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“I think the number one mistake people make, to be honest with you, is worry so much about growing a following that they forget to engage the people that they have.” – Erica Eckman

Erica Eckman doesn’t want to be another aspirational Instagram account. Instead, for her, the secret sauce to growing a following is to be yourself. When you come across as attainable and relatable, people feel more comfortable and secure engaging with you. On this week’s episode of the SimplyBe. Podcast, Jessica talks to Erica about getting more likes and follows on Instagram with a recipe calling for a little bit of strategy and a little bit of vulnerability.

Erica’s business, Everything Erica, is a food and lifestyle blog that has grown organically thanks to Erica being unapologetically Erica. She talks about her journey and also discusses why you need to be constantly evolving, why you should check your top posts every month, and why your purpose should be about service to others. She wraps things up by taking some time to talk about why hashtags are the underrated kingmaker of Instagram.

If you’ve felt stagnant on your social media strategy, tune in for Erica’s sage advice.

• [01:44] - This week's guest: Erica Eckman
• [02:15] - Writing sabbatical in Costa Rica
• [04:24] - Subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends about SimplyBe!
• [05:20] - Erica Eckman introduction
• [07:58] - Erica Eckman interview
• [08:03] - Jessica and Erica's serendipitous friendship
• [12:35] - How Erica grew her social media following
• [16:24] - Erica's strategy for content creation on Instagram
• [20:23] - Expanding focus outside of Instagram
• [23:51] - The difference between aspiration and attainability
• [25:56] - Polished vs casual posts
• [31:31] - The fine line between being real and exploiting your vulnerability
• [36:51] - The power of truly caring
• [43:23] - Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
• [46:35] - Take the leap to be in alignment with your purpose
• [51:54] - Erica's recipe for hashtags
• [54:14] - Recent photo metadata theory
• [59:01] - Erica on Instagram
• [59:30] - Share Your Shine podcast
• [59:57] - What SimplyBe. means to Erica
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Erica Eckman is a food and lifestyle blogger and influencer. She runs the popular http://www.everythingerica.com/ blog and Instagram account Everything Erica. She is also host of the podcast, Show Your Shine. 

Jessica Zweig is an international award-winning entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of SimplyBe. In 2018, she won the Gold Stevie® Award for “Female Entrepreneur of the Year,” was previously named a Top Digital Marketer To Watch by INC. and a “Personal Branding Expert” by Forbes. As a thought leader with over ten years of experience in digital marketing and social media, Jessica frequently speaks and facilitates workshops and masterminds, teaching the power of personal branding to corporations. 

Jessica has been featured as a leading entrepreneur and personal branding expert in Forbes, Crain’s, MarketWatch, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Refinery 29, Tasty Trade, BizTech Magazine, Today’s Chicago Woman, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX News 32, and more.

She is currently writing her first book, Be. A No-Bullshit Guide to Creating Self-Worth and Net Worth Just by Being Yourself. Follow her on Instagram @jessicazweig or send her a note at jessica@simplybeagency.com.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to The SimplyBe. Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.