Latest / Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs / 183: How to grow your business on social media (without being everywhere!)

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183: How to grow your business on social media (without being everywhere!) · Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to Online Business Uncovered.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: This is episode 183, and in today's episode, we're going to be talking about how to make social media worker for your business without feeling like you need to be everywhere all of the time.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: So let's jump right in and let's get started.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Online Business to Uncovered, the show that lives to lid on what it really takes to turn your brilliance into digital products, passive income, and time freedom.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Karen, an online business strategist, course creation expert, and you'll go to for building a business that works for you and not the other way around.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: If you are an ambitious entrepreneur feeling overwhelmed, then out, or maybe you're just ready for a smarter, more sustainable way to grow, then you're in the right place.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Because each week, I'll be bringing you inspiring conversations or step-by-step guiding to help you create sustainable repeatable digital product.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're ready to stop waiting your time for money, reclaim your time, and finally build a business to give you the freedom that you deserve, subscribe or tune in every Thursday.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: Let's uncover what's a pretty possible video starting now.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to another episode of On My Business Uncovered.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Karen, and I really do appreciate you hitting the play button to listen to today's episode.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Now, today we're going to be talking about social media and more specifically how to make your work for your business without feeling like you need to be everywhere all of the time.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: Because let's face it, social media can very quickly become a full-time job in itself.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: You may be creating posts or filming reels, writing captions, and trying to keep up with the latest features.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm wondering even if you should be on Instagram or LinkedIn, Facebook, threads.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: I mean the list goes on.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: So today I am joined by content strategist and graphic designer Beth Cameron, who believes there is a much more simpler and sustainable way to approach social media.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: There are some really practical takeaways in this conversation, especially if you do feel like you're just spending way too much of your time creating content, but you're not getting results.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: So let's dive into today's conversation because it's an absolute blinder and you're going to walk away with so much just from this chat.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: So let's dive in and let's get started.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Today I have the lovely Beth Cameron, and Beth is a content strategist and graphic designer.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Beth, welcome so much for coming onto the show.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's lovely to have you here today.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want to just start by um telling the listeners who you are and what you do?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you for having me.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, so I started this a while ago and it's evolved a lot over the years.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm a content strategist and graphic designer now, but I've been doing this for about nine years.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: As soon as I left school, I went into digital marketing and then got my master's in graphic design.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I used to work in employment, but at the end of 2024, I wanted to take it more seriously, like with as my own business.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then that evolved again.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: But now I help service providers mainly through Instagram, and it's more about getting people's content to actually trust, get build that trust, and get conversions rather than just looking pretty, combines design and creativity, but also the strategy side as well.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I'm naturally quite shy and I've struggled with anxiety in the past, so I'm quite open about that on my platforms, but it also shapes like how I work and who I work with because I know it can be scary to show up online for a lot of people and have that visibility.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I've worked really hard to find an approach that helps people with that, and not only in a way from confidence, but also managing time and getting more of a sustainable approach that way as well.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's interesting with social media, isn't it?
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Because um, of course, it's free, so I think people will go onto the platforms and use them, but the real cost is in our time, and and you can end up just spending so long on there creating content, scrolling through, you know, without getting a return on that investment, without making it work for your business and that.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: What's the biggest mistake that you tend to see when um people are using um platforms like Instagram for their business?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'd say two main things.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: The most common one is when they're trying to be on every single platform, and then it can kind of spread themselves quite thin because they're putting so much time in, but I'd probably more focus on just one or two platforms.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: There are ways you can do it so that you're repurposing instead of starting from scratch everywhere, so there are ways to manage it, but generally I'd recommend to focus on one or two, and also there's a lot of the time we're posting one type of content, so it could be that people are posting tips a lot of the time, or maybe they're only posting sales posts or something rather than a mixture that appeals to the audience they're trying to speak to.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: So choosing different a mixture of content that speaks to their idle client will also really help with that.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I I see it a lot actually on social where you know you'll you'll get some people come up and it's the same stuff all the time, and often it may be that they're trying to sell something, so so it's always to to go in, sort of buy the thing that they're selling and stuff.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: But I suppose from a strategy perspective, it's you know, with social media that it's discovery content, isn't it?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're really you're trying to um you're you're trying to connect with people that don't know who you are.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: So so I I suppose the mix of content really comes into play, doesn't it, when they're they're consuming what you're putting out there and whatnot.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously you you know you are a fan of Instagram, you you know, you you predominantly focus on that platform.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um Instagram's changed quite a bit over the past few years, hasn't it?
