Spark Social

Home
Spark Social

Instagram coaching & training to businesses and individuals in workshops and one-to-one training

02/11/2024

Is Instagram for Florists right for you?

Here’s a quick guide to help you decide…

🌸 If you’re new to Instagram - you’ll learn how to set up a professional looking profile to work like the shop front window to your business

🌸 If you’re a florist or grower who’s using Instagram but you’re struggling to grow or engage with your followers - you’ll learn how build a loyal community and how to use Stories drive up your engagement

🌸 If you’re a busy florist who needs a consistent content plan - you’ll finish the course with so many content ideas you’ll never run short of inspiration

🌸 If you want to know how to convert followers into customers - you’ll be learning how to create calls to action and how to sell in an authentic way to an engaged Instagram community

🌸 If you want to feel confident about using Instagram for your floral business then you need Instagram for Florists!

⏰ You have just a couple of days left to sign up to the course

🎟️ You can pay in full( £350 ) or you can pay in 2 split payments ( 2 x £175)

🛎️ Just let me know in the comments and I’ll send the link over so you can book your place 🌸

07/08/2023

Hello… I wanted to share a post to explain my absence from here

I realise I don’t need to but feel I owe you an explanation as it may be a little while before I return to work and posting my usual Insta tips and advice & chatting on Stories

12 days ago my lovely Dad died 💔- it was very sudden and unexpected. He was 82 and despite having some health issues over the years he wasn’t ready to go - he still had plans & he still had life to live

The shock of losing him has been huge. And the reality of knowing I’ll never see him again is so incredibly sad

My Dad was always so proud of me and my sister and our children - he was full of love and so many tales from his long life & I will miss him so much

It’s so very hard having to say goodbye to someone you loved so much

I’ll be back soon

Much love

Lou 🤍

18/07/2023

Here’s 8 ways that will help you to increase your engagement on Instagram 📱

Because if you feel like you’ve dropped off the radar and you’re not as visible as you’d like to be, doing these 8 things will help

Let me know what you think - are you doing any of these already? Any that you’re definitely not doing?

13/07/2023

Hello….I’ve not said a proper hello for ages 👋🏼

And last month I spent the day with having some new photos done. And yesterday she sent over my new pics so I had to share one today

So I’m Lou & I run - I’ve been working with people like you in small business for last 4.5 years to help you to use Instagram to tell people about your brilliant business

I run group Instagram sessions on zoom, one to one Instagram training, I speak at events & share all the tips and Insta advice here

I was so nervous about having my photos done but always just takes my mind off it and makes it fun

Thanks for being here in my Insta community ( and for appreciating all the kitten spam lately) 🐾💕

Hope you’re having a good week & you’re managing to spin all those plates we were talking about on Monday 🤪

12/07/2023

A helpful guide to Summer on Instagram ☀️

So I know you’re feeling those end of term vibes so I wanted to share some helpful reminders for you

☀️Just remember people are very distracted in July & August - don’t have unrealistic expectations for the content you share or your Instagram goals

☀️Sharing to Stories is your best,quickest & easiest way to stay connected on Insta during the summer

☀️ Be your future friend & remember to keep capturing footage - video & photos of what are you up to over the summer - work & play. You’ll be glad you did this

☀️ Don’t feel pressure to be visible ( unless you have something you’re actively promoting) - I rarely even chat on Stories in August because I don’t get much chance in the summer holidays

☀️ Feeling pressure to be on Threads? Don’t worry about it - take your time with it, there’s no rush

☀️Don’t convince yourself you’ll lose customers or people will forget you exist - everyone is busy & distracted

So I hope that’s helped & made you feel better about using Insta over the summer

And let me know how you’re feeling about it all 🏖️

03/07/2023

You can now collaborate with multiple accounts

This is great news! Because it’s mean you have even more opportunities to reach more of your target audience

If you’ve not used the Invite Collaborator feature so far have a think about who you’d like to collaborate with

On Tuesday I’ll be going live with , & to talk about the summer juggle and we’re going to use this new feature for the first time

So let me know what you think? Do you think you’ll use the new feature?

20/06/2023

Are you ready to take your Reels to the next level? 🎥

If you’ve now got the hang of making Reels and you know how to upload and trim your clips. And you know how to add text and time it. And you’ve had a go with voiceovers and green screens?

