Sophia Parra
About Sophia Parra
Posts by Sophia Parra:
The 4-1-1 On If This Podcast Is For You
Hi! I’m a social media strategist for coaches. I used to run an agency for 6 + 7 figure business owners, and now I’m taking all of that tested and proven strategy and putting it here. Here’s a little introduction around who the heck I am and what to expect from this podcast.
XO
10 ways to get your next coaching client
Wanna do something fun?
Literally go down this list, pick one thing, and commit to it to make a sale today.
Better yet? Do one of these every single week!
Let’s dive into some client generating ideas if you’re feeling stuck (and I’ve got some free resources at the bottom!):
Follow up with a past discovery call that didn’t go through. Ask them how they’re doing on their goals and have a genuine conversation around how you can support them in taking their next step.
Ask for a referral from an existing client.
Email a personal invitation or simply touch base with a perfect fit potential client who is NOT a cold lead. Think about people who have asked you a question on social media before, have responded to your emails, or who have attended webinars but not moved forward.
Take a look at the folks who have downloaded your lead magnet and follow up with them to see if they have any questions. You just never know where these follow-up emails / DMs lead. Sometimes it’s just a great, supportive conversation that gives you awesome content ideas. Other times it’s clear they need coaching and you can invite them to a conversation about that without feeling slimy or like a cold DM-er.
Do a joint FB / IG Live with someone who targets an aligned audience. Offer an exclusive bonus for that audience if they choose to join you by [date].
Organize a partner campaign with someone using already created webinar content. While this may not result in a client TODAY, take a couple of days to set things in motion so you can have more than one client within the next 30 days (or depending on when your partner campaign is, of course).
Write a direct sales email to your list today. Share about the success a past client got from your coaching and ask people to reply with the word INFO if they want more information about how you can support them in achieving the same goal. I actually made $9,100 last week with this one email and I have more calls booked because of it.
Create a carousel sharing the successes your clients have created this month. Present a clear call to action at the end if people are interested in creating the same success.
Reach out to former clients to check in and see how they’re doing. You’ll either get great feedback on how the work you’ve done together has impacted them OR you’ll see how you can support them on their next steps.
Head to Instagram Story and clearly share that you’re looking for a client who wants _____ . Ask people to DM you the word “___” for a free strategy call where you can work on an action plan for them and discuss if you’re the right fit coach for them.
The moral of the story is this:
Sometimes the next step for getting a client is literally making it clear that you’re open for business.
That doesn’t need a complicated strategy.
It needs you to stop over-thinking it and get yourself out there.
Even if it doesn’t convert this time, doing that consistently will plant enough seeds in people’s heads so they are aware of what you do. This creates opportunities for referrals, guest expert opportunities and clients.
Be bold.
You got this.
Do you want 12 strategies to find and convert your next client on social media? (As in 12, additional strategies that are not in this blog?) Your wish is my command!
Download them here.
How to sell on Instagram without the “Swipe Up!”
Oh, the swipe up. The coveted bonus you receive upon reaching the 10k follower mark.
Someone once hired me to grow their account to 10k just so they could have this feature.
But the truth is, when you know how to break down a sale simply, it just becomes a nice little bonus.
The sale always begins with your content.
Without relevant, valuable, and connected content for your unique ideal client – no ones going to swipe up anyways.
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The next step is to actually invite them to work with you (or my personal favorite, to download your free offering so they can be put into an email marketing funnel that nurtures the relationship further.)
Here are some other ways to support someone in making the next step with you without needing to say the words “swipe up.”:
1. “Slide into the DMs,” as they say, and invite them to slide into yours.
This is ALWAYS (even with the swipe up) the best way to sell. Especially as coaches. Having a connection before purchasing a high ticket item is pretty necessary at this point, and I find DM’ing to be the most effective way for both the algorithm and the individual.
Just tell them to drop YES in the comments if they want it so you know to DM them the link.
