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Real talk. I haven’t laughed this hard or wanted to steal so many one liners on the podcast before. I really shouldn’t be surprised because my guest is SamParr, CEO & Founder of TheHustle.co. Sam is just about as quirky, funny, and strangely poignant as his site and newsletter.
So the real goal is: Portuguese Fluent (B2 level proficiency) in three months. If you think I'm crazy, you might be right. But I also am impatient and have used this same strategy with Spanish and shared it with dozens of others who have used it to gain fluency without the pain of highschool Spanish re-runs.
I have a belief that if you follow your adventure while traveling, you’ll find yourself and perhaps, make money while you do it. That's why I partnered with PrAna to dig deeper into consciously consuming around this beautiful world of ours (see me sporting all their lovely threads!). You see, I’m an Adventure Capitalist at heart. What is that? It’s that roaming soul who follows their adventure to create an opportunity for themselves and others. It’s the explorer who looks at the world around them and is brimming with questions. It’s the human that when they see opportunity, they seize it. I first discovered it with Jim Rogers book of the same name.
Just a short few years ago Nathan Chan (@foundr) was a young 20 something fixing computers in the IT department in corporate cubicle land. Then something happened that made him say never again. A moment, and a collection of moments compounded, changed everything. Now Nathan is the CEO and Founder of the aptly named Foundr online magazine, he’s amassed millions of listeners and followers, built a business with revenues above 7 figures and as you can imagine, probably now has a dude to fix his computers.
“A moment, and a collection of moments compounded, changed everything. ”
So what’s Foundr and what’s the big deal about that? Well, as we were recording this podcast Nathan had just returned from interviewing Tony Robbins in NY. That’s kind of a like a typical Tuesday for Nathan. He’s a humble sort of bloke, so I’m sure he’s reading this and eye rolling at my pontification, however you guys tell me what you think. His first interview was with Sir Richard Branson and the cover of his magazines has been graced by names like Arianna Huffington, Gary Vaynerchuck, Marie Forleo, Daymond John, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss just to name a few. So let’s just say he plays with some big fish.
Cool for Nathan, but how is that useful for you? On this podcast Nathan gave me the green light to ask him some questions he’d never been asked before. We dig into the moments he, just like all of us, was told NO. That he wasn’t enough, that he couldn’t, that it wasn’t impossible but for him it was. We talk about how he overcame those moments. He gives us his recipe for how to get in front of big names and absolutely what NOT to do when reaching out to just about anyone. Some of my favorite moments are at the very end where we get into where he would escape if convicted of a hideous crime, and his biggest mistakes.
I hope you have a nice adult beverage, snuggled up somewhere and ready to listen to our conversation ripe with questions not appropriate for the dinner table.
Cheers My Animals,
To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.
Whether you are in college, high-school, in corporate America or a freelance consultant, these days you can create your own website for less than $20 and in less than 24 hours.
Written by Codie Sanchez Baker Topics: The Struggle Isn't Real
First with a mental reframe... negotiating like a girl isn't solely about what you can do for yourself. It isn't a selfish act. It isn't just for the hard core aggressive types in this world. It is a necessity to get ahead and to grow as a professional. And if you are the giving type, I’ll simply say, when one rises we all rise. Focus on you and those you lead or influence. Help those around you increase their skills, ask your partner for help and use these below strategies to negotiate not only your pay but importantly your next promotion, your next business deal or even your next convo with the family.
Know this, if you don't ask for it, you probably will not receive it. And, hey - worst case, they say No. We eat No's for breakfast.
“Focus on you and those you lead or influence”
As an entrepreneur, business builder, corporate ladder climber I’ve had to get comfortable asking for what I want, otherwise it’s rarely given. The tough part is as women typically, we not only are uncomfortable asking for what we want, but we also must be cautious in how we ask. If I had a dime for every time I have been called aggressive, crazy, intense, or worse (but we’ll leave those out), I would have a heck of a lot of dimes. So every so often I think about my personal motto:
You will hands down never get what you don’t ask for. This is especially true for women and minorities. There is much research that proves that we don’t negotiate enough.