You’re now ready for the next step - to start making Reels that are going to get your customer’s attention

On July 6th I’m running How to Make Reels - Part 2 to help you to do this

🔸 You’ll be learning about what actually makes a good Reel

🔸 How you can connect with your customers with your Reels

🔸 How you can sell with your Reels

🔸 We’ll be looking at content ideas for inspiration

🔸 And different filming techniques

🙋🏻‍♀️ If this sounds like exactly what you’re ready to learn about here’s all the details:

📅 Weds July 6th

⏰10:30am - 12pm

📍Online on Zoom

🎟️ Tickets cost £38

🎞️ Recording available if you can’t make it live

🛎️ Tap the link in my bio to book or let me know in the comments & ill send you the link!

12/06/2023

Hello… happy start to the week! Hope you had a good weekend?

Sharing this classic pic today because tomorrow I’m having my brand shoot with

It’s actually nearly 2 years since our last shoot - so look out for some fresh new pics in a couple of weeks time

Have you had proper professional photos taken of you for your business?

I would definitely say I’m not a fan of having my photo taken usually but Nicky just has this knack of making you forget you’re having them done

But having a bank of photos I can share on here & across my marketing has been transformative for my business

I’d love to know how you feel about having photos taken of you? Does anyone actually love it?!

30/05/2023

The blue ticks have landed ✅

So without any fanfare whatsoever Meta Verified has been rolled out in the U.K. - had you noticed some accounts you follow now have the blue tick?

It means that you can now apply for a blue tick for the cost of £11.99 per month

There’s lots of info in my post so you’ll probably need to save this one & digest later

But one very big confusing issue is that the Meta terms of eligibility state that Meta Verified is not available for businesses and yet… some business accounts appear to have the Meta Verified option

I really hope Meta/ Instagram can clarify this for us asap - I’ll keep you posted as I find out more

So have a read through but also please go to the details on the Meta website where you’ll find lots more detail

And I would really love to know what you think - are you tempted to sign up? Are you loathed to but may sign up to protect your account? Or are you steadfast in not wanting to sign up?

29/05/2023

Hello hello … Happy bank holiday - the last of the 85 gazillion banks holidays we’ve had since April 🤪

I went to a networking event on Friday morning in Bath run by & Nicole & it was so lovely.

Just bloody lovely to be out of the house and hop on the bus and spend a couple of hours with a lovely group of women and just… chat

You don’t realise do you until you do these things that you really really do need to meet up with real people in real life

Have you done much of the real life stuff lately?

Also can I just run something past you please?

Now I pride myself on having MI5 level memory skills HOWEVER I’ve noticed since the pandemic and all that time spent I lockdown that now I seem to have a real issue remembering people’s names

Faces I’m good with … but names … I’m terrible. I think next event I go to I’m taking name badges with me & I’m going to make everyone wear one ( I might not get invited back 😆)

Have you noticed you struggle with names now too? Please say it’s not just me??

09/05/2023

Here’s a really good idea for content for this week:

🔸 Share some content that helps to educate your audience

🔸 Share some of your knowledge so people can work out how they can use your products and services in their life in some way

🔸 This kind of content is brilliant for positioning you & your business too

🔸 I’ve shared some examples to get you thinking about what you could share this week - have a short brainstorm and make a list of info you could share

Hope this is useful if you’re short on ideas this week

03/05/2023

The way you use your Instagram account to tell people about what do is so tied up in how you make them feel

I always hope that when people visit my Instagram that they feel welcome and that I’m here to help and be supportive and help them to feel more confident about using this platform

But more importantly, what do you hope you make people feel when they come across your business?

Is this coming across in your Instagram?

And you know, this is why I always encourage you to be brave and just let people get to meet you on Instagram

Because getting to see you on Insta and hearing what you have to say is probably the best way for them to feel those things about your business that you hope they will

24/04/2023

I know growing your Instagram feels like a really important goal 📊

But what if you reframed it as growing the connection you have with the community you already have

Because if your followers feel connected to you - they are going to buy from you & recommend you

Spending time in your Stories is a really good use of the time you invest in your Instagram because it means you’re spending more time with the people already with you

I’m running my Instagram Stories Masterclass this Wednesday 26th to help you to do this

It’s an online session & costs £38

🛎️ To find out more info & to book your place just tap the link in my bio & in my Stories

