Using Instagram To Grow Your Business Without Losing Your Sanity! with Camie Wilke

Instagram is an amazing tool and the reach you can get to grow your business and community can be tremendous. It can also be exhausting. Do you feel that way? I do. So, I sought out someone who we can learn from to use Instagram for the effective tool it can be, but who I thought could help us do this in a way that wouldn’t make us feel like we had to spend all of our time on the platform and go insane with keeping it up. Sound good? If you’re nodding your head, you’ll love today’s guest as much as I did. Camie Wilke is a faith-based business coach who teaches women how to generate a full-time income from home on Instagram using online coaching and courses. 

In today’s episode you’ll learn:

• What’s necessary, and not necessary, to grow on Instagram
• Tactical steps you can take to use this platform effectively for your business
• What to post to grow your community
• When and how often to post and maintain your sanity
   

Resources From Today's Show:

Book A Call With Amber

Visit Camie’s website: https://www.camiewilke.com/

Follow Camie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camie.wilke/

Checkout Camie’s course: https://www.camiewilke.com/kingdomcourseacademy 

This blog post is a summary of The School of Copy And Messaging Podcast episode #90. You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts

Full Audio Transcription of this Podcast Episode:

Amber (00:04):

All right, Camie. Thank you so much for joining me today. Um, I was searching for somebody who could help us with social media, and I was so grateful to find you. I found you in a group that you and I are in together. And I was specifically looking for someone who can kind of take the perspective of if I'm a female owned business owner, and I want to grow this online business. And I know social media is like a piece of it, but I don't really know how to do it, and I don't want to do it and have it take over my life. Like that's kind of what I was looking for is who can talk to us about that? I think a lot of my listeners, um, you know, don't want social media to be something that they're on all of the time, but they do want it to be a piece of their business.

Amber (00:44):

They recognize that it's a business tool today, and it's a really great way to kind of expand their reach and use that tool to grow and promote their message. And so I wanted to have you on the show today, our main focus is talking about, so how do I do that? How do I manage social media and use it to grow my business without losing my sanity? Um, and I will, I will put myself in this, in this group of people who feel like it's a little overwhelming, I feel that way a lot. And so I want today's episode to really break down. What, where do we start? What are the necessities? And then where do I go from here to actually use social media, to grow my business? And we're going to kind of specifically talk a lot about Instagram today, but I think a lot of what we talk about can probably apply to other platforms as well. So, um, Camie Wilkie is my guest today and Camie. I'm gonna let you kind of start us off with introducing just who you are, who you serve and what your business is.

Camie (01:38):

Yeah, absolutely. Thanks again so much for having me on, I've been looking forward to this interview. So hello to all of your listeners. My name is Camie Wilkie and I am a faith-based business coach. I teach women how to generate full-time income from home, utilizing Instagram and online courses, online coaching, and really how to make a business, um, while they're also doing all the things at home, whether that is raising littles, um, keeping a home, all of those things. I think it's really powerful to be able to, especially in this day and age with everything kind of going on with the pandemic to have that skill and tool of having an option, if you want it to know how to generate that income from home, if you choose to

Amber (02:22):

Awesome. And you told me a little bit about how you got into this business as we were kind of talking before we started to record, and I would love for you to share that story, um, cause it was kind of interesting to hear you talk about some of the shifts that you made and really how you started to use the online platforms to grow your own business. Can you talk a little bit about that

Camie (02:41):

For sure. So I started in the online coaching space in January of 2019 and I started out very humbly. I had less than 700 followers. I didn't know what I was doing. I had no mentor, no coach. And it was kind of like throwing spaghetti at the wall and just hoping that something would stick. And I had like a little bit of momentum, but certainly not enough to really fuel and fund the life that my husband and I were really wanting. And in July of 2019, I began working with my very first business coach and by God's grace, I went full-time the very next month, had my very first over $5,000 a month, um, in August. And that was what really kick-started the momentum of the business. That's when I went full-time and I was, I was a fitness coach for like the first over year of my business.

Camie (03:41):

And then when the pandemic hit in 2020, I, you know, social media space was a very unique place because nobody, most people were not at work, they were home. And so there was a lot more traffic online and so it just a lot of shifts started happening. And it was at that time where I all of a sudden noticed there's like a whole new wave of coaches coming into the space. And I just started having conversation with a few of them. And in those conversations, what came up with with a lot of women was that they were here trying to build a business because they either lost their job or something crazy. It happened during the pandemic and many needed income now. And it was at that time that I really felt the Lord press on my heart to leave the fitness coaching space shift into business coaching and to teach women how to build a business, but not just how to build a business and generate income, how to do it builds upon the foundation of biblical principles. And so I was nervous as heck. I felt unqualified as we often do when the Lord really gives us an assignment, but I stepped out on that faithfully and it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. It was, it was God working 100%. Um, that's when my business really exploded. Um, and here we are in 2021, I have fine-tuned and kind of perfected my curriculum if you will, and really have this desire to teach women how to generate income from home on Instagram.

Amber (05:20):

Awesome. Well, I think a lot of us can resonate with the pivoting that happened with a lot of people in our businesses through 2020. Um, and, and not always that, right? Like sometimes those things force you to make some of those pivots that that really are going to be what explode your business. And that sounds like that's what happened to you. So that's, that's great to hear the pivot is not always easy, but it's usually worth it.