When you remove the fear from your ask, you are more thoughtful, you consider how to make it a win-win, and you are less emotional. All critical if you are going to be bellying up to the proverbial bar.
So the question becomes the how...
If we just look at salaries, it’s imperative. Linda Babcock did a study for her book Women Don’t Ask, she found that about 7% of women attempted to negotiate, while 57% of men did. That could help explain part of the wage gap. Now you might say ok so we don’t negotiate as much on average but what are the effects of that? Let’s talk numbers:
Example: Imagine two people were offered a $100,000 salary, and one negotiated an extra $7,000 and one didn’t. What is the cost for the one that got $100,000 vs the one who got $107,000? Many would say $7,000. Codie, I’m not an idiot. But that is wrong. Due to compounding, if nothing else changed and both the person who negotiated higher, and the one who didn’t, got the same raises and promotions throughout their career, something astounding happens. Thirty-five years later – the person who didn’t negotiate would have to work 8 years more to have as much at retirement as the one that did negotiate that initial $7,000.
Now, the question is: $7,000 may not be worth the risk, but how about eight years of your life?
The average wage growth in the US over the last 5 years is around – 2-2.5%. That won’t even cover your rent increase. If you don’t ask for more you almost certainly won’t achieve the financial success you want.
(Aka ask for what you want... and get it).
- Nothing beats practice. Start small, negotiate with friends and family first. Then negotiate with a client, then go toe-to-toe with the boss. But with love and numbers backing you. Always.
- Come with options not outcomes. Instead of saying I want X amount, consider flex work, more vacation, an assistant, a virtual assistant – get creative with your asks and make sure you earned it, and there is a mutual benefit.
- Never come and just say, “I want more money.” This rubs me the wrong way when done to me. I immediately calculate the percentage change they are asking for and say, “What are you doing to earn 35% more money?” Rarely do they have an answer and they didn’t even realize they were asking for such a big % increase. Thus, back it up with facts and numbers. Say, “I did x and y and z and my plan for the coming 6-12 months is to accomplish this and that. Given that, I think the work I am doing is worth more than I am currently making. Thus, I wanted to talk to you about a pay raise?” Then shut up. They may be telling you you’re about to get one higher than your ask.
- I don’t care that you can’t afford X, or feel like you want to make Y. Make it about what you have earned, not what you want. Be proud of never accepting a cent you didn’t earn.
- What are their goals and how can you align? Everyone wants more money and if you’ve ever been asked for a raise by an employee you’d know that there is only so much money to go around. How can you put yourself on the other side of the table?
1. The art of war is an uncomfortable classic – it shows you the non-politically correct ways of power but knowledge is power so it is worth reading. Even if you don’t want to use these strategies (I mean they list Genghis Khan so you can imagine the strategies he used – yikes!), you will recognize when they are being used on you. Aka, you won’t get murdered in a negotiation.
- I can’t emphasis this enough, making your “opponent” like you and want to give you what you want, is worth its weight in gold. That means smile, cajole, apply to their better instincts, state the benefits to them. My go to line is this… “You can’t blame a girl for asking can ya? What kind of employee/sales person/business person would I be if I ask for the business?” BIG HUGE ENDEARING SMILE following.
Henry Kissinger the ultimate negotiator said, “Effectiveness at the conference table depends upon overstating one’s demands.” First because the universe just may give it to you, and then because there will be flexibility on the downside.
For example, if you are negotiating a salary or package with a new gig and the person asks you for what you make currently, you don’t need to answer. You can say, “'Well I'm flexible depending on how you structure compensation for the growth potential and the right company fit long term. Would you be willing to share the rough salary range you have in mind for this position?”
If they push again and ask what you make you can say, “Charles this is really not something I give out broadly… kinda like a woman never tells her age (wink wink smile), why don’t you tell me what your range is and I’ll let you know if that fits my range.”
- The main point is don’t just shout out the $ amount you could be too low or too high. Prep for this question and know what this position is roughly worth.
- Remember the one who wants it less almost always wins. So even if you want this new job/client/raise so badly you would sell out your mother, you need to pretend you don’t.
