The Social Focus

A new year is an opportunity to start fresh and hit the ground running. What’s your digital marketing plan look like? Is it all ready to go or are you still tweaking it?

We’re chatting with Toccara Karizma, digital marketing consultant, data lover, and dream setter. As a single mom she has grown a thriving eCommerce brand across 15 countries and scaled marketing clients to reach over 30 million customers. With a name like Karizma you already know this is going to be an unforgettable episode!

Tocarra specializes in showing you how to multiply sales through social media, SEO and digital marketing campaigns - to bring in more revenue and create your dream lifestyle.

We took pages of notes, but distilled our takeaways down to these 6 things:

1. Don’t forget to grab your Facebook Pixel
2. Compete against yourself
3. It might a good idea to go omnichannel (multiple platforms) 
4. Make sure you are making data driven decisions
5. Do a full audit of your website before starting Facebook ads
6. When you are starting your ads split testing is gold

To connect with Toccara check her out on:

Instagram + www.toccarakarizma.com

Please head to Apple Podcast and leave a review

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

Want an entire album of stock images at your fingertips!? Snag over 700+ professionally styled and photographed images right now! Click HERE to purchase!

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!) 

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

February…The month of LOVE (insert heart emoji). But it’s not just a time for us to show our love for family and friends, it’s a great time to show your customers and clients the LOVE as well.

If you’re going to be amping up your social media strategy it’s important to have a plan in place. When you take some time to do it right you should see a spike in sales.

Here are 4 ways to increase sales over Valentine’s Day:

1. Run a special promotion for your best products or services. The ones that are tried and true because these are the offers your customers/clients are going to take advantage of.

1. Consider doing a collaboration which can extend your reach to potential new customers/clients. Check out the previous episode which was all about collaborations.

1. Don’t forget about your hashtag strategy since this is another way to extend your reach. But make sure to watch out for banned hashtags. Do hashtag research before posting.

1. Consider boosting or paying for ads

Bonus Tip! Be in love with your clients. Spread the love by sharing their promos and content. A strong community supports one another.

To help us spread the love, please share this episode and tag @thesocial.focus.

Want an entire album of stock images at your fingertips!? Snag over 700+ professionally styled and photographed images right now! Click HERE to purchase!

Please head to Apple Podcast and leave a review

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!) 

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

With the addition of Instagram post collaborations, collaborating with another like minded business owner is definitely a strategy you should consider for 2022. Especially if you haven’t given it a try already.

Some of the benefits of collaborating are: The opportunity to reach new audiences, boost engagement, and a potential increase in sales or bookings.

But before you start DMing anyone and everyone about partnering up, here are 5 things to put into place before you get the wheels rolling:

1. When creating a list of who you want to collaborate with, ask yourself these important questions: Do your values align with the other person and their business? Do you have similar audiences? Do you both have great engagement in your community?

1. Set clear and realistic goals/objectives

1. Decide on how you will collaborate. Will it be a give away, connecting content together, an educational IG LIVE, or a sale or promo?

1. Set tasks, deadlines and responsibilities for each of you so you are on the same page. These questions will help get you started: How often will you post? Where will you post? What type of content? When will the collaboration start and end?

1. Measure the results and do a debrief. Reviewing the goals you set at the beginning of the collaboration and then reviewing the results will show you what worked, what could have been done differently, and what you ended up getting from the collaboration. This will benefit you greatly for your next one.

Happy Instagram collaborating!

Send us a DM and let us know who you’re partnering up with.

Want an entire album of stock images at your fingertips!? Snag over 700+ professionally styled and photographed images right now! Click HERE to purchase!

Please head to Apple Podcast and leave a review

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!) 

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

Ang is solo on the mic this week and is getting real when it comes to talking about your rates. Does this make you feel uncomfortable? GOOD!

What better time to have this conversation than to kick off 2022.

Firstly, when was the last time your increased your pricing? Do you have any angst when it comes to making adjustments? Are you not sure if you should? That is what Ang dives into and she's sharing three signs it is time to increase your rates (with confidence)!


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Please head to Apple Podcast and leave a review

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!) 

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

Does selling make you cringe? Make your palms sweat? How do you feel when you hear the 

word “no” after the first conversation with a potential customer?

Today, we’re chatting with Laura Skjelmose - outdoors enthusiast, work at home mom + wife, and lover of all things natural. She is a born problem solver who loves helping others, specifically with... sales! 

Laura believes in creating meaningful connections and providing value through every step of the sales process. One way she recommends fostering these relationships is through your 

Instagram DMs. Specifically using a voice note, or even more personal, a video to create a better connection. 

We chat about how powerful DMs can be when you take the time to personalize your message. Taking the time to check out their feed and pull out one thing to use as a conversation starter will go a long way. This makes the exchange about them, not about you.

“Talk about them, not you” led into the heart of the conversation: The “ABCs” or ALWAYS BE 

CURIOUS. This applies to your interactions with new followers on Instagram in terms of asking them questions. Get curious about who they are, what they’re passionate about, and what products or services they sell. Showing your interest in them builds a report which makes selling more natural.