Or you can just tell your peeps to send you a DM if they want a link to something and you can respond with it.
Either way — DMs are where you start conversations and build stronger relationships. (And, while we’re at it, it’s also where you leverage the algorithm.)
I talk more about that here.
2. Give step-by-step directions in your call to action.
Walk them through every step they’ll have to take to eventually get them to do what you want them to do.
For example….
To download your step by step guide for landing 2 new clients in 7 days just…
- Tap the link in my bio
- You’ll see 3 link options, click the one called “2 new clients in 7 days!”
- Fill in your name and email address
- And it will be in your inbox in 5 minutes or less!
This works with purchasing, subscribing to podcasts, liking posts, and more.
3. Creating content that give people more of an opportunity to experience YOU and your value.
This might include…
- Facebook groups
- Free challenges
- A series of training videos that people opt-in for
- Free guides
If you create content that solves problems, you won’t need the “swipe up” to get them to want it.
This is an example of paying attention to your CONTENT so you can impact people powerfully and get them to take action.
4. WATCH YOUR WORDS!
When what your client needs and what you share matches – that’s when the magic happens. Spending time getting to know your audience and the language that they use is a content strategy in itself.
Read the captions of your competitors to get a feel for what your ideal client is asking for, then create content to support what they want.
If you’re solving their problems and demonstrating your value with your content — you can move the needle without a fancy swipe up feature.
For content strategies that help you create a stronger impact, go here ==> whatthehecktopost.com
3 things to do for 15 minutes a day to boost Instagram engagement
I went on Instagram Story today and had my audience vote on what they wanted to know more about and 82% of them said… ENGAGEMENT.
So I wanted to address 3 things you can do to up your engagement (in just 15 minutes a day!)
But first… I gotta get on my apple box and make that statement that everyone already knows and yet no one really does…
This is about consistency.
Doing this for 15 minute a day for just a week won’t do sh*t.
You’ve gotta show up 15 minutes a day (minimum) every. single. day.
Only then will you see results.
Cool, so now that we’re on the same page, let me get off my apple box and get to the goods.
If you’re seeing a dip in engagement — you’ve gotta start engaging with people.
(Yep… the way to thrive on social media is by being social… go figure.)
But if I were to guess, you knew that!
You’re here because you want to make sure the time you spend being social is systematic, strategic and… well … not a waste of your precious time and energy.
So first, let’s talk about how you find the right people to engage with.
- USE YOUR MPPs!
Scroll through your feed and identify your MPP’s (Most Popular Posts). Go through your commenters, tap on their handle, and leave a comment on 3 or 4 of their posts. If they haven’t engaged with you for awhile, this will remind them of your existence and re-wire the algorithm to push your content to them.
They have already expressed interest in you.
And now… you’re expressing interest in them.
If they respond back to your comments, suddenly an algorithm-favor-relationship is re-formed which means you can expect your next posts to be pushed to them.
If you’re consistent with this, your content will continuously be pushed to them making it likely that you’ll show up on their feed again and again, upping your chances for engagement.
- Use hashtags.
And for the record — I’m not talking about using them in your posts (though I do recommend that, but for different reasons.)
Use hashtags to go find people in your community.
Focus on tags that align with your brand and that have 10k – 500k photos posted to them (otherwise you’ll find yourself in a bunch of spam accounts and — ain’t no one got time for that!)
For example, let’s say your ideal client is mothers balancing work and family life. A good tag (as I write this) is #momswhowork.
Go to the tag > browse through thousands of potential clients > engage with them.
If you can do this with just 20 people per day, you’ll be in direct contact with 600+ new potential clients per month.
I actually developed a system with this in mind and it’s one the key ways I not only increased engagement but grew to 19k followers.
Watch this video to learn it:
- Go to your “competitor pages” and find your ideal clients.
So we’re clear, a competitor page is someone who is doing something closely aligned to you and targeting the exact same audience.
