“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
This quote comes from Jim Rohn and, if you follow the advice, you’ll avoid many of the pitfalls and plateaus that come with being an entrepreneur.
Unfortunately, with so many opportunities to educate yourself, even that process comes with its own challenges. So how can you find the signal in the noise so you can learn the actions, tools, and mindset needed to thrive?
HeySummit, an easy to use virtual event platform, has a solution for you. It’s called the Creators Bootcamp, and by attending you’ll gain access to a range of expert speakers who will share invaluable insights on how to take your company and personal growth to the next level.
The event boasts a fantastic lineup of 30+ speakers from industry-leading companies like ConvertKit, Circle, Bonjoro, Kajabi, and Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income.
I happen to be one of those speakers so I’m hoping you can attend! I’ll be chatting about how you can multiply your revenue and provide you with a handy guide so you can immediately apply what you’ve learned. You can register for free here.
As I mentioned, I’m not the only speaker! That’s why I’ve chatted with several keynote speakers to learn why their topic is so important to you and asked them to provide you with one tip that you can immediately apply.
Get ready to take some notes!
Pat Flynn (Smart Passive Income)
During our chat Pat talked about the difference between vanity metrics and fans who have bought in, and how they can impact your business. “Too many business owners are focused on just getting more views,” Pat says. “Unfortunately, a view could mean a person leaving and never coming back. When you create experiences that convert those casual audience members into Superfans, however, not only will they stick around, they’ll bring more people into the brand because of their support. Superfans are like business insurance – no matter what happens with technology or your platforms, your Superfans will be there to support and follow you because they want you to succeed as much as you do.”
So, you want to create a community of superfans. Where do you start? Pat says you should take a look at the first moment a potential community member encounters your business/community. “The first ‘moment of activation’ is key,” Pat says. “A casual passerby needs to be activated to even consider subscribing or following, and there are a few strategies that you can use to trigger this activation and make them stay. A small quick win is the best way to do it. Many businesses go too big, too fast. When you focus on a small, quick win (as Charles Duhigg talks about in his book, The Power of Habit) you activate that person to continue to want to come back for more.
Fun fact: This talk actually became Pat’s bestselling book Superfans. After you attend his session, you can learn more from Pat via Smart Passive Income.
Related: Ready to Level up Your Business? Here Are 7 Masterminds You Should Consider
Paul Choi (Kajabi)
Here is Paul’s take on why it’s crucial to foster a community, not just a rolodex (do people still use those?) of customers: “Entrepreneurs that invest in building a community are able to create a more sustainable approach to monetizing audiences. Communities foster long-term brand loyalty, and are an important resource for fueling growth through the collective strength of word-of-mouth.”
Building a community is far from passive, and you do need to choose your platform carefully. Paul says, “Investing in an online community is different from growing an audience on social media. Build on a platform that puts you in charge of your community and ensures its sustainable growth. With social channels constantly evolving (and not always in your favor) it’s critical that you’re able to build on a platform that gives you the freedom & flexibility to grow a thriving community that you can monetize.
You can learn more from Paul about building a loyal community on LinkedIn.
Alexis Teichmiller (Circle)
Here’s why Alexis says it’s crucial to create a community on a safe, customizable platform: “Recurring revenue streams for entrepreneurs and brands is on the rise. They are looking for ways to bring their community together without relying on social media to monetize their content. Circle communities offer full customization, control for the creator, and a safe place to bring people together.”
Launching a community can feel daunting, so Alexis’s advice is to start small, and work your way up. “When launching your first paid community, launch to a small group of your super fans first to test pricing and engagement strategies before launching to your wider audience.”
Unsure how a paid community fits into your existing business model or how to monetize it? In this action-packed monetization workshop, you’ll learn the different pricing models successful Circle communities use, identify your unique value propositions, and create a structure for your community upsells and pricing tiers.
Related: Want to Turn Your Ideas Into Revenue? Amy Porterfield is Here to Help.
Casey Hill (Bonjoro)
When it comes to why thoughtful reviews are critical for any website, Casey doesn’t pull any punches. “Most website reviews suck,” he says. “They don’t build trust, and people don’t even know if they are seeing real reviews. You spend the time gathering these from customers and aren’t getting the payoff. But there is a different way.”
That different way actually customers who feel safe making a purchase with you, increasing your revenue and (eventually) generating more reviews. Here’s how Casey says to go about this: “Have reviews that are specific, long-form or video to build more trust and drive more conversions.” To drive home his point, Casey asks, “What sounds better? ‘We increased bookings by 200%!’ or ‘We went from getting 18 calendly meetings a week to 40 a week! Our AE’s can’t keep up with the demand so we are hiring a new one this month!’? The second one is more specific, and thus feels more credible. The more that you get specific metrics, the stronger the persuasive power of the review. … Part of the way you get specific reviews is you ask specific questions, so instead of just ‘Could you leave us a review?’, ask something like, ‘How many more meetings are you getting now that you use [insert tool]?'”
You can see how Casey practices what he preaches on the homepage Bonjoro, where he works as head of growth.
Related: Boost Your Solopreneur Business with These 3 Proven Tips
Shiv Chibber (ConvertKit)
Even in the age when it seems social media is king, Shiv says that email still reigns supreme when it comes to actual conversions. “When a subscriber opens an email in their inbox, it leads to more sales than any other marketing channel,” Shiv says. “Social media, organic SEO, paid advertising, all can have their place in your customer journey, however, email marketing will be the driving force behind conversions. This is because it’s a direct line of contact between a business owner (you) and an email subscriber (your audience/customers). Nothing stands between the two of you. However, executing email marketing thoughtfully in your business is an art. It’s the art of sending the right message, at the right time, to the right person. In my workshop, I will break down how to find this data, use it to fuel your business, and automate that process. Creators will walk away understanding how to simultaneously save time and increase revenue through personalized marketing so that they can focus their energy on what they love.”
Whether you’re getting started or you’re looking to refine your email marketing strategy, Shiv has one piece of crucial advice: “Process before software. When it comes to marketing software, the word process equals your customer journey. Your customer journey is a map that you must create for your business to make smart marketing choices. Mapping out your customer journey is the act of writing down the steps someone takes from never hearing about you to becoming your most loyal customer and everything in between. Only once you create your map should you employ technology to bring it to life and amplify your message. No matter how powerful the tool is, technology will only amplify the process you build. If you have a good process, software will make it great. If you have a bad process, it will be amplified and become terrible for your business. It’s important to be thoughtful in your process when it comes to email marketing so that you can build stronger relationships with your audience.”
You can learn more about marketing from Shiv through his monthly newsletter.
Next steps
Ready to learn from these experts and more? Then I’ll see you at the Creator Bootcamp. This is your opportunity to supercharge your brand and level up your creator skills with expert insights and hands-on training from industry-leading companies like ConvertKit and Circle. Registration is free, so sign up today!
