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In today’s episode you’ll learn:

  • How to create a social media strategy with a unique and simple twist that I love
  • How to use your content to build better relationships, and how to optimize your socials for purchases
  • How to grow your following

Where to find Chelsea, and the books and podcasts she talks about on the show:

Books recommended:

The New Hustle by Emma Isaacs

Podcast recommended:

Seize The Yay by Sarah Davidson 

Where to find Chelsea:

Blossommedia.com.au

Transcript:

Dahna:

Hi, and welcome to The Bright Minds eCommerce Podcast. I’m Dahna, founder of Bright Red Marketing, your ecommerce advertising specialists. Today we are here with Chelsea from Blossom Media. Starting at just 20, Chelsea has built her agency on real world experience and given that most of her clients come from referrals, you know, she’s good at what she does. She works full-time on her own social media marketing business with a range of ecommerce clients that inspire her every single day. She generated some amazing results for her clients, like turning 1000 into 100,000 using strategic Facebook advertising. In today’s episode, she shares how to create a social media strategy with a unique and simple twist that I love, how to use your content to build better relationships, and how to optimize your socials for purchases and how to grow your following. So let’s get into it. Welcome to Episode 20. 

Dahna:

Today we’re here with Chelsea Berman from Blossom Media. Welcome, Chelsea.

Chelsea:

Hello, thanks so much for having me.

Dahna:

It’s so good to have you on. So tell us a little bit more about your business and how you got into social media management.

Chelsea:

Yeah, so my business is Blossom Media, and we’re a social media agency with a bit of a difference. I don’t, you know, generally probably like the word agency, but haven’t found another word to describe us. So, that’s how I describe us. And yeah, I started the business just over two years ago. Now. It’s myself and another team member. And we specialize in organic social media and paid advertising, so, Facebook and Instagram ads. And yeah, it’s been a journey. I started the business when I was 20. So obviously, I had no business experience whatsoever

Dahna:

I started mine at 19!

Chelsea:

There you guys see, you know, you know the struggles? Yeah, definitely, definitely a big leap. big risk. But yeah, it’s really, really paid off. And yeah, we work with ecommerce businesses to really help them grow and shine on social media. And a big part of our business now is also teaching people how to do it themselves.

Dahna:

Fantastic. What’s your favorite social media platform?

Chelsea:

Instagram. Definitely. Yeah, it’s the one that I’m on all the time. And I do think for most businesses, it is the one that they can get the most growth and results from, I think.

Dahna:

Yeah, definitely. And given the, I suppose, popularity, what are your thoughts on TikTok for business?

Chelsea:

Good question. I’m obsessed with TikTok myself. So I’m definitely a fan of it. And I definitely have, you know, discovered businesses there. And I think it can be a really great marketing tool. But I think you do have to go about it a very different way to other platforms, it does have to be, I guess, quite organic, you know, you can’t go in there with really polished, you know, marketing videos, it’s not really that kind of platform, it is really about creating that connection with your audience and entertain them. So it is quite different to other platforms. And I think that’s, I guess, really what businesses do have to think about if they’re wanting to go on TikTok.

Dahna:

Fantastic. So let’s get into some juicy stuff. So how important is a social media strategy? And then how do you create one?

Chelsea:

Yes, so very important, I would say vital. Just because without it, you don’t have a plan, you don’t have a roadmap, you don’t really know I guess everything about your business, what makes you unique, who your audiences, how to communicate with them, all of that sort of thing that is so so important for marketing in general, but especially social media as well. In terms of creating one it can go, you know, a few different ways you can really just sit down, get a, probably, template. I’m sure there’s templates online somewhere, and credit yourself. Yeah, I’m sure you would still, create it yourself. Yes. But really take the time to read it. Of course, there’s also people that you can either create it for you or create it with you, depending on what you want and if you do need extra help with it. And in terms of things that it should include, as I mentioned, your unique selling point, really what makes you unique, and why people would buy from you, your audience is super important, who they are, where they hang out, really how you communicate with them. Their pain and pleasure points is a super, super important one, as well as that will really help with being able to sell to them and connect to them, which are two very important things to do on social media. And then also Yeah, just what you’re going to post and how that relates to your goals and what you really want to achieve from you know, that sort of platform or just achieve in your business in general. You know, if you do think about your future vision, your future goals, how is what you’re doing on social media going to help you get to that, and then of course, you can think about your other channels as well and what other channels you might need to add in there to help you achieve that goal.

