How I boosted my IG engagement by 285% and got invited to a call with Meta.
If you’ve fallen off your social media game, just getting started, or like me, decided to run paid targeted ad campaigns to generate revenue, and took time to build other lists.
The algorithms will not treat you kindly, nor will your open rates with your email CRM.
The good thing is, the strategy to ignite a dead following is, like my core brand values, pretty simple, and “human first” oriented.
In this weeks Tuesday Trailblazer I’ll be breaking down how I increased my IG engagement with current followers by 285%, and non followers by 800% in the last 7 days. And got a personal invitation from Meta to hop on a strategy call with someone from their team.
This notification popped up in my app after only 3 days of creating consistent content, just 3 posts.
I’ve seen this invite happen for other creators, but I didn’t expect it for me since my engagement is so low.
Also…
My email open rate jumped from 29% to 36%.
And click rate from 1% to 2%. (this is huge for conversions if you have a big list)
Unfortunately… the biggest hurdle in this is imposter syndrome, and getting past the “crickets phase.” The crickets phase is 2-3 days for experienced creators, and if you’re not yet awesome at creating hooks and telling stories, this might take weeks.
The biggest problem most people have when they are creating but not creating consistently enough to get traction… Is their fear of what others will think if they aren’t getting comments or traction. So they don’t show up enough in the cricket phase to actually get the algorithms attention.
Fear of public failure is and will always be, one of the biggest obstacles with the human brain.
Other reasons you might struggle with your current engagement, or reengagement of your audience.
You’re posting randomly without a plan
You have bot followers or inactive accounts following you
You mission or purpose people can get behind and want to follow
Your current audience is the wrong audience
Good thing is, once you clarify your brand values, mission, and audience… Content, and creating insane engagement on social media is as easy as selling out a hot pink Stanley cup at a suburban Target.
Here's what I did, step by step:
Step 1: Identify why, for who, and for what purpose
I will say this till I’m blue in the face. BE ON A MISSION. Mine, I’m documenting my goal of building my company back to 7 figures a year. With a mission to help 1 million creators build their personal brands and grow their bank accounts. My mission is simple and my why is to leverage the digital landscape to level the playing field and bring back the middle class.
Another great example is David Meltzer- Co- Founder of Sports 1 Marketing, and former CEO of Leigh Steinburg Sports & Entertainment agency which was the inspiration for the Jerry Maguire Movie. His life’s mission is to empower over 1 Billion people to be happy. His how is why is to bring back VALUE and giving over receiving. He creates incredible value in all of his content.
(Click here to download Your Brand Bible to get clarity on this or below to apply to work with me)
Step 2: Be human, first. Education content doesn’t lead to conversions
Most people jump to education content because some 24 year old instagram coach told them to educate in order to “give value.” Education without connection and trust leads to saves, not follows. Do you just want people to save your content? Or do you want them to actually trust you and like you?
Do you remember every teacher you had in high school? Can you name them all?
Which ones do you remember? Do you remember the formula they taught you to get to the square root of 4,500,004? Or do you remember their personality, how they cared, a life lesson they taught you, their quirks, or their wacky stories?
Knowledge does not build connection. Sure, it might build authority, but it doesn’t build trust, community, or create raving fans.
Your first piece of content or email should be honest, and in a storytelling format, with an invite to a conversation after. Be interested in others, not just interesting. Ask how your followers or readers are doing.
Document in real time what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Gary Vee said the best content is documented, not just created. That is and will always be true.
Make a bold announcement that you’re back or you’re creating again and let them know what they can expect from you and when. (I have a newsletter once a week, stay consistent for you. Your consistent doesn’t have to be everyday, it just has to be predictable.)
Talk to your audience like your best friend that lives across the country. Be honest, vulnerability is strength. If you’re nervous, say why. If you have imposter syndrome, tell us. If you feel silly, say that. AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR A CHEERING SECTION ALONG THE WAY. People love to support people that are doing scary or new things. People support humans, they don’t want perfection. Good news is, you get a lot more permission to show up messy when you are honest.
Step 3: Block, remove, and engage
Sometimes we build up bot followers whether we have used bots or done giveaways or not. I fell into the 2018/2019 thought leader influencer giveaway circles where we would pay $10k for a celebrity to post about following us, and also participated in several loops with other friends. This grew my account, but with the wrong people. When you have followers that don’t engage. These tech companies treat you like spam and shadow ban you. Google and Yahoo too if your emails aren’t getting good engagement.
Or, maybe you switched niches like me, or really pivoted your messaging 100 times because you didn’t start with your core values in mind. (if you start with values like I have in Your Brand Bible, you will never attract the wrong people even if you pivot, they will follow).
BLOCK- Anyone who you’re afraid to look silly in front of, online. Remove them from your list, and block them from following you. If they need an explanation, refer them to my post last week. “I don’t like who I am when you’re following me.” Is a complete sentence. If they take it personal, remind them your account is not about them, it’s about you.
REMOVE- Look into instagrams guidelines on this. I believe it's no more than 100 an hour, but I’m slowly removing bot and fake followers. I removed 2,000 this month so far. This is a nightmare for my large account, it’s tedious, but it seems to be helping.
ENGAGE- I have to remind myself of this. Social media is a place to be social. And your email list is a great place to strike back and forth conversations. On social, be social. Take 10 min a day to support, comment and engage with others. You don’t have to be Susie Cheerleader, or follow the Gary Vee 1.80 strategy til you are blue in the face, but the algorithms will reward you when you engage.
As always, I hope to keep it simple, give you a ton of value, and share the good, the bad and the ugly along the way. If you found this helpful, it would mean a lot if you shared with a friend who might need these tips.
Until Next week Trailblazers
IF you want your income to be more passive 👇🏻
I’m opening up applications for 2 spots to work with me 1x1. Applications will be open for 1 week but only 4 will be invited to a strategy call with me. If you’re an expert or coach who is already making money in your business and want to automate your signature offer, funnel and systems. This is a minimum 3 month commitment.