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: What are the some of the the biggest changes that that you see that's happened?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I've been on Instagram since I was 14 or maybe even younger, and I'm 27 now, so it's definitely changed a lot since then.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: There weren't even video back then.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um but now it there is video, and I'd say it's really good for building a personal brand.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: You can do it on a variety of platforms, but I would I personally like Instagram for it because of the variety of ways to express your personal brand.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: You can you can connect through talking videos, you could connect through carousels that are more storytelling, and they're actually a really good way to break down quite a lot of information instead of trying to cram everything into one single slide, it can be a bit information overload and people just scroll away, breaking it down so that there's less information per slide, and you can really take someone through more of a transformational journey.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, for example, a lot of the time people might post a screenshot of a review that they get from a client.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas if you did a carousel, for example, and walked through the client's transformation from beginning to end and really show that human storytelling journey of it that is so much more effective than just posting a screenshot.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: So just little things like that, it's much more about the human now.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: That's kind of my approach, anyway.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm a little bit biased, but I really believe in marketing being about a person speaking to a person, and in a world where there's just AI everywhere and a lot of robots and just so much content being churned out.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's what helps people stand out more now, especially on a platform like Instagram.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I agree with you.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think human connection is is so important, and it's more important now more than ever, because um, because because we don't know really like what what's what we're connecting with outside of that, if that makes sense.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: I I was on Instagram um yesterday and I must have followed somebody that came up in my feed, so you know, with these triels, and I really like the triels because I'm um I have more sort of unknown people coming into my my feed, and it's sort of you know bringing awareness to to other people.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: But the the lady that I started following sent me a really lovely voice note, and that went a lot, like a long way because I thought that's that is human to human connection.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and then I sent her a voice note, and then sure you sent me a voice note, and you know, before you know it, you're in a conversation.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: But but when we talk about social media, that's what's important, isn't it?
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's kind of connecting and being social and and not letting the bots do that for us.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, the only thing is I love dog videos, and now they're they're AI in the dogs, and I'm sitting there watching these little dogs, you know.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you've seen them, but they're so cute.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: They're like they do these silly little things and then they look at each other and then they burst out laughing.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: And of course they're AI, of course they are.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: But my my my girls will walk in and I'll be giggling and they'll be my mum, you don't even realize that's AI, don't you?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, Yeah, I did figure that out.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: They look real though, some of them they look so real, and I've been caught out.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I went where I've been like, have you seen this?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: And and then my elder mum, that's AI.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Really?
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: I've got a whole other account where I just it's full of animal videos.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: I just honestly, I just that's I think that's my like you know, the whole doom scrolling.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: You just go on my account and you see endless like dog videos.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, whatever your day's been like, you can't not smile when you see, you know, a dog video.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I but I think but I think now you have to be so careful because some of the content out there I you do think is you know normal content, and it does, you know, it it is AI, and I think that's that's the scary thing, isn't it?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's how how how it's going, which I suppose puts that thing on human-to-human connection, isn't it?
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, being important.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: They're trying to do things to moderate it where you'll get like a AI um label on posts, but it's not entirely accurate yet.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think it though if they keep working on it, it'll get better, but sometimes they flag things that aren't, and it's just because they've used an AI tool, for example, a parent might blur out the kid's face or something, and because that's an AI tool, it flags that as content, which I do get, but it's completely different to a fully AI generated post, so but it is relatively new-ish in terms of the level of content that's being put in out using it.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think they'll be able to work on it going forwards, but it's just a bit iffy at the minute.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think it does need those clear sort of markers, doesn't it?
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: So that you are watching stuff and um yeah, um, but it but it's really interesting, Instagram, because it's so layered in what you're able to do, and and and obviously you're a graphic designer, and and my background's graphic design.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um so so for us designers, um, you know, it's great because it's visual and we can really showcase our brand and we can be creative with the content that that we're putting onto the platform, um, and there's so many ways to deliver that, isn't there?
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, did you design the branding for the online the business growth summit?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's beautiful, it's gorgeous.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: I was thinking that the other day, so that makes sense now that you're giving me that context.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, all my stuff's highly designed, and before I um before I moved into the online course um sort of space, the the the sort of scalable offer sort of thing, um, I had a branding on web studio, so that was my background.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: So every everything I do, so my membership, um I moved my entire membership from a platform called Mighty Networks, and I moved it on a platform called membership.io because it allowed me to build a user experience and to design it in a way that made sense to me.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but all my stuff is like so I always love speaking to other graphic designers because I I think we see things slightly different, don't we?
