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Everything You Need to Know About the Instagram Shadowban

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If you are reading this article then you’ve probably heard of the next big Instagram plague— far worse than the non chronological feed debacle and a thousand times worse than the infamous Instagram purge of 2014. The shadow ban. It’s here and it will seriously wreck your precious Instagram account. Whether you’ve been affected or not, read on to discover what causes it, how you can avoid it, and how you can un-shadowban your account.

What is an Instagram Shadowban?

The Instagram shadowban is when your hashtags become unsearchable, undiscoverable, and for all intents and purposes, invisible to anyone outside of your current followers.

You can still use hashtags and from your perspective everything seems dandy. When you click through your tags, your photos pop up where they should. Although, when a stranger searches for a hashtag that’s linked to your photo, like #pnw for example, your post will be totally missing on the gallery page, while other people’s photos are still displayed.

This hashtag specific ban means you will have a difficult time gaining a following, especially if you are a smaller account. Reversely, if you have painstakingly built a fantastic profile with a large fanbase, that account might become stagnant.

How do I know if I’ve been shadow banned?

Believe it or not, some people’s accounts have been banned for months and they are just noticing. Other users notice almost immediately. The primary sign is that you’ll see a drastic drop in engagement, and upon more investigation you’ll realize that virtually all of your likes and comments are coming from your current followers.

If you’ve noticed this downward trend, then you can conduct a hashtag test. You simply put up a new post and tag your photo with an underused hashtag that doesn’t get many updates. Then while you are still on your own account, click through to the hashtag gallery and look at precisely where your photo is located.

Then log onto another account that doesn’t follow/ interact with your profile. If your hashtag pops up, congrats, your account is in the clear. Sleep easy. But if the photo doesn’t show up where it should, you might be shadowbanned.

Update: Now you can use this shadowban checker.

Why did my account get shadow banned?

So you might be asking, why? Why me? I’m not a robot, I don’t use any third party apps, I don’t post nudes —I’m a maternity photographer for goodness sake!

Instagram hasn’t acknowledged this shadowban, let alone stated what actions will land you in time out. After exhaustive research, here is what might be causing your shadowban:

#1 You are using a broken or banned hashtag

We all know that certain tags like #booty is banned. Yet, sometimes perfectly innocent hashtags get overrun with so much spam and nudity that Instagram decides to nix the entire hashtag rather than sort through the rubbish. For example, #Newyears, #Instagirl, #eggplant and even #kansas are banned tags. Also, if you incorporate one banned hashtag into your post, it can essentially poison your entire set and render you invisible on all other legit hashtag galleries.

#2 You are using the same hashtags over and over again

Do you use the same set of 30 hashtags every time you post? Do you only switch up the last tag or two? Well, that might look a little spammy, as Instagram flags any repeat comments (or captions) you post.

#3 You’ve gone on liking sprees and mass following/ unfollowing

Instagram has a limit on how many actions you can make in an hour and if you go on a spree, IG will eventually block that action and say that you can’t use that feature for a while. But even if you don’t go over the limit, Instagram might recognize these surges of engagement as an Instagram bot on a liking rampage.

#4 Other users have reported you

Anyone you interact with can report your actions to Instagram HQ, and this is the one area of IG customer service where they act swiftly. So if you have been spamming, following/unfollowing rapidly, posting nude photos, stealing photos, or posting weird comments— some people might report your inappropriate behaviour, and you could be shadow banned instead of having your account outright deleted. Also, if you have been using the following/ unfollowing method you might be following/ unfollowing the same person a bunch of times, so much that they notice and report you.

#5 Using any kind of instagram automation software

This goes without saying but any service that claims to boost your account or perform any actions on Instagram on your behalf might be sabotaging you. In simple terms, anything automated is directly against Instagram’s terms of service. But maybe you have the automation set to slow speed, to mimic human actions on IG? Well, Instagram will find out anyways, because one minute your automation service is liking photos from an IP address in Washington then a few minutes later you comment on some posts from an IP address in New York. The algorithm will immediately recognize all of that as shifty behavior.

Is this a glitch or is Instagram doing it on purpose?

Instagram has released a statement vaguely addressing the invisible hashtag issue…

Screen Shot 2017-04-13 at 7.37.41 PM

As you would guess, not many people are happy with this answer (and that’s putting it lightly).

The gist is that you should simply not lean on hashtags for growth and instead focus on other avenues, like creating good content and reaching out to potential followers. But hashtags are the main discovery mechanism on Instagram and growing your account without them is like going back to dial up internet.

Additionally, from what we’ve researched no one has personally heard back from Instagram if they reported this issue on the app. So for now, we are in the dark and at the mercy of the Instagram gods. But there are three valid theories which will help you make sense of the hysteria.

#1 Since this summer, Instagram has been changing their algorithms. Why? To crack down on automation services and Instagram bots. So one possibility is that the system is a little overzealous and is incorrectly punishing regular accounts. If this is true, the problem will be remedied when Instagram “gets the resources” and makes their algorithm smart enough to differentiate between bots and normal users, like yourself.

#2 Some people suspect that not enough business users are paying for ads on Instagram, especially considering Facebook’s acquisition of IG. So this could be the beginning of a pay-to-play system that has already been implemented on Facebook for businesses. Where your engagement is lowered automatically by the algorithm and you have run some ads to bring engagement back up.

#3 Many people suspect Instagram is deflecting from the issue, and will just continue to silence various accounts that appear spammy or don’t “behave well” via IG’s mostly unwritten engagement rules. Never communicating with the accounts as to not cause alarm. Scaring people straight with the constant threat of a shadow ban seems like an effective way to punish users who use get-followers-quick tactics.

How can I get my account back to normal?

We know, it sounds hopeless. Instagram’s customer support is notoriously silent in these sort of situations. But here’s what some other users have done to get the hashtag rights reinstated:

#1 Immediately stop suspicious activity

That means no more sprees of any kind. Make sure to do everything in even measure. What seems safe is to engage for a few minutes (5-10) every hour, like a few photos, post a unique comment specific to the post or photo, follow a new user, and like another photo in that order essentially. Don’t move too fast and don’t perform too many actions in a row or excessively.