Camie (05:45):

Right, right. And never to downplay like B uh, that uncomfortableness and like the unsureness, uh, you know, oh my gosh, what a, what am I about to step into? Can I really do this? You know, all the imposter syndrome, things that start flooding in. Um, but I really feel that like, if, if the Lord is giving us an assignment, we are to step out on it, even if we're unsure of what it looks like on the other side.

Amber (06:12):

Yes, absolutely. Well, thank you for sharing that. So let's get into a little bit of the nitty gritty here with social media. So can you tell us what are the key ingredients to using social media efficiently for building a business? Like what are the must haves? What are the maybe not really necessary and the really nice to have when it comes to social media? Can you break that down?

Camie (06:32):

Yeah. So I'll, I'll speak like really specifically to Instagram, um, and kind of to, to make my first point. I believe that when somebody is starting out in the online space, in any sort of business, I really encourage my clients to tackle one platform first, get really solid on that platform, make it so that platform is running like a well-oiled machine and that it doesn't honestly take much brainpower and more to, to tackle that platform before you expand to a second platform. And I used 90% only Instagram for the first two and a half years of my business. And I am just now expanding to a podcast platform. And so I say that because, you know, you don't have to follow my time at all, but I believe that if you really put forth all of your effort into mastering one platform, it really will pay off for you literally.

Camie (07:30):

Um, but I find that I, myself and other people oftentimes get overwhelmed when we try to manage a whole bunch of platforms all at once. Um, without first getting really good at one of them. So that would have what that's, what I would say is number one is pick your platform, whatever that is. I personally chose Instagram and get really good at that platform. The second thing that I would say is a must have with your, at any social media is I want you to think about social media as a reality TV show. And specifically with Instagram, I always think of my Instagram as the keeping up with Camie show, kind of like as if I'm a celebrity, like the keeping up with the Kardashians. And I, and I pretend that every day people are tuning into my TV show to watch the inside behind the scenes of my life.

Camie (08:22):

And I don't know what it is. I really loved acting when I was growing up and musical theater and all that things. So maybe this is like filling that space in my life of like wanting to be the next Hannah Montana when I was 12. But, um, I really step into this. Like, it's still authentically Camie, but it's like a heightened persona of Camie. It's Camie at 150% and showing up and, and talking to my dream client, talking about my life, talking about, um, the characters inside of my TV show, things like my husband, my dogs, my house, and it really grasps the attention of not only my dream client, but people in general. Um, and, and I would say that, yes, we really want to specifically speak to our dream client when, wherever we're creating any sort of content, but also recognize that your dream client as a human being that probably also drinks coffee in the morning and maybe also has a really cute dog and as also potentially married. And so find different ways outside of whatever your business is to connect with that dream client on very easy to talk about areas. The TV shows that you guys watch the coffee, the, you know, the dog and really make it relatable to people. So those would be my, the first two things that I would really encourage you to start at is master one platform first. And then secondly, create a really fun and engaging environment for your audience to watch.

Amber (09:53):

Okay. So I have to ask her because I know I'm not the only one thinking it, Camie, what happens when we don't know what to post? Like how, you know what I mean? I think that's the number one thing people are like, I'm just not going to do it because I don't know what to post. Like what, I understand it. I understand that my audience wants to kind of get to know me and they want to know that they can relate to me and they can trust me and understand what my business and my life is like behind the scenes. But like, what do I post? Cause I think a lot of us feel like it's not interesting, right? It probably is to other people, but we feel like it's not. So what, what do we do with that mentality of not knowing what to post?

Camie (10:30):

Yeah. So I'm going to, to kind of take this back to like that reality TV show because I, I too felt that way when I was first starting my business, I was like, well, who cares? What brand of coffee I drank? Who cares that my dog just got his hair cut yesterday. But what that's really where I take it back to if Kim Kardashians had a brand new brand of coffee that she wanted to tell the world about, there would be millions of people. So excited to hear about that brand of coffee, where if her dog just got a haircut and she showed it before and after millions of people would be like tapping through that, just to see. And so that is really what I, I, um, almost pretended is that I was this celebrity. This is my TV show. Every day, people show up to my TV show.

Camie (11:16):

And if I, if this really was keeping up with TMA on ETV television, what would my life look like? What would I show people? And so I challenge you to what you think is uninteresting is fascinating to somebody else. We, uh, people in general tend to be nosy people. And I don't mean that negatively. We just, we like to know, Hey, what are you doing? How do you tackle this, this very common issue? How do you make your coffee in the morning? And so what's not interesting perhaps to you is fascinating to another person because it's relatable. And so one place that I like to start is take people through your day, start with a day in the life and branch out from there, see what people are really grabbing onto. What part of your day are people responding to? What gets the most story replies for me, um, to provide an example, any time I post my husband in any capacity, my engagements, skyrockets, my business has nothing to do with my husband.

Camie (12:24):

Um, but I believe that that is a quote unquote character that people really relate to. Not because they're interested necessarily in Lucas, although he is very handsome, um, is because they find that it's relatable that, oh, Camie's married or, oh, I have a relationship too. And we cook dinner together too. And, and it's relatable for people. And that's what always gets the most engagement from me. Now, I will say that's from like more of a really Instagram story standpoint, I take a much different approach to my Instagram posts. And if you are here for it, I would love to list off the eight different types of content that I will post on my Instagram feed and what I teach my clients to post.

Amber (13:12):

Oh, absolutely. Because that was the next question brewing is like, so where do I post all that stuff you're talking about? That's relatable. Does that go in stories? Does that go in reels? Does it go in the post as it go in the IgE TV? I mean, Lord helped me if Instagram ads, that's another thing that I have to figure out what goes, where, so I would love some insights.