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: We see things through a different lens, everything's so visual and stuff, isn't it?
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's so cool.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: So because I I love Instagram.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I don't know if I really make it work.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's a lot of strategy that's needed on that platform, and I think you can end up spending a lot of time without um getting the the results, but I guess that's the kind of work that you do, isn't it?
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: You work with your clients to be able to to really kind of get the most out of the platform, so it does give give them a return.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, definitely.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: So like you don't need there's conflicting views on it.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: So some people will say that you do you need loads and loads of views and you need loads of followers, and there's truth to that, truth to that in the sense that the more visibility that you and your account and your content get, the higher the chances that you might get inquiries from it because there's more eyes on it.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: But the other side of it and the side that I work on is it isn't necessarily about the amount of people, it's about attracting the right people.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I've got a smaller following, especially compared to other marketers out there.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: I have less than 2,000 followers on Instagram, but all of my inquiries come through there because I'm speaking to the right people, and that's why I how I teach people to do it.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I I think that's right, isn't it?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: Rather than going for the quality, uh the quantity, because I think that's it.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's you think you know the more people are gonna convert more more, but but you're absolutely right.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: There's no point if you're putting content out that is specifically targeting a certain audience, and then you get those people that it's not relevant, and then you get all those followers, it's just well, it's not really gonna they're vanity metrics, aren't they?
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: I've got all these followers, but if it doesn't really translate to anything, um then it's pretty pointless.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Most of my clients, there's two clients that do have more.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: One client has 10,000 followers, the other one has 20,000 followers, but the majority of my clients have around a thousand or less.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: And depending on their goals, some people don't have um a launch or something.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: But the ones that have had a launch, they've got all the sign-ups that they wanted based on trying to speak to the right people rather than trying to speak to everyone and to to reach those miniature metrics, I guess.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's uh sort of something that I think people um it's sort of beget, isn't it?
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's especially in the online space, you know, it's it's a volume model.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: The the more people we have coming into our world, the more sales we're gonna make.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: But but like I say, you know, whether whether it's your email list or your Instagram account or your LinkedIn or wherever, if you've got the wrong people in your world, then you're not gonna get those sales.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: So that but then I guess that's where things like you know, messaging and making sure that your brand's really coming through so that when they land on your page, they're getting the experience that you are wanting to curate for them so that they know they're in the right place for the content they're then gonna consume.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely, you know, and I and I feel like it's not like a magic formula, but I but I think it's one of those things, isn't it?
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: That there's so many moving parts to it.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because you know, obviously you can you can sign up and have an Instagram account tomorrow and you can start posting, but I but it's the strategy I think that makes the difference, isn't it?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: Really kind of understanding why you're on that platform and what you're looking to achieve from it and what those goals are, so you could be really intentional with that.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, absolutely.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: So do you have any tips for somebody that is that that is looking to grow an audience?
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: And and I'm gonna caveat that by saying an engaged audience, so so the right people on the right platform for them.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Have you got any sort of tips um that that would be really useful for if they they are looking to grow their account?
