Zach Benson is the founder and CEO of Assistagram, an Instagram marketing agency focused on forging relationships with real people to grow an authentic and engaged Instagram audience. Assistagram does this by getting real follows in the client’s niche, creating viral content that excites those followers, and having influencers follow their profile to lend social credibility.
What are you most proud of?
The work we do at Assistagram is really powerful, in my opinion. We help people build their brand so that they can do more of what they love — whether that’s speaking, writing, or selling products. Good things happen when you have a bigger following. You get more opportunities, meet more people, and can share what you do with a larger audience. I’m proud to help people accomplish that.
How has the pandemic impacted your business?
I saw COVID-19 as a great opportunity to give back. The tourism industry is struggling, so I started reaching out to big hotels and posting about them for free. They’ve been really grateful for the extra help and have even invited my team to do consulting and training for them when COVID-19 is over. A lot of influencers reach out with little value for the hotels, just wanting a free stay. But it’s about giving genuinely. People can tell if you’re just offering to help so you can get something in return.
What’s an important lesson you’ve learned during your career?
To stop and breathe before you respond. It’s so easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and say things you’ll regret. I can’t tell you how many relationships I damaged early on because I spoke without thinking. Now I don’t do anything until I’ve taken some time to think about how I want to proceed. Life’s too short to cut people out over the small things.
Be sure to follow Zach on Instagram!