Dahna:

Yeah, fantastic. So I know a lot of people will be okay with the strategy part or they think they’re okay with the strategy part. I know something that a lot of businesses struggle with is the actual practicality of posting and knowing what to post. Do you have any suggestions around that?

Chelsea:

Yeah, definitely. So obviously, when you do create the strategy that will help because really knowing what to post is all about knowing what your audience is going to live, but also what they need to know to be able to buy from you. And that might be a whole range of things, you know, they might need more education around your product or industry, they might just need to see the product being used or worn on someone, depending on what it is, it can be a range of things. But in terms of I guess, really plan your content, I always like to think about two different types of content and make sure you’re posting both of them. So the first one is going to be your connection content. And this is where you’re really connecting with your audience on some sort of a personal level, it’s where you want to really put a face to the brand, I always, always suggest doing that where you can, and really getting to know your audience and connect with them. And of course, video content is a great way to do this. And I always suggest doing some sort of video content that’s, you know, so easy to do now, especially on Instagram or things like reels and Instagram stories, it’s really easy to do short videos, and they can really connect when done right. And the other one is going to be your converting content. And that’s what’s going to sell your product. So a lot of the time I see maybe people just doing converting content, or just doing connecting content. But a good mix has to happen to be connecting and converting all the time and keep nurturing your audiences but also, of course, make sales and get some money, which is essential for a marketing tool.

Dahna:

Yes. And I suppose the goal at the end of the day, it’s not just about those likes, obviously, especially for an eCommerce business, it’s really about getting those sales through. 

Chelsea:

Exactly, yeah.

Dahna:

I love that you split it into connecting and converting, because I’ve, obviously, over the years seen a lot of organic experts, and they’ve got you know, the four pillars and seven pillars, and you need to do all this. But having it that simple that it’s connecting content, converting content, I think is a really simple and lovely way of explaining it.

Chelsea:

Thank you. Yeah, actually, I only changed that quite recently and I do still talk about four pillars. But I guess when you just told me about it more as a surface level and more of a simple way. So easy to just talk about those two types of content. 

Dahna:

For those who are listening, that don’t know what the four pillars are, can you just quickly run through what they are?

Chelsea:

Yeah, so I think they probably vary between each social media marketer, but they’re kind of the same type of thing. So one would be educational. So educating your audience, and again, on what they need to know to want to buy from you. There is promotional, so that’s really selling your products, reviews, user generated content, all of that sort of thing. There’s personal. So that is really that connection content, showing some behind the scenes, showing some of your day to day life, creating that personal connection. And then there’s entertainment, and that can really be anything that’s entertaining to your audience. So you know, reels are a great way to do that. Now, those really entertaining fun reels, which do you know, connect to your audience in some way? Because you are giving them some sort of entertainment or it can even be inspiration, whatever your audience would like. So yeah, I guess if you’re thinking about connection and converting, promotional and educational kind of converting content, and then promotional, sorry, personal and entertainment are the connection content.

Dahna:

Fantastic. Yeah, I like your way of planning it. I think it’s a much cleaner, and easier strategy, I think, to run with when business owners have got 7000 things on their plates already.

Chelsea:

Exactly. Yeah, less is, less is better. Yeah, totally agree.

Dahna:

I know a big part of what you guys focus on is building really great relationships with customers through social media. So do you have any favorite tactics on how to do that?

Chelsea:

Yeah, so the first one, sounds simple, but it’s very scary for people. That’s just simply showing your face. And I, you know, it can depend on your business having bigger businesses, if you have a team, it might not just be showing your face, or you might not even be the face of the brand. I had a scenario come up the other day where it was an older lady starting a business directed at teens. So you know, her being the face of the business to target teens doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. So she’s going to kind of work with influencers, and also her teen daughter to kind of make them more the face of the brand. So it really, really depends on your audience who they would connect with a lot of the time, it’s going to be the business owner. And that’s a really easy way to do it. But um, yeah, sometimes it can be the team or it can be your customers even, yeah, putting some face to the brand. So it’s not just a product, it’s not just a faceless brand that people can’t really connect with it does need to be some sort of personal element to it. That’s my favorite way. And then the second favorite way will probably be as I mentioned, video content. Because that really does create that sort of, you know, face to face connection, obviously you can’t see them but they can see you and it is like they are with you and they do really get to know you. And that all comes down to, you know, the know like and trust kind of framework. So they really get to know you. They’re getting to like you and how you kind of see the world and they’re also getting to trust you and then that obviously gets them to buy from you because they do trust you and they trust your products.

Dahna:

That makes total sense because there’s a couple of brands that I buy from that if I talk about them might kind of talk about them like their friends but they wouldn’t have a clue who I am. But because there are so many of their stories and things, you sort of feel like you know them.