Camie (13:33):

Yeah. So, so very big picture. Think of your Instagram stories as the little touch points from the, from day to day, hour by hour. Think of that as like, I'm probably not gonna make an entire Instagram post about my coffee, unless that's directly related to my business, but it is a little snapshot in the morning. Now my feed is really where I'm going to bookmark things that are directly related to my business or other, um, heightened areas of my life. So I would say like 90% of my posts on my feet are business-related because I am unapologetically a business account, but I also have posts that are very directly related to faith, which is a huge part of my personal brand, my personal beliefs. I have a few posts about marriage, few posts about, you know, other things in my life. But 90% of the time it's really about business.

Camie (14:27):

And when I'm talking about business, I use eight types of content to specifically promote my business. I'm going to just run down those in kind of a list format. And if there's any new feel that, Hey, let's dig into that one. Let's do that. So content type number one is pain points and really creating content that specifically speaks to the pain and the suffering and the struggle that my dream client is currently going through. And the reason why that is number one, and that's such a powerful piece of content is because the average person on the planet is motivated to change because of pain. They're tired of being in this place of struggle of suffering, whatever that is for them. They're so tired of being there, but they're willing to do anything in order to get to a more happier place or a more peaceful place or place that is taking them out of the struggle.

Camie (15:27):

So when you, as the coach really highlight specific points that, you know, your dream client is struggling and not only does it make it, make your dream client feel seen, validated and heard it builds trust with them. And when we're creating content around pain points, it's important to show the light at the end of the tunnel, uh, to say, you know, I understand that you're going through this, this, this, and this, there is hope. And oftentimes hope is what we offer in our programs, the curriculum, the transformation that we can really serve people with, right. Um, content type, number two is goals, desires, transformation. This is just the exact opposite of the pain points. This is speaking to the goals that your dream client has, the, the, the transformation that they desire to have. This is honestly like painting a picture for them, getting them to envision what is their dream life going to look like when they have the transformation that they are desiring and really helping them to envision that and understand that it's possible for them as well, content type number three, which is also one of the most common types of content to go viral is polarizing content or polarizing opinions.

Camie (16:45):

And this is when a coach or a course creator or a business owner boldly and unapologetically states their opinion as it relates to their niche or their brand or their offer. So for example, if I was a macros coach, I could boldly state my opinion against Quito and how I'm not here for Quito. Quito is not how I help my clients get results. Um, that's just an example where maybe on the flip side, maybe on a keto coach, I'm explaining why macros isn't it, but really, um, polarizing content will attract the client or the person that, uh, resonates with that and repel the person that is not resonating with that. Um, and that is why it tends to go viral because it's very shareable. Very, very sure. Okay. Gotcha. Anytime you can get somebody to click that little share button to their Instagram story. That's like 90% of the reasons why content will go viral.

Camie (17:50):

Um, the next type is educating content, which is just what it sounds like, uh, educating your audience around your niche. And this is the other type of content. There's two types of content that most commonly go viral, it's educating and polarizing content. And so what I will tell my clients is pick out the top three goals and the top three struggles that your dream client is having and, and create, tell them what to do to solve that problem, or what to do to get that result. Just not how to do it. The how is inside your program. That's what people pay for, but you can tell them what to do for free. So that would be like six steps to lose. Um, the 10 pounds of body fat that you're wanting to in the next four months. I don't know, just came out that one off the top of my head, but specifically hit towards the goals and the pain points that your dream client is going through that too. It really will attract the client in. Okay.

Amber (18:55):

Okay. So I would, in that situation, say what those six steps are like eating healthy, drinking, a lot of water, getting a lot of sleep. I don't know if those were the things, but, but I wouldn't tell them the how, like the details.

Camie (19:09):

Exactly. And so that will oftentimes, it's still very valuable for the client because, or for the, for the audience member, because oftentimes people are like, again, doing their version of throwing spaghetti at the wall. Like I was when I first started their business, they're, they're everywhere all the time. And when you just narrowed down their vision into at least one path, he focused on this one thing that keeps them from going all over the place and focus on this one thing. Um, it still is not giving them every single thing they need to amongst the door, maybe for some people at will. And great. If, if all they needed to know is, Hey, they needed to drink their water and go to bed well and eat well then great. That's free. You, you take that and you run with it, but for the person's like, okay, but how do I eat?

Camie (19:55):

Well, that is what they can find inside of your program. Okay. So yeah, absolutely. So, so the next one is storytelling, um, very, very powerful telling a story about your life or your experience or something that your client has experienced that, you know, will be directly relatable for your audience member, uh, for specifically the audience member that you want to work with. So maybe it's telling them for me, that's telling the story about how I was very, um, uh, money was very tight. When I first started my business. I wasn't sure how it was going to make ends meet. It was stressful going to the grocery store, even in even buying food was like was a weight on me every single week, going from that where so many people are at right now, and then coming to this place of having a thriving business and no longer living paycheck to paycheck.

Camie (20:54):

That is a story that my particular dream client can really resonate with and they feel seen and validated with me. And trust me just that much more, because I've been where they've been. Right. Um, yeah, the last few I'll run through a little quicker, just cause they're, they're not as common of content, content posts. Um, they're a little bit more, you post them at certain times. Um, talking about the offer. Now that one is, is very important. Talking about our offer is like, people are not doing that enough. Um, I can't remember exactly where I was reading these statistics, but I, but I was reading how the average person who is using social media just as a means to stay connected and kind of kill time when they're waiting for something they're not actively paying attention to what they see. They very passively scroll. They're not making money on the platform.

