Say NO to Marketing PTSD
If you have questions about what's in this blog, I hope you will ask me in person at an upcoming event! Or please send me a message. I’d love to know your questions and be able to send you a quick customized tip for your business.
If you often feel confused or overwhelmed about what to post on social media to attract your niche people, I have good news and bad news:
Bad News First: many social media marketing gurus want to keep you feeling confused and overwhelmed. Why? So they can sell you their magic solution.
Good News…
Actually, this is SUPER DUPER FANTASTIC NEWS: You’re in the right place, at the right time, reading the solution to your social media problem, and it won’t cost you a dime.
Alright! Onward!
While driving my mom’s new campervan from Calgary to Williams Lake last week I felt inspired to share WHY so many Fempreneurs feel overwhelmed and unsure when it comes to marketing their businesses. Again, you can watch the video by clicking here, or you can keep reading.
More SUPER DUPER FANTASTIC NEWS: Social Media should feel like making a new friend,
NOT like studying for a math test.
If you’ve heard the gurus talk about how they can take away your marketing pain for the low price of $10,000 USD, and you bought it only to find you still feel frustrated because of how much time it takes to implement it, you’re not alone. Every single client I’ve worked with has a story like this. My heart breaks when I think of all the small business owners who end up throwing their hands in the air, deep in debt from hiring “marketing professionals”.
When Fempreneus meet me and/or start watching my YouTube videos, they are shocked by how simple my “system” is. (It’s really not a system at all, because it’s different for every woman who completes the steps.)
My new clients initially feel like they’re not doing enough. They aren’t posting on social media as often as they once were, and the posts we create together are simple. It feels like when the toddler in the other room is being too quiet… too good to be true! You expect to come around the corner to find...
A complete disaster!!
It’s not too good to be true, though. It’s really just a simple process that starts with ONE RULE:
Always choose ACTION over INACTION.
This is my mantra for reducing overthinking and increasing ACTION in Fempreneurs:
Say NO to PTSD.
Let’s talk about social media PTSD for a minute, because this is ALWAYS at the root of overthinking/staying stuck for Fempreneurs.
Whether you’ve hired a “Marketing Expert” or received Social Media expertise for free, you likely ended up feeling:
Broke/Ripped Off (money AND time)
Overwhelmed by how much work and knowledge is involved in properly using social media as a marketing tool
You're normal if you have PTSD from feeling ripped off, overwhelmed or confused in the past. It’s why I remind my clients over and over that we are not in the past. We are moving forward - TOGETHER - doing different things that will get them different results. When they worry that one Instagram post in the 7 days isn’t enough, I remind them to...
Say NO to PTSD.
If you believed the lie that social media marketing should be like studying for a math test, with flash cards and specific formulas, you’re going to love what’s coming next…
Social Media Marketing should feel like Getting To Know A New Best Friend.
Simple. Relaxed. Natural.
Social media marketing feels like meeting someone that you click with when you're doing it right. You say the things that feel right for you. You naturally like the person. It’s easy and fun - nothing like studying for a math test!!
There is no secret formula or magic solution for finding more of your niche people on social media. Use the tried and true approach, (the way humans have been connecting for thousands of years): conversation.
Put pen to paper and complete this quick CONVERSATION writing assignment...
If you know who your niche is, and you know the qualities you value most in your closest friends, writing your answers to these questions will be easy:
What would you say to a new friend who you have lots in common with and feel a natural connection with?
What would you say to a new Instagram follower who appears to be your niche/someone you’d like to have as a client?
Your answer to both questions should be this…
(It’s straight out of Dale Carnegie’s bestselling book written in 1936…)
Talk about THEM.
Let them know you see and hear them.
On Instagram, comment below one of their recent posts saying something about either what you see in the photo/video or what you read in the caption. It could be about the location (I love Orlando! I can’t wait to go back!) or the colour of their hat/sweatshirt/car/glasses (Those are fabulous red glasses!).
CAUTION: The TALK ABOUT THEM approach can backfire if you rush it. For example, your new Instagram follower will not be impressed if you’re being all excited about their red glasses when the caption is about their grandma passing away and how sad they are feeling.
Always take the time to read the caption too.
What you say to a new friend at a party is the same as what you say to a new Instagram follower: YOU TALK ABOUT THEM.
If you are thinking, “Lyndsie, how do I get more niche followers in the first place?”
Great question! The answer is simple:
Go to more parties!
Think of social media like a party. If you want to meet more people on Instagram, you need to spend 10-15 minutes every other day reaching out on Instagram.
Reaching out means simply initiating conversations. (Most of the gurus call it engagement.)
How do you do this?
Talk about THEM!
Here’s how I would do this if I had a new Instagram business account with less than 100 followers today:
I would follow local hashtags that my niche people would use. For example, let’s say I work in the beauty industry in Calgary and my niche is women who want to look and feel their best and are willing to invest in quality beauty treatments. I would follow these hashtags:
#yycwomen
#yycladiesnight
#yycfempreneur
How to follow these hashtags: Using the search feature in Instagram, type in “yycwomen”. Tap “Tags”. Tap “Follow”.
Next I scroll through the #yycwomen posts and when I find one that catches my eye, I like and comment, and follow the account. Then I usually like 2-3 more of their posts.
Repeat for 10-15 minutes every other day and voila - watch the new niche followers number grow!
Do this on Instagram to elevate the TALK ABOUT THEM approach:
Only comment below local posts by accounts that have less than 5000 followers, and only if the post is recent (less than one month old) and has less than 50 likes.
I know I said this is nothing like studying for a math test, but here are some important numbers:
Each 10-15 minutes I invest in striking up conversations on Instagram results in 3-5 new NICHE followers!!
A little bit of research and trusting your gut goes a loooong way when making new friends AND attracting more niche followers.
There is a flip side to every coin, and this is where many Fempreneurs get stuck or find it difficult to regularly build new relationships on Instagram (this strategy works on ALL social platforms, by the way.)
The flip side of the coin is TIME.
Watch the Part Two video:
Watch the above video to get my best tips for how to regulate + maximize your investment of time on social media!
If you want to get around more women who are effectively using social media in a natural way that doesn’t feel forced or SALESY, come to the next YYC Fempreneurs event: click here!
Again, I’d love to know your questions about this blog and be able to send you an idea or 2 that’s specifically for your business! Click here to send me a message!