- Let me give you an example, say you have a job offer you’re dying to take, you hate your current job and are about to quite anyways and make $0. Here honesty is not the best policy. Reframe your mindset, they must negotiate to get the best deal for their company and you must negotiate the best for you, so for now, no transparency.
- You can say, “I’m really happy in my current role and growing immensely. I’m always open to the right opportunity at the right company but I’m not actively looking.” Why? Remember playing hard to get with a dude? It’s the same thing, it increases your perceived value, and makes them want you more.
Want some tips to be unforgettable?, click here
After I ask for what I want, I watch the others reaction. If they give in easily, I say nothing but thank you and remember that next time I better go higher. If they flinch, look uncomfortable or get angry I wait for them to speak and then I say with a big huge smile my favorite line again, “Can’t blame a girl for asking can ya? Seems we never get what we don’t ask for?” SMILE.
Have you heard the word influencer more and more? Have you heard about the growing demographics in the Latino space? Do you keep hearing about the power of bloggers both for brands to leverage and for people to get $$ to post on social media about whatever tickles their little fancy? Well if any of that interests you, amigo you are in luck. This episode with CEO & Founder of WeAllGrow Latina Network, Ana Flores is all about how influencer marketing works, how she built a company around it, and what is shaking in the world of Latina’s and Latino entrepreneurs.
You see Ana knows a thing or two about how to get Insta-famous or how to make your product go viral. WeAllGrow was the first and is still the largest network of Latina influencers in the US. She was a content creator before she ran WAG, authoring the book Bilingual is Better, launching award-winning SpanglishBaby.com website, and working as a producer for major Spanish language networks. When she isn’t at the White House speaking, she’s running summits, or helping companies understand this unique market. Aka - she's a change maker and fabulous.
Some people speak, some listen and the few ACT. That is Ana.
If you want to hear about work life balance, creating a tribe, influencer marketing and understanding the Latino market, you are in luck my friends.
To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.
(You are going to like her, and her stories even more).
There are four people’s Instagram I actively follow and check, four. Mary’s is one of them. I don’t think I’ve told her that before (our little secret). Most have heard of Mary as @PaleoChef on Instagram, twitter and the web. Or you may know her as a private chef to more celebrities and athletes than I can list without being a shameless name dropper… but let’s just say if they write books, have the biggest platforms in the world, play sports, have millions of followers, are frequently on a big screen near you, she probably has cooked or coached them on Paleo. Oh and she has a Youtube Show on Mixed Makeup. NBD.
You might also know her because she’s a fudge packer. Say what? She came up with one of my favorite brands as a healthy traveler, PhatFudge, which is all organic, paleo goodness on the go. While I follow her for those reasons, my favorite part about Mary is her completely contrarian approach to business.
“While everyone is out talking about life hacking and leveraging everything from technology to personal networks, Mary mostly turns left when others go right.”
You see she has never taken a dollar of funding for her now crazily growing company. In fact, she didn’t have a credit card a month ago. Straight cash baby. While everyone is out talking about life hacking and leveraging everything from technology to personal networks, Mary mostly turns left when others go right. On this podcast, she opens up about where creativity stems from for her, how she handles moments of doubt, her transition from corporate to entrepreneur, what Paleo means to her, and everything in between.
I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I reveled in recording it with her. Stay tuned I guarantee you'll be hearing big thangs from this lady.
***Bonus - Scroll below to see my favorite posts from Mary on Instagram. They are all time.
And a bonus picture.. Because we are really really ridiculous looking and I thought you guys would like to end that way.
That's all.
Cheers my animals,
Codie
To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? — Listen to my broadcast on Girl Power Hour Radio. Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.
Written by Codie Sanchez Baker
Have you ever sat across from someone and just instantly known you wanted to dive deeper into the conversation. The other person literally had you hanging on every word. That was my experience the first time I met Tim Dyer and actually his brother, business partner, and twin Dave Dyer as well. Tim is the Chief Storyteller and Co-Founder of Manifesto Agency. Tim is my favorite kind of human, a status quo disrupter. He’s built his life around the power of the word, to not only sway someone, but to sway someone towards real purpose and meaning. On this podcast, you’ll see why Manifesto is on the Inc 500’s fastest growing business list, and how these two guys who started their business with no money, no clients and in a coffee shop, created the #7 fastest growing ad company in the game. If you are searching for how to define your brand, business, or self, how to tell a story and get heard, or how to build something that matters, this is the podcast for you.
