Episode 4: 10 Reasons Why You’re Not Making the Cash Money You’re Working Your Booty Off For

Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in this episode: 

• What to expect in the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey.

• Why just showing up and posting isn’t enough to make sales. 

• What you actually have to post in order to get people to bang down your virtual doors. 

• Why having a crystal clear understanding of your Ideal Client Avatar is a game changer for content creation and sales. 

• How to leverage social proof to get potential customers off the fence. 

• How many topics you should be posting about in order to grow your following and generate the income you desire. 

• Why mindset is more important than strategy.

Check out The Social Sales Content Bundle here: www.ashlylocklin.com/the-social-sales-content-bundle

Show Transcription: 

Hello, hello, hello! And welcome to episode 4: 10 Reasons Why You’re Not Making the Cash Money You’re Working Your Booty Off For

This episode is for the ladies who are grinding non-stop but just not seeing the cash flow they want. Cause I know what it’s like to work 60 hours a week on my business and then do the math and realize I’m working for .50 cents an hour! Like whaaat?!

However, those times were at the beginning of my business journey, when I was learning everything, doing everything, building up my social accounts, building my authority, creating my systems, developing my courses, learning how to create graphics, learning how to sell. And that’s normal, that’s the beginning of any entrepreneurial journey. No one gets the idea to start a business and then makes 6 figures the next week. It takes a lot of time, and effort, and grit at the beginning. And most importantly, it takes a lot of vision. You have to know what you’re working for and why you’re doing it because the short term gratification isn’t going to be there. You’re going to work endless hours and have very little to show for it at the beginning. But you have to keep working, learning, growing, and evolving in order to see the big-picture profits without the non-stop work grind. 

It took me a few years to get my first online business rolling like a well-oiled machine. The beginning was sooo hard and I was working the most hours I’ve ever worked for the least amount of income I’ve ever earned. But then it flipped, I learned the business, I learned marketing, I learned social media, I learned systems, I began to outsource and now I make a lot of money doing a heck of a lot less than I was at the beginning. And I always knew this would happen if I stayed the course - I knew that the short-term sacrifices at the beginning would undoubtedly pay off. 

So much so that when I launched my second business, I had already 5 years experience in the online business world, so I had much much faster success and it was almost effortless to get that 2nd business off the ground. But again, there’s so much that went on behind the scenes that no one saw. So yeah, I had a $20,000 course launch with my first course - which is great- but it took me 8 months of creating the course, where I was earning zero dollars off all that time I was putting into it. 

So today’s podcast isn’t necessarily about the very beginning stages of entrepreneurship, yes everything that I share today will absolutely help you newbies have faster success (I WISH I knew these things when I started), but I created this episode primarily for women who’ve been in business for a little while and are just spinning their wheels wondering why it’s not working for them. So this episode will help any business owner at any point of their business, but I’m really speaking to those of you who are already taking action and need to refine your strategies. 

So you’re showing up to Instagram, you’re posting something, you’re using your 30 hashtags, but you don’t have people banging down your virtual door to get their hands on whatchu got...

I want you to do an honest gut check and social media audit of these 10 mistakes:

Mistake #1

• You’re not positioning yourself as a credible authority because you’re just sharing pictures of your kids

I get it! At the beginning, it’s really hard to figure out what to post, so posting anything is better than posting nothing. So on a whim, you post a picture of your kids cause you know you have to post something in order to be “consistent”. Then the next day, another picture with your kids. And then a picture of your dog. And before you know it, your top 9 photos on Instagram are all random photos. 

The reality is: the more you make your social media a personal diary, the less people are going to see you as an expert in your industry. And in order for people to want to buy from you, you need to be seen as a credible authority. 

If you’re wondering how much to post of yourself vs your business, I always default to the 70/30 rule. 70% of my content is about my business and 30% is about myself. 

So it’s a good idea to look at your last 9 photos on Instagram each week and ask yourself if you’re posting enough content to establish yourself as an expert or someone who knows their stuff. 

That leads us into mistake #2

• You’re not providing value to your audience (are you providing free tips, tricks, mini-lessons, etc.?)

The fastest way to build that authority with your audience and get them from seeing you as some random girl or mom to the go-to person in your industry is by providing value - such as free tips, tricks, mini-lessons, tutorials, etc. 