Chelsea:

Yeah, exactly. And that happens so often. And you know, when you do get to that point that is really when you do build that community, and you do sell really consistently, because you have that yet community of people that are really invested in your journey and want to buy from you.

Dahna:

Yeah, fantastic. So I know that hashtags used to be the kind of be all and end all of Instagram, what are your kind of thoughts on hashtags? And then like, if they’re still relevant, how do you find the good ones?

Chelsea:

Yeah, I think they’re still relevant, you know, it is really just a way of getting some extra reach on your posts. It’s not going to be something that’s necessarily going to make you hate sales or grow your audience extraordinarily. But you know, it is a tool that Instagram gives us and I would definitely be using it. In terms of finding the best ones, again, it kind of comes down to your audience, and what hashtags they would be looking at. I definitely suggest in terms of, you know, when you go on the hashtags, and you can see how many posts are using the hashtags, definitely stick with the kind of less is more. So you know, you don’t want to be using those hashtags that have 5 million, or even a million people using them, because you’re not just going to, you’re just not going to show up. And then that kind of you know, defeats the purpose of using that hashtag. So try and use high quality hashtags, and think about ones that your audience would be looking at and searching to find brands like yours.

Dahna:

Fantastic. How is social media different for an eCommerce business versus a service based business?

Chelsea:

I think they are different, I think the similarities are that they definitely both have to have some sort of personal element, I would say probably with service providers, they have to have quite a bit more of a personal element. Because usually, you know, that person that is going to be working with them is the business owner. And they really need to see who they’re going to be working with about them, know if they’re going to click that sort of thing. Ecommerce, it still is important, but I guess it’s not as important because they are buying that product rather than that service. So if you do have a really high quality product, and you just have a bit of a personal element, that’s still going to work. But of course, it’s going to work a lot better if you do have more of a personal element. Another difference is that you don’t have to educate as much. So obviously, we’re service providers, we always say you have to give value and educate and I guess really show that, you know, that’s a really big part of I say, I would say your strategy for service provider. Ecommerce, as I mentioned, it is still important to obviously get your audience to trust you and know that your specific product is something that works, then it’s going to solve their problems or their pleasure points, or whatever it is. But it’s not so important to really give value and you know, really educational long posts all the time. It’s not really as important. But again, it depends on your audience. So if your audience would like stuff like that, then you might have to. Yeah, those are probably the main two differences. I would say there obviously are some similarities. But the strategy does end up being quite different, I would say.

Dahna:

Yeah. So I know that there’s a lot that you can do to actually optimize your socials for purchase, using Instagram sharp, tagging products and things. Do you have any suggestions on how to make the most of them?

Chelsea:

I just use it really just in your promotional posts, like I have seen, sometimes some people using all their posts and just putting it out there as much as they can. And that doesn’t always work the best because I guess it is just selling, selling, selling constantly. And it doesn’t always make sense with specific posts, if you are doing more of that connection content, that you really, in those posts, just want to focus on connecting, you don’t really want to focus on selling. So stick to using that. Those you know product tags and that sort of thing in your promotional posts, and that is when it does work really well. But yeah, definitely take advantage of it. And if you don’t have it set up, definitely go and set it up because again, it’s a tool that Instagram gives you to make it easier for your audience to buy from you. Because obviously they can just click on go to your website straightaway. They don’t have to go to your LinkedIn bio, click through blah, blah, blah, it’s right there. And they can click on to that specific product. So you definitely want to make it as easy as possible for people to buy from you is probably the golden rule, I would say.

Dahna:

I think it’s a good rule. In terms of tagging products. I’ve got a couple of clients, a couple clients, I have one client who doesn’t like to tag products on their photos, because they think it looks ugly, and ruins the product photography. What are your thoughts on that? Do you think it adds to it? Because it makes it easier to purchase? Or do you think there’s an element of truth to that in that it kind of takes away from the imagery when you have these big black price tags on it?

Chelsea:

I wouldn’t say take away because I think it only shows up in the corner until you click on it. And then it kind of shows the product and the price tag. So I wouldn’t say it would take away from it all, kind of, I guess making ugly, I believe, as you mentioned. But yeah, I think as I said, really you want to make it as easy as possible for your audience to buy from you and a lot of the time they will click through from those product tags. Of course if you do think it might be having a negative effect rather than a positive effect. You can check your insights for specific posts and see what that click through is like from your product tags. And maybe if people aren’t clicking through it is something you can stop. But I’d say, probably, majority of the time, it is a really good tactic and something that does increase sales. So I would suggest it but again, have a look at what works with your audience. And if, if they don’t like it, then they don’t like it.

