Why Instagram Can Feel Like It’s Not Working for Your Small Business

I’ve talked to a lot of women in business who are ready to throw in the towel when it comes to social media. She’s bought the ring light, tried the tips, and stayed consistent… and all she’s been left with is a vague feeling that the Instagram algorithm somehow has a personal beef with her.

She’s good at what she does and she has a message worth sharing. Her clients and customers know it, too. But when it comes to translating that message to the world of social media, she just doesn’t feel like it’s “working.”

I understand the frustration. I experience it myself, when I work hard on a post and get a rush of excitement when I hit publish… and then I watch it flatline after a few hundred views.

It’s in that exact moment that I need to remind myself: views are a piece of the puzzle when it comes to what’s working for your business on social media. But as much as the Instagram gurus out there will tell you otherwise, views are not the only definition of success.

The truth is, a single post won’t do everything for your business.

One of the strengths of entrepreneurs is their optimism. (Although sometimes, it would be more fair to call it delusion.) We create a post we’re proud of, and suddenly we’re daydreaming about how that post is going to be THE turning point for all of our dreams to come true. A million views, a hundred new clients, and a publishing company begging us to accept a book deal – all before we’ve even had our morning coffee.

It’s true that there are overnight success stories out there. But for most of us, a thriving and sustainable business isn’t built in one viral moment – but in the day-to-day consistency of just showing up and doing what we’re capable of.

Is Instagram Worth It for Small Business? Why Vanity Metrics Aren’t the Whole Story

This is the kind of evidence that matters when we’re wondering if social media is worth it, too. Not the flashy vanity metrics – but those everyday moments that signal to us that something’s working… and we should keep going.

In my own business and when I work with clients, I call these metrics “Everyday Evidence.”

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not ignoring the numbers here – but recognizing that behind every metric is a real person. And those real people are on their own one-of-a-kind journey in relation to your brand. They may not be ready to buy from you or work from you as soon as they read your bio, but your content may be guiding them one step closer to a purchasing decision every time you show up.

How to Know If Your Instagram Strategy Is Working: Three Types of Everyday Evidence

These real-life green flags that your posts are resonating fall into three categories – and here’s a list of exactly what they look like in each one.

Online Evidence: Understanding Instagram Metrics and the Customer Journey as a Business Owner

Since not every post is going to do it all for our business at once, it’s important to give each individual post a tangible goal. I create posts within my four-pillar post framework, which I’ve written about before in this article, and each pillar matches with a specific Instagram metric.

Introduction posts (at the brand awareness stage) might lead to higher views based on your own individual average (not a set number of views). Higher views should also come along with a handful of new followers – especially ones that genuinely fit your ideal customer profile. This means that out of the new people who saw your post, a few of them were curious to learn more and decided to stick around (even if they’re not ready to buy yet.

Interactive posts (designed to nurture through emotional connection) typically lead to comments and shares. Comments mean those who saw your post wanted to participate in the conversation, and shares mean that it resonated enough for them to want to send it to a friend or share it with their audience, too. Both of these are signs that your content is helping your people feel seen and understood.

Informative posts (which build authority through education) usually get saves, and can also get thank-you comments like, “this was so helpful!” A save means that someone found your post helpful enough to reference back to later – and they’ll likely think of you whenever they put that information into practice in their life, too.

Invitation posts (also known as conversion or sales content) should lead to profile visits, link clicks, and messages in DMs. All three of these are evidence that your people were ready to look into a next step towards a purchasing decision. It’s worth noting that none of these metrics are visible on your public profile, but are some of the best indicators that your content is growing your business in the right direction.

Sharing your own content isn’t the only way to connect with your right people on social media – so in addition to post-specific evidence, I also take note of any connections that are being initiated or strengthened through Instagram. This could look like story replies, authentic conversations in DMs, or new follows that come from a comment I left on someone else’s profile.

Offline Evidence: Signs Your Instagram is Supporting In-Person Networking and Client Relationships

I hear from business owners often that their online presence feels disconnected from their offline presence. Entrepreneurs invest a lot of time and energy into local networking, connecting with clients in person, or lifting up those in their industry through collaborations and partnerships.

I see social media as a way to support and strengthen these in-person connections – not as an entirely separate work task. Instagram can absolutely be one of the many touchpoints someone has with your brand before they’re ready to work together, even if that connection didn’t originate on Instagram.