I want to start this off a little differently…
I want to read you the Manifesto (what I would call the Why) that is the foundation of Tim & Dave’s company. Given the company is duly named Manifesto, it makes perfect sense…
Get ready to get goosebumps…
“We are the fearless ones. The why-nots in a world of cannots. We believe in lightning strikes.”
We are the fearless ones. The why-nots in a world of cannots. We believe in lightning strikes.
A belief that puts insights and stories above artifice and vanity. We believe in the tin man’s heart.
Soulless brands are only meaningful when given a fleshy, beating heart.
We believe in tilting at windmills.
Sometimes the best causes are those only the dreamers, the dare-ers and the blind can see.
We believe in care over commerce. That when you give a d**mn, you’ll inspire others to do the same.
We believe in the life lived deliberately. “Most men go to their graves with their song still in them.”
We will make our finite lives and work count, each informing the other—and both be better for it. We believe in the immutable power of story and those who propel it.
We believe brands were meant to stand for more.
“We believe in the life lived deliberately. “Most men go to their graves with their song still in them.””
On drafting off the cultural conversation. “It’s a little like walking into the middle of a street fight and putting on a pantomime show. I’d like to see that.”
"Just as much Substance as Sizzle." (Talking about Summit Conference we met at).
"We look at the triangulation of ideas. Imagine a Ven Diagram. We look for where all the parts intersect."
"Say it square and then say it with flair."
"Find people who speak truth into your life."
"Be unapologetically unafraid in taking the life pivots that speak to you."
“Your Onlyness – The one thing that you want to be known for, that unique something that only you bring.”
If you own a company, are coming up with your own personal why, or want to align your team around one, this process is so deliciously applicable.
Did you start in a garage? Handed down from a family member? Created in an college dorm room?)
What do you hope to stand for and stand out in, in this world?
What are your unique qualities that you bring to the table? Your onlyness.
“There is only one thing worse in the world than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Tim as much as I did. I have a sneaking suspicion you will.
Love You Animals,
Codie
To stream and subscribe on iTunes, click on the icon above, or click here. Want to hear another podcast about how to find your why and passion? But hen making it profitable, --> Here I talk about 5 steps to finding what you want and then executing.
Sometimes, the things that are a part of you are what make you unforgettable. Just so we are clear. I'm a Spaniard. We like four letter words (or in this case 5 letter words). Fun fact, in Spain you'll note tv commercials for mothers cough syrup where the women says essentially F*ck I have a cold, then turns to her kids and the screen and smiles as she takes Dayquil. Swear. I cuss because one I like it, two I think there is power when used unexpectedly to shake people out of the norm, and three, because it keeps me from trying to please everyone and fit in a box. It makes me be unapologetic and show up fully. Do I use them in investment meetings or with clients? Nah. But in just about every other occasion, absolutely.
If there is one thing I'm proud of, it's that what you see is largely what you get. I try to never lie, never hide, never fake it, because it's just easier to remember being straight up. But MAN that's taken me a while. Because if you are reading this there is a battle waging between what you want to do, should do, could do and actually do. And who you want to be, should be, could be and actually are. The goal of this week's Monday Slay, is making you step into uncomfortability so you can GROW. Why? Why not just conform?
Because then you are forgettable. You will never be remembered, you will never achieve great things.
“If you don’t piss some people off you will not even be an asterisk in the lowliest of history books. Does that sound like the kind of life you want? ”
1) Social pressure - Answer this question: What is something you believe deeply, truly, wholeheartedly that most people would disagree with you on? Now post that on your Instagram. More controversial the better. (Here's mine --> Click here).
2) Reach out - Send a DM, tweet, email and otherwise try to stalk down one person you secretly respect for their giving zero F's attitude. Ask them one question... When they get inundated by negativity, backlash or haters how do they find the strength to continue regardless of the pushback?