Dahna:

Yeah, that was my logic, but it’s always nice to get an expert opinion on the topic. Obviously, when it comes to e commerce business, we are focusing on sales. But for people who want to grow their Instagram accounts, or even you know, their Facebook accounts, or the TikTok, do you have any suggestions, or your best tips on how to kind of grow your following?

Chelsea:

Yeah, so it’s probably good to do a mix of tactics. One, and I know, everyone’s been mentioning this at the moment, and I have seen good results with my clients and with other people, is reels. Just because of the reach they have, you are going to be reaching a lot more people. A lot more new people. And then they might come and follow you, it’s not obviously guaranteed that they will. But it is a good strategy, if you’re doing them correctly, you know, strategically and not just for the sake of it. Another way is going out and engaging with people. So sometimes business owners, you know, they focus a lot on their own Instagram, who’s coming, what they’re posting all that sort of thing, but you do really need to use social media as a social platform, because you know, that’s what it was created to be. So going out and finding people that might be potential customers, starting to engage with them in some way, you know, going to other brands that might have the same types of audiences as you, see who’s interacting with them, see if you can interact with them in some way. Of course, don’t make it kind of creepy or stalkerish. You don’t want it to be quite natural, but go out and engage with people and even make sure you know, people that are following you, of course, this isn’t really growing, but it’s all about nurturing as well. And make sure you’re interacting with them, make sure you know when they do comment on something you’re commenting back, you’re not just ignoring them. Another great way, of course, is influencer marketing. And of course, you can go down the paid route with really big influences. And sometimes that works well. But usually, for smaller businesses, they’ll start with more of those micro influences. And I guess, kind of create a group of brand ambassadors. So they’ll have maybe a few micro influencers that they use on a regular basis. And my biggest tip with influencers would be to use one, you know, multiple times, you don’t just want to have that transactional kind of relationship where you pay them, they post once and the audience sees your product once. It just doesn’t have the best results, you need to kind of do something ongoing. So their audience is reminded of your product again and again. And they you know, really trust your product, because they know that that influencer is using them and is posting about it, you know, multiple times. So if you are using influencers, that is a great way to do it. Another great way is to collaborate. And that might be with other businesses with the same you know, audiences as you, same type of audience, or it might be with influences and do things like you know, giveaways, or even, you know, certain types of content that you can collaborate on. So you’re both growing your audience. And you’re also of course, getting that, I guess, hype around it. So you know, when you do a giveaway, you’re obviously both exposed to each other’s audience, but you’re also exposed to a wider audience of people that see your giveaway and get really excited about it. And then will, you know, go along and follow your journey. But yeah, I’d say there’s definitely a right way to do it, a strategic way to do all of those things. And also, I guess, more of a wrong way to do it, where you might get followers, but they’re not going to be in your target audience and not going to be potential customers. So you just have to be careful when you are doing those sorts of strategies.

Dahna:

Yeah, I think that’s great advice. So how do you know if you’re a business owner, you’re worked up your feet, you’re, you know, you’re thinking about outsourcing, when is a good time to start outsourcing your organic social media? And is there anything that you would recommend a business keep in house?

Chelsea:

Yes, I’d say when you can afford it is a big one. I wouldn’t do it before you are ready. And before I guess you have that extra budget, because this is from personal experience, it does just mean that you’re going to be very stressed about it, you’re probably going to be micromanaging, maybe that social media market or whoever you’ve got to whoever you’ve outsourced to, because you know you are spending that money that you might not generally have much of, if that makes sense. So basically, in general, yeah, just good financial advice. Yeah, just make sure you have the money basically. And make sure it’s not going to be I guess, a stressful experience for you. And it’s going to be a good experience for both you and for, you know, the social media marketer because you want to have a good relationship between the two. The other one would be obviously if you just don’t have the time. So I know a few people and I think this is when it works really well in terms of keeping some in house outsourcing some, they kind of both manage the social media in a way so the business owner will post more of that connection content more of that personal content. They’re still active in their stories, they do all their own stories. And it’s definitely seen by the audience as being fully managed by, you know, the business owner. And they obviously can create a good relationship with them from that. But behind the scenes that is social media marketer or an agency, doing all of the other posts are promotional posts, educational posts, all of that sort of thing. And that obviously takes a lot of time from the business owners, and they have more time to do other things, but still creates that really good mix of content. And that really, I guess, authentic voice across the social media. So sometimes, if you do just outsource it all, it’s really hard for someone that’s not maybe with you all the time or not you to talk about you, if that makes sense. So yeah, it is it can work really well to kind of do a mix where you’re doing more personal content, and you’re outsourcing the other content that you don’t have time for, and also that you might find trickier to create, because that’s that content, where you’re selling and a lot of the time and I find this too, it’s really hard to sell yourself or sell your own products. So it’s good to outsource that when you can.