If the audience is even slightly different, this does not work.
[read that again.]
Once you’ve created a list of say… 10, spend some time every day going into their comments, finding people who are engaging with them and who are therefore ideal for you, and engage with them.
Now let’s talk about HOW to engage with people:
- Answer their questions.
For instance, as a social media strategist, I sometimes go to fellow social media strategist pages and look at their comments. There are SO many questions about social media or requests for advice. This offers valuable feedback for me around what my people need. So I will create a post or an Instagram story answering the question and then I’ll tag the person who asked it — even if they don’t know who the heck I am. They’re about to!
I might even DM them and say…
Hey! I saw you asked this question on so-and-so’s page and I wanted you to know I actually just did a post answering it on my page! Thanks so much for inspiring it!
(or something like that…)
Now, not only have you engaged, but you’ve created content for the day. #winwin
- Repost them onto your story.
You see that little paper airplane looking thing at the bottom left hand corner of an Instagram image?
Press on that, and post it to your story. Don’t forget to share a message to the person you’re reposting so they have the opportunity to respond / engage with you. That way the algorithm can connect you two.
- Follow people who are perfectly aligned. It just makes it possible for you to form a relationship with them.
- Like / and comment *meaningfully.* Don’t just drop a thumbs-up emoji on someone’s content, actually write out a thoughtful post. We’re building relationships here!
If you can work on these things for 15 minutes a day, you can dramatically increase your engagement over time AND form some real-deal relationships with ideal clients.
Oh and just a reminder… YES you have 15 minutes a day for action steps that can grow your community, and therefore your business. ?
If this was helpful, I’d love if you shared it to your IG story and tagged me! I love connecting with you xo
Love,
Sophia
How coaches get discovered on Instagram search
A few months ago, Instagram started testing the user experience of a feed where we cannot see how many likes everyone else is getting.
Meaning… you can see how many likes your images get. But no one else can.
I wrote a blog about what this means for your business here.
Earlier this week, we learned that Instagram is now expanding their testing to more countries including Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand!
So why am I telling you this?
Well, personally, I think this is a GREAT idea and I hope they roll this out worldwide.
It will take the pressure off of us to create content for likes.
Plus, it means we’ll have to focus on ALL aspects of engagement and not just “liking.” (Those of you who know me well know I call this MEANINGFUL INTERACTION, or M.I., and I have a list of at least 9 ways the algorithm tracks engagement that is worth WAY more than a “like”, particularly if you have a business.)
It also means we’ll have to think about how we get discovered.
As Instagram changes their features, one thing they’re paying special attention to is their search engine.
Now — more than ever before — we can get discovered by those we can best serve.
And as the platform changes, making sure we check off all the boxes and that our page is in a position to TRAVEL will become more important than ever.
So today, we’re answer thins question: What are 6 ways we can leverage the algorithm so we can be found on Instagram by people we can help?
Watch the video for 6 tips.
Love,
Sophia
PS: For weekly content strategy, go here ==> whatthehecktopost.com
For *faster* organic Instagram growth
We got an awesome question from one of our What The Heck To Post-ers!
Sarah wants to separate her personal content with her business content, so she is opening a business page.
But — since it’s new — she just has 20 followers!
I know some of you can relate 😉
She liked the strategy I shared last week, but is curious to know if there are a few extra action steps she can take to expedite growth.
That’s what I’m speaking to today.
Make sure you watch the video for all the details, but here’s the nut shell and some copy items:
OPTION ONE:
Make sure you go back to your personal page and follow everyone (who is your ideal client) that has previously followed you.
Then personally DM them and say something like…
Hi NAME! I’m so grateful that you’ve been a follower on this page. I know you’re looking for a social media profile that’s dedicated to helping you achieve ___insert pain point___ which is why I decided to open a second page that takes out the pics of my dogs and focuses solely on giving you tips for finally accomplishing your goals! 😉 I’m so excited about the plans for this page and I hope you’ll follow me over there.
