In the February Issue:

Posting on social media is not a business strategy. Here’s a framework that is. 

Let me guess. You find yourself spending countless hours creating content and scrolling on social with limited results. Everyone tells you “you just need to post more,” but what you’re doing isn’t working, AND you don’t have the time.

The good news. 

We’ve got a strategy framework for you that ditches the social algorithm and gets results. 

I, like most of you, have spent a lot of time and energy building up a social media following.

At the beginning of my first business, I posted 5-7 times a day, cold messaged 100s of people and truly posted and prayed.

When I started strategic coaching, I was working full time, had 2 small girls, and my family threatened to throw my phone in the trash if I couldn’t figure out a different way.

I knew from my corporate background that these Fortune 500 companies weren’t building their business solely from social media, so why would I?

I dug deep into how to leverage networking as a core principle to scale my business - specifically, how to get in front of new audiences. Three years into this, I can tell you with certainty, that my business runs and runs well with or without social media, giving me the freedom to ease off the gas when I need to.

HERE’S HOW IT CAN WORK FOR YOU TOO: 

STEP 1: Assess the In-Crowd

The number one thing you can do as a business owner is understand where your clients come from. Are they on IG or FB? Do you book clients at the local coffee shop? Is your referral program really what works the magic? What works for you is not what is going to work for Sally down the street. Or Carol with 100K followers. .

Ask yourself this. Where do your clients currently come from? And, where do they hang out the most? (It is OK, if it is on social media. We all do! We are going to create a strategy that uses social media as a tool, not your main driver). 

STEP 2: Re-purpose Legacy Content

Before jumping on stories and sharing all the things you want people to do, or your ideal client to see, let’s think about what you want to share and how you want to share it. On a platform that lasts longer, and has more exposure

Fun fact, Only 1% of your social following will actually see your amazing post. So let’s re-purpose it to make it live longer. 

I like to create content first in what I call “long form” which basically means multiple paragraphs. This could be an email, a blog (both of which you own), or even a podcast episode. 

Once you create the content then brainstorm ways to re-purpose it. For example, a blog post can become 3 reels (one for each paragraph), a YouTube Video, a podcast episode, and even an email or social post. 

Make the content live longer. Blogs, videos, etc. are searchable. So more than 1% of your audience will see it.

Emails, as an example, typically have a 20-30% open rate. You just doubled your exposure. Social is the bonus. 

STEP 3: Create a home base.

All of the content you create should lead your followers/listeners to your home base. For most this is a lead magnet or something free of value. It could be a super valuable mini-course, a free community you host, or a magazine like this. Anything that gives your followers a place to hang out. To be a part of your world. And, most importantly, a way for you to reach them (off social). 

The key here. You need to collect their email in exchange for your awesome valuable resource. 

•  Host a free workshop. Collect their email. 
• Be a guest on a podcast. Share your free resource, and collect their email. 
• Teach a local coffee shop. Have them register with their email. 
• Post on social (yes, we do that too, but point them to your resource off social) AND collect their email. 

The goal. Create a home base. And an email list. 

Start giving away information that is so valuable they can’t help but notice.

There is no such thing as helping too many people.

STEP 4: Network

I call this the 7-degrees of Kevin Bacon step. Everyone is connected. 

You can spend hours crafting the perfect post for 10 people to see if you have 1,000 followers OR work to

build your network and share your home base.

Here’s how it works. (Insert I love a good case study!) 

I had Jenna Kutcher on my podcast. She shares her book. (Her home base in this case). In return, my audience now had access to order her book and get on her email list. So she tapped into my audience to grow hers. 

But this can benefit you too! Following my “legacy content” rule. In my case, I created a blog post with her interview attached to it. As well as the podcast and social posts. Now when you search Jenna Kutcher's podcast - our site is in the results. Tapping into Jenna’s audience to build ours. We also of course posted on social, shared the podcast episode, etc. But this one blog post lives on. 

See how that works. We help each other. 

• Go on a podcast. 
• Host a podcast.
• Speak at an event. 
• Host a workshop. 
• Be part of a summit.  

Tap into the power of other’s audiences to build your own database of raving fans and potential clients. And remember, be so valuable, they can’t help but notice. 

Your social media accounts become the bonus. The “magazine” of what you do and how you do it. But the legacy you are creating lasts much longer than 1%. 

And the power of your network becomes your superpower.

MEET HOLLY MARIE HAYNES

I'm a business strategist who loves a good plan and flow chart, and is crazy passionate about teaching women like you how to build your dream job, and scale to 6-figures and beyond without sacrificing your weekends or priorities.

I believe strongly that you can create a routine you love and with the right strategy, product suite (what you are actually selling) and simple systems to create a lifestyle that works and a business that scales without burnout. There is a difference between time management and time freedom. Let's work on finding freedom.

After 22 years in corporate strategy work for Fortune 500 companies, I ditched the office to build a business with my husband full-time. (Oh and we did it in less than 2 years, during the pandemic with twins!)

You can usually find me chatting biz strategy on my podcast “Crush the Rush”, raising our girls in Columbus, Ohio, and probably binging Real Housewives or planning our next vacation!

Connect with Holly HERE!