We recently connected with Melissa McClure and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

As an Instagram coach, Reels is where the party is at! Instagram has publicly stated that video and DMs are a priority in 2022.
Get comfortable being in front of the camera if you want to get seen on social media – it’s not going away any time soon.
Sharing knowledge, being entertaining and inspiring others is how you have to show up on Instagram these days.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a photographer for most of my life. With owning a small business, you wear all the hats – including marketing! Social media came naturally to me and I loved it. I realized I paid more attention to the changes and trends than my peers and that blossomed into being a coach for small businesses who want help marketing themselves on social media. When the world shut down in 2020, I was already planning my pivot, but the free time allowed me to jump right in. I started 1 on 1 coaching in 2020, created my first course and helping 100’s of creative small businesses with my knowledge of marketing online. It’s been fantastic branching out of the photography world and learning about all types of businesses. I’ve worked with jewelers, soap makers, intuitive coaches, bloggers, artists to just to name a few.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started a professional travel blogging instagram in 2017. I saw fast growth because I was spending the majority of my time on Instagram. I networked, created friendships, partnerships and started monetizing my account. In 2020, the pivot to social media coaching happened. Most of my audience grew with me and stuck around and supported the change.

My advice for those starting to grow their following – Instagram is all about connection. Getting to know the human behind the account. Be yourself, share your wins and losses. Post your face on stories, explore video as IG prioritizes that in 2022.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of owning my own online creative business is that I get to choose my schedule. I love the time and location freedom I have working for myself. I may not have a weekly paycheck or a fat 401k but I can take off in the middle of a Wednesday for lunch with a friend. Or travel out of state and still get my clients taken care of. I love being able to work anywhere in the world!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melissamcclurecoaching.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/melissamcclure.co
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissamcclure

Image Credits
Marcy Browe Photography Madison King Photography Jen Acosta Photography