are we on the platform? That's— it's always got to come back from that. Otherwise, you know, it's like anything that you do, otherwise you'll sort of just get distracted. And it can feel like you're not getting anywhere if you don't have that initial goal and the intention.

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I love these tips. These are all great, great tips. Okay, so here's a fun question for both of you: Where have you traveled to? And after this is all over, where do you want to go first?

I actually lived in. LA in America for a while and love visiting there and all my friends there. And I've traveled to sort of Canada and Bali and Vanuatu and various countries. But I think I was— I originally had a Bali trip planned for this year that I'm no longer going on. So Bali is probably quite up there with countries that I want to visit at some point. And then down the line, I would love to do a— big Europe trip and look at and, you know, shoot content and see all of those old, like, Italian streets and things like that. And so I think that's where I'm headed at some point in the future. What about you, Viv?

For me, yeah, I haven't been to too many places. I've done Thailand and Bali and Aussie countless times. But I think for me, when this is over, I would just like to go surfing somewhere. So Wherever that is, I'm very much looking forward to that. Somewhere warm for sure, definitely somewhere warm.

Yeah, I think for me, I just, I mean, I do have my own travel goals, but I just want the simple things, right? So I want to be able to go stand in front of a mural again or go to a museum, you know, just something really simple. But my travel goals will come When they come. But this is— yeah, yeah, it's just been challenging. But what else do you do, like, in the downtime now that you have more time? What else do y'all do, both of you?

I was saying to Tash on the podcast yesterday, I haven't been minding lockdown at all. Like, I'm someone who likes to be really social, but then I also like my own time. So we're only a week or so into lockdown, and I'm still very much enjoying my own time. We have— we've been doing really random little things. Like, we set up a a feijoá stand, which is like fruit. And we have just been doing bizarre little things, lots of training and stuff still. And it's been happy days. I've also got like a very good group of girls that I flat with, which has been hilarious. How about you, Tash?

I've been taking quite a few photos and trying to think outside the box a little bit with, you know, progressing my content in an isolated bubble sense of, you know, not being able to take photos when I'm traveling, but having to think about how to still be creative here. Otherwise, yeah, just sort of going for walks and doing a lot of baking and things. Nothing groundbreaking, just sort of switching all the time between enjoying the slowdown of life at the moment, but then also, you know, still getting feelings of, this is really weird, like, this feels really different. I don't know how to react right now. So Yeah, sort of flipping between the two, really.

I think this is definitely the time for freshening up on those skills or learning a new skill. And I definitely feel like that, aside from, of course, using this time to really, I would say, develop and strengthen my own mental health, it's definitely the time to work on those skills. So this is, this is a, I feel like there's a silver lining in all of this.

Yeah, I've been reading so many books. One that I just read the other day was called The E-Myth. Have you read The E-Myth? This one was about why most small businesses fail, and I found it fascinating, and I'm almost done. But I have just like another stack of books that I'm going to work through. So I'm very much looking forward to that. It's been good just to, like you say, sort of refresh a little bit. And from this, we'll have lots of learnings that come out of it.

Absolutely. I love it. Now, how can— maybe there are those who are not quite ready to launch their side business, but they love mindlessly scrolling Instagram. And right now, that's their peace of mind. That's their sanity. What kind of tips do you have for those who are using Instagram for their self-care?

I think it's about curating an environment where you are being inspired, not feeling not good about yourself. You know, we create our environment on social media. We follow those people. And if you realize that— if you notice something that you're following and it's not making you feel inspired or motivated or educated, um, then maybe that's not such a good option for you at the moment to follow. So I would do a little bit of a, um, you know, a mental health check at the moment and go down the rabbit hole of accounts that inspire you. Do a new following session where you get some fresh inspiration into your feed, um, and maybe And maybe do a bit of a culling of those that aren't giving you that value at the moment and aren't making you feel those things that you want to feel.

Now I know you are interested in like nutrition and food, so what about what tips do you have for those who are more foodie than mental health?

Yeah, I think, um, I have always sort of found Instagrammers that I really like and I get a lot of value from. And then from those, if I click down on the sort suggested tab of— it's next to following, I think, when you're following that account. If you click the little arrow that's the dropdown, then Instagram will suggest accounts from your user behavior that it thinks you'll be interested in. And that's how I found a lot of the foodie accounts that I really like. Or I'll search, you know, the foodie hashtag on Instagram and it will come up with all these new recipes and all these new ways to photograph food. So That's how I've always found new accounts and found inspiration. But yeah, it's kind of up to you about what your interests are and then therefore who you want to be searching and what Instagram will start to show you in your Explore feed.