The purpose of this DM (or “direct message”) is to express the VALUE of following you on your new page.
Make it a no-brainer for them.
Will you be using the page to coach people live?
Will you be hosting weekly Q+As?
What are the plans for the page that will give them the value they are craving?
Reconnect with your existing audience and drive them over to your new page!
OPTION TWO:
I’ve also seen people use raffles really well.
CELEBRATE your new page by hosting a raffle.
For instance, maybe one lucky follower will be sent a $100 Amazon gift card (or something juicy that your audience will love).
The idea here is to make the “launch” of your new Instagram page FUN and EXCITING.
Email your list (more than once) and reach out to your existing followers letting them know that you’re hosting a raffle on your NEW page and all you have to do is follow your new account to be eligible to win.
Here’s some copy for a social media post that might work for this, this should be posted on your current page (where you have more followers):
Hi Friends! I’m soooo excited to share that I have opened a new Instagram page designed to help you take your social media content to the next level! I’m going to host live coaching, weekly Q+A, and share daily tips. I’ve been wanting to do this for a really long time so I’m SO excited. That’s why, to celebrate, one of you will be sent a $100 Amazon gift card.
Here’s how to participate.
- Like this image
- Follow my page at @newhandlehere
- And — for an extra entry in the raffle — tag a coach in the comments who wants to take their social media following to the next level, too!
And that’s it!
? The winner will be announced on Tuesday, August 14th 2019 at 10am! To win, you must be following @newhandlehere. This giveaway is not in any way affiliated with Instagram.
PRO TIP: Make sure the image you’re sharing to promote this raffle has “giveaway” written somewhere on it to make sure people don’t scroll past it!
OPTION THREE:
Finally, you could do a loop.
I walk you through what a loop is and the most common reason loops fail in the video.
In terms of copy for a loop, here’s some example copy one of my clients used that worked very well for her. Please note that she crafted an EPIC giveaway. This added her almost 30k followers in a week. You don’t need to have a giveaway as huge as this, but just so you can see this in action, thought I’d show you what worked for her:
Wanna win a 2 day mastermind weekend with 4 of the top female entrepreneurs and transformational coaches (ALL of us included) in the giveaway – including your hotel and flight, food and other surprises?!?!?
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To participate:
⠀
〰️ 1. Like this post.
⠀
〰️ 2. Follow @newhandlehere
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〰️ 3. Follow these badass coaches, too: @fellowcoach1 @fellowcoach2 @fellowcoach3
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〰️ 4. BONUS! Tag 3 coaches who want to take their business to the next level below! The more people you tag, the MORE entries you get!
⠀? Giveaway announced Tuesday, August 14th, 2019 at 10am. To win, you must be following all 4 accounts mentioned in this post. This giveaway is not in any way affiliated with Instagram. Terms and conditions apply. Flights will be paid from the USA.
And there you have it! 3 ways to expedite the growth of your page.
Got questions/ Drop ’em in the comments or DM me on Instagram here.
Love,
Sophia
PS: For more strategies like these, go here.
How to grow your Instagram audience with qualified leads.
We always talk about “nurturing a lead”, and we’re often thinking about our email contacts.
First off, I 100000% think your email list is incredibly important. More important than your social media following, in fact. Your email subscribers made a much bigger investment to be on your email list (they handed over their email address) than someone did tapping that follow button on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
However — social media is where you show up every single day as opposed to your email — where you probably show up once a week… or less.
So how can you take those warmer leads on your email and take your relationship to the next level?
- Once a month, scroll through your newest email subscribers / a big bulk of your newest email subscribers.
- Search for them on *the platform you hang out on the most.* (From here on out, I’ll just say “Instagram” but you should know that this applies to whatever social media platform you’re on.)
- Follow them!