14/04/2023

Join me next Monday at 6pm when I’ll be going Live with Harriet de Winton from

Harriet is an artist, watercolour teacher and a creator of hand painted stationery & she has also built an incredibly engaged community on Instagram & YouTube and a thriving business

I met Harriet last month when she spoke at the retreat about the journey of her business. And I found her story so compelling & one I know you’ll enjoy too

So next Monday join me at 6pm where I’ll be chatting to Harriet about the journey of de Winton Paper Co & how Instagram & in particular Insta Stories played an important part in growth of the business

Really hope you can join us 6pm Monday 17th & If you’ve got any questions you’d like me to ask Harriet just pop them in the comments

11/04/2023

Instagram Stories vs Reels 📱

A question I get asked a lot is what’s the point of Stories if you’re also posting Reels

The answer is that you can’t really compare the two together because they do completely different things

Reels are short form video that’s all about increasing your reach & making you more discoverable

Stories are a mix of content - photos/ Infographics/ video that is only seen by your existing followers

Stories are about connecting with your existing following because they are your most important people on Instagram

Using Stories should absolutely be part of your Instagram strategy

Im running my Instagram Stories Masterclass on Weds April 26th

It’s an online session & there’ll be a recording if you can’t make it live

The Stories Masterclass is about helping you to use your Stories more effectively & to get you more connected with your followers

Tickets are £38

Tap the link in my bio for more info and to book your ticket

And let me know in the comments how you feel about your Stories - if you’re using them or if you feel like they could do with a boost

08/04/2023

Looking for inspo for what to cook for tea? 🍽️

A couple of weeks ago I asked where you got your foodie ideas from because frankly my kids were getting rather bored with my teatime repertoire

There were so many brilliant replies to my post that I thought I’d compile a list of all the accounts you recommended & I did promise to share them with you

So here’s the list in case you too are in need of inspiration:

ai_

And if your fave foodie account isn’t in this list then please do share in the comments ( think we all need all the suggestions we can get)

And so you don’t forget the list - just save the post so you can come back to it when your inspiration is running low 🍽️

03/04/2023

Are you making the most of your Instagram Stories?

If you can’t say yes then your Stories probably could do with some serious attention

Your Stories are an integral part of your account - it’s content that’s just for your followers & that is an opportunity to connect with them on a different level

I’m running my Instagram Stories Masterclass on Weds April 26th to help you get the most out of your Stories

📅 Wednesday April 26th

⏰ 10:30am - 12pm

📍Online on Zoom

🎟️Tickets are £38

🎥 Recording available

🛎️ Tap the link in my Bio to book your place

I’d love to know how you feel about your Stories - are you smashing it or could they do with some help?

23/03/2023

Ok…so what are you having for tea? 🍽️

I honestly this question A LOT 😵‍💫

Cards on the table… I find thinking up new ideas of what to cook for tea every day one of the hardest parts of being a grown up…. You too? ( please say yes… please say yes 🫠)

I feel like I cook the same things alllllllll the time

I saw my friend .edit talking about this yesterday on her Stories & I thought why don’t we all just have a chat about this & see if we can just get some ideas from each other

So please can you tell me where you get your inspiration for what you cook?

Who else should I follow on here to get the inspo I need

I’ve been following Sarah for ages and last week bought her new book ‘Whats for dinner?’ So I’m hoping that’s going to stick a 🚀 up my boring cooking repertoire

I’m hoping my confession yields some inspo or else it’s chicken, lentil and spinach curry again tonight kids 🤪

Ps. Whilst we’re at it … do you call it tea or dinner?? 😆

Address

Website

http://www.spark-social.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Spark Social posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Spark Social:

Videos

If you want to learn all about Reels then my How to Make Reels masterclass in Bristol on February 29th is going to be for you But I wanted you to hear from some people who attended my How to Make Reels masterclass in Octobers Huge thanks to @tara_the_celebrant and Ross from @singlevarietyco for sharing these lovely video testimonials So if you want to learn more and feel more confident about making Reels for your business join me on Thursday Feb 29th for a 3 hour masterclass where you’ll be learning the practical techy side of making Reels and understanding the strategy side to making Reels Here’s all the details: 📅 Thursday February 29th ⏰ 10am - 1pm 📍 @artistresidencebristol 🎟️ £115 🛎️ If you’d like to find out more & to book just tap the link in my bio And as this is an in person masterclass spaces are limited so if you’d like join me snap up your ticket at the early bird price asap And if you know of friends who really want to learn about making Reels tag them in the comments below ⤵️ #instagramforbusiness #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #reelstips #reelsideas #InstagramContentIdeas #reelstraining

