It’s literally just this, an Instagram feed where the identity of the person behind it remains a mystery. You may be a follower but you have no idea who the person running it is.
The reason behind this type of faceless account is either because the business owner is too nervous to show their face and show who they are on Instagram – OR – it’s because they want to keep anonymity because they are trying to sell some kind of scam (currently doing the rounds are these MLM style marketing courses). The first reason is easy to sympathise with. It’s scary putting yourself out there! It’s nerve wracking thinking that you could open yourself up to criticism. But without showing who you are, you miss the opportunity to build the know, like and trust factor with your audience and potential customers and you risk being mistaken for a scammer.
So what should you do if you’re terrified about sharing who you are on Instagram?
Be strategic about it… There are 2 types of content that you should share on Instagram: business-related posts and personal-related posts. However, by personal I don’t mean overly personal. You can share your interests, hobbies, lifestyle and values. If you share a post about your favourite herbal tea, your shoe collection or that you play pickleball 3 times a week, you’re not going to regret sharing this. It’s not a deep dark embarrassing secret that you wouldn’t want your neighbours to find out about! It's entirely up to you what you share but sharing something as simple as your love for wild swimming will help you build connection, create interest and encourage interaction without overstepping personal boundaries.
You don’t need to share anything about your emotional breakdowns, childhood traumas, weaknesses, illnesses or personal struggles. Even sharing general aspects of your life, like living in the city or near the coast, can add a personal touch. ‘People buy from people’ and you need to build ‘the know, like and trust factor’. I know you’ve heard these phrases a thousand times but take a moment to stop and really think what this means and think about the times when you have chosen to buy from one business over another because of the person running that particular business.
When it comes to sharing the dreaded selfie, a good rule of thumb is to make sure that there is at least one photo of you in every set of 9 posts. I bet that made you breathe a sigh of relief! This is totally doable isn’t it? Of course you can share more and share videos but if this makes you feel uncomfortable then stick to sharing one photo of you in every set of 9 posts. The reason for this is that people don’t scroll that far down Instagram feeds. The majority of people will not scroll any further than your first 3 rows of posts so always think in sets of 9 when you are posting on Instagram.
To conclude, I would not recommend creating a completely faceless Instagram feed. A truly ‘faceless account’ lacking in personality that does not tell a story just doesn’t work. Instead, create a feed that balances how much of yourself you choose to share. Here's what to keep in mind:
"Instagram is a canvas, not a confessional""You can reveal your colours, without revealing your shadows"
For step-by-step totally doable strategies that won’t burn you out join me and a wonderful group of women in business in the All Things Insta Club.
For content ideas with plenty of ‘personal post’ ideas that won’t leave you feeling vulnerable take a look at the Instagram Content Creator.
If you like the idea of an Instagram strategy that is easy to implement, incredibly effective and won’t require you to be chained to your phone 24/7, check out the InstaLite Strategy.