Business Networking on Instagram 2023 – Online Course for Small Business Owners based in Canada & the US

The next ‘Business Networking on Instagram’ course for professionals & small business owners will be offered in Fall of 2023. This training can also be taught in private 1:1 sessions, or as a private group course. Please CLICK HERE to contact Juhli for more info.

This is a live, small group, online course about how to use Instagram for networking and business promotion – designed for professionals and small business owners who are based in Canada or the US.

4-week course – Tuesday afternoons 3pm-5pm Pacific time ~ DATES TO BE DETERMINED – via Zoom Video Conference

Your Instructor: Juhli Selby / Course Cost: $500 CAD + 5% GST (no tax for US clients)

‘Business Networking on Instagram’ Course Description

With 2 billion global users, Instagram is one of the top social channels for consumers and businesses in Canada and the US. It’s the visual social network where people explore their interests, and are more receptive to engaging with businesses – 90% of users on Instagram follow a business! All the big brands, celebrities, and approximately 40-45% of online users in the Canada and the US are there. It’s a great tool for networking, since many people allow their accounts to be public, and many use public location tags on their posts. This gives you the opportunity to find and connect with people who could be a fit for your business.

This is not a course about how to get ‘Instagram famous’, become an influencer, or how to ‘hack’ your way to thousands of followers. This is a practical course designed to teach business owners how to use Instagram for networking and business promotion. While you’ll learn tips for time management on Instagram in this course, there are no auto-magical shortcuts! It takes time and effort to build & serve your audience, and to nurture relationships that can lead to sales. If your audience is active on Instagram, it’s a great tool to have in your marketing mix for proactive outreach online.

Get beyond your first 100 followers by setting your profile up for success, learning how to find and connect with relevant people, determining what & how often to share, and how to measure your results. We’ll cover rookie mistakes to avoid, effective use tagging – including hashtags & location tags, how to keep your account secure, and much more! Learn how to take a strategic approach that will support your business goals, and help you connect with opportunity. If you have been wanting to be more active on Instagram, or explore its potential benefits but have no idea where to start, this course is for you!

Who is this course for?

This Business Networking on Instagram course was designed for professionals & small business owners based in Canada & the US. This course is geared to service or knowledge professionals; past clients have included coaches, consultants, health & wellness professionals, authors, artists, realtors, fashion stylists, interior designers, retail store owners, marketing professionals (including social media managers & virtual assistants) & non-profit. 

If you’re ready to purchase a course, or you have questions about taking a course, please click the button below to book a short call with Juhli Selby:

‘Business Networking on Instagram’ Course Objectives:

By the end of this course you’ll be able to…

➤ Manage your Instagram account with confidence and use it as a tool to support your business goals – and be able to communicate your strategy to your admin person or social media assistant if you want to delegate

➤ Develop a respectable Instagram account that will help to build your credibility, and create awareness of your business, services & products

➤ Grow your followers over time using a variety of tactics

➤ Find & build relationships with the right people – without being spammy

➤ Manage the time you spend on Instagram & have some control over who you engage with

➤ Keep your Instagram account secure – avoid getting hacked or having your account shut down (Instagram does not currently offer reliable customer service)

➤ Evaluate the success of your Instagram marketing over time

Course Cost – $500 CAD + 5% GST (no tax for US clients) – 4-week course

This course includes the following:

• 4 x 2-hour sessions – live every week for 4 weeks
• Call recordings of all sessions – access to the recordings online for 3 months – more time available on request
• Copy of the presentation slides from each session (4 x pdf documents)
• 2 x Step-by-step tutorial videos; ‘How to Create Instagram Stories’ and ‘How to Create Instagram Reels’
• 1 x Resources handout (pdf document) + Additional resources will be provided by email after each session (based on questions asked)
• 4 x 1-hour informal (optional) Question & Answer sessions – live every Friday for 4 weeks – questions will be answered on a first come, first served basis (these sessions are not recorded)
• Private Instagram group chat to ask questions anytime – questions will be answered within 24 hours
• Discount on private training sessions if purchased with a course – up to 2 sessions may be purchased at a discounted rate. Private training sessions must be used within 3 months of taking the course, or a refund will be provided.
• 30-day (from the start of the course), 100% satisfaction guarantee – If you don’t find the course valuable I will give you a full refund. I will ask for your feedback, so I can make course improvements.

The time commitment for this course is between 16 – 20 hours total over one month – 8 hours in class (2 hours/week), PLUS 8 hours+ outside of the course time (2 hours+ per week for homework). If you choose to attend the weekly 1-hour Question & Answer sessions (which are optional) – this would be up to 20 hours total over one month. For the Q&A session you can drop in and get your question answered and then leave – you do not have to attend for the whole hour. You will get the most out of this course if you’re able to fully participate. It’s ideal if you can attend all four training sessions live.