3) Follow someone who does things that make even you uncomfortable --> Ashley Longshore, Gary Vee...
4) Say No - A big thing. This week. Say No to going to see your in-laws because you don't want to, to an assignment you think doesn't make sense, to a guy who wants to talk to you, to your mother who wants to talk to you. Before you answer, pause and ask yourself do I WANT to do this, if not. Say No. Don't say why. Just say No. Powerful.
5) MAJOR KEY 'People hate you for one of three reasons. They hate themselves, they want to be you, or they see you as a threat.'
“People hate you for one of three reasons. They hate themselves, they want to be you, or they see you as a threat.”
Internalize that. So if you are liked all the time, what does that say?
**This is a special edition post of my Monday Slay newsletter where each week I send 5 tips to help you slay the week, the month and well - life. If you want to get it weekly click here!
THIS WEEK I GAVE YOU MY EXACT guide for HOW TO SLAY INSTAGRAM. #Yourewelcome ---> https://www.codiesanchez.com/blog/instagram-marketing-plan
Or maybe you just want more sales on the IG, or maybe you're just really into posting quotes and you think the world NEEDs to see your latest cat video. No shame on your game. I'm a quantitative minded human, no doubt. So when I listen to most Instagram marketing explanations of how people grew their following and there isn't a recipe. I am TICKED. I know you just kind of "fell" into your 300,000 followers but that is not that helpful or repeatable. So I compiled all the tactics I've used, that I borrowed from some of the top Instagram accounts, accelerators, app companies like SumoMe, and then just experimented with myself. My gift to all of you.
So what exactly is this? This is a quant-based marketing plan that was responsible for taking CSB’s Instagram following of under 1000 to 15000 in less than 4 months without a team and with a spend of less than $200. If spend was higher we could 10x this. Also - I get lazy, forget to upload pictures, actually feel SM is a bit of a time suck and otherwise was a stubborn mule in the implementation of this. So if you are slightly less stubborn than a four legged cousin or a horse you will probably crush these numbers! Just saying.
Let’s put it this way: It is one of the few ways you can create distribution for almost zero dollars spent. Then as you add more followers that mean more feeds my posts end up in, thus the more eyes on my website, content, and products. It's called leverage. If you use it for your personal brand, your business, h*ll your dog, you'll at least get "free" stuff out of it. Or Fido will. However, WARNING: it is actually time consuming and hard, so don't expect a two week turnaround. People hate on bloggers all the time, I've had my moments too, but let me tell you I work with a lot of them and it is insane the amount of behind the scenes grind. So gird your loins.
Twenty eight percent of internet users use Instagram. There are 400,000,000 Instagram monthly users and they are one of the most engaged audiences in social media.
We all know that visual content works, because it collects 40x more social shares than any other form of content.
Given that over a quarter of the internet using Instagram, it is totally possible that my audiences are spending time on this social platform.
There are 55% of 18-29 year olds actively use Instagram, only 11% of the 50-64 age group use it. And the 65+ group is only 4%.
This means that if my target audience is under the age of 50, then I reach a large portion of them through Instagram. If they are over 50? I then focus your marketing efforts on Facebook. Tweet me @codie_sanchez if you want to see my Facebook growth plan.
Instagram Marketing also depends on the type of business I run. For example:
If I was a food blogger, chances are my audience – the people who loves food porn – is on Instagram.
If I was a clothing eCommerce store owner, my audience is on Instagram (people want to see the products they buy).
If I was a personal trainer – my audience is on Instagram (waiting for the images of me to motivate them).
Consultants, bloggers, virtual assistants, business owners, coaches, and so forth lend themselves to Instagram riches.
So where do I fall? Well I'm a podcaster, blogger, inspirer, motivational speaker, investor, and entrepreneur. Is my audience on Instagram? Yes. I get to engage screen to screen with people who turn to me for my "influence." Aka the hot term is influencer.
Here is my downloadable metric tracking sheet.
I set a goal, and then work backward from that goal. You’ll see we include everything in here from Hashtags and their usage, tech tools, assumptions on growth, the day to day postings to achieve this and conversion rates to the website. Fancy terms for making sure this actually turns into $$. Otherwise what are we doing really?