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess again, it's from different angles.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: So your profile itself, I think it can be really helpful to look at it from a stranger's perspective and making sure that it can clearly communicate who you are, what you do, and um how you help people and what the next step next step is for people to actually work with you, and that's through different different levels.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: For example, if it was Instagram, it needs to be all of that needs to be clear in your bio, needs to be clear in your story highlights, the pinned posts at the top, the content itself that you're putting out, all of those different touch points, it needs to communicate all of those things so that people know that.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: But then also it needs to be kind of the accounts that you interact with as well, and that can be quite a big point that people miss because a lot of the time people think it's about what content you're posting, and that's really important.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's also important who you engage with because you can think about where your ideal client is, and then go and see, go and hang out on those accounts as well.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So it could be that you're a mindset coach and you want to target people and speak to people that are following a certain other mindset coach in the industry, for example, might have those types of ideal clients there already.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: You could leave really meaningful, helpful, valuable comments on their posts, and then people will see your account.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then that's a way to get new eyes on your account that are the relevant type of ideal client.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then that's also a way to grow your account without posting a million times a day as well, because sometimes you can post a really, really meaningful, valuable comment on someone's post that is in a relevant space, and that could get hundreds of people viewing your account that day.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just something that a lot of people miss because putting the content out is absolutely important, and there's definitely ways to do that.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: Doing a mixture of growth, sales, trust content um weekly, if possible, being consistent with that will make a massive difference as well.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: But the outreach as well and commenting on other posts is a huge thing.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's a really valuable point, actually, because you're you're right.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think that can easily be missed as can't we we focus so heavily on the content that we want to create that we think our audience needs to see, and then forget and be social, yeah, you know, because we're busy and we get, you know, so you know, there's that term, isn't there?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: Posting and ghosting.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think anybody really means to be ghost, and I don't really think that's the right term.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's a bit too brutal, really, and doesn't really convey probably what people are really doing.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: But it would be it's so easy, isn't it, to kind of go and do your stuff without realizing you're right, you know, if they've got X amount of followers and and you leave um, you know, comments on theirs, then that's you know, you're going in front of other people and and and getting that exposure and stuff.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: And often what I find is um you know, when you want to change stuff, it often comes from the small shift that people make.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's often not the big stuff.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_01: So so remembering to be social and to kind of you know behave like that in a sense, and um yeah, I think it's a really good, really good to hear.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know, because the thing about Instagram, I mean it's so powerful, isn't it, in terms of what it's able to do.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean I Something yesterday.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: So the lady that reached out to me, I sort of obviously then went on and had a look at her profile.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: And um I saw she had a community.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: Now that's something I didn't realise that you could create on Instagram are communities.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um has that been around for a while?
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, off the top of my head, I want to say a year or two, potentially.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a broadcast channel.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Is that what it was showing on your channel?
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I wonder, yeah.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it's basically like um a group chat, I guess.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: A group chat in Instagram, except it is like the host that puts updates in it and things, and then you can put polls in it, for example, then the community can interact back.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um not everyone kind of uses one, but I don't I don't use it myself, um, just because that'd be adding another thing, another thing to do.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: But for some people that can be really effective, but I would say you kind of need to build that build that audience to an extent to be able to make the most of that feature.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: People like Mel Robbins, she has one and she puts updates in there all the time, usually pointing towards the latest podcast episode upload, that's what people normally do it for.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, that is a another cool feature they do.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's like every time I go on there, I feel like they're they're adding something new.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: Which yeah, which is great, because if you use that one platform to grow, and and they have all these features, and like you say, that's where your audience is, and that's what you're gonna use, then then you can keep everything in the platform.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: My only thing is that with uh with all these platforms, we don't own them, do we?
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I always sort of think that what we need to be doing, and and obviously disagree with me if you feel like this, like I like I'm not right, but I always sort of think that we need to be getting them off the platform so you know to bring them into our world through our email list in order to be able to kind of maintain that relationship and build that relationship further, because I just feel like the the powers that be control it to an extent that you know you can build your business and build your followers and and all of that, and then it can just be gone.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I was watching, um, there was a I was watching a reel by somebody um the other night, and the bless her, she was in tears because she spent the past something like seven years building her Instagram, and her son went on there and used it, and and I suspect accidentally um added some keywords that were then flagged, and then because of that, it her entire account got shut down.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and she came on again and was absolutely sobbing that seven years of work and she's having to start all over again.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: That was her livelihood.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I always kind of think caution retail when we go all in on something, um, you know, to try and get them off so that so that we can minimize the vulnerability there.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um I completely agree.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I see any social media platform really as kind of a funnel.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: So using it as a funnel to then get people onto your email list, that's something that I do.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like um, I use mine as an example.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I've got a free quiz, and then that allows me to add people to my email list, but my content points people towards the free quiz, not all the time, but some of this call to actions and messaging on there is about that.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I kind of encourage people to do that because you you never know, it's not always likely, but it's also not certain.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, like you say, it is best to be safe, and I would suggest pointing people towards your email list.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I um I have like multiple sort of lead magnets that I've always used, and you know, I've I've always kind of tried to sort of get them, get them off.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: I I um I kind of learned the hard way really because I had a shop on Etsy and I was doing really well with my shop, I was getting sales, selling my digital products, and um I sold a product and I don't know what happened, but suddenly the bots had flagged something, and then I went into Etsy jail.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: And um, if you know anything about Etsy, they don't have a human behind the business.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: So trying to get a human to look at your account, and because of that, um I in my shop my shop is still in jail, and I have no idea how to get it out, and I've tried reaching out to them and you know, all of that.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I've got money that's in my yeah, I've got money in my account, you know, where people were buying and and um you know the the incomes there, and yeah, and I went on to X because I thought, well, you know, um I'll use social channels to reach out to Etsy, and that just triggered more people to say this has happened and we don't know how to resolve it.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: But but so that happened to me, and that was my income.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought, actually, you know, it doesn't matter whether you're on Instagram, LinkedIn, Etsy, any of these platforms, you know, if we're if we're putting all our eggs in one basket, then there's always that risk, isn't there, that you know, something could happen.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: And because they're using bots to um to scan and pick things up, you know, if it's a human, they could ration, you know, you they could look at it and be like, well, there's nothing there to be flagged, but I guess they they are using things that have to kind of pick things up, and even if nothing's wrong, you know, the chances are you know you can be flagged.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: So so it's just you know, we we live in a time where we have everything available to us, but then but then there's also those, you know, um the the challenges as well that that I think it's really important to be to be aware of.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely.
• 28:09
  unknown: Yeah.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: Has that have you come across anybody that like any of your clients that have had Instagram sort of shut down or anything because something's been flagged where anything like that?
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't had their account be shut down.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: I've had clients that have had issues using the paid ad option because it's flagged their account as um this was Facebook actually, but it's flagged their account as um spam or like fraudulent or something when they hadn't even posted anything yet.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: And that actually happened to me the first time that I ran um the ads for my quiz.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't set it up because it said that my ad account was fraudulent.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'd only just set it up, I didn't even done anything yet.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I get it-ish because they're trying to make things safer, but it's just not fully accurate, and then people get penalized and then things go awfully wrong.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: Luckily for mine and my clients' cases, it was only ads and nothing, like in your case, where it's your income being taken away.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: But it's just it's quite scary.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's scary how unpredictable it unpredictable it can be, especially when it's someone's income.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, definitely having, like you say, not putting all your eggs into one basket and having a way to get people on, for example.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't even have to be an email list, but that's personally what I use and what I would recommend people use.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think if people are aware of the the sort of downsides to it, and it's a temptation is that you go all in building an audience in order to get sort of those numbers, and then you find yourself in a situation where um it's it's it's taken away.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: And you're absolutely right, it it is um, you know, it's you know, you don't know if it's gonna happen, and it could be something so simple.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: I I because I talk about like I purposely don't talk about money um online.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm very British, we don't talk about money, but also that's not where I want the focus to be.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I don't talk about it, but because I have the words income, generating income, sustaining business, my those kind of words.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm eager I've gone on a few times on Instagram, and it's almost like they've they've kind of warned me that one of my posters, you know, um is is kind of be it being you know, sort of looked at, so to speak, and then I've got to re I've got to go and I've got to um uh raise a case against it or something.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: I've had that a few times, and I'm like, what there's nothing, there's you know, there's no there's no silly claims or anything like that, you know.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I guess I guess that are completely inappropriate and not getting flagged, and that just blows my mind.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, definitely isn't perfect, no problem, no platform is, but they're definitely not perfect.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: As much as I love that it's not perfect.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: I was watching another video where it was this guy was on there and he was making all these really big claims.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I I took the link and I put it in chat and I um I asked chat about it, and I was like, okay, because it was all about you know making money and digital products and all of this stuff, but it was the overinflated claims that I was a bit like, you know, there's a there's a bit and it was interesting um having chat die um kind of pull apart the um the the the reel that you know the record the video because it was actually saying that it it it was making a lot of upfront claims but there was very little in the back um and in terms of testimonies and stuff like that, but but it's just being aware, isn't it?
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're absolutely right.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: Where we now have the trial reels and more contents being shown, it means that the potential of seeing kind of inappropriate stuff as well comes through.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, whereas I say I felt before it was a bit it was kind of like a little bit more secure because you know, if you follow them, then you get their content and then you can unfollow them, but it's not necessarily the case now, is it?