Camie (21:51):

I mean, I mean, they're just here to kill time. And so they're not really paying attention until the average person may have to see the same thing over and over and over 12 times before they even recognize what it is that they're seeing. So I may have to post about my offer 12 times before Sally, it was even recognizes, oh my gosh, Kevin has a program. And I feel like, oh my gosh, I've been talking about this for months. How are you just now figuring that out? And the thing is, we're constantly getting new followers. So we always have to be talking about our program, but after a person first even recognizes that you have an offer, it then can take, um, several more times for them to be actually ready to buy. And even up to 33 times total before somebody is actually ready to invest in your program.

Camie (22:46):

So all of that to say, if we're only talking about our program once a week, statistically, that's not going to cut it. Uh, people aren't even recognizing that we have a program let alone already to invest in it. So I encourage my clients to very creatively talk about their program and bring awareness to it. Five to six times a week, not to say that they're pitching it five to six times a week, but that they are bringing awareness to it. They're talking about it, they're saying the name of their program and really ingraining it in people's brains that like, Hey, I'm a business and I have something to offer you. So even though we feel like we're saying it too much, it's probably not enough, 100%, not enough. Um, and the other thing that people really kind of get boggled down with is, am I annoying people, right?

Camie (23:35):

You're not Kim Kardashians is never annoying somebody when she is talking about her, her new body suit or line or a new clothing, nobody is annoyed by that. And if they are there, they'll just unfollow her because they were never going to invest in her product anyway. And that's really the same approach that we can take. People are, are not annoyed. They're intrigued, they're fascinated. What we're doing, having an online business is so outside of the norm, that even if somebody isn't particularly interested in our offer, they're still fascinated with the concept that Cammy works from home on her phone, on Instagram. And that's it. That's what she does. Like, I just have so many people that follow me, not because they're going to invest in what I have to offer, because that, that is fascinating to them. And if somebody on follows me, they just were never going to be a client anyway, they were never interested or, or contributing to the platform anyway.

Camie (24:39):

So it's all good. Um, it's no worries. Gotcha. So the last two, um, we'll kind of run through those little quicker cause cause these are the two that, that are a little bit sporadic, not quite as often as the others, um, common objections, really addressing full force w the common objections that your dream client has to your offer. So what I tell my clients to do is write down the top three excuses that people are giving you as to why they can't work with you. Almost always it's money, almost always for every program. It's usually something with money. And then sometimes the other two will be just dependent upon the niche. Maybe it's time, maybe it's my husband, isn't supportive, maybe whatever it is, take the top three and create content that lovingly, but firmly tells them why this is not a valid excuse, but don't just stop there.

Camie (25:38):

Don't just tell people their excuses. Aren't valid. Give them action steps to overcome that excuse. So what, what coaches almost always here, regardless of their niche in the space is I can't afford to work with you. Like I could sell something for $30 and someone will say it's just too expensive, even though they bought in five Starbucks drinks this week. Um, and so what I do to address that common objection is I have a list of 20 different ways to make money outside of your own business, just on the side so that you can generate the income that you need in order to invest in your business. And so here's 20 different reasons why that's not a valid excuse and that will trigger people like it will people don't like to be called out. So that's really important to do it in a loving way.

Camie (26:32):

But as a coach, it is, it is our job to not, it, it is the most, the most disempowering thing that a coach could do is to validate someone's excuse as why they can't reach their goal. If you're sitting here validating, oh my gosh, you're right. You can't afford it. I'm just saying to you, you're right. Who don't have what it takes to figure out a way to go get that money and that's disempowering and that that's, that's not supporting anybody. I am here to call somebody to call the best out of them, to challenge them, to, to push themselves, to do what they feel that they've never done been able to do before. And therefore they're going to build that confidence in it might themselves that maybe they've never experienced before. And that is a coach's job, not to validate someone's fear or their excuse as to why they can't do it, hear them acknowledge that the feeling that they have is very real, but show them that that doesn't have to be their dead end.

Camie (27:32):

Right. And then lastly, the last type of content that I really hit home on is social proof and testimonials showing people that not only does your program work, that your curriculum is effective, but people are investing and they're getting results. And my favorite place to do this is in the Instagram stories. Um, I don't get as much engagement. Like if I were to screenshot a client message that was saying Kimmy, I just, you know, had a big client that I just signed by screenshot of that. And that on my Instagram feed, it probably wouldn't get as much engagement because it's not an intriguing photo. It's just a screenshot of a text message. Um, that's just not the type of content that my dream client resonates with. But if I put that in my Instagram story and I put stickers and I say, client win and big words and all this pink drawing, because pink is my thing.

Camie (28:29):

People really hit home with that. And, um, I S I have a highlight in my Instagram profile all about my client wins. And so people can literally go through there. I have well over a hundred testimonials, social proof photos, proving that what I do works and I can serve people. People need to know that when they invest in you, if, if they do the work, they will get the results. And that really builds a confidence, not only in yourself as the coach, because you are going to so much more confidently sell something, if you know that it works, but it's really going to put that confidence in the client as well.