Here are some guidelines:
Time frame: 90 days. Anything past 90 days is hard to quantify and map out.
Tracking: Weekly.
Growth rate: I think you can expect healthy growth rate of somewhere between 10% to 40%. CSB has a weekly traffic growth of 37% and weekly follower growth of 40%.
Follower count: Create a follower goal for yourself.
Instagram growth is exponential rather than linear. This means that it is far easier to go from 10,000 followers to 12,000 followers than it is to go from 0 followers to 2,000 followers. So smile, breathe, and go slowly.
The username is our personal brand. There are two ways to do it.
1. Use your name (or a like identifier) on Instagram
2. Use your brand’s name if your brand is more identifiable than your name.
CSB uses codiesanchez because my brand: Codie Sanchez is also my name. Bet that one blew your mind. ;)
Your bio is the only place you can add a link. Utilize it. (I prefer a lead page to be linked so I can also grow my email list from a company like www.sumome.com or www.leadpages.com).
The perfect Instagram bio has the following elements:
1. A short, punchy description of what you do.
2. An identifier of who you do it for. And why it is so rad.
3. A strong all to action. Aka make a $100k in your footed pj's --> click here.
4. Emojis. I love Emojis. And there is evidence they catch the eye. It's science.
5. A strong, trackable bio link.
6. Bonus: Social proof.
So how did I track our Instagram traffic when Instagram does not let me track it? (Actually now they do, you can convert your page to a business page on IG and they give you reporting).
Step 1: Set Up a UTM Source Code.
What is a UTM source code? It is a bunch of text you put at the end of your URL to see where your traffic is coming from. And it's super easy.
For example, CSB’s URL is https://codiesanchez.com
If I wanted to track how much traffic is coming from Instagram, I simply add:
https://codiesanchez.com?src=instagram.
Step 2: Shorten your trackable link with a URL shortener.
Why? Because Instagram bio only allows 150 characters.
Here are a few that do the trick:
Pretty Link - highly recommend. Because it's pretty, aka not a bunch of letters like codiesanchez/asldaoenun52.23
Step 3: Monitor Your Instagram Traffic in Google Analytics.
You won’t see it in your Audience Overview. You have to do a bit of digging - but don’t worry, it’s not too complicated.
First, open up Google Analytics. Then, on the left under the Reporting tab, press Behavior.
Under Behavior, expand Site Content, and then click on Landing Pages:
From there, you can search "Instagram" or any identifier you used in your UTM codes:
Then, you’ll be able to see the traffic from Instagram in your Google Analytics dashboard.
Step 4: Monitor Your Instagram Influence with Klear
The Oracle at Delphi said the most important thing one can do is Know Thyself. That is true in Instagram and social media as well. After all it is just a different way to communicate. So I use Klear to track my influence level. (There are quite a few more of these now, just google influencer marketing platforms). What get's measured gets managed, said Peter Drucker so manage that ish.
Strategy 1: Share for Shares.
This is when you identify similar accounts that reach the audience you want to reach (and vice versa) and you both post a Call to Action post to follow the other account and they do the same. It's a great way to cross-pollinate accounts. I typically just DM them and ask if they want to do a S4S and off to the races. (If you want our step by step process for finding people and pinging them... tell me on twitter @codie_sanchez or IG on @codiesanchez and we'll create it)>
Strategy 2: Follow/Unfollow
This just works. I utilize the tool Instagress for this as it can be a time waster. You simply setup parameters and then the bot follows, comments and unfollows people for you based on similar or targeted accounts. I know, this feels kind of spammy. BUT You have to think about it this way, if your mission is to get your content in front of the broadest reach because you believe it is going to help people immensely than this is simply a tool to do that. Also - don't believe the people that say, oh I my 300k followers they just came and I like totally I dunno didn't even try it must because I am awesome. Lies.
Strategy 3: Using relevant hashtags.
I like doing my hashtags in the 2nd comment so that the hashtags won't distract my readers. Also I keep these in my notes on my iphone and simply copy and paste them each time. Use four bullets dropped down (like below) this hides your comment so it looks like this [...] as opposed to seeing 50 hashtags. DOWNLOAD my guide to see how I pick hashtags, crucial.