If you have questions, or you’re ready to purchase this course, please click the button below to book a short call with Juhli Selby:

Business Networking on Instagram – Course Outline:

Session #1 – We’ll cover:

✔ Who uses Instagram (demographics), and why do they use it? Is your ideal client there?

✔ How Instagram is different than Facebook ~ including strategy considerations

✔ A tour of Instagram – how to explore the platform on mobile and desktop

✔ Differences between types of Instagram accounts; personal, creator, and business – & how to switch to a business account if needed

✔ How to set up your Instagram account for success & why this is important

✔ What to share (what type of content or topics), and how often to share?

✔ How to upload, edit & share media using your phone (mobile Instagram app), or from your computer on Instagram.com (desktop)

✔ How to optimize your posts – to help your content stand out and get more engagement

✔ Best practices for tagging; using hashtags, location tags & mentioning other accounts to get exposure – without being spammy

✔ How to share or schedule posts for the future from your desktop computer, using the free Meta Business Suite dashboard

✔ How to manage your page on the go with Meta’s Business Suite mobile app (respond to your page’s comments or private messages), and you can also use this app to share or schedule posts for the future

Session #2 – We’ll cover:

✔ How to grow your Instagram followers over time

✔ How to use Instagram search to find relevant accounts to follow (your ideal audience) – and how to follow or unfollow an account

✔ How to identify and avoid spam accounts and spammy behavior – including how to mute, restrict, remove, report, or block unwanted followers or accounts 

✔ How to clean up your current followers (remove irrelevant or spam followers), and why this is important. We’ll also discuss how to clean up who you are following, and why you may want to do this as well.

✔ How to use Instagram’s ‘Favorites’, ‘Close Friends’, and ‘Saved collections’ features for relationship building and time management

✔ How to connect and engage with someone new – in a non-spammy way

✔ Best practices for sending private messages to build relationships – and the new Notes feature

✔ Instagram Community Guidelines – follow the rules to avoid getting your account disabled or shut down

✔ Instagram settings ~ for privacy & security (avoid getting hacked), and to have some control over who can engage with your account

Session #3 – We’ll cover:

✔ Understanding how Instagram’s algorithms & feeds work and how to use this to your advantage

✔ The different types of posts you can share on Instagram and the media sizes/requirements

✔ Understanding your Insights (statistics) – Which post types or content get the best reach & engagement?

✔ Tips for creating video content – including lighting, sound, background and camera confidence

✔ Live video ideas & best practices – including how to broadcast live from your smartphone

✔ Tour of Instagram Stories – how to view and engage with the Stories of others to build relationships

✔ Stories strategy – how to use Stories to increase your visibility & engagement, and to build relationships with and sell to your followers

✔ What to share, and how often to post to your Stories

✔ How to create, decorate and share Stories – PLEASE NOTE: We will not have time in class to cover all of the creative features of Stories – you will get access to a step-by-step tutorial video that covers more features.

✔ How to share the content of others to your 24 hour Stories (the lazy share)

✔ Using Stories plus proactive engagement for increased exposure

✔ How to turn your Stories into ‘Highlights’ (circles under your Instagram bio) at the top of your profile page

Session #4 – We’ll cover:

✔How to get discovered and increase engagement using Instagram Reels (short vertical videos or Instagram’s TikTok copycat)

✔ Tour of Instagram Reels

✔ What to share, and how often to post Reels

✔ How to use the creative tools built into Instagram Reels to make short form video content – PLEASE NOTE: We will not have time in class to cover all of the creative features of Reels – you will get access to a step-by-step tutorial video that covers more features.

✔ Daily/Weekly Maintenance Checklist – Ongoing management of your Instagram account, including how to check your notifications to make sure you’re not missing any communication from your audience.

PLEASE NOTE: This course does not cover Instagram advertising or Instagram Shopping, but you will get a list of resources on your ‘Resources’ handout.

If you have questions, or you’re ready to purchase this course, please click the button below to book a short call with Juhli Selby:

Technical requirements to take this course:

✔ Calls will be held using Zoom video conference calling – you’ll need a computer with a microphone & a web camera – You will need to install the free Zoom app on your computer – you can download it here: https://zoom.us/download

✔ Good internet access – standard high speed wi-fi

✔ You must have an Instagram account set up, and be logged in to the Instagram app on your smartphone before the course begins. You can find the Instagram app in your app store (Apple App Store or Google Play Store) – please check to make sure your app is up to date. If you would like help with this, please get in touch to book a private session before the course begins. You can buy up to two sessions at a discounted rate with the purchase of a course.

Would you prefer to have private one-on-one training? The ‘Business Networking on Instagram’ course can be taught with private training sessions, or privately to groups or organizations. Please click the button below if you would like to book a call to discuss private training.