And take your curiosity a step further. Once you’re in the sales conversation you may hear “no” or “not now”. This is where you need to flex your curiosity muscle. When someone tells you now is not the right time, go the next step and ask permission to find out when would be a good time. This helps you pinpoint potential changes you can make to the timing of your offer while continuing to nurture therelationship. 

If you want to feel more confident in selling your product or service, while creating meaningful relationships, this episode is for you! Laura is also offering a discount for all listeners who send her a DM on Instagram. Her next Sell More, Make More workshop is going live in January., 2022.

To connect with Laura check her out on:

Instagram

+ 

www.lauraskjelmose.com

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW!

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Today we are chatting all things goals because: 

“A dream without a goal is a wish. A goal without a plan is just a dream.” - Unknown

And we want big things for you in the New Year. But we know setting goals can sometimes feel like another task added to your long list of things to do. Or that you need to have them perfectly thought out, they all need to be big, and perfectly written out in your journal or posted on your wall.

Goal setting is for you and you alone. No one else can set them or want them more than you. Otherwise, they are not your goals and you will feel no connection to them.

We love setting goals because without them we can’t monitor progress or hold ourselves accountable to what we say we want to do. Goals give us something tangible to show if we are growing and fulfilling our purpose.

So, our bit of advice: Take action. Even if it’s imperfect action.

And following these 4 simple steps are a great way to get going:

1. Determine what you want your new goals to be
2. Be specific with your goals
3. Commit and be accountable to yourself
4. Celebrate the wins

We’ll be cheering you on!

Want an entire album of stock images at your fingertips!? Snag over 700+ professionally styled and photographed images right now! Click HERE to purchase!

Please head to Apple Podcast and leave a review

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!) 

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

We're taking ten month of December off! But figured we' share some of our favourite interviews from this past year again!! We hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to leave your rating and review for a chance to win FIVE MONTH'S ACCESS to our online course and community, Instagram for Business!

Leave your review here for a chance to win!

Wait, what?  🤔 We’re talking about Pinterest today? You got that right! We know we know, we’re Instagram for Business, but we came across the lovely Emily Parsons from @letsgetsocialagency and we knew we wanted to talk to the expert! 

To start, Pinterest is not the same platform you may be used to… what do we mean by that? Well, Pinterest isn’t just the place to find that amazing key lime pie recipe or home decor inspo. 

If you’re a business owner that sells products and or digital offerings, Pinterest, in addition to Instagram, is the place to be!

Emily is the Founder and CEO of Let’s Get Social Agency. She and her business partner, Bri are passionate about helping e-commerce businesses scale with paid and organic Pinterest Marketing. We are thrilled to share this interview with you because we truly felt like the students in this episode. 

Here are a few things we dive into with Emily:

What is the starting point for a businesses getting started with Pinterest?

Is Pinterest a platform for all businesses?

Is there a connection point between Pinterest and Instagram? Do they help grow each others following on each platform? If yes, how?

How can we utilize Pinterest with a strategy?

What are your Top 3 Tips that most people don’t know about to use Pinterest to grow your business?

We have to say, Emily delivered! Some of the biggest takeaways we found were:

Pinterest is not a social platform. It is a search engine.

Creating fresh unique content to share will serve you better in your business rather than pinning others inspirational content.

There’s such a thing as Pinterest Mindset - you’re either in the “I want to be inspired mode” or when your business hat is on, you should be in the “how can I inspire others?” mode. 

Consistency is key. And lastly, Pinterest is a SHOPPING platform. Say. No. More. 

** Please note that this is a replay episode. No offers mentioned are currently available.

To connect with Emily, check out @letsgetsocialagency on Instagram or online at www.letsgetsocialagency.com 

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto 

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

(the online course and community where you learn to scroll less and sell more!)

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

We're taking ten month of December off! But figured we' share some of our favourite interviews from this past year again!! We hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to leave your rating and review for a chance to win FIVE MONTH'S ACCESS to our online course and community, Instagram for Business!

Leave your review here for a chance to win!

It's the holiday season and we wanted to share a gift to all of our incredible listeners. Today's episode, we welcome back Natalie Scott, The Heart Inspired Entrepreneur. And she shared her wisdom and inspiration to lead a more heart inspired life and just before the 15 minute mark - she has a treat for all of us. Her Inspired Door Visualization.

Natalie is an inspirational Business & Life Coach, Speaker and Entrepreneur who is empowering women to find balance between abundant success and fulfillment. Through her latest subscription, The Heart Inspired Lifestyle, a uniquely illuminating digital bundle of luxuriously inspired things that she loves; she delivers inspiration, empowerment and a few of her 'favourite things' to members monthly.

Of the many inclusions in her monthly subscription, there is often a visualization. Natalie gifted us with a sample of the guided visualization and we hope that you tune in (especially overt holidays) when you feel you need a little refresh and a spark.

Before we are treated with the visualization, we ask Natalie to explain to us what Heart Inspired Living is all about and how can we implement more of it into our lives?

As an active user on Instagram, Natalie shares which features are her favourite not only to inspire and empower women but also as a business tool to authentically reach and connect to her ideal audience. And spoiler alert - it is one of the easiest Instagram features to use and you can start implementing these strategies right away!