#2 Revoke API permissions

Remember that one time you signed up for a follower tracker app and gave them your login info? Well, that could be the sole reason you are banned. So log onto your account and make sure that no other applications have access to your account. Additionally, if you have dabbled in any automation services in the past, they won’t show up on this authorized permissions page, because automation programs don’t use Instagram’s API in that way. If you can’t remember what service you used, or you are roped into some godforsaken annual plan, you’ll have to change your password to cut off the automation service.

#3 Switch from a business account to a personal account

It is possible that Instagram is trying to coax you into using ads. Businesses rely on engagement to increase sales, so decreasing reach could definitely force people to use sponsored posts. Reverting back to a personal account might be a way around this.

#4 Take a sabbatical

Take a few days off. Sign off and don’t log back in. No liking, no posts, and no following. Then when you get back on, ease back in slowly, and engage like you are being watched (because you probably are).

#5 Avoid growth hacks and engagement groups

Using 60 hashtags in your comment and caption? Following and unfollowing people by tracking them with a tracker app? Joined up with an engagement group that promises to like each other’s photos at a certain hour, in a certain way? Stop. It. All. These hacks may work for a brief second but if you get shadow banned then it’s all kind of pointless right?

#6 Delete questionable content

If you have posted anything that might be deemed questionable (this applies for hashtags too) go ahead and delete it. Getting rid of banned or reported clutter on your page might do the trick.
In the end, what matters is that you avoid anything spammy or questionable. If you follow these rules and recommendations there’s a good chance you can get your account back to normal. Have any of you been banned? Have any of these solutions helped? Anything that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

How To Build A Tribe Of 11,000 Fans In One Year

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5 Ways To Grow Your Community Fast! THIS is how you book clients, make sales, increase your profits and get everyone talking about you – by building a fast-growing and devoted community of followers.

This is how I grew a passionate following in the space of just 12 months, working only four hours per day. If you know you need to grow your following in order to increase your sales, visibility, and confidence- this is how!

* * * * *

She dreamed of tutus and the lights.

Elegance, breeze, focus, dedication; each muscle trained in readiness

On to the stage; she knew she was born for this; her heartbeat told her so. She led the dancers behind her into a burst of movement and light fused with the sweetness and grace of childhood.

It was not the fame, adoration or beauty she adored. It was leading the others. Her heart was full, leading them into the spotlight.

When you’re called to lead, you’re called to share. To stand up, stand out, and share with them what you know so they get to stand in their very own light and greatness.

You’re called to equip other leaders.

This is what some people – particularly in the online / marketing / coaching space forget- and why building a community full of people who will literally walk over hot coals a la Tony Robbins sometimes seems so difficult or slow.

You forget that this is about them. 

We become so consumed in ourselves, in our greatness, in our enlightenment and coachability and our quest for money / fame / service- so caught up in the business of DOING- we forget who we are called to be. 

If you provide a service-based business, online marketing, are a coach, mentor, teacher in any capacity – whether through a single digital product or workshops or whatever that looks like for you-

You have chosen to be a leader.

You are chosen and called for leadership.

And the only way to find your wildly passionate and devoted tribe is to understand this isn’t about you.

It’s about them.

It’s not about how great your work is, how revolutionary you are, how much you’ve earned;

It’s about how much of those PROCESSES you can SHARE with others; to be able to empower them into stepping into their OWN greatness.

I recently read how all great teachers must desire students and clients whose achievements outshine their own; because who does that ultimately reflect upon?

When you lead others into greatness, it is inevitable people will knock at the door of the source of that greatness, wanting some of that magic.

But still we refuse to step fully into supporting the triumphs of others-

when did you last share a clients achievements or win? When did you last say a public thank you to YOUR teachers, mentors, coach?

Jealously and scarcity mindsets prevent us from doing so to the full. That belief we have to keep on DOING in order to stand out and make it, instead of BEING the leader!

True leaders uphold and celebrate others; those who they lead, and those who they follow.

My business was mentioned over on Creative Live by April Bowles of Blacksburg Belle, which immediately got me hundreds of views, subscribers, and direct signups to my programs; because I am an avid follower and supporter of April.

She is a brilliant example of a great leader- she shares the work of her loyal and true supporters without acting through fear she ‘might lose clients’, which could very well be a reality as we are in similar spaces and teach similar principles.

But true leaders are so confident in their abundance mindset AND in their own unique skills and voice, they know nobody else COULD ever be a ‘threat’.  Those who are meant to find you and work with you, will.

When people see you sharing and upholding the work of others you start to stand out as a leader who is supportive, gracious, brilliant and unforgettable. I will never forget April’s support at a time when my business was an embryo; and those who found me won’t forget how they did so.

And now my following has grown, it’s inevitable some of you reading this will go and check her out.

Do you see how this works??

The universe is reciprocal.

True leaders remember what they are here for – and who they are here for.

2. I invested a LOT into facebook ads. 

In my first year of my then-new business, I spent $1500 per month on my facebook ads manager alone.

At the time, when my Shining Lights program had just 67 members paying $27 per month, this was a heart-stopping amount each month.

But the thing is, this guy was so good I knew I couldn’t lose him! (He also ran campaigns for Amy Porterfield AND Todd Hermann and for some unfathomable reason – I think he probably felt sorry for me in all honesty!- he decided to take ME on as a client too) I had COMPLETE trust in his ability to get me in front of the people who needed to see me.

At the start, I wasn’t really sure how I would find the money to pay for him.

Except every month, because of his spot-on strategy and advice, I did find the money.

And my community grew and grew and grew.

It wasn’t easy. I had to do things I would normally run a mile from and he really stretched and challenged me; I ran webinars, created new programs, changed my pricing, and also did a whole load of things he advised me not to do! (Hmm. You live and learn and maybe I’ll share those in another post).

But the result of this was that my list grew FAST. I’ll also go more into my ads strategies in another post, but the bottom line is if you want to get noticed by the people who need to see you?

You’ve got to find a way to get in front of them fast, and if there is an associated cost you need to be prepared to invest. 

You won’t get to find your tribe if nobody knows who you are, plain and simple.

You can wait for your content to go viral, you can create a ton of content, you can have a killer publicity strategy- there are lots of opportunities for exposure-

But this got me in front of my clients FAST, with the help of another true leader.

If you don’t want to wait, and have the guts to stomach a big investment with the trade off being you still get to keep your time (doing my own facebook ads would have sucked the life out of me AND my business) then ads could work for you too.

