We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannon McKinstrie. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannon below.

Shannon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

While my business is almost all online I went old school and began networking locally. I reached out to people I knew and offered free workshops at local real estate brokerages & co-working spaces and it was an amazing way to get my foot in the door & begin gaining people’s trust in my local community. Every single time I did one of these free in-person trainings and workshops I would leave with 3-4 clients. From there, word spread and my business grew and grew. I shared my journey on Instagram and word online spread from there. I know for a fact I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my local community.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Before helping small business owners grow their online presence and simplify social media, I was a kid begging my dad to let me hold the family camcorder.

I went on to study TV Production in high school, major in Communications and Marketing at Virginia Tech and headed to Atlanta after college to work at CNN Headquarters.

News breaks and overnights became the breeding ground for my love of social media, and when I moved back home to DC, I turned that passion into a career at my 9-5.

But I craved more time for creativity. So, I left the 9-5 gig for good and gave birth to my daughter and decided I didn’t want to go back to work so I took my background in marketing & love for social media and started a social media management business from my couch.

Every day I get to help small businesses shine on social with proven, organic, & sustainable strategies.

The biggest thing that sets me apart is that everything I teach is super doable.

There’s no reason to overcomplicate social media, especially when business owners have very little time to devote to it.

You can grow in big ways without living on the apps.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started locally because that felt genuine & comfortable to me! I shared my journey of being a business owner, shared tips about social media, and connected with other business owners by engaging with them. I focused on building relationships rather than “getting followers.” In other words, I used Instagram and other social media platforms in the way they were intended and invited people into my world. I bonded with so many people and have been growing this way (all organic) ever since! And as far as content goes, I know my target market extremely well after years of market research and getting to REALLY know this. Once you know your people, you know what to create for them.

How’d you meet your business partner?

In addition to mentoring & consulting, I also have a membership with my business partner, Emily Schwalbach. It all started with a single hashtag on Instagram. We found each other through a hashtag that we both used as social media mentors, and started following each other, watching each other’s Stories, and realizing we had so much in common. We ended up chatting on Zoom to see if we could collab on something and the rest is history! We know have a membership with 250 business owners to help them grow their communities on social media while having fun & without burning out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shannonmckinstrie.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonmckinstrie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/377924972822927
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonmckinstrie/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoutiqueSocial

Image Credits
Sara Coffin Jamie Sutera