- Then go to their page and drop 3-4 likes and 3-4 quality comments (a quality comment is 4 words or more) on 3-4 of their posts.
- And finally, DM them saying something like…
Hi ____insert name___, I just saw that you downloaded my free ___insert lead magnet___ recently! Wanted to welcome you to my community and also, make sure you didn’t have any questions for me? I know taking your social media to the next level can be overwhelming. So just wanted you to know I’m here for you!
Because they’re already familiar with you enough to want to give their email address, they’ll recognize you and likely see it as a genuine gesture of caring for your community.
This can fast forward your relationship sooo quickly.
People are NOT used to business owners taking the time to follow up on a lead. Social media and marketing in general is so fast paced these days, and business owners are SO busy, that taking that time to connect one on one before they become a paying client makes an impact.
I’d even go one step further and — if you get a good question that your audience as a whole can benefit from — take to your IG story to share your answer. Don’t forget to tag and thank the asker (unless they asked you in private).
That way — in addition to making a big gesture, I’m…
- Building a relationship.
- Growing my online audience.
- Training my audience to *know* that I take the time to answer questions which means they’ll ask more of them.
- Helping the algorithm because I’m generating M.I. (meaningful interaction!)
- And sharing value.
Don’t you just love strategies that kill multiple birds with one stone?!?! ?
Plus, I have almost a 100% conversion rate of getting a “follow-back” from the people I personally reach out to.
I LOVE this monthly task of mine. Some of my most engaged social media followers came my way like this, so I’d definitely give it a try.
Let me know how it goes! xo
4 tips to leverage the Instagram [story] algorithm
Typically, the Instagram Stories that appear closest to the beginning of the row on your home feed are from accounts that you engage with the most, whether that may be through the users posts or stories.
Here are some tips to make sure your Instagram Stories content always appear top of your followers’ feeds:
Tip 1: Be consistent. (Duh.)
According to recent statistics, more and more users are spending time on Instagram Stories, rather than their feeds.
By posting to Instagram Stories more often, you have a better chance of appearing at the top of the stories feed on a follower’s homepage – giving you multiple chances throughout the day to be discovered and absorbed.
Plus, this signals to the algorithm that you’re posting content your audience is interested in.
Tip 2: Use the newest features.
Instagram rewards you for using all of the platform’s features by pushing you further when you do.
That’s why, when a new IG story feature is released… USE IT!
Your story will be favored because Instagram wants as many people as possible to see and use the new feature.
Tip 3: Be interactive.
Just like on your feed…M.I. (or meaningful interaction) is the KEY to the algorithm.
So really take advantage of IG story polls and question stickers or quiz stickers. Make it super, super easy for people to engage with you.
The more that a user interacts with your stories, the more likely your posts will show up in their feed.
Tip 4: Invite users to tap and hold on IG stories.
Just like on the feed, the algorithm REWARDS you for keeping someone on the platform longer.
So, as you likely know, when you tap and hold an IG story, the story pauses.
This is particularly useful when you’re reading long text on IG story and you want to read the whole thing.
But did you know that by using this feature and therefore lingering on someone’s IG story, you’re signaling to the algorithm that this content is important to you?
Yep, Instagram can measure the amount of time you linger on content which will then give algorithm favor to the creator of that content as a result.
Now that you know this… USE IT!
Create content that’s too long to absorb and signal to people to tap and hold to read the full post.
Pro-Tip: There are cute Instagram Giphy story stickers you can use to prompt people to tap and hold. Just search “tap and hold” in the giphy stickers available on IG stories and some will come up 🙂
Want to stay up to date on algorithm favoring content strategies? Go here ==> WhatTheHeckToPost.com
Why you’re getting [and what to do when you get] the “ACTION BLOCKED” message…
Gotta be honest, this new algorithm is a real heart breaker!
Instagram is now showing your content to a meager 10% of your followers.
It’s feeling near impossible to grow. (Yep… even more impossible than it used to be!)