Lastly, if her guided visualization wasn't enough of a gift, she also shares her best practices for self-care. In her three steps, she explains that implementing three levels of self-care practice into your life can have massive benefits and reward. And it's not just hot bubble baths (although Ang will tend to differ).

For more information on living and leading a Heart Inspired Life, follow Natalie Scott, The Heart Inspired Entrepreneur on Instagram @theheartinspiredentrepreneur or to Jon her monthly subscription to The Heart Inspired Lifestyle, click HERE.

Have a question for us? Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus @angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto and send us a DM! 

On Pinterest we are: 

@thesocialfocus2020 

www.thesocialfocus.co 

We're taking ten month of December off! But figured we' share some of our favourite interviews from this past year again!! We hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to leave your rating and review for a chance to win FIVE MONTH'S ACCESS to our online course and community, Instagram for Business!

Leave your review here for a chance to win!


We are thrilled to introduce you to Jordan Gill, head Honcho of Systems Saved Me, and creator of Done in a Day ™ and your new (very organized) new best friend.

Over the past four years she has built a multi-six figure business helping doers, service providers and CEOs (just like you) get clear and organized in their business to scale their income, take back their time, and create the services, sales, and lives they want. 

We start chatting about VIP DAYS. What is a VIP Day? It’s a four-figure offering that last anywhere from three to eight hours that lead a client through a transformation. It is not a strategy session. Not a Q&A. And not a “pink my brain” kind of session. This is all about transformation. Jordan shares what this looks like and the value in hosting a VIP Day for your clients and audience.

Of course, Jordan offers her VIP Days and offers this opportunity to her audience. So how does one “pitch” an offering? Jordan offers some great advice to help you craft a great pitch that connects and resonates with the ideal customer. Hint? It’s about getting the vibe of that person. It helps with connection and understanding. 

What often comes after you pitch? Well, rejection and or opposition. And Jordan was right on the mark as she mentions her strategy that she keeps an objection response handy to take the reins to any objections when speaking with potential customers. 

To connect with Jordan Gill:

On Instagram @systemssavedme

Online https://www.systemssavedme.com

For details on our membership course and community, Instagram for Business, click below:

JOIN INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS NOW! 

Check us out on Instagram @thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon and @natcaronphoto and send us a DM! 

We love and use Buzzsprout to host Instagram for Business Podcast and they have made it easy and seamless (plus their customer service is by far one of the best!)

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

We're taking ten month of December off! But figured we' share some of our favourite interviews from this past year again!! We hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to leave your rating and review for a chance to win FIVE MONTH'S ACCESS to our online course and community, Instagram for Business!

Leave your review here for a chance to win!


Located close to the shores of Georgian Bay, Ontario Canada,: Backwood Design Co. is a female owned and run business that specializes in handcrafting unique, live edge furniture and epoxy art charcuterie boards from salvaged, local wood. Self-taught woodworker, epoxy artist and business owner, Lindsay Russell sits down with Nat and Ang to chat about how she has utilized the power of Instagram to grow her following, create unique collaborations and as the number one tool to sell her handmade products. 

Instagram for Business. Ang asks if Lindsay intentionally started her Instagram account to sell her products or if that organically transpired. Lindsay notes that 3/4 of her sales come directly from Instagram. Her Instagram account was created in response to her audience and fans asking if she were on the platform. 

Instagram Growth. Having just reached 15k on Instagram, Nat asks Lindsay about her tips for growing on Instagram? She candidly mentions that she is still learning on Instagram and through trial and error and testing new techniques has been helpful to find what works best for her business. But her top techniques that have helped her grow can be related to collaborations, giveaways and consistency. 

Collaboration through Instagram. Lindsay shares her collaboration strategy and it’s twofold. One strategy she shares is she sends free or discounted products to certain accounts that they can utilize in their own Instagram photography. Before this was an informal process but she has since implemented a mutually beneficial agreement. Some of her collaborations include work with @chefdevan and @chefsomm  Her other type of collaboration is with other makers which has created opportunities to co-create art together. 

Instagram Success Story. Lindsay shares one of her recent successes on Instagram where one of her charcuterie boards was shared by Canadian businesswoman, investor, author, television personality and self-made millionaire, Arlene Dickinson. And recently had her boards featured on HGTV’s, Scott Mcgillivray’s  Vacation House Rules.

It’s not your audiences job to find you. It’s your job to find your audience. 

Instagram Features. Lindsay shares that of all of the tools and features on Instagram, she really enjoys utilizing Instagram Stories. She previews her upcoming pieces as well as behind the scenes.

Instagram Hashtags. Lindsay uses different groups of hashtags and keeps them relevant to what she is posted. Part of her strategy is segmenting hashtags by the numbers. 75% of the hashtags she uses could have less than 10K posts. And another percentage allocated to hashtags used 25K-50k, etc. Tune in at 28:00 for her detailed breakdown. A lot of her strategy is trial and error. 

Connect with Lindsay at Backwood Design Co.

https://www.backwooddesignco.com 

On Instagram @backwooddesignco

www.thesocialfocus.co
On Instagram we are:
@angela.s.doyon