Strategy 4: Be strategic in your posting with a calendar.
How you do this is through using a tool like Later. It is used by over 600,000 of the largest instagram users to schedule and plan their content. With those you can pre-plan your layouts and actually see what your feed looks like with their tools. You can also be sure to capitalize on holidays, events and world news by planning your posts in advance. This allows you to operate from a place of thoughtfulness when writing and pepper in spur of the moment posts. FULL DISCLOSURE: I suck at this. I'm working on it.
Strategy 5: Leverage Larger Followings
Every time I buy a product I love, meet a human I love, am at a hotel I love, h*ll anytime I love anything I give it virtual love on my instagram. Often times these brands and people will share your love with their followers. Thus tag brands constantly, create a tribe of things and people you love and watch what happens when they repost you.
1. Engage with the users you are already following. Like the posts in your feed, leave a comment on something you like, and message the people who resonate with you. (Or better yet outsource a member of your team or use PeoplePerHour to find people in other countries at lower prices).
2. Engage with users who are following your “competition”. Simple visit your competition’s followers’ accounts, and leave a comment on their posts. This will help your new audiences know about you.
IF you don’t know who your competition is and how you stack up use FanPage Karma it will compare your competition across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. You can use it to push reports to you weekly and send alerts.
3. Engage with the people who use relevant hashtags. Look up hashtags that are relevant to your industry and engage with the posts that are under that hashtags. Ultimately this is just another way to have a conversation. No one likes getting spoken AT they want to be heard too, so apply that to your instagram convos.
Strategy 1: Pay for big accounts to shout you out.
Yes. S4S is a free way to get more followers, if you work with accounts around a similar size as yours to make it far. But if you wanted to work with accounts that are much larger than yours, you can get them to shout you out.
This is where you pay authoritative accounts in my industry to perform a “shoutout” (expect about $5-$75+ depending on the size of the account and the volume of shoutouts you pay for). I've had mixed experience with this, it can help a lot in the beginning but experiment with it before you shell out major cash.
Strategy 2: Pay for Larger Accounts to Post a Screenshot of your account.
This is an even more effective way to get more followers because there is no mistaking these posts – the sole purpose of them is to drive followers to your account.
Expect to pay anywhere from $40 -$150 per screenshot to see 50-250 new followers or more.
Strategy 3: Pay for Ads
What I like about this option is it is one of the very few ways you can get people to follow you AND to go to your website. It is important you understand how to determine your target audience here but there is only one way to learn, Do. So go try it.
With Instagram, there are simply two things I did to drive traffic back to CSB website.
1. My Bio Link
2. Call to Action Posts.
With my bio link, I update the link with every new blog post.
With my call to action post, I talk about my blog post every time it goes live.
Let’s face this: Traffic is useless if it doesn’t convert.
I don’t want our followers to visit my website once and then leave, because, there is a high chance that they won’t come back. I want my email list to grow substantially through Instagram. So, here is how I convert that traffic to grow our email list and therefore our income:
Dozens of websites are vying for their attention every day, and almost all of them are asking for their email addresses. Therefore, I need to set myself apart. So I offer them a content that they could hardly resist.
Those are:
- Entrepreneur books
- Apps and tools that everyone needs
- Monday Slay – Our 5 tips to conquer the week
- Weekly ways to do more in less time
- And lots of added snark.
This is where Welcome Mat comes from.
Essentially it scrolls down from the top as a LARGE call to action, sort of like your welcome mat at your day draws in your guests eyes. So too does this virtual version. Because Instagram is a visual platform, we decided to use a Mat with a visual component, rather than a template with a black background.
Also, instead of using a generic image, I use the image of the offer I am giving away when you click the link to purchase. See the example live here.
Click here to learn more about the Welcome Mat we use.
So my friends... if you didn't know before, now you know. I'd love to hear your stories on what works and doesn't for you. I'm not pro-scriptive, I'm into personally-scriptive. That is, find the prescription that works for you.
Love you animals,
Codie
