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When utilised effectively, Instagram can be a priceless tool in helping to promote your business. However, with more than 200 million business accounts already established on the platform, how can you use Instagram creatively to stand out from the competition?

Here are three useful ways to get the most out of your account and transform your followers into customers.

Giveaways

Running giveaways on your Instagram page is one of the most effective ways to boost user engagement. Everybody loves free stuff, right?

Whilst you’re effectively giving away free products, which sounds counter-intuitive, if done correctly, what you will get in return is more user engagement and thus a stronger social media presence. Create a post or string of posts encouraging people to like, follow, comment and share in order to enter the competition. This way, more users who may otherwise never have noticed your brand will be made aware of your page, which could translate into new business further down the line.

When using Instagram in this way, it is important to cater the giveaway to your niche audience and avoid running a very generic competition which will attract the wrong type of customers. For example, if a dog walking business ran a competition to win a free television, they may attract lots of new followers and interaction, but the engagement will only last as long as the competition runs. However, if they ran a competition to win five free walks, this should encourage more relevant potential clients to follow them.

Whilst your follower count may look healthier if you run a generic competition, your engagement by percentage of followers will dramatically decrease. This will be detrimental to your business, as engagement is one of the key metrics Instagram uses to determine whether or not to promote your content on user’s feeds.

Reels

Instagram Reels is a new feature introduced in 2020, allowing users to create 15-60 second videos to accompany their main feed of posts. These short clips are designed to grab the attention of users by being either entertaining or informative. It gives your business the opportunity to not only show off more of the personalities behind the brand, but also to position yourself as an authoritative voice in a particular market.

Furthermore, with the way Instagram’s algorithm is set up, users don’t need to be following you for your Reels to come up on their feed, meaning you could reach a wider audience who may be interested in your brand.

When using this feature, it’s important to keep a consistent tone, to avoid alienating any existing clients. This is where a social media professional could prove beneficial, as they will be experts in developing a social media strategy to best exploit Instagram’s algorithm, whilst also maintaining a consistent tone of voice.

Repost user-generated content

As every content creator will know, it can be challenging to come up with consistently creative ideas for potential posts. One simple way to overcome this issue is to utilise your customer base and the content they themselves have created using your products.

An example of a company who executes this strategy well is GoPro. Their main Instagram account, which has over 18 million followers, promotes ‘Photos of the Day’, whereby they celebrate a photo taken by one of their customers.

There are many benefits to featuring user-generated content (UGC) on your page beyond the obvious plus side of having posts created for you without lifting a finger. Research has shown that customers are 2.4 times more likely to deem UGC as being more authentic than content created by the brand themselves. This can help to boost customer loyalty and engagement, thus enhancing your brand and standing on social media.

Now it’s your turn to create content and giveaways that stand out and is part of your brand.

What will you do first?

Are emails dead?

Ashley DeLuca would argue that emails and email strategy are far from dead!

If you have been on the fence about starting an email list, then I hope that today’s post will give you insight on how to create profits from your list!

If you already have a list but it seems to have a lot of tumbleweeds blowing across its barren content, then read on for Ashley has a lot of great insights for you, too!

I interviewed Ashley within The 6-Figure Momma Facebook Group community where it’s geared to help entrepreneurs women who are raising children scale their businesses to 6-Figures while having a safe place to be themselves, as both mom and businesswoman.

If you would like the see the full recording of this interview, you can click here to watch it on YouTube.

I have been following Ashley before she was married and now, she’s married and working with a two-year-old. She’s certainly is an amazing woman to be working with a toddler 24/7!

Meet Ashley DeLuca, Email Marketing Queen

Ashley is on a mission to simplify email marketing so entrepreneurs can amplify relationships and sales.

Over the last three years, Ashley has written campaigns that resulted in $40,000 launches, with list creation from 200 to 18,000 subscribers.

Needless to say she believes email marketing should be simplified. You know, so easy her toddler can do it. That’s right. Most days start with coffee and end with a book in bed snuggled with her toddler, Nick.

She’s a huge fan of avocados and sea turtles, and email marketing and so if you have literally any questions, I’m more than happy to share any additional answers, questions, all of that really fun stuff with you today.

Why is it so important for us entrepreneurs to have an email list in the first place?

You’ve heard that the gold is an email list, like all the money’s in the list and all that really fun stuff.

Statistically speaking, email marketing actually converts 40% higher or  40 times higher, however you want to kind of put that percentage there, than social media.

So we’re thinking about all the time that we’re spending on social media on Facebook and Instagram doing things, and email marketing is literally the best way, in my personal opinion, to be able to create relevancy and build relationships.

Because here’s the thing, especially at the end of 2020, we’re really looking for connection points we’re looking for people to relate to, especially with our social lives being really different than what they were before.

We can create intentional journeys within email marketing, to be able to really help people go on a custom journey from opt-in, to offer to them fulfillment to raving fans.

Email marketing is a huge asset for your business. We’re currently renting space on Facebook, even as we do this live right now.

Your email is a clean asset of your own just like your website is especially hosted or self hosted on WordPress, you can move that and go wherever it is that you want to go.

And so honestly at the end of the day, it’s one of your top priority assets of your business, especially if you ever look to sell your business.

I’ve seen it time and time again where you know just randomly as I’m scrolling through on Facebook or Instagram someone’s like, “oh my gosh, I just lost my account this is my new account!”

I remember one gal, she got her Facebook shut down and all of everything was in it, all the members, all the assets, everything just like poof one day because of some copyright issue.

And everyone was searching the name of the group and we’re like, where’s the group? What happened to the group?

And then we had to go to her business page to find out that like it just poofed into thin air; Facebook decided that it could not be no more.

And so when I think about those things. I’m like, “man, what are some places where you can really build your legacy, where you can build yourself a foundation?”

It’s in an email list, podcast, website, those are places that you own and have that content and assets.

What are some of the most common email marketing struggles with entrepreneurs?

There’s a couple different things. There’s kind of the party of people who haven’t started yet because it’s very much so feeling like, “oh my gosh this is super time consuming, there’s a lot of missing pieces there’s, you know, there’s like segments and tags and filters and all the things!”

The second group of people we have is like, “oh I started my list, I have some emails, I started the process. But now I don’t really have anything else to say.”

They get a welcome and then they just kind of fall into a deep dark hole of nothingness where subscribers just like, “Well what happened here? Are you alive?”

And then you have on the flip side where you may have a third bucket. Where are you have some of these things in place, you have funnels, you have things going on in the backend, but you’re either stuck because you don’t know what the world is going on because it’s very complicated.

Or you’re like, “oh my gosh it would take me forever go through my content and reposition it and make sure it’s with my correct messaging!”

Or thinking, “I don’t even know what to write in my emails.”

It’s one of those things where a lot of times we just get stuck in the how.

And that’s why my mission is to simplify the email marketing process so that way you’re not asking how, you’re going into the process of just implementing and doing the things and making it part of your marketing schedule.