There are so many ways to just kind of keep the inspiration going, especially with unfollowing those that aren't, because the good thing about the algorithm is that it will adjust accordingly. It's like, okay, you want more inspiring posts? Here you go. And then of course making those collections to refer to in your saves when you just need a pick-me-up. And even now with group chats in your DMs and multiple groups in your DMs and going live with someone. But how do you suggest those who are ready to post and they just want to plan and stay organized with their content, what tips do you have for those?

Do you mean for someone that maybe have some But then they haven't actually launched their side hustle or something yet.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think, um, what I think, you know, we can sometimes be a little bit like, oh, you know, if I launch now on Instagram, then, you know, people are gonna have to wait 6 weeks or something before I actually have something to sell, or I don't know what that timeframe is going to look like. And we forget that we can actually still be sort of— that target audience is still going to have a common interest. So whoever we're trying to target, we can actually launch an account of sorts That will still pull in those people. And whether or not you are talking about your product or not, you know, whether you're trying to generate pre-sales and sort of leads in that way, there's always space for us to start building that audience and that target audience. Because if you stop, you know, if you wait 6 weeks until you have the product in your hands that you can ship out, you have no one to market to essentially. You know, you've got to start from the beginning. But if you, you know, if you— that 6-week buildup, or, you know, when you're waiting from you know, to get stock in or whatever, that time can be spent like building those relationships, nurturing, building trust with your target customer so that when the day comes and you're 6 weeks down the track, you might have 1,000 followers to market to instantly and you might see those sales start to come through instantly. So, um, for the most part, there will be content that you can post that is still valuable to that audience. It doesn't have to be your own. It doesn't be, you know, just, you know, regram by tagging the person, um, you know, giving credit in the caption and tagging them in the photo. There's plenty of ways that you can generate that. You know, that momentum, if you like, so that when you do launch, you do have the product, you've got people to talk to.

So where can we find first both of you together on the web and then you individually all over the web? Where can we find your services and you on the web?

Yeah. So the easiest way to find us is all things, you know, Instagram marketing and in-depth would be to listen to Acegram Podcast, which is available on all podcasting outlets. Or find us on Instagram @acelegrampodcast, or our website is acelegram.com, or us individually. My creator account is called Tastefully Tash, and Viv's individual account on Instagram is called VivConway_.

So how did Tastefully Tash come about?

That was as in the name or the account?

The idea, I guess.

The idea.

The name. Yeah, the name. Yeah, yeah.

I was at uni and I was interested in food science and had always had, I guess, an inclination and more of my talents were artistic. So I was thinking, you know, how could I stand out in a crowded job market? What could I do differently to showcase my skills that were different to, you know, that would put me in a different, I guess, pool to other people? And I was constantly on social media and following all of these you know, foodies and these, these, I guess, lifestyle Instagrammers. And I was like, this actually combines a lot of my skills and the things that I'm passionate about. So it was pretty terrifying starting my account and sharing it because I did sort of, you know, take some different food photos and food photography was new to me. And then, um, had to suddenly on Facebook and various places that my friends were on screenshot and share this account and say, hey guys, I've started up this account to showcase food photography and recipes. Like, if you want to give it a follow, that would be great. So it was definitely terrifying at the start, but yeah, it's probably the best thing that I've ever done in my life. So yeah, I'm happy about that.

Interesting. I love that though, because I feel like for me, I mean, my handle has been a luminous one everywhere on social media since I started it. Like, I knew that much when I first started because I've been, you know, running other brands. I was like, I know I got to keep it consistent at least. But now I'm like, okay, now I'm starting to come out with a bit more, gaining a bit more followers, and I'm contemplating like having my face name and my middle name and changing it completely from Illuminix one. But at the same time, I'm like, but it works, should I change it or not? You know?

Yeah, I think if you've got something consistent that's, you know, that's working already and that you align with, by all means keep going with it, especially if you've got that consistent platform, you know, that's so consistent username across all your channels.

All right, well, perfect. I learned, I learned a lot, and I do hope that, uh, my listeners definitely take advantage of your resources, including your podcast and maybe even your workshops. And thank you so much for being a guest on the Living Legacy Podcast.

Thanks so much for having us.

Yeah, thank you very much. This has been awesome.

Thank you for listening to the Living Legacy Podcast. Be sure to subscribe, Follow and download so you don't miss the next episode. If you want to learn more, you can visit zaakirahnyyar.com. That's Z-A-A-K-I-R-A-H-N-A-Y-Y-A-R dot com. If you love this episode, be sure to share it with your friends.