Here are a few signals to look for so you know your content is translating from the internet into your in-person world:

When you meet a new client in person, they say that they feel like they already know you through following you online.
You’re offered speaking gigs or collaboration opportunities because of something valuable you’ve shared about in your posts.
Someone who follows you online says they “think of you first” when a problem that your work helps solve comes up.
Your current customer or client relationships feel sustained and strengthened through online interactions.
During an in-person conversation, someone references something you shared online that stuck with them (or made them smile).
A client, collaborator, or vendor relationship that started online crosses over into in-person territory, even through a simple coffee meetup.
New working relationships start off more smoothly because the person you’re working with knows about your work from what you’ve shared on social media.

This category of evidence is all about social media doing its job to keep you top of mind and help warm people up to work with you, buy from you, or pass your name onto a friend. Many business owners really benefit from taking note of interactions like this when they happen – because these don’t show up in your insights dashboard, but they’re just as valuable when it comes to evaluating if your social media is working towards your business growth.

Inner Evidence: Avoiding Social Media Burnout As a Business Owner

For so many women in business, social media can feel like a necessary evil. They stay consistent because they feel like they have to, even when it feels more like an energy and time suck than a valuable work task.

I believe that in order to run your own social media sustainably, the way it makes you feel matters as much as sticking with your content calendar. It doesn’t mean that your content creation time block needs to be your favorite part of the week – but when you dread showing up online, that energy can sometimes reflect back in your content or cause you to burn out over time.

That’s why the final category of signals that your content is working for your business comes from the inside out. Your online presence is a space to connect with real people around the work that lights you up. And finding ways to enjoy that process can make a real difference between throwing in the towel and sticking with it.

Here are some inner signs that your online presence is serving you as the face of your brand, so that you can keep showing up for the long haul:

You’re excited before sharing a post because it reflects the heart of your brand and feels like an authentic extension of who you are.
You take short breaks from social media to avoid burning out, instead of ghosting for months when you get sick of posting.
If you start comparing your posts to another entrepreneur’s, you’re able to focus back on your own unique journey.
Your day-to-day life and work inspires ideas for new posts that you keep track of, even if you don’t have the time to create them all.
The value of the community and relationships you’ve built online outweighs occasional frustration with the algorithm.
You keep looking back at something you’ve shared recently – not because you’re refreshing the views, but because you’re happy about how it communicates your business.
Every once in a while, you stray from content “best practices” and share a post just for fun or because you had a burst of inspiration and wanted to share your idea with the world.

All of these inner signals are evidence that your online presence feels authentic, genuine, and sustainable. Even when representing your business, the way you show up doesn’t need to feel like a performance – but an opportunity to connect with your next right person.

Should You Delete Instagram for Your Business? A Simple Question to Ask First

So… is it really that Instagram isn’t “working” for your business?

Or is it more that somewhere along the way, you started to believe that “success” was defined by vanity metrics and viral moments?

Let me leave you with this simple question to come back to anytime you’re tempted to delete Instagram altogether (because it happens to all of us from time to time.)

“What’s happening in my business today that was only possible because of social media?”

Maybe it’s the client you’re onboarding right now, who followed you for three months before booking to make sure it was the right fit.

Or the follower who messaged you to say thanks for the tip you shared in your Stories. (She’s thinking of your brand every time she implements it.)

Or the industry partnership that started out with “hey, let’s meet for coffee sometime!” over DMs.

The beauty of running your own business is that you get to define what success looks like – and that’s exactly the case when it comes to running your social media, too. When you start to look beyond the views, you’ll probably begin to realize that you’re doing much better than you think… and that Instagram is worth sticking with.

Instagram Coaching for Female Entrepreneurs: One-on-One Instagram Support Sessions

And if you’ve been reading through this article feeling like you can’t pinpoint even one of these examples of evidence in your business, I’d love to chat. As a content coach, I offer one-on-one virtual Instagram Support Sessions where we can talk through your current approach to social media and the small tweaks you can make to see greater impact. It’s a great way to cut through the noise of all the advice out there, and talk through how you can show up for your own unique business in a way that still honors your capacity. Get in touch and we can talk more about scheduling your call!

How to Know If Instagram Is Working for Your Small Business