Social Sparks: Build A Successful Social Media Business

You’re often asked for extras, right? As a social media manager, you’ll often find people asking if you could write their blog or newsletter. So, I want to be sure you know all the risks AND how to create a killer newsletter. Because newsletters are competing in an already crowded inbox. They’re often optional reading for your audience, so they really have to WANT to open them and read them. Let’s face it, we’re all overloaded with emails and information as it is. So here’s how to create a killer newsletter, for yourself or for clients. You don’t want to miss: How To Create Compelling Content Your Audience Wants To ReadHow To Make People Open Your Newsletter, Even If They’re Overwhelmed With Content Why You Don’t Want To Ask People To “Follow Me On Facebook” Every Week Resources mentioned: Get A Copywriter. Full disclosure: this is an affiliate link – you don’t pay any more, but I get a small percentage and you also get A$35 credit for your second order! Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

🤔 Does your mind draw a blank? 💭 When it comes to creating content, I mean. Do you stare at the blank page and think, "I have no idea ...?" If so, you’re not alone and this episode is going to be a gamechanger. The truth is that everyone has days where they need to create content and they have no ideas, inspiration or insights. So how do we deal with that? I share my favourite go-to hacks for jolting myself into content creation mode, and how to cheat at content creation! You don’t want to miss: The Key Places To Look For InspirationFabulous Video Creation ToolsThree Alternatives to Canva Resources mentioned: Post Planner Biteable Wave Animation Canva Easil (great for hospitality, restaurants etc) Vista Create (Previously called Crello ) Promo Republic Promo How to Create Charismatic Content (Episode 17 of Social Sparks) Beautiful Business Launch: Your simple action plan to get your social media business up and running, beautifully! No overwhelm. No fluff. And no theory. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

Crazy isn’t it? The idea that your competition can help build your business, but it’s true. You just need to know how to use them right! In this episode we go over the exact steps to take to identify and define your true competitors and how to spy on them to build your own business. You don’t want to miss: How to Identify Your True Competitors (Because Most Business Get This Wrong)How to Know When A Business Has A Disengaged AudienceThe Exact Steps to Take To Analyse Any Business or IndustryHow to Use this Knowledge to Become a Marketing Maven Resources mentioned: Gruen Transfer How to Create Charismatic Content (Episode 17 of Social Sparks) Beautiful Business Launch: Your simple action plan to get your social media business up and running, beautifully! No overwhelm. No fluff. And no theory. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

There are rumours about this – maybe you’ve heard them? The ones that tell you that your captions should be less than a 80 characters, or you should have short-form copy. Yes, that works … but not with every industry and audience. The key is knowing when to use long-form copy and when to use short-form or medium-form copy. As a content creator, you need to know what works for what industry and when to get your images to do the heavy lifting. You don’t want to miss: The Two Different Types of Investment We Make When We Buy AnythingWhy Rumours About Keeping Character Count Down Are WrongWhen to Get Images To Do The Heavy Lifting and When Longer Copy is Crucial Resources mentioned: How to Create Charismatic Content (Episode 17 of Social Sparks) Beautiful Business Launch: Your simple action plan to get your social media business up and running, beautifully! No overwhelm. No fluff. And no theory. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

I'm sure you've heard the rumours. How the Facebook algorithm is out to get business owners. How content reach is down and it's not worth posting. But that's not true. The fact is that the algorithm is out to HELP you – if you know how to use it right. There’s one underlying thing that the algorithm aims to do, and if you have the same mission then you’re golden! You don’t want to miss: How Top Gear Can Help You Hack the Facebook AlgorithmSimple Strategies to Spy On Your Audience and Discover What They’re ThinkingHow to Boost Your Best Content on Facebook Organically Resources mentioned: Top Gear TV show How to Create Charismatic Content (Episode 17 of Social Sparks) Beautiful Business Launch: Your simple action plan to get your social media business up and running, beautifully! No overwhelm. No fluff. And no theory. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

It’s OK. We all have days like that. Days where we HAVE to create content but our mind is completely blank. And the harder we try, and more stressed we feel, the worse it gets. One trick is to relax and know that you’ll come up with something. But, let’s face it, you need something more concrete than that, right? That’s why I’m sharing one of my favourite content creation hacks today. You don’t want to miss: How to Cheat at Content CreationHow to Kick Your Mind Into Creation ModeWhy This Content Creation Strategy Works So Well Resources mentioned: Canva How to Create Charismatic Content (Episode 17 of Social Sparks) Beautiful Business Launch: Your simple action plan to get your social media business up and running, beautifully! No overwhelm. No fluff. And no theory. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

