If you’re anything like me, then Instagram is your favourite time-wasting app – it’s absolutely chock-full of cat videos, cool outfits, delicious food, interiors inspiration, and all the other things I love. I spend hours pouring over my own grid, making sure I’m portraying myself in the very specific way I want to.
But sometimes it can actually be quite handy from a small business point of view too – there are heaps of small business experts out there on Instagram sharing advice.
However, some are more credible than others, and it can be hard to sort the wheat from the chaff. One that I know that is for sure consistently delivering 10/10 small business advice is the Studio Cotton Instagram š
We all love a tried-and-tested stamp of approval, so we asked our lovely members of the Studio Cotton Clubhouse for the Instagram accounts they’d recommend to other small business owners.
1. @tonicsiteshop for great small business advice and cool graphics
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Tonic make website templates, and also share loads of mega-helpful stuff on their Instagram profile, like how to write copy, content tips, website advice and some inspirational quotes too. I love this post about how to make your run-of-the-mill statements more compelling, because these phrases can be so unoriginal and a turn-off for potential customers.
This was actually Studio Cotton founder Aime’s nomination, she said, “not only do I love their advice and how they chat about it, but their posts are bloomin’ beautiful too!”
2. @redonadida for easy to grasp design and marketing concepts
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Redona is a designer, so she shares small business advice from that angle. The carousel posts on Redona’s Instagram are so helpful, and they look absolutely beautiful too. I’m pretty sure the information goes into your brain better if it looks nice.
Studio Cotton Clubhouse member Jo McCarthy (who mentors creative ecommerce business owners at Firain) recommended this Instagram profile (and the next 3).
“As someone who waffles and makes the simple complicated, Iām drawn to accounts who do the opposite, and this is one of them. Redona explains complex marketing concepts in gentle-on-the-eye, easy to grasp graphics.”
3. @tara_mcmullin for balanced, thoughtful (and cute) small business tips
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Tara McMullin is a writer and speaker who helps business make sense to small business owners, and she also has a podcast. Her Instagram is full of really fun illustrated graphics with solid small business advice.
Another recommendation from Jo McCarthy, who says, “brainy woman Tara McMullin gets to the guts of online business, and her Instagram account is my go-to when I want to find balanced, thoughtful advice for entrepreneurs.”
4. @theshopfiles for sensible and actionable ecommerce advice
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Kate is a strategic marketing expert for small businesses and shares clear, actionable advice to help you sell more, and runs this Instagram account for her business, The Shop Files. Her posts get straight to the point and are easy for small business owners to grasp.
Jo McCarthy says, “so much advice on Insta is for service-based businesses, so this account for eCommerce businesses stands out to me. Sheās another sensible thinker (why am I drawn to sensible business owners? Oh right, they stand the test of time!)”
5. @thejamiebrindle for easy-to-watch freelancing guidance
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Jamie gives practical freelancing advice and help with clients. On Instagram, he creates easy-to-watch videos in which he talks about everything from pitching and pricing, to feedback and scaling, without being annoying or condescending. He also has a great collection of shirts.
Jo’s final recommendation – “Finally, the no-nonsense, super actionable advice from and Jamie (and his accompanying guides) have helped me and my clients to find the right words and phrases to use when managing freelance projects. His hair is also very cute, donāt ya think?!”
6. @lizmmosley for a heads up on small business branding
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Liz is a pal of Studio Cotton and someone we defo recommend for graphic design and illustration, because she’s very good at it. She also shares a whole bunch of branding advice on her Instagram, which we love. Her podcast is a good one for small businesses too – Building Your Brand features Liz chatting to all sorts of small business experts, including our very own Aime.
Clubhouse member Imogen Partridge is a watercolour illustrator, and she recommended Liz, saying, “Liz shares a lot of useful brand and small business advice, and also has a podcast on it.”
7. @rachelemmawaring for content concepts and Pinterest pointers
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Rachel is a stylist turned creative consultant, specialising in Pinterest and content strategy. She’s set herself the big ol’ aim of bringing fun and joy into content creation – and it really shows on her Instagram profile. She shares lots of colourful posts explaining how small businesses can utilise Pinterest, as well as other marketing and styling tips.
This was another recommendation from Imogen Partridge: “for sharing so much content about Pinterest tips, content ideas, repurposing etc.”
8. @theecommerceassistant for super Shopify tips and clever Klayvio help
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I absolutely love that Studio Cotton Clubhouse member Elle bigged herself up – and rightly so, as her Instagram is jam-packed with seriously helpful posts for small businesses. Elle is an expert in Shopify and Klayvio, and loves to help busy small business owners sell more of their wares.
“I agree with most the above mentions! Can I please nominate myself too, as I tend to only share advice now and have had people comment and message to say thank you.”Ā – of course you can, Elle š love to see people being their own hype-person.
9. @elle.social for Instagram direction and presence building
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Elle also suggested another Elle (is there some kind of club that people who aren’t called Elle aren’t allowed to join?) Anyway, this Elle is an Instagram whizz and shares super helpful posts about what to post, how not to post, and other tips for building your small business’ presence on the ‘gram.
10. @resilientretailclub for product business guidance
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Catherine is another pal of Studio Cotton – we built the brilliant Resilient Retail Club website, and Aime’s also been on The Resilient Retail Game Plan podcast – she gets around doesn’t she? Catherine shares lots of small business advice on Instagram, specifically in the area of retail (the clue was in the name really) and offers mentoring, strategy and a membership too.
Clubhouse member Joy McMillan runs Glass of Joy – a lovely online shop selling all sorts of glass and ceramic wares. She says, “I’d suggest Catherine as she’s very straight talking and acknowledges things can be tricky. There’s possibly more value in her podcast for me, and I’d recommend too that for anyone selling products.”
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Those are all the brilliant recommended Instagram accounts from our lovely Studio Cotton Clubhouse members, and while we’re here I wanted to share this extra bit from member Imogen Partridge, because I think it’s interesting:
I think harnessing the ‘free’ content that is out there is hugely powerful, but I also think just following and connecting with these people means a lot of this starts to sink in subconsciously.
You start to read or look at things differently, think about ideas in different ways or notice things you might not have done, because you are understanding how different people do things too.
Sometimes there is an urge to ‘do a course’ on specific areas, but actually following different people sharing expertise and advice will give you an insight into what there is to learn, how they teach and if it’s what you need at that time.
They are also fantastic places to find other small businesses and create your own communities. Look at who is commenting or interacting with these accounts or who they’re sharing and reach out to people you like.
Community is everything as a small business and it is a valuable resource to utilise.
I don’t think I can say it better than that really!