3. Scrap your target client profile

When I first started out I consumed the info I was given on creating your target client profile. In fact, I even created trainings of my own on it and felt I had a brilliant insight into how to identify and attract your target client. The strategy I used WORKED- but only to a point.

It’s a brilliant place to start if you are relatively new in business or just starting to blog / write, but if you want to step up as a leader?

Throw the target client profile in the bin.

Write for yourself and your tribe.

You’re called to collaborate with and lead a whole LOAD of people who need to hear your message, not just one; and the quickest way to grow your tribe is to give them what they need to hear in a way that is your own-

Which is why you need to write for yourself and know your MESSAGE- who you are and WHY you are called to lead in the first place.

When I wrote my first ebook it was designed for a community, not one person. It was designed to help beginners learn a particular skill and craft (film photography) that I knew I had. It was simply me showing up and sharing the answers to the questions I had when first starting out with film cameras.

I wrote what I would have needed and wanted to read.

Think about all of the questions you had a year ago or even six months ago- the answers you now have and the variety of ways in which you found them.

Those aspiring leaders and visionaries – your tribe- are probably right now seeking the same information and answers and advice – from you. 

Write for yourself, from your heart and experience, for your community- not a single person or ‘type’.

4. Share Everything You Know

Here’s something I don’t agree with that’s pretty popular with online marketers right now.

‘Don’t give away your best work / content / information for free’. 

In fact I passionately DISAGREE with that terrible piece of advice.

Mainly because even if you wanted to, it’s impossible to give away EVERYTHING you know, unless you plan on stunting your own personal growth for the next five years and so think you’ll have nothing new to say.

Reality; you are always growing and if you want to lead a tribe on fire for what you do, growing and learning and stretching your own ability and knowledge IS the work!

True leaders never stop aspiring to greatness.

The truth is your tribe aren’t stupid- they will KNOW free information will rarely ever be as transformational as receiving support, leadership, guidance and hands-on-personalised-help from you in a program or a 1:1 capacity.

But they only way they will ever know if what you offer is truly of value is if you SHOW them, not tell them!

You can describe your glitzy program or ground-breaking service all you want, but if you don’t first SHOW your clients, how will they ever really understand its true value?

Withholding information purely based on the fears you will run out of things to say! or that your client won’t ‘pay for it’ if they ‘get it all for free means you’re approaching your business from a place of lack and scarcity.

The posts where I have shared my in-depth strategies and content have been by far the most popular which is why I’m writing more of them!

And from a time-rich lifestyle perspective- there is no easier way to grow your community- how could there be anything easier than simply sharing what you know? Of course, you could also try this via a ton of Strategy Calls in which you attempt to persuade people of your value and knowledge, but isn’t this way so much easier- and perhaps also, unless you’re one of those people who LOVE ‘strategy calls’ – WAY more fun?

Ditch the secrecy, trust you have limitless knowledge, share freely. 

5. Share YOU.

You know that lifestyle you have? Those qualities about you that you think are ordinary? The things you buy, discover, devour, learn?

They’re all INTERESTING.

The things we take for granted are the things your tribe will LOVE possibly because it’s ASPIRATIONAL and definitely because it’s interesting.

People are interested in people, which is why strange 80’s tv programs like Through The Keyhole were a hit.
Every time I ask my community over in Shining Lights for questions for the QA calls I ALWAYS get asked either about my daily routine OR about how I manage everything.

To me those things are so NORMAL I barely ever mention them!

It’s YOU that your tribe want. Every part of you.

This isn’t licence for bleeding your heart over your page or every ounce of your thought process and emotions (although you might, actually, and my tribe certainly know if I am frustrated or joyful or whatever it is I wish to share).

It does mean letting them see your real + true existence, without a filter, without shame or fear.

I’ve written about every subject from my fears surrounding my breech baby to my joy at finding our dream home- seemingly ‘irrelevent’ posts to ‘business’ and yet this IS my business because my tribe want to know about juggling multiple commitments and the REALITY behind running one successfully!

And again- these are some of the posts my clients remember and still mention to me.

As a species we are driven by human connection and as every great leader knows- to truly lead (and grow your beautiful tribe) you don’t stand on a pedestal. You get down and share the joy with the crowd.

Give them beautiful, shining, you.

FINALLY –

It’s kind of obvious that to increase your profits you’ve got to grow your list, fans and tribe.

But to be a TRUE leader here comes the BORING part probably nobody wants to read or hear but I’m going to tell you anyway because, well, somebody has to and I’ve had too many coffees this morning and my fingers are on fire so why not, might as well keep going –

To be a TRUE leader requires first that we HUMBLE ourselves.

To accept that we are never fully formed and that there is ALWAYS more to learn.

When we accept that we release ourselves from the pressure of having to be this perfect, flawless leader which is one of the reasons women DON’T step into leadership (and when they do, they often suffer untold stress); the pressure to perform, flawlessly-

As I led the other dancers out on to the stage one starry evening, I stumbled. For a second my cheeks flamed and I wanted to run off stage- but I recovered my footing and carried on, shaken but doing it anyway. And for a split second I turned, possibly to see if anyone was laughing or shocked at my ‘failure’ but instead, all I saw was them absorbed in their own dance; standing in their own spotlight.

And that’s how to quickly grow your tribe with ease-

Remembering this is ultimately about them, not you-

And that is also how you step into leadership and greatness in your field.

Hate Selling? Do These 7 Things Instead Plus Free Checklist!

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As I promised in my last email, today I’m sharing with you 7 of the ways I ‘sell’ in my business- without feeling gross, like I’m forcing people into buying, or like I’m selling my soul.

1. Stop selling, stop talking.  Listen instead and ask questions- it’s literally that simple.

WHY IT WORKS; People like to feel connected to you in order to buy from you. Especially if you’re creating an ‘expensive’ service like photography. The easiest way to foster that connection?

LISTEN. That’s it. A clever psychological trick, for some unremembered reason why, it works for me every time.

You simply listen to what your client is saying when discussing their requirements, instead of trying to ‘sell’. The best thing is, there is nothing easier than that.

2. Be Presumptive.

I have ALWAYS ended any kind of conversation or interview by assuming I’ve got what I wanted. So I simply ask – great! when would you like to book in for? or great, when would you like to get started?