One of the biggest things entrepreneurs complain about is that they have a lack of response from their subscribers. What gives?

Here’s something that was very extremely interesting, I’m gonna share this.

So when we’re writing emails, when we’re creating videos, when we’re writing content, what is the back intention of that?

Is it, “Oh my gosh, I’m coming in because I want to sell”, and you have more of that like egotistic energy of like, “Oh I’m gonna make this about me and my offer what I do.”

Or are you coming through and are you serving in selling, and more so focusing on like, “I’m just gonna shine my light onto the world, and whoever gets attracted to it comes to me”.

And the way this kind of transforms and applies is like, I send out emails where I don’t get any replies, and that’s totally okay. Because I know that I’m still asking and I think the biggest thing is that even if this isn’t the right question, that doesn’t mean I stop asking the questions.

But you have to keep showing up, you have to keep asking and really focus more so on serving with that heart and serving by just shining your light.

When you know you don’t have an attachment to the outcome, then my goal is for you to take that content and run with it and do the things with it.

So it really again comes back to that okay what is the intention behind this, in terms of being able to shed your light.

So talk to us how to get started with a profitable email strategy.

We have to have a platform you have to have a home base, Gmail does not do the things, so make sure you have your home base or your platform.

I personally recommend ConvertKit, depending on your business and your business needs.

The secondary thing you want to do is you want to have an idea of what funnels you need to have in place.

So for some of my clients is very simple, we just have one opt-in, we have a nurture sequence, and then we have a fulfillment sequence, and those are the three main pieces that you need.

You have to have a way to draw people in, you want to have a place for them to be nurtured, and then a place to be fulfilled, to then go into the next offer.

Essentially, it’s very easy to just have those three sequences, but it does get confusing when you have three different opt-ins, you have a couple different nurture sequences, and you’re trying to nurture them into six different offers.

Think to yourself, “What sequences do I currently have?” You can figure it out by taking a blank piece of paper and just mapping it out.

So in my welcome sequence I have email number one, what is the primary thing I’m talking about email number one, what is the call to action. And what is the open and click rate.

Now until you get to about 100 subscribers within a funnel, usually I’m not necessarily looking at the opening click rates just yet.

The reason why I like 100 is 100 people, when I think about it, there’s a good chunk of people right? And that’s a good amount of people to kind of test and see, “okay, is this resonating or is this not resonating.”

This also allows for different sources, so it could be that you know where these 100 people came from: 20 came from your podcast, 20 came from a Facebook group, another 20 could just come from your website.

It gives you the ability to also look at the sources and where are these people coming from too.

And so, you’ll go through, get that all mapped out know exactly what’s going on in each of your funnels.

Then the next step is, where are the holes? How can you personalize it, how can you create more relevancy, how can you tweak these, is there an email that you send out your weekly emails that you’ve been bringing in, then maybe other content piece.

Does it make sense for people to get that email at that current moment? That’s usually the biggest thing is timing and understanding, you know where people are in their journey and then providing that content based on that.

Finally, you know we have when we broadcast the different campaign side, and kind of planning out and understanding what are the flow of those.

So, considering sending out three value-based emails, and then one that’s going to be more promotional, and that way, you can start to play and get things into action and then have that sounding home base for you to be able to do the things.

Do you find that people actually go through the nurturing sequence?

Nurture sequences work for a couple of reasons, but it all starts with expectations.

So, your welcome sequence, your number one goal in your welcome sequence should be for them to complete your opt-in.

I mean I know for me I’ve downloaded eight bazillion opt-ins and not finished any of them right.

So your goal is to get them to do that first step, you want to walk them through that process. And so you want to hold them accountable to that.

Your nurture sequence is supporting like resources materials content around helping them get to their after state.

When you have a business that’s extremely clear in terms of with you help people, it’s so much easier to write a nurture sequence and to be able to put that into a journey where you’re actually sending emails that make sense.

A lot of times, emails get ignored, they don’t get read because they’re not relevant to your subscribers.

You’re getting emails about you having your first 1k month and you’re like, “Okay, well I’m already at 10k so I don’t even care about that.”

It could be that you’re just like, “Well I’m already in a program so why am I receiving emails for a program that you’re selling that I already purchased?”

So there are little things that you can do to make yourself more relevant to your subscriber, but within that you have to also earn that spot in their inbox, and that comes through being consistent, that comes from providing actual relevant information that they care about, and that is actually helpful and not full of fluff.

And within that’s all about establishing that relationship with the person on the other side.

What do you think would be some first steps that someone can take right now to improve and begin creating more profits in their emails?

If you’re currently not sending any emails out, get committed to doing it at least once a week, once every other week, whatever that is, pick your frequency and become committed to that.

Tell your subscribers that you’re committed to that.

That would be the first thing.

The second thing is that when you’re writing emails, definitely clear the fluff.

That is like something that is super incredibly important when you’re writing emails that are like 80 pages long, but like super super long emails don’t get read, because we’re scrolling. We’re just trying to find the good stuff we want to know what does this has to do about me.

So make your emails shorter and really focus on making sure you drive home, one like call to action in each email.

There’s a huge debate on should we have five call to action or one call to action.

I like to keep things simple and just have one call to action per email because then I know there’s one expectation per email to be met.

Is there anything going on with you that you want us to know about? Where can we find you?

I’m also super active on Instagram as well too. So you can find me at Ashley Kay DeLuca, I share a lot of behind the scenes and just like random thoughts and all the really good stuff and you’ll obviously see Nick as well too.

Do you have a Facebook Group?

Or have you wanted to start a Facebook Group?

One thing that stopped me from having a Facebook Group for the LONGEST time is that I felt like I didn’t have time to run one because I see admins of Groups being inside their community ALL THE TIME.

I don’t have time for that!

But one day, I was talking with my friend, Laura Pence Atencio from Social Savvy Geek, where she told me, “Monica, you don’t have to be in your Group all the time. Just go Live in it once a week and post something once a week.”

And as I began to think about that, I thought, “I could do that!”

That is why I interviewed Laura inside my Facebook Group, The 6-Figure Momma, and sharing with you through this blog! The blog will only contain a portion of the interview, so be sure to check out the video to watch the entirety of it.

Laura go ahead and introduce yourself.

Hello, I’m Laura Pence Atencio, and I have been helping speakers authors and podcasters to increase their income and impact without sacrificing their time freedom, which is a really big deal and kind of relevant to the conversation we’re going to have today.

Myths of Being a Facebook Group Admin

I’m going to address a couple of minutes about Facebook groups that make people not want to have one and not want to be in one, and one of those myths is that you have to be as the administrator, you have to be super active personally within the group.

You have to share every day or multiple times a day, and you’ve got to have all these posts in there.