And people everywhere are being “action blocked” by mistake.
If that’s you, I put together a blog of a few things that have helped some of my clients.
Firstly, why are these blocks happening:
- You’ve been following or unfollowing too rapidly according to Instagram’s new guidelines.
- You have commented or DM’d the same thing too often.
- You’ve been liking or commenting too fast and made Instagram think you’re not human!
- You’ve been messaging too many accounts so Instagram thinks you’re spamming people.
- You’re using a third-party service to complete certain actions. (Even if it’s just your assistant…)
- Too many people are logging into your account so Instagram thinks you’re using a bot.
- You’ve bought fake likes or followers.
Now, for the record, some of these actions ARE allowed. But it’s more the way you’re doing them. If you’re performing any of these actions at rapid speed, or in a solid hour, or in any way that could be mistaken for “robot behavior” or “automated” behavior, that’s when you can get flagged, particularly in this new algorithm.
So here are some things to try…
Use Another Device or Switch to Data
[this tip is by Techzillo.com!]
When Instagram blocks you, they don’t block your account, they block your IP address. Since your IP address has been blocked by Instagram, this means that your best bet would be to switch to a different device and use data instead of WIFI.
Every device using the Internet has two IP addresses: a public and a private one.
In your home, your router uses your public IP address—assigned by your ISP to connect to the Internet.
On your mobile device, you have a public IP address.
So, if you use data and switch to a different device, your actions would be unblocked because you’re not associated with the blocked IP addresses anymore.
Stop continuously trying to perform the action.
A mistake I have seen a lot of my clients make is they keep logging onto Instagram to see if they’ve been unblocked instead of accepting the block and waiting for 24 hours (or more).
Instagram is trying to get rid of bots.
Bots don’t understand what messages say, so they just keep trying to perform the action which — to Instagram — confirms their suspicion that your account is using a bot.
So prove to Instagram that you’re not a bot and don’t perform that action for at least 24 hours. [Or if Instagram has given you a date that the block will be lifted… wait until that date.]
It’s almost like when you have a scab and — you know you shouldn’t — but you keep picking at the scab. Stop picking at the scab! 🙂
Up your security on Instagram.
Instagram thinks you’re a bot or you’re using a bot, so you have to prove that you’re a genuine person.
For example, it’s annoying, but if you don’t have an assistant or something logging into Instagram a lot, implement 2 factor authentication.
It is very hard to run 3rd party apps on your account with 2 factor authentication so if you have this extra level of security, Instagram will trust your account more.
To implement two-factor authentication…
- Tap the three line in the top right hand corner.
- Select “settings”
- Select “security”
- Select “Two-Factor Authentication
Link your account to Facebook or Twitter.
Similarly to the above, Instagram thinks you’re a bot or you’re using a bot, so you’ve gotta prove you’re not. If you’re linked to another account, you increase your credibility.
You can link to another platform in your settings on Instagram.
- Tap on the 3 lines on your profile in the upper right hand corner.
- Tap on settings.
- Scroll down to linked accounts.
- Select Facebook and sign in.
How to prevent getting blocked:
- Limit the actions you take at one time. For example, I once got blocked because of how fast I was commenting. I am a NINJA commenter. So it’s true, I was probably commenting a mile a minute. Since moving more slowly and spending more time on each individual comment, I haven’t been blocked again.
- Don’t copy and paste comments — this is essentially how bots work so, while efficient, it makes you look like a bot. Plus, you’re just saying the same thing again and again…
- Only give your password to the people who need it. One of my clients was blocked this week because we have 10 people working on her account and — while we haven’t abused any actions — Instagram thought we were acting shady because so many people, from so many different time zones, were logging in and performing actions for at least an hour at a time. Now only 3 or 4 people have the password so that only the actions that are essential to helping the business are being performed on a daily basis.
Have you been blocked? Let me know in the comments.