WHY IT WORKS; it shows confidence, control, and leadership ie, it communicates to your clients it’s already a done deal and that you’re so confident in what you do, why would they look anywhere else? It takes confidence to do this, but look at it this way – what do you have to lose?

You aren’t going to lose the client by assuming you have the booking, as if they want to book you they will go ahead and tell you the answer you want, and if it’s a ‘we will let you know’ that opens the door to a follow up email from you if you don’t hear back (usually, you will).

3. Stop talking – this time about your prices. You don’t need to explain them, why they are priced as they are, or anything else.  In fact don’t even mention the price until asked- and when you’re asked, simply state the price and that’s it. Nothing more needs to be added.

WHY IT WORKS; apparently women use 7 more words to explain something than men do- and one of the things we often explain or WORSE! try to apologise for! is our pricing. But by explaining it you actually give your clients reason to question the price- why do you need to explain it? You don’t see a pair of Jimmy Choos priced with an explanation next to it as to why they cost that much, or a VW camper, or a bag of coffee beans, or anything really. Because to those buying them, they’re worth it. So are you, and you don’t need to explain further.

4. Use your email list. But don’t SELL. Build relationship first, always- this is where 99% of people go wrong when using their email list / newsletter as a marketing and sales tool.

If you for one second come across as only using your clients inbox as a pitching opportunity, you’ve lost your client and your opportunity.

Done right, and you’ll be able to literally send a single email and receive a ton of money in the bank as a result- which you do by running an offer or promotion, creating a product or an upsell, or running another type of launch or referral program, or new service.

5. Don’t discount. You devalue yourself by doing so. In fact, remove the word discount from your vocab.

You can of course, run OFFERS and PROMOTIONS instead- these are not the same as giving a discount.

I shot a wedding a few years ago at a massive discount to my usual rate- I gave in to a begging letter for a bride who seemed entirely lovely. More fool me when the bride turned out to be a complete NIGHTMARE.

WHY; when you run offers and promotions, YOU are in control. When you agree to a discount, you’re essentially agreeing to somebody else’s valuation of your work, and choosing your salary for you.

There is a big difference between the two. Stay in control of your business, and if you want to run a discount, you do it based on your control and your comfort- and never word it as ‘discount’. Offer is better.

6. Get someone else to sell on your behalf. Create a referral or affiliate program for anyone who refers and recommends you, not just clients; industry contacts, your network, even friends and family.

You need to approach this with care as you’ll want to think carefully about who can best represent your brand and business-

everyone advised me to put my books and courses on to clickbank for example, where affiliates will blog about and sell your products for you- but I refused as I genuinely care about my clients and want them to know that I am behind and care about my products, not give them to someone who only cares about making a quick buck online.

For that reason I run a 50% affiliate program for my Shining Lights members– I know that if they love the program they’ll be likely to refer it anyway, so I know these people are the ones I love working with – those who genuinely love what I do and will refer me – and everyone wins as they get a nice monthly payout just like I do.

Plus, it’s another income stream for my members and diverse income streams are key to success in a crowded industry!

What incentive scheme can you plan out and who can you invite? Who would care about and represent your work + brand?

WHY IT WORKS; there are no better salespeople than those who already love you and your work. Reward them kindly for the referrals they would most likely give you anyway.
7. Remember what you’re selling for. We tend not to focus on selling as creatives, because it seems to feel so money-orientated- yet the reason we need to sell is so we can continue to enjoy the LIFESTYLE we want, which ultimately means freedom to enjoy MORE creativity and joy.

But in planning our money goals and sales targets we forget and lose focus on our reason for doing this in the first place.

Remember WHO you create for, and the lifestyle you want, and the IMPACT you want to have and leave your clients with – I use a vision board to help remind me of this on a daily basis- to remind yourself of the bigger purpose.

WHY IT WORKS; This ultimately leads to increased confidence in being able to communicate what you do, which is ultimately what smart sales is all about anyway – offering help and solutions to those people who want what you’ve got.

Want more help? I’ve created this free checklist for you to download and print. It’s a checklist of daily sales activities you can do – ideally you’ll want to do all of them, but even if you can do just a few you’ll be taking steps to change your business profits and make more sales.

Print and pin it somewhere where you’ll see it and tick it off daily for increased motivation, focus, and to keep you accountable to your sales activity and business growth.

Download it here.

How To Use Facebook To Get Clients

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I know a lot of you love my motivational / confrontational style posts, and the reason I write so many of them is because I know, after working with hundreds of clients this year, that motivation and mindset is the BIGGEST thing preventing you from moving forward.

BUT you also have to have a little strategy know-how in place to actually go out there and make it happen. It’s mindset and motivation, ALWAYS, and then after that come the systems and strategies you need to support your goals.

So after the success of this post on the practical step-by-step to achieving your money goal, I decided that I would create more strategy-based posts for you.

Starting here with this I’m talking about something that SO MANY creatives seem to struggle with!

Social Media. Specifically… getting people to notice you on Facebook.

(side note; all of my strategy posts are best digested with a notebook and a coffee. You’ll want to take notes as this contains ACTIONABLE STRATEGY that you can go and implement right away. If you’re just going to skim read it, it probably won’t have much of an effect). 

How To Stand Out On Facebook

Social media and in particular, Facebook- can be pretty sucky if you’re using it for business.

First, you might not be entirely sure of the ‘rules’ of using it for business, so you post a mixture of your work blended with your holiday and kid updates.

Second, you get frustrated that your posts seem to have barely any reach. It seems almost impossible to get Facebook to work for you unless you pay for ads, which also don’t appear to work either.

Third, you kind of wish social media hadn’t been invented because it basically serves as a very easy way for you to disrupt and destroy any creative thoughts in your brain and instead turn it into some rapid processor of people’s meals, nights out, and verbal disorders instead.

Anyway, if you want to get noticed on Facebook- and I’m talking Facebook here because let’s face it, everyone is on Facebook- if you want to understand how to use it properly to actually grow your business rather than just gain the odd few likes and shares here and there, there are some things you should know.

How To Use Facebook To Grow Your Business 

It’s not enough to show off your latest work.

People get bored by this and see it as spammy and you trying to sell things, (unless you are already famous and then they will want more).

But you are trying to sell something! That’s the point of having a business page, right? Right. But it can’t be so OBVIOUS! Nobody likes to feel sold to. So stop using your page purely to sell what you do.

