Written by Codie Sanchez
By Codie Sanchez, Entrepreneur & Speaker (www.codiesanchez.com)
Twitter: @codie_sanchez Instagram: @codiesanchez Facebook @Codie Sanchez Baker
Why Build It When You Can Borrow It?
It’s a noisy and crowded world. But you have an idea that is going to break through. You’re a creative, an inspirer, a doer on a mission to share your why with the world. You have the website, you obviously have the skills, your mom LOVES the ideas and your business cards are on point. The only problem? You open the doors, send out your mass mailing announcement and… crickets. All the people who said they loved your idea just may love it, but not enough to pay for it. At least not right now they tell you; later, soon, they promise. You aren’t alone. For anyone that has started a business believe me, we understand. There are no overnight successes and for most people talk is cheap. So how do we get our elusive minx of paying clients to come knocking on our doorstep? Because the thing is if you are a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur, you know that you do in fact have to sell if you want your creative hobby to become profitable.
“You have the website, you obviously have the skills, your mom LOVES the ideas and your business cards are on point. The only problem? You open the doors, send out your mass mailing announcement and… crickets. ”
Well we can do it the old-fashioned way, but I don’t meet many humans who love making cold calls, sending mailers, pushing email campaigns and all around hard core selling. That is one way to grow. So is there another way?
Maybe. That is why I partnered with Verlocal (check out my interview with a Verlocal Insider here). I believe in leverage. Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” So you have the option of venturing out in the world and self-creating website traffic, mastering SEO, posting like crazy on social media, or you can use someone else who has already created traffic and eyeballs to their website as your lever. I like option 2. Let’s talk Verlocal numbers: Facebook – 50,000+ likes, Twitter: 2,000+ followers, Wesbite Traffic – Thousands of unique monthly viewers. How does that compare to your brand? It’s pretty tough to grow to that, so why not leverage what is built already?
“You have the option of venturing out in the world and self-creating website traffic, mastering SEO, posting like crazy on social media, or you can use someone else who has already created traffic and eyeballs to their website as your lever.”
I’m giving you five steps to leveraging a platform like Verlocal to: Show. You. The. Money.
Start Here:
1) Story Tell
Now with Verlocal you have an audience. You are on a platform with views and people actively looking to purchase what you offer. The only hiccup is there are hundreds of others. So you need to look different. You need to pique interest. That is where the art of storytelling comes in. People buy things less because they have a need, and more because they have a want. They want to feel something, learn something, be something. Make them feel and you will make them buy. That means, you need visuals that feel intimate (no stock photos!), that draw them in and capture your why. Start there. Then make sure the sentiment in those photos translates to your blog/website/social media. People connect with people not brands, so show them you and the humans who are your clients. See how I do this below.. I talk about building businesses on my platform but I’m also a human. How boring if I just showed spreadsheets?! I interweave who I am into my content. Try it.
My Twitter Storytelling: @codie_sanchez
My Instagram Storytelling: @codiesanchez
2) Testimonials
We are social creatures. We go to restaurants that our friends recommend us, we see movies (or don’t see them) based on what others say, and we buy services because someone referred us. Mark Zuckerberg said a trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising. He was right. So make sure on your website and your Verlocal site you have endorsements, testimonials, happy customers who can do the bragging for you. Also – three rules to live by; be brief, be good and don’t be boring. Check out my testimonial examples. Think interesting soundbites.
“Mark Zuckerberg said a trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising. He was right. ”
My endorsements page: www.codiesanchez.com
3) Give Value
It’s the eternal law, give before you receive and you shall receive tenfold in return. Trust it. I have no data to prove it except that my life seems to be infinitely richer and success infinitely closer when I give. Thus, I keep a rule of thumb. I try to provide 10x the value for anything I ask for. I never tit for tat. If I am asking someone to pay $100 for something I try to give them something worth $1000. I give value in two ways:
Giveaways: First, I never do a giveaway worth less than $200, I strive to have the giveaway be worth more than $1000 and I am cautious about what I give away. An ipad is cool, but what is the story there. Second, I tie the giveaway to a very small ask that is not monetary, aka an email subscription or a follow. You are looking for touchpoints not immediate sales. Here’s how I setup my giveaways… (Get $200 to Verlocal free.. click here)
Freemiums:
These are downloadable guides on subjects that would be useful for my readers. These serve two purposes; first they give me email addresses for my newsletter and second they allow me to send them when someone asks me a question about how I do something. Instead of repeating myself continuously I can direct them to a pre-made resource that has a step by step process. Time is money too. For the customers they give inside information that is relevant. It’s free mental goods.
Sometimes the most impactful things are the simplest. Four steps to cashflow with Verlocal.
Want more? Give me a shout…
Codie
www.codiesanchez.com
Twitter: @codie_sanchez
Instagram: @codiesanchez
Facebook @Codie Sanchez Baker
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.