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's like the more the algorithms on what you watch.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's um this is a very minor and not really relevant example, but I'm really scared of spiders.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: So the other day I kept having spiders pop up on my feed, like these new news articles of massive spiders invading our houses in the UK, and I was I kept flagging not interested, I kept saying I don't want to see it, kept coming, just swamped my feed, and it's that's minor.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's so much serious things that can happen related to that, but it just showed me that even though I'm saying I'm not interested, it's still giving me the the thing, like, and I've there's people that I've unfollowed or I've um unfriended and things for various different reasons, and I still see their stuff come up, and I don't I think the only way it wouldn't is if you if you blocked the account and then you wouldn't see things from that account, they can always make other accounts though, so yeah, yeah, it's it's not infallible, is it?
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's just you know, and I have noticed that again the algorithms, the more content you watch on a certain topic or whatever, the more then you get flooded.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: And and what's interesting is even if you watch a little bit of it and you're not interested, then they just give up.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's like yeah, I'd have no problem blocking, to be honest.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm like, yeah, I don't want you all my bad.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it does feel a bit brutal, doesn't it?
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, but it but it's interesting, the content that is now online we have to safeguard because there's some really disturbing stuff, and I've had things come into my feed, probably because of trial reels and and you know, new new content from followers that I don't even know.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been really like I wouldn't want to watch it because it's it's it's serious stuff, and then it's like trying to kind of get out of that way of sort of seeing it.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um but it's just interesting the way it's going in terms of especially on the Instagram platform, you know, because because of that, you know, unknown accounts be being put in front of us now.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: So that just means it opens the flood floodgates and doesn't know for all different types of content.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um yeah.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, so what do you think of trial reels?
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_01: What's your opinion about them?
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: I love and hate them because I love the idea that it gives businesses a chance to get their accounts seen by new people, and I love the idea that it's supposed, I'll explain the caveat to that, it's supposed to help people grow because they're getting smaller accounts, they are able to get their accounts pushed out there, I guess.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: However, they then flip side to that is they then say you need 200 followers to be able to do it, and then they've also said at different points, it changes all the time, you need a thousand followers to be able to do it.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: So in my head, I'm like, you're trying to give this tool to help people get their account out there, but then you're taking it away from them at the same time, like you're saying you have to reach a goal before you use it, so yeah, mixed, mixed feelings.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's from a business standpoint, from a personal standpoint where it's a personal profile and you're consuming all sorts.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: I don't not not really a fan.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, from a business side, I can see the benefits to it.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_00: I just don't really like the restrictions they put on because I think it's a bit contradictory.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean it's a great way.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_01: I've always found Instagram a little bit harder to grow than some of the other platforms, but but I guess this allows your your your platform to grow a bit a bit more easier, isn't it?
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_01: So um I suppose it'll be interesting to see where where they go with it because I suppose it's still in the infancy that they might just open it up to to everybody and you know and develop that.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's really mixed as well in terms of results.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: I've had one client in particular that has had depends on the goal that you have.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: For her goal for that specifically, it was just visibility, it wasn't inquiries at that point.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: So when her trial reels blew up, that was amazing because she got a lot of traction from that, but she didn't get inquiries from that.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: So if her goal was to be inquiries or sign-ups or something, that wouldn't have mattered.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: The flip side, I've had clients that have tried trial reels and they haven't had any success and they've put so much time into it as well.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then when they haven't seen that result back, of course they've stopped doing it because it's we don't have time to be doing all of that.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then with the client as well, just for transparency on that one, the the real the trial reels that did do well, we were posting like five or seven every single day, and then it it was that it was the ones that I say random, there were reasons it worked, but for the vast amount we were putting out every single day, it was kind of random in a sense, and you couldn't just say, Oh, that one's definitely going to take off, because a lot of them were very, very similar.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it's love the idea, but not really where I would focus all of your time, really.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting, isn't it, how much time things actually take.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: So um it's kind of making it work in in a way that doesn't sort of completely drain drain you because it could be a full-time job, just uh coming up with it.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_01: So um I know with my own strategy I've sort of I sort of shift it quite a bit, but I've kind of like I I've got a flow and I think and I think it's like okay, you know, that's working, um, and and it's doing the job of what I want it to do, but but but also balancing it out so like I'm not always in creation mode just for for Instagram because that is a rabbit hole that I think people can obviously, you know, sort of go down.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um so obviously you're gonna be delivering a session at the summit.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, do you want to just share with everyone what that session's going to be about?