Remember the old storytelling rule, Show not Tell.

You want to get people interested in who you are as a person, because when they connect with WHO YOU ARE, they will naturally want to know more about WHAT YOU DO, because what you do is a part of who you are.

But again, and here comes the confusing part, you can’t just talk about yourself the whole time, because again that comes across as spammy.

Nobody likes the person who just talks about themselves.

So don’t. Instead, create dialogue with your readers. Even if nobody responds, it’s more interesting to read updates from a person / page who genuinely seems interested in YOU, rather than someone just spouting off into the facebook black hole along with everyone showcasing their holiday / friends / puppy / baby.

Ask questions. Be interested in your audience’s viewpoints and lives. And be GENUINELY interested.

If you’re not, you’ll come across as fake. I was recently pretty impressed with one of Gary Vaynerchuk’s facebook threads; he had hundreds of responses and every single one had a reply.

Admittedly these might have been completed by a VA / robot, but they sure sounded genuine. Either way he cared enough to make sure everyone at least felt they were being replied to, and that’s a big deal for someone with so many followers.

Can you do the same? Actually care about your audience EVEN IF they are NEVER going to turn into clients?

The point of your page isn’t to ‘get clients and bookings’, although most people seem to think that it is.

It needs to be about your MESSAGE – why you do what you do, why you care. What is it that you truly want to share with the world and what is the reason behind it?

That is what people resonate with. Genuine human stories, opinions, passions and emotions.

And when they resonate with your message, it’s only a short step away from them becoming clients and supporters of who you are and what you do.

And it needs to be about building RELATIONSHIPS. Often your social media is the place people first discover you. What do you want them to know about you, how do you want them to feel, when they first arrive on your page?

Do you want them to feel sold to, given a pitch? Overwhelmed, underwhelmed, not sure what to do next, bored? Obviously not. So give them what they need. Make them feel at home, familiar, comfortable, inspired, invigorated.

Share your processes
 
Your inspirations
 
Your reality
 
Share tips, and advice that are relevant for your audience
 
Share your favourites- books, Ted talks, blog posts; anything your audience will find useful and that you feel passionately about
 
DO share your work but only at most, 5% of posts
 
Share questions – encourage a dialogue even if nobody responds (tip; to get people respond, ask them to)
 
Share quotes
 
Share the work of others
 
And stop worrying about whether facebook will penalise you or not for sharing a link or sharing X or Y or Z.
 
On one day, Facebook won’t care whatsoever you’ve shared a link. The next day your post could practically get swallowed up in the black hole, depending on whether or not they’ve decided they do care that day and have changed their algorithm as a result.
 

When you’re using someone else’s platform, you’re subjected to their whims and mercies and these can change at any given time without warning.

(which is why it is essential you use your email list as the main form of communication with your clients, as you control your email; nobody can suddenly delete your page, remove you without warning, or change whether or not you get accepted into somebody’s inbox). 

So you can either constantly stay attuned to what’s going on at Facebook, or you could continue to create and share things that you give a damn about and not worry about whether or not one single post might not get ‘good reach’.

 Using Facebook is a strategy like any other business strategy, and strategies are for the LONG term. One single post that doesn’t get likes or hits or shares will NOT hurt your strategy in the long term, so don’t worry about it.
 

What you want to be most concerned with is creating content that is VALUABLE, interesting and meaningful.

 
When + How Often to Post On Facebook? 
 
Opinion is divided but currently the best time to post is a Sunday, which is brilliant for creatives as most other businesses taking up the online space are offline.
 
As for how often?  you need to be posting four times a day. Four! That’s a LOT.
 
Time saving tips –
 
Outsource some of your posts. Not all though, you don’t want people feel as though they’re hearing from a robot. But it is absolutely fine to use a post scheduler like Hootsuite, Buffer or Edgar.
 
I personally like Buffer as it enables me to see other peoples content that I can then share, and I like it makes it easy for me to follow and share others. It’s also pretty easy to use and has multi platform capabilities meaning you can share across all platforms.
 

Why your Facebook ad isn’t working. 

People are very quick to dismiss Facebook ads as not useful, and that’s probably because most people have never bothered to figure out how to use them properly.  When used properly, Facebook can be the biggest and fastest way to grow your business, get clients, grow your list, and generate profit.

Step One; You need to make sure you are using Power Editor, to target specific audiences. I mean super-specific, not just age / gender/ location.

Step Two; that you are promoting a free optin offer to get people signing up to your list,

Step Three; and THEN when they are on the list you continue to create a RELATIONSHIP with them – which then leads to sales.

Let’s get real here- you’re not very likely to generate direct sales straight from the ad itself. What you CAN generate instead is either create an event to sell from (such as a webinar)

OR, to get people on your list, which enables you to build a relationship with your clients so that they come to know like and trust you and THEN they buy from you!

So create a GOOD optin, which needs to be based on what your clients want to see.

Your optin should solve a specific problem your clients want help with.

To find out what your clients want help with, comb through questions in facebook groups where your target clients hang out. What questions pop up most often? What do clients seem to be struggling with? And how can you provide them with a quick and easy solution to that problem in the form of a PDF, audio, video, or photo response?

This forms the foundation of your optin.

Next, you create a good advert to run to your OPTIN PAGE (not just your website or page).

 A GOOD ad (an image of a face converts better than most other designs- people are programmed to respond to human faces from birth-  and make sure you follow facebook design rules or you’ll be editing and re-editing your ad for days) that links to your offer and a SPECIFIC LEAD PAGE NOT  just your general site or general page – a lead page only with no other option but to sign up or click out – will mean that your page Likes grow and grow, and not just that but your LIST grows and grows.
 

And right there in your list is an endless marketing and promotional opportunity (as long as you don’t abuse it).

 Use long descriptions (long form) to accompany your ad. Make your headline short and to the point – what will people achieve as a result of clicking through to your optin?
 

and then use a story to describe what they will receive and most importantly, why it matters. 

This is how you get people clicking through to your optin page. 

 Start your ad budget small, and increase it when you start to get results. To make sure you are getting the results you want, you need to monitor your campaigns on a daily basis.
 
You will need to try out different adverts, targeting different audiences, different budgets in order to figure out what works for you.
 