And that is a method, but I don’t like it, because then you have people saying, “There are 1000 Facebook groups that I’m in and I’m not joining them. People are adding me to them and I didn’t join them and now I’m previewing 1000 groups, and they’re also busy busy busy, and it’s just a time suck.”

It can be, so that’s not the kind of group that we’re setting up, so my group is really low-key, really low-key.

What does Low-Key mean for you in your Facebook Group?

So what that means for me is, there are no engagement posts.

I’m not going to ask you what you had for a meal or if you like broccoli, I don’t care and you’re busy, we’re all busy professionals, and I don’t want you spending any time within my group that isn’t actually serving you with something that’s going to improve your life.

Nobody cares.

And there’s, there’s literally 1000 other groups every day that are doing that stuff. So it wastes time.

With that being said, what I do within my group is typically I post when I have something important to say.

I answer group questions so people ask questions to me privately and then I’ll go and do a live video and answer questions and people can bring questions to that as well.

And I do two live trainings per month where I bring people in to teach.

And as you know, when you come in to teach in my group, you only mention your services or program one time.

You can mention them once, but it’s not going to be a thinly veiled sales pitch it has to be value-driven.

Everything is about building a community and helping them, and serving them. And some people think if you’re not posting every day, the algorithm won’t like it (which isn’t true).

So Laura, how do we have a low-key, high-converting Facebook Group?

I’ll tell you exactly what to do, is that okay? Literally you could download this video do it. Although I do have a checklist.

Anyway, so first you got to set your group up, obviously, keep it super simple and if you already have a group and it’s not relevant to what you’re doing, just make a new one.

I made a new [group at] the end of December, first week of January, and I think I’ve got somewhere around 400 members, and I’m not trying to grow it to huge numbers.

I would like for it to be around 1000 people, because I don’t need numbers, it’s not a numbers game.

Pick a name that’s relevant, don’t overthink it, it really doesn’t matter what it is as long as it makes sense to the people who are in it.

Create an image banner from the top, obviously, add a group description, and then it’s very important that you create a pinned announcement post that includes a welcome video.

In that video, you tell people who you are, what you’re doing, what the group is about, and offer them something that they can get.

Whether that’s a demo or a call, or a cheat sheet or it doesn’t matter, offer them something and then link to that something in the description.

Then create three posts and post them about whatever topics are relevant to your group, that’s it.

That’s all you have to do before you start inviting people in.

The second key to this is, aside from having a group, you will need to be messaging people to invite them into your group through Facebook Messenger.

Before you start, you’re gonna want to create scripts, and then you really want to want to be scripted.

If you don’t have a script, you can’t test, you can’t see what’s working and what’s not working, plus, and this is critical.

You’re not gonna want to do this for yourself forever. I don’t do this myself, I have a Virtual Assistant who handles 95% of these tasks that I’m talking about on my behalf.

I answer questions that she doesn’t already have my answer, pre-recorded to, and I come in, and I do my own calls if somebody gets on my calendar, I speak to them obviously.

Most of the messages that are going out are from a script. It’s copy and paste, but the key is it has to feel super personal so you need to make sure that your scripts are yours.

You need to write them, they need to be in your words and they need to make sense that people are sending them to.

But if you’re looking for your ideal client and you know your ideal client and you’re talking to them all the time, then you are going to need to say the same thing to everybody because that’s the thing that works.

So, what you need to say is “Hi, I have a group, here’s who it’s for. Here’s what it’s about. Is it okay if I add you?”

Don’t you dare add someone without asking them first. It is so rude!

Ask somebody if you could invite them, and then they’ll either say “Yes thank you for asking” which is what people say to me all the time, or “No thanks I’m in too many groups”.

In which case you could say, “I totally get that, this one is super low key, but no hard feelings”, or whatever you say.

That’s what I say about mine, it’s super low key, and then you, assuming they come into the group, accept them into the group.

I like to ask three questions in order to join the group and one of them is, “What is the one question you need to have answered or what do you need from the group?”

Because then I know what they want and I can actually give it to them and answer those questions in the group. It’s free-market research people.

Second question, “Please introduce yourself, how do you like to be introduced in a group?”

My Virtual Assistant will copy and paste that into the group to introduce them, which we’ll get to in a minute.

The third question is, “If you would like tips and tricks, or information about strategy, put your email.”

It is not required that they add an email, but about a third of people do put it, even though it’s not required.

And then once they’re accepted now, you have to grab that information. Once you hit Accept it’s gone.

So you got to copy it and put it in a spreadsheet or use a CRM tool to get the information, accept them, then you message them in Messenger and say, “Thank you for being in the group. I really appreciate you being there, so awesome to have you.”

Then you go back to the group, and you take the snippet they gave you about how they like to be introduced and you introduce them.

But you don’t do it in one of those group posts where it’s like 50 people who just joined.

You take that snippet, and you put it on your welcome video, and then another post, and that makes your group look super active and busy, even if it’s not.

And the algorithms like this and then people come in and they like and comment and you welcome them, which is engagement.

So you don’t have to do fake engagement you create real engagement.

After your welcome video’s got about 50 comments on it, then you can start alternating between other posts.

So then you go back to messenger and you say, whatever it is that you say to people.

It’s a relationship, these are real humans so you have to say something to them that makes sense, like, “Hey, you know, I’ve seen what you’re doing. I’m really impressed with you and what can I help you with? What’s going on in your life that I can help you with?”

It depends on who you are and your industry is what you would say at that point, but it’s basically saying, “Hey I see you. I can help you. Can I help you?”

So then you’re keeping track of who joins and who doesn’t join.

How do we monetize our groups?

Okay so the next thing is after you say, “Hey, can I help you”, you send them an invitation to get on your phone or zoom with a calendar link, use a schedule.

You do not want to go back and forth with people about when they can talk to when they can’t talk.

You can use Acuity, you can use Calendly and use Book Like a Boss, just have a system and stick to it.

And then in your group, you know, post two or three times a week do video or write long-form, or what your audience likes.

I only do really a few lives because I like written posts, but I’ll do long written posts and I’ll ask questions and you can run your content however you run the content that is completely up to you.

But make sure that every comment within your group always gets a like and a comment back.

Don’t ignore anyone ever. Somebody said something you reply to that.

You send requests using your scripts, you welcome people, and you invite them to a call.

And it sounds ridiculously simple, and it sounds ridiculously easy. It kinda is.

I consistently get between three calls on my calendar on slow weeks to 6-10 calls a week on my calendar.

The call is a connection call and you do pivot a connection call from a sales call when it makes sense to do so but you ask upfront, at the beginning of the call, you set the rules, and let them know if there’s a way we can work together I’ll let you know at the end.

And if you don’t feel comfortable doing the sales call on the same connection call you can always schedule another one.

What is the conversion rate from those calls Laura?

Right now it’s about 30%, which just so that you know, if I get somebody like referred to me by a person my conversion rate is usually 70 to 90%.

The conversion rate is lower, but this is free, aside from I pay my virtual assistant.