Amber (29:10):

Awesome. That makes sense. Okay. So I've wrote, I've written down all of those. Now my next question then is how do I take those eight things and build a plan? What does that look like with, you mentioned some of the things that specifically should go in stories like the social proof and testimonials. So with all of these eight things, is there kind of a, a plan or a, or a better way to structure? What goes in stories versus posting versus reels versus TV, or does

Camie (29:41):

It matter? Right. So of those eight types of content, um, polarizing opinions tends to be, do very well on Instagram feed and the w the actual format visually that, that it tends to go viral on is, you know, how people like they'll, they do a tweet and they screenshot the tweet and they put it as their Instagram posts. Um, that is the format that visually the most often will go viral when somebody's sharing a polarizing opinion. Uh, I do that a lot in my feed, and it's a little secret. I don't actually have a Twitter, I just go into Canva and I make it look like, you know, the Twitter format. I put a really pretty, um, background behind it that aligns with my brand and I post it. And the reason why that goes so well on the Instagram story, or excuse me, the Instagram feed is because it's so shareable when somebody resonates with it, they're going to share it.

Camie (30:41):

Um, my audience likes photos of my face, but they're less likely to share that on their feed, because it's just, it's just a little bit like they're more likely to share a quote that they've really liked than a picture of cameos face. Gotcha. Um, educating content that does really well in reels and just very quick, valuable information really does well. I had a previous client who went viral on Tik TOK, um, and brought a whole bunch of people to her Instagram page because she was doing very valuable reels or Tik TOK videos, you know, depending on the platform that were really educational all around gut health, and that went viral for her. Um, the other types of content outside of social proof really are well-designed for the Instagram feed, social proof. I personally liked that a little bit more for the Instagram story, but to answer your question of how do I actually lay this out and create my content, I will create an Excel spreadsheet and I will give a different color to each one of those content types.

Camie (31:49):

So it looks like a rainbow, and I will essentially plan out my week and then color code. Okay. On Monday, I have a post that's talking all about my offer. So I know that then on Tuesday, I need to choose a different type of content. Maybe I go with educating, maybe I go with a pain point. Um, and so by color coding, every tape, different type of content I can then actually visually see, am I creating a variety of content? Or am I just saying the same thing over and over and over, and it's getting redundant. Um, the reason why it's so important to create a variety of content, um, is because these eight types of content specifically filter in to about four to five different buying behaviors. And that's like, that is a very like a topic for another day, but not everybody buys because of the same reason. Some people will buy because of an emotion that they feel. Some people will buy because it logistically make sense, but we, as the coach or the business owner need to be hitting on all of the different types of buying behaviors. And we can do that if we use these eight different types of content, um, in a variety of ways.

Amber (33:05):

Okay. Really helpful. I'm a planner. So when we talk about color-coding and spreadsheets, and you're speaking my language, perfect. So let's talk about scheduling tools on that note in scheduling tools, the good thing about things, cause I've heard mixed things about this. Like I've heard it's better. If you do all of your posting organically, I've heard other people say you can schedule it and forget it, is there a right or wrong? Does that, does that matter?

Camie (33:32):

Yeah. So what I have found specifically with Instagram is not only are they constantly changing, um, their, their goals and their priorities are constantly changing. So it used to be very important to, to post at a certain time of day. And it had to, um, have these specific, like the right hashtags and the right place. And, you know, you had to post organically to Instagram. That is, um, kind of the trend that they're following now is more about consistency. It's, it's less this tedious work. So that is the thing that kind of go back to your question at the very beginning of the interview, you know, what are things that we can kind of let roll off our back, tedious, things like that. Um, I will say that I personally love the organic posting, um, and the re the way that I do that to still batch content is I will say to, as a draft, you can save your reels as a draft. You can see your posts as a draft, and then when you're ready to post it, you just click the post button. Um, it matters less the time of day. It matters more that you're posting consistently.

Amber (34:45):

And

Camie (34:45):

What reason? Yeah, go ahead.

Amber (34:47):

What is consistent enough is that once three times a day, does that matter?

Camie (34:53):

So when it comes to your Instagram feed, like the physical posts, I personally, um, would say that consistent is around two to three times a week. If you are looking to generate income from the platform, if you are just somebody who is, um, posting just to post, then maybe once a week is sufficient for you. But if you're really trying to generate income from a platform two to three times a week minimum, uh, no reason to post every day. Honestly, I, I think that that's overrated. Um, I like a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, unless I'm launching, I like Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. Now your Instagram stories. I like to post to that several times a day, Monday through Friday, I do not post on the weekends. I really try to delete Instagram on the weekends and it does not at all hurt my engagement or my following at all. And in fact, I find that people are more engaged on Monday morning when I'm back than if I'm just posting every single day. So I would say I would end a post a few times a day on your Instagram story and at least two to three times a week on your feed.

Amber (36:03):

Okay. So at least posting daily on the feed is one of those things that we could get rid of, like, not really necessarily everyday on your feed. That's another not necessity. Yeah.

Camie (36:14):

Unless that just is so fun for you and you love doing that. And that's your joy get rid of that unless you want to do that every day.

Amber (36:27):

Yes. Good. Well, I appreciate that cause I don't either, but I do, you know, I'm with you, if it brings you joy and you've got the ability to do it and you find just a lot of joy in it. Great. Um, I, I personally have a hard time with it. Um, and so I, I appreciate the message of like, you, you don't have to, to grow a business. Right. Cause I think sometimes we, we feel like you have to, if you're going to have this successful business, so it's nice that there's a couple of things we can let go if we want.

Camie (36:55):

Yes, absolutely.