When you are paying for clicks to your optin page, your page will naturally gather Likes as a result, as people who want to click through will usually also want to then head on over and like your page.

THIS IS WHEN YOU THEN USE POST BOOSTERS!

When you already have an audience – no matter what the size is – of people who have chosen to like who you are and what you do and who have very clearly chosen to like you based on what you are already giving them.

If you boost a post to your page and your audience who have Liked you because you have asked them to, an audience that is filled with people who also do what you do, an audience of your friends / family / contacts, you will maybe get a load of likes as these people also support what you do but here is the key thing to remember –

 these people are not likely to convert into your clients.
 

Classic example – I see this happen with photographers a LOT! It’s definitely not exclusive to photographers and I see this in other groups too – people creating a ‘Like ladder’ and asking for Likes on one another’s page… but the reality is most photographers are not your main target client!!! So yes they might all Like your campaign or post… but they are not the audience you want to target!

UNLESS they of course are going to all share your incredible post and get it going viral, which they will only do if it is POWERFUL / PERSONAL or MOVES THEM EMOTIONALLY.

Generally, your most amazing piece of work will not get shared by competitors in your industry, though you will get likes and comments.

If you want people to BUY, you need to get them on your list, and then promote your offers to a page full of potential clients- (which is what you will get when you use the power editor feature to target a specific audience).

 So to summarise then!
 

Facebook is useful for getting clients on to your mailing list, for building relationships, for showing people who you are and for why what you do matters.

These things >>> WILL THEN result in sales and increased bookings.

If you’ve found this post useful, I would love it if you shared it over on … Facebook.

Love and Light

 
Charlie xo
 

If you want to know what to do with your clients once they are on your email list, how NOT to sell and yet still make sales; how to get to grips with growing your newsletter, creating irresistible content, and how to convert views into sales; you’ll want to check out an EPIC mega strategy training I’ve created.

Three quick and easy to action trainings followed by a big Q+A session will give you everything you need to know about how to get started + grow your list.

Want it? This is just a sprinkle of all of the trainings I’ve got planned for Shining Lights this year, the online program + community designed to get your creative business growing- fast. 

 

Discouraged or Flat? Read this.

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going under

There’s a horrible taste on the breeze at the moment.

I can’t quite define it, but it’s negative and dark and leaving broken fragments wherever it touches.

It came before the Paris attacks, but even stronger now.

Relationships around me right now are breaking, fragmenting. My own came quite close to losing something precious.

But more – others.

Messages in my inbox of despair. Help me.

Judgements made.

Self-righteousness.

Fear.

Death of feelings, emotions.

Confusion. Knowing which way to turn.

Knowing which way is right and wrong.

Things that once felt good, now feeling uncomfortable and like they no longer fit, glass slippers shattered.

Yet at the same time – this energy appears to have a double edge. Because all negativity has to come with positivity, right.

God, nature, universal law-

After darkness comes light.

and even in the darkness- beautiful breakthroughs.

Revelations.

Growth.

Understanding.

Change.

Hope within the heartache.

But what to do if right now –

You are experiencing the darkness.

Loss, lack, fear, hopelessness, sadness, grief, confusion, despair.

How do you move past that to focus on things that seem almost irrelevant.

‘Business’. ‘Clients’. ‘Dreams’.

How do you move towards these things, when all of a sudden your wings have been taken from you and you feel more like crawling than flying?

When society is breaking down, relationships are breaking down, business is failing, YOU- feel close or possibly are breaking down, you aren’t quite sure.

1- Decide where you want to be. I realised recently that some people  – despite on the outside appearing to be enlightened about so many things – life, wealth, society, creation, reflection- lacked something far more essential – real Love, compassion for others in their own quest for inner realisation.  When did we lose it? When did who we are become MORE important than what we do?

I know, concretely, that I want to sit on the side of the fence that doesn’t perpetuate negativity, claims it for it’s own purpose, concentrates on deletion and erosion. But instead I want to aim (even though I will always fall) to see light, growth, and LOVE – for others.

When you know where you want to be – how you truly want to live out your everyday reality – then you get to erase a little of the confusion about how you should feel or act. Once you start to erase the confusion, it’s like lifting a little of the cloud which hangs over everything you do / say / create / think.

Where do you want to be?

2- Forgive continuously. I experienced real hurt this weekend when someone I had been working with for the best part of a year suddenly deleted me from Facebook and stopped replying to my messages, literally within minutes. I invest my heart and soul into almost everyone I work with, to the best of my ability, and I am deeply invested in both their personal and professional journeys.

So I was truly gutted when this happened, not to mention confused. But because I had previously decided where I stand on the negativity swirling around right now, I chose instead to not focus on the hurt and instead chose to send love, light, and positive vibes to that person, and forgiveness. That’s not me being pious or holier or better than anyone else, it’s just how I chose to cope with it in a way that left me feeling positive, not sitting in a hole feeling sorry for myself.

but forgiveness is one of the hardest qualities to possess and to use, especially if you’re not quite ready to forgive. Let’s be clear – forgive, does not mean forget. It’s ok to NOT forget, but try to forgive, and I think so many of us think we have to expect others just to MOVE ON – when actually, hurt lingers- and that is ok.

3- Forget, just for a minute, the big dream. We so often beat ourselves up if we aren’t massively over achieving in EVERYTHING, we forget to celebrate the small wins properly, we forget that when things seem overwhelming that it is ok – just for a minute- to not focus on making a million dollars, or having a six fig business, on having a dream life, or living out a dream day.

When shiz really hits the fan, it can be hard to even put one foot in front of the other, let alone think about anything else.

So, do that then.

Because for that day at least, all you need to do and think about is putting one foot in front of the other. And that’s ok. If you’ve been knocked for six what’s the point in trying to reach for something that feels so utterly unbelievable right now all it does is leave you feeling even more overwhelmed and in despair?

If something doesn’t feel truly good or right to you- don’t do it! You don’t HAVE to continuously PUSH and challenge yourself. Sometimes you NEED to indulge and tell yourself that actually, it’s ok, just for now, to be where you are, and then take baby steps toward the next slightly better feeling emotion or action. And then the next, and the next, and the next, until you’re back on level ground and ready to fly again.

