I stopped using Facebook for marketing about 2 years ago, and went all in with IG. I have to credit the platform (plus the strategies mentioned below) for helping me double my income online year after year.
Here are 4 things you can implement immediately that will give you leverage in the online space:
1) Don’t use IG as a live diary feed. Use it as a microblog.
–> Would you ever read a magazine or a blog post with a title that read “How’s your Sunday going my loves!?” No, you wouldn’t. These captions will not help you build an online business. Thanks to IG stories, put that type of content in your stories- not in your feed. Treat your feed like a microblog or mini-magazine if you will. What helpful information can you curate for your ideal client in a concise and helpful way in your feed?
2) Caption your IG stories.
–> Yes, it’s going to take up some extra time, but manually captioning the main point of each of your 15 sec. story slides will be a massive value-add for your audience. Ever notice how people drop off after just a few slides? If you’re not giving them a super quick and digestible text-recap of what you’re saying as you talk, people will swipe on by. You need people to absorb your content in order for them to see the value in what you do- if they’re just swiping by your stories and you don’t give them an option to quickly read a recap as you talk, you’re hindering their ability to learn from you!
3) Not using headlines.
–> Instagram is noisy- think about how many accounts you simply scroll past each day in your feed. Think about how many accounts you “double tap” their post for but don’t actually stop to read their caption. While IG is a visually driven platform, it’s also a wonderful avenue to deliver high-level free content in super digestible chunks- aka- your feed + your captions. In order to get people to stop their scroll, you need to use headlines that encourage them to do so. You can’t write a post that starts with “Deadlifting is important.” What would be better would be starting a post about deadlifting with a caption that says: “3 ways to improve your deadlift.” This way, we’re speaking to people that are already deadlifting instead of trying to convince people to deadlift. Of course, this would depend on who your ideal client is (another make-or-break factor in the success of your online business.) Either way, no matter what industry you’re in, copywriting and marketing skills are the same across the board and hold the same level of importance. Copywriting starts with a good headline- so start there 🙂
4) Give as much value away for free as possible.
–> I used to be a very elusive online marketer. I struggled with knowing what to “give away” and what to “keep behind a paywall.” If you are not clearly articulating what you know and showing your audience how you can help them while also giving them easy-wins along the way as they follow your content for free, they’ll never have a reason to hire you.
Other industries that do this:
–> Ice cream shops. Taste a spoonful for free!
–> Lawyers. Free consults!
–> Costco/Sam’s Club. Free samples!
The list goes on and on.
When you’re asking people to invest in you, regardless of what industry you’re in, you have to show them the value of your work by giving them free small-wins along the way. People pay for implementation, curation, and relationships. It’s the exact reason why people will buy a cookbook even though every single recipe is online for free. Cookbooks speak to “paying for curation.” It’s all in one spot!
Ever notice how every celebrity has a cookbook? People aren’t interested in Chrissy Teigan’s lasagna- they’re interested in CHRISSY. This speaks to relationships. People feel like they know her, like her, and trust her- and she’s no famous chef! But this relatability factor has made her some moolah off of a cookbook. Your services are no different. Teach as often as possible for free on your platforms. What frameworks can you break down and explain? What tactical things can you teach? What solutions can you provide for free? What mindset blocks can you walk people through?
Here’s an example: This blog post! You’ve just gotten 4 easy things to implement right now inside your online business. Each point will help you- all 100% free. And now you can be like “wow! That was simple and pretty insightful and helpful! Awesome!” And this is exactly what your audience will think once you pull back the curtain a little bit.
If giving away free value was detrimental to business growth, I wouldn’t be here. Instead, I’ve been building trust with my audience while truly helping them for free along the way. Plus, I love knowing that even if someone NEVER buys from me, my free content alone has helped them in numerous ways- which feels really good! So, I prioritize serving as much for free as I can. For context, about 90% of my work is free! The remaining 10% is paid. That may sound counterintuitive, but the more value I give away for free, the more my business grows. Each year, I double down on giving more value to my audience, and I’ve doubled my income each year. Crazy, right? Try it!
Ready to take your online business to the next level without feeling like a sleaze ball, losing your integrity, or selling your soul to the devil? The Confident Coach’s Club might be for you! Read more here.
READ: We have payment plans available. I never want cost to be the reason why you can’t grow a joyful + profitable online biz. You can email me at hello@christinamontalvo.com to ask about payment plans.
PS: If you sign up before Monday, May 4th, you get 4 free 1:1 coaching calls with me- valued at $500! Get in here!