Dahna:

Yeah, that’s fantastic. Because I think a lot of business owners, especially ones that I’ve spoken to really struggle with that because they’re like, Well, I can’t outsource it, because it’s me. Like, they can’t be me in the stories and they can’t, they can’t be in the warehouse, like it would cost a fortune to have a social media manager or an agency in your warehouse. Like that doesn’t work, you know, thought of actually splitting those two parts apart and having the salesy part outsourced and you’re doing the connection stuff is fantastic.

Chelsea:

Yeah, works really well, from what I’ve seen anyway.

Dahna:

Yeah. Wonderful. Is there anything you think we’ve missed?

Chelsea:

I don’t think so. I know, obviously, you do Facebook ads, as well. And I think everything we’ve talked about today, getting that organic content and strategy really strong, before you invest into the paid advertising side of things always work so well and means that, you know, when you do invest into the paid advertising, you get a lot better results. And I’m sure you would agree with that. So yeah, I just wanted to mention that as well.

Dahna:

Yeah, I 100% agree with you there. It’s so much easier for us, as you would know, to do our jobs with paid advertising, when there is a solid strategy, and there is good content. And there’s good videos that have been created and those sorts of things. That makes our jobs much easier.

Chelsea:

Yes, which is always nice.

Dahna:

So we’re just getting into the last few questions that we ask everyone. So do you have any strategies or habits that help you stay on track with your just everyday life and business?

Chelsea:

Oh, yes, having a project management platform or tool. I used to use Asana. I now use clickup, which is quite robust, does have a lot of features. And that just means I can go in there every day. I know what I need to do that day. I have all my future projects in there. I have all my client information. It’s just all in the one spot. And I don’t have to rely on everything that’s in my head because that would be very tricky. So yeah, I rely a lot on that.

Dahna:

I’ve heard a lot of agencies move to clickup, lately.

Chelsea:

Yeah, it is very similar to Asana. But I just find it has a lot more features. So yeah, it just was a good switch. I’m glad that I did.

Dahna:

Very nice. And do you have a favorite business book?

Chelsea:

I don’t, probably, have a favorite. But one that I’m really loving that I’m reading at the moment is a new one by Emma Isaacs called The New Hustle. I think it only came out like last week. And it’s really great. It’s not, I guess one of those more of a business story book. Like it’s not her personal story. That was her previous book. But this one’s really, really practical for business owners, even for employees. Like there’s just a lot of tips, a lot of strategies in there, which is really cool, I think from a business book, because I have, I guess in the past read a lot of those more story ones. I love those as well. I read Samantha Wills recently, and that was amazing. But yeah, this is just a bit different. And yeah, I’ve been really liking that one.

Dahna:

Fantastic. Do you have a favorite podcast? 

Chelsea:

Again, probably not a favorite one. Because I listened to so many. And I discover new ones all the time. But I really been enjoying Seize The Yay by Sarah Davidson. I believe her last name is yes, Seize The Yay. And I think she does interviews with so many different people, business owners, but also just other people, other influential people, other people that have done cool things in our life. Yeah, it’s really, really interesting to listen to. Definitely learn a lot.

Dahna:

Sounds amazing. I have checked that one out. I’ve heard about it. But I haven’t had a chance to have a listen yet. And if people want to get in touch with you, what’s the best way for them to do that?

Chelsea:

Yeah, so I have a website, which is just blossommedia.com.au, I have my services on there, a contact form if you need to get in touch. But also I’m very active on Instagram, it is my favourite platform, as I mentioned at the start, so yeah, if you do need to get in touch fast, you can pretty much always catch me on there.

Dahna:

Wonderful. Well, thank you again for joining us. It’s been brilliant. You’ve shared so much practical information, which is what we love to say. So thank you so much for joining us.

Chelsea:

Thank you so much for having me.

Dahna:

Thank you for listening to the 20th episode of the Bright Minds of eCommerce Podcast. Don’t forget we load all the links and show notes onto our website where you can find everything at brightredmarketing.com.au/shownotes/episode and the number 20. The link will also be in the episode description. Thanks so much for listening

Dahna Borg

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