4. Have everything. But in contrast to the above. For those of you NOT going through MASSIVE negativity but perhaps just that unsettled feeling that comes along with seeing others around you breakdown, or going through hard times or just feeling slightly off balance –

Something that has been really frustrating me lately has been my health. Probably like every other Mother out there, I put EVERYTHING before my own needs when it comes to my health. My kids, my business, my marriage, my home, walking the dog – all comes before self-care.

Yep, some days I don’t even shower and my hair is the biggest fan of dry shampoo that you’ll ever meet.

I know, right.

Don’t mention the E-word. We live two minutes from an on-site beautiful luxury spa and gym and do I use it?

What do you think.

And so this growing frustration at having all of my life together APART FROM THAT MOST IMPORTANT OF THINGS – has led me to this realisation –

I didn’t believe I could have everything.

I don’t believe I can have EVERYTHING – killer business marriage kids parenting house AND my health too????

Holding myself back and LETTING instead, the feelings of frustration and resentment and that NEGATIVITY grow and fester and start to affect other things!

I can’t work in the afternoons because I’m too tired. I binge on caffeine because I need more energy. I hide myself in shapeless clothes and lose a ton of confidence in the meantime which then effects my marriage because I don’t feel super sexy. I torment myself with thoughts of cancer which runs in my family yet I do NOTHING other than eat organic to try to prevent it.

I know, right? Crazy.

When all I have to do is get my ass to the gym or at least out walking the poor dog, but yet I haven’t been able to do it because I don’t believe I DESERVE it all!

And this is the thing.

Happiness? which, by the way, is a productive emotion which we can USE in our business and life as a positive energising force which propels us forward, in the same way negativity holds us back and causes stagnation –

Happiness comes when we choose to have it.

I’ve chosen not to exercise because I didn’t believe it was possible to have EVERYTHING I ever wanted. Thank you, Media, for perpetuating the myth that only SUPERWOMEN can have it all, not just normal people like us. Like you have to be permanently exhausted / a bad parent / trying to always hold everything together / if you have it all.

And now I am choosing to believe that we can have everything we want. It’s what I preach after all, so now it’s time to put it into practice.

And so often then,

This negativity that is lingering around?

It sucks to realise you have invited it to come in, or to linger.

So what is your limiting belief right now that you are holding on to? Do you truly believe that you can have it all –

The relationships

The business

The abundance

The health

The happiness

The whatever else it is you desire

WITHOUT having to compromise somewhere else?

Do you really BELIEVE it is possible for you, or – just like me- do you believe that SOMETHING always has to be broken in order for something else to really WORK????

Like there HAS to be darkness, somehow?

And maybe there does.

But if you believe you can control and limit it

Then you get to choose how much it affects you, how much it affects your business, how you get to respond, and you effectively get to perform damage limitation on your own business + life.

At this time of year, when we are counting our blessings, that is today what I am thankful for – that despite the darkness, the quite frank STORMS of utter BS and helplessness raining around us right now, however bad it gets –

We always get to choose light, even if it’s just a crack to begin with.

———————————————————————————————————————-

Want more help in your creative business?

Shining Lights is DOUBLING in price in less than a week – AND all content from 2015 is being removed to make way for 2016 content. So you will only get access to the current resources – including the 48 Hour ebook book, Defeat Procrastination!, ALL of my Film Photography Revolution bundle, Vision Is Art mini course, not to mention all trainings on how to find and book your perfect clients, how to create multiple revenue streams for your business, perfect SEO bundle, how to create more hours in the day + LOADS more-

you will only be able to access this if you join before Dec 1st.

Join Shining Lights, here.

 

 

How To Use Being An Introvert To Grow Your Business

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How do you overcome being an introvert entrepreneur, especially when it comes to marketing your business?

After all, generally, the very nature of being in business as a photographer usually demands that you are present at social occasions, and not just present but absolutely LOVING it- because how can you NOT love something that is so intrinsically part of your business?

But… the only thing is… sometimes, there is just this voice, isn’t there?

This little voice that says/ screams from within that says ‘Hey… I’m not actually enjoying this AT ALL’.

And actually, being surrounded by people may or not be enjoyable for you, but it’s the little parts of business that sometimes make you sit and wonder whether you’re really cut out for this, right?

The marketing. The networking. The small-talk at shoots and at events. Even PHONE CALLS can cause a bit of panic mode to creep in (or in my case, a lot). Those face to face meetings. All of it, for the true introvert can equal STRESS CENTRAL and as for enjoyment? That would be somewhat of a BIG FAT OVERSTATEMENT.

Here is my not-so-secret-secret- I am a massive introvert. 

Nobody EVER believes me.

Why? Because I don’t come across as shy and quiet.

As if those are the only qualities that make up an introvert!

An introvert – is this you? – purely and simply, just doesn’t get their energy from being around people. As my husband likes to tell me ‘you just hate people’ which is entirely untrue, it just means I would absolutely one million per cent, rather stay in and read a book than go out and party with a room full of strangers. I would rather go to a restaurant than a bar, hen-dos of the traditional kind literally make me cringe, meeting new people makes me shake on the inside.

I know, right? LOSER!

And perhaps the saddest part of this is that I actually used to believe that about myself!

That because I hated going out, would rather stay in, and would rather wilt in the corner of a party than actually go and say hello to people, I actually felt like a big social loser. 

I’m not saying you feel like that at all, and I actually pray to God you don’t, as for so long I tried to fit myself into other people’s standards and ideals of fun and pleasure. (Now, I very happily embrace the fact I am a complete nerd and this website wouldn’t exist without it so… those university party-free nights obviously paid off somewhere).

But the point is- if you are an introvert, in business, you probably wonder from time to time how this is holding you back.

You know you should be marketing more. You wonder if you are saying or doing the right things at client meetings. Perhaps you wonder too much what people are thinking of you. You wonder if you really should be arranging meetings with the Influencers and cool people in your industry. Networking your ass off. Giving out your business card to people like you give out handshakes (not that I give out many of those either – STAY AWAY FROM ME GODDAMNIT I’M AN INTROVERT!!!!!!!)

You get what I mean.

IS your introversion holding back your business?!?!

And my answer might surprise you.

Because I am going to tell you this.

Yes, absolutely your introversion is holding back your business.

Because you are letting it. 

Ever heard that ‘thoughts become things?’ I think I first heard that in the movie The Secret (which I highly recommend as an introduction to the laws of attraction and how they work, by the way).