🚨 Public Service Announcement 🚨 📧 I’ve just received this email from my email provider @mailchimp telling me that from February if you send bulk emails to Gmail or Yahoo addresses or from a Gmail address you need to take action with regards your email authentication 🚨 So I wanted to share this with as I know you may well be using email marketing too 👀 So have a look in your inbox over next few days in case you get an email from your email provider too about this Good luck ( it looks a bit complicated 🤯) 🧠 And if any email marketing experts can shed light on what this all means that would be so helpful Lou 🤪 #emailmarketing #emailmarketingtips #emailmarketinghelp

Want to learn about the different ways you could make your Reels? 🎬 In How to Make Reels - Part 2 this Thursday you’ll be learning about different filming techniques and I’ll be showing you how to film some simple transitions like the click and the tap transitions Reels transitions can be a great way to create an of eye catching Reel that people watch again but the magic of the transition is actually straightforward once you know how to do it So if you’d like to be making Reels that get you and your business noticed on Instagram this year come & join me online this Thursday If this sounds like what your looking for to help you get more from your Reels here’s all the details 🎓: How to Make Reels Part 2 📅: Thursday January 18th ⏰: 10:30am - 12pm 📍: Onljne on Zoom 🎟️: £38 🛎️: Tap the link in my Bio 📼: Recording available for all ticket holders If you’d like me to send you more details and now to book just let me know if the comments or tap the link in my bio #reelstraining #reelstips #reelscontentideas

Have you tried this new feature in Stories? When you share a post or Reel ( or another image from your camera roll) you can now have an image from your camera roll as the background to the Story It’s very easy to use: 🔸 Share the post to a Story 🔸 Tap on the camera roll sticker in the sticker tray 🔸 Choose the image you want as the background 🔸 Then long press and hold on the Story and drag your finger down the screen 🔸 Thjs will make the Layers feature appear and the post you’ve shared will appear 🔸You can do this with Reels too It’s a nice easy to use feature that I think is useful too Have your tried it yet? #instagramstories #instagramtips #contentideas

📣 There’s another new update from Instagram Now in your notifications you can sort between notifications from: 🔸People you follow 🔸Comments 🔸Follows 🔸Tags and Mentions 🔸Verified So this update should make your new notifications easier to manage A nice useful one for you! And did you notice my new captions … I have the new text fonts on Reels for my Captions - have you got them too? #instagramupdate #instagramtipsandtricks #instagramforbusiness #instagramtips101 #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #InstagramContentIdeas #smallbizclub #smallbiztips

📣 You can now see a larger version of the Profile Image 🔸 Visitors to your profile can now long press and hold on your Profile Image ( whether you have Stories live or not) and a larger version of the profile image will pop up 🔸 I’m always talking about how important the profile image is and now people get to see a larger version it’s another reason to have a really good quality image as your profile image 🔸 Have a go today and try it out 💡 To enable others to people able to see the expanded version of your profile image just tap into your settings ( follow the instructions in this Reel) and turn the settings on 🙋🏻‍♀️ I rather like this update - you too? Thanks to my friends @lizmmosley & @katietownsendgardendesign & James Norton for modelling this new feature in my Reel 😆 #smallbusinesstips #instagramtraining #instagramtipsandtricks #instagramforbusiness #instagramtips101 #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #InstagramContentIdeas #smallbizclub #smallbiztips #instagramupdate #instagramupdates

Stop those Spam accounts! 🚫 📱Instagram has rolled out a new feature that I think you’ll find very useful 💌 You may have seen this in my email newsletter last Weds where I said they might roll it out & it got rolled out the same day! 🚫 So you can now turn a filter on in your settings so any accounts Instagram identifies as a Spam account will need to be approved by you first before they can start following you ⛔️ So essentially the filter will act as though your account is a private account until you approve them ➡️ Follow the simple steps in this Reel to find the new filter 🤷🏻‍♀️ Will this be useful for you? Will you be turning the spam filter on? 🙋🏻‍♀️I most certainly will and I’ll report back as it will be interesting to see what Instagram identifies as Spam or not Let me know what you think? #smallbusinesstips #instagramtraining #instagramtipsandtricks #instagramforbusiness #instagramtips101 #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #InstagramContentIdeas #smallbizclub #smallbiztips