But let’s say it costs me $350 a month for a virtual assistant and the programs that I’m selling are between $3,000-$5,000.

So I really, really don’t mind paying a virtual assistant to do this.

What is going on with you and your business right now?

So I’m Social Savvy Geek everywhere, and in that link you’ll see my website, my email list, and my Coaches Compass Inner Circle Facebook Group if you want to see how I run my group come on in.

Watch the full interview below!

Instagram is the ultimate social media platform in the competitive world with 1 billion users. It is the topmost online business platform for brands, marketers, and advertisers. 500 million people are active every day on Instagram. On this huge platform, more than 25 million brands are using Instagram business accounts. 

 

90% of people follow at least 1 business account on Instagram, and 83% of users have discovered new brands and services on the platform. Additionally, 70% of hashtags are branded on Instagram. About 60% of users visit the platform every day, and 21% check it weekly.

 

Instagram is a global platform that allows businesses to promote their brand, showcase products, and engage with their audience. It can help you to grow your brand awareness and introduce new products and services. Instagram is a great place for marketing and advertising your brand in a friendly way.

 

If you are a marketer trying to drive more sales and improve your business on Instagram, you can use these 15 tips to enhance your Instagram marketing strategy. 

Tip 1: Use an Instagram Business Account

Before starting to create your Instagram marketing, you need to sign up with an Instagram business account. If you already have a personal account, then switch your account to professional. Follow the below steps to switch your account.

 

Step 1: Go to your Instagram profile and hit the hamburger option at the top right corner of the screen. 

Step 2: Tap setting and then click Accounts.

Step 3: Hit Switch to a professional account.

Step 4: And last, click the business and follow the instructions.

 

After setting up your business account, users can access Instagram metrics like ads, shopping, and insights.

 

Tip 2: Focus on The First Page

When a user clicks your profile, they see your bio, profile picture, and posts; they also see your following. Create an effective bio that attracts your audience to follow your Instagram account.

 

When someone sees your profile, they don’t have any questions in their mind. Give a clear picture of who you are, what you can do for your audience. Set your company logo as your profile. Even you can add a link in your bio to drive traffic to your landing page. 

Tip 3: Increase Your Followers

One of the successful Instagram marketing strategies is to grow your followers. Without huge followers, you will struggle to increase your brand reach and generate more sales. Analyze your audience interest more than 90% of people follow business profiles on Instagram. 

 

Promote your Instagram profile on other social media platforms to gain new followers to your account. This is one of the great ways to increase your follower’s growth to build a strong Instagram community.

Tip 4: Post Content Regularly

If you want your brand to always be fresh in your audience, mind post consistently. Research says, top brands on Instagram post 1.5 times every day to get engagement. Posting regularly will increase brand awareness with your audience.

 

Also, maintain a calendar to post at the best time. Post content when your audience is most active. It is one of the effective strategies to improve your business. Sharing content at the same time boosts users to see your post at that time. The post above 7 am to 8 pm on the weekdays and 8 am to 9 pm on the weekends.

Tip 5: Create IGTV Videos

IGTV is an incredible channel to promote your brand and share tutorial videos that resonate with your audience and help you build strong relationships. Users can watch IGTV videos using an Instagram app or Standalone. It allows people to upload 10 minutes videos, and verified users can post 1-hour videos.

 

Create effective videos and share 1 minutes video previews in your feeds. It will boost your audience to keep watching on Instagram TV, and it helps you get ultimate video views for your IGTV channel. Share long-form vertical videos about your beans to improve your business. 

Tip 6: Go Live

Instagram stories are the best way to increase your brand reach to a wider audience. Live is an inbuilt feature in stories, and it has the potential to connect people in real-time. One of the easiest ways to improve your engagement on Instagram is to go live.

 

• Here are some points to go live effectively to improve your business:
• Collaborate with influencer go live together
• Host a Q&A
• Show behind the scene at your event
• Talk to your customer or client

These are the ways to go live to get more engagement on your profile. 

Tip 7: Partner With Influencer

Using social media influencers to promote your products, brand, and services is an effective way to improve your business. 94% of marketers say influencer marketing is very effective for their business. Influencers have a huge following, and their audience trusts them. 

 

82% of people like to follow accounts with the recommendation of influencers. Choose a micro-influencer for your brand because they have 1000 to 10,000 followers. These influencers have more interaction with their audience and higher engagement rates when compared to the macro-influencers.

 

Tip 8: Run Targeted Ads

Running targeted advertisements helps you to find new audiences who don’t follow your account. If you are running ads in your Facebook account, then, in the same way, users can run advertised on Instagram to reach their audience. 

 

Users can use some parameters such as gender, age, and location to select an audience. Also, you can go one-step feature to find your audience interest to run ads. Running Instagram ads is the greatest way to drive more sales to your website and increase business. 

Tip 9: Create Contest and Giveaways

Two effective ways to engage with your audience on social media platforms is to run contests and giveaways. Brands can give offers on some products. By doing this will drive traffic to your page and help users to engage with your brands. There are plenty of new ways to create giveaways to reach more audiences.

 

A contest that encourages UGC is most effective for your business. Ask your audience to share posts and tag your brand. This unique strategy will expose your company to reach. Running contests has the potential to attract new followers to your account.

Tip 10: Use Popular Hashtags

Hashtags are the best way to increase your brand visibility. Users can add 30 hashtags per post. But adding less than 10 hashtags will give you a higher engagement rate. Use hashtags that are related to your business to reach your target audience.Here are some types of effective hashtags to use for your brands.

• Industry hashtags
• Niche hashtags
• Branded hashtags
• Community hashtags
• Location hashtags
• Event hashtags

Using these hashtags in your post will help you to reach a massive audience to grow your business. 

 

Tip 11: Create Shoppable Post

If you are a marketer trying to drive more sales for your business, then take advantage of shoppable posts. Through this strategy, brands can directly sell products to their audience. Share a post and tag product name, price, and link to purchase.

 

Shopping posts will increase your conversion rate. Check the metric to see how many people like your products and create more and more posts related to them to increase your sales on the platform. 

Tip 12: Use Instagram Reels

Reels launched on August 5, 2020, in over 50 countries. Reels are very similar to TikTok. Many people are using reels to reach their TikTok followers on Instagram. Reels is a new feature since creating videos in reels can help you to reach more audiences to your profile.

 

Reels with a higher engagement can be placed on the explore page. Create funny and attractive reels to get more engagement for your reels videos. Use reels to share educational videos and behind the scene videos about your brand to improve your brand reach. 

Tip 13: Write Catchy captions

Instagram is all about the visual medium that includes captions too. Your brand voice is more important than your brand look. Captions can be 2,200 characters long, and use this space to share everything about your brand. Use attractive words in the first lines to encourage users to read more.

