INSTAGRAM - Register your Website & Brand Name NOW & Start Posting!

Hello! This is a quick post to remind you to go ahead and register your website(s)/brand name(s) on Instagram if you haven't already done this!

I learned the hard way that it's important to go ahead and register your website name/brand name(s) RIGHT AWAY, before someone else creates an Instagram account in your website name/brand name. This applies for all key social media platforms that you have been meaning to start using. Most of us are in this boat, so let's not beat ourselves up! However: get to work protecting your website name/brand name(s) by registering them on all of the important social media you know you SHOULD be using.

Here's what happened last week: I decided to use a Trader Joe's recipe contest to (force) myself to go ahead and create an Instagram account for my JoyofVeg website (registered years ago -- currently re-building, work in progress for the website).

I created a DELICIOUS, healthy, 3-ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream recipe for the Trader Joe's contest. The ONLY mode of entering the contest was via Instagram. GREAT! I decided to use the contest as impetus to force myself to go ahead and create my Instagram account for my JoyofVeg website!

We took great pictures! I went to register my Instagram account for my JoyofVeg website!

When lo, and woe .... Some years ago (after I registered my JoyofVeg website) someone created a JoyofVeg Instagra account, posted a few posts, and never used it again. Others created various versions of my JoyofVeg brand name on Instagram.

I ended up registering a JoyofVegcom Instagram name that wasn't ideal (I just added the "com" to my brand name, hoping people would understand that meant my website .com -- but it's not ideal.) I was under the wire for the recipe contest deadline, but the contest was solely my own way to get myself to take action and create the Instagram account for JoyofVeg!

It was so disappointing to find that my brand name had already been registered on Instagram. I had to scramble to come up with the alternative: (adding com to my brand name for the Instagram account -- I was under the wire to get my recipe in before the contest deadline!)

I hope that my cautionary tale will give YOU the impetus to go ahead and just REGISTER your website name/brand name(s) NOW on Instagram (and other social media) -- but for starters, on Instagram, because it's FREE to register! (You do need to use a different email address for each of your Instagram account(s) for each of your website name/brand name(s).)

Here's the AMAZING thing. Instagram can = instant gratification.

After I posted 2 Instagram posts, I already was getting comments and followers. Like this comment on my 3-Ingredient (health) vegan chocolate ice cream recipe:

As a vegan mother, this is incredibly exciting! I’ll report back
if I can on how the recipe goes! Question- have you tried the rock salt
method with this? Do you think it would work?

Then I got this message:
Hiya, your feed is lovely. We are looking for unique individuals to rep our brand. Please message us if you're interested.
This was after only 1 or 2 posts on Instagram.
This is POWERFUL and amazing stuff!

JUMP RIGHT IN! The water is fine :)

ps I couldn't figure out how to change the orientation of my photo for my 3-ingredient healthy vegan chocolate ice cream photo above (flowers in the background), so, ooops for now. I'll try to figure out the photo malfunction. (You can see the correct photo orientation on the joyofvegcom Instagram account - link on my profile home page).

Also: Check out the recipe, it's so delicious AND healthy!
3 ingredients are: Organic Coconut Cream (1 can); 14 medjool dates (soaked in one cup of water); 7 tbsp cocoa powder. Basically, whip those 3 ingredients up in a high-powered blender, place in fridge for an hour or so, then take it for another spin in the blender, pour it in previously-frozen ice cream maker -- turn on the ice cream maker (1/2 hour or so). DELICIOUS! Did you know that a medjool date has more potassium than a banana? plus fiber, micro nutrients, AND they are SWEET and delicious (nature's candy bar). Yum. The recipe is on the joyofvegcom Instagram account (linked on my profile page at WA).

Kate