Amber (36:57):

Okay. So if you do want to use a scheduling tool of some kind, are there some that you recommend or is, are there any that are kind of, one's better than another? Yeah,

Camie (37:08):

So the two that I have heard people, and again, I post organically. Um, but the two platforms that I have heard other people most often use is plan only P L A N O L Y, or plan with two n's, P L A N N. Um, both of those platforms are ones that I've heard others using. Um, in my personal opinion, Instagram, I believe has really tried to almost recreate that same structure by giving you the opportunity to have a draft folder. Um, and so it, it looks very similar. The only thing you can't do in Instagram is schedule out, but I'm sure honestly, in the future, they're going to probably do that. Not that they've announced it, but they're, you know, they're always updating things. Um, but because it, it's not as important the time of day, I do like an organic posting specifically from your drafts. But if you're somebody that really wants to plan that out, you can use the, the app plan or plan only.

Amber (38:12):

Okay, great. Well, good to know that there is a couple options for somebody who wants to, so, okay. I also did not know about the draft folders.

Camie (38:24):

Yeah. Yeah.

Amber (38:25):

The next thing I wanted to talk about, go ahead.

Camie (38:29):

Um, the one thing I'll mention about the draft folder is I have been told that if you, your reels and then you delete Instagram maybe for the weekend and then re-download it, it will get rid of your drafts. So always be sure to save not only the audio that you're using for your reel, but also once you record it, save the actual video to your phone, save the video to your phone. It will take out the audio, but that's okay, because if you have the audio saved, then it should be nothing but 30 seconds for you to pop the audio in, pop the video in and, and hit post.

Amber (39:06):

Okay, good to know. Good to know. We don't like to do work and then lose it. So this can, we let's come back to some of the basics about actually building a business on Instagram, because if we're going through this, we're posting, we've got our eight things that we can do content on. That's really helpful. Once I'm creating that, how do I actually start building a community around it and start getting customers who are going to convert in my business? Um, I think a lot of us have heard about, you know, hashtags and going organic with reels at like there's so many things out there. So for the business owner like myself who sees this as a tool, but doesn't want to spend a ton of time. What are some of the things we can do to really start building that community that will convert customers from

Camie (39:52):

For sure. So the number one marketing tool that is the most profitable for me and my clients and their businesses as well is utilizing a DM strategy. Um, DM strategy is a very big topic, but to kind of summarize, it is essentially strategically going out and searching for your dream client on Instagram and searching for them in very specific places, utilizing specific hashtags, not just in your own posts, but searching through other hashtags and knowing how to engage with that person. Once you have found them, how to have conversation with that person without freaking them out without scaring them away without coming off salesy. Um, and if you're not going to search through them through hashtags, how else do you find your dream client? What accounts do you go look for people on? Um, had I never sought out a dream client? My business would not be where it is.

Camie (40:55):

I personally am of the belief that unless you have like 50,000 followers and, and almost all of them are your dream client, you need to be doing DM strategy. And the reason is, is the Instagram algorithm is not what it used to be. The Instagram algorithm used to show our content chronologically to every single one of our followers. Like back in like 2017, maybe even 2018. It's not that way anymore. And actually a fraction of your followers are probably actually seeing your posts. So the only way to truly guarantee that your content and thus your offer is getting in front of the right person, is to strategically go out and engage with the right person consistently Monday through Friday. And maybe, you know, I wouldn't say, you know, DM Sally, five times a week, that's a little bit over overboard, but doing some sort of DM strategy Monday through Friday in this, this can be something that takes you 15 minutes. If you really want to hit the ground running, maybe you do this for an hour a day, but I feel that you can truly be, um, kind of get that ball rolling with as little as 15 minutes consistently, as long as you know, really where to find your dream client

Amber (42:10):

Now is this because the algorithm favors when you engage with content and when other people engage with yours, where is this more just about connecting personally to create more relationship-based networks,

Camie (42:24):

Both. So from a very foundational perspective business from like the very beginning of time before the internet was always either done face-to-face or over the phone, in both cases, people had to have conversation and people had to have talking skills. They had to know how to relate to that person. They didn't have time to overthink a voice message DM when somebody's standing right in front of them, you just respond. And when the internet came into play and people started doing business online, that the relationship came out of it a little bit. We have this barrier now, which is our iPhone screen that is keeping us from having that same type of relationship with that person, but people are still craving that relationship. And so the, the more, the most organic way to create that relationship without actually being in the same physical place at that person or being on the phone with that person is to send them a voice message in the DMS that is as close as we can possibly get on Instagram to building that relationship.

Camie (43:27):

So from a very foundational, you know, a place of thinking that is why the DMS are really important because business is all about relationships. It always has been, and it always will be on the other side from an algorithm perspective, the algorithm will essentially is tries to show our content to the people that we are friends with on Instagram. So if, if they notice that you and I are touching base, maybe two or three times a week, our accounts are engaging with each other, maybe two or three times a week, they're going to be like, oh, well, and bring Cammie, our friends. I will show Amber Cammie's content and I will show Kimmy Amber content. So by strategically engaging with your dream client a few times a week, that is where the, the Instagram algorithm will recognize that you guys are friends and start showing you each other's content, which is specifically profitable when that content is shown to your dream client.

Amber (44:26):

Okay. So DMS is one way to engage with that. I would assume, like going to your ideal clients, um, Instagram, and also leaving some comments on the things that they would post on. Is that another way of kind of adding to that engagement?

