From Corporate Life to Life as an Entrepreneur: Do Not be Overwhelmed, Social Media is Do-able
Meet Nora Luke, proud corporate dropout, helping others do the same.
You may have met Nora in my Ditching the 9-5 Facebook group or seen her interviewed, or even read her take on coaching in this post where I asked 10 coaches questions to support those of us on the journey into our next chapter outside corporate life and into becoming entrepreneurs.
Nora and I crossed paths and worked on projects together during our past corporate life. She has led by example on how to ditch the 9-5 and is using her experience to get others on the path of using their skills for their calling.
She and I have something in common although our businesses and methods to support you all are completely different. I went the route of blogging and she coaches 1:1.
Nora's business: Corporate to Calling.
Photo by Stephanie Harvey on Unsplash
Disclosure: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share, but it does not change your price.
But here is our commonality: we want to support you on escaping corporate life and becoming what she coined as: a corporate dropout.
For this post, Nora did what she does best, share valuable and transformative information and I did my part: compiled it and wrote it into an article for you all. #collaboration at it’s finest!
Collaboration is something I find to be priceless for entrepreneurs.
Image by Dianne Hope from Pixabay
The heart of the matter: Social Media platforms can grow your business if you use them properly.
The heart of this blog is sharing inspiration and resources (actually things you can implement!), to ditch the 9-5 and design a lifestyle of professional freedom, where you are 100% in control of your time and your goals.
Setting goals is important whether you are focused on heading into retirement, becoming an entrepreneur or both. So important I interviewed business and blog coach Margaret Bourne about it in my Facebook group.
Video housed and posted from GrooveVideo on Groove.
Whether you are blogging, selling a product, or offering a service, you probably need social media nowadays. Short of a strong referral network, social media will be a huge asset to growing your business online.
So let’s talk about what those of us transitioning out of the 9-5 and into being an entrepreneur need to know. The following is my interview with Nora.
Photo by Jonathan Farber on Unsplash
Question 1: How did you have to shift your mindset on what social media “is” when you left corporate life and became an entrepreneur?
I began looking at it as a connection tool. When you own a business, social media is a free tool that allows you to connect your brand to your ideal client. It’s not just a place to connect with friends and family, and it’s not a place to constantly sell.
I’m not saying you can’t offer your services but utilizing this free tool to showcase your expertise and provide helpful information to others is how you can attract the right people to you and your business.
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay
Question 2: What are some uses for social media that an entrepreneur can take advantage of?
For me, it’s about personal branding.
It’s a way to market yourself and stand-out, so you attract those who like what you have to offer and could benefit from your services. Social media allows you to educate, entertain, and showcase your thought leadership, which builds trust with your audience.
If you can inspire someone, they will remember how you made them feel.
If you educate someone, they will remember how you helped them.
When you offer your service/product, they will think of you and refer to you because they trust you.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Question 3: How can an entrepreneur, now without an IT or Marketing Team prioritize their use of social media?
Prioritize by preplanning.
This could include scheduled office time to create your content, utilizing a third-party posting app, and/or pick 1-2 platforms to start.
Many times it depends on your personality. For example, if you love to write, you can create a long form post/blog/article and then use the content from there to create a weekly or monthly theme. This allows you to create multiple posts from one piece of content.
If you prefer video, go Live, then create posts from your video.
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Most importantly, being consistent does not mean constantly.
Create a schedule based on your capacity and stick to it. I also encourage people to build their personal brand online by documenting, instead of creating.
That means you capture the moments of building your business and post those. Showing the human impact and that side of building a business will attract people to you too.
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Question 4: Please share any other tips for entrepreneurs in creating a social media strategy or event to just get started.
Every client of mine has created a social media plan or schedule a little differently. You can choose weekly or monthly topics.
This gives you a focus, which makes creating your content easier.
Some people prefer a daily topic, and some will rotate the same pillars or topics every week. Regardless of what works for you, you should have a strategy around why you’re posting. For example, what are you trying to accomplish in your business this month? If you're launching a conversion event, then your strategy is different compared to a non-launch month.
Photo by Monica Sauro on Unsplash
Below is a 7-day framework you could use:
Day 1: Invite to your group/blog/page. You invite people to follow you where you hang out the most and deliver your best content.
Day 2: Education post. Showcase your expertise.
Day 3: Family or personal post
Day 4: Sales Post. Invite people to learn more about working with you or your product.
Day 5: Thought Leadership.
Day 6: Entertain/Inspire
Day 7: Showcase how your program/product/service is unique.
Image by TaniaRose from Pixabay
Want more?
- Catch my interview with Cyndi Zaweski of Ascent Storycraft on July 28th 2021 by joining the Ditching the 9-5 Facebook group. (I'll link the video after the event!) Our topic: investing time wisely and selecting the platform best for you to grow your business online and easing the overwhelm.
- Thinking about how to organically grow your business with social media? The Digital Acceleration Academy might be for you – I joined.
- Ready to invest in services to support your efforts? I invested in Brittany’s keyword research offer and do not regret it. Check out this great example of what you can hire out when it comes to social media by viewing Brittany’s page.
- If you’re blogging, here is a free Pinterest course for you!