 

Use a hashtag in your caption to increase your brand voice. Also, brands can add links in their caption to drive more traffic to websites and generate more sales by using this platform. Inorganic posts, you can use 138 -150 characters, and Instagram ads to use 125 characters in your caption. 

 

Tip 14: Respond To Comments

Many people think while responding to the comments takes more time. But responding to your comments is one way to build relationships with your audience. Create a post and boost users to comment for your post.

 

If people ask any question about your brand, respond to them as soon as possible. It creates great value for other users who see your response on Instagram. 

Responding to the comments is a perfect way to increase your brand awareness. 

Tip 15: Track Your Instagram Metrics

Always have a good practice to check your metrics, no matter how good you are at Instagram marketing. The best way to improve your business is to learn from Instagram analytics. Through the metrics, you can see these insights:

• Followers growth rate
• Website traffic
• Engagement per followers
• Link clicks
• Instagram stories engagement
• Comments per post
• Post reach

Analyze the metric and create future content according to this to improve your business.

Conclusion:

There is no question that Instagram is a great place to promote your brand and increase sales. If you want to create a winning Instagram marketing strategy for your business, use these unique tips to get the ultimate result in 2021. 

 

Author Bio

Caterina Taylor is an experienced social media marketer and writer who works at PlanYourGram.com. She loves to work on content creation for social media blogs and has the potential to deliver engaging content on various platforms and networks.

 

Content is the name of the game.

Relationship building is a part of that, too.

That is why many of you have opened up Facebook Groups, to gain a new audience and get more clients.

But if you don’t know how to move a person through a client journey or even what to post besides those daily posts, then you’re in the right place.

I interviewed Suzanne within The 6-Figure Momma Facebook Group community where it’s geared to help entrepreneurs women who are raising children scale their businesses to 6-Figures while having a safe place to be themselves, as both mom and businesswoman.

She’s going to share with you how to create content that considers where your client is in their journey and how to maximize your Facebook group to turn members into paying clients!

If you would like the see the full recording of this interview, you can click here to watch it on YouTube. 

I want to introduce Suzanne Dayton is a Virtual Executive Assistant, and the owner of Level Up Company. She helps elevate business owners to the next level by becoming a true partner in business by strategically contributing to productivity at all levels, so her clients can make more money!

Her expertise is helping her clients take a strategic look at their client’s journey, then creating content to reach their goals and help them move forward with their marketing and messaging efforts.

So can you tell us about like the mom side of life?

I’m a mom to a three-year-old and a six-year-old which is exhausting, which is why I don’t have eye makeup on right now.

But that’s okay, right? I’m just showing up.

And so that is mom life, right?

My three-year-old will be four in June and so I feel like we’re inching closer to some sort of, “normal life”, if that even exists when you have kids.

Mom life and business life is fun and challenging all at the same time.

It’s really nice to be able to, as I’m sure the moms can relate here, like flex our schedules and make our schedules what we need them to be so that we can be present with our kids and our families.

But at the same time, we always have business on the brain so it’s really always a balance of making sure that I’m being a mom, but I’m also tending to my business and not letting one overcome the other. It’s constantly something I’m working on.

Who do you work with primarily?

I primarily work with female entrepreneurs but to niche even further, usually, coaches are kind of my market.

I do have clients that are not coaches but I really love working with Life Coaches, Career Coaches, Business Coaches.

I don’t know why but their message just resonates with me so well, and easily that the content creation and kind of taking that up a level just comes naturally and easy.

It’s weird because when I’m [writing] their content, I’m getting coached myself because I’m all into their brain and listening to every kind of podcast or blog they wrote or whatever video they have out there, so that’s a lot of fun.

I really love to just help coaches kind of accelerate and scale to that next level.

You help them with the marketing and content strategy is what I’m hearing?

Content strategy, content creation and execution, and then some administrative tasks too like onboarding/offboarding clients. But mainly it’s in that marketing realm.

Let’s talk about using content strategically. What are some common mistakes you are seeing entrepreneurs making?

You mentioned it when we started being in too many places.

A lot of times when I onboard a client we’ll have a strategy session, and we’ll talk about all of the places they are, and all of the places their traffic is actually coming from.

And we’ll look at them in two separate columns. We’ll first start with everywhere they are and usually, it’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Clubhouse now, and they’re trying to optimize every one of those areas right.

Then they’re also trying to do guest blogging and guest podcasts and then their own blog and all these other places.

We look at [how many] clients you have and the traffic that you’ve landed or the consult that you’ve landed, where have they actually come from?

A lot of times they come from one main stream, or maybe two which is usually like one of your their social media platforms, and then a Power Partnership, is what I call it, but it’s like a referral base basically.

So most of the time it’s the network and the relationships we build that bring us clients, and we build those relationships through our social media, or our guest podcasting or blogging or whatever that might be.

I just see the entrepreneurs that I work with, trying to be too many places, and then not really ever evaluating what’s actually working for them.

I see that you have taken some time to draw a nice diagram in the background. Let’s talk about that.

Yeah, so these are two examples I like to use and most people can relate to them.

Watch the video by clicking here to see Suzanne’s diagram.

The first [diagram] I wrote in blue is the client comes into your Facebook group, and then they go into a one on one call with you and then they go into maybe a group mastermind or group coaching program.

At each step in this client journey, that the client is experiencing something different, they need something different and the call to action for them should be something different.

When you are trying to get people into your Facebook group, it’s the first time they’ve ever heard about you, [perhaps] they saw you leave a comment, or they saw you Guest Live or something somewhere, your call to action is always going to be your free Facebook group.

That’s because that’s where you nurture them. And it’s not overwhelming and it’s not a huge obstacle.

They can just go in there and they can get what they need and see if the relationship that you’re trying to create with them is right for them as well.

A lot of times in our Facebook group, we’ll be talking about all of the offers that we have, and our clients aren’t really ready for our group program or group mastermind, they’re still trying to figure out how do they get to the next day.

In the group, you want to be getting a ton of value, like you do here in this group, and then you want to be offering just the consult in every post, you want to say, “Get on a call with me. Let’s just talk, so that we can figure out how to move you forward.”

Every client is different but usually after a couple of months of being in your group, and engaging back and forth, then they will look at that one on one console with you, and then they’ll go into your one on one program if that’s what you have on the coaching program.

[In the meanwhile], in all of your email marketing, you have to communicate with your one on ones, that’s where you want to be talking about your group mastermind.

[You want to say], “Okay, now here’s the next step in our journey together in your evolution and your growth as a business owner.”

Your people in your Facebook group might barely even be aware that you have a mastermind, and that’s okay because they’re not at that step in their journey yet.

And I think we got nervous that we’re not talking about our mastermind enough, and all these freebies we have, but really what we do is we confuse our audience when we do that. What we really want to do is be really, really clear on, “I can help you. This is how at this stage.”

How can people use their Facebook group strategically to move members into becoming paying clients?

What we do with a lot of my clients is, when we make sure that the posts that you’re posting are really value-based so they give your potential client something tangible to understand and even try in their business for free.