Well, I realised something after about a decade in business as a photographer who outwardly was doing great but who was dying a little death on the inside every time I had to rock up to a wedding or a shoot.

I realised that because my introversion had been such a focus of my attention for literally, YEARS- the comments about always being the student who stayed in, being a boring child with ‘her nose always stuck in a book’, and ‘why don’t you go outside and play like the other kids?’ (er, because I don’t find jumping 6ft off swings and smoking cool)?I had kind of started using it as part of my identity, without even realising it.

I was hiding behind it as an excuse not to run my business the way I wanted to run it- because I thought that if I did, I wouldn’t gain business. I thought I HAD to do things ‘ the done way’.

IS your introversion REALLY holding back your business? Only you know for certain, but one thing IS certain; it will do, if you focus on it.

And the more you focus on it, the more aware of it you are, and the more aware of it you are as a ‘negative trait’ reinforced by probably a lot of societal conditioning, (which you probably ARE feeling otherwise you wouldn’t be asking the question about whether it is holding you back) then the more you focus on it as something negative, and so, like predictability itself, it then BECOMES something negative.

When the TRUTH? The real TRUTH about being an introversion in business? Is something entirely different and entirely more beautiful all together.

When you get over beating yourself up about not fitting into everyone else’s standards and start instead reflecting upon yourself as an individual with unique strengths, STRENGTHS LIKE INTROVERSION- you get to start creating a business that makes you HAPPY – in ALL aspects.

When I finally REALISED what a waste of time all of my FEAR had been and how much it had been holding me and my business back, it was a night / day difference for me.

Let me spell this out for you.

Again, in case you didn’t get it.

Introversion is a STRENGTH, not a weakness. So play to your strengths! Just like any great sportsperson, you don’t get great at something by focussing on your weaknesses do you?!? So you have to change the way you think about it- and it certainly ISN’T a weakness in fact I LOVE being an introvert and as I have already mentioned this website almost definitely wouldn’t exist without it because I wouldn’t have spent over a decade of my life reading books and websites and doing courses all about marketing and growing a business! 

And then remember that YOU control your business. Your business is not like some great runaway minetrain with you tied on board like some helpless passenger.

This is your LIFE not just your business and you get to control EVERYTHING about it – the journey, the destination, everything.

Don’t like the view from the window? Change it. 

I stopped doing face to face client meetings. In fact, I amended my email process so that generally, my clients booked without even having to meet me face to face at all until the day of their session, unless I decided I would like to meet them. I took my phone number down from my website as I hate phonecalls with strangers and nothing kills me quicker than small talk. I delegated a loud shouty wedding guest to call for guests for the group shots so I didn’t need to raise my voice. I stopped attending networking meetings all together and it was like angels singing to me. Seriously. Why on earth did I EVER think that was going to be a good idea??? I stopped doing in-person print sales. Hallelujah. In fact, I stopped doing almost everything that I was ‘supposed’ to be doing to run a successful business. 

I got SELFISH – completely entirely selfish, and decided to take the whole of Saturday mornings and into the afternoon, away from my family and even guests we have staying here with us – no matter what, I make sure I have the ‘me-time’- that quiet time for reflection and solitude and peace that us introverts love and start to wither without.

I started to bring out all of the parts of me that I LOVE, the parts of me that thrive BECAUSE of my introversion- the reading, the writing- and created my books, my website, and through that I was able to work with clients that I truly love and barely ever feel conscious around. I will happily jump on a call with them any day of the week! Of course, I feel drained afterwards, because I pour my heart and soul into those calls and I work HARD to get good results so then I go and sit by myself and read and immerse myself in solace until my energy levels lift again.

When shooting weddings I realised I loved having a 2nd shooter with me to help direct, liase with the clients, and ease the pressure off. As an extroverted introvert I can happily socialise and chat if I need to- and do it brilliantly, which is why nobody ever believes me when I say I am intro- but the thing is I don’t LIKE to.

And that is ok. BEING WHO YOU ARE IS OK!!!

In fact, it is better than ok.

Especially when it comes to marketing your business. The internet is marketing HEAVEN for introverts!!! (If you want specific strategies start with growing your email list, blogging/content marketing, facebook ads, facebook groups for starters)

So in answer to the question how does being an introvert hold your creative business back–

It will hold you back- if you focus on it as something that holds you back, and something to hide behind. Why not try EMBRACING your introversion instead and creating a business that works on YOUR TERMS, not what somebody else’s idea of a business SHOULD look like?

Why not instead view introversion as a strength?

As a way of attracting clients who are also introvert and marketing to them specifically?

Or understanding that you can nail your marketing better than almost anyone thanks to the power of the internet?

Or realising that being an intro gives you absolute bona fide excuse to take some very deserved relaxation time on a regular basis?

Or realising that your clients might hate the exact same things that you do- small talk, face to face meetings, etc – which give you an extra advantage as you create your business to reflect primarily your needs but also scoring big for them?

Can you be selfish enough to demand that you take whatever it is that you need to in order for your business to grow? Whether that is time, or new processes, ways of doing things and working that work for you and support you and your energy levels?

And can you answer the really tough question – are you WANTING your introversion to hold back your business?

because to actually remove this part of your identity, this part of yourself that you have clung to for so long, to remove it from your armour means that you no longer have excuses to hide behind and you have to actually GO OUT THERE – in your own, beautifully introverted way, of course- and make this happen for you? 

Because that’s for so long, what so many of us do. We might be introverts, extroverts, live in the wrong area, have no money, aren’t educated enough, etc etc etc. We hide behind an identity that isn’t even our own, cultivated through years of society telling us what to do, how to behave, and formed through our deepest experiences and fears.

Avoiding doing the work necessary to make your business to succeed in the way that you want it to by calling it ‘introversion’ is simply avoiding the work, whether that’s through fear or other causes (though it’s usually fear based in what true success and wealth might mean for you).

Because any good entrepreneur will tell you that there is ALWAYS a way to do something – so the real question here perhaps isn’t

‘is being an introvert holding back my business?’

But

‘Why am I hiding behind introversion as an excuse not to do what I need to do?’

You can create the business + life that you dream of, whenever you want to.  So when are you going to start? How many more excuses do you need to clear out? And how can you make time to nurture your introvert and create a business + life that makes YOU– in all of your perfect introverted glory–  THRIVE?