Camie (44:42):

Yeah, so, so engagement has kind of a little bit changed over the years. Um, a year ago, the formula that coaches were really sharing is to like the first three photos, leave a comment. And, um, maybe also comment on something on their Instagram story, because that has been done millions and millions of times. Now people are very weary of that and they kind of almost get turned off by that because they're like, oh, she's just trying to sell me something. Or when somebody comes onto my page and likes 20 photos in a row, that's too much, um, we need to take a very, um, it's, it's kind of like dating, which, you know, I'm very much out of the dating game, but it's kind of like playing a little bit of hard to get. If I, uh, I met my husband at a bar when we were in college and had I gone up to him, um, that very first night and been like, oh my gosh, you're the man.

Camie (45:38):

I want to marry, which I knew that, that, that bar snide, but had I told them that that would have freaked him out. Had we started talking about our future kids, his names and our wedding date. He would have ran away scared. That's the same type of thing that is happening when coaches go too hard towards somebody that they think could be their dream client, you need to ease into it. And that's where, um, within my coaching programs, we have a specific guest coach that really talks about how do we lightly just peak the interest of the dream client in a way that is not freaking them out or scaring them away or making them feel, oh my gosh, so-and-so is just trying to sell me something. Um, because that's why people are, are, that's the most, an authentic thing that people don't want to have on social media.

Camie (46:27):

They don't want to have 47 people in their DMS trying to get them to buy a package. That's not what the average person has social media for. And so we really have to approach it in kind of just, just a peaking the interest in flying a little bit, you know, hard to get type of, you know, that version over here in the, in the business world. And that's why it's so important to have content that is interesting and engaging because when you leave a comment or, or engage with somebody they're going to be, oh my gosh, who is this person they're going to click on your profile. And then about that time, they have, you have three to five seconds to make sure that your Instagram profile is set up in a way to attract the client. If they are intrigued enough by your profile, then they may start looking through your content. So I teach my clients how to do an Instagram audit so that those first three to five seconds are really capitalized on. And then after that, what to post in their content, because we really want people to start like bingeing our content and to be entertained by our content and to be engaged and find value within our content.

Amber (47:36):

Okay, awesome. That's really helpful. Well, a couple of other things that came up that I want to ask, um, the first is, is there anything we should know about making sure then that our content is shareable because that's, that's something that I know a while ago. I think you had to have a certain account or something like, how do I make sure my content is shareable? People can hit that button and share it to their stories. Does it matter what account I have?

Camie (48:01):

So I will say I've heard of people saying that there's some glitch or something that, um, is prohibiting people from sharing. I will tell you, I've never experienced that people have always been able to share my content. Um, what I will say is, do make sure that your Instagram story replies are turned on for whatever reason. Um, a couple of weeks ago I had one of my girlfriends sent me a message cause she's a business coach too. She knows that I want my Instagram story replies on. She goes, Hey, your interim story, or Pfizer turned it off. I don't know if that's intentional. It wasn't. I have no idea there was a glitch or what, what, I have no idea what happened, but I didn't know that people were not able to reply to my story, which is one of the top ways that people can engage with me.

Camie (48:48):

Um, so I would make sure that your Instagram story replies are turned on so that when Katie thinks that your Instagram, your, uh, coffee mug is really cute and she wants to ask where you bought it, she can message you and ask. That's really where people are connecting is the Instagram story. So really creating a lot of connection points on the Instagram story and making it so people can respond back to you is very important. I will say that if you are somebody who's looking to, to make money on this platform, it is beneficial to have a business account. You do not have to start from scratch. If you want to have a business account, you can simply move your personal account and shifted over to a business account. Um, it allows you to see a lot of analytics and it just kind of gives you that, that extra little things that, that maybe a personal account doesn't have.

Amber (49:41):

Okay. Awesome. Well, if I do have multiple platforms for those, for the people out there who are like, okay, I'm doing Instagram, I'm doing Facebook, I'm doing LinkedIn. Maybe I'm doing Tik TOK. Is it okay to post the same thing on each platform? Like if I come up with the things I'm going to post Monday through Friday, can I post them on the same platform or do I need to make sure that they're different? If I'm posting on different plans,

Camie (50:03):

You can post the same things. Um, because not everybody who follows your TechTalk falls, your Instagram follows your Facebook group. What I will say that is, um, if you do have a certain platform, that's kind of the exclusive information. Maybe you have a private Facebook group where people can request to come into your private Facebook group. And if there's like a really intimate community in there, I would be sure to give those people on above and beyond type of experience with your content. For example, if you give three tips for something on your Instagram feed, give your Facebook group five tips, give them a little bit more, give people a reason to want to be on the other platforms. Otherwise there is no benefit to me being in your Facebook group, as opposed to just engaging with you on Instagram, if I'm just going to get the same thing. Um, so yes, you can absolutely post the same thing on all platforms because not everybody is following you on every platform, but if you do have an exclusive private community, maybe in a Facebook group, I would give them a little extra every time.

Amber (51:11):

Okay. I appreciate that. Well, Camie, this has been really helpful. Um, I appreciate the tactics and I appreciate just breaking it down really simple. Um, it doesn't have to be, I think as hard as sometimes we make it feel like it is, there's just so much out there with social media. It's easy to get overwhelmed and easy to feel like it's, it's really difficult. Um, is there anything else that you would like to share with my audience that you think would be helpful for those of us who are kind of like, okay, I want to do this and I want to do it right, but I, I don't want it to be overwhelming. Is there any other advice you would offer that we didn't cover today that you'd like to mention?