Charisma is that certain indefinable something that makes people magnetic. Charismatic people draw people to them almost effortlessly. But what is the recipe for charisma, and how can we use it to create irresistible content? It turns out there is a simple formula for charisma. There are two key ingredients that blend together to create this magnetic quality we find irresistible. Knowing this formula allows you to become more charismatic, but it also allows you to create content that draws people to your business like moths to a flame. You don’t want to miss:   The two key character traits that make up charisma (that anyone can learn and practice)How to use these traits to create content that draws people to us and helps the algorithm send people our wayExamples of charismatic content and frameworks you can start using immediately     Resources mentioned: Vanessa Van Edwards and the Science of People Beautiful Business Launch: Your simple action plan to get your social media business up and running, beautifully! No overwhelm. No fluff. And no theory. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

Let's face it, selling services we're providing ourselves can feel a bit icky. It's not you. It's a thing. It's easy to feel nervous, or excited (or nervous-cited, which is a great word my daughter created!). The problem is that these feelings can disrupt the sales process. It can make it harder to complete the sale successfully, because you're so nervous and excited. I know, because I wrestle with this myself. That's why I'm sharing some of my secrets to controlling my nerves and winning customers! You don’t want to miss: How to Use Your Body to Biohack Your Way To Feeling CalmerHow Your Tone Can Keep You Calm and Convey AuthorityHow Your Nerves Undermine Your Ability Get CustomersIt's Not What You Say But How You Say ItHow to Use Vocal Resonance To Stay Focused and In Control Links and resources: What sort of Social Media Manager are you? Take my fun quiz to find out!For more free training and resources, join my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

Looking for leads? That can be tough when you're starting out. But, if you want an effective lead-generation system that doesn't cost anything but your time, LinkedIn is a great platform! It can generate a tonne of business. If you know what you're doing. That's why I'm sharing the exact process I used to generate 12 meetings each week with prospective business owners. The process works - you just need to invest your time and energy and be authentic with your approach. Don't worry, I'm giving you all the details! You don’t want to miss: How to Increase Your Connection Acceptance RateHow to Protect Your LinkedIn AccountThe Best Topic To Discuss with New Connections How to Use LinkedIn to Create Authentic Connections (nothing Spammy or Pushy!)How to Stand Out From The Crowd Links and resources: What sort of Social Media Manager are you? Take my fun quiz to find out!For more free training and resources, join my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review. Thank you! 

Pitching prospects is an art, but it can be easier than you think! There are a also a couple of little hacks that can make a HUGE difference, particularly if you're pitching organic social media services. I sh You don’t want to miss: The psychological hack that get's people to trust youWhy creating sample content is better than having a portfolio How to start out from the crowd, charge more, and still get the gig Links and resources: Grab my free ebook: How to Build a Successful Social Media Business to nail your pricing and get a recipe for client creationJoin my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager for more free training and cheat sheetsFor more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

Does the idea of selling make your skin crawl? You're not alone. It can be really difficult and uncomfortable, particularly when we're selling services. Selling products is entirely different, but selling services that we provide ourselves can lead to self-doubt and feeling ... icky! But here's the rub. You have to have an effective sales strategy to have a successful business. I've learned a lot of pushing sales techniques and they don't work for me. They're like wearing someone else's shoes - they don't fit and they're uncomfortable! You have to have an effective sales strategy to have a successful business. I've learned a lot of pushing sales techniques and they don't work for me. They're like wearing someone else's shoes - they don't fit and they're uncomfortable! Now I have a simple, non-sleazy sales process that I'm going to share with you. You don’t want to miss: Why you should never send another proposalWhy a two-step sales process is easier to manage and leads to happier clientsThe key questions to ask in your discovery session Links and resources: Grab my free ebook: How to Build a Successful Social Media Business to nail your pricing and get a recipe for client creationJoin my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager for more free training and cheat sheetsFor more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