Giving a ton of value to your group is what is going to help attract people to you.

There’s a journal exercise that I like to do at each point in this client journey called a Before and After exercise. And I’m not going to claim it, I got it from my coach.

It’s so brilliant because what you do is you think about clients in your group, and then you journal about where they are before they worked with you in their group, and where they will be after they experienced the transformations and the value that you’re offering in their group.

Then you use that journal entry, that content, to create posts in your group that speak directly to that person and where they are and where they want to be.

You’ve been in their mindset, and you’re offering that in your group.

Once you do that, we also do a ton of videos so why is it like this, even if you have zero to one person shows up, it doesn’t matter because people rewatch that content, and then as your group grows, they’re going to go back and watch that content.

Just think about the value you’re putting out for your clients and the people that need you. We do a lot of videos, we offer free coaching.

I service a lot of coaches so free coaching in their Facebook groups is big, always having a backup topic to talk about in the case nobody shows up for free coaching, which if it happens, it’s totally fine.

There’s no problem with that, and giving people those tangible things to work on, and then offering free workshops once a quarter.

At the end of every single post, every single video, every single workshop, the call to action is to message them or to get on a call to talk and go to that next step.

A lot of the times, my clients will see their paying clients come out of those free coaching sessions, they’re really powerful, and they will see, because the person has now experienced a relationship with you, and they’ve felt some change, they’ve seen some change.

They know that to get to the next step, they can’t do it by themselves and they don’t have to. And so now they’ll kind of make that step into a paying client.

Where can we find you, and is there anything that is going on in your business that you will have to promote?

So you got you can find me at LevelUpCo.net, or email me [email protected].

And right now I don’t have any specific events or anything coming up, but I am looking to expand starting this summer so if you’re watching this now or at any time, definitely send me an email or note.

I put my podcast out every week, which is on my website, levelupco.net so you can listen there where I just like to give a ton of value and tips every week and do guests.

Like Monica was on the other week so definitely check it out and follow me there.

If you are ready to start scaling your business or you just need more time so that you can focus on actually serving your clients or getting more clients, then I would love to help you.

I can take social media off your plate, and help you not just do that but uplevel it so that you can start to scale and focus on where you need to be focusing.

Thank you so much for having me today.

I encourage you to watch the full interview where Suzane went into more depth into writing convertible and magnetic content for any of your platforms – from your free Facebook Group to Clubhouse.

If you haven’t yet, join The 6-Figure Momma Facebook Community where you’ll learn how to build your business with tangible and actionable marketing tips to 6-Figures without sacrificing your time or your family in the process.

This post contains affiliate links.

Have you ever wanted to take a selfie for marketing purposes for your social media only to cringe?

You see all these beautiful photos of other entrepreneur women who are using selfies to sell programs and courses, and you’re wondering what’s the secret and how can you take a picture like that?

I know many entrepreneurs who are moms and women that want to show up powerfully, and having a great photo of yourself can make or break the difference of you showing up and I don’t want that for you.

That is why I interviewed Mira Zika who is a professional photographer in New York City and she’s out to help professionals like yourself stand out, be seen, and show up.

I interviewed Mira within The 6-Figure Momma Facebook Group community where it’s geared to help entrepreneurs women who are raising children scale their businesses to 6-Figures while having a safe place to be themselves, in both mom and businesswoman.

If you would like the see the recording of this interview, you can click here to watch it on YouTube. This article will focus on highlights of what was said, but not the entirety of the interview.

1) Mira, take it away and tell us about yourself.

Thank you so much for having me. Hello to everybody, I’m newly introduced to Monica, and we just kind of got along immediately so very grateful to be here, and talking about the thing I love the most in the world: photography.

I am normally a globally traveling photographer, but in the last year, I’ve been parked here at home in New York City.

I am on a mission to help elevate and empower women in whatever it is that they need for their lives and businesses. As a result of COVID, I created classes for the first time and realized that I really enjoyed teaching photography!

I think there’s something really beautiful in the conversation among women to show up because showing up in front of a camera is really vulnerable. And that’s kind of what my whole jam is talking about as a woman, I understand how you feel, so I tried to make that process a lot more celebratory, and more of like having a little party.

Photoshoots [can be] kind of awkward. So I’m here to transform that experience for women, whether it’s with your own phone, taking a selfie in your house, or whether it’s on a professional photoshoot. 

2) Tell us how you got started with your photography journey.

When I was eight years old, there was this thing called the Polaroid camera, and my parents had one and I just picked it up one day, took a picture, and I fell in love.

I was like, “What just happened? This is magic!” If you’re familiar with the Polaroids of the 1980s, you would shake the photo for it to appear.

And I [remember thinking], “Oh my God, this is cool!” And then [it turned into a kind of] expression that I could have without having to talk.

I never stopped, I just kept taking pictures. I studied it in school I have a degree in commercial advertising photography, and I’m still as in love with it today as I was on that first day, when I just decided to pick up this camera.

3) Why do you believe that many women entrepreneurs don’t share their content or market it as much as they want to? 

I think it’s going back to that kind of vulnerability of visibility, like putting yourself out there in any capacity is terrifying, really.

Even if you love [what you’re doing] and you know that you’re here to do something amazing! You feel cute one day and you just want to share what you’re doing, [but] the kind of the voices begin to come in really quick like, “You don’t look the way you did in your last photo!” or you’re feeling kind of COVID-y, or you just had a baby and you’re not feeling like yourself.

All those kinds of voices come in and it prevents a lot of people from showing up. It’s really perspective and perception is a really intense thing.

If we’re not really feeling totally grounded and really happy about where we are right now and even if you are, it’s still vulnerable.

4) How do you think people can use selfies to promote their marketing?

I think it’s really important to have the real candid photos that you take of yourself. I always share with my clients that you should have a mix.

You should have professional photos and you should have photos that you take yourself because it makes you relatable and people love that!

Instagram exists for this reason people love to see photos of you, of what you’re doing, have your new hair, of your new manicure. People go crazy when you post a new photo.

Because photos have energy and they tell a story and that’s why we love them so much. We don’t have to read a 700 page novel, and I’m somebody who loves the written word.

I‘m also a writer, but there’s something about photography that just takes you there faster. It’s a faster shortcut way to communicate, way to relate, a way to connect.

And that’s what we really are doing no matter what your business is. That’s what we want, we want to kind of move people. We want them to connect with us. And the way you can do that is by being intimate. Be more relatable with them.

5) What have you found are the best types of photos that people respond to most?

So here’s kind of a secret that there’s some research that has shown. The top three photos that stop a scroll is babies, animals and skylines.

Now, I don’t have the exact science behind this, but I’ve seen a lot of research about it. And I know for myself, I do stop on all three of those, like I don’t have children, but I’m like, “Oh, look at my friend’s baby”, “look at their dog”,  “look at their two dogs at doggy daycare!”

If you’ve got any of those things available to you, use them and track it to see if it really does land from your audience. 

6) What are some tips that you can give us to help us to show up more confidently?

My number one secret with every single person who’s ever ever in front of my lens is they have to make a playlist, they make a Spotify playlist.

And I require this homework because music has a frequency that changes us, it gets us into a more calm state, a healing state.

And that for me the celebratory state, I can’t possibly listen to a certain song and not move a little bit. So it helps the nerves and helps you forget about being so serious and so focused.

And I think that’s kind of one of the keys is to have some fun with it, you know if you are not feeling the music, I asked people to watch a video that cracks them up, right before and take a selfie and look at it.

Do one before and do when after. And the difference is just outrageous, you can just tell that someone is genuinely smiling or laughing.

The vibe, how you feel, comes across.

If you’re feeling terrible and you’re faking a smile, we can tell, and you don’t really have to do that. You can try to get yourself into a mood that’s a little bit more lighthearted.

I think what we could stand to welcome in is a little bit more light heartedness in business because it’s so much to think about, especially if you’re a one woman show.

If you can just take a moment to make it more fun or make it more silly or have a dance party and then snap that selfie, I guarantee that people are going to love it, they’re going to connect with it and they’re going to gravitate to you, naturally, because you’re being human and relatable.

7) Any tips on how we can better handle the camera? 

The best way to get away from the double chin is to make sure that you’re at eye level. Put your camera at your eye level or set up your timer and walk a little bit of a distance from it.

What you can also do is just tilt your head down, tilt your chin down at eye level. What that also does is it makes you human and relatable, it makes it intimate.

You’re not too close, you’re not at a strange angle that’s not normal. And you’re not too far away. 

8) Is there anything that you suggest we could add if we wanted to use a prop?

I would say for a prop, use your favorite thing. So this is what I call the tools of life.

If you have a journal, a pen, a coffee mug, a tea cup that you use everyday that’s actually part of your brand. Use it!

The more human and real you can be like capturing yourself in something you’re actually doing the easier it’s going to be. It’s going to read better, and it’s going to be more relatable.

Get more insights on taking better selfies for your marketing by watching the interview by clicking here!

9) What do you think about makeup with pictures?

I think makeup is your choice. If you want to wear makeup you wear it and you rock it if you don’t absolutely don’t wear it.

That’s really important to me because there’s no like template for how you’re supposed to show up.

10) So when it comes to our marketing copy, what kinds of selfie works best?

I think it really matters which photo you’re putting with which offer. So it depends on what it is that you’re trying to get across, and also potentially what the price point is.

If you’re selling something for $10,000, at that level of investment is going to require some trust. And so that’s where I would put in a professional photo.

There’s also the thought process of what it is that you’re trying to do, if you’re in the business of transformation of some sort.

What you want to do is help people feel through your photo, and how you can do that is to ask, “How do I want them to feel?”

Not necessarily how do you feel, but what are they going to get as a result of working with you? Are they going to get more freedom, more time, more joy, more pleasure?

Then you can put something in there that suggests something like that. If you want more pleasure, then you want a photo of enjoyment and pleasure and smiling and authenticity, like there’s a theme here, because those are the things that sell.

And it is shown and proven that candid photos will sell faster than a posed ones.

I asked Mira what was the common mistake people make when taking selfies and you won’t believe what she said below in the live interview!

11) Mira, tell us where we can find you.

Feel free to reach out to me through my website, Mirazaki.com

And I also have a Secret to Selfies workshop that goes way into depth of what we’ve talked about today and takes it a step further. It’s lifetime access, and it’s just $99.

You’re next!

Check out Mira’s video interview where she shares lightning tips, tips if you wear glasses, and so much more! I couldn’t put it all in the article since it was over 4,000 words long!

Take time out to follow Mira on social media and take her Secrets to Selfies Workshop to up your skills and land more clients!

I would also encourage you to join The 6-Figure Momma Facebook Community as it’s the place for entrepreneur moms who want to earn a 6-Figure income while having fun, being supported, and show up authentically!

There are weekly marketing and messaging training as well as guest interviews to help you pick up your 6-Figure game!

Online businesses are booming, with an estimated 1.92 billion people worldwide transacting online in 2019, either buying a product or paying for a service. And that number is predicted to rise in the coming years, in part due to rapid increases in internet access and adoption around the world. The anticipated increase in online transactions is also due to the amount of unprecedented use of mobile devices globally, like smartphones and tablets.

This robust outlook is all the more reason why business owners should look forward to and, more importantly, plan ahead for a future full of exciting opportunities. And online business owners can start in 2021 by spotting the key trends that are set to shape e-commerce next year, which will, hopefully, be pandemic-free. Here are three of them:

Branding and messaging will be more vital than ever

Years ago, branding meant having a unique, easy-to-recall name and a distinct logo. But branding has since evolved and is now about winning over and maintaining credibility, connecting emotionally with prospective clients, motivating them to buy from you, and establishing loyalty. All of these can be achieved by delivering a clear message that resonates with customers.

Dustin York, director of Maryville University’s online communications programs, gives a perfect example of the power of branding. In an article on The Seattle Times, he talks about the successful branding strategy of the Seattle Kraken, an NHL expansion team that saw their season-ticket waitlist increase from 13,300 to 51,700 in the days after announcing the Kraken moniker.

York explains that the team did two things particularly well: First, they chose a name that resonates culturally with Seattle’s locals. Second, they gave out positive messaging in all available marketing channels, from public relations to local news and social media. This constant positivity was met enthusiastically by fans, as evidenced by rising interest in the team and their merchandise. This success story illustrates the increasing importance of branding and messaging, which will continue to be vital next year and beyond.

Cybersecurity will continue to be a concern

Online business will always be a potential target for cyber attacks, like the infamous eBay data breach of 2014 when hackers stole 145 million passwords or the recent Amazon data leak. These attacks can damage an online business’s credibility and undo whatever loyalty and goodwill it has already built. Cybercrime, in particular, can be extremely detrimental to smaller online businesses, which may not have the same cache as, say, eBay or Amazon to weather the fallout of a cyber attack.

Therefore, it’s imperative that online business owners invest in cybersecurity to minimize the risks of being victimized by cybercrime. At the very least, an online business needs multi-layered firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and multifactor authentication. And if possible, online business owners should consider hiring dedicated IT staff to oversee cybersecurity. These layers of protection will grow to be even more important year-on-year, especially considering how rapidly digital transformation is happening across industries.

