Training Camp Episode 9 – Building Your Business With Instagram
He used to be an out of work, drowning in debt, actor. Who was so broke he passed out chocolates as a job in New York Times Square. Now, he is a financially fit husband and dad living a kick ass life of travel and fun, and will never have to punch a time clock again. Delivering only the best business tips to the pros. Buckle your chin strap, you just stepped into training camp with Coach Jimmy.
Training Camp Episode #9: Instagram Tips for Business
Jimmy: On this episode of training camp with Coach Jimmy, I have the lovely Chelsea Pearson. She’s an Instagram expert and she’s going to teach you how to build your business with it.
Jimmy: So…we’re talking home business and specifically about how to build a thriving home business with Instagram so I feel like that was your jam when you came on the scene and that’s how I found you was “Who is this chick?” So, talk a little bit about why Instagram? What was it about, there’s so many different places on social media where you can build, what drew you to Instagram?
Chelsea: I was totally terrified to ask anyone in my warm market. I think I fell backwards into network marketing and it was a little bit of an embarrassment and an unknown and I wasn’t going to make any phone calls to my friends and family. So it’s a funny story. I originally thought Instagram was a photo editing app in 2010 so my 6 or 7 photos are photos of me that I didn’t think anyone was gonna see and it was right when Instagram started.
Jimmy: So you thought you were storing your own photos and not that it was public?
I think the fact that it was separate from Facebook and it was this clean slate for me and that all of my people who didn’t see me as a business owner didn’t have to come and play.
Chelsea: Yeah, it was 2010 so I quickly deleted most of them but if you scroll all the way back they’re probably still there and then that’s when I saw other people hashtagging and I clicked on that button in the settings that said “find your friends”. I think the fact that it was separate from Facebook and it was this clean slate for me and that all of my people who didn’t see me as a business owner didn’t have to come and play.
It was this level of security for me when I didn’t have confidence that “Alright, if this isn’t for you and you don’t want to see my stuff just don’t follow me”, but there are other people who are doing this so it gave me this sense of security in that way. once you start searching hastags you realize that there are millions of people that are doing the exact same thing that you’re doing.
Jimmy: Do you feel like immediately that you could be an authority there? I talk about it this way in home business that my family and friends that knew me before my business even to this day even eight years in still don’t see me as an expert or an authority, but a perfect stranger will hang on my every word, you know? So do you feel that way when you went to Instagram and said, “Okay, clean slate.” and people immediately looked at you as some kind of an authority?
Chelsea: Absolutely and I actually positioned myself that every caption I wrote, every photo that I posted I pretended that somebody was asking me that question. I would almost phrase it like “I’ve gotten so many questions about this, xyx” or “So many people tell me this and ask me ‘how can I overcome this?'” So I was using this as a fitness diary, but I was also pretending like people actually cared and it was funny because it’s like if your’e standing in the middle of a city street and you look up. One or two people around you are going to start looking up and then all of a sudden it becomes this exponential thing so I just pretended like 1% was next to me looking up.
“I realized that when I was having the most success, I was following my prospects.” – Chelsea Pearson
Jimmy: That’s great! I love that. That’s so fantastic! Okay, so, quick tip with this. How do you talk to people differently with Instagram? Because you’ve obviously recruited really well with Instagram and you have such a great team culture. How is communication different on Instagram than something let’s say like Facebook?
Chelsea: So this is really a game changer for me that I learned late in the game, but it was actually happening early on because when we met, I wasn’t plugged into Beachbody corporate, I wasn’t plugged into my other competitors and peers, I just thought I was using this cool opportunity and inventing things as I went. And I realized that when I was having the most success, I was following my prospects.
So versus liking pages that inspire me and studying other people, I was simply following my prospects and that every time I opened up my Instagram, I would comment or like on what they were doing and that was such a great relationship builder so that really helped and I think that it’s so short and sweet and very ADD, you have to be very subtle about things, but ultimately take it outside. I haven’t really utilized the direct messaging functionality.
Jimmy: But you want to get them in an email or something instead of this public forum of Instagram once there was a connection made it was an, “Okay, let’s talk one-on-one and see if what I offer is something that’s right for you.”
Chelsea: Absolutely.
Jimmy: And you knew something about their life because like you said, you just follow the people that you’re like, “I would love to have that person on my team or that would be a great prospect.” So you already had this intimate connection because people are showing their kids and their dogs and their life there so much.
Chelsea: I think also I really relied a lot on using it as a photo diary so I really didn’t care about the end goal because I knew that they were just going to scroll through it and it wouldn’t be entertaining if I had a call to action every single time. So I built this credibility, so many people that I have missed a few opportunities, but I think I gained more credibility that what I’ve lost is that they said, “I didn’t even know you were running a business. I was just following you because you were so authentic,” so when you drop that call to action to preview your business or join you on something greater than just watching each other’s journey on social media, they trust you so much more because they didn’t know that you had a “bottom line”.
Jimmy: It’s that classic Gary Vaynerchuk jab, jab, jab, right hook, right? It’s just so much value that you go, “Oh, would you like to join…” they go “I can join you?! Yeah! Where do I sign up? How do I follow you? I just thought that I just got to watch you from afar. I can actually work with you.” It’s so cool. It’s been awesome to watch the growth and i’ve learned so much from you and I’ll be really honest, if I’m stuck on Instagram, I go look at you and go, “Alright, what’s she doing and how can I get that for guys?” I want to thank you for being so open with your tips and tricks and techniques.
Chelsea: Thank you.
Jimmy: Alright, I appreciate it.