The goal is to provide so much value for free that when you pitch your offer, your audience is like “this is a no-brainer!” I’ve learned so much from her already, I’m buying from her or joining her. 

If you’re a realtor and you’re posting about a house that sold in one day, how can you take it a step further from “look at this house that sold in 24 hours” to “here are the 5 things that made this house so desirable that it sold in 24 hours.” 

If you are a fitness coach, instead of just showing a picture of you and saying “did my workout today!” - okay well good for you, no one really cares, turn it into “5 tips for finding the motivation to workout when you have none” 

If you’re a makeup artist for brides, instead of just showcasing brides on your feed, share the before and after pictures, explain how you hid her rosacea that she was so worried about and do tutorials like: 5 minute daily makeup tutorial - so that potential brides are falling in love with your work, learning from you, trusting you, and seeing what you’re capable of. 

So don’t make your content self-serving, make it audience-serving and always ask yourself how you can take it a step further and provide some sort of free value in that post so people see you as an expert. 

Now let’s move to mistake #3

• You’re not clear on your ideal client avatar 

This should be your FIRST step in business - getting super clear and laser focused on who you are trying to attract and work with. 

If you skip this step, you’re marketing message will never reach anyone because you’ll be too general and too vague. 

And this person is called your ideal client avatar- or ICA for short. 

I was talking with a relative the other day and he creates video games. And he asked me what the most important thing he should focus on when marketing his games. And I said, first, who is your ideal buyer? What gender, what age, what other games do they play, what stores do they shop in, what’s their socio-economic status, what are their occupations, etc. 

And he was mind-blown, he was like….ummm I don’t think I’ve really thought about that but you’re right, if I knew those things, it’d be so much easier to market my games to them.

I know how tempting it is to cast a wide net, to want to sell to everyone that has a pulse, but I guarantee that will not get you very far. 

So first step, is to get clear on the exact person you want to work with. Of course, not every person who buys from you or hires you will check every box off your ICA, but they will most likely check off several of those boxes you pre-determine. 

Which leads us to mistake #4, which is 

• You don’t know your ICA’s struggles, pain points, and dreams

The number one way to reach your ICA is by hitting her in the heart and in the gut. You want to get inside her head and figure out exactly what her struggles are, what keeps her up at night, what she’s desperate to change, and what she wants, what her dreams are. 

Women make purchases based on emotion, so if you can create a post and have your ICA say “Ohmygosh, you’re in my head, this hits me so hard” BOOM you will make that sale or sign that client. 

There’s a big difference between wanting a 6 pack and wanting to be able to button your pants without laying down. So you need to know which one speaks to your ICA. 

If a fitness coach was talking about getting 6 pack abs and looking ripped and shredded, I would keep scrolling- that’s not a desire of mine at all. 

But if a fitness coach was talking about being able to slide into my pants without breaking a nail trying to pull them up, not having to do squats and lunges while wearing said pants in order for them to fit, and still enjoying cake, yep, that’s me! I am that coach’s ICA. 

But if the first coach was trying to recruit me and was posting about getting ripped and shredded and following a carb cycling meal plan, she would not be getting my money. 

So you don’t want to be too general in “lose weight,” you want to be super specific so that you are speaking to the right ICAs and that when they read your post they know you are the one for them. 

So take that example and apply it to whatever industry you are in. 

Because that takes right into mistake #5 

• You’re not creating content that solves your ICA’s problems

Remember #2? Providing value...yep this is where it really comes into play. 

Knowing your ICA’s problems is one thing, but actually creating content that speaks to their needs is another thing. 

So if you’re struggling with what content to create, poll your audience. Use the Polls and Question box features in your Stories, ask for feedback/struggles in your posts, send out surveys, or ask potential ICAs to hop on 15 minute calls with you. 

When you get them to tell you exactly what they’re struggling with, it makes a world of difference. It makes content creation easy and makes the conversion process- going from follower to customer- a no-brainer when you’re providing solutions to their problems in your posts and stories. So when you pitch that offer, your ICA is like “This girl has helped me so much already, I haaave to jump on this!” 

***And if you need help with this, I have the one-stop-shop solution! This episode is sponsored by my course The Social Sales Content Bundle and it’s everything you need to nail your niche, do market research, identify your content pillars, and craft posts and stories that draw the right people to you and then convert them from followers to customers. You get 6 exclusive video trainings and activities, plus 125 caption headlines, 105 caption Call to Actions, 9 caption formulas, and more. So if you are interested in transforming your content and sales skills, check out the show description for the link to The Social Sales Content Bundle. *****

Sliding on into mistake #6 

• You’re not sharing social proof

Social proof includes testimonials, before & afters, client results, screenshots of messages telling you how amazing your product/program/offer is. 

Social proof is a great way to get people off the fence, to show them that people are getting real results, and that it’s possible for them too. 

Always ask your customers or clients for feedback, ask for their transformations (and get their permission to share them with or without their names) and create a folder with these testimonies. I have a Google Drive folder where I upload pictures and screenshots and a document I copy and paste testimonials into so anytime I need to show some social proof, I have a library to choose from - from any device. 

Dancing on into mistake #7

• You’re confusing your audience by posting about too many different things

I understand having lots of passions and interests, but the more niched down you can get in your content and branding, the better. It’s best to have 5 main posting topics or less. For example, if you are in a beauty network marketing business, you might post about skincare, hair care, makeup, braids, and your business opportunity. All of those topics align with your brand and business. If you are a mom and your ICA is a mom, you can definitely post about motherhood. If you are obsessed with Disney and have Disney things all over your house, Disney might be one of your topics so you attract other Disney fans. 

But the key is to always post with a purpose. Are you posting about motherhood because you want to be relatable to your audience and reach moms who don’t yet follow you? Or are you just posting a picture of your kids to cross something off your to-do list. 

Ask yourself: what is THE thing I want to be known for? That should be apparent when a new person pops onto your page. If you’re posting about 7 different topics in rotation, it will be difficult for your ICA to know what you really offer. 

• You aren’t clearly communicating there’s something you offer/ that people could buy from you/join you

I totally get not wanting to be salesy or annoying, but if people don’t know that you offer something they need, you’re never going to be successful. No, you don’t have to be blasting this in everyone’s face in every post, but look at your last 9 photos, do they tell someone who is new to your page that you offer something? Is this also clear in your bio? Do you have a highlight covering what you offer? How about a highlight with testimonials or results? Are you mentioning and breadcrumbing what you offer in your stories? 

Each day you should be showing a glimpse into your day, of you working your business or you can highlight a testimonial or client result or  just talk about your community and what’s going on in there or brag about a client you’re working with. And it doesn’t have to be 7 days a week, but you want to be consistently directing people to swipe up (if you have 10K followers) or head to the link in your bio to learn more or apply or join you or whatever it is. 

This is also where you want to be aware of your ICA’s pain points and call them out so you get their attention. Then talk about the solution you provide, the results your customers/clients have experienced, finally invite them to learn more or work with you. 

Always pretend you are speaking to ONE person, not to hundreds or thousands. Picture one person on the other side of that screen (whether you’re talking to the camera in stories or writing a post for your feed) - and speak and write only for them, I promise you’ll have so much more success with being specific than being super general and vague. 

But I want you to go back and do a social media audit. If I were to stumble on your page, would I know what you offer and who you work with?

Next mistake #9 

• You’re not building genuine relationships by engaging with others or talking to qualified leads in the DMs

The magic happens in the DMs. It’s where you can really build relationships with qualified leads and close sales. I’m not a fan of cold messaging random people and asking them to join you or buy from you, but I am a fan of having natural, organic conversations with people - either by creating content that gets them to message you or you messaging them based on something you saw on their page. DMs are also a great place to serve your audience. Ask any prospects what they’re struggling with or working on, then provide tips, resources, or things that might help them (such as links to articles or sites they might like). This doesn’t have to be all business - a lot of the relationships I’ve built started with baby item talk or stroller advice. When I found something I knew that person might be interested in, I’d send it to them - even if it wasn’t about my business - but about something we had talked about or I knew they were interested in. 

Building trust with people and being a real person is so important. Imagine you were dropping your kid off on the first day of preschool...you wouldn’t walk up to every person there and say, “Hey girl! I love your style. Wanna join my team or buy my product?” 

Can you imagine what the other moms would do? Push their kids into that classroom and make a mad dash to their cars to avoid you! 

But you would start small talk by saying, “I love your bag, I’ve been looking for one big enough to carry all my stuff. How do you like that one?”

You would start to build relationships with the other moms, get to know them a little, before you started pitching them on your products or services. 

So do that online too...don’t be the person people run from. Talk to others like you would in real life and build those relationships. As you continue posting and adding value, those DMs will naturally lead to, “So I’ve been seeing your posts and I think I want more info…” Or you can extend that hand and say, “Not sure if you saw my last posts but I’m hosting a free challenge and I think you’d be a great fit and really rock it. Can I send you more info?” 

That will be so much more well received after you’ve been talking to someone than if you send it as a cold message to someone. 

And lastly, mistake #10 

• Your mindset is all wrong and you’re too caught up in the comparison game

I believe you need more mindset work than you need strategy work. Because if you’re mindset is all wrong, if you’re constantly telling yourself you’re not good enough, creative enough, that it’s taking too long, that you’ll never get there...if your spouse isn’t supportive and your family and friends are questioning you and making fun of you, you could have all the strategy in the world, but your self-doubt and self-questioning will be a major block to your success. 

It’s so easy to get caught up in the comparison game and see someone else slaying it while you’re struggling. To see someone who started after you, making more than you. To get caught up in the vanity metrics of “so and so is getting more likes than me.” 

And you might fall victim to imposter syndrome - but I want you to know this is all normal and you are not alone. 

When I first started my online business, my husband told me I’d embarrass us and never stick with it. My friends literally made fun of me. My family kept asking why I would waste my education and give up my safe salary to build an online business. 

I kept looking at others who were having faster success…

I kept wondering how long I could “fake it until I make it”...

But the one thing I had was confidence in myself and an unwavering work ethic. I told myself, no one else believes in me, but I’m going to prove them wrong. I’m going to be wildly successful and then rub it in their faces and say “I told ya so.” 

I kept reminding myself that slow and steady wins the race...it’s a marathon not a sprint. 

And that I wasn’t faking it, that I did have value to share with others…

I constantly listened to audiobooks and podcasts (and still do…) because I knew my income would only grow as much as I grew as a person and a professional. 

So I applaud you for listening to this right now. But I want you to put your blinders on, stop comparing yourself to others, stop comparing your chapter 3 to someone else’s chapter 33. I want you to believe in yourself and know the only way to fail is to quit. I want you to live in the abundance mindset- knowing there is enough money and opportunity for everyone out there instead of the scarcity mindset- where you believe there are only so many clients, so many opportunities, and not enough money. 

Focus on believing in yourself, visualizing the future you want, and serving your audience and everything will fall into place. 

So to recap: 

The 10 mistakes you might be making that are causing you to work hard but not see the rewards are: 

1. You’re not positioning yourself as a credible authority because you’re just sharing pics of your kids

2. You’re not providing value to your audience (are you providing free tips, tricks, mini-lessons, etc.?)

3. You’re not t clear on your ideal client avatar 

4. You don’t know your ICA’s struggles, pain points, and dreams

5. You’re not creating content that solves your ICA’s problems

6. You’re not sharing social proof (testimonials, before/afters/client results)

7. You’re confusing your audience by posting about too many different things

8. You’re not clearly communicating there’s something you offer/ that people could buy from you/join you

9. You’re not building genuine relationships by engaging with others or talking to qualified leads in the DMs

10. Your mindset is all wrong and you’re too caught up in the comparison game

I hope you found this helpful! Please take a screenshot, tag me, tell me what you thought of the episode, and then go out there and make those money moves!

Thanks for listening! I’ll catch ya on the next episode!

Show Notes:

Today’s episode is sponsored by The Social Sales Content Bundle

The social sales content bundle

Everything you need to create content that converts followers into paying clients and randos into lifers! Proven caption formulas to grow your following and make sales, 125 Headlines, 105 CTAs, interactive content calendar, 6 exclusive video trainings to help you nail your niche & make more sales, and so much more! A must-have for all female entrepreneurs!

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