Camie (51:47):

Yeah, so I would say the times where people are engaging with me most is when I am having fun. And I know that that sounds so cliche, but I think that oftentimes we, because we have time to really think about our content. We tend to overthink our content, all type of button, Instagram story, and then I'll delete it. Or I will. Re-record something five times. People are not concerned with your Instagram feed or your Instagram stories being perfect. Nobody is coming to my feed, looking and expecting that something is perfect, but what they are wanting is to be entertained and the most fun, the best way to entertain somebody is to just be authentically yourself and to show your personality. I am like, I'm a very, um, bold, loud personality. I'm a little bit of tough love. And if I was constantly trying to be, um, passive or being like people pleasing in my content, not only would it come across as a little bit watered down, it wouldn't, it's not me.

Camie (52:55):

And I would begin to resent showing up my Instagram stories because I'd have to put on this fake persona every single time, I would just simply ask like, look at yourself and say, what, who am I, what does my personality portray? And maybe ask the people who are closest around you, Hey, what are the, like, what are the most intriguing things in your opinion about my personality? Do you feel that I'm allowed person, do you think I'm a quiet person? Um, what would be out of character for me and really try to make your Instagram stories, your posts and extension of really who you are. And that's why I always bring it back to, this is your reality TV show. This is your real life show people, your real life. They're interested. They're fascinated by it. The show them the real you as cliche as that is.

Amber (53:47):

Yeah. Well, I love that. I actually, I really love that. I've never thought of it that way, but it's so true. If you stop and think about the people that you follow, what is interesting about them, whether it's, you know, a, a influencer or a friend or a public figure, what is it that's interesting about them and their lives and what they're sharing. Uh, and the same is true for us when we share it. You know, our customers enjoy seeing who we are. And I noticed in myself as I've been trained to learn a little bit more about how to use Instagram in my business, I noticed, um, one of the first things that I do when I find somebody, maybe I'm listening to their podcast, maybe I found their program and I want to learn a little bit more about them before I'm going to buy something.

Amber (54:32):

I go follow them on social media, because I want to know a little bit more about who they are. I want to know. And it's interesting to me, there was, there was somebody I followed that, um, I didn't know, from listening to their podcast yet that, you know, they, they have a family and they, I didn't know their story of faith. And I learned that through their social media. And so I got to know them by watching what they were sharing every day and they weren't sharing just their business stuff. It was, you know, they were sharing about, um, the church they went to today and the new dog they got. And it's just kind of that personal connection that I love how you said. That's where that is moved to is kind of the online space today, because we used to be able to do that in person. And now it's, it's neat that the opportunity we have to have that connection with people who we normally wouldn't have had it with that live in other places and business figures who, you know, we may never meet, but we follow them online and we learn from them. And so I noticed myself doing not when I want to know something about somebody. Now I go look and see, you know, where are they on social media? What can I learn about them? And I get to know them a little bit more personally by doing that.

Camie (55:34):

Yeah, absolutely. I think that, um, people, especially now that, you know, we are, you know, within the pandemic still is very heightened right now. People are separated and have been separated since COVID hit, but people in general, it is human nature to crave interaction, to crave relationship. That is how the Lord made us. So just because there is social distancing or someone's working from home, just because there's a mandate, doesn't mean that I'm not still craving that human interaction. And so give people that give people that when you were showing up to your Instagram stories every day. And the way that you build a relationship is by being you, you can't build a relationship off of this fake persona, or you can, and it's gonna go downhill pretty quick. When people find out that that's not really the real you, but show people you're the coffee show people the, the late nights that, that maybe you're, didn't show them before on your Instagram feed, show them your behind the scenes of your life because people are craving relationship now more than potentially they ever have, because there is that physical separation in the real world.

Amber (56:51):

Yeah. So true. Well, Camie, this has been a really great conversation and I appreciate, and your expertise. I know my audience does too. So I know you have a podcast. Tell us where we can go listen to your podcast, where we can engage with you online and what programs you have if people want to learn more about how to dive into this.

Camie (57:11):

Yeah. So my Instagram is my main platform and my Instagram handle is @Camie.Wilke. I do have a podcast that I launched just last week. It is called the zero to full-time Christian entrepreneur podcast. And the zero is the dollar sign and the zero. Um, so you can find me, um, either places, um, as far as offers the one program that I am actually launching today. Um, and I know your listeners will hear this later in the future is called the kingdom course academy. It is a self-paced course designed to teach women literally how to go step by step, how to go from zero to full-time income on Instagram, utilizing courses and online coaching. And, um, so that is, that is the, my main way that people can work with me.

Camie (58:02):

And something that I am doing this week is giving people an opportunity to try out the course for free. Um, because I think that that's something that is, uh, lacking is, is in the space, is being able to try something out and make sure that it's for you before you invest in it. So if women are intrigued in the kingdom course academy, but just maybe not sure if it's for them, they can go to my Instagram profile or go to my podcast. And there is a link there where they can get two free trainings from the course immediately sent to their email. And one of them, one of those free trainings, I go way more in depth on those eight different types of content. Um, but it's like a 90 minute training. It's very intense, but it's very important. Um, just to give people an idea of what it is like to work with me, what is it like in the kingdom course? The cat, I mean, um, yeah, so those are the main ways to connect with me, for sure. Okay.

Amber (58:59):

I agree. And I'll link those in the show notes for everybody as well. So they're easy to find you. Um, and I, I hope all of you guys listening today got a lot of information from Camie. I know I did. So go give her some love, follow her on Instagram, go check out her platform and her courses, and certainly go listen to her podcast as well. So Camie, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate your conversation today.

Camie (59:21):

Thank you ever so much. I appreciate you asking me to be on. It was so fun to chat with you.