You hear all around the place "The key to success is niching" and "You totally have to niche" or even "No, you shouldn't niche". So what's the deal when it comes to niching? I give you all the information you need to work out whether you need to niche ... yet! You don’t want to miss: Why You Don't Need A Niche When You Start Out And What To Do InsteadThe Pros and Cons of Having A NicheHow Niching Can Help You Scale When Your Business Grows Links and resources: For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

Organic social media is unpaid. That is, social media marketing without paying for advertising. So it's hard to measure the return on investment. With paid advertising, we get a lot of data. We know how much we invested, how many people saw the ads and how many took action. Organic social media is harder to measure, but there is a return! You don’t want to miss: Why Asking Customers "How Did You Hear About Us" Is A Waste Of TimeHow Social Media Marketing Captures Customers And The Cost Of Not PostingThe Key To Creating Killer Social Posts (Spoiler: It's Not Gorgeous Graphics!) Links and resources: For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

We see cheaper social media services all the time. There are several that offer daily posts for $99 a month. How do you compete with that without working yourself into the ground? You don’t want to miss: How To Compete On Value Instead Of PriceThe Real Cost Of Cheap Social Media ServicesWhy Cheap Services Do Not Have Loyal Customers Links and resources: Download my free ebook: How to Build a Successful Social Media BusinessJoin my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

How do you price your services? It's tempting to look around at what everyone is else doing and create similar pricing to other people. But look at enough people and you'll see there isn't any rhyme or reason behind pricing. The truth is that pricing is all a mindset game, and you do not want to compete on price! You don’t want to miss: Why You Should Never Compete On Price (Who Wants To Be The Cheapest Social Media Manager, Anyway?)How You Can Get People To Pay You To LearnWhy You Don't Need To Be A Bigger Expert To Charge MoreHow Understanding Your Own Problems Can Be The Solution To What To Charge Links and resources: Join my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager to get cheat sheets, training and resourcesFor more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

Testimonials are a powerful asset to your business, and can help make it easier for new people to work with you. But how do you get great testimonials without grovelling? Steal my strategy for getting killer testimonials! This process makes it easy for you and your clients. You don’t want to miss: How Asking For Feedback Can Be The Best Way To Get TestimonialsMy Favourite Questions To Ask For FeedbackThe Ethical But Easy Way To Write Your Own Testimonials Links and resources: Join my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

It's tempting to offer your services for free when you're starting out, but it leads to disappointment. We do this because we're not confident in ourselves and because we hope it will lead to paying customers. The problem is that offering services for free rarely results in landing a paying client and often ends up with people taking advantage of you. But there are ways to negotiate a reduced rate and a great deal for you! You don’t want to miss: Why Offering Services For Free Never Leads to Paying ClientsTwo Alternatives to Offering Services for FreeHow to Negotiate Reduced Rates So You Both Win Links and resources: Download my free ebook: How to Build a Successful Social Media BusinessJoin my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

Believe it or not, there are a LOT of things more important than being a social media "expert" when you start your business. You don’t want to miss: Why More Knowledge Doesn't Grow Your BusinessWhy You Should Get Clients Before Learning Anything NewHow To Discover Your Superpowers (Everyone Has Them!)Why Your Values are Critical To Your SuccessHow I Take Care of My Mental Health And Stay Resilient Links and resources: Join my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

Sooner or later you're going to make a mistake or have a "disaster" in business. It's OK. You're human. We make mistakes. The important thing is how you deal with it. In this episode, I share two disasters that I've faced and how I dealt with them so you can learn what works. You don’t want to miss: The day I lost every single post I'd ever sent out - for anyone - for over 18 monthsWhat I did when I accidentally overspent on someone else's ad accountPLUS, my philosophy and approach to dealing with mistakes, mishaps and disasters. Links and resources: Download my free ebook: How to Build a Successful Social Media BusinessJoin my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

You don't have a business unless you have clients, but where do you find them when you're starting from scratch? In this episode, I share the best way to find clients and grow your business at the same time. It's simple, low cost and effective You don’t want to miss: How to find other business owners who will send you clientsWhat sort of business owners you need to look out forPLUS, the script you can use to tell people what you do Links and resources: Download my free ebook: How to Build a Successful Social Media BusinessJoin my Facebook group: Become a Social Media Manager For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my content marketing lessons, coming up soon. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks!