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Go From 0-10k Followers On Social Media Just Telling Your Story
4 steps to build a community of raving fans.
Scott Quesnell
November 15, 2023
TL,DR
1. How to Create a Social Media Strategy: Pick a social network, pick a story or something to talk about, pick a format, test different formats and then just commit to it.
2. How to Measure ROI: You can’t measure if one post produced revenue for your company. You must expand your time horizon and look at growth over a long period of time and relate it back to your content input.
3. Commit: A common word used in this interview. If you’re not willing to commit to social media, it won’t work. Commit first, then create.
In order to achieve a massive social media following, you’re going to need a plan.
This article is based on a conversation I had with Sara Capecchi who is one of the top 1% real estate agents in the Twin Cities area. Over the last couple years she has not only managed to build an unbeatable real estate team but also create an audience of over 10,000 raving Sara Capecchi fans on social media.
Your goal might not be to create a real estate empire but if you’re reading this article, you want to discover how to build an audience with Taylor Swifties energy.
After reading this you will understand how to go from 0-10k+ followers on social media by only doing one thing.
Step 1: Figure Out What You Hate and Pick a Vehicle
You need to pick a platform, marketing vehicle or social network you can commit to.
If you know anything about Real Estate agents, you know they LOVE showing up out of nowhere and ask if they can sell your house.
Sara is not wired that way. She’s only cold outreached a handful of times.
She couldn’t commit to it because she hated it.
From there she came up with an idea that would change her business forever.
Start building a social media presence.
“I'm just gonna go a hundred percent in. I'm committing for the long haul.”
That was her mindset at the very beginning.
Commit. Start. Stay Consistent.
Step 2: Pick a Story or Something to Talk About
Great marketing is just understanding how to tell a really good story. No matter your industry.
I’ll show you how to present your story in front of your audience in the next step but first you must identify your story.
Sara’s story is about her building Capecchi and Co.
Mine is sharing with you what I’m learning on my mission to build the business of my dreams.
The similarities between Sara’s story and mine is that it’s non-fiction. It’s true, authentic and gets interesting for us at the same time it does for our audience.
No matter if you’re 18 or 80, you have a story to tell that people can learn from.
Pick your story.
Pro tip: If you can’t decide on a story. Think about that one topic you don’t shut up about at dinner.
Step 3: How to Present Your Story
In order to tell your story in an easy-to-consume way, you’ll need some formats.
First you must pick your Macro Format. You really only have two options here.
Be Entertaining
Provide Value
You can always do both, but I would recommend starting with one for now.
Second, pick your Micro Format. Here are some examples:
HGTV like house tours in video
{X} things people should know about {Thing} in video
Day in the life of {You} in video
When starting, I would recommend picking 3-5 Micro formats that you can commit to. These do change but more on that in the next step.
Just at a glance, at the time of this writing, Sara’s most consistent formats are:
Third person house tours in video.
Telling a personal story in the caption of a photo.
Sold houses in photo.
At the time of this writing mine are:
Mic’d up while building my Airbnb in video.
Airbnb’s I'm touring in photo and video.
Personal stories in the caption of a photo.
If you need inspiration on how to pick a format, find your favorite creators on the platform you’ve picked and identify 3-5 formats they have. Then mimic them.
Step 4: Test Different Formats
Social media is marketing. In marketing you need to do strategic testing.
Testing how you tell your story through formats is what will bring you from 0-10k followers.
Here’s how to test formats:
Step 1: Pick 3-5 initial formats and commit to them for 30 days.
Step 2: Go to your analytics and figure out which format performed best based on engagement rate.
Step 3: Take your winning formats and continue to use them. Take your losing formats and replace them with different ones.
Other things to test:
Whether hiring a video editor will increase your engagement.
Better camera equipment.
How you talk.
How you dress.
The list goes on forever. Everything is a variable that can be tested.
If you think this testing framework seems too simple, it’s because it is. The less mental energy you can put towards a process, the more energy you can put towards creating better content.
Work smarter, not harder.
How to Go From 0-10k Followers On Social Media Just Telling Your Story
In this interview Sara and I mention how none of what we talked about is new, groundbreaking information.
The only difference between Sara’s success and my success is she’s been consistent at it for six more years than me.
She’s managed to:
Pick a network.
Pick a story.
Figure out her formats.
Test her formats.
Stay consistent.
Most people fail because they quit. Don’t let that be you.
I hope you take this process and run with it. When you do, make sure to tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see your story unfold.
That’s all for today.