In fact, Tech Republic notes how cybersecurity experts are among the most in-demand tech specialists in the age of cloud architecture and digital transformation. While this rapid onset of emerging technologies has resulted in a massive shortage in cybersecurity talent, today’s virtual IT training grounds are thankfully well poised to respond to the resulting demand. Fortunately, many courses can now be taken remotely at prestigious higher education institutions with the same depth as a traditional course. At Maryville University’s online cybersecurity degree program, students undergo intensive training in cloud security, digital forensics, malware analysis, and even ethical hacking. Trained under Maryville’s Virtual Lab, which has been distinguished by Apple for mobile and eLearning innovation, these future IT experts are able to complete these training courses on virtually any mobile device. Not only are they ready to aid organizations in securely navigating digital transformation, they’re also ready to adapt to remote working settings. Thanks to these and other online IT security training programs, business owners can at least expect to be able to hire competent and well-rounded cybersecurity professionals in the coming decade.

The coronavirus will still shape online content

Speaking of messaging, expect it to still reflect the so-called 4Cs of coronavirus content: community, cleanliness, compassion, and contactless. Arie Kruglanski, professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, explains why it is relevant, noting how the pandemic has fundamentally changed people’s values, needs, and sense of security.

So, where people valued the individualistic values of prestige, popularity, and power pre-pandemic, they are likely to emphasize the more communal values of cooperation, consideration, and caring. And where there used to be a manic fascination with fame and wealth prior to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be “more admiration for simple acts of kindness” post-coronavirus. Consequently, online business owners will have to reframe their messages and factor in these changing sensibilities (like Coca-Cola’s constant reminders to stay at home, or IKEA’s #I’mStayingHome movement).

But while the messages need recalibrating, the creative process as outlined in ‘Attracting Clients with Your Marketing Message in Three Steps’ remains applicable. That means online business owners must think of a clear message first, taking into account the target audience of the business. Once these messages are created, they can then be disseminated through the business’ various media and channels.

A lot goes into being a business owner, online or otherwise. And as this article shows, it is crucial to stay on top of trends shaping the industry and market. In doing so, online business owners will be able to craft the right marketing strategies and plan how they aim to move their business forward.

Article specially written for monicawrites.com

By Jennifer Violet

Jennifer is a freelancer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. She is passionate about bringing emerging trends in the industry closer to leaders and business owners who need to learn about them.

Do you want to connect and convert with your audience?

Do you want to draw in more clients, have more attention, and build relationships with your audience in an authentic way?

If you’re struggling with how to do this then I want to introduce you to the concept of the Hero’s Journey.

What’s the Hero’s Journey? Aytekin Tank from Jotform explains it well here:

“The term comes from U.S. mythologist Joseph Campbell, who published The Hero with a Thousand Faces in 1949. In this now-iconic book, Campbell suggests that every human narrative is a variation of one story that crosses time, culture, geography, age and gender.”

Basically, the Hero’s Journey is a simple system to tell your story to communicate that you understand your audience, you feel them, and you know what it’s going to take to help them get to where you’re at now.

The best part is that you are the hero in your story.

You may not think you have a “hero’s journey”, but “like the hero of a great movie, entrepreneurs also undertake a journey of heroic actions.”

You don’t need to slay dragons to use the hero’s journey method, but rather use it to create connection and authenticity that you want to with your audience to let them know you understand the journey and you want to help them succeed in their own.

Here are the six simple steps to creating and writing a fantastic hero journey from your life so your audience can see themselves and connect with you in an authentic way.

Step 1: Catchy First Sentence

The very first sentence you should be written in all caps to draw the eye into your story.

Why is it all caps?

Because it draws in the attention to the eyeballs. When a sentence is catchy and in all caps, many will click on posts to “see more”.

You have to use a juicy headline to choose the headline, like creating curiosity, using hot topics, asking bold questions, being bold and ballsy, how-to, and use lists.

This headline needs to capture and hold the attention of your reader so they’ll begin to take the journey with you.

Step 2: Where You’ve Been

The second step is where you’ve been and what was life before now. I am going to be using the example of when I used this outline inside a post about my recent weight loss journey.

Inside this post, I talked about how I did not gain weight when I was breastfeeding my son. After I stopped, the pounds crept in.

There was a time I did nothing about it and I felt like it just really wasn’t working for me. I had low energy, I didn’t feel sexy for my husband, and I did not like my body.

Remember, this is the part of the story that you want your audience to feel the pain you were in because they may be in that pain right now.

Get emotional and remember how you were in that space. That is going to be your main communicator in this step.

Step 3: The Breaking Point

The breaking point is the point in which you broke and you knew if you wanted to see change, you had to do something about it.

Using the example of my weight loss journey, the breaking point for me was when I got tired of seeing my stomach and how it made me feel.

Every breaking point has a cost to it. My cost was it was costing me my confidence, love for myself, and even self-esteem.

It could come in a realization like it was costing you love, connection, money, opportunities, peace of mind. It could even be mentally, physically, and spiritually even.

The cost is where your audience knows they are headed. They know that they are living life like you were right now and they are feeling it in their gut that they are suffering the cost right now.

Step 4: The Shift

The Shift needs to be an action you took to get out of your breaking point and stop allowing the cost to add up.

You had that breaking point and then you did something. What were the actions of the shift?

For example, my shift was when I got on a call with a friend who told me about a system that would allow me to take supplements and she encouraged me to shift my diet.

My action was immediately taking her advice, purchasing the supplements, and begin to shift what I ate.

The shift is going to reflect what action you want your audience to take. If you offer coaching packages, then your shift could be that you asked for help, you hired a coach, you got on a call, or you reached out to someone.

You want to plant the seed that they need someone to help them make the shift they need to get to where you’re at now.

Step 5: Where You’re At Now

The next step is where you are now, what is different, or how is it affecting your life.

Going back to my example, I’m on the other side of losing weight and I look great and my clothes are looser, my self-esteem is back, I am confident, and it feels so good!

One way to think about it is your “now” is going to be what your ideal audience wants, but they are not getting.

Speak to that. Speak to the fact that you’re making more money easier, you have more clients, you had the biggest month ever, you have more peace of mind, you’re not stressing out, you trust yourself, or whatever it is that your audience wants to hear.

You want to think about the results and it should be what your clients want as well.

Step 6: Call to Action

The call to action can be, “Are you tired of living life this way? Are you tired of believing this lie? Are you ready to shift? Are you ready to get your mojo back? Are you ready to communicate and convert your audience into paying clients?”

You want to have a call to action at the very end to lead people to engage with you.

From hopping on a call with you to leaving a comment, you want them to begin thinking about how you can help them achieve what they want in life.

Your Hero Journey

These are the six simple steps for the hero’s journey that’s going to help you connect with your clients in an authentic way.

If you want to write your hero’s journeys for your audience, but you’re still getting stuck, you’re still not sure or you’re confused about what to write, then you can download the free worksheet that will help you write out your hero’s journey with ease.

The worksheet + video will help you create ideas for your own hero’s journey so you can bring in more clients and more money now!

If you want one on one help, then let’s chat to allow more ideas on how to write your hero’s journey to connect authentically with your audience (and I may even give you a tip or two on how to converts like and loves into paying clients after you posted it)!