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, of course.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: So the session's called Leveraging Social Media Without Being Everywhere, and it's basically going to talk about why you don't need to be on every single platform, how to choose the platforms that are right for you, and how to actually get kind of the result that you want from social media.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_00: So if it's inquiries, how you can do that through building trust and being more intentional with your content, I guess.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it's something I spoke about earlier where I said marketing for me is about people speaking to people, and I really like to simplify it down to that and look at approaches that we can use to make it feel more manageable, I guess, because it can be so overwhelming.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when I first started learning about all of this stuff years ago, and I was completely overwhelmed.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, there's so many layers that you could go into with strategy.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: And one thing I will say is I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all social media strategy.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's so much that, so many factors, and that's why I believe in it being different for everyone.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you can go down so many rabbit holes with it.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: So what I've done is I've taken everything that I've learned and tried to just really simplify it to make it more realistic for people.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really excited.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I'm excited about your session, and I think it's gonna be a great one because I think, like like you said, you know, um it's so tempting, isn't it, to be on every platform and try and create content for every platform.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, and then you end up going down those rabbit holes of just trying to, you're just trying to be this content machine, and it's just alongside everything else that you've got to do, it's it's it's way too much, you know.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so so I think your your session's gonna sound uh amazing, really.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_01: And and I know some of the strategies you're gonna be sharing can apply to other platforms, but but obviously your your your expertise is predominantly Instagram, which uh which is great.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_01: So um yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be amazing.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_01: Excited too.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: So before we finish, I've just got some quick questions that I'm just gonna fire at you.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um because I'm nosy and I like to sort of know.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so are you a coffee or tea drinker?
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_01: To wake up coffee, to relax tea.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's a good one.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_01: What's the uh one uh business book that you think every entrepreneur should be reading?
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_01: Atomic Habits is one that I've read.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_01: I had a friend that gave me that.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_01: They gave me the book and it's just sitting on my bookshelf and I feel guilty because I know it's I know it's one of those uh books, isn't it, that you just know that will will be good.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I need a holiday so I can go and read the book.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that is the best.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_00: A holiday and reading a book.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: That is something I need to do as well, because I never do it.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um what's the one taller ad that you just could not run your business without?
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_00: Same my calendar and to-do lists because otherwise my brain's just everywhere and I can't keep up with it all.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_01: You're trying to keep on top of it.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um what's the best piece of business advice that you have ever been given?
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'd say feel the fear and do it anyway, but also that you get the confidence through doing the scary thing.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because I always used to feel I'm not confident, confident enough to do that thing, but actually I'll only get that confidence through doing it anyway and learning from it and growing that confidence.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's such a vital piece of advice because you're absolutely right.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_01: I think a lot of people think that confidence comes before and actually doesn't, you've got to actually do it.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, um, yeah, that's such great advice.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then finally, um, in one sentence, what does building an online business mean to you?
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's about building a life to have more freedom, but also being able to make an impact and help other people in the process of doing that.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Beth, thank you so much for joining me today.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate you coming on and uh yeah, sharing your health of wisdom.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you've enjoyed this conversation, then you are going to love the online business growth summit because this is just a small taste of what there is to come.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_01: Now, alongside today's guest, you'll hear from over 18 incredible experts covering everything from digital product creation to marketing to sales to AI to visibility, audience growth, list building, and so much more.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_01: And it's all designed to help you build income beyond selling your time.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_01: Now you can register for absolute free by going to my website, www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com, or click the link below or in the show notes.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so Beth, thank you very much, and I really do look forward to your session at the summit.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_01: I really hope it's given you something to think about and perhaps inspired you to look at your business a little bit differently.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now, if you've enjoyed this episode, then I'd be grateful if you could go with a friend or a fellow entrepreneur.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_01: It really helps more people to start the podcast, and you never know who might need to hear this message today.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're ready to stop in the business that gives you more freedom, then I would love to invite you to join me at the online business group summit.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this summit is taking place on the 6th to the 8th of October online.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's completely free to attend and it's going to bring together over 18 expert speakers who will be sharing practical topics to help you create a business that you love, a business that truly supports your lifestyle.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_01: You can write for your free place today by visiting www.dowbalinteronline.com.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_01: I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a wonderful week.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for tuning in to today's episode of Online Business Uncovered.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_01: If today's conversation has sparked an idea or gave you a dose of clarity, then please make sure to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_01: New episodes land every Thursday, so hit follow or subscribe to stay in the loop.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're loving the show, a quick rating or review goes a long way in helping more brilliant entrepreneurs like you find this show.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, keep showing up, keep sharing your brilliance, and remember, freedom in business is possible, and it starts with taking the next right step.