Try this template with your product photos! 🌲 It’s such a great Christmassy audio & a nice easy way to share your products this Christmas on Instagram All you need is 20 photos of different products or 20 photos of your bestsellers shot from different angles- it’s up to you 🌲 Share your bestsellers 🌲 Share your favourite products 🌲 Share your new Christmas products 💡 To use the template - tap into my Reel and bottom left you’ll see ‘Try Template’ - tap there and then add your 20 photos and let Insta do the hard work Fancy trying this one in the run up to Christmas? Dont forget to share with fellow small biz friends too🌲 ( And yes… I did have to raid all my shelves for all my favourite ceramics & pots & glassware to make this Reel and even Luna the kitten tried to make an appearance 🤪) #smallbusinesstips #instagramtraining #instagramtipsandtricks #instagramforbusiness #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #InstagramContentIdeas #smallbizclub #smallbiztips #reelstips #reelsideas #christmascontent

Creating stop motion video content is always a good idea 🎬 But especially at this time of year when your content & your business is vying for your customers attention And not only can you use your stop motion videos for your Reels - you can use it for your email newsletters, your website, LinkedIn and your ads If you’d like to learn how to start making stop motions like this one come and join me for Stop Motion for Beginners on Weds November 29th It’s online workshop where I’ll be sharing everything I’ve learned about stop motion in the last 2 years If you know any small biz pals who’d love to learn about stop motion please do share this Reel with them or tag them in the comments below In this 90 minute beginners stop motion workshop you’ll be learning : 🔸 The basics & fundamentals of stop motion animation 🔸Tutorials on how to create a stop motion animation 🔸The kit, lighting and props you’ll need 🔸Apps to use to create & edit a stop motion animation 🔸Inspiration from other creators so you can see different ways of creating stop motion 🎟️ Tickets are £38 ⏰ 10:30am - 12pm 📅 Wednesday November 29th 📍Online on Zoom 🎥 And there’ll be a recording of the session if you can’t make it live 🛎️ To book your ticket tap on the link in my bio #instagramforbusiness #instagramexpert #instagramtips #stopmotion #stopmotionworkshop #instagramworkshop #InstagramContentIdeas #reelsideas #smallbizclub #stopmotiontutorial #stopmotionanimation #lifelapse #stopmotionvideo

Handy Instagram Stories Tip 📱 🎨 If you want to change the background colour of an image in your Story you have to select the image from the Camera Roll sticker in the sticker tray 🎨 If you start a Story by uploading an image directly from your camera roll it means when you try to change the colour of the background it will cover the whole screen 🎨 Follow the steps in the Reel - start a story then go to the sticker tray and choose your image from the Camera Roll sticker 🖍️ And bonus - if you tap on the colour picker you can choose a colour from the image Hope this is helpful if it’s been tripping you up when you’ve tried to do it - let me know #smallbusinesstips #instagramtraining #instagramtipsandtricks #instagramforbusiness #socialmediatips #instagramtips101 #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #reelsideas #smallbizclub #smallbiztips #reelstips #storiestips

Pro Tip: Sharing posts to your Stories Here’s a different way to share a post to your Stories that can increase the number of taps through to the post It’s pretty simple - instead of sharing via the paper aeroplane you’re going to copy the link for the post and then add that to your Story using the link sticker I used it on a Story on Friday and it worked a treat Are you going to try it? You might need to save this one 💾 #instagramtipsandtricks #instagramforbusiness #instagramtips101 #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #InstagramContentIdeas #smallbizclub #instagramstoryideas

Did you know you can now add auto generated captions in InShot? 🔤 You know that having captions on your Reels is super important but did you know that in InShot there is a lot more functionality on offer than the native Reels Captions? So you can really customise your captions whilst making sure they’re still super easy to read I’ve taken you through how to add them in InShot step by step so you can go give it a try - tapping first the T text button and then the CC captions button then editing onwards from there by tapping the 🖊️ Edit button But I’d love to know what you think? Will you try out InShot for your captions or are you happy with sticking with what you know? #instagramtipsandtricks #instagramforbusiness #instagramtips101 #instagramexpert #instagramtips #InstagramAdvice #reelstips #reelsideas #InstagramContentIdeas

Shortcuts

Address
Alerts
Contact The Business
Videos
Claim ownership or report listing
Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Country:

City: