With more and more content to compete with, it can often feel like there is no single approach that can get people to come to your website.

And in truth, there isn’t!

But there is a combined approach you can take, each with its own creative flair that is sure to get you noticed.

Here, I’ll take you through several ways you can attempt to attract new customers to your website. Some you may have heard of, and some are a little more ‘creative’ for startups looking to gain a foothold in the market.

Key Takeaways

• Make it more user-friendly: Ensure that your website loads quickly, navigates easily, and provides a pleasant user experience, optimizing for both user satisfaction and search engine rankings.
• Build a lead magnet: Offer high-quality, free content like eBooks or exclusive guides to entice visitors to your site, which also helps in gathering their email addresses for future engagement.
• Chat to competitor audiences: Engage with individuals who interact with your competitors by connecting with them on social media, encouraging them to explore what your brand has to offer.
• Build your email list: Develop your email list by offering unique discounts and exclusive content to subscribers, making it an attractive proposition despite the common reluctance to provide personal information.

Ways to Attract Customers to Your Website

As you are already aware, attracting customers to your website is essential. After all, how else are they going to go through the incredible purchasing funnel you’ve created?

With that in mind, here are four different ways to do just that.

Make it more user-friendly

First off, you need to ensure that your site is as user-friendly as possible. That might sound obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many websites I see that load too slowly, have pages that contain broken links, and aren’t well-optimized for users.

Some marketing experts will tell you that you need to optimize for Google, but really, you need to optimize for your users. 

For starters, not all of your traffic will come from Google, so your site needs to be set up to accommodate users who find you from other avenues. 

Secondly, optimizing for users IS optimizing for Google! Sure, Google values certain keywords in particular places, but its main indicators are user experience, such as time spent on the site, users clicking on other pages from your home page, and so on.

So the first thing you should do is a complete audit of your website, from the shoes of your customer. Click through from an ad, imagine you’re trying to learn more or make a purchase, and make a note of the experience.

Build your email list

Another way to ensure more people visit your website is to build up your email list. That way, you can contact people when there is new content to consume, new products launched, or offer periods that are underway.

However, people are not going to sign up to your email list because you tell them to. After all, many people are bombarded with emails every day, so adding another email sender to their list does not come easily.

People are reluctant to part with this information unless they absolutely have to, and for good reason.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get them to do so. Take advantage of offering unique discounts and incentives for opted-in customers, such as 15% off your first order or ongoing offers that are specific to email users.

You could also create a waitlist before product launches, offering unique insights, behind-the-scenes, and updates that other non-email customers won’t get. This tactic has been extremely successful for other startup entrepreneurs, such as Alicia Scott, who went on to turn her business into a billion-dollar venture.

Build a lead magnet

Another way to incentivize website traffic is to give something away for free. It could be a digital eBook, a unique guide, or even a detailed study. Whatever it is, it needs to be your highest quality content, as you can then plaster it all over your various platforms and advertising channels, pushing people to come and get something for free.

This action will also ensure you get more email addresses on your list, which will help with the point above, so it’s a win-win!

But let’s go back to my point about the quality of the content for a second. When creating free content, it is tempting to rush it or just get something out there. Of course, something is better than nothing, but your lead magnet really should be your very best work.

Put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes. They’re not expecting it to be that good because it’s free, so if you knock their socks off with a fantastically useful resource, just imagine how highly they will value your product or service. 

‘If this company gives me this for free, imagine what their paid product/service is like!’

Chat to competitor audiences

Lastly, don’t be afraid to get a little creative with your competitor’s audiences. Of course, you can gain a lot of insight from tracking your competition and seeing how they gain traffic and attention, but there’s also another tactic you can use.

Look at who is engaging with your competition, make a list, and start interacting with them directly, likely via social media. This will help get your brand name out there and also incentivize your target audience to go learn more about what you have to offer.

These are the people you want to come and visit your website, so why not go to them instead? If your product of service is to their liking, they’ll be sure to follow you back to your website from there.

Invest $1 in Your Future

Need more advice on how to attract customers to your website? Or maybe you want a 1-2-1 coach to talk you through the best business strategies to build your brand? Well, look no further than Foundr+! When you sign up for just $1, you will receive instant access to 30+ courses and 1,000+ lessons led by top experts. You’ll also join the growing community of like-minded founders. Sign up here.

The post Attract New Customers to Your Website With These Creative Approaches appeared first on Foundr.

Key Takeaways

• Businesses that have a clear, documented budget and track their ROI see a 43% higher return on marketing investment.
• 48% of small businesses allocate a significant portion of their marketing budget to digital channels, often without a structured plan, which means many opportunities for optimization are missed. 
• Setting SMART goals will help map out your long-term and short-term marketing plans as well as help guide what channels you spend your dollars on!

8 Steps to Mapping Out a Monthly Marketing Budget

By breaking down marketing spending into clear, actionable steps, businesses of all sizes can make the most of their budgets, track progress, and pivot as needed to achieve meaningful results. A strong budget isn’t just about numbers—it’s about aligning spending with your brand’s vision and goals for lasting impact.

Step 1: Set Clear Marketing Goals

Your marketing goals should guide every aspect of your budget. Start by identifying what you want to achieve over the month. This could be:

• Increasing website traffic by a specific percentage
• Driving a certain number of qualified leads
• Boosting conversion rates on a new product or service

Once you’ve set your SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals, you’ll have a much easier time determining how much to allocate to each channel. Struggling to set SMART goals? Look no further. Read this guide! Studies show that goal-setting increases marketing effectiveness by up to 10%, so don’t skip this step!

Step 2: Know Your Total Budget and Get Creative

Plan your business finances and work out your total budget available per month. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends that small businesses spend 7 – 8% of their revenue on marketing if they’re generating less than $5 million annually and have a profit margin in the 10–12% range.

So, if your monthly revenue is $50,000, that means a marketing budget of $3,500–$4,000 is advisable. But remember, this is just a guideline. You’ll need to adjust based on your unique situation, industry, and goals. 

Also, don’t be afraid to get creative to make your budget go further! Instead of overspending on traditional advertising, Airbnb invests heavily in content marketing and user-generated content. Their budget prioritizes building a strong community, fostering user trust, and creating shareable content, such as their “Live There” campaign. By focusing on content and UGC, Airbnb achieved 4.5x higher ROI on its marketing spend compared to competitors relying on paid media. As of 2023, Airbnb reduced its overall marketing spend to focus more on unpaid strategies, helping the company grow revenue by 40% year-on-year! 

Step 3: Analyze Past Performance

Benchmarking is vital when it comes to reviewing your budget and performance. Review the previous month’s data to see which channels or campaigns delivered the highest ROI. Struggling to calculate your ROI? Read this article for some top tips! Many marketers get caught up in spreading funds across all channels evenly, but this can dilute the effectiveness on the platforms that perform better. Statistics show that 76% of businesses experience wasted spend on ineffective channels – don’t be one of those businesses! 

Analytics tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights can be used to identify which campaigns drove traffic, conversions, and engagement. Make sure you have a baseline for key metrics like cost per lead, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Nike leverages data analytics to allocate marketing dollars efficiently across digital, social media, and experiential marketing. They shifted a significant portion of their budget from traditional TV ads to digital channels to better target younger audiences. Nike’s 30% increase in digital marketing spend drove a 59% growth in online sales in 2022, contributing to their overall revenue increase of 13%. Digital now accounts for over 50% of Nike’s total marketing budget, a strategy that aligns with their direct-to-consumer focus. 

Step 4: Break Down Your Budget by Channel

Once you’ve analyzed past data, allocate your budget according to channel performance. Here’s a simple breakdown of how your marketing budget could be spent: 

• Digital ads: 40%
• Content marketing: 25%
• Social media: 15%
• Email marketing: 10%
• Other (print, events, etc.): 10%

Keep in mind that these percentages are only starting points and will vary depending on the size, audience and industry of your business. 

Step 5: Allocate for “Always-On” Marketing

Some marketing efforts need consistent funding, regardless of monthly goals. “Always-on” marketing ensures that your brand stays visible and relevant to your audience. Here are a few common “always-on” strategies:

• SEO efforts (5 – 10%): Organic traffic often takes time to grow, but this is budget-friendly, so invest in SEO continuously to support long-term organic traffic goals. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. 
• Social media management (5 – 10%): Maintaining active profiles across social channels helps build brand trust and can be a constant driver of engagement.

Studies show that businesses with “always-on” marketing grow their leads by up to 70% over those with sporadic campaigns. Coca-Cola allocates the majority of its marketing budget to brand-building campaigns rather than short-term promotional efforts, spending 6–7% of its revenue on marketing globally, which amounted to $4 billion in 2021! They focus on storytelling and emotional branding to maintain their status as one of the world’s most valuable brands. As a direct result of this strategy, Coca-Cola has held its position as the 6th most valuable brand in the world, with an estimated value of $57 billion! 

Step 6: Allocate for Short-Term Campaigns

Aside from “always-on” marketing efforts, make room for short-term or seasonal campaigns that align with monthly business goals. These might include:

• Product launches
• Seasonal promotions
• Targeted ads for specific events

For example, if you’re launching a new service this month, allocate 10 – 20% of your budget to promoting it across relevant channels, particularly ones with high engagement rates like paid social media or Google Ads. 

Step 7: Plan for Testing and Adjustments

It’s smart to keep 5 – 10% of your budget flexible for testing new strategies or as a contingency plan in case a campaign is running particularly well or, not so well. Testing can include anything from trying out a new ad platform to running A/B tests on emails or landing pages. You can read more about A/B testing here. In fact, companies that regularly experiment see up to a 30% higher ROI than those that don’t. 

If you’re allocating $4,000 for the month, set aside around $200 – $400 for testing. This will give you the chance to try out different strategies and adjust your approach based on what’s working.

Step 8: Track, Measure, and Reallocate

Tracking your budget throughout the month is key to making sure you’re on track with spending and performance. Set weekly check-ins to review campaign results, which will ensure nothing is running over budget; you can highlight areas for improvement quickly and can equally add a little extra spend into channels that are working well.  

Reallocate funds to high-performing channels if possible. For instance, if a social media ad campaign is driving tons of traffic but costing less than anticipated, you might decide to put more dollars there. Businesses that continuously reallocate marketing budgets to match performance see a 20% higher marketing ROI. 

Crafting a monthly marketing budget takes careful planning, but the payoff is worth it. By breaking down your budget into clear, goal-aligned steps, you’ll be able to stretch every dollar for maximum impact! Remember to make data-driven decisions and align your test and learn strategy with your monthly marketing budget. 

Need more advice on how to plan a marketing strategy? Or maybe you want a 1-2-1 coach to talk you through the best business strategy to maximize your growth? Well, look no further than Foundr+! When you sign up for just $1, you will receive instant access to 30+ courses and 1,000+ lessons led by top experts like multi-millionaire Gretta van Riel. Sign up here. 

FAQ: 

How much should I allocate to my monthly marketing budget?

The ideal monthly marketing budget varies depending on factors like your industry, company size, growth stage, and revenue. A common guideline is to allocate 7-8% of your revenue to marketing if your annual revenue is under $5 million and you aim for a 10-12% profit margin. However, if you’re in a competitive market or in growth mode, you may want to invest more—up to 10-15% of revenue.

How can I make sure I’m getting a good ROI on my marketing spend?

To maximize ROI, track key performance indicators (KPIs) for each campaign. These might include cost per lead,  customer acquisition cost, and return on ad spend. Set measurable goals and adjust your budget based on performance data. Regularly reallocating funds from underperforming channels to high-performing ones can boost ROI significantly—businesses that do this can see up to 20% higher returns.

How often should I revisit or adjust my marketing budget?

A monthly budget doesn’t mean you set it once and forget it! Weekly check-ins on spending and performance are essential to stay agile. If certain channels exceed expectations, consider reallocating additional funds mid-month. Businesses that frequently adjust their budgets based on real-time data generally see better returns and can adapt to shifts in consumer behavior faster.

The post 8 Steps to Mapping Out a Monthly Marketing Budget appeared first on Foundr.

Whether you’re a one-man band, part of a small team, or a large organization, having the right tools in place will help streamline your workflows, improve team collaboration, and track progress effectively. All of these factors can save you time and money, helping make your business more effective and profitable. 

Key Takeaways 

• Picking the right project management tool for your business can improve efficiency by 30%! 
• Organizations that invest in project management tools see an average ROI of 20% on their projects – tools enable better budget management and resource allocation, reducing costs and improving the overall financial performance of projects.
• Project management software can reduce project costs by up to 15% due to better planning and efficient task management – with clear task assignments, fewer delays, and automated workflows, companies can minimize overheads and reduce costly project setbacks.

8 Project Management Tools To Make You More Efficient

Never used a project management tool before? Or maybe you have, but it became more of a hindrance than a help? Well, picking the right tool all depends on personal preference and what you need it for. 

Here’s a curated list of the top 8 project management tools to help you optimize team performance and achieve better project outcomes and ROI. If you want to learn more about how to calculate your ROI, click here.

1. Asana

One of the most popular project management tools – Asana is free for basic use, is fairly user friendly, and is great for visual projects. 

• Price: Free for Basic, Premium at $10.99/user/month, Business at $24.99/user/month
• Pros:
  • User-friendly interface
  • Great for visual project tracking (timeline, board views, ability to color code)
  • Offers automation for recurring tasks
• Cons:
  • Limited reporting in the free version
  • Overwhelming for very small teams due to a variety of features
• Best For: Teams of all sizes, especially those focused on task management and collaboration.
• Example of Use: Marketing and product teams use Asana to manage campaign tasks and product launches, ensuring smooth collaboration and meeting deadlines.

2. Trello

Trello is widely used and is easy to use. You are able to link ‘cards’ and projects to each other in a user-friendly path. This is a great project management tool if you like a clear, visual representation of complex projects. It is easy to link documents and tag your colleagues, making this a great option if you’re new to using this type of software. 

• Price: Free for Basic, Standard at $5/user/month, Premium at $10/user/month, Enterprise at $17.50/user/month
• Pros:
  • Intuitive and easy-to-use boards with easily editable ‘card’ features 
  • Power-ups and integrations for added functionality
  • Good for visual organization
• Cons:
  • Limited features for advanced project management
  • Hard to manage large projects with many tasks
• Best For: Small teams and individuals, especially those with simple task-tracking needs.
• Example of Use: Creative agencies often use Trello to brainstorm and manage ideas visually, enhancing team communication and creative workflow.

3. Monday.com

You may recognize Monday from their extensive marketing campaigns! It is a great tool, slightly on the more expensive side; however, if you’re a larger business or looking to scale up, this a great project management tool that can handle complex projects. It also has a mobile app for ease of access to your projects. This is ideal for Project Managers and business owners. 

• Price: Basic at $8/user/month, Standard at $10/user/month, Pro at $16/user/month, Enterprise upon request.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable workflows
  • Multiple view options (Gantt, calendar, Kanban)
  • Strong collaboration tools with file sharing and comments
• Cons:
  • Pricey for smaller teams or businesses
  • Some customization options are overly complicated 
• Best For: Medium to large teams with complex workflow needs.
• Example of Use: Software development and customer service teams use Monday.com for project tracking, customer service task prioritization, and collaborative work.

4. ClickUp

ClickUp has a wide range of project management features that are great for more complicated projects and give the wider team visibility on complex workflows. 

• Price: Free for Basic, Unlimited at $5/user/month, Business at $12/user/month, Enterprise upon request
• Pros:
  • Versatile with many features, including goal tracking, task management, and easy document sharing 
  • Customizable to fit various workflows
  • Affordable pricing
• Cons:
  • Interface can be complex and overwhelming
  • Limited integrations in lower plans
• Best For: Growing teams and businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.
• Example of Use: Remote teams use ClickUp to manage projects and communicate effectively across time zones with all tasks and documentation in one place.

5. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is like a giant spreadsheet (shock, right?!) – it is good for large projects with unlimited users; however, it can get quite complicated if you’re not used to working with a lot of data and Ghant chart style project management tools for larger, more complicated projects. 

• Price: Pro at $7/user/month, Business at $25/user/month, Enterprise upon request
• Pros:
  • Spreadsheet-like interface for ease of use
  • Strong reporting and data visualization capabilities
  • Automated workflows and reminders
• Cons:
  • Higher pricing compared to other tools
  • Limited customization on lower-tier plans
• Best For: Data-heavy projects and teams that enjoy spreadsheet-based tools.
• Example of Use: Construction companies use Smartsheet to track project costs, timelines, and updates to enhance efficiency.

6. Notion

Notion is free for personal use, which is always a win if you’re a freelancer, sole trader, or just looking to test various tools! It’s pretty simple to use and has an app version that allows you to work from your phone or tablet. It’s basic but really handy for smaller or simple projects. 

• Price: Free for personal use, Team plan at $8/user/month, Business at $15/user/month
• Pros:
  • Highly versatile with note-taking, database, and task management
  • Customizable templates for various project needs
  • Affordable and flexible
• Cons:
  • Lacks some advanced project management features
  • Limited offline capabilities
• Best For: Creative teams, startups, and remote teams that prioritize documentation. If you’re interested in learning more about how to win funding for your start-up, look no further! 
• Example of Use: Remote teams use Notion to manage project documentation, team notes, and brainstorming sessions in one place.

7. Basecamp

Basecamp is a great tool with a lot of functions, such as chat, message boards, deadline reminders, lists, and document sharing. It has an app as well as a desktop version, which means you can easily log in and work on the go. 

Again, it is quite basic, so it may not be the right choice for massively complex projects. However, it’s a great tool for collaboration between teams. 

• Price: $15/user/month, free for educators and students
• Pros:
  • Simple and straightforward interface
  • Strong collaboration tools, including messaging, task lists, and file sharing
  • Flat-rate pricing, great for large teams
• Cons:
  • Limited advanced features like Gantt charts or time tracking
  • Not ideal for complex workflows
• Best For: Small to medium teams and businesses with straightforward project management needs.
• Example of Use: Agencies use Basecamp to manage client communications and keep team tasks organized.

8. Teamwork

As the name suggests, it’s great for collaborative working. It’s simple to use, which means your clients will have full transparency over projects. Read more about how collaboration and teamwork are integral to growing a business (with data to back it up!) here. 

• Price: Free for Basic, Deliver at $9.99/user/month, Grow at $17.99/user/month, Enterprise upon request
• Pros:
  • Excellent time-tracking and budgeting features
  • Client-facing features for project transparency
  • Detailed task management and tracking
• Cons:
  • Interface can feel dated compared to newer tools
  • Higher price point on advanced plans
• Best For: Agencies and teams that work with external clients and need time tracking.
• Example of Use: Marketing and design agencies use Teamwork to manage client projects, track time spent, and create client-access portals for project updates.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Business

Each tool offers unique features and pricing models that fit different team sizes, project scopes, and workflow requirements. Consider factors like team size, the complexity of your projects, collaboration needs, and budget when choosing the best tool for your team. 

Implementing the right project management tool can lead to streamlined processes, improved productivity, and better project outcomes.

If you’re looking for ways to make your business more efficient, enable quick pivots, and become more profitable, sign up for Foundr+ for just  $1 a month. 

You will also gain access to over 1000+ lessons that will accelerate your business growth and development, and you’ll be able to ask your business coach questions directly! If this sounds like the support you need – get access here. 

FAQs: 

What features should I look for in a project management tool?

The features you need depend on your team size, project complexity, and workflow requirements. However, the most useful features generally include:

• Task and project tracking: Visual tracking options like Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and lists.
• Collaboration tools: Real-time messaging, commenting, and file sharing.
• Time and resource management: Tools for tracking time spent on tasks and managing workload.
• Automations: Automate repetitive tasks like status updates and reminders.
• Reporting and analytics: Dashboards and reports for tracking progress and performance.
• Integration options: Ability to integrate with other tools you use, such as Google Workspace, Slack, or CRM software.

Can small businesses benefit from project management tools?

Yes, small businesses can significantly benefit from project management tools. These tools provide structure, help manage resources, and reduce manual administrative tasks, which are essential for small teams that may have limited time and resources. Additionally, many project management tools offer affordable pricing plans or free versions that are suitable for smaller teams. By improving organization and collaboration, these tools enable small businesses to operate more efficiently and scale more effectively.

What is a project management tool, and why is it important?

A project management tool is software that helps teams organize, plan, execute, and track tasks and projects from start to finish. It includes features like task tracking, time management, collaboration, document sharing, and reporting. These tools are crucial for businesses because they improve productivity, streamline communication, and enhance project visibility, helping teams complete projects on time and within budget.

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There are specialists and search engine wizards who understand the intricacies of gaining online visibility. However, if you don’t have the budget or technical knowledge, don’t fret. There are simple steps that you can follow to help get you started and offer some clarity on what SEO is and how it all works.

Key Takeaways

• SEO is a cost-effective way to drive organic traffic to your website. In fact, it can boost your organic traffic by up to 1,000% compared to social media campaigns. 
• Patience is key. SEO can take 6 – 12 months to get going, so don’t be disheartened if you don’t see massive results straight away. 
• Don’t panic if you don’t have a large budget – there are a lot of free tools like Google Search Console, UberSuggest, and Google Keyword Planner that can help you with technical SEO, keyword research, and competitor analysis. 

Why SEO Matters for Start-Ups

Did you know that 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine? This statistic highlights the importance of SEO for startups who are looking to grow organically. 

By optimizing your website for search engines, you can significantly increase your visibility and drive organic traffic without the hefty price tag of paid advertising. 

Plus, SEO is a long-term strategy. Once you establish a solid foundation, the results can be exponential. But how do you get there? Here are six key tips… 

1. Put ‘The Key’ into Keyword Research

Understanding what your audience is searching for is crucial. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to identify relevant keywords in your industry. Look for long-tail keywords (phrases with three or more words) that have lower competition but high search intent. 

For example, instead of targeting “shoes,” aim for “comfortable running shoes for beginners.” This approach will help you attract a more specific audience that’s ready to convert.

2. Content Marketing: Create Value

Content is king – especially for SEO. Start a blog or resource center on your website where you can share valuable insights, how-to guides, and industry news. Not only will this position you as an authority in your field, but it also provides opportunities to naturally incorporate your keywords. 

Remember, Google loves fresh, relevant content, so aim to post regularly. A study by HubSpot found that companies that blog generate 97% more links to their websites. If you need more advice on how to create solid content, read this guide!

3. Build Quality Backlinks

Backlinks (links from other websites to yours) are a key factor in how search engines rank your site. Focus on building relationships with industry influencers and bloggers who may be interested in linking to your content.

You can start by guest posting on their blogs or collaborating on projects. Even local businesses can be a great source of backlinks. According to Moz, backlinks are one of the top three ranking factors in Google’s algorithm.

4. Optimize for Technical SEO

Don’t overlook the technical aspects of your website. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and has a clear, organized structure. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Mobile-Friendly Test can help you identify areas for improvement. 

Remember, a well-optimized site enhances user experience, which can significantly improve your rankings. In fact, 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than three seconds to load, so by optimizing for technical SEO, you can reduce your bounce rates. And reducing bounce rates means a higher ranking on Google Search! Winning. 

5. Utilize Local SEO

If your startup serves a local audience, optimizing for local SEO is essential. Claim your Google My Business listing and ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all platforms. 

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews, as positive feedback can boost your local rankings. Studies show that 76% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

6. Monitor and Adapt

SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your performance. Monitor which keywords are driving traffic and which pages are underperforming.

Adjust your strategy based on your findings. That now includes AI search: check whether ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews mention your brand when customers ask about your category. An AI visibility audit shows where you stand and what to fix first.

The digital landscape is always changing, and staying adaptable is key to long-term success.

Chase Bank is a prime example of how they have adapted to the change in search engines. Many large companies have neglected to develop their online presence and have seen their market share shrink as a result, overtaken by young, technology-driven companies. 

Chase Bank has put a lot of emphasis on the online user experience and has integrated a lot of relevant content on its website, notably through its blog. In this respect, the articles published on the site, far from being purely financial, offer a glimpse into a lifestyle to which Chase’s customers aspire.

7. Don’t Just Blog — Build Lead Magnets That Work for SEO Too

Blog content is a powerful way to attract organic traffic, but if visitors land on your site, read a post, and leave, you’ve missed an opportunity. This is where lead magnets come in — and the good news is they can pull double duty as both a conversion tool and an SEO asset.

A lead magnet is a free resource or interactive experience that provides genuine value in exchange for an email address. Think downloadable guides, checklists, templates, or interactive quizzes. The key is to make them closely aligned with the search intent that’s already bringing people to your site.

For example, if you’re running a golf apparel brand and driving traffic through blog content about improving your game, an interactive course management quiz that gives players a personalised score is far more engaging than a generic “sign up to our newsletter” pop-up. It directly serves the visitor’s intent, captures their email, and creates a reason for them to come back.

From an SEO perspective, lead magnet pages can rank in their own right — especially interactive tools and quizzes, which tend to earn longer dwell times and higher engagement signals. They also attract backlinks naturally, because other sites are far more likely to link to a useful free tool than a standard blog post.

Common SEO Challenges for Start-Ups

Despite its benefits, startups often face unique challenges when it comes to SEO. Limited budgets, lack of expertise, and time constraints can make it difficult to implement an effective strategy. Here are some practical tips to overcome these hurdles:

Prioritize Your Efforts: Focus on the strategies that will yield the highest return on investment. For example, if you have a limited budget, concentrate on keyword research and content marketing, which can be done relatively inexpensively.

Use Free Tools: Take advantage of free resources to learn and implement SEO strategies. Websites like Moz, HubSpot, and Neil Patel offer a wealth of knowledge to help you get started without breaking the bank.

Learn Continuously: SEO is constantly evolving, so stay updated with the latest trends and algorithm changes. Follow industry blogs, attend webinars, and network with other startups to share insights and strategies.

SEO is an invaluable tool for startups seeking to establish their online presence and attract their target audience without incurring massive costs. By implementing these actionable strategies and overcoming common challenges, you can set your business up for long-term success. So, roll up your sleeves, start optimizing, and watch your startup soar!

Need more advice? Still baffled by the complexities of SEO?  Sign up to Foundr+ for a 1-2-1 coach to talk you through the best business strategy to maximize your organic growth and build your brand. When you sign up for just $1, you will receive instant access to 30+ courses and 1,000+ lessons led by top experts. Sign up here. 

FAQs:

How do I get found on Google?

First things first, you’ve got to make sure your website is crawled and indexed if you want to climb the search engine echelons. Verify your site with Google Search Console, which is a free service provided by Google for website owners. Verifying your website with GSC is considered an SEO best practice and will make it possible for Google to understand you are the site owner.

What are SEO keywords?

Keywords are two to five-word phrases that your potential clients would type into a search engine when looking for you or a business like yours. Choosing and inserting the right terms in your content is crucial since it will help Google’s bots to understand your website better and identify you as a relevant result for a specific search.

How do I optimize text for SEO?

Once you’ve got your keywords, the main places where you want to put these are your SEO title, your URL, your page content, and image descriptions (if possible). Don’t forget your blog posts.

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Whether you’re an aspiring content creator looking to build a following and establish a presence on YouTube, a small business owner looking to harness the power of YouTube as a marketing tool to broaden your reach, or whether you’re a Digital Marketing Manager with the goal of maximizing the impact of your video content on Youtube, this article has you covered! 

Key Takeaways 

1. YouTube is extremely effective for driving conversions, with an average of 70% of viewers making a purchase based on seeing an advert on the channel. 
2. SEO isn’t just for webpages and blog posts; it’s also a huge factor in the YouTube Algorithms. Make sure you use this to your advantage. 
3. Become friends with YouTube’s dashboard; it has loads of vital information about who is watching your content and how to optimize it further. 

How to Optimize YouTube Videos for Maximum Reach

YouTube is a bustling hub of creativity, with millions of videos uploaded every day. So, how do you ensure that your content doesn’t get lost in the shuffle? Optimizing your videos is the key to maximizing reach, improving engagement, and ultimately boosting those subscriber numbers. If you want to learn more on How To Increase Your YouTube Channel, read this! Now, let’s dive into some practical tips that can help make your videos stand out and thrive…

SEO Best Practices for YouTube

First things first, let’s talk about YouTube SEO. Just like Google, YouTube needs to know what your video is all about to rank it appropriately. Here’s how to do it right:

• Keyword Research: Identify keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for using tools like Google Trends, Ubersuggest, or even good ol’ YouTube’s search bar (just type in a relevant phrase and see what autocomplete suggests).
• Titles, Tags, and Descriptions: Use your main keyword in the title (preferably at the beginning). In your description, provide a detailed overview of the video content and sprinkle in those keywords naturally. Tags can help classify your video, so use a mix of broad and specific tags to give it a better chance of being discovered. 90% of marketers use YouTube for video marketing, and 78% consider it an effective channel if optimized well! So, use your SEO wizardry to ensure your content gets seen. If you need some extra help, read this guide on YouTube SEO. 

Pro Tip: A well-optimized title could be the difference between a few views and virality! Think “5 Easy Recipes for Busy Moms” rather than just “Recipes.”

Thumbnail and Title Optimization

Your thumbnail and title are the first things viewers see. They need to be compelling!

• Creating Thumbnails: Make your thumbnails eye-catching! Use bright colors, bold text, and high-quality images to grab attention. Tools like Canva and Photoshop can be lifesavers.
• Crafting Titles: Your title should be engaging and descriptive, ideally under 60 characters to avoid being cut off in search results. Use powerful words or numbers to pique interest, like “Top 10” or “Ultimate Guide.”

Quick Fact: Custom thumbnails get 60% more clicks than generic ones, so invest that time!

Engagement Tactics

Once people click on your video, it’s all about keeping them engaged and encouraging interaction:

• Calls to Action (CTAs): Ask viewers to subscribe, like, or leave comments—don’t be shy! Phrases like “If you enjoyed this video, hit that like button!” can create a sense of community and encourage interaction. YouTube Shorts averages 70 billion views per day so you have to be super snappy and eye-catching to keep your audience’s attention and stand out! If you want to know about YouTube Shorts: What They Are And How To Use Them, read this. 
• Questions and Polls: Encourage discussions by asking questions in your video. You can also use YouTube’s poll feature to get viewers involved and provide feedback on what they want to see next.

Remember: The more interaction your video receives, the more likely YouTube’s algorithm will favor it, pushing it to other viewers.

Content Strategy Development

To keep your audience coming back, you need to develop a content strategy that resonates with them:

• Know Your Audience: Use YouTube Analytics to understand who your viewers are and what they like. Tailor your future content based on their preferences and demographics. 87% of marketers say video has directly increased sales for their business because they know who and how to target their audience. 
• Trending Topics: Keep an eye on trends within your niche and capitalize on them. Creating timely content can set you apart as a go-to creator.
• Consistency is Key: Establish a regular uploading schedule; your audience should know when to expect new content. Whether it’s every week or bi-weekly, consistency helps build loyalty.

Fun Tip: Build a series around specific themes so viewers have a reason to return!

Analytics Utilization

YouTube Analytics is your best friend; it offers valuable insights into your video’s performance:

• Monitor Key Metrics: Focus on watch time, audience retention, and engagement rates. High retention rates mean viewers are enjoying your content, which boosts your video in the algorithm.
• Understand Viewer Behavior: Review where viewers drop off in your videos. Use this data to refine your content, making it more engaging from start to finish.

Reminder: Regularly checking your analytics will help you adapt and improve over time!

Cross-Promotion Techniques

Don’t just rely on YouTube to get the word out—leverage other platforms:

• Social Media Sharing: Promote your videos across all your social media channels. Tailor your posts to fit each platform’s style – think short clips for Instagram and detailed posts for Facebook.
• Collaborations: Partner with other creators in your niche for shoutouts or joint projects on YouTube. This can expose you to new audiences who may just love your content! 
• Email Newsletters: If you have a mailing list, share your latest videos directly with your subscribers – they’re likely your biggest fans!

Optimizing your YouTube videos is not just about putting content out there; it’s about making it discoverable, engaging, and shareable. By following these actionable strategies, you can improve your chances of getting noticed and maximizing your reach. 

Need more advice on how to optimize YouTube videos? Or maybe you want a 1-2-1 coach to talk you through the best business strategy to maximize your growth on all social channels? Well, look no further than Foundr+! When you sign up for just $1, you will receive instant access to 30+ courses and 1,000+ lessons led by top experts like multi-millionaire Gretta van Riel. Sign up here. 

FAQs:

How Do I Optimize My YouTube’s SEO?

 Like any search engine, YouTube wants to deliver content that answers the searcher’s query. For instance, if someone searches for “how to tie a tie,” YouTube won’t deliver a video titled “how to tie your shoelaces.” As you try your hand at YouTube SEO, think about how you can incorporate terms and phrases used by your target audience.

How Do I Increase YouTube Subscribers? 

There are a lot of ways to optimize your content and your channel; however, here are a few other ideas to help you out! 

• Creating engaging and informative content
• Creating and publishing videos frequently
• Creating high-quality videos
• Adding a subscriber watermark to your videos so that when you  repurpose your content on other channels, your watermark will still appear

What Is The Most Engaging Content On YouTube?

According to the YouTube Creators Academy, a few of the most popular YouTube video topics include:

• Entertainment.
• Food.
• Gaming.
• Beauty and Fashion.
• Music.
• Sports.
• Science and Technology.
• Travel.

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90% of users follow a brand on Instagram, 83% have discovered a product/service from Instagram. And 80% have made a purchase based on a product or service they discovered on the platform. 

So, if you are a small business owner and want to keep up with the competition but have a limited budget or want to grow your brand’s awareness and want to be able to prove ROI, you should use Instagram Shopping. 

Key Takeaways

1. Harness the power of impulse buying  – Instagram shopping is all about how to make your target audience see your product and want to buy it immediately. Instagram ads with a link to your online shop is a great way to make buying your product 1 click away. 
2. Limited Budget? – No problem! An Instagram shop doesn’t cost a penny. The only time you’ll need to pay is if you choose to run Instagram ad campaigns. 
3. Utilize user-generated content and influencers – 51% of Americans trust UGC more than any other form of media. Use this to drive traffic to your Instagram shop.  

The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Shopping

Instagram shopping isn’t just a trend—it’s a fundamental shift in how brands connect with consumers. Did you know that 70% of users turn to Instagram to discover new products? So, if you’re not leveraging this platform, you’re seriously missing out!

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about setting up your Instagram shop, optimizing your posts, and leveraging the platform’s features to boost engagement and sales. 

1. Setting Up an Instagram Shop

First things first: let’s get your shop set up!

Step-by-Step Setup

• Create a Business Account: If you haven’t already done so, switch your personal account to a business account. Go to Settings > Account > Switch to Professional Account and select Business. This gives you access to insights and shopping features, which are essential for tracking performance and ROI. 
• Link Your Product Catalog: You’ll need a product catalog to showcase your items. You can create one through Facebook Business Manager or connect with platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce. For instance, brands like Alo Yoga seamlessly integrate their Shopify catalogs to feature their latest collections directly on Instagram. This integration makes it easier to manage inventory and showcase products without hassle.
• Enable Shopping Features: Once your catalog is set up, head to Settings > Business > Set Up Instagram Shopping. Follow the prompts to submit your account for review. This usually takes a few days. Pro tip: Make sure your account meets Instagram’s guidelines to avoid delays! Instagram typically looks for a complete profile, high-quality content, and a consistent posting schedule.
• Customize Your Shop: Once approved, you can tweak how your shop appears. Highlight your best-sellers or seasonal collections. A good example is Revolve, which showcases curated collections that entice users to explore more. Make sure to use eye-catching visuals and clear descriptions to captivate potential buyers.

2. Product Tagging and Promotion

Now that your shop is set up, it’s time to showcase your products effectively.

Best Practices

• Use Product Tags: Tag your products in your posts and stories. This allows followers to click on the item to see details and make a purchase. This direct link makes it super easy for potential customers to shop. Research shows that posts with product tags can increase engagement by 25%! Victoria’s Secret has NAILED the product tagging game – they use shoppable reels, videos, and posts to make shopping easier for their customers by tagging the items. Often, they will get their models to tag the items, too, creating even more reach and user-generated content. If you want a pro tip on how to utilize reviews, read 5 Ways To Leverage Customer Reviews to Increase Sales. 
• Create Engaging Stories: Use Instagram Stories to promote new arrivals or sales. Incorporate polls, questions, and countdowns to engage your audience and drive traffic to your shop. Did you know that one-third of the most-viewed Stories are from businesses? So, don’t underestimate the power of this feature! Use story highlights to save your best promotions and product showcases for newcomers.
  
• Leverage Influencers: Collaborate with influencers in your niche. They can showcase your products to their followers, expanding your reach and credibility. For instance, Glossier has successfully used influencer partnerships to build a loyal customer base, which generate 11 times more ROI than their traditional marketing avenues. Their approach? Authenticity over perfection, which resonates well with their audience. You can read more on how to create a strong brand identity here. 

3. Algorithm Optimization

Understanding Instagram’s algorithm is key to getting your posts seen by your target audience, or on any social media platform for that matter. If you want to sell on multiple social channels, read this guide on How To Sell Directly Through Social Media. 

Tips for Optimization

• Post Consistently: Maintain a regular posting schedule to keep your audience engaged. Studies show that brands that post at least once a day see higher engagement rates. Use scheduling tools like Later or Buffer to plan your content in advance. Consistency not only keeps your brand top-of-mind but also helps build a loyal community.
• Use Relevant Hashtags: Research and use hashtags relevant to your target market. Mix popular hashtags with niche ones for better visibility. For example, if you sell handmade jewelry, use hashtags like #HandmadeJewelry along with trending ones like #JewelryAddict. Hashtags can boost your post’s discoverability, leading to a 12.6% increase in engagement.
• Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments and messages! The more you interact, the more likely your content will show up in their feeds. Remember, Instagram rewards engagement – so don’t leave your fans hanging! Host Q&A sessions or give behind-the-scenes looks to foster community. Theo Chocolate encourages buyers to share pictures, which helps broaden its community and links them back to their online shop. 
• Analyze Timing: Use Instagram Insights to determine when your audience is most active. Posting at peak times can significantly increase your visibility. Experiment with different times to see what works best for your audience. 

4. Analytics and Adjustments

Tracking your performance is crucial for success and proving all the important ROIs. 

How to Use Analytics:

• Access Insights: Go to your profile, tap the Insights button, and review key metrics such as reach, engagement, and sales.
• Evaluate Content Performance: Identify which posts drive the most traffic and sales. Adjust your strategy to focus on what works – whether that’s certain types of posts, timing, or content style.
• Test and Learn: Don’t be afraid to try new things and make mistakes. Test different types of content and promotions, and be ready to pivot based on what the analytics tell you.

5. Emerging Trends

Staying ahead of the curve is essential in the ever-evolving world of social media.

Latest Features and Trends:

• Instagram Reels: Short, engaging videos are gaining traction. Use Reels to showcase products, share behind-the-scenes clips, or provide styling tips.
• Live Shopping Events: Consider hosting live shopping events. This allows real-time interaction with potential buyers and creates a sense of urgency for your products. Sephora tapped into its target market by live-streaming shopping events to demonstrate a variety of cosmetics in real-time tutorials, allowing customers to buy straight from links next to the stream. According to McKinsey & Company, live-streamed events are seeing conversion rates of almost 30%, well above traditional e-commerce strategies.
• Augmented Reality (AR): Explore AR features to let customers virtually try on or use your products. This can enhance the shopping experience and increase conversions. For example, just before COVID, Adidas launched AR Sneakers. This innovative addition empowered shoppers to make informed purchase decisions without the necessity of physically visiting a store. 
• Sustainability and Ethics: Today’s consumers value sustainability. Highlight eco-friendly practices or materials in your products to resonate with conscious shoppers. Green businesses have flourished with Instagram marketing! Nau, the Portland-based clothing company, has become a pioneer in the fashion industry by blending style, performance, and sustainability in its products. #NauMadeToLast emphasized how long-lasting Nau’s clothing is. With more than 5,000 participants, the campaign was a huge success.

By following these steps, you can transform your Instagram account into a vibrant storefront that not only engages your audience but also drives sales. Now, get out there and start turning those likes into sales! 

If you would like some personalized business coaching to help skyrocket your Instagram and your business, then look no further. You can get access to Foundr+ for just $1. This gives you access to 14 days of live coaching, real-life human support, a community of over 30,000+ like-minded professionals, and over 30 business courses to fast-track your learning and business growth. 

FAQs:

How successful is Instagram shopping?

Instagram users spend an average of 30.6 minutes daily on the platform – with 500 million people using Instagram Stories daily and 130 million Instagram users tapping on shopping posts monthly. Is Instagram Shopping Driving Sales? The Results Are In: Brands Report +1,416% Traffic, +20% Revenue.

How do I make my Instagram shop successful?

With your Instagram shop set up, harness these Instagram marketing tips to start bringing in sales:

• Partner with influencers
• Run Instagram ads
• Use product tags
• Publish Reels
• Curate user-generated content
• Use the right hashtags
• Use video to showcase your product
• Leverage Instagram Stories for sales

What are the disadvantages of Instagram shopping?

Pricing! Although it is free to set up – there are a few sneaky fees you should be aware of: 

• Subscription Fees –  Signing up for Instagram Shop is free, but you’ll need to pay processing fees for your sales.
• Transaction Fees – Transaction fees are an important aspect of using Instagram Shop. The selling fee is 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments under $8.00
• Additional Fees.

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There are a multitude of different AI strategies you can use, from chatbots for instant responses, sentiment analysis for emotional insight, data analytics for actionable insights, predictive support, and personalization engines – AI offers practical ways to improve customer satisfaction and streamline support efforts.

Key Takeaways

• Starting with one or two AI tools can help you see measurable benefits quickly while gradually integrating additional AI capabilities will continue to improve your customer service operations. 
• Using AI solutions, businesses can meet customer expectations for fast and proactive services, ultimately setting themselves apart in a competitive landscape.
• Using AI-driven data has proven to enhance the customer journey through personalization and support tools.

8 Ways You Can Implement AI to Improve Customer Service

1. Use AI Chatbots for Instant Customer Support

Chatbots are one of the most effective and accessible AI tools for customer service, significantly reducing response times. Businesses can benefit from efficiency by deflecting simple inquiries to ChatGPT-powered bots. Studies show that 64% of consumers and 80% of business buyers expect businesses to respond and interact with them in real time. Bots can provide quick answers to common questions 24/7, allowing staff members to deal with more important or complicated issues.

In addition to simple query handling, modern AI chatbots are evolving into intelligent virtual agents that can guide customers through complex processes like troubleshooting, onboarding, and even personalized recommendations. These advanced systems learn from past conversations, adapt to user behavior, and escalate only when truly necessary, offering a seamless blend of automation and human-like understanding.

Benefits:

• Reduces response times, providing customers with immediate answers – Businesses that use AI chatbots see 30% reduction in response-time, according to IBM.
• Minimizes the workload on staff, allowing them to prioritize complex cases.
• Maintains consistent responses across multiple channels (website, app, social media)

Implementation Steps:

• Define Frequently Asked Questions: Identify the top questions your customers ask and program the chatbot to respond to these efficiently.
• Integrate with Your CRM: Connect the chatbot to your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system so it can access customer history and personalize responses.
• Set Up Escalation Protocols: Design the bot to recognize when a query needs a human touch and seamlessly hand it off to an available agent.

Clothing brand H&M uses an AI-powered chatbot on its website and social media to help customers find products, check availability, and manage returns. By handling common queries, the chatbot reduces the load on customer support and improves response times significantly.

2. Implement AI-Driven Sentiment Analysis for Personalized Interactions

ChatGPT’s natural language processing (NLP) capabilities or AI-based sentiment analysis tools allow customer service teams to gauge the emotional tone of customer interactions, whether it’s through live chat, emails, or social media, helping staff to understand the customer’s mood and urgency level. You can read more about social listening here.

This insight allows support teams to prioritize cases effectively and tailor responses based on the customer’s emotional state, leading to more empathetic and satisfying interactions. This information helps businesses make data-driven decisions about where to improve products, services, or customer support processes. 

AI-powered sentiment analysis goes beyond keyword detection. It evaluates tone, urgency, and intent across channels to help support teams respond more empathetically and in real time. This not only prioritizes at-risk conversations for faster handling, but also gives leaders better visibility into recurring customer frustrations that might not show up in traditional feedback metrics.

Companies using AI-based sentiment analysis experience a 25% reduction in customer complaints and a 10% increase in customer satisfaction scores.

Benefits:

• Provides actionable insights into customer satisfaction and recurring issues.
• Enables proactive improvements in products and services based on customer feedback.
• Helps management recognize areas where agents may need additional training.

Implementation Steps:

• Set up regular reports from ChatGPT that summarize sentiment trends and recurring themes in customer interactions, providing valuable insights for decision-makers.
• Choose a Sentiment Analysis Tool: Look for AI tools that integrate with your existing channels, such as Zendesk’s AI capabilities or third-party APIs like IBM Watson or Google Cloud’s Natural Language API.
• Train the AI on Your Specific Customer Data: Improve accuracy by feeding the tool data specific to your industry and customer base.
• Develop Protocols for High-Priority Cases: Use sentiment analysis to flag cases that need immediate attention or a specialized approach, ensuring a rapid and effective response.

Coca-Cola uses AI sentiment analysis to track customer feedback in real-time, allowing them to adjust marketing strategies and customer support responses based on trending sentiment. 

As a result, they have seen an 18% improvement in brand perception scores by proactively addressing issues that surfaced through sentiment analysis.

3. Use AI-Powered Data Analytics for Customer Insights

AI-based data analytics tools help businesses analyze vast amounts of customer data to identify trends, preferences, and potential pain points. If you want to know more about how to use customer insights to drive business growth, read this! 

This deep understanding enables companies to make informed decisions about how to improve their service and tailor their offerings. AI can uncover patterns that may not be obvious, such as the most common times customers contact support or recurring issues with specific products.

Implementation Steps:

• Identify Key Metrics and Data Sources: Decide which customer metrics (e.g., customer satisfaction scores, response times) and data sources (e.g., social media, feedback forms) you want to analyze.
• Automate Data Collection and Analysis: Use tools like Salesforce’s Einstein Analytics or Google Analytics with AI capabilities to automate data collection and pattern recognition.
• Generate Actionable Reports: Set up your AI tool to produce regular reports that summarize insights and recommend specific improvements.

Sephora uses AI-driven analytics to gather insights from customer feedback on products and in-store experiences, allowing the company to make targeted improvements that enhance customer satisfaction.

4. Empower Human Agents with AI Support Tools

While AI can automate many customer interactions, its greatest value often comes from enhancing human performance. AI support tools act as real-time assistants to agents, surfacing relevant help articles, recommending answers, and summarizing past interactions as the conversation unfolds. This lets agents focus on nuanced, relationship-building tasks instead of digging through databases or past tickets.

Benefits:

• Improves accuracy and response time without overloading agents

• Helps new hires ramp up faster by offering in-the-moment suggestions

• Reduces repeat questions by surfacing context instantly

Implementation Steps:

• Choose an AI platform that integrates with your service desk or CRM

• Enable real-time prompts and auto-suggestions for common issues

• Train agents to balance AI input with their own judgment and voice

5. Leverage AI for Predictive Customer Support

Predictive customer support uses AI to anticipate customer needs and proactively address potential issues before they escalate. For example, if a customer has repeatedly contacted support about a particular product issue, AI can identify this pattern and trigger a follow-up or suggest a solution even before the customer reaches out again. 

Generative AI can be a fantastic tool when used properly, allowing your business to scale. If you want 5 top-tips on how to use AI to scale your business, look no further! Predictive support can reduce frustration, build trust, and create a more seamless service experience. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 75% of customer service interactions will be powered by AI, significantly decreasing the burden on human agents.

Implementation Steps:

• Train AI on Historical Data: Use past interactions, purchase history, and common issues to teach the AI system to recognize triggers that indicate a future support need.
• Set Up Alerts for Customer Support Teams: When the AI detects a potential issue, it can alert agents to initiate contact with the customer, offering assistance proactively.
• Refine the System Continuously: Update the AI model based on new data and customer feedback to improve accuracy over time. As your prompt engineering improves, so too will your output.

AI-powered systems can now proactively spot issues customers might not even know they’re experiencing, such as service degradation, expired warranties, or missed messages, and initiate outreach to resolve them. This shifts support from reactive problem-solving to preventive care, which can dramatically improve trust and retention.

Comcast uses predictive analytics to identify and solve connectivity issues before they affect customers, often resolving problems without any interruption to service. This proactive support approach reduces customer calls and improves overall satisfaction.

6. Enhance Customer Experience with AI-Powered Personalization Engines

Personalized experiences are critical to modern customer service, and AI-powered personalization engines enable companies to offer each customer a uniquely tailored experience. By analyzing purchase history, browsing behavior, and customer preferences, AI can recommend relevant products, customize responses, and anticipate customer needs. This level of personalization can make customers feel valued and understood, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty. 

With access to customer data, ChatGPT can tailor responses to individual customers, enhancing the personalization of each interaction. By using data such as purchase history, previous interactions, or stated preferences, ChatGPT can recommend products, provide customized solutions, and address customers by name or with specific information relevant to their history with the company. McKinsey reports that personalization can lead to 5 – 15% revenue growth and improve the efficiency of marketing spend by 10 – 30%.

Benefits:

• Creates a personalized experience that helps build customer loyalty.
• Increases the likelihood of cross-selling or up-selling relevant products.
• Helps customers feel valued and understood, improving satisfaction

Implementation Steps:

• Ensure that ChatGPT integrates securely with CRM or customer data platforms so it can access the relevant information needed for personalized interactions.
• Collect and Organize Customer Data: Use customer profiles, previous purchases, and preferences to inform the personalization engine.
• Integrate with CRM and Marketing Platforms: Connect your personalization engine with other systems to ensure a seamless, cohesive experience across all customer touchpoints.
• Optimize Based on Feedback: Use customer feedback to refine recommendations and further customize the personalization experience.

Netflix utilizes AI to recommend shows and movies to each user based on their past viewing habits, creating a highly personalized experience that keeps users engaged. In a customer service setting, this approach could apply to suggesting relevant support resources, product upgrades, or loyalty rewards.

Using Chatgpt and other AI tools in customer service offers businesses the opportunity to support their team rather than replace it. Whether it’s automating responses, helping to personalize interactions, conducting follow-ups, or analyzing sentiment, AI enables companies to streamline processes, boost response times, and understand their customers better. With staff and AI working in harmony, it opens up opportunities for growth, scale and increased brand reputation. 

However, successful AI implementation depends not just on the technology, but also on the readiness of your team. Clear processes, ongoing training, and trust in the system are essential. When AI is positioned as a co-pilot,  supporting rather than replacing your agents, it drives employee satisfaction and customer loyalty.

If you’re looking for more information on the power of AI or you need a business coach, look no further than Foundr+. When you sign up for just $1, you will receive instant access to 30+ courses and 1,000+ lessons led by top experts. Get support, motivation, and advice whenever you need it. Sign up here. 

FAQs:

How Can AI-Powered Chatbots Enhance Customer Support Efficiency?

AI-powered chatbots significantly improve customer service efficiency by handling high volumes of routine inquiries instantly, which reduces response times and ensures customers receive timely help. Chatbots can be programmed to answer common questions, such as those related to store hours, order status, return policies, and product information. This automation frees human agents to focus on complex or high-value inquiries, increasing overall productivity.

What Role Does AI Play in Personalizing Customer Interactions?

AI personalizes customer interactions by analyzing data such as browsing behavior, purchase history, and previous support interactions. Using this information, AI can tailor responses, offer relevant product recommendations, and anticipate customer needs, creating a more engaging and meaningful experience.

What Are the Best Ways to Integrate AI with Human Customer Service Teams?

AI can work alongside human agents by providing real-time support during customer interactions. AI tools can suggest responses, retrieve relevant information, and summarize past interactions, allowing agents to provide faster and more accurate support. This integration enhances agent performance while preserving the human touch, which is crucial for handling complex or sensitive issues.

The post 8 Ways You Can Implement AI to Improve Customer Service in 2025 appeared first on Foundr.

Loyalty programs are everywhere today, and for good reason: they work. When done right, loyalty programs can increase customer retention, drive more sales, and boost brand reputation without a huge marketing budget. 

However, not all loyalty programs are created equal. 

You need to understand your customer’s wants and needs in order to set up a killer loyalty program that keeps them coming back. Here’s how to create one that genuinely benefits your business, with examples, facts, and a few smart strategies…

Key Takeaways

1. If you want to move the needle, including a loyalty program may be the answer; members of loyalty programs are 60% more likely to spend more. 
2. Building a loyal community of customers will help your business achieve long-term success; loyalty program members can be up to 12 times more profitable compared to non-members.
3. It’s cheaper to retain new customers than it is to acquire, meaning you’re in the money if you can find a loyalty program that works. Read more on building a brand community here. 
4. Take inspiration from the big players and use their loyalty program business models to help you. There are plenty of examples in this article! 

What is a Loyalty Program, and Why is it so Important?

Loyalty programs are marketing strategies designed to retain customers by rewarding them for repeat purchases or engagement. Check out this article on the secrets to customer engagement. They encourage loyalty by offering perks like discounts, points, or exclusive access, incentivizing customers to stick with a brand over competitors. 

9 Ways to Implement a Loyalty Program That Actually Works

1. Make It Simple and Clear

A complicated loyalty program is a quick way to lose customers’ interest. The most effective loyalty programs are easy to understand and don’t require a lot of effort to participate in. 

Your customers, just like all of us, want quick wins! Points-based systems are one of the most popular because they’re easy to grasp and work across various industries. Customers earn points per purchase, which they can later redeem for rewards.

Simplicity is critical, as complex point conversions or vague reward thresholds frustrate users.

Take Starbucks Rewards as an example: customers earn 1 star per dollar and can clearly see what 25, 50, or 150 stars will get them. The redemption chart is mobile-friendly, always accessible, and crystal clear. Keep your program intuitive so customers know exactly what to expect and how to benefit.

In fact, Starbucks claims that loyalty program members drive about 40% of its U.S. revenue.

2. Create a Tiered Rewards System

A tiered loyalty program rewards customers based on their loyalty level. This type of system can motivate customers to spend more to reach higher tiers, unlocking better rewards along the way. Not only does this create a sense of accomplishment, but it also keeps the customer engaged with the brand.

Tiered programs create aspirational goals. Sephora’s Beauty Insider moves customers through Insider, VIB, and Rouge levels, each unlocking increasingly exclusive benefits, from birthday gifts to private shopping events. This not only incentivizes spending but also builds a sense of belonging to an exclusive club. Even small brands can offer tiered perks, such as ‘Silver’ members getting early sales access and ‘Gold’ members getting free shipping.

This tiered structure not only encourages spending, with 80% of Sephora’s transactions in the U.S. coming from Insider members.

3. Use Data to Personalize Rewards

Personalization is key to a successful loyalty program. According to a study by Bond Brand Loyalty, 79% of consumers are more likely to engage with a loyalty program that offers personalized rewards. Use data to track purchase history, preferences, and spending habits so you can tailor rewards accordingly. Want more information? Read about using customer insights to drive growth and build loyalty. 

Personalization increases loyalty by making customers feel seen. Netflix does this through personalized content recommendations, and e-commerce brands can apply the same principle to rewards. For instance, if a customer regularly buys eco-friendly products, offer them early access to your next sustainable collection. Tools like Omnisend or HubSpot can help segment audiences and trigger tailored offers based on individual behavior.

Amazon Prime isn’t just a loyalty program – it’s an entire ecosystem of personalized perks! From free two-day shipping to Prime Video, customers feel they’re getting special treatment tailored to their needs. That’s why as many as 90% of Prime members in the U.S. renew their memberships annually. 

Amazon’s success with Prime shows how personalization can make a loyalty program feel valuable and indispensable.

4. Gamify the Experience

Gamification involves adding fun elements like challenges, rewards for completing tasks, or limited-time offers. This technique works well because it taps into the natural human desire for achievement and competition. A gamified loyalty program can make customers feel more engaged and likely to return.

Example: Nike’s NikePlus Membership
Nike’s loyalty program is built around fitness challenges and community events. Members can track their workouts, compete in challenges, and even unlock exclusive products. 

By gamifying the experience, Nike has built a vibrant community and increased brand loyalty among fitness enthusiasts, which is a huge part of their customer base.

5. Add a Social Impact Component

Modern consumers want more than just rewards – they want to make a positive impact. Loyalty programs that incorporate a social responsibility aspect can attract customers who care about sustainability, charity, or giving back. This will also set you apart from crowded marketplaces and give you a one-up on competitors. 

Example: TOMS Passport Rewards
TOMS’ loyalty program allows members to earn points and redeem them for rewards like early access to new products or exclusive events. 

They also give members the option to donate points to help fund TOMS’ giving initiatives. This approach resonates well with TOMS’ socially conscious audience, and it’s aligned with the brand’s mission to make a difference in the world.

6. Incorporate Mobile and Digital Rewards

With the rise of digital wallets and mobile apps, it’s crucial for loyalty programs to be mobile-friendly. Mobile access allows customers to easily track their points, redeem rewards, and engage with your program on the go. This accessibility keeps your brand top of mind.

Example: Target’s Circle
Coupon website, Target Circle has a loyalty program embedded into the Target app. Members get personalized offers, earn cash back on purchases, and can choose causes for Target to support. The convenience of an in-app experience has made Target Circle a huge hit, with 80 million members by 2022.

7. Make Rewards Attainable and Valuable

Nothing frustrates a customer more than realizing they need to spend a small fortune to redeem a reward. Keep the rewards attainable, and make sure they’re genuinely valuable. Smaller, achievable rewards make the experience satisfying from the get-go, keeping customers motivated to continue and increasing brand loyalty. 

Example: Dunkin’s DD Perks
Dunkin’ keeps rewards attainable by letting customers earn points with every purchase, and they can quickly earn free drinks. 

By providing frequent, achievable rewards, Dunkin’ maintains customer interest and keeps them coming back. DD Perks members spend 20% more than non-members so they must be doing something right! 

8. Engage Through Exclusive Experiences

Offering exclusive experiences or behind-the-scenes access can create a unique bond between your brand and the customer. Experiences add a personal touch and make customers feel valued in a way that a simple points program may not. 

Example: American Express Membership Rewards
American Express’s loyalty program is known for offering exclusive experiences, like early access to concerts, VIP tickets, and invites to special events.

This approach appeals to Amex’s high-end clientele, and members see these perks as highly valuable, building loyalty and satisfaction. Amex cardholders spend 43% more annually than other credit card users.

9. Encourage Referrals with Rewards

Adding a referral program to your loyalty initiative can help expand your customer base while rewarding your current customers. Referral incentives encourage loyal customers to spread the word, making your program work as a marketing tool.

Example: Dropbox’s Referral Program
Although not a traditional retail loyalty program, Dropbox’s referral system is highly effective. Users are rewarded with additional storage space for referring new users, which works as a win-win. This strategy helped Dropbox grow from 100,000 to 4 million users in just 15 months.

Loyalty programs are more than a nice-to-have. They’re essential for customer retention. 56% of customers say they’re more likely to stick with brands with good loyalty programs. By keeping your loyalty program simple, personalized, and rewarding, and by tapping into technology, you’ll create a program that attracts and retains customers. 

Whether you’re a small business or a global brand, these loyalty program strategies can help turn one-time buyers into loyal brand advocates.

Want more business advice? Are you a founder looking to scale your business or struggling to find a loyal customer base? Struggling to maintain customer engagement? Well, why not join Foundr+ for just $1? This gives you access to 14 days of live coaching, real-life human support, a community of over 30,000+ like-minded professionals and over 30 business courses to fast-track your learning and business growth. 

FAQs:

Why are customer loyalty programs important for businesses?

Loyalty programs are crucial because they increase customer retention, which is often far more cost-effective than acquiring new customers. On average, return customers spend 67% more than new ones. Brands with loyal customer bases tend to see more consistent revenue, higher customer lifetime value (CLTV), and better word-of-mouth referrals.

How can a loyalty program increase customer retention?

By offering points, exclusive discounts, early access to products, or personalized rewards, customers feel valued and are more likely to return. Programs that use personalized offers can increase customer retention even more – 79% of customers say they’re more loyal to brands with personalized rewards.

How can I measure the success of my loyalty program?

To measure a loyalty program’s success, track these key performance indicators (KPIs):

• Customer Retention Rate: Percentage of customers who stay with the brand over time.
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): Average revenue a customer generates over their relationship with the business.
• Redemption Rate: The percentage of rewards redeemed vs. issued, indicating if rewards are attractive.
• Purchase Frequency: How often loyalty members make purchases compared to non-members.

Program ROI: Compare the cost of running the program (rewards, software, marketing) with revenue from loyalty members.

The post 9 Ways to Implement a Loyalty Program That Actually Works appeared first on Foundr.

Well, we take a deep dive into eight of the top brands in the world and outline their lessons and guidance on building a strong brand identity. It addresses the challenges many businesses face when creating a brand that resonates with their target audience, how to stand out in the market, and how to foster long-term loyalty. 

The article provides actionable steps and insights from top entrepreneurs to help business owners craft a memorable and impactful brand identity.

Key Takeaways

1. Resilience in the face of setbacks and adversity is critical – Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph reveals his journey. 
2. Do not underestimate the power of influencers – people are more likely to trust in other people than in brands. Use this to your advantage! Anthony Katz, founder of Hyperice shares his amazing story! 
3. Content marketing, like cold calling, should capture attention immediately to engage potential clients – Sabri Suby, the founder of Australia’s fastest-growing digital marketing agency, shares his top tips for creating a stand-out marketing campaign. 

Creating a Strong Brand Identity: Lessons from Top Entrepreneurs

Let’s deep-dive into the top tips from some of the world’s biggest business success stories. Below, you will find advice on how to create a strong brand identity and business growth from the people who have been there, done that, and got the millions to show for it! 

There Is No Such Thing As A Bad Idea 

Netflix co-founder, author, podcast host, and investor-extraordinaire Marc Randolph reveals his journey from failed business ideas and last-minute pivots to being laughed at during a $50m pitch with Blockbuster. His key business lessons from working for Netflix include:

1. Start with Action: Randolph emphasizes taking immediate action on ideas, as execution is crucial. He believes that the most important step in having an idea is to start.
2. Embrace Adaptability: Last-minute pivots and early failed concepts shaped Netflix’s ultimate success.
3. Disruptive Vision: Innovate boldly to challenge industry norms, compelling competitors to rethink their strategies. Netflix followed its strong values and identity despite paddling against resistance and maintained its vision. 
4. Resilience and Perseverance: Rejection, like Blockbuster’s infamous  $50m refusal, underscores the need for unwavering confidence in one’s vision.
5. Legacy in Learning: Randolph’s 40 years in entrepreneurship highlight the power of experience, experimentation, and continual learning.

Watch the full interview here.

Utilize The Power Of Relevant Influencers To Elevate Your Brand

Anthony Katz, founder of Hyperice, shares his incredible journey from being a high school teacher to building a global recovery brand used by some of the world’s top athletes, including Kobe Bryant. 

Anthony Katz’s journey with Hyperice offers these top tips when it comes to using influencers to create a strong brand identity:

1. Follow Your Passion: Katz started as a high school teacher with a love for sports, proving that passion can lead to unexpected success. Where there is a will, there is a way, and by following your passion, your brand will become more authentic. 
2. Networking Power: Collaborating with athletes like Kobe Bryant helped Hyperice gain credibility and visibility in a competitive market. It also helped the brand reach its target audience and potential customers. 
3. Embrace Resilience: Building a hardware startup involved tough product development phases, showing the value of persistence.
4. Innovation and Storytelling: Katz emphasized breakthrough recovery tech and authentic storytelling to differentiate Hyperice, essential for standing out in a crowded industry.

Watch the full interview here 

Focus On Customer-Centric Data 

Matteo Franceschetti, founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, shares his incredible journey of transforming sleep into a science-backed, performance-enhancing tool. 

He discusses how the company achieved product-market fit by listening to customers and dives into the challenges of building a hardware startup, the importance of team dynamics, and how Eight Sleep is expanding globally. 

Key branding lessons from Matteo Franceschetti’s journey with Eight Sleep include:

1. Focus on Data Driven Decisions: Optimizing products for better sleep performance highlights the potential in science-backed innovations. It also highlights the importance of data and how statistics and research can elevate the trustworthiness of your brand. 
2. Customer-Centric Development: Listening to customer feedback was essential to refining Eight Sleep’s offerings and achieving product-market fit.
3. Scaling Hardware: Growing a hardware-focused company requires resilience, especially in balancing technical challenges and user needs.
4. Strategic Global Expansion: Expanding internationally highlights the value of a strong vision and adaptability in a niche market but also requires a strong brand identity that stands out from the crowd. 

Watch the full interview here

Scaling Your Brand Requires Customer Loyalty As Well As Employee Loyalty 

After her family’s failed business left her in $700K in debt, MaryRuth Ghiyam used client feedback from her private nutrition practice to develop a liquid morning multivitamin. 

8 years and 130 products later, MaryRuth Organics has earned $100M in revenue and employs over 100 people. So, how’d she do it? MaryRuth Ghiyam’s key scaling lessons include: 

1. Customer Feedback-Driven Innovation: Building products based on client needs led to a successful multivitamin line.
2. Efficient Cash Flow and Profitability: Techniques like a negative cash flow conversion cycle supported growth without external funding resulting in less reliance on external backing. 
3. Time Blocking for Productivity: Rigorous time management enabled strategic focus.
4. Employee Loyalty: Investing in employee retention through recognition and loyalty rewards contributed to sustained growth and success.

Watch the full interview 

Effective Storytelling Is The Key To Successful Marketing And Brand Identity 

Sabri Suby is the founder of Australia’s fastest-growing digital marketing agency, King Kong, and a featured Shark on Australia’s Shark Tank. In 10 years, King Kong has generated over $7.8 billion in sales for its clients in 136 different countries. 

His top tips for how to approach digital marketing to elevate your brand identity include: 

1. Storytelling in Marketing: Effective marketing starts with relatable storytelling that resonates with customers and develops trust and loyalty. 
2. Content as Cold Calling: As Suby says, content marketing is like cold calling and should capture attention immediately to engage potential customers. You can do this through iconic brand colors and visuals as well as eye-catching social media campaigns. 
3. Founder-Led Content: Personal involvement in content builds authenticity and customer trust – try and convey your passion through your marketing campaigns. 
4. Leveraging Paid Ads and Native Content: Focus on interruption-based ads and native video content enhances ad performance. If you have nailed an effective brand identity, your potential clients will start to take notice!
5. AI Integration: Embracing AI tools is essential to stay competitive in digital marketing’s evolving landscape.

Watch the full interview here 

Make Sure Your Brand Identity Is Authentic 

Allison Ellsworth, founder of Poppi, talks about her incredible journey from humble beginnings at farmers’ markets to achieving national recognition with her modern soda brand. 

She shares the challenges, including the pivotal decision to appear on Shark Tank, strategic rebranding, the impact of her Super Bowl commercial, and how she’s built a brand that resonates deeply with consumers through authentic, community-first marketing. Ellsworth’s key branding lessons include: 

1. Start Small and Scale Strategically: Growing from farmers’ markets to Shark Tank provided credibility and exposure.

1. Rebranding and Market Fit: Rebranding played a pivotal role in Poppi’s breakthrough, reshaping its appeal.
2. Leverage High-Impact Marketing: A Super Bowl ad and active social media, especially TikTok, helped boost awareness and community engagement.
3. Stay Authentic: Building a community-first brand and maintaining brand integrity supported Poppi’s growth in a competitive market.

Watch the full interview here

The Stronger Your brand’s Identity, The More Loyal Your Customer Base 

Sheena Zadeh-Daly, founder of Kosas, shares her journey from selling lipsticks from her home to building a clean beauty brand that’s taken the industry by storm. 

Sheena discusses the early challenges of launching Kosas, including her hands-on approach to everything from product development to shipping orders and business positioning. 

Key business lessons from Sheena Zadeh-Daly’s journey with Kosas include:

1. Authentic Brand DNA: A strong brand identity is foundational in building consumer trust and loyalty. 
2. Hands-On Beginnings: Managing early tasks herself gave Sheena insight into every aspect of Kosas, fueling growth.
3. Personal Passion Drives Innovation: Passion for clean beauty helped develop unique products that resonated with consumers – This passion was portrayed through the brand’s identity, helping create strong core values. 
4. Strategic Partnerships and Positioning: Aligning with Sephora established Kosas as a prestigious brand and helped expand brand awareness to relevant target customers. 
5. Balancing Vision with Growth: Staying true to her vision while scaling helped Kosas thrive in the competitive beauty market.

Watch the full interview here 

Be Resourceful With Your Marketing Strategy 

Hudson Leogrande, the founder of Purely White Deluxe teeth whitening and Comfrt, shares his remarkable journey from packing products in his mother’s basement to building not one, but two multimillion-dollar brands. 

Hudson discusses the early struggles of launching Purely White Deluxe, including the challenges of marketing a teeth whitening product with no prior experience and the breakthrough moment when he discovered the untapped potential of Snapchat. 

His key business lessons for creating a strong brand identity include: 

1. Resourcefulness in Marketing: Discovering Snapchat as a marketing tool was pivotal in building an initial customer base. Don’t forget to explore all the marketing channels available to you to test which resonates best with your target market. 
2. Influencer Strategy: Influencer marketing proved highly effective for scaling both brands rapidly because people trust people, not brands. So tap into your target market through relevant influencers. 
3. Purpose-Driven Product Creation: Comfrt’s focus on easing anxiety through clothing connected with audiences on a personal level. Try and make your brand as personable as possible. 
4. Persistence Through Challenges: From packing products in a basement to managing a multimillion-dollar business, Hudson’s persistence underscores the importance of resilience in entrepreneurship. 

Watch the full interview here. 

Want more brand identity and business growth lessons from top entrepreneurs and coaches? Are you a founder struggling to define a clear brand identity that resonates with your target audience? Or maybe you’re a Marketing Manager experiencing difficulty balancing the company’s evolving business strategy. 

No matter what your situation, you can join Foundr+ for just $1. This gives you access to 14 days of live coaching, real-life human support, a community of over 30,000+ like-minded professionals and over 30 business courses to fast-track your learning and help your brand identity. 

FAQs:

What is the purpose of creating a brand identity?

Brand identity serves to establish a unique presence in the market and communicate the brand’s values to consumers. It differentiates the brand from competitors and helps build customer loyalty by creating an emotional connection. A well-defined brand identity guides all branding efforts and ensures consistency across various platforms. 

What are the best practices for establishing a brand voice? 

Establishing a brand voice involves determining how your brand communicates with its audience. Consider your brand’s personality (e.g., friendly, professional, humorous) and ensure that this tone is reflected in all content, from marketing materials to social media posts. Regularly review and refine your voice based on audience feedback and engagement​.

What’s the role of storytelling in brand identity?

Storytelling helps humanize a brand, making it relatable and engaging. By sharing the brand’s journey, values, and mission through compelling narratives, brands can foster emotional connections with their audience. This approach can enhance brand loyalty and encourage customers to become advocates​.

The post Creating a Strong Brand Identity: Lessons from Top Entrepreneurs appeared first on Foundr.

Sound familiar?

It might be time to consider pivoting your business model. How do you know when it’s time to make that change? Let’s dive into the world of business pivots and how they can help your business stay on track.

Key Takeaways 

• Most businesses will have at least 1 business model pivot – in some cases this is unavoidable due to changes in economy, customer habits or sociological reasons. 
• Follow your gut – if you’re constantly battling to make ends meet, your lifetime customer value is slow or you’re experiencing a lot of competition, these may be signs to pivot your business model. 
• Some of the leading businesses in the world have been through a pivot – YouTube, Netflix, Slack, Instagram and Groupon to name a few. Understanding how and why to pivot could make your business even bigger and more successful! 

What is a Business Pivot?

A business pivot is a strategic shift in your company’s direction. It could involve changing your product, service, target market, or revenue model. Think of it as steering the ship in a new direction based on the winds of market demand, feedback, or even new opportunities. While pivots can seem risky, they’re often necessary for long-term survival.

Some of the biggest companies today successfully pivoted. YouTube started as a video-dating platform, while Slack was originally a gaming company called Tiny Speck. And according to research 70% of startups make at least one pivot during their journey.

8 Signs It’s Time to Pivot Your Business Model

1. Stagnant or Declining Sales

If your revenue has plateaued or started to dip, it’s a serious indicator that something isn’t clicking. A Startup Genome report found that 74% of high-growth startups fail due to premature scaling, often because they didn’t pivot in time when initial growth slowed. If your product no longer excites customers or fits the market, it’s time to reconsider your approach.

2. Increased Competition

If your competitors are stealing all of your customers, it could mean they’ve hit on something you’re missing. Sometimes, they might be taking advantage of a niche you hadn’t considered or have found ways to serve your market more effectively. Companies that focus on differentiation during a pivot are 2.5 times more likely to see high returns than those that stick with the status quo.

3. Customer Feedback is Not Positive

Are you getting complaints, or worse, total silence? No one likes to be ghosted. Customers not giving feedback may indicate they aren’t engaged with your product. Approximately 90% of dissatisfied customers will leave without complaining, meaning by the time you notice it, many of your potential buyers are already gone.

4. You’re Losing Interest in Your Own Business

Passion drives creativity and perseverance! Are you constantly wishing you weren’t tied to your business? If so, you may need to reassess your path. Founders who lose enthusiasm for their product often struggle to inspire employees and customers which means your business will never flourish. 

5. Burn Rate is Unsustainable

Your burn rate – AKA how fast you’re burning through your cash, is one of the most critical metrics for any startup. According to Forbes, 38% of startups fail due to running out of money. If your financial runway is shrinking and profitability feels out of reach, it might be time to pivot to a more sustainable business model. Take a step back and assess what isn’t working, and look to other companies for inspiration! 

6. You’re Constantly Putting Out Fires

If it feels like you’re always solving one crisis after another, that could be a sign of underlying issues with your business model. A constant state of firefighting usually points to a lack of scalability or structural inefficiencies.

7. The Market is Changing

External factors like technological advances or changes in consumer behavior can make a once-viable business obsolete. For instance, the shift to digital-first operations during the COVID-19 pandemic saw countless businesses pivot to survive. 91% of businesses sped up their digital transformations as a result.

8. You’ve Found a Better Opportunity

Sometimes, during the course of running your business, a new, more profitable opportunity presents itself. Ignoring it because you’re too focused on the original plan could mean missing out on long-term growth. A Harvard Business Review study found that businesses that pivot effectively based on market insights are 36% more likely to succeed than those that don’t.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Pivoting Your Business

Before you rush into a pivot, make sure it’s the right decision. Here are key questions to ask:

1. What’s the Root Cause of the Problem?

Is it a product issue or a marketing failure? Pinpoint where the problem lies. A failed marketing campaign doesn’t necessarily mean your product is flawed – it could just mean you’re not targeting the right audience. Take a look at this guide on the ultimate content marketing strategy for startups to help give you some inspiration!  

2. Is There a Market for the New Direction?

A pivot without a clear market is risky. It’s like a blind date. You may get lucky, you may not! Ensure there’s demand for the direction you’re considering. 42% of startups fail because there’s no market need for their product, so it’s crucial to do your homework before changing course.

3. Do You Have the Resources to Pivot?

Pivoting isn’t free. It requires time, capital, and often new hires or technology. Make sure you have the resources necessary for a successful transition.

4. Will This Pivot Align with Your Long-Term Goals?

A pivot is a short-term move that should set you up for long-term success. Ensure that your new direction supports your broader vision. You don’t want to pivot just for immediate survival if it sacrifices your company’s future potential.  If you want some top-tips for how to set profitable business goals, read this quick guide! 

5. How Will Your Existing Customers React?

Will your loyal customers still be interested in your new direction? While some customers may embrace the change, others might leave, which could affect your revenue in the short term. Weigh the risks and rewards of losing versus gaining customers.

The Different Types of Pivots to Consider

If you’ve decided that a pivot is in order, the next step is deciding what kind of pivot makes the most sense for your business. 

1. Zoom-In Pivot

Is your product the right fit for your market? Take a look at this guide on how to find the right fit for your start-up. A great tip is to focus on one successful feature of your product and make it the core of your business. For instance, Instagram started as Burbn, a complicated check-in app, crazy, right?! When users gravitated toward the photo-sharing feature, they zoomed in on that, leading to massive success. 

2. Zoom-Out Pivot

Opposite to zooming in, a zoom-out pivot expands your offering to provide more value to your customers. If customers are asking for more, or if your current product feels too niche, zooming out might help broaden your appeal.

3. Customer Segment Pivot

Sometimes, the problem isn’t your product but who you’re selling it to. Pivoting to target a new customer segment can open new doors. Airbnb originally targeted a niche market of conference-goers, but when they broadened their audience to anyone needing short-term lodging, their business took off. And let’s be honest, how many times have you used Airbnb? 

4. Technology Pivot

Switching to a new technology or platform to improve performance or scalability can be a game-changer. This kind of pivot is especially common in software and tech companies where rapid advancements can quickly render old solutions useless and not cost-effective anymore. 

5. Revenue Model Pivot

Are you monetizing the right way? Is your business making any money at all? No? Well, if you need to shed some light on why that may be, read this guide. A revenue model pivot involves changing how you make money. For example, many software companies have moved from one-time purchases to subscription models, capitalizing on a more consistent cash flow. 

6. Channel Pivot

Switching how you deliver your product, whether that means moving from physical retail to e-commerce or changing your sales strategy, can unlock growth. Shopify saw explosive growth by helping brick-and-mortar businesses pivot to online sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to their 96% revenue growth in 2020.

7. Product Pivot

This involves using your existing technology or platform to solve a different problem. For example, Twitter started as a podcasting platform called Odeo before pivoting to microblogging when podcasting became oversaturated. And then it got bought for $44 BILLION, so don’t be afraid to change your tactics. 

8. Complete Business Model Pivot

The most dramatic of all pivots, this involves completely changing how your business operates. It’s risky but can be transformative if done correctly. Netflix, for instance, pivoted from DVD rentals to streaming, and now, their streaming revenue exceeds $31 billion annually. 

Pivoting your business model isn’t about admitting failure – it’s about learning and adapting. Recognizing the signs, asking the right questions, and choosing the right type of pivot can set you up for future success. Remember, some of the world’s most successful companies, from Slack to Netflix, only found their stride after a well-timed pivot. So, don’t be afraid to make that change, it might just save your business! 

Want more advice on whether or not pivoting your business model is a good idea? Joining Foundr+ for $1 will give you access to 1000+ business lessons, 30+ courses and  not to mention, world-class instructors and live coaching sessions. If you’re unsure about the right next step for youtube business, join the Foundr+ community! 

FAQs:

What are the signs it’s time to pivot?

Signs that it’s time to pivot include:

• Declining revenue or customer base.
• Constant firefighting of issues.
• Major shifts in the market, like technological advancements or new competitors.
• Financial troubles, such as running out of cash. If your business isn’t growing or maintaining traction, it may be time to reassess your model.

What is the difference between a pivot and a business model change?

A pivot is a specific, strategic shift to improve an existing business model, while a business model change involves completely reworking how the company delivers value, earns revenue, or interacts with customers. A pivot is generally more focused and aims to refine a part of the business, while a model change is broader and may involve starting from scratch in some areas.

How risky is it to pivot a business?

Pivoting involves risks, as it requires investment in time, money, and resources. However, it’s often necessary for long-term survival, especially when market conditions change. The key is to base your pivot on data and feedback. According to research, startups that pivot early have a much higher success rate compared to those that stick too long with a failing strategy.

The post How to Know It’s Time to Pivot Your Business Model appeared first on Foundr.

Key Takeaways

• Effective communication is key: 80% of professionals credit networking for their career success highlighting the importance of making professional connections. 
• Brand opportunities are a two-way street: focus on what value you can offer to your connections. 
• Levage in-person and digital channels: It takes 5-7 interactions to establish a professional connection – so don’t be disheartened if you don’t see immediate, tangible results. Love Island runs for 8 weeks and most of those people are still looking for connections…

How to Network Successfully for New Brand Opportunities

Networking can feel intimidating at first, but it’s one of the best ways to develop your career and brand growth. Whether you’re launching a startup or expanding an existing brand, knowing how to effectively connect with others can put you in front of potential partners, customers, and mentors. Read this article on the best business networking apps for you! 

1. How to Identify Valuable Networking Opportunities

Not all networking events are created equal, so the trick is to find the ones where your time (and energy) will pay off. The key is to be selective and intentional about where you spend your time. Here’s how:

• Industry-Specific Events: Attend trade shows, expos, and conferences related to your niche. These are prime spots to meet like-minded people who understand your industry. 
• Local Meetups and Professional Associations: Websites like Meetup.com, Eventbrite, and even Facebook Groups are treasure troves of local networking events.
• Online Platforms: If in-person events aren’t your thing, don’t worry! LinkedIn, Reddit, and even Slack channels are fantastic places to meet like-minded professionals. There are also niche online communities for just about every industry—don’t be afraid to join in.
• Virtual Networking Events: In the era of Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, virtual networking events have exploded in popularity. These can often be less intimidating and more convenient than physical events, so give them a try.

2. Effective Communication Strategies

Once you’ve identified the right places to network, it’s all about showing up and making a memorable impression. Research published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology suggests that people make a first impression in 7 seconds so here are some top tips: 

• Nail Your Introduction: Keep your intro short, snappy, and to the point. Avoid jargon – make it understandable to anyone, even if they’re outside your industry.
• Pitch Your Brand Without Sounding Salesy: Don’t go in guns blazing with a hard sell. Instead, focus on the value your brand offers and why you’re passionate about what you do. 
• Create a Lasting Impression: Be genuine and listen actively. People are more likely to remember you if they feel like they’ve had a real conversation rather than just being pitched to. 
• Hand out Business Cards: Make it unique and you could always include a QR code to your LinkedIn profile or business site. 

3. Building Mutually Beneficial Relationships

Networking isn’t just about what you can get –  it’s about what you can give. The best relationships are built on mutual benefits, so figure out what you can offer to others. 

• Offer Value Before Asking for Anything: Maybe you have a connection that would be valuable to the person you’re talking to, or perhaps you can offer advice on a challenge they’re facing. Sharing a relevant resource or simply being a good listener can go a long way.
• Be Curious and Ask Questions: Show genuine interest in what the other person is doing. Ask about their projects, challenges, and goals. The more you understand their needs, the easier it is to find ways to help.
• Follow the Golden Rule of Networking: The more you help others, the more people will want to help you. It’s all about creating win-win situations that will strengthen your connections over time.

4. Leveraging Digital Platforms

In today’s digital age, some of the best networking happens online. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Instagram can be goldmines for networking if used strategically. You could even build your own networking community – read how to do that here. 

• LinkedIn: Polish your LinkedIn profile and make it clear what your brand is all about. Post valuable content – this positions you as a thought leader and helps you attract more connections. Join industry groups, comment on posts, and reach out to people directly (just avoid being too pushy). 
• Twitter: Twitter is great for real-time industry news and conversations. Join in on relevant hashtags and follow industry influencers. 
• Instagram and Facebook Groups: Many entrepreneurs and brands are active on Instagram, and industry-specific Facebook Groups can be incredibly useful for finding collaboration opportunities.
• Virtual Networking Events: Attend webinars, online conferences, or even casual virtual coffee chats. These are excellent for expanding your network without having to leave your home office.

5. Follow-Up Techniques for Success

Don’t let those new connections gather dust! Research by Salesforce suggests that following up 2-3 times after a networking event can lead to a 50% increase in creating meaningful business relationships. Here’s how to keep the momentum going:

• Send a Personalized Follow-Up Message: Whether it’s an email or a LinkedIn message, reach out within 24-48 hours after meeting someone. Reference your conversation to jog their memory and let them know you appreciated the chat. 
• Stay on Their Radar: Don’t let months go by without checking in – send a message, comment on their posts, or share something you think they’d find valuable. Just don’t overdo it – you want to stay relevant without being annoying like a clingy ex! 
• Convert Conversations into Opportunities: If the conversation hinted at a potential collaboration, follow up with a concrete idea or proposal. Offer a next step, like scheduling a coffee or setting up a meeting to discuss opportunities further.

Successful networking to increase brand opportunities is all about showing up in the right places, communicating effectively, offering value to others, and maintaining those relationships for the long haul. Whether you’re attending events, joining online groups, or leveraging LinkedIn, your goal should always be to build authentic, mutually beneficial connections. Stick with it, and you’ll soon start seeing those new brand opportunities roll in!

How to Become More Confident at Networking

Whether you’re an introvert, just starting out, or simply not used to walking into a room full of strangers, these tips can help you build your confidence and become better at networking. You can also check out this blog post on networking for introverts. It takes an average of 5-7 interactions for someone to remember you! So, the more networking you do within your industry, the more likely you are to see dividends and remember… practice makes perfect! 

1. Start Small and Build Up

Don’t feel pressured to dive straight into massive conferences or industry expos. Start with smaller, local events or informal meetups. These environments are often more relaxed, allowing you to practice your networking skills without feeling overwhelmed by large crowds. Set realistic targets like aiming to connect with three new people or have one meaningful conversation, rather than 300…

2. Prepare Your Elevator Pitch

As Scar once said, ‘Be Prepared!’ – Confidence comes from knowing what to say. Before any networking event, have a short and polished elevator pitch ready. This is a 30-second introduction that explains who you are, what you do, and what you’re passionate about. 

4. Practice Active Listening

Sometimes people feel anxious about networking because they think they need to dominate the conversation. The good news is, you don’t! Being a great listener is just as valuable as speaking. When you show genuine interest in others and ask thoughtful questions, it helps build relationships and takes the focus off your nerves. Ask open-ended questions to get the conversations flowing like, “What excites you most about the work you’re doing right now?”

6. Focus on Offering Value

Shifting your mindset from “What can I get out of this interaction?” to “How can I help this person?” can make networking feel more natural. When you focus on being helpful and offering value to others, whether it’s advice, a connection, or just lending a sympathetic ear, you’ll feel less self-conscious and more confident.

Becoming confident at networking is a gradual process, but with these tips, you’ll feel more at ease over time and will open the doors to new brand opportunities. By focusing on offering value, staying genuine, and embracing the experience, you’ll find that networking can be a lot more enjoyable and rewarding than it seems! 

Getting access to Foundr+ for just $1 is the ideal first step if you’re looking to kick-start your networking for new brand opportunities. Foundr+ has a community of over 30,000+ talented founders and business owners, so you can get support, motivation, and advice whenever you need it. You will also have access to weekly live coaching, expert Q&A sessions, and real-human help. Click here for access. 

FAQs:

What are common networking mistakes to avoid?

Don’t jump straight to asking for favors or pitching your product. Business networking is all about balance – offer value, ask questions, and show interest – and avoid going in for the hard sell! 

What are the best business networking events?

There are so many types of business networking events it can be hard to know which one to choose . Trade shows and industry expos are great for meeting a lot of people but can be overwhelming, whereas local business meetups or online webinars and social media groups can be less full-on and attract a more niche audience. 

How do I network effectively?

1. Have a clear elevator pitch and set specific goals (e.g., meet three new people).
2. Show genuine interest in others’ work by asking thoughtful questions.
3. After an event, connect on LinkedIn or send a follow-up email to maintain the relationship.
4. Offer advice, connections, or resources without expecting something in return right away.

The post How to Network Successfully for New Brand Opportunities appeared first on Foundr.

Key Takeaways

• 5.07 billion people use social media, totalling an average time of 2h 20m per day! That’s a lot of screen time that you can harness to increase sales. 
• There are pros and cons to all social apps – knowing which platforms your target demographic prefers is paramount to a successful social selling campaign. 
• Social selling can reduce customer journey friction in the buying process – this helps boost conversion rates and encourages faster (sometimes impulse), purchasing decisions.

How to Sell Directly Through Social Media

Social media has evolved massively – no longer are platforms used to share personal content, but now businesses can sell to customers at any time of the day, in any location around the world. Here’s an overview of the most effective platforms and their tools for social selling: 

1. Instagram

130 million users tap on Instagram shopping posts each month to learn more about products, highlighting the effectiveness of shoppable posts for selling your products. 44% of people use Instagram to shop weekly, making it one of the leading platforms for social commerce. 

Kylie Cosmetics generated $360 million in revenue within two years of launching attributing more than 25% of their sales to social media. Gymshark, a UK-based gym wear brand has grown into a billion-dollar company largely by utilizing Instagram’s Shoppable Posts to tag their products in influencers’ content, driving sales. Check out these top Instagram analytics to track when launching your commerce campaigns. 

• Key Features:
  • Instagram Shops: Allows businesses to create a fully branded storefront that is accessible from their profile.
  • Shoppable Posts: Tag products in posts to facilitate direct purchases and allow users to purchase products directly from their feed. Easy win! 
  • Instagram Live Shopping: Sell products during live streams and interact with your customers.  

2. TikTok

TikTok is not only a platform for viral content but also a growing space for social selling. Its short-form, highly engaging content drives product discovery, especially through viral challenges and demonstrations. TikTok saw over $1 billion in social selling transactions in 2022, making it a hub for viral marketing trends, with the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt gaining massive traction. 

• Key Features:
  • TikTok Shopping: Brands can integrate their products with the platform, making it easier to engage users with direct sales. 
  • Shoppable Videos: Drive users to purchase through product tags. 
  • Influencer Collaboration: Leverage popular creators to showcase products.

3. Facebook

56% of U.S. consumers made a purchase using Facebook last year! Footwear brand, Allbirds reported  a 14x return on ad spend across social media platforms in 2020, showing the power of social media advertising in increasing revenue. To learn more, check out this post on Facebook advertising for beginners. 

• Key Features:
  • Facebook Shops: A customizable, integrated storefront – very similar to Instagram. 
  • Facebook Marketplace: Ideal for local selling and is user-driven. 
  • Facebook Live: Live-selling, making it easy to demonstrate products to a large audience in real time.

4. Pinterest

Pinterest is a discovery-focused platform, ideal for brands looking to target users with purchasing intent. It is possible to create native-looking adverts that drive higher conversions and encourage users to save your ‘pins’ to inspiration boards. 

Key Features:

• Product Pins: Highlight specific products for sale which link directly to product pages, allowing for a smooth buying journey. 
• Pinterest Shopping: Curate boards full of purchasable products.
• Shopping Ads: Promoted product pins to increase visibility that look like native pins, allowing for more subtle integration and increasing your chances of being shared on the platform. 

5. LinkedIn 

LinkedIn has evolved from a professional B2B networking site into a robust platform for social selling. Its features support businesses and professionals in building relationships, nurturing leads, and driving sales. 

Key Features: 

• Sales Navigator: Designed specifically for sales professionals, offering advanced search capabilities and lead recommendations.
• Paid ads: LinkedIn offers various advertising options that allow businesses to target based on job titles and company names. 
• InMail Messaging: Send messages directly to any LinkedIn member, even if you’re not connected, bypassing the typical connection barriers.

Pros of Social Media Selling 

Social media has become a powerful avenue for businesses to reach and engage customers directly. However, like any sales channel, it comes with its own pros and cons.

1. Large, Engaged Audience

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok boast billions of active users. This vast audience provides businesses with significant opportunities to reach potential buyers and create brand visibility. Brands can reach specific demographics based on age, interests, location, and even behaviors. This enables businesses to target users who are more likely to convert, reducing wasted ad spend and increasing return on investment. 

3. Influencer and User-Generated Content

Collaborating with influencers and encouraging user-generated content helps brands leverage the trust and authenticity that comes from recommendations, because people trust people, not businesses. 

4. Real-Time Engagement

Social selling allows brands to engage directly with customers in real-time through comments, direct messages, or live-stream events. Businesses can answer questions, provide customer support, and address concerns almost instantly, which helps to build trust and boost conversion rates.

Cons of Social Media Selling 

2. Platform Dependency

When selling through social media, businesses are dependent on the platform’s algorithms and rules. Changes in algorithms can reduce your organic reach, and policy updates may affect your ability to sell. There’s also the risk of account suspensions or bans, which could severely impact sales. 

3. Customer Privacy Concerns

Social platforms collect and use large amounts of data, and privacy concerns are growing among users. Some consumers are wary of sharing their information or making purchases directly through social platforms due to security or privacy concerns, limiting the number of transactions. 

5. Time-Consuming Content Creation

Selling on social media requires a constant stream of engaging, high-quality content to keep your audience interested. Creating this content takes significant time and resources. Small businesses may struggle to keep up with the content demands needed to drive sales.

How to Create Conversion-Focused Content and Optimize The Buyer’s Journey 

But all is not lost! Here are some quick conversion-focused content ideas to help drive direct sales on social platforms… It’s important to focus on creating content that not only engages your audience in a very, very crowded marketplace but also prompts conversions. As a rule of thumb, you have about 2 seconds to engage your audience before you get swiped!

1. Product Videos: Show how a product works in real-life situations. Demonstrations, how-tos, and unboxing videos are particularly effective. Afterall, everyone wants life-hacks! 
2. Influencer Marketing: Collaborating with influencers to showcase products in an authentic, relatable way helps build trust with your audiences, prompting immediate purchases and appeals to people’s FOMO! 
3. User-Generated Content: Sharing is caring… And real customers’ photos and testimonials build social proof, reassuring potential buyers about quality and value.  If you want some more information, read this article on the perks of user-generated content. 
4. Shoppable Stories and Ads: Use shoppable posts, tags, and ads to make it simple for users to find and explore products. A clear CTA in the post can directly lead users to product pages or checkout with just one tap. 
5. Easy product discovery: Seamless checkout experience: Reduce the number of steps needed to complete a purchase. Features like Instagram Checkout or Facebook Shops allow users to buy products without leaving the app, minimizing distractions and drop-off points.

Tracking and Measuring Success

What gets measured gets improved! By measuring some of the below metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs), you will be able to assess how well your social media sales are performing: 

1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Calculate how much it costs to acquire a customer through paid advertising or influencer marketing. Lowering your CAC indicates better efficiency in your campaigns.
2. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): This measures the revenue generated for each dollar spent on ads. A high ROAS shows that your campaigns are effectively driving sales.
3. Engagement to Conversion Ratio: Track how well your engagement (likes, comments, shares) translates into actual sales. High engagement doesn’t always mean high conversions, so this ratio helps evaluate content quality in terms of sales potential.

Social media platforms are no longer just about visibility and engagement. They are powerful tools for driving direct sales through features like shoppable posts, live-stream selling, and storefronts. By creating conversion-focused content and optimizing the buyer’s journey, businesses can tap into social commerce to boost revenue. If you want to know more about the power of TikTok and the most important metrics to monitor, give this article a read. 

If you are looking for more training, honest business advice and access to over 1000+ online lessons around launching, scaling and marketing your business, why not sign up to Foundr+ for just $1 a month? Get access here. You will find plenty of content and live coaching around how to utilize the power of social media for selling your products and services. 

FAQs:

How do I set up my social media account for direct sales?

Ensure you set up a business account to unlock selling features and insights which will make your life so much easier! You could also do things like uploading a product catalog to enable tagging of products in posts and stories. This step is crucial for shoppable content. 

What type of content should I create to drive direct sales on social media?

Think about creating content that will engage your customers, but will also make them go,  “I WANT THAT PRODUCT, NOW!” Try and create a sense of FOMO through influencer marketing, or life hacks through video content. Include shoppable posts and stories with clear CTAs to eliminate any friction points in their path to purchase. 

How do I measure the success of social media selling?

First things first – know your audience. Once you know your audience inside out, you can implement testing and learning to ensure your social selling is optimized and performing well. The KPIs may be different for your brand but, some of the top ones to keep an eye on include: Your conversion rates, cost per acquisition and return on ad-spend.

The post How to Sell Directly Through Social Media appeared first on Foundr.

The best part is that all of this has the potential to be achieved with a smaller budget than traditional advertising. 

With the podcast space evolving rapidly and key trends reflecting shifts in listener habits, now is a great time for you to leverage podcasting for growth. Read this article for how to make a great podcast. 

Key Takeaways 

• 78% of people listen to podcasts that align with their specific niches and interests – make sure you know what your niche is and how to target listeners in this community. 
• Podcast listeners are loyal, with 85% of them tuning into multiple episodes of their favorite shows, giving you the opportunity to create long-term customers. 
• Podcasts offer fantastic opportunities to repurpose content on various channels. Utilize the most-relevant platforms such as social media, YouTube or blog posts to increase the reach of your ads or podcast further. 

The Benefits of Podcasts for Brand Awareness

Podcasts are booming in 2024, with forecasts suggesting that there will be over 500 million global podcast listeners by the end of the year. 

These listeners engage with a wide variety of niche genres, from true crime to tech and entrepreneurship. If you are looking for some top tips on how to start your own podcast, read this. 

1. Reaching Niche Audiences Like Never Before

Podcasts are all about the niche. Whether it’s true crime, tech, wellness, or business tips, listeners are loyal and engaged. This means you can target specific groups who are already interested in topics related to your brand. 

For example, HubSpot’s “The Hustle Daily Show” taps into the startup and entrepreneurial crowd by diving deep into daily business news and trends. HubSpot has reported significant increases in sign-ups from small business owners who became aware of their brand through the podcast, making it a highly targeted and effective tool. 

By sponsoring episodes or creating content that resonates with niche listeners, your brand instantly connects with relevant audiences. 

2. Podcasts Build Trust & Authenticity

83% of listeners say they trust podcast hosts more than traditional advertisements, which reinforces the authenticity of brands that partner with trusted podcast personalities. Listening to Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul podcast makes you feel like she’s sat in the room with you and I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly going to trust everything she says. 

Unlike traditional ads, podcasts let brands engage in a more authentic and intimate way. Squarespace has mastered this by partnering with high-profile podcasts like The Tim Ferriss Show, contributing to the company’s $300 million annual revenue. 

Ferriss casually mentions his own experience using the product, making it feel like a genuine recommendation.

3. Podcasts Drive Brand Awareness and Engagement 

67% of listeners say podcast ads raise their awareness about new products and services. Listeners tune in while commuting, cooking, or working out, meaning they’re invested and less likely to skip ads – winning! This means that podcast listeners have some of the highest engagement rates in digital media. 

Take BetterHelp, the online therapy platform. They consistently advertise on wellness and mental health podcasts. After investing heavily in podcast ads, BetterHelp saw a 60% increase in sign-ups from listeners, and podcast ads now account for a significant portion of their marketing strategy.

You could invest in AI-driven ad platforms like Megaphone or programmatic ad buying to help place targeted ads into the ears of relevant listeners, driving engagement. 

4. Cost-Effective Branding

Podcast ads and sponsorships can often be more affordable than other types of marketing yet still drive high ROI. Despite this, podcast ad spending in the U.S is expected to reach $2.5 billion by the end of 2024! 

Brands like HelloFresh have built huge visibility by sponsoring a variety of podcasts, from food to lifestyle shows like Armchair Expert. 

By 2023, HelloFresh saw a 50% increase in subscriptions due to their podcast sponsorships, significantly lowering their cost-per-acquisition compared to other channels. 

5. Creating Long-Form Content for Deeper Connections

Podcasts let brands dive deeper into storytelling through longer-form content. Instead of 30-second ads, you can have longer, meaningful conversations. This is where branded podcasts come in. 

GE’s “The Message” is a great example of a company producing its own narrative podcast, blending science fiction with real-world innovation. The show was so good people didn’t even realize it was branded content. It boosted awareness around GE’s tech-forward thinking. 

6. Cross-Promotion Opportunities Are Everywhere

When a brand sponsors a podcast or even creates its own, they gain access to the podcast host’s social media following. It’s a two-for-one deal, and who doesn’t love a bargain? 

Brands can repurpose their podcast content on multiple channels such as Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, you name it, and get even more eyeballs on their ads. 

Look at Athletic Greens, a wellness company that frequently sponsors health-focused podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience. 

Not only do they get shout-outs on the podcast, but Joe Rogan’s massive 15 million following also amplifies their message through his social and Youtube channels. Win-win!

7. Podcasts Offer Great Data & Analytics

In 2024, podcast platforms provide robust analytics such as; downloads, listens and listener demographics. With tools like Megaphone or Spotify’s Ad Studio, companies can see what’s working and refine their messaging to boost performance. 

Mailchimp has leveraged this data to optimize its podcast ads, tailoring them to specific audience behaviors, resulting in higher conversion rates. Tailoring your message is key and you cannot tap into your audience’s wants, needs and desires without data. 

In short, podcasts are one of the best ways to build brand awareness in today’s market. With targeted audiences, high engagement, and authentic storytelling, your brand can make a genuine connection with potential customers. 

So, if you haven’t considered podcasting as part of your marketing strategy yet, it’s definitely time to tune in!

Are you looking for honest advice around what marketing channels will suit your business? Stay updated with the latest marketing tactics to build and grow your audience through live coaching and support from the Foundr business team for just $1 a month. 

You will also gain access to over 1000+ lessons that will accelerate your business growth and development! Get access here. 

5 Brand Podcasts You Should Listen To

If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out these podcasts – all of them are sponsored by various brands or are a brand themselves. If you want a further list of the best business podcasts, check out this article. 

Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan 

The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan is one of the leading global entrepreneurship podcasts with a significant impact on the startup and small business communities. Launching in 2014, the show has over 500 episodes to date, featuring interviews with top entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, and Daymond John. 

Each episode dives deep into actionable strategies and insights from these business leaders, helping inspire and educate its listeners. 

The Joe Rogan Experience

As I’ve already mentioned, Joe Rogan dominates the podcast charts with an average 11 million listeners per episode! Known for his long-form interviews that cover a variety of topics such as politics, culture, science, and entertainment, it attracts a wide demographic. His ability to host guests ranging from Elon Musk and David Goggins to scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson keeps the audience engaged. 

Huberman Lab

Hosted by neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, this podcast has gained popularity by making complex health and science topics accessible. Its episodes are also filmed for his YouTube channel, with some videos hitting 3 millions views, meaning he’s targeting an even broader demographic. He is also very active on his social channels which frequently promote clips from the pod. 

Lex Fridman Podcast

Fridman’s podcast mixes conversations on technology, AI, and philosophical discussions with a wide range of high-profile guests like Elon Musk and Sam Harris. He regularly draws large audiences, cementing Fridman’s podcast as a top intellectual show, gaining a strong following among tech enthusiasts and curious minds. He has also harnessed the power of video and has grown his YouTube channel to 3.5 millions subscribers! 

Rotten Mango

A true-crime podcast with a twist of dark humor, hosted by Stephanie Soo, Rotten Mango continues to grow in popularity. Its unique blend of storytelling and comedy makes it stand out in the oversaturated true-crime genre, drawing in both hardcore true-crime fans and newcomers.

FAQs:

How can podcasts be integrated into a brand’s marketing strategy?

Podcasts are a powerful marketing tool for storytelling and building deeper connections with audiences. Brands can integrate podcasts by:

• Sponsoring podcasts relevant to their target audience.
• Creating branded content or podcasts centered around their industry or products.
• Using podcasts as a channel for thought leadership, showcasing industry expertise.
• Cross-promoting podcasts on social media and other digital platforms to drive engagement and reach.

What are the benefits of using podcasts for advertising over other platforms?

Podcast ads, especially host-read ads, are effective because they:

• Feel more authentic and less intrusive.
• Are integrated directly into the content, leading to higher listener engagement.
• Benefit from brand association with trusted podcast hosts.
• Target niche audiences effectively through genre-specific podcasts.

How can a brand measure the success of a podcast advertising campaign?

Podcasting streaming platforms have a lot of data available to the listeners, but what about the ads? With the right tools, you can track the ROI through the following:

• Unique promo codes or URLs
• Dynamic ad insertion to monitor impressions and listener demographics.
• Surveys or feedback forms from listeners to assess brand awareness or changes in perception after hearing an ad.
• Third-party analytics platforms to track downloads and listener data

The post Harnessing the Power of Podcasts for Brand Awareness in 2025 appeared first on Foundr.

By following key steps and best practices, businesses can create compelling, personalized ads that boost their sales and maximize ROI. 

And do you know the best part? Retargeting ads see higher CTRs and conversion rates than regular display ads, making these a cost-effective marketing tool. 

Key Takeaways 

• For businesses of all sizes, retargeting provides an opportunity to maximize visitor touchpoints. 
• When applied correctly, using audience segmentation, personalized content, and continuous optimization, retargeting campaigns can be one of the most effective ways to drive growth, retain customers and increase engagement. 
• What gets measured, gets improved – testing and learning is vital if you want to improve your campaign results. 

6 Steps to Create Effective Retargeting Campaigns

First things first, what is retargeting? Why is it crucial for recapturing potential customers and improving conversions?  

Retargeting is a game-changer, the Joker in your pack of marketing cards, offering you a way to win potential customers who have shown interest in your brand. Want to know more about how to create a marketing campaign that makes you stand out? Read this!  

Whether you’re running an e-commerce shop or offering a service, retargeting helps you stay top of mind. Here’s how you can set up a killer retargeting campaign in 6 easy steps.

1. Understand the Fundamentals of Retargeting

Setting up ads shown across different platforms and retargeting helps remind these potential customers of how awesome you are and why they should come back and complete the desired action. If you need some more convincing about how useful retargeting is, here is why: 

• Increases conversions: People are busy, but by showing them a well-timed and well-placed advert, you could increase online sales by 20% (on average). 
• Boosts engagement: Don’t let them get away! Retargeting helps keep your business top-of-mind as visitors browse elsewhere, increasing the chances they’ll come back to you! 
• Reduces cart abandonment: E-commerce sites often see improved sales by reminding users about items left in their carts. Unless we are desperate, only about 2% of website visitors convert on their first website visit. Retargeting helps bring back your customers, giving you a second chance to turn browsers into buyers. 

2. Choose Your Retargeting Platforms

Your next step is choosing where to run your retargeting ads. Some popular platforms include:

• Google Ads: Reach users through the Google Display Network and YouTube. The Google Display Network reaches over 90% of global internet users, making it one of the largest platforms for retargeting campaigns. 
• Facebook and Instagram Ads: Target users on social media platforms where they spend most of their time. Tough Mudder, an extreme obstacle race company, used Facebook retargeting ads to reconnect with users who abandoned their ticket purchases. By retargeting, they reduced their cart abandonment rate by 33% and saw a 5 times return on ad spend. 
• LinkedIn Ads: Great for B2B businesses targeting professionals.

Start by selecting platforms where your audience is most active. You can run ads across multiple platforms for broader coverage or focus on just one to maximize your ad budget.

3. Define Your Audience

Now that you’ve picked your platform, the key to an effective campaign is defining the right audience segments. Here are a few common audience types for retargeting:

• Website visitors: People who visited your site but didn’t complete an action. You can add tracking pixels to your whole website or specific pages, allowing you to retarget through display ads almost immediately. 
• Cart abandoners: Have you ever received a personalized email saying ,’Hey, look what you forget?’ – well, give this a go yourself! Remind your customers on what they are missing.  
• Content viewers: If you know a site visitor has read your blog or watched a video but didn’t sign up or buy, you know they like your content, so just remind them of why they shouldn’t miss out on more. 
• Past customers: Users who’ve made a purchase and might be open to upsells or repeat purchases. You could use list-based retargeting for these customers as this requires some level of contact information such as an email address. Don’t have an email list yet? Read more about how to build a huge email database. This is handy when creating highly-personalized ads such as including their name, or what they bought last time they shopped with you. 

4. Create Compelling Ad Content

The message matters! Your ad creative should resonate with your audience and reflect their specific stage in the customer journey. Make sure your ad visuals are eye-catching, concise, and include a clear call to action. For example:

• Abandoned cart ads: Show users the exact products they left behind, offering a small discount or free shipping.
• Product reminder ads: Remind users about the benefits of the product they viewed or show them positive reviews. People believe in people, not necessarily in businesses. The Honest Company used dynamic retargeting to show customers the exact products they had previously viewed. This resulted in a 36% higher conversion rate.
• Loyal customer ads: Offer repeat customers exclusive offers or new product announcements. Make your customers feel valued, and they will return the favor through loyalty. 

5. Launch and Optimize Your Campaign

Once everything is in place, launch your campaign and track its performance closely. Testing and learning is a crucial part of marketing – track what is working or not working to optimize your performance. Most platforms offer detailed analytics showing how your ads are doing in terms of clicks, conversions, and cost-per-click. 

• A/B testing: Test different ad creatives, messaging, and CTAs to see what resonates best.
• Frequency capping: Limit how often someone sees your ad to prevent ad fatigue.
• Adjust bids: Optimize your bids based on performance. If a particular audience is converting better, you can increase the bid for that group.

6. Strategies for Continuous Improvement

To keep your retargeting campaigns performing at their best, monitor metrics closely. Worried about what metrics to focus on? Check out this guide on the most relevant marketing stats and adopt these best practices:

• Refresh your ads: Swap out creatives every few weeks to keep your ads from going stale.
• Segment your audience: Narrow down your retargeting lists. For example, create separate ads for users who abandoned their cart versus those who only browsed.
• Optimize landing pages: Ensure your landing page aligns with your ad’s message for a seamless experience.
• Use exclusions: Exclude people who have already converted so you don’t waste your budget on people who don’t need further retargeting.

The moral of the story is, whether you’re a small startup or an established company, retargeting can be a highly effective way to drive growth and boost conversions. It is a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes, helping you maximize every potential lead and conversion opportunity. 

If you want more business support, stay updated in a fast-evolving business world with weekly live coaching and Q&A with expert founders and real-human support from the Foundr business team for just $1 a month. 

You will also gain access to over 1000+ lessons that will accelerate your business growth and development! Get access here. 

FAQs: 

What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?

The main difference between retargeting and remarketing is the audience they target and the channels they use: 

• Retargeting – Targets users using paid ads to reach new customers who have interacted with your website or social media but haven’t yet converted. 
• Remarketing – Targets users through direct channels like email or SMS who have already interacted with your brand, such as making a purchase or downloading an app. 

What platforms can I use for retargeting?

There are so many! Shop around and discover the best platforms for your business as each one will have its own pros, cons and pricing. 

How much does retargeting cost?

This will vary depending on the business. However, the average cost for remarketing on Google is $0.66 to $1.23 per click. In comparison, the average cost-per-click (CPC) for search and display ads on Google ranges from $1 to $2 for search ads and less than $1 for display ads.

How do I improve retargeting ads?

Personalization is one of the biggest wins you could implement. Personalized messaging is proven to boost conversations. You could also implement frequency capping – set a limit on how often users see your ads to avoid ad fatigue.

The post 6 Steps to Create Effective Retargeting Campaigns appeared first on Foundr.

The subscription box industry is expected to grow by 18.3% annually from 2023 to 2027, reaching over $65 billion globally by 2027. 

Startups and small businesses can effectively implement subscription models to create a sure-fire way of generating recurring revenue with great scalability options and a high lifetime customer value. 

This step-by-step process for developing a subscription box model will talk you through how to kick-start your concept, market research, branding, logistics, and marketing strategies. 

Key Takeaways: 

• The global subscription box market reached a value of $32.9 billion in 2023. 
• There is a growing demand for more personalized products.
• In order to grow and scale, you need more than just a good idea…
• Retention is key. New customers cost up to 7 times more to acquire, than new customers are to retain. 

Phase 1: Concept Creation: Crafting a Unique Subscription Box Idea

If you can find your niche and create unrivaled value for your customers, then the possibilities for growth in this market are exceptional. 

Step 1 – Create a unique concept 

In a crowded market, a unique and well-defined concept is essential to differentiate your brand. 

42% of subscription box customers say they subscribe for access to unique or exclusive products that they can’t easily find elsewhere, and 89% of consumers subscribe to multiple services, suggesting there’s room for new entries in different niches. 

Step 2 –  Research the market

Identify popular trends or gaps in existing subscription box offerings and channel what you’re passionate about and interested in – are you a gamer who likes to knit scarves? 

Or a cat owner who collects Marvel figurines? Use online tools like Google Trends, social media, and competitor research to understand your niche and what your value proposition is. 

You could also build prototypes and hold focus groups for honest feedback before you develop further. Look for opportunities in under-served markets or gaps where consumer demand is unmet – essentially, find your cash cow!  

Step 3 –  Source Products

Once you have your concept and USP, it’s time to think about how you’re going to source products for your subscription. There is a wide range of unique products out there; you just have to find the right sellers for you! 

Step 4 – Define your price point

Pricing is crucial if you want to be profitable and scaleable for long-term success. As a general rule, your box will need to have a 40% profit margin to be considered sustainable. 

Products and shipping are the big expenses, but there are also credit card fees, packaging materials, custom box design, and marketing costs. Calculate your fixed monthly costs, factor in your profit margin, and work out your pricing strategy based on your predicted volume of subscribers. This will give you a rough price point from which to start.  

55% of subscription cancellations are due to “low value for money,” reinforcing the need to understand your target market values and pricing this right. 

Step 5 – Develop your subscription box model

BarkBox is one of the biggest subscription box companies in the world. Their model includes a range of subscription options, including monthly, six-month, and 12-month options. 

They are also a great example of how they have expanded their product offerings. A tiered model increases customer lifetime value by encouraging upgrades to premium plans and attracting a broader customer base without raising costs on lower-tier boxes. 

Once your concept, products, pricing and model is established, it’s time for phase 2: marketing! 

Phase 2: Marketing and Acquisition 

In such a booming market, you need to establish a unique selling point, authentic marketing, personalization options, and a sexy unpackaging process (for your box). 

Step 1 – Branding

Strong company values communicated through your branding will help reach your target market. Blue Apron Holdings is a meal kit delivery company. 

Their unique value proposition is their commitment to reducing food wastage partnering with food banks to donate excess food, which is communicated in their marketing. What makes you unique? What are our morals and values? If you want some more tips on brand authenticity,  check out this post. 

Step 2 – Targeting and Personalization

Don’t be afraid to get up close and personal with your customers. Think Tinder profiles but for your customers… How old are they, what are their interests, what are their dislikes, what problems can you help them solve? 

Research from Deloitte shows that 36% of consumers are interested in personalized products, meaning customizable subscription boxes can significantly improve satisfaction and retention. 

Step 3 –  Build your community

Social media and influencer marketing mean that big players are collaborating with content creators to promote their products. Take Loot Crate. This gaming-based subscription box got over 10 million views on their sponsored video with popular Youtuber PewDiePie. 

This is a prime example of how you can tap into niche communities and create low-budget content that will resonate with your target market and drive mass brand awareness! 

Phase 3: Operations and Delivery

Become a smooth operator! Efficient operations are crucial to the success of your subscription box business. 

Step 1 –  Logistics of Fulfillment

You need to decide whether you’ll handle fulfillment in-house or outsource to a fulfillment center. Notably, 94% of consumers say poor delivery experiences negatively impact their loyalty. 

As your business grows, perhaps packaging your boxes in the garage is no longer an option… Research shows that 44% of small business owners find managing logistics and fulfillment their biggest operational challenge. 

Streamlining the processes can reduce churn and improve customer retention. If you need more advice on this, click here for more tips!

Step 2 – Packaging: 40% of consumers say they’re more likely to share a product on social media if it arrives in premium, branded packaging. So, make it sexy! I don’t mean add a confetti cannon but if you have the capacity, a personalized note, snazzy boxes or cool colors can go a long way.  

Step 3 – Shipping

According to a survey by Pitney Bowes, 74% of shoppers say that free shipping options impact their purchasing decisions. Try and negotiate with shipping carriers for the best rates and delivery times – especially as your business grows, guaranteeing repeat business could earn you a discount! 

Try offering free or discounted shipping where possible to increase customer acquisition. 

Step 4 – Inventory Management

The good news is, a subscription model means you can accurately predict your inventory needs, helping you manage costs more efficiently and avoid stock delays. 

Remember, time is money, and the longer you’re waiting for stock, the more likely your customers will look elsewhere. 

Phase 4: Growth and Scale 

With a predicted growth of 18.3% annually from 2023 to 2027, ensuring your business has the right foundations and process to scale-up efficiently, is vital to growing your business. 

Step 1 – Customer Retention is Key

FabFitFun has positioned itself not just as a beauty box, but a lifestyle box. With a growth of 300% year-on-year, CEO Michael Broukhim has built more than a subscription box business, he has created an exclusive members community and mobile app to retain loyalty and create FOMO!  

Reducing churn improves long-term profitability, so ensure your subscribers get rewarded or receive exclusive offers to keep them coming back. Click here to read more on why retention is more important than leads. 

Step 2 – Growing your customers

Acquisition can be tricky but there are plenty of ways to get the attention of your potential customer. Think of it like peacocking… Show off the best your business has to offer. Maybe offer a half-price first box, refer a friend scheme, encourage user-generated content for some low-budget conversions and try micro-influencer tactics. 

Step 3 – Managing Costs for Scale

Options like small business loans, venture capital, or crowdfunding can raise capital for growth. With the added investment, you could look at automation software that saves time, reduces human error, and improves efficiency. 

This is all crucial as your business grows, and can save you time and money! Utilize the power of technology for inventory management, order fulfillment, and recurring billing to ensure smooth operations. 

Launch your subscription box model with the help of Foundr

Let’s recap! To build a successful subscription box business, you need to find your niche, create value for money, get to know your customers and offer them a slick and smooth order and delivery process. 

Sounds easy right? Well, if you want more business advice to fast-track your ideas confidently, become a Foundr+ member for a 14 day trial. For only $1, you will join a community of over 300,000+ like-minded peers and access experts to help support you and your business. 

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Build a Subscription Box Business

How much money do I need to start a subscription box business?

Start-up costs vary, but a typical subscription box business requires $10,000–$50,000. Start with a small initial investment by sourcing products in smaller quantities and scaling as demand increases. 

How do I set the price for my subscription box?

To set a price, calculate your cost of goods sold,  including product costs, packaging, and shipping. Then, factor in your overheads like marketing. Check what your competitors are priced at to ensure your box offers competitive value!

How do I find reliable suppliers for my subscription box?

Research suppliers online through platforms like Etsy for wholesale partnerships. You could also try trade shows or connect with local makers and small businesses. Build strong relationships with suppliers by negotiating bulk discounts!

The post How to Build a Subscription Box Business appeared first on Foundr.

No, it’s not as sinister as a silent assassin; a silent partner can be very helpful.

If you’re looking for an injection of cash but want to remain in control of your business and its daily operations, or if you’re interested in starting your own business but need an initial investment, a silent partner may be a helpful avenue to explore.

That being said, it’s important that you understand the benefits and risks involved when seeking a silent partnership. 

Key Takeaways

• Silent partners play a crucial role for startups and small businesses that need to secure funding to grow but don’t want to give up control of the company’s direction. 
• Benefits include; shared liability, accelerated growth and access to capital however, you have to be willing to share profits, loss of equity and potential lack of industry knowledge. 
• There are plenty of ways you can leverage silent partners to your advantage but, it’s important to understand there are other partnerships available that may suit your needs. 

What Exactly is a Silent Partner?

When you think about business partnerships, do you think of board members sitting around a table in suits, smoking a cigarette? Well, ignore that! A silent partner is someone who provides capital to a business but doesn’t get involved in its daily operations or decision-making. They’re called “silent” because they stay out of the day-to-day hustle. However, they still share in the profits (or losses) of the business, making it a mutually beneficial relationship. If you want to read more on startup funding, read this guide. 

How Do Silent Partners Differ from Active Partners?

Before we get too deep into the benefits and risks, let’s quickly break down the difference between silent and active partners:

Active Partners: These partners invest in the business and take an active role in its management. They make decisions, manage staff, oversee daily operations, and handle all the chaos of running a business. 

Silent Partners: As mentioned, these individuals invest their money but don’t participate in the day-to-day grind. They’re happy to sit back and let the active partners do the heavy lifting. 

Benefits of Having a Silent Partner

There are pros and cons of having a silent partner on board. It’s important that you look at both sides of the coin before you make a decision. Here are a few pros: 

1. Access to Capital: Whether you’re launching a startup, expanding a small business, or taking on a new project, money is often a big hurdle. Click here for more information on business startup costs. 

According to the 2022 Small Business Credit Survey by the Federal Reserve, 61% of small businesses faced financial challenges, with 47% of them identifying “funding gaps” as a critical issue. A silent partner can provide the financial boost you need to get the ball rolling without you having to go to a bank or give up equity to a venture capitalist. 

2. Retain Control: Unlike active partners, most silent partners don’t want to be involved in decision-making. This means you get the cash infusion, AND you retain full control over daily operations, management, and strategic decisions.
3. Shared Liability: If your business is structured as a partnership, silent partners share some of the liability, especially when it comes to debts or legal issues. 
4. Potential for Business Growth: With extra capital from a silent partner, you can grow your business faster. This might mean hiring more staff, expanding your product line, or increasing your marketing efforts. In other words, that cash could unlock new opportunities you wouldn’t have been able to access on your own.

Risks of Having a Silent Partner

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. There are some of the cons to bringing a silent partner on board:

1. Profit Sharing: Since silent partners invest in your business, they’re entitled to a share of the profits. This means you’ll be giving up a portion of the earnings, which could add up in the long run. Many silent partners expect between 10% and 30% of business profits, depending on the industry and level of risk involved. For instance, in the restaurant industry, the expected profit-sharing might hover around 25%, while for low-risk ventures, it may be closer to 10%. If you want to know more about profit vs revenue, read this!
2. Limited Expertise: Silent partners are often investors, not industry experts. While they might have a strong financial background, they won’t be much help when it comes to running the business. 
3. Potential Legal Issues: If you and your silent partner don’t have a clear, legally binding agreement in place, things can get messy. Disputes over profit sharing, decision-making rights, and liability can lead to legal troubles. Always make sure to draw up a solid partnership agreement to protect both parties. 67% of silent partnerships are structured as Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) or Limited Partnerships (LPs), which protect the silent partner from legal liability beyond their investment.
4. Loss of Equity: While you retain control, you are giving up a percentage of your business in exchange for that capital. In the early stages of a company, that may not feel like much, but as your business grows, the percentage you’ve given up can become more significant.

Comparisons to Other Partnerships:

There are distinctions between silent partnerships and other business structures. Some may suit your business needs more than others, so it’s important to know the difference: 

Limited partnerships: The key difference is that limited partnerships enjoy legal protection from liability, which may not be guaranteed for a silent partner. 

General partnerships: Unlike silent partnerships, general partners are fully involved in the business. They share responsibilities for operations and full liability, making it fundamentally different from a silent partner who prefers a low-risk role. 

Angel investors: While some angel investors can act as silent partners if they provide capital and don’t get involved in management, the key difference is that angel investors typically invest in high-risk startups with the expectation of high returns, and they often want equity in return. Silent partners, in contrast, usually focus on lower-risk ventures and may not be as concerned with rapid growth or high ROI.

Real-World Examples of Silent Partnerships

To get a clearer picture, let’s dive into some real-world scenarios, although the details of silent partnerships can sometimes be private due to their nature:

Google: Before Google became the tech giant it is today, Andy Bechtolsheim made an early investment of $100,000 in the company when it was just starting out. Bechtolsheim didn’t take an active role in the operations but trusted the vision of Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

WhatsApp: Jim Goetz, through Sequoia Capital, was an early investor in WhatsApp. He recognized its potential but allowed founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton to maintain full control over the app’s development and operations. WhatsApp was acquired for $19 billion by Facebook, marking Goetz’s investment as one of the most lucrative silent partnerships in tech history.

If you are running or are considering starting a business, this is how having a silent partner could impact your development: 

Restaurant Startups: According to the National Restaurant Association, 1 in 5 restaurant startups seek silent partners for funding due to the high upfront costs of opening a restaurant, which often exceeds $500,000. A silent partner can provide the capital to launch the restaurant while the chef retains full control over the menu, staff, and day-to-day operations.

Tech Startups: A tech entrepreneur may have a brilliant idea for a new app but needs cash to develop the product. A silent partner who believes in the project’s potential invests money but leaves the tech team to handle development and management.

Franchise Models: The International Franchise Association notes that around 30% of franchise owners use silent partners to help finance the initial costs of purchasing a franchise, which can range from $100,000 to over $1 million, depending on the brand and location. 

How Startups and Small Businesses Can Leverage Silent Partnerships

For startups and small businesses, silent partnerships can be a great way to secure funding without giving up too much control. Here’s how you can effectively leverage a silent partner:

1. Choose the Right Partner: Make sure you choose a silent partner who aligns with your values and vision for the business. They should believe in what you’re doing and trust you to make the right decisions. 
2. Clear Agreements: Have a solid, legally binding partnership agreement in place. This should outline profit-sharing terms, the level of involvement from the silent partner and how the partnership will be dissolved if things don’t work out. 
3. Maintain Regular Communication: Even though your partner is “silent,” it’s still essential to maintain regular communication. This could mean quarterly meetings, updates on financial performance, or just keeping them in the loop on major milestones. 
4. Focus on Business Growth: With the capital provided by your silent partner, focus on strategic growth. Whether it’s expanding your product line, entering new markets, or improving your marketing, make sure you’re using that investment wisely to maximize returns for both parties.

Silent partners can be a game-changer for businesses that need capital but don’t want to give up control. Whether you’re launching a new venture or expanding your existing one, a well-structured silent partnership can provide the financial boost you need while letting you call the shots. 

Need some more business advice? Would you like access to 30+ courses and over 1000 online lessons to fast-track your business? You can sign up to Foundr+ for $1 and join a community of over 30,000 like-minded founders. Simply sign up here. 

FAQs:

What is a silent partner?

A silent partner is an individual that invests capital into a business but does not participate in the day-to-day management or operations. Silent partners provide financial backing in exchange for a share of the profits, but they remain “silent” in terms of business decisions. 

How are profits shared with a silent partner?

Profit-sharing with a silent partner depends on the partnership agreement. Typically, the silent partner receives a percentage of the profits in proportion to their initial investment. For instance, if a silent partner invests 30% of the capital, they might receive 30% of the profits. 

Can a silent partner become an active partner?

Yes, a silent partner can become an active partner if both parties agree to this change. This typically involves renegotiating the partnership terms to reflect the new role and responsibilities of the silent partner.

The post What is a Silent Partner? Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Foundr.

If you get the tone wrong, your audience won’t believe in your brand values, they may not understand your humor or worse, be offended by it! 

By following key steps, businesses can develop a tone that reflects their values, builds trust, and strengthens brand identity across all communication channels.

7 Steps to Finding Your Brand Tone of Voice

Following these steps will help you communicate with your potential customers on an even deeper level, establishing you as a trustworthy and reliable brand. 

This list aims to give you a step-by-step guide to help you define a distinct tone of voice that aligns with your brand’s values and appeals to your target audience. 

Define Your Brand’s Core Values and Personality

Your brand’s tone of voice should reflect its core values (innovation, trust, creativity) and its personality (playful, authoritative, empathetic). 

These values form the foundation for how your brand “speaks” to your potential customers. 

A consistent tone builds trust and strengthens the emotional connection with your audience by reinforcing what your brand stands for. 

For example, Tesla prides itself in being innovative and forward-thinking. Apple is renowned for being slick and sophisticated whereas Mailchimp is quirky, artsy and more conversational. 

So remember, you do you! Everyone else is taken. 

Understand Your Target Audience

Conduct thorough research to identify your audience’s preferences, demographics, pain points, and communication style. 

Knowing your audience helps you tailor you brand’s tone to resonate with them effectively. 

A study found that 88% of US consumers want to engage with brands that are setting new standards and a further 56% said they feel more loyal to brands who “get me”.  

If that isn’t a good enough reason to deep-dive into your customer’s soul, I don’t know what is! Think of your potential customers as the partners of your dreams – get to know everything about them and how to communicate with them. 

Conduct a Competitor Analysis

Review how competitors in your industry communicate. Identify gaps or opportunities where your brand can stand out by adopting a different or more defined tone. You can use SEO tools like SemRush or MOZ.com to help you do this. 

A distinctive tone differentiates your brand from others, making it more memorable and setting you apart in a crowded market. Don’t be afraid to look at what other companies do well – you may realize that you can do it better, or it can highlight gaps that your tone of voice can fill. 

Define Your Communication Style 

Choose a specific communication style that defines your tone of voice (e.g., formal, conversational, witty, informative). 

Create a tone of voice style guide ranging from professional to casual or fun, based on what’s appropriate for your brand and the marketing channel that you’re using. 

Do you want to sound like a supportive best friend, or your customer’s wise-old uncle? 

A clear tone and style will help build an emotional response, such as trust or excitement and will likely keep you customers coming back for more once a trustworthy relationship has been established. 

If you want to learn more about customer retention strategies, click here. 

Create Tone of Voice Guidelines

Develop a comprehensive guide that outlines your brand’s tone of voice rules, with examples of how to communicate on different social media platforms and marketing channels (website, Instagram, TikTok, emails). 

Include dos and don’ts, words to use and avoid, and writing style preferences.

A tone of voice guide ensures that your team maintains a unified, recognizable voice, improving the overall brand experience across all customer touchpoints. It also links to point 6!

Consistency is Key 

Start by identifying your industry standards and experiment with small tone variations to see what resonates with your target audience on which platforms and communication channels. 

For example, are you a law firm? If so, LinkedIn may work for your formal tone of voice over X or Instagram. 

Or, if you’re an innovative tech company, platforms like X and witty emails may work better for your brand’s tone of voice. Whatever you decide, stick to it! 

According to research conducted by SalesForce, 87% of consumers want a consistent tone and brand experience across channels. This includes branding, imagery, and tone of voice.

What gets measured gets improved! 

Experiment with different tones in various types of content and measure audience engagement, feedback, and sentiment. Read more on social listening here. 

Run A/B testing with different tones in content like emails, social media posts, or paid ads and then measure audience engagement, feedback, and sentiment. You can track and make notes on your audience’s reactions,  refining your brand tone of voice accordingly. 

Testing allows you to fine-tune your brand’s tone based on real-world reactions, ensuring your communication feels authentic and relatable to your audience. ‘Test and Learn’ is a drumbeat that marketers can’t avoid. 

Without measuring what works and what does not work, there is no way to benchmark and improve for even greater success!

Align Your Marketing and Business Plan 

Your brand’s tone of voice directly shapes how your target audience perceives your morals, values and beliefs. A consistent and well-defined tone helps establish an emotional connection with your potential customers which, when sprinkled with trust and garnished with brand loyalty, you guessed it, is a recipe for long-term success. 

If you’re looking to join a community of like-minded professionals and learn EVEN MORE through online courses, lessons, and coaching, you can get access to Foundr+ for just $1. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Tone of Voice

What is a brand tone of voice, and why is it important?

 A brand’s tone of voice refers to how its personality and values are communicated to its audience. It’s important because it shapes how customers perceive a brand, creates an emotional connection between a brand and its audience, and ensures brand consistency across all platforms, helping to build trust and loyalty. You can read more about increasing customer loyalty here. 

How do I identify my brand’s tone of voice?

Start by defining your brand’s core values, personality, and target audience. Analyze existing content to identify engagement patterns, conduct competitor research in order to differentiate yourself within your market and test, test, test! Write in different tones and styles to see what resonates with your audience.

The post 7 Steps to Finding Your Brand Tone of Voice appeared first on Foundr.

Their answer will normally begin with a story. The origin story normally pulls at The Shark’s heartstrings, makes them reflect on their values, needs and desires or makes them relate to the brand. 

Once the contestants have them hooked, they can then work on influencing their purchasing decisions, which, as an Entrepreneur, Marketing Manager or Content Creator, is the main goal! So, what is the power of storytelling in marketing and why is it important? 

In a growing world of AI and robots, storytelling is vital to the future of marketing now more than ever because it taps into the fundamental human need for connections and emotional resonance, shifting from product-centric to customer-centric marketing strategies. 

5 Ways to Implement Effective Storytelling For Your Brand

Whether you’re a small business owner, a start-up or a marketing manager, if you don’t have your brand’s story included in your marketing campaign, there are a few ways you can change that! 

Think Long-Term Goal vs Short-Term Success 

Unlike one-off adverts that focus solely on short-term conversions, storytelling helps build long-term customer relationships, communities and loyalty. 

When brands share ongoing stories, they create a narrative that keeps customers engaged over time, encouraging repeat engagement and even brand advocacy. Read more on brand word of mouth and advocacy here.

This may take longer than rapid-fire marketing campaigns; however, harnessing the power of storytelling is likely to increase lifetime customer value, resulting in longer-term success. 

Speed-Date Your Customers 

As Taylor Swift once said, ‘It’s a love story’, and the customer is the Romeo to your Juliet! Get to know your customers inside out. What are their likes, dislikes, passions, values? They want to relate to your mission and support your vision. 

You have the power to create that emotional connection through your brand’s storytelling, leaving your customers wanting to come back and share you with their social circle, growing organic brand awareness. This helps create a buzz and build organic engagement without breaking the bank. A UK-based dating app called Thursday quite literally set up a pop-up speed dating in London to get to know their customers better. 

Their mission was to tackle the pain points of modern-day dating. This may work for your brand, or, you could go and talk to people on the street, make a focus group, set a poll on social media, basically, get to know your customers! You can read more on engaging your audience with social media quizzes and polls here. 

Repurpose, Repurpose, Repurpose! 

Work smarter, not harder! One piece of content can go a long way… With the rise of social media and digital platforms, storytelling provides endless opportunities to create content that can be shared and distributed across various channels for free! You can create kick-ass viral campaigns with a minimal budget. 

One piece of storytelling can be repurposed for your YouTube shorts, TikTok, Instagram Live, or created into a blog post, a podcast, an infographic, the list goes on, and on. This also ensures that your brand tone of voice and messaging is aligned across multiple platforms. 

This is imperative if you want to build loyalty and trust, so make sure your storytelling is consistent. 

Differentiation Is Key 

In a highly competitive marketplace, compelling storytelling will help your brand stand out. Many products and services are similar in quality or function, so the difference often comes from your unique selling proposition and how it connects with consumers’ values. 

Effective storytelling can foster a sense of community, so be open and honest with your customers. Tell them about your passions, your dreams, your ‘why’ for getting out of bed, and your desire to make your brand a success because this will not be the same story as your competitors. 

Fenty Beauty wanted to shake up the ‘normalized’ beauty standards with its ‘Inclusive Beauty’ campaign back in 2017. By launching over 40 shades of foundation to match a wider variety of skin tones, its differentiation from the rest of the market meant that it reached $100 million in sales within 40 days of launch.

It was named one of Time magazine’s best inventions in 2017 and has become one of the most influential beauty brands, thanks to its unique value proposition and storytelling. 

Be Shakespeare, Not Pythagoras 

Your customer is a person, not just a conversion. Use the data you have available to know your customers on a deeper level.  Tailor your messaging to suit their needs, wants or desires to make their customer journey a more memorable experience. 

People remember 63% of stories but only 5% of facts, so avoid hitting customers  (not literally) with dry figures about why your brand is better than the competition. OK, data is important, however, storytelling is vital if you want customers to become a brand ambassador without paying the influencer fees! 

Charities such as Water, use storytelling to show how donations directly impact individuals in need of clean water. These stories motivate people to donate and share the cause with their networks.

Take Your Next Marketing Campaign to New Heights

If you want more information and top tips on the power of storytelling in your next marketing campaign, sign up to Foundr+ for just $1 to get access to hundreds of professional-led lessons. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Storytelling

How do you create a brand story in a marketing campaign? 

Marketers and business owners should be able to define their brand’s ‘why’. What core values drive your business? These could be sustainability, innovation, community, quality, etc. Show how these values shape everything you do.

What are the benefits of storytelling in Marketing?

Not only is this a cheap or even free tool in your marketing arsenal, but if harnessed correctly, it can increase organic engagement, differentiate your brand from the competition, enhance customer trust and build brand loyalty. 

What mistakes should you avoid in brand storytelling?

Some of the biggest mistakes business owners, copywriters and marketers make when creating their brand’s storytelling is to make their ‘why’ or brand’s vision and mission too sales-focused. This runs the risk of sounding inauthentic, which will result in a lack of trust from your customers.

The post The Power of Storytelling in Marketing appeared first on Foundr.

In a world where many aspects of businesses can take the shape of “fake it until you make it”, customer reviews are one of the only things that stand between failure and success.

Here, we will look at five of the best ways you can leverage your customer reviews to increase sales and take your brand to the next level.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• Feature them across your website: Displaying reviews on key pages can increase credibility and conversions.
• Integrate them into your marketing strategies: Embedding customer testimonials in email marketing can enhance engagement.
• Optimize your SEO strategy: Integrating customer reviews into web content can improve organic search rankings.
• Increase trust and conversions at the point of sale: Adding reviews to retargeting ads can reassure hesitant potential customers.
• Transform reviews into compelling case studies: Turn customer experiences into detailed case studies to attract new clients.

5 Ways to Leverage Customer Reviews

Without further ado, let’s dive straight into five quick and easy ways you can get the most out of your customer reviews, and make them work harder for your brand.

Feature them across your website

Customer reviews can do so much more than just remind you how great your product or service is. They can also be an incredible tool for boosting conversion rates.

How many times have you found yourself close to buying from a new brand, only to talk yourself out by convincing yourself the product or service on offer is likely not going to be as good as it sounds?

Now imagine a world where your potential customer has that very thought; only in this reality, they see customer reviews from like-minded people, further proving your product or service is perfect for them.

Displaying great reviews on key pages can increase credibility and, therefore conversions, as more potential customers decide to take the leap and purchase from you.

Integrate them into your email marketing strategies

Embedding reviews into your many email marketing journeys is another excellent way to utilize the kind words your customers have to say about your business.

Whether it’s part of your post-purchase welcome series, abandoned basked follow-up emails, or any other promotional email campaigns you are running, reviews are great for email as they take up very little space (which is vital for an effective email message), but tell a great story in that limited space.

Play around with testing different types of reviews at different locations in your email flows to maximize your open and conversion rates.

Optimize your SEO strategy

When many people think of SEO, they likely think of aspects such as keywords and content structure. However, for many brands regularly updated customer reviews can also have a significant impact on organic search rankings.

With more and more generic content appearing on the internet, Google is working in overdrive to find legitimate content that provides genuinely helpful content.

And what’s more helpful than hearing what like-minded customers have to say about a product they have purchased?   

Using customer reviews within articles and other web content in an organic and legitimate way can have a significant impact on how high your brand ranks in your chosen industry.

Increase trust and conversions at the point of sale

As I have already touched on, some potential customers are more willing to try new brands than others. Some are happy to ‘take your word for it’ and purchase what you have to offer, whereas others will be more cautious about buying from a company they have never heard of before, which is also understandable.

However, it is very frustrating when your website traffic isn’t converting into paying customers! Using reviews is a great way to eradicate some of those concerns, whether it be at the purchase stage of the process, or even as part of retargeting ads, helping reassure hesitant potential customers.

Transform Reviews into Compelling Case Studies

When thinking pragmatically, it’s easy to think that the most effective sales content is, well, sales content! Promotional content certainly has value, but case studies are another great form of sales content.

Case studies can be used across your website, across your email journeys, all over your social media channels, as part of retargeting ads, and even within any investment pitches, making it extremely versatile and reusable.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are many ways that customer reviews can help you grow your business’s reputation, increase customer loyalty, and improve the trustworthiness that new customers have with your brand.

To learn about other steps you need to take to move your brand to the next level, be sure to check out foundr+, your gateway to eCommerce success for just $1.

Frequently Asked Questions About Leveraging Customer Reviews

How do customer reviews impact sales?

Customer reviews significantly influence purchasing decisions by building trust and credibility. 

What are the best ways to feature customer reviews on a website?

The most effective ways to showcase customer reviews on a website include placing them on product pages, using review widgets, displaying star ratings, and highlighting user-generated content such as customer photos and videos.

Can customer reviews be used in marketing campaigns?

Yes, customer reviews can be integrated into marketing strategies, such as email campaigns, social media posts, and paid ads.

The post 5 Ways to Leverage Customer Reviews to Increase Sales appeared first on Foundr.

After all, with so many scam websites and brands out there, customers are much more wary of new brands than they would be otherwise.

But if you are able to garner brand authenticity, it can have a significantly positive impact on your brand.

And user-generated content is the way to do just that.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• Brand authenticity is essential for building trust, differentiating your brand, and improving your reputation, especially for start-ups.
• User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool for enhancing brand authenticity by providing real, trustworthy insights from customers.
• UGC can improve trustworthiness by showcasing positive customer reviews and interactions, which resonate more with potential buyers than traditional marketing.
• A brand with a vibrant and engaged community signals authenticity, and UGC plays a vital role in fostering this engagement.
• UGC acts as social proof, boosting the brand’s credibility and making it more trustworthy in the eyes of consumers.

What is Brand Authenticity, and Why is it so Important?

But before we dive in, let’s take a minute to discuss why brand authenticity is so important, especially for start-ups.

Have you ever found yourself flicking through social media only to be served an advert for an incredible new product? 

You click through, add the product to your basket, but then at the very last hurdle, you opt against making the purchase, for fears that you’ve never heard of the brand before, and it could easily be a scam.

This type of customer behavior happens every second of the day, and that lack of brand authenticity has a significant impact on the growth of many businesses.

Of course, over time, once enough sales have taken place, this type of issue becomes obsolete, but as you know, the hardest part is getting started.

With improved brand authenticity, not only can you convince more risk-averse shoppers to purchase products from you, but you can also win back those leads that came so close to purchasing, by showing them other users that have purchased and easing their worries.

Brand authenticity is absolutely crucial for building trust, differentiating your brand from others, and improving your brand’s reputation.

How User-Generated Content Can Improve Brand Authenticity

So, given just how important brand authenticity is for any industry, here are a few ways that user-generated content can help improve it for you.

Improves trustworthiness

The biggest and best way that user-generated content can help improve your brand authenticity is by improving trustworthiness.

As a consumer yourself, is there anything more powerful than a positive customer review? We have all seen enough marketing collateral to know that it is a company’s job to tell you how great they are, and as a result, their bold statements tend to fall on deaf ears.

However, a voice that still carries plenty of weight is the voice of your loyal customers, who can greatly improve trustworthiness with their reviews and interactions online.

Encourages community engagement

Another signal of brand authenticity is an engaged community. When potential customers stumble onto your brand, regardless of the route they took, they will take alot of comfort in uncovering a vibrant and active community, as it is a great sign that the brand does what it says it does.

User-generated content is a great starting point for any community engagement, allowing customers to engage with one another, feel more valued, and become loyal customers.

Builds emotional connections

In a world full of digital brands to choose from, brand loyalty is at an all-time low. With so many choices, consumers can easily flitter from one brand to another without giving it too much thought.

It’s why, at Three Putt, we’re swapping studio mockups for photos of real golfers wearing the kit on their own courses.

However, if you are able to garner brand loyalty from your consumers, the results are monumental.

Authentic stories from real consumers can resonate emotionally with other potential customers, strengthening the bond between the brand and its audience and building a much closer connection than many other digital brands are able to muster.

Drives authentic referrals

While many brands will argue that word-of-mouth marketing is not as important as it used to be pre-internet, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Word-of-mouth marketing continues to be one of the most effective marketing methods, significantly more so than other methods, because of its authenticity.

If other consumers are telling leads how great your brand is, they are much more likely to see your brand is authentic, and therefore purchase from you.

Take Your Authenticity (and Your Sales) to the Next Level

Brand authenticity can greatly help improve your sales, but it isn’t the only factor. It also takes a great understanding of marketing, customer care, and product creation.

Fortunately, you can find all that information and more as a member of foundr+. In just 7 days, you will have everything you need to start & scale a life-changing ecommerce brand.

The best part? You can get access now for just $1.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Authenticity

What is brand authenticity, and why does it matter?

Brand authenticity refers to the perception that a brand is genuine, transparent, and true to its values. It matters because it builds trust with consumers, fosters loyalty, and can differentiate a brand in a crowded market.

How does user-generated content improve brand authenticity?

User-generated content improves brand authenticity by providing real, unfiltered insights from customers. This content is often seen as more trustworthy than branded content, enhancing the brand’s credibility and emotional connection with its audience.

Why is community engagement important for brand authenticity?

Community engagement is crucial for brand authenticity because it makes customers feel valued and involved in the brand’s story. This sense of belonging can strengthen loyalty and encourage more authentic interactions between the brand and its audience.

Can user-generated content increase brand credibility?

Yes, user-generated content can significantly boost brand credibility. When customers endorse a brand through their content, it serves as social proof, which is a powerful driver of trust and credibility.

The post Brand Authenticity: How User-Generated Content Can Give You a Much-Needed Boost appeared first on Foundr.

After all, without a sufficient amount of sales, brands will struggle to get their business off the ground and profitable.

But when looking at a longer-term picture, building a community is absolutely crucial for repeat sales, loyal customers, and sustainable growth.

With that in mind, here are a few ways to build a community around your brand, setting it up for a long and successful future.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

Here are six ways you can build a community around your brand:

1. Know your audience inside and out: Understand your target audience beyond basic demographics.
2. Create content that speaks to your community: Focus on creating high-value content that addresses your audience’s specific needs and challenges.
3. Optimize social media for community building: Choose social platforms that align with where your target audience is most active.
4. Foster meaningful two-way communication: Make sure your community feels heard.
5. Organize impactful events and experiences: Bring your community together, whether online or offline.
6. Provide exclusive perks to your community: Build a loyalty program that rewards and strengthens your community.

How to Build a Community Around Your Brand

Let’s dive straight into six steps you can take to build a community around your brand, ensuring you develop more consumer trust and brand loyalty whilst also expanding your brand awareness with new customers.

Know Your Audience Inside and Out

First things first, you need to ensure you know your audience like the back of your hand. Without this, you will struggle to formulate a strategy that truly resonates with them, and the benefits will be significantly reduced.

When you’re in the thick of things dealing with all the daily aspects of running a business, it’s easy to forget just how important the customer is in everything they do.

After all, without them, you’re just undertaking a very expensive solo hobby!

To get to know your audience better, you can use things like customer surveys, social listening, and even data analytics from previous purchases.

Tools like ChatGPT can also be extremely beneficial for further understanding your audience. By simply inputting the data you have on current customers and feeding it some information about your brand, you can quickly develop audience personas and begin brainstorming ideas to engage them.

Create Content That Speaks to Your Community

Once you’ve identified who you should be talking to, and you know everything there is to know about their buying habits, daily routines, and wants and needs, it’s time to create content that speaks to them.

Focus on creating high-value content that addresses the specific needs and challenges of your audience, rather than getting caught up in what is currently “cool” or “viral”.

If your brand will benefit from providing customers with “very cutesy, very mindful, very demure” content, for example, then lean into that trend. But if your content has nothing to do with such viral trends, it’s best to steer clear rather than try to shoehorn it into your content strategy.

Try to map out plenty of weeks and months in advance whilst also baking enough flexibility into your schedule that allows you to adapt to relevant changes and advancements in your industry.

Optimize Social Media for Community Building

If you’ve been following this blog for some time now, you’ll know how important we believe social media is for startup brands. 

Not only is it an extremely cost-effective approach to marketing, but it is also a brilliant way to bring your community together and put like-minded customers in touch with one another, as well as responding to comments and concerns in a timely and friendly manner.

Social media conversations are often much less formal than email blasts, and as a result, they also feel more personable, helping bring everyone closer together.

Creating private groups on platforms like Facebook is an excellent way to add an aspect of exclusivity to your brand, adding more value to becoming a paying customer.

Foster Meaningful Two-Way Communication

When building a community, it’s easy to fall into the trap of commuting to your customers rather than with them.

Sure, you might think that the processes and offers you are putting in place are the perfect ones for your customers, but how do you know if you don’t actually ask them?

Gathering and acting on feedback is absolutely crucial for building a trustworthy and engaged community, as it allows them to feel legitimately heard, rather than pandered to.

CRM software can be extremely beneficial for this, sending timely email, push, and SMS notifications to your audience to gather their feedback or answer their concerns.

Organize Impactful Events and Experiences

Another great way to truly engage your audience and improve the community feel around your brand is through organized events and experiences.

One great example of this Nike, who have an excellent ongoing approach to experiences and events, providing customers with organized runs and more advanced gatherings. They even have a page on their site dedicated specifically to experiences.

Of course, I’m not saying you need to achieve the same level as Nike, especially given the size and reputation of that brand, but everyone has to start somewhere! Digital events can also have a brilliant impact for completely remote businesses.

Provide Exclusive Perks to Your Community

Lastly, one way to ensure your community remains engaged and incentivized is to provide them with exclusive perks.

This doesn’t have to be anything too outrageous, but offering early access to launches, closer interaction with your brand, and even influence on future products can all be fantastic ways to provide exclusive perks that make your community stay engaged and push other customers to join it.

This approach works particularly well for brands launching into passionate, community-driven niches. Three Putt Golf Clothing, for instance, is building its community before the brand even fully launches by giving early supporters exclusive access and input into upcoming product drops, turning potential customers into invested community members from day one. In a sport where golfers already naturally form tight-knit groups through clubs, societies, and group chats, leaning into that existing community behaviour gives brands a huge head start.

The trick here is to find the sweet spot where you offer your community enough exclusive content and benefits that incentivize them, without alienating those outside your community, or giving away too much margin on your products and services.

This might take a little while to perfect, but some of the easiest things you can try include member-only content, content that community members can access first as part of a pre-launch, and even exclusive additional discounts.

Final Thoughts

Community is one of the most powerful selling points of any brand, regardless of the industry.

When your customers become your biggest brand advocates, the potential growth for your brand skyrockets!

For more advice and guidance from successful entrepreneurs, be sure to check out the foundr+ platform. For just $1, you can get seven days of access to world-class instructors, over 30 courses and 1000 lessons, and proven frameworks that you can use to take your business to the next level.

Frequently Asked Questions About Creating a Community Around Your Brand

Why is building a community around your brand important?**

Building a community around your brand fosters customer loyalty increases engagement, and creates brand advocates who can help spread your message to a broader audience. 

What are the key steps to start building a brand community?**

1. Know your audience inside and out
2. Create content that speaks to your community
3. Optimize social media for community building
4. Foster meaningful two-way communication
5. Organize impactful events and experiences
6. Provide exclusive perks to your community

What types of content are most effective in engaging a brand community?

Educational and inspirational content, such as in-depth guides, expert interviews, how-to articles, and interactive content like polls and challenges, are highly effective in engaging a brand community. 

The post Ways to Build a Community Around Your Brand appeared first on Foundr.

Yet many founders don’t put the necessary time and effort into it, instead opting for a blanket approach in the hopes that their generic messaging will attract a wide enough audience.

But thanks to continued advancements in eCommerce-based tech, personalizing your customer’s experiences has never been easier.

While the process may be getting easier, the results remain overwhelmingly positive, with as many as 77% of consumers having chosen, recommended, or paid more for a brand that provides a personalized service or experience.

But personalization goes much further than a “Hi [name]“ at the start of a promotional email. Check out these five ways you can truly personalize your audience’s experience with your eCommerce brand.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

1. Personalized Product Recommendations: Use customer behavior to promote specific products or services tailored to your audience’s preferences.
2. Customized Email Marketing: Segment and personalize your email marketing content to improve open rates and conversions.
3. Personalized Discounts and Offers: Offer discounts and incentives that are tailored to attract specific audiences, making them more likely to take advantage of the offer.
4. Tailored Customer Service: Create a unique chatbot experience that ensures each customer receives the specific support that they need.
5. Loyalty Programs with Personalized Rewards: Implement loyalty programs which provide personalized rewards, making them more beneficial and enticing to your loyal customer base.

5 Ways Personalization in eCommerce Can Enhance Customer Experience

Let’s dive straight in and look at the five quick and effective ways you can use personalization to improve customer experience.

1. Personalized Product Recommendations

The first form of personalization that you should be implementing on your eCommerce site is product personalization.

This form of personalization takes advantage of tracking algorithms that follow customer behavior and then suggest products that are tailored to their preferences.

For example, if you run a sports clothing eCommerce store, and a website visitor is looking at a pair of golf trousers on your website, you should be promoting other golf-related products rather than promoting other sporting goods. Chances are they’ve come to your site for golf-related goods, and you need to capitalize on that with product personalization.

Not only can this increase sales, but it also improves customer satisfaction, as it ensures that they have the best possible experience on your site.

Two of the best plugins for your Shopify site include Glood Product Recommendations and Wiser.

2. Customized Email Marketing

A second great way to create a more personalzied customer journey is through customized email marketing. That means creating detailed segmentation and personalized email content, offering your customers information they want to see.

Going back to our golfing example from above, creating a series of trigger emails to follow up with someone who looked at a product but didn’t purchase it is a great example.

You can create dynamic emails that provide the customer with similar products at different price points, helping turn leads into paying customers.

From my experience, Omnisend is by far the most powerful email marketing plugin for Shopify, and has a free version you can use to get up to speed with all the features on offer.

3. Personalized Discounts and Offers

Dynamic content is one way to personalize your audiences experience, but to really make notable sales, personalizaing their discounts and offers is a must.

By tailoring discounts and offers based on customer purchase history, you make it much more likely that your offers will be fruitful, helping improve sales in the process.

For example, if a customer has responded to two different “% off” sales in the past, chances are that is a better approach to take than a “$ off” one, and vice versa. 

The discount can be to the same amount, but how you package it can differ from customer to customer, ensuring you maximize your efforts.

Some great plugins include Pumper, ConvertWise, and DealEasy.

4. Tailored Customer Service

When thinking about the customer experience, you shouldn’t just focus on converting leads into customers. You also need to consider the experience of your current customers as well.

That’s why implementing a tailored customer service experience is a great step toward industry-leading support, with customized chatbots making customer life easy.

It leads to faster resolution times, fewer issues, and higher customer satisfaction.

Three great options include Tidio, Chatty, and SmartBot.

5. Loyalty Programs with Personalized Rewards

Lastly, don’t forget about customer loyalty. This is what takes your business from short-term to long-term success.

Personalized rewards based on customer behavior are a great way to boost engagement, increase repeat purchases, and build stronger brand loyalty.

Smile, Joy, and Yotpo all provide great personalization options for your loyalty programs, and are built specifically for Shopify.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are several easy steps you can take to improve your customers experience with your brand, not to mention your bottom line!

Be sure to take advantage of the tools and products highlighted in this article, and start taking your customer journey to the next level.

Speaking of the next level, it’s time to take your entire business from start-up to industry leader, all for just $1.

Gain access to foundr+ for seven days, and fast-track your business growth with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does personalization improve the eCommerce customer experience?

Personalization enhances the eCommerce customer experience by offering tailored recommendations, customized marketing messages, and individualized customer service. This approach makes shopping more relevant to each customer, increasing satisfaction and loyalty.

What are examples of personalized marketing in eCommerce?

Examples of personalized marketing in eCommerce include sending customized email offers based on a customer’s previous purchases, showing product recommendations tailored to browsing history, and offering personalized discounts through loyalty programs.

Why is dynamic website content important in eCommerce?

Dynamic website content is important in eCommerce because it adapts to each user’s behavior and preferences, providing a more engaging and relevant shopping experience. This personalization can lead to increased time on-site and higher conversion rates.

What role do personalized loyalty programs play in customer retention?

Personalized loyalty programs play a crucial role in customer retention by offering rewards and incentives that are specifically tailored to individual customer behaviors and preferences, encouraging repeat purchases and building stronger brand loyalty.

The post 5 Ways Personalization in eCommerce Can Enhance Customer Experience appeared first on Foundr.

When most brands are starting out, marketing budgets are tight, and it can be difficult to justify spending cash on campaigns when it could be spent on other essential areas of the business.

But, with the help of social media quizzes and polls, you can quickly develop an engaged list of leads ready to interact with your brand.

The best part? They’re completely free to create!

Here, we will talk about the power of social media quizzes and polls and how you can create content that will lead to higher engagement and follower counts.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• Social media quizzes are an excellent, cost-effective way to generate leads, interact with customers, and encourage social sharing.
• Instagram (Stories), LinkedIn, and Facebook are the best social media platforms for polls and quizzes.
• Social media quizzes and polls are only effective when they are produced with intent rather than as a box-ticking exercise.

Social Media Quizzes and Polls: Why Are They So Great?

There can be no arguing over the effectiveness of a good social media quiz or poll. Think back to the last time you were mindlessly scrolling through your feed when suddenly you were hit with a question.

You immediately stop, fascinated that such a comparison could even be made. Of course, the answer is A, right? 

“Well, better put my answer in, just so I can see what other people are saying.” you find yourself saying.

In just a matter of clicks, the profile in question has successfully made you stop scrolling, interact with their brand, and become emotionally invested in the results.

In just one single post, they’ve created curiosity, provided personalization, and offered something that’s fun and easy to share.

Interactive content is one of the easiest and quickest ways to increase the time users spend on your brand’s page, boosting engagement rates, whilst also making your brand more attractive to the social media algorithm gods, thus improving your chances of appearing in other users ‘For You’ pages.

Not only that, but every answer on a quiz or poll provides vital data about your customers that you might otherwise struggle to gather.

With just a few polls and quizzes, you can create a clear picture of who your audience is, what their buying tendencies are likely to be, and what products or services they may want to see from your brand in the future.

The best part? All of this is achievable for any entrepreneur, regardless of your social media savvy!

Implementing Polls and Quizzes on Multiple Channels

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can integrate quizzes and polls into your existing social media strategy:

On Instagram

For Instagram, all your quiz and poll-related activity should take place on Instagram Stories. Within that feature, you’ll have access to a quick and easy-to-access interactive quiz sticker that lets you create your own custom multiple-choice questions. Whether it’s about the weather where your customers are based or questions about new products, this feature is super easy to use.

The quiz sticker is a great way to ask quick and fun questions of your audience, keeping them engaged and interacting with your brand without asking too in-depth questions.

Instagram Stories also has a poll sticker, which is the best option for when you want to ask more “closed” questions to get opinions or preferences. 

Need to choose between two colorways for your new line of shorts? Take to Instagram Stories and ask the people via a quick poll.

Not only will it help you understand their wants, but it will also make them feel more involved in your brand and, therefore, more likely to buy.

Twitter

Although Twitter doesn’t have the same built-in quiz capabilities as Instagram, it is an excellent platform to conduct a poll. While it certainly isn’t the most user-friendly platform (thanks, Elon!), consumer interaction is often much higher than other platforms, and poll results can lead to interesting debates in the accompanying comments thread.

Use hashtags to increase the visibility of your polls and quizzes and reply to participants’ comments to engage with them, boosting the poll’s reach and fostering a sense of community.

Facebook

Facebook doesn’t have a native quiz feature, but it does have plenty of third-party apps from which you can pick. This allows for more intricate and interactive quizzes, which can improve the experience.

It does have its own polling feature that you can use as part of a post or story, although engagement for most brands tends to be lower than on other social platforms, such as Twitter.

Take Your Quizzes Beyond Social Media

Social media quizzes and polls are great for engagement, but there’s a limitation. You don’t own the audience. Algorithm changes, platform outages, or a shift in user behaviour can wipe out your reach overnight. That’s why the smartest startups take the same interactive quiz concept and bring it onto their own website, where they can capture email addresses and build a list they actually control.

An on-site quiz works on exactly the same psychological principles that make social media polls so effective, utilizing curiosity, personalisation, and the urge to see your results. The difference is that instead of just boosting a vanity metric, you’re building a direct line to your audience.

Three Putt Golf Clothing, a golf apparel startup, is a good example of this in action. They created a course management quiz that presents golfers with 10 real on-course scenarios and asks them to choose the smartest play. To unlock their personalised score and shot-saving breakdown, visitors enter their email and receive a discount code alongside their results.

It’s the same “stop, engage, invest” loop that makes a great Instagram poll work, but now the brand walks away with an email address, first-party data on their audience’s skill level, and a warm lead primed for a follow-up sequence.

If your social media quizzes are already generating strong engagement, consider repurposing your best-performing topics into a more in-depth on-site version. You already know the questions your audience wants to answer; now give them a reason to answer them somewhere you own.

Final Thoughts

When implemented with plenty of thought and consideration, social media quizzes and polls can be highly effective.

They’re a great way to create a more engaged audience with fun and entertaining interactive content and can help you capture their attention in a sea of digital competition.

Social media quizzes and polls are just one of many ways to get your brand to go from startup to standout.

For just $1, you can get complete access to foundr+ for seven days. That means complete access to world-class instructors, over 30 courses, and thousands of lessons led by top instructors like 5x multi-millionaire entrepreneur Gretta van Riel for just $1.

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Media Quizzes and Polls

What are the benefits of using social media quizzes for my startup?

• Boost engagement by creating interactive content that captures attention. 
• Build a more engaged audience.
• Collect valuable data on customer preferences.
• Increase brand awareness. 
• Cost-effective way to generate leads. 
• Encourage social sharing.

Can social media polls improve my brand’s marketing strategy?

Absolutely! Social media polls provide real-time feedback from your audience, helping you understand their preferences and opinions. This data can be used to guide product development, refine marketing messages, and improve customer satisfaction. 

Which social media platforms are best for quizzes and polls?

The most effective platforms for quizzes and polls are:

1. Instagram Stories
2. Twitter
3. Facebook

How do I measure the success of my social media quizzes and polls?

To measure the success of your quizzes and polls, track metrics such as participation rates, engagement (likes, comments, shares), and the quality of the data collected.

The post Engaging Your Audience with Social Media Quizzes and Polls appeared first on Foundr.

After all, you need to pay for product creation, testing, website costs, and marketing, all before you’ve likely made a single sale!

Needless to say, things can start getting expensive and fast. That’s why, in this article, I will teach more about the concept of self-funding through bootstrapping, and some of the pros and cons of external funding approaches you can consider for your startup.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• Bootstrapping is an excellent option for most startups, as it provides you with full autonomy over the decision-making process and direction of your business.
• If bootstrapping is not an option for you, there are several other funding options you can look into, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.
• The Foundr+ program teaches you everything you need to know about investment, as well as everything else you need to know to scale your startup and bring your dream business to life.

What is Bootstrapping?

Bootstrapping, also known as ‘self-funding’ is the approach to funding that relies on you providing the revenue from internal resources, rather than relying on external businesses or avenues.

As you can imagine, there are many benefits to taking this approach, as it allows you to maintain complement control of your business, ensuring you don’t have to answer to any shareholders.

After all, one of the biggest attractions of starting your own business is being your own boss! 

Self-funding can come from a range of avenues, such as personal savings, inheritance, or revenue generated from another business.

Of course, bootstrapping isn’t always possible for every entrepreneur or industry, but it should certainly be the first thing you consider before searching for external investment.

After all, if you are unable to continue bootstrapping a business after a set amount of time, you can either pivot your efforts elsewhere or seek external investment at that point.

But if you’ve already accepted external investment, you are much more tied into your approach and lose some of the freedom and independence that running a startup company can provide.

The Pros and Cons of Other Funding Routes

With that in mind, let’s assume that bootstrapping isn’t an option for your chosen industry or current financial situation. That doesn’t mean that you can’t explore other funding routes for your business. Here are some of the best options for startup entrepreneurs.

Venture Capital 

First off let’s start with venture capital (VC) as this is one of the most popular options for startups looking for external funding.

One major benefit of working with VC is that they can offer you significant funding, which can help you grow and scale rapidly, especially if product development and marketing is expensive in your chosen industry.

But VCs can also offer alot of other benefits, including valuable industry knowledge and connects, which also help your startup blossom and grow.

However, as you would expect with any external funding, there are some drawbacks to be conscious of, one of which is equity dilution. To work with any VC, you will need to be willing to sacrifice some portion of your ownership. In some instances, you may also need to allow them to have influence over your company’s direction, not to mention the pressure you will likely feel to deliver immediate growth and returns.

Angel Investors

Another funding option similar to that of a VC is Angel Investment. Angel investors are also able to provide funds for the right project and tend to be more willing to invest in early-stage or high-risk ventures.

Their terms also tend to be more flexible than if you work with a VC, as many angel investors prefer to take more of a backseat.

However, as with VC investment, angel investors do require you to give up some equity and ownership of the business. Generally speaking, angel investors also tend to invest smaller amounts than VCs and offer less support and connections.

Bank Loans

If giving up part ownership of your business it out of the question, then you could consider opting for a bank loan instead. That way, you aren’t required to sacrifice any equity or control of your startup, and you will also have a clear and easy-to-understand repayment plan in place to account for each month.

Of course, as with any type of loan, you will be required to repay what you owe with interest, which can have a significant impact on your monthly growth. For many bank loans, you may also be required to put up substantial collateral, which likely means putting personal or business assets at risk.

There is also the issue of actually securing a bank loan in the first place, which can be extremely challenging and time-consuming, especially for startups.

Crowdfunding

If you’re struggling to secure a bank loan, or you’d rather avoid taking on any debt altogether, crowdfunding could be an alternative route of growth for your brand.

Crowdfunding is the process of drumming up interest for your business, allowing people to put money toward it if they feel it is something they would use once it was released.

Crowdfunding is an excellent way to validate your business idea through early interest and support, and funds are typically raised without giving up equity or incurring debt, especially in donation-based models.

Not to mention the fact that a well-run crowdfunding campaign acts as a brilliant marketing opportunity due to exposure, attracting new potential customers along the way.

Of course, just because you put something up for crowdfunding, it certainly doesn’t mean success is guaranteed. In most instances, if you don’t hit your funding goal, you aren’t able to access any of the funded money, and it is returned to the user.

In addition to that, crowdfunding platforms often charge fees regardless of success, and it’s easy to see why most startups struggle to generate funding this way unless they have a truly innovative product to share.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are many benefits (and drawbacks) to each form of funding you choose for your business.

While the concept of gathering capital for your startup to grow can feel daunting, the results of your efforts can be well worth the effort required. 

Check out Foundr+ for more guidance on everything you need to know about financing your projects, including Alexa von Tobel’s excellent course on Finance for Founders.

You can access this course and so many more from our brilliant team of successful founders with a Foundr+ membership, which you can try for seven days for just $1.

Frequently Asked Questions About Funding Startups

What are the common types of funding for startups? 

Common types of funding for startups include bootstrapping, angel investors, venture capital, crowdfunding, and grants. Each type offers different benefits and requirements.

What should I include in my pitch to investors? 

Your pitch should include a compelling business idea, market analysis, a clear revenue model, an experienced team, and financial projections. Highlight your startup’s unique value proposition and growth potential.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of bootstrapping? 

Bootstrapping involves funding your startup with personal savings or revenue generated by the business. Benefits include retaining full control and ownership, but it may limit growth and put personal finances at risk.

How do I value my startup for investment purposes? 

Valuing a startup involves assessing its potential market size, revenue projections, and growth potential. Methods include discounted cash flow analysis, comparable company analysis, and considering industry benchmarks.

The post Bootstrapping vs. External Funding: What’s Right For You? appeared first on Foundr.

You’re not alone. 

In fact, according to a recent study, nearly 60% of Americans dream of quitting their jobs to become entrepreneurs.

But rather than simply dreaming about it, I want to help you make it a reality.

Check out these seven steps to turn your hobby into a profitable business, and start your entrepreneurial journey today.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

1. Identify market demand: Conduct detailed market research, analyzing competitors and the buying behavior of target customer demographics.
2. Determine your business model: Decide whether you’re selling products, providing a service, or anything in between, creating your pricing and planning your sales channels.
3. Secure funding: Explore funding options such as bootstrapping or external investment, and look at how you can leverage existing resources.
4. Build a strong brand: Establish a unique brand identity, such as the name and visuals, and maintain consistency across all platforms.
5. Leverage social media: Use social media to build an audience, engage with communities, and consider both organic growth and paid ads.
6. Set up an online presence: Create an online store on Shopify and ensure your website looks professional with great imagery and copy.
7. Avoid common pitfalls: Don’t fall into the many traps that present themselves along your journey. Stay adaptable and responsive to market changes.

7 Steps to Turn Your Hobby into a Profitable Business

Let’s dive straight into seven steps that you can take to turn your fun hobby into a business that helps pay your bills!

Step 1: Identify market demand

First and foremost, you need to identify whether or not there is demand for your hobby. After all, a business can only be profitable if it has customers!

To do so, you need to conduct some thorough market research, analyzing what competitors are out there and what they are currently doing, as well as reflecting on your target customer’s demographics.

All this information will help you establish whether or not your hobby could be a business, who your main competitors might be, and what audience you need to tailor your content for.

Step 2: Determine your business model

Once you’ve outlined who you’re targeting, it’s time to work out how you’re targeting them. Does your business model work better as a service or as a product? For example, if your hobby is creating and building followings for social media pages, are you better off selling those pages once they have grown or offering your services to interested parties?

There are pros and cons to both options, and ultimately it will come down to what type of interest you attract, and what type of hobby you want to make profitable.

Step 3: Secure funding

With your audience and business model in place, let’s start thinking about funding. After all, even businesses with minimal overheads have some fees included. Fortunately, if you are already doing your hobby on a regular basis, it should be pretty easy to start estimating costs.

Then it is just a matter of deciding whether or not you can (or want) to fund the business yourself, or consider some external funding options instead.

Step 4: Build a strong brand

Next up, we need to build a brand image. Building a brand is absolutely crucial for success, as it can be the difference between success and failure.

Think about some of the most successful brands in the world, and you’ll notice that almost all of them have a unique brand name, visuals, and back story.

So spend plenty of time coming up with your brand style, run it past those close to you or any connections in the industry, and then ensure it is implemented across all your platforms.

Chances are, you already have an idea in your head of the brand style you would implement if you turned your hobby into a business, so start there and watch your ideas evolve!

Golf is my hobby, and my own golf clothing brand started with a back story I didn’t have to invent: my grandad’s farm, a bag of battered balls and some car-boot-sale clubs.

Step 5: Leverage social media

When attempting to turn a hobby into a profitable business, chances are your purse strings will be pretty tight! As a result, marketing efforts can seem tricky, with PPC, SEO, and other marketing formats feeling slightly expensive when you’re starting out.

Fortunately, they’re not the only way to market a brand! Use social media platforms to help grow your audience, engage with communities, and build your brand’s online presence.

Social media can be a fantastic way to get your brand in front of your target audience and turn potential leads into loyal repeat customers.

Step 6: Set up an online presence

While social media can be a great way to garner an audience and excite leads, you also need somewhere to take them.

That’s why you need to create your online presence. We recommend using Shopify as it has the most built-in features and plugins and is relied on by many market-leading brands.

When creating your website, don’t think that a quick job will do. You need to ensure that your website looks extremely professional, and pack it with high-quality imagery and unique and engaging copy throughout. 

The very best brands are clear and distinctive in their messaging and imagery, so be sure to lean into your branding here and don’t be afraid to get creativee.

Step 7: Avoid common pitfalls

Lastly, try not to get caught up in some of the most common pitfalls associated with turning a hobby into a business.

You might think, “Well, of course, no one actively walks into a pitfall!” but you’d be surprised by how clouded your judgement can become.

When trying to turn a hobby into a profitable business, it’s easy to start thinking with your heart and not your head, and that’s a recipe for disaster.

When you’re so desperate for something to work, it’s easy to ignore what your market research is telling you or plough on, regardless of what the data tells you to do.

Stay adaptable and responsive to the market, and you will be able to avoid most pitfalls along the way.

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There’s no time like the present to start your entrepreneurial journey. As the old saying goes, the best time to get started was yesterday. The next best time? Today.

Fortunately, you can get 7-day access to Foundr+ for just $1 today. With your membership, you’ll gain access to world-class instructors, proven frameworks, and a powerful community of 30,000+ talented peers.

Sign up today, and start turning your dreams into reality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the first steps to turning a hobby into a business?  

To turn your hobby into a business, start by conducting market research to identify demand, then determine the best business model for your hobby. Securing funding and building a strong brand are also crucial early steps.

How can I make money from my hobby?

You can make money from your hobby by selling products or services related to it, offering online courses, or leveraging content marketing to build an audience and drive sales through an online store.

What are common mistakes to avoid when monetizing a hobby?

Common mistakes include not conducting enough market research, underestimating the competition, and neglecting effective marketing strategies. It’s also important to have a clear business plan and branding strategy.

How can social media help turn a hobby into a business? 

Social media can help by providing a platform to build an audience, promote your products or services, and engage with potential customers. It’s also a cost-effective way to market your business and drive traffic to your online store.

The post 7 Steps to Turn Your Hobby into a Profitable Business appeared first on Foundr.

As a business owner, there are often 1,000 things that need to be done yesterday and 1,000 more that need to be done today.

Or it can certainly feel that way at times!

In this article, I will discuss the importance of time management, as well as outline six time management hacks for busy entrepreneurs such as yourself to ensure you are as productive and efficient with your time as possible.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• The importance of time management cannot be understated, as it helps entrepreneurs free up space for critical thinking and effective decision-making.
• There are several techniques that you can instil to become more effective at time management, even if it doesn’t come naturally.
• An effective time management system only works if you leave time to review and tinker with it frequently, ensuring it continues to suit your specific needs.

The Importance of Time Management

As an entrepreneur, you’ll know just how important every single minute of the day can be. When you are first launching a product, every second where your products aren’t live or getting marketed effectively is an opportunity missed, but that kind of time pressure can take it’s toll.

With so many different tasks to tackle as a solo entrepreneur or small team, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds, working on projects that aren’t a priority and missing essential steps due to being overworked.

Alternatively, you may find yourself doing nothing at all, totally frozen by the feeling of being overwhelmed. 

I know I’ve certainly had times at both ends of the scale!

By implementing effective time management, you can become much better at prioritizing your schedule, clearing your thought process, and balancing your work life and social life.

It can help you make better decisions, create higher-quality work, and stay on top of necessary aspects of getting your business off the ground.

Prioritization Techniques

With that in mind, let’s examine a few prioritization tactics and techniques that you can instil to become more effective at time management.

The Eisenhower Matrix

For those that haven’t heard of it, the Eisenhower Matrix is a time management process that requires you to split each task into four quadrants:

• Urgent and Important
• Important but Not Urgent
• Urgent but Not Important
• Not Urgent and Not Important

By doing this with each task that comes across your desk, you can spend your time working on what is truly urgent and important, allowing the not-urgent and not-important stuff to sit on the back burner until your schedule allows you to get to it.

Time blocking and day stacking

Time blocking is another popular time management technique whereby you segment your time into blocks rather than your tasks (or you could do a culmination of both approaches).

Each time block is then dedicated to accomplishing particular tasks or activities, allowing you to focus specifically on one thing at a time, reducing distractions along the way.

Start by blocking out time for the tasks that are in your Urgent and Important box, and take it from there.

Delegation and outsourcing

Another excellent way to reduce the size of your task list and improving your time management is through delegation and outsourcing. 

Delegation is crucial for entrepreneurs, yet many find it incredibly difficult. After all, an entrepreneur’s business is so much more than just a daily job—it’s their career baby, if you will.

Therefore, it’s very tempting to believe that only you can work on it properly and never delegate any tasks, regardless of how simple and easy it would be to do so.

Utilizing technology and tools

When it comes to time management, technology and tools can be an absolute lifesaver. Some of my preferences include:

• Trello
• RescueTime
• Asana
• ClickUp
• Monday.com

These tools allow you to visually map out your work and stay on top of essential tasks, all while focusing on your most important projects first.

Just be careful not to implement too many different tools at any given time, or you may end up confusing yourself even further!

The power of a morning routine

It’s also important to remember how valuable to consistent routine can be, especially in the morning. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs start their day early and in the same manner, as this helps them set the tone for productivity throughout the day.

There’s something incredibly motivating about getting up and starting work, knowing others are still sleeping in.

Of course, work isn’t a competition, and starting earlier than others doesn’t mean you will outwork others or outperform competitors, but that little bit of psychological competitiveness can greatly help you become more productive and efficient.

Continuous evaluation and adaptation

Lastly, it’s crucial that you evaluate your time management techniques regularly to ensure they continue to suit your specific needs.

As a small business owner, likely in its infancy, your day-to-day life is set to change incredibly frequently, especially as the business continues to grow and grow.

Therefore, you need to ensure you have time baked into your task list to evaluate and adapt your time management strategies to factor in changing workloads, business growth, or any potential personal life changes.

Get More Actionable Tips and Advice Today for Just $1

Once you have your time management in order, you can open yourself up to taking your business to the next level.

To do so, check out foundr+. For just $1, you can access absolutely everything on offer for seven days, opening the door to true growth and e-commerce knowledge.

Become a member to fast-track your business growth confidently, with access to world-class instructors, proven frameworks, and a powerful community of like-minded entrepreneurs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Email Marketing Automation

What are the most effective time management techniques for entrepreneurs?

Effective time management techniques for entrepreneurs include using the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, time blocking to allocate dedicated time slots for specific tasks, and delegation to offload non-essential tasks to others. 

What is time blocking, and how can it improve my productivity?

Time blocking is a technique where you divide your day into specific blocks of time dedicated to different tasks or activities. 

Why is delegation important for entrepreneurs, and how can I delegate effectively?

Delegation is crucial for entrepreneurs because it allows them to focus on high-impact tasks that require their expertise while others handle routine or less critical tasks. To delegate effectively, identify tasks that can be handled by others, choose the right person for each task, communicate expectations clearly, and provide necessary resources. 

How can a morning routine enhance my productivity as an entrepreneur?

A morning routine sets the tone for the day, helping you start with focus and energy. By waking up early and dedicating time to goal setting, exercise, and reflection, you prepare yourself mentally and physically for the day ahead.

The post 6 Time Management Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs appeared first on Foundr.

And sure, that hasn’t quite happened (yet!), but there are several ways that generative AI can be used to help startup business owners become more productive and effective.

In this article, I will discuss the five ways that you can use generative AI to scale your startup and ensure you are getting the most out of these exciting and innovative tools.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• Automate customer support: Use generative AI to create a comprehensive FAQ section and improve customer interaction without the need for constant human oversight.
• Optimize marketing strategies: Leverage AI to analyze content plans, assess campaign performance, and suggest improvements for better ROI.
• Conduct competitor analysis: Utilize AI tools to evaluate competitor performance, pricing, user experience, and content to stay competitive.
• Boost customer retention: Analyze customer feedback using AI to identify common issues and implement effective retention strategies.
• Streamline hiring and recruitment: Automate resume screening and candidate matching to save time and ensure the best hires for your startup.

5 Ways to Use Generative AI to Scale Your Startup in 2025

Let’s dive straight in and look at some of the most effective ways that generative AI can help you scale your startup.

Automate customer support

One of the most effective ways to use generative AI for your brand is for customer support. The most obvious option for this would be to install an AI chatbot, which allows you to provide 24/7 support and alleviate costs, but that concept is widely already known, so I won’t go into any further detail on that.

Another great way to use generative AI is to create a robust and all-encompassing FAQ section. 

For example, let’s say you run a clothing brand that focuses specifically on skating clothing, and you want to build out a detailed help centre for your customers to ensure they get the best possible interaction with your brand.

By using WebPilot within ChatGPT, you can assess what other brands have common issues with and mock up a long list of frequently asked questions that you can answer and publish on your site.

Here’s an example prompt: 

“I run a skating brand and want to create a robust and all-encompassing FAQ section. I want to build out a detailed help centre for your customers to ensure they get the best possible interaction with your brand. Please assess what other brands have common issues with and mock up a long list of frequently asked questions that you can answer and publish on your site. Here are some of our competitors: https://www.routeone.co.uk/ https://www.skatehut.co.uk/clothes https://www.skatewarehouse.co.uk/collections/clothing”

And here’s what we got in return:

Optimized marketing strategy

Generative AI isn’t just great for improved customer service, though. It can also be an excellent tool for optimizing your marketing strategy, analyzing content plans, assessing campaign performance, and suggesting improvements that could help improve your ROI.

For example, Three Putt Golf Clothing, a golf apparel startup targeting high handicappers, used this approach to create a course management quiz that tests players on real on-course scenarios. Visitors answer 10 questions, and in exchange for their email, they receive a personalised score and shot-saving breakdown along with a discount code. It’s a lead capture tool that genuinely adds value to the visitor, rather than interrupting their experience with a generic pop-up.

This is a strategy that works across virtually any ecommerce niche. If you sell fitness gear, build a “what’s your training style?” quiz. If you sell skincare, create a routine finder. The point is to use AI to rapidly prototype something interactive that sits at the intersection of your product and your audience’s interests, then let it work as an evergreen conversion tool on your site.

Detailed competitor analysis

Revisiting WebPilot, the free GPT plugin available in ChatGPT, you can also use generative AI to analyze competitor performance, ensuring you are talking about the right content in your strategy and providing your customers with the best possible prices and user experience.

Let’s revisit our skate shop example from before. Using the same chat that we have already opened up in WebPilot, we can quickly gather an idea of costs, user experience, and content in a matter of a few prompts.

Prompt one: “Assessing these same companies, please provide me with a rough price estimate for each category of clothing that each brand offers, such as skate shoes, shorts, t-shirts, and so on.”

The result:

Prompt two: “Now revisit these brands and pull out some of the key components that they all have that ensure the best possible user experience.”

The result:

Prompt three: “Now please scan through these brand’s content, and identify some topics we should be covering as part of our marketing strategy.”

The result: 

Boost customer retention

Generative AI is also an excellent tool for analyzing customer feedback and suggestion interventions that you can take to retain more customers.

Say, for example, you’ve implemented a feedback survey as part of your welcome series for new customers, and now you have a ton of feedback and no time to go through it.

By pulling all those answers into AI and asking it to collate the most common answers, you can quickly identify common issues and rectify them.

You’ll notice that Amazon has started doing this for its customers, offering AI-generated overall feedback to users before purchase.

Hiring and recruitment

Lastly, generative AI can be an excellent tool for automating the screening process, quickly analyzing resumes, and matching candidates with the perfect role within your brand.

As a startup, it’s likely that some of your first hires will be hired on a freelance basis, which has many benefits. However, one of the downsides to this approach is that you will be inundated with applicants, all claiming to be the perfect person for the role.

Sure, some of those applicants will do a good job for your brand, but many won’t and are simply looking for a quick payday before you realize they are underqualified.

By automating the initial applications, you can then only focus on the best possible applicants, ensuring you get the best hires while also saving yourself time and effort.

Final Thoughts

The true capabilities of generative AI in ecommerce are still yet to be uncovered, but one thing is for sure.

It’s certainly not going anywhere.

With the right prompt engineering, you can get AI to significantly improve your productivity.

For more insight into how to get the most out of this exciting tool, be sure to check out our AI Accelerator Program, available as a member of Foundr+.

You can now try Foundr+ for seven days for just $1. This trial can be canceled at any time and gives you access to every single course, not just our AI-related ones.

Become a member today and fast-track your business growth with confidence. 

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Use Generative AI to Scale Your Startup

Is generative AI expensive to implement?

While some think generative AI can be costly to implement, there are actually lots of things you can do with the free tools available, such as ChatGPT or Gemini. Some custom AI solutions may cost a little extra, but most things can be done at no extra cost.

Do I need technical expertise to use generative AI?

You don’t need to be a technical expert to use generative AI in the ways highlighted above. Many tools are very user-friendly and easy to use and come with several resources and support options.

How can generative AI be used in marketing?

Generative AI has the ability to significantly optimize marketing efforts when used effectively while also speeding up the content-planning process.

How can generative AI help with hiring and recruitment?

Generative AI can automate the resume screening process, generate job descriptions, and match candidates to job profiles based on their qualifications, speeding up recruitment and ensuring better candidate-job fit.

The post 5 Ways to Use Generative AI to Scale Your Startup in 2025 appeared first on Foundr.

But how?

In this article, I’ll take you through how email marketing automation can help your brand, and which tools you should consider adding to your arsenal.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• Effective email automation can save you a significant amount of time, allowing you to focus your time and effort on other aspects of your brand.
• By implementing better personalization tactics, you can communicate consistently and effectively with your audience.
• Email automation, such as abandoned basked emails and personalized recommendations, can significantly improve sales.

What is Email Marketing Automation?

First, let’s quickly define email marketing automation. In simple terms, email marketing automation is the use of software to send personalized and targeted emails to your audience based on their demographics or actions.

So, for example, if one of your readers added a product to their basket but then never purchased it, an email marketing automation program would then send that user a series of well-timed and personalized emails in an attempt to convert them into a paying customer.

Some of the most common email marketing automation include:

1. Abandoned basket emails
2. Welcome series
3. Browser abandonment emails
4. Former customer re-engagement emails
5. Opt-in newsletter emails.

The benefits of email automation

So, what are the benefits of implementing email automation? Well, there are several! But here are some of the most significant ones:

• Saves significant time: Automating repetitive tasks, such as sending abandoned basked emails, can save a significant amount of time, which can then be used elsewhere.
• More efficient email marketing efforts: Email automation ensures communication is consistent with your audience, and sent to them in a timely manner, without the use of manual intervention.
• Improved personalization: Personalization plays a huge role in speaking to your audience more effectively, improving interactions, engagement, and, most importantly, sales.
• Strengthens customer relationships: Email automation is a great way to nurture leads and ensure customer engagement and repeat purchases continue in the long term.
• Provides detailed analytics: Automated email campaigns provide excellent insights into campaign performance, helping you refine your strategy and optimize future campaigns.

Tools for Email Marketing Automation

With all those benefits in mind, let’s take a look at five tools that you can use to implement effective email marketing automation tactics. I’ve deliberately selected tools that integrate well with Shopify, as that is the e-commerce platform that we recommend.

Klaviyo

Link: https://www.klaviyo.com/

Price: $0 – $2,300 per month, depending on your plan and audience size.

Benefits: 

• One of the most popular email marketing platforms for e-commerce
• Powerful automation and segmentation features
• Integrates seamlessly with Shopify

The first option on this list is Klaviyo, one of the most popular options for email marketing within the e-commerce industry.

Largely because of its tight integration with Shopify and other ecommerce tools. It offers advanced automation, segmentation, and personalization capabilities. While it may be more complex and expensive than other options, it’s a popular choice for brands with more technical resources looking for deeper customization. 

Omnisend

Link: https://www.omnisend.com/

Price: $0 – $1914 per month, depending on your plan and audience size.

Benefits:

• Tailored specifically for e-commerce businesses
• Offers automation across several email journeys
• Supports SMS marketing and other channels.

Another great option to consider is Omnisend, which is another email marketing tool tailored for e-commerce businesses with a strong focus on automation. 

While Klaviyo is a popular choice for ecommerce marketing – especially among Shopify users – Omnisend stands out as a more approachable, all-in-one platform that’s also fully integrated with Shopify. It offers robust email and SMS marketing, built-in push notifications, and pre-built automation workflows that make it easy to get started quickly. With a more affordable pricing model and an intuitive interface, Omnisend is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses looking to drive results without the complexity or higher cost of platforms like Klaviyo.

Not only that, but when you use code FOUNDR50 at checkout, you also get 50% off your first three months of a paid plan. Simply copy the code and enter it at checkout to activate your discount. Click here and start today

Privy 

Link: https://www.privy.com/

Price: $30 – $45 per month depending on your chosen plan

Benefits: 

• An all-in-one email marketing tool.
• Designed specifically for Shopify stores.
• Robust automation features, along with pop-ups and built-in forms.

While Klaviyo and Omnisend are quite advanced tools, some people mind find the range of tools and options on offer a little overwhelming.

If so, Privy is a great option,  known for its ease of use and robust automation features, including cart abandonment emails, welcome series, and cross-sell campaigns. 

One other significant benefit of Privy is that it also includes pop-ups and forms to help grow your email list.

MailerLite

Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/

Price: $0 – $1900 per month, based on your plan and audience size.

Benefits: 

• Easy integration with Shopify
• Automation features such as personalized campaigns.
• Simple interface and straightforward pricing.

MailerLite is another great option, with several pricing options tailored to a variety of e-commerce brand owners. It is another tool that easily integrates with Shopify and provides automation features like product follow-ups, personalized campaigns, and cart abandonment emails. 

MailerLite has a brilliantly simple interface and straightforward pricing, making it a good option for startups.

Shopify Email

Link: https://apps.shopify.com/shopify-email

Price: Free to install. Additional charges may apply.

Benefits: 

• Tailored specifically to Shopify
• Simple and easy-to-use
• Basic automation features

Lastly, if you don’t want to have to worry about integrating an external platform with your Shopify store, you can opt for Shopify Email.

It is Shopify’s native email marketing tool, and although it isn’t as feature-rich as some other options, it’s simple to use and integrates directly with your Shopify store, allowing for easy email campaign creation, product promotion and basic automation features.

Automate Your Emails and Scale Your Brand Today

As you can see, automating your email programs can result in more sales, and definitely more time. Time that you could use working on other aspects of your brand!

Check out more founder time-saving hacks with foundr+. In just 7 days, you will have everything you need to start & scale a life-changing ecommerce brand, such as world-class instructors, proven frameworks, and a powerful community.

You can get foundr+ for just $1 today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Email Marketing Automation

What are the benefits of email marketing automation?

Email marketing automation can be extremely beneficial for entrepreneurs, as it can help save time, improve efficiency, and enhance personalization past the basic ‘Hi Name’ feature.

Which email marketing automation tools are best for Shopify?

Some of the best email automation tools include:

• Klaviyo
• Omnisend
• Privy
• MailerLite
• Shopify Email

How does email automation increase sales for e-commerce businesses?

Email automation has the power to increase sales by providing readers with more personalized product recommendations, reminders to purchase what’s in their basket, and improving customer engagement and loyalty.

The post Email Marketing Automation: Tools and Strategies for 2025 appeared first on Foundr.

When working with influencers, it can be easy to fall into the age-old trap of working with the biggest possible influencers your budget can afford.

But what if I told you that micro-influencers are not only cheaper but often more profitable?

In this article, we will discuss micro-influencers in greater detail, outlining how they can take your brand to the next level.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• Working with microinfluencers can be incredibly cost-effective, and help you reach niche audiences.
• Microinfluencers are an excellent way to improve your brand’s trust and credibility, helping startups get a foothold in the market.
• When reaching out to micro-influencers, be professional, offer clarity, and always make sure your content is personalized.

What are Micro-influencers?

Before we dive into the benefits and how to work with them, let’s quickly define what we mean by the term ‘micro-influencer’.

Generally speaking, a micro-influencer is anyone with 1,000 to 100,000 followers, but that varies depending on the platform, and in most instances, we would be looking at influencers closer to 1k to 100k.

Despite the lower follower count, micro-influencers tend to be extremely passionate about their personal brand, and as such, they have successfully cultivated a highly dedicated and like-minded following.

The Benefits of Utilizing Micro-Influencers

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the benefits that working with a micro-influencer can provide your brand.

It’s cost-effective

One of the biggest benefits of opting for a microinfluencer is that, compared to larger influencers, micro-influencers tend to be much cheaper to work with.

Due to their follower count, they can’t demand the same extortionate amounts, but if you pick the right micro-influencers for your brand, your campaigns can have a significant impact.sd

After all, a celebrity or large influencer might have a big following, but if most of that following is not engaged or not in your target demographic, then they are not worth your limited budget spend.

Increased engagement rates

As I have just touched on, micro-influencers often have more engaged audiences than many influencers with larger followers. As a result, they often have followers who trust their opinions and interact with their content at higher rates.

So when you opt to work with them, and they positively align themselves with your brand’s product or service, that type of endorsement carries a lot of weight with their audience.

Reach niche audiences

Micro-influencers usually cater to specific niches, allowing brands to target highly relevant and interested audiences.

Let’s say, for example, you have created a new form of gaming keyboard. You would certainly attract more eyes to your product if you went for a generic influencer with a big following, but how many of their audience would actually need a gaming keyboard? 

Are they gamers? Do they even play games on a PC? 

Instead, opting for a microinfluencer that focuses on PC gaming would be much cheaper and more effective for your new product.

Easier to work with

On top of improved engagement, working with micro-influencers is typically more flexible and collaborative, allowing for more personalized and creative content creation.

Micro-influencers are much more passionate about doing a good job, allowing you to collaborate closer on projects and get the exact type of content you are after.

Potential long-term partnerships

Building relationships with micro-influencers early on can lead to long-term partnerships that grow alongside your brand.

By working with micro-influencers early in their career and your brand’s career, you can both continue to benefit as you each grow and expand your reach.

How to Reach Out to Micro-Influencers

With all those benefits up for grabs, here are a few things to keep in mind when you reach out to your chosen micro-influencers.

Identify relevant influencers

The first step is to find micro-influencers that suit your needs. You can do this via the discovery features of your chosen social media platforms or even via a specific influencer marketing tool. 

Gretta Van Riel founded her own social media influencer agency, Hey Influencers, which can also help with your search.

When looking at micro-influencers, search for ones with high engagement rates and authentic interaction with their followers, not just a large follower count.

Personalize your approach

Once you’ve identified a batch of influencers you’d like to work with, it’s time to reach out to them. Craft a personalized message that shows you’ve taken the time to understand their content and audience. Mention specific posts or themes that resonate with your brand.

Remember, even micro-influencers will be inundated with brand messages, so it’s crucial that you take the time to write something truly personalized, not just insert name here.

Use a friendly and genuine tone, showing appreciation for their work and why you think they’d be a great fit for your brand. 

If they don’t respond, simply move on to the next person on your list. Micro-influencers are busy people, and they don’t owe you a response, so you shouldn’t get mad if you don’t hear back.

Clearly define your offer

Within your initial message, clearly outline what you are proposing, whether it’s a product review, sponsored post, giveaway, or another type of collaboration.

It’s crucial you get to the point with your outreach message. Otherwise, you are much more likely to get ignored. Explain what’s in it for them, whether it’s free products, monetary compensation, or other incentives like cross-promotion or affiliate opportunities.

While free products are obviously the cheapest version for your brand, they will likely get minimal traction with influencers. 

After all, micro-influencers are likely full-time professionals and should be treated as such by offering them fair compensation for their time.

Provide all the necessary information

Alongside your offer details, it’s important to provide relevant information about your brand, products, and target audience to help them understand your vision and goals.

Micro-influencer audiences have been carefully garnered, often over years of interaction, so an influencer will want to know if your brands align before agreeing to work with you.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are many reasons why reaching out to micro-influencers can be an incredibly effective way to grow your brand.

Check out more tips and tricks for working with influencers and everything else related to scaling your start-up, be sure to check out foundr+.

You can try the platform for 7 days for just $1.

Frequently Asked Questions About Micro-Influencers

What defines a micro-influencer? 

A micro-influencer is typically defined as a social media personality with a follower count ranging from 1,000 to 100,000. They are known for their deep connections with niche audiences and often have higher engagement rates than larger influencers.

Why are micro-influencers more cost-effective for startups?

Micro-influencers generally charge lower fees compared to macro-influencers or celebrities, making them a budget-friendly option for startups. This cost-effectiveness, combined with their high engagement rates, often leads to a better return on investment.

How do I find the right micro-influencers for my brand?

To find the right micro-influencers, use social media platforms, influencer marketing tools, and hashtag searches to identify influencers who align with your brand’s niche and target audience. Evaluate their engagement rates and the authenticity of their interactions with followers.

What is the best way to reach out to micro-influencers?

The best way to reach out to micro-influencers is through a personalized and authentic message. Tailor your communication to reflect your understanding of their content and explain clearly what collaboration you are proposing, ensuring it aligns with their style and interests.

The post Harnessing the Power of Micro-Influencers for Your Brand appeared first on Foundr.

Now, one of the first marketing tactics early-stage founders pursue is finding an influencer partner that can elevate their brand. That’s actually why I started my agency, Hey Influencers, to help founders like you pair up with the right influencer for their brand because while

There are certainly plenty of influencers to choose from, but finding the right one(s) is tricky.

In this article, I will take you through the six ways that I have used to help find influencers for my four multi-million dollar ecommerce brands, which all had influencer marketing at the heart of their rise to prominence.

Short on Time? Here Are the Find Influencers Takeaways

• Take advantage of the “Similar To” or “Related Accounts” feature: Use this feature to discover one perfect influencer and then treat that as your starting point.
• Check who the influencer is following: Use an influencer’s follower list to find a huge list of other influencers who share attributes similar to theirs.
• See who the influencer is friends with: Influencers love spending time with their peers because influencer-to-influencer collaboration is one of the fastest ways to grow your own following on social media through cross-promotion.
• Execute an influencer cluster campaign: Gather a group of influencers who are drawn together or interconnected for a reason.
• Related companies and competitors: Which influencers are other companies within your niche working with, and why? Does it seem to be working for them?
• Lean on hashtags: Influencers often appear in the Top Post section of hashtags, and it’s a good way to see how they identify themselves through their posts.

6 Ways to Find Influencers for Your Brand

Here are the six ways I find perfect influencers for my brand.

1. The “Similar To” or “Related Accounts” Feature

The first way to find influencers for your brand, and one of my go-to’s, is to use the similar to or related accounts function on social platforms.

This is often called different things on different platforms, but on Instagram, it’s called “Suggestions for You.”

It’s the little arrow dropdown to the right when you’re following someone, or it’ll come up automatically when you follow somebody new.

You can use this feature to discover one perfect influencer and then treat that as your starting point.

Don’t Skip: Customer Engagement – The Secret to Long-Term Success

2. Who the Influencer Is Following

From there, you can use the influencer’s follower list to find other influencers who share similar attributes according to the social platform.

To get the best results, I would suggest you start a brand new Instagram account, as your current account is likely already getting shown specific pages based on your previous activity.

So, a new account will provide a clean list of influencers to reach out to. Again, in terms of finding one perfect influencer to find the rest, it’s good to have a look at who your influencer is following outside of their friends and celebrities, as these will often be accounts in the same niche.

3. Who the Influencer Is Friends With

Taking this a step further, a third way to work forward from our ideal influencer is to do research on other influencers they’re friends with or hanging out with.

Influencers love spending time with other influencers, not only because they’re friends and have similar interests or attend the same events but because influencer-to-influencer collaboration is one of the fastest ways to grow your own following on social media through cross-promotion.

To do this, we can look at who’s in their photos and monitor their comments. What we’re looking for in our influencer marketing campaigns is audience overlap.

4. Influencer Cluster Campaign

Next (and one of my absolute favorite influencer marketing campaigns) is what I call an influencer cluster campaign.

I call this a cluster because it is a group of influencers who are drawn together or interconnected for a reason. This reason could be their location, their friendship circle, their family, their niche, or their activities.

One common misconception I see when speaking to entrepreneurs is that they want to see less overlap to ensure they’re reaching more people, but people remember things through repetition, so crossover audiences can actually be extremely beneficial.

5. Related Companies and Competitors

The next option to look for your ideal influencer is to assess what other companies are doing. Which influencers are other companies within your niche working with, and why? Does it seem to be working for them?

Keep an eye on these companies’ campaigns and collaborations. Something to note here is that this doesn’t necessarily have to be in terms of direct competitors but rather companies that you aspire to be like or ones you share a target audience with.

6. Hashtags, People, and Places

Moving onto hashtags, it’s important to conduct hashtag research within your niche to effectively use this technique to discover influencers.

Similar to account suggestions, hashtags on Instagram have a related section where you can find hashtags that are related to the ones that you were searching for.

Start broad, and then get more niche. Influencers will often appear in the “Top Post” section of hashtags, and it’s a good way to see how they identify themselves through their posts.

You can also look at location-based hashtags if you’re looking for specific influencers in a particular city, country, or region

Keep Learning: How to Make Influencer Partnerships Last from an Industry Pro

It’s Time to Get Your Brand Noticed

Now that you know how to find the best influencers to get your brand noticed, it’s time to turn that new traffic into sales.

Fortunately, you can learn everything you need to know about the entire ecommerce funnel within foundr+, which contains a personalized learning pathway with 30+ courses and 1,000+ lessons led by top instructors like me!

As a five-time multi-millionaire entrepreneur, I have plenty of proven experience that I can pass on to help your business achieve its goals.

Best of all, you can get access for just $1 for your first seven days just by clicking here.

The post How to Find Influencers: 6 Ways to Discover Your Perfect Brand Advocate appeared first on Foundr.

But getting customers to engage with your content is not always as easy as you might think.

In this article, I’ll teach you the foundations of building and growing an engaged following on any platform and why that engagement is so important for your brand in the long term. These are the exact steps I have used to grow several multi-million dollar businesses, and now you can use these frameworks to do the same.

Short on Time? Here Are the Key Customer Engagement Takeaways

• Customer engagement is crucial for long-term growth and profitability, as engaged customers act as brand advocates and loyal repeat purchasers.
• The three C’s of community (content, collaboration, and consistency) are all essential for increasing customer engagement.
• Customer engagement can help increase the organic reach of your brand, saving you thousands on paid advertising efforts.

Why Is Customer Engagement So Important?

It builds stronger relationships: When customers are engaged with a brand, they feel connected to it, which increases their loyalty and trust and also motivates them to share the brand with their friends.

It boosts customer retention: With a more engaged customer base, purchasers are more likely to make repeat purchases because they interact with the brand more frequently, reducing customer churn (the opposite of “out of sight, out of mind”).

It increases customer lifetime value (CLV): Statistics have shown that more engaged customers have a higher average CLV and spend more with your brand over time.

It provides opportunities for upselling or cross-selling: Much like increased CLV, engaged customers tend to be more susceptible and open to upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

It improves brand perception: Happy, engaged customers will openly promote your brand where possible, organically increasing your brand reach. Raise your hand if you’ve checked out the review or comment section before clicking.

Don’t Skip: 11 Ecommerce Tips to Grow Your Brand in 2024

My Three C’s of Community

To grow your following, you need to focus on what I call the Three C’s of Community: content, collaboration, and consistency.

When you master each of these elements, you will see your following grow, increasing in more organic customer engagement and the perks that follow.

1. Content

Let’s start with content. Your content needs to do three things: add value, build trust, and inspire action

Adding value

By adding value to your content, you make viewers more likely to come back and view the content you create in the future. On social media, creating engaging content that shows up on users’ “for you” page will make them more likely to click through and follow your account, keen to see more. For a ecommerce business, this could look like creating videos of your product solving a common problem, user-generated content, remixing a trend to fit your brand, or showing behind-the-scenes content of your entrepreneurial journey.

For blog content, it’s about creating content that doesn’t just replicate what is already published online but instead provides a unique and expert opinion on the subject. This is the type of content that will get people to revisit your site.

Building trust

Aside from adding value, another result of the content you create is building trust. Trust is one of the biggest hurdles that brands experience when trying to entice new customers to purchase from them.

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. They likely know nothing about your brand, so it’s tough for them to have the confidence to part with their hard-earned cash, and they are unsure if you can be trusted to provide the goods or services on offer.

By creating content that instills trust in your brand, you break down that barrier to entry, making it more likely that you will acquire new customers.

Inspiring action

Finally, your content needs to inspire action. After all, we want to create content that converts. Whenever you’re creating content, you want to ask yourself what action you want people to take after consuming this content.

Do you want your content to start a conversation, be shared, clicked, or convert into a new social follower, email subscriber, or even a sale?

The best way to do this is to use relevant calls to action in your content.

2. Collaboration

When done correctly, collaboration is your secret weapon to engagement and growth. By collaborating with other brands, influencers, or accounts with a large following in your niche, you can leverage their preexisting following to grow your own.

Collaboration can come in many forms, such as agreeing to repost each other’s content, coming together on giveaways or prize bundles, or conducting partnered studies.

3. Consistency

How often have you heard the phrase “consistency is key”?

Probably on a pretty consistent basis!

However, the same can be said when it comes to customer engagement. Consistently posting doesn’t only help establish front-of-mind positioning for your brand through repetition; it also helps get you seen by more people.

Social media accounts that post consistently will receive more overall engagement, which means their accounts are considerably more active than others.

Think of it like this: if you post once a week and get 300 likes, then 300 people have interacted with your content. If you post every day, you multiply this by seven, so by the end of the week, 2,100 people, as opposed to those 300, have engaged with your content.

Keep Learning: Customer Retention Is More Important Than Leads. Here’s Why.

Engage, Convert, and Profit

Customer engagement is just one important element of a growing brand that is well set up for long-term growth. Now it’s time to learn everything else you need to know about launching a successful ecommerce startup

The best part? You can do so for just $1

With your seven-day trial, you will have access to every Foundr course, learning from world-class instructors about their proven frameworks to success.

The post Customer Engagement: The Secret to Long-Term Success appeared first on Foundr.

Cue the “What did you say?” dad jokes!

But in all seriousness, social listening can be the difference between an underwhelming social media strategy and one that draws thousands of new eyes to your content and, subsequently, your brand.

In this article, I will show you exactly why social listening is critical and how it has helped many of the clients I have coached at The Social Cliq.

What Is Social Listening?

Before we discuss why social listening is so important, let’s define it.

In simple terms, social listening is the practice of monitoring and analyzing online conversations.

It involves reviewing comments on your content, how your content is viewed and engaged with, sharing patterns, and essentially any cues that your audience provides you with.

It also involves spending time looking at what is actually happening on social media, such as what content competitors are producing, how their audiences are interacting, and what “best in show” looks like.

Don’t Skip: How to Increase Social Media Reach

Why Is Social Listening So Important?

When done correctly, social listening can be incredibly effective for planning content strategies that are much more likely to succeed.

Social listening is NOT just mindlessly scrolling through your personal feed or monitoring your ex’s Instagram Stories.

If, for example, you have seen how your competitors have produced viral content in your niche, you can dissect that content, search for commonalities between posts, and start to use that information to influence the type of content you produce.

Social listening can also make your customers and audience feel more engaged with your brand, especially if you use their comments to dictate the type of content you create. Influencer dancers Cost n’ Mayor are a great example of this, often pulling up user content and answering them in their short videos.

Lastly, effective social listening can also help you avoid creating content that offends or upsets your audience. By keeping in touch with what is happening on social media, you can start to understand your audience’s thought process better and avoid any potential issues.

Keep Learning: Managing Brand Reputation and Customer Feedback on Social Media

How to Execute Social Listening to Produce Viral Content

To conduct effective social listening, carve some designated time in your schedule each week to analyze the interactions you are receiving with your content. It’s best to do this about 48 hours after you have posted content, as this time frame allows for your audience to see what you have posted, but not too much time has passed that the feedback no longer seems beneficial.

Waiting 48 hours also allows space for authentic interactions in the comment section, and you can observe where the conversations are going before jumping in.

You should also make a list of competitors and track their content and engagement weekly, picking out what their audience loved and what they didn’t seem as excited about.

Learn More Helpful Tips From Successful Founders For Just $1

Social listening is just one of the many aspects of content creation that can contribute to social media success.

If you want to learn more about how to improve your social media presence, you can learn everything you need to know as part of my Social Media Monetization course, which covers the exact steps and processes I have used to launch several multi-million dollar brands through social media.

The best part? You can get access to it as part of the foundr+ seven-day trial for just $1.

The post What Is Social Listening and Why Is It So Important? appeared first on Foundr.

Giveaways are essential for brand growth and increasing sales!

But without the proper planning and preparation, giveaways can easily fail, leaving you with minimal social impact and an expensive product heading out the door!

Don’t worry. I’ve used giveaways to launch multiple multimillion-dollar ecommerce brands, so I’ve got you covered. In this article, I will discuss five tried-and-tested giveaway ideas that will ensure your giveaways gain the traction you need to take your brand to the next level.

Short On Time? Here’s What You Need to Know About Giveaway Ideas

• Giveaways are a great way to grow brand awareness on social media by incentivizing users to share posts.
• To run an effective giveaway, pick an enticing prize, promote scarcity, and keep entry steps simple. Consider collaborating with other brands to reach a wider audience.
• Different giveaway types can achieve various goals: tag-to-win for follower growth, loop giveaways for wider reach, email subscription giveaways for lead generation, and first-time purchase giveaways to encourage new customers.

Why Are Giveaways So Effective for Ecommerce Brands?

Giveaways are one of the best ways to grow a business’s brand awareness on social media, especially those that require users to tag friends in comments or share the post with their followers.

Increasing your reach on social channels via paid ads can be pretty expensive, but you can reach a large audience through the power of social sharing.

How many times have you seen a brand appear in your stories that you don’t recognize, only to realize that it’s a friend resharing their content in the hope of winning a giveaway? This is an example of a brand successfully executing a giveaway and getting their brand in front of a new audience.

Don’t Skip: The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy for Startups

How to Run an Effective Giveaway

• Pick a prize that is worth vying for: Make sure your chosen giveaway prize is enticing enough for your audience to take the action needed to enter.
• Promote scarcity: Ensure you place a deadline on entrants otherwise, many of your audience won’t be pushed to act.
• Keep it simple: Don’t ask your audience to do too much. Each step you ask them to take is an opportunity for them to get distracted and stop signing up.
• Team up with other brands: Collaborate with other brands in your niche for a wider reach. More on this later in the article!

4 Types of Giveaways to Try

The Tag-to-Win Giveaway

A tag-to-win giveaway is a giveaway in which your brand or an influencer asks their followers to tag a friend on their post and follow your brand to go in the draw to win a prize.

I conducted this approach with my watch company, The 5th, and our Instagram follower count grew by 20,000 in just 24 hours. We received over 80,000 comments tagging a friend in the post, and according to the Instagram analytics platform Iconosquare, we were the most engaged with brand profiles on Instagram in the world that day.

The best part? We were only giving away two watches on our own brand’s account.

The Loop Giveaway

Giveaways are highly successful when they are shareable. However, if you don’t already have a large following on social media, gaining traction can be tricky.

That’s where the loop giveaway approach can be beneficial. It’s always a good idea to team up with an account with a higher reach than yours in your niche, such as an influencer or vertical account.

Of course, you shouldn’t work with direct competitors. Still, if you can collaborate with other brands in your space, offering both audiences an incentive to interact, the results can quickly multiply.

Check out this Loop Giveaway idea from Letterboxd in partnership with Mubi and LG.

The Email Subscription Giveaway

Another great option is to run a giveaway that requires users to sign up for your email list. Sure, maybe only one person wins the initial prize, but you then have access to hundreds, if not thousands, of warm leads to follow up with later down the line.

You can even run giveaways that are specific to those who are subscribed to your email list, as this approach will incentivize others to not only subscribe to your communications but also stay engaged as they keep an eye out for your next promotion.

Check out the example below from BÉIS travel.

The First-time Purchase Giveaway

Finally, if you are unsure about giving stuff away for nothing and you’re willing to take a short-term loss for a long-term gain, a first-time purchase giveaway is a fantastic option.

If you’re running a clothing brand, for example, you could throw in a free accessory with each purchase that exceeds $30, such as a phone case or a tote bag.

Of course, this approach does eat into your profit margins at first, but it is much easier to get former customers to repurchase than it is to convince new customers to take a leap of faith.

See the example below from l’ange on their homepage. The “spin-the-wheel” gamified giveaway is a common tactic for DTC brands.

Speaking of Which… We’re Practically Giving Away Our Secrets

Now that you know about the power of giveaways, it’s time to learn everything else you need to know about launching a successful ecommerce start-up for just $1

With your seven-day trial, you will have access to every Foundr course, learning from world-class instructors about their proven frameworks to success.

Sign up for your $1 trial today.

The post Giveaway Ideas: 4 Tried and Tested Approaches from a 7-Figure Ecommerce Expert appeared first on Foundr.

Now it’s time to get those ducks and start selling them on Amazon!

In this article, I will explain everything you need to know to list products on Amazon effectively and professionally.

These are the exact steps and strategies I used to create two multi-million dollar businesses on Amazon. If you follow them, you could also capitalize on the platform’s selling potential.

Short on Time? Here’s the Step-by-Step

1. Click on ‘Inventory’ and then ‘Manage FBA Inventory’ or ‘Add a Product’
2. Select ‘I’m adding a product not sold on Amazon
3. Choose your product category.
4. Fill out the vital product information
5. Enter a price
6. Upload images

Identifying Your Price Point

When it comes to pricing your product, it’s safe to say there’s a fair bit of misinformation out there. Here are my tips and tricks for cutting through the noise and pricing your products effectively.

Review your competitors

Firstly, it’s important to research how much your competitors are charging for similar items. You don’t always want to be the lowest price point, as many people associate cheap with low quality.

However, you also don’t want to be the most expensive, as you will lose out to other, more competitively priced options.

Pro Tip: To calculate an average price point, I take the top 15 products, add up the prices, and divide by 15.

Start low, then grow

As you are starting out, you might want to consider listing your product at a lower price point to drive sales before moving your price point to keep up with your competitors.

While this lower price point will contribute to your sales velocity, it will also help you grow your customer base, improve the authenticity of your brand, and show less confident shoppers that your product works.

Don’t Skip: Is Selling on Amazon Worth It?

Go high and offer discounts

Another approach is to list your product at a higher price before using discounts or sales to bring the price of your product in line with your competitors.

That way, you give the perception that your product is a better quality one, as consumers associate price with quality, and they will be tempted to purchase it as it is the same price as your competitors.

Add coupons

Another way to stand out from your competitors is to add coupons. When you use coupons, Amazon adds a green badge to your product listing, which helps your product stand out from the other options listed.

Crafting Compelling Copy for Your Products

Writing high-quality, engaging copy for your product listing is absolutely essential for driving sales and converting admirers into buyers.

When crafting copy for your product listings, it’s crucial to put yourself in your target audience’s shoes.

What pain points are they suffering from? How are they hoping that your product might help remove those issues? Are they likely an emotional or rational consumer?

These are all questions that will help you frame what your audience wants to see from your product description and help you write something that is compelling and captivating.

In addition, you need to ensure that relevant keywords are seamlessly woven into the copy.

You can’t just stuff keywords into every other word in the hope that it will gain more traction. Still, it is important to include these Amazon indicators where possible. This helps the algorithm identify what your product is and who it should be shown to.

Pro Tip: Write a ChatGPT prompt from the perspective of an ideal customer researching your product, and ask what they are looking for in a product description. You can also include a list of keywords to incorporate throughout the product listing copy.

How to List a Product on Amazon

Here’s a step-by-step guide to listing your product on Amazon.

1. Click on ‘Inventory’ and then ‘Manage FBA Inventory’ or ‘Add a Product’

2. Select ‘I’m adding a product not sold on Amazon

3. Choose your product category.

4. Fill out the vital product information

5. Enter a price

6. Upload images

Keep Learning: Amazon Seller FAQs

Completed Your Setup? Now Let’s Start Selling

Now that you have all the information you need to set up your products on Amazon, it’s time to learn how to sell them and take your ecommerce startup to the next level.

Fortunately, foundr+ has all the information you need and more, and you can gain access for just $1.

In just seven days, you will have everything you need to start and scale a life-changing ecommerce brand, including access to world-class instructors, proven frameworks, and a like-minded, hungry, and driven community of founders.

Get access for $1 today.

The post How to List Products on Amazon: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Foundr.

The answer to this question depends much more on you than it does on Amazon. If your business is set up in a way that jives with the unique Amazon process, and you have strategies in place that will allow you to thrive on the platform, you’ll find that it is 100% worth the costs to sell on Amazon.

But if your business model isn’t compatible with Amazon or you find the fees keep stacking up, your results will be markedly different. In fact, after a few months of trying, you might look at other entrepreneurs and ask enviously, “How can you make money selling on Amazon?”

The secret to success on Amazon is knowledge, so this guide will introduce the different ways you can sell on the platform and advanced strategies for maximizing your profits.

Short on Time? Is Selling on Amazon Worth It?

Yes.

If you want to scale an ecommerce business to make three figures in revenue, then you’re going to need to play the Amazon game. However, the amount of competition on the platform and the cuts Amazon takes from your bottom line are forcing e-commerce founders to rethink sacrificing their independence to the behemoth corporation.

We suggest you start your ecommerce brand separately from Amazon, ideally for 6-12 months, until it makes financial sense to join the platform. 

Table of Contents

Amazon Isn’t Just Another Ecommerce Platform

Is Amazon Too Saturated/a>

Pros and Cons of Selling on Amazon

How Much Does It Cost to Start Selling?

Amazon FBA Fees

How Should You Proceed With Selling on Amazon?

How Do I Stop People Ripping Off My Idea?

FAQs

Is Selling on Amazon Worth It?

Amazon Isn’t Just Another Ecommerce Platform

Let’s start out by looking at what makes Amazon different from every other platform on earth. First, it’s the only one we can think of that’s named after a rainforest. More importantly, it towers over the competition. These statistics should help you get a feel for the scale we’re talking about:

• More than 300 million active customers use Amazon in 180 countries
• Third-party sales are growing 52% year over year
• 230 million customers subscribe to Amazon Prime worldwide, with 165 million in the US aloneAmazon’s app is twice as popular as Walmart’s second-ranked mobile shopping app
• 89% of online shoppers say they’re most likely to buy from Amazon
• America’s small- and medium-sized businesses sell 4,000 items a minute on the site
• Amazon generated $574 billion in revenue in 2023

As you can imagine, business owners around the world are lining up to sell on Amazon. In fact, almost 2 million sellers are currently enrolled, with many more on the way.

The fact that you’ll be bumping elbows with millions of rival sellers on Amazon is certainly a relevant factor. Competition is fierce on the platform so it’s never enough to simply be adequate. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to have a plan and then effectively execute your plan.

Is Amazon Too Saturated?

There is no denying that the Amazon marketplace has become more saturated year on year. In fact, it is estimated that there are almost 10 million sellers in total, with 2 million actively selling at any given time.

Looking at those numbers, it’s easy to see why you might think it is too saturated!

However, with over 310 million active users on the platform, it is almost impossible to ignore your potential Amazon audience. Sure, there are 5x as many sellers to compete with as a decade ago, but there is still plenty of opportunity for the product and marketing approach.

Pros and Cons of Selling on Amazon

Okay, so now we know that Amazon is the king of unlocking mass markets. But what are the pros and cons of being on the platform?

Pros of Selling on Amazon

• Prime Members: Access to 150 million loyal Prime members who will instinctively order on Amazon.
• Amazon FBA: Fulfillment by Amazon takes out the pains of logistics, stocking, and shipping.
• Untapped Potential: Amazon isn’t going away anytime soon. The more Amazon grows, so too will your opportunities.
• Consumer Expectation: Customers are going to assume your products are an Amazon as much as they’d assume you are on Instagram.

Cons of Selling on Amazon

• Independence: By selling on Amazon, you’re relinquishing a level of control over your products, packaging, and processing (especially if you are a FBA seller).
• Competition: You’re not only competing with sellers in your category, but you’re also at the beck and call of Amazon’s algorithm.
• Social Shift: Jeff Bezos’ obsession with space and concerns about Amazon warehouse working conditions have shifted the public’s love affair with the smile company. If your brand is centered around ethical practices, selling on Amazon could hurt your social proof.
• High Return Rates: Amazon’s business model made returning products so easy that you might see a higher return rate on products if sold on Amazon.
• Fees: Read more about the cost of utilizing Amazon FBA below, and calculate the value of being on the platform.

Don’t Skip: What to Sell on Amazon

How Much Does It Cost to Start Selling on Amazon?

Regardless of what you are selling or how many units you plan to sell, you will need to pay for an Amazon account to start selling on the site.

The two options available to you are the Individual Seller Account or a Professional Seller Account.

The Individual plan costs $0.99 per item sold, whereas the Professional Seller Account has a set rate of $39.99. So once you start selling more than 40 units per month, you can make the switch as it is more economically efficient.

When it comes to the other costs associated with selling on Amazon, that varies from person to person. With a larger budget, you can outsource more, hire support staff, and promote on a wider scale.

However, if you don’t have the funds available for this, you will need to invest more time in getting everything up to scratch.

To Pay Amazon FBA Fees or to Not Pay Amazon FBA Fees

There are many different ways you can approach your Amazon sales operations, but they can be boiled down to 2 different categories:

1. You’re a Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) seller
2. You’re a Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) seller

If you take the Amazon FBM route, you’ll handle things just as you would if you were selling on your own website. This means that you’re in charge of maintaining an inventory and then shipping products to customers when they make purchases.

The second option is to be an Amazon FBA seller, which means that all you need to do is send your products to Amazon. Once these shipments have been received, Amazon will take them from there, handling inventory management and shipments to customers.

It’s important to point out that while Amazon FBA shares characteristics with the traditional dropship model, there are crucial differences. For example, with dropshipping, you never touch the product. It stays in the drop shipper’s warehouse until a purchase is made and the product is shipped to the customer.

With Amazon FBA, you are responsible for procuring the product. As the owner of the product, it’s your duty to send it to Amazon so that they can handle all of the back-end functions that occur after a purchase has been made.

The 6 Types of Amazon FBA Fees

Another key difference between dropshipping and Amazon FBA is how the fees are handled. If you partner with a drop shipper, they might just charge you a single fee per sale. But Amazon takes a multi-layered approach, which warrants a closer look at the different kinds of FBA fees.

1. Monthly Inventory Storage Fees: As the name suggests, you’ll be charged a fee each month that your products reside in Amazon’s fulfillment centers. The cost is based on the volume of your inventory.
2. Returns Processing Fees: Customers are more motivated to make purchases when the return shipping is free. However, someone has to pay for the shipping in case of a return, and Amazon isn’t going to do it. Thus, if your products come with free return shipping, you’ll be on the hook for this fee any time one of your customers returns a purchase.
3. Fulfillment Fees: These are the Amazon FBA fees that most resemble typical dropshipping fees. Whenever a sale is made, you’ll be charged per unit to cover the locating, packing, and shipping of it to the customer. Additionally, these fees cover customer service and the handling of any returns.
4. Long-Term Storage Fees: Given the scale of its operations, Amazon prioritizes efficiency. Therefore, it will charge you additional fees if your products stay in its fulfillment centers for more than a year.
5. Removal and Disposal Fees: Let’s say that some of your products aren’t selling. Rather than pay the long-term storage fees, you can have Amazon either ship them back to you or dispose of them. Regardless of which option you choose, a charge will apply.
6. Unplanned Service Fees: As long as you keep your inventory organized, you’ll never need to worry about this final fee. But if you were to send Amazon some of your products and they weren’t packaged properly or lacked necessary labels, you would get dinged with these punitive measures.

What Can I Sell on Amazon FBA?

Amazon FBA can unleash your product offering potential, but make sure you understand what you can sell on the platform and which products need approval.

Categories Not Required for Approval

• Cellphones and accessories
• Home and garden products
• Office products
• Organic food
• Beauty
• Books
• Health
• Outdoors
• Amazon Device Accessories
• Baby products
• Collectible coins
• Major appliances
• Music
• Software
• Sports
• Amazon Kindle
• Electronics
• Mail
• Video games
• Computer
• Streaming media players

There are potential exceptions to these categories, so review the Amazon selling guidelines for each category.

Categories Required for Approval 

• Postage stamps
• Collectible Coins
• Fine Art
• Holiday Selling Requirements in Toys & Games
• Jewelry
• Made in Italy
• Music & DVD
• Services
• Sports Collectibles
• Streaming Media Players
• Video, DVD, & Blu-ray
• Watches
• Hoverboards and Personal Electronic Mobility (E-Mobility) Devices
• Sony PlayStation Requirements in Video Games

Visit Amazon Seller Central to request approval if you’re interested in any of these categories.

Is Amazon FBA Worth It?

That depends on whether or not you can reliably deliver a great product to Amazon that will consistently sell. When your products are moving off the shelves at a good pace, you’ll only need to worry about the monthly inventory storage fees, fulfillment fees, and returns processing fees. This means the cost to sell on Amazon is quite low, given the opportunity to list your products on the world’s largest ecommerce site.

The other 3 fees (long-term storage fees, removal and disposal fees, and unplanned service fees) only come into play when your sales lag or your operations aren’t running smoothly. But we all know that running a small business is full of unpredictable obstacles. So you can’t necessarily assume that you’ll never run into these additional fees.

Alongside fees, there are a few potential downsides that multi-million dollar ecommerce expert Ezra Firestone warns of.

“You might not want to be on Amazon, but it happens to have 55 cents out of every dollar spent in America. So the buyers are there, people are spending money there, and it’s the easiest place to get a sale. But it also has many downsides. You don’t own the customer. Competitors may attack you, negatively review you, and take you down, not to mention the fact that Amazon’s bureaucracy is a nightmare. Of course, you still should play there. But if you play there without your own brand and marketing, you are in very dangerous territory.”

Our recommendation is to budget for the periodic extra fee so that you can navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship without getting caught off guard by costs. You should also hold off for a few months before becoming an Amazon seller to allow your brand to grow in reputation and for you to iron out any issues before joining the platform.

How Should You Proceed With Selling on Amazon?

The barrier to entry is quite low with Amazon, which is both a blessing and a curse. You’ll find that it’s not too difficult to get started, but this factor also means you’ll also encounter more competition than you would elsewhere.

There’s another element of the platform’s competitive landscape to be aware of: you might face off against Amazon itself. The company has its own private label, Amazon Retail, that sells a staggeringly vast array of products.

The issue isn’t simply that you might get outsold by Amazon Retail from time to time. For many sellers, it’s a daily occurrence. And things can get exceptionally difficult for these sellers because Amazon gathers more customer data in a single day than you could get in a lifetime. Armed with these insights, Amazon is able to set its prices with ruthless precision and then showcase its own products front and center.

Here are a couple of lessons to learn from this dilemma:

1. It’s wise to avoid going head-to-head with Amazon whenever possible
2. Using Amazon FBA helps to minimize the disadvantages

The first point is obvious. Whenever you compete with someone who also happens to own the game and can create the rules as they go, you will probably lose.

Let’s instead focus on the second lesson. If you take the FBA route, you’ll be able to participate in the wonderful world of Amazon Prime. Remember, there are 150 million loyal members in this program. So when your FBA products are included, you’re given a major boost.

By selling on Amazon FBA, you’ll also have the option of using Amazon Super Saver Shipping. So even if a customer isn’t a Prime member, they can still get free shipping if your product either meets the Super Saver Shipping threshold or is combined with other qualifying products.

Both Amazon Prime and Amazon Super Saver Shipping have been proven to bring great results to small business owners. These programs also connect you with customers in a way that is nearly impossible otherwise. Remember, when you sell on Amazon’s platform, you won’t have the same customer relationship management (CRM) abilities you would have if the sale had come through your own website. It’s a “one and done” thing, preventing you from reselling or building a long-term relationship.

So unless you feel extremely confident in your ability to advertise your products and then handle the shipping with precision, you should think long and hard about paying the Amazon FBA fees because of the advantages the program provides.

Keep Learning: Answer Your Top of Mind Amazon Seller Questions

How Do I Stop People Ripping Off My Idea?

Is there anything more stressful than a founder with an incredible product or service idea? When you feel like you’re sitting on a million-dollar idea, you can bet that there is someone out there who would steal it from you if they can.

If you do feel you want to keep your idea protected from others, there are a couple of options available to you:

• Patents: If your idea is a novel invention, consider applying for a patent. This gives you the exclusive right to use and commercialize your invention for a certain period.
• Trademarks: Registering a trademark can protect brand names, logos, and slogans associated with your idea.
• Copyrights: If your idea involves original works of authorship like written content, music, or software, copyright protection can prevent others from copying or distributing your work without permission.
• Trade Secrets: For business processes, formulas, or methods that are not publicly disclosed, maintaining them as trade secrets can provide protection as long as they remain confidential. (There’s a reason none of us know the Kernal’s combination of secret spices!)

Is Selling on Amazon Worth It? FAQs

Is Selling on Amazon Worth It? Time to Test and Learn.

Let’s review some of the primary benefits and drawbacks associated with selling on Amazon.

• Access to an international audience on a massive scale
• Seller resources and support
• Pre-built platform to sell from
• Reputation bolstered by Amazon’s name

If you sign up with Amazon FBA, you’ll likely see these additional benefits: more sales via Amazon Prime and Amazon Super Saver Shipping, no need to carry stock, and no need to ship to customers. The amount of time and energy you’ll save can more than make up for the Amazon FBA fees.

But it would be overzealous of us to recommend Amazon FBA to everyone. As mentioned earlier, this program only works if it aligns with your business model and you use strategies to keep your costs down. This scaled approach is essential to your success on Amazon. By adding products, watching the results, and then making individual decisions on how to handle fulfillment in the future, you’ll fine-tune your business operations and avoid major missteps.

If you’d like to get even more strategies for selling on Amazon and taking your ecommerce start-up to the next level, be sure to get your 7-day Foundr+ trial for just $1. The trial provides you with access to over 30 courses and more than 1000 lessons, brought to you by top instructors like 5x multimillionaire entrepreneur Gretta Van Riel.

—

This article was updated with support from Graeme Whiles. 

The post Is Selling On Amazon Worth it? Get Your Questions Answered appeared first on Foundr.

No, it’s not too good to be true.

Amazon FBA is a legitimate way to streamline your storage, shipping, and customer service. You can operate anywhere, at any time, and you can still guarantee reliable, on-time delivery.

However, it’s not free.

You have plenty of Amazon FBA fees to consider in addition to normal referral, refund, and selling fees.

Yet, don’t let the trigger word “fee” deter you. Despite the extra cost, there’s a good chance Amazon FBA is still worth the investment—both from financial and work-life balance perspectives.

Below, we’re going to break down each Amazon FBA fee to help you understand where every penny of your money is going. We’ll also give you calculators to help estimate your costs and expected ROI.

But first—is Amazon FBA worth all the hassle of calculating these fees?

Short on Time? Here are the Types of Amazon FBA Fees

• Fulfillment Fee
• Storage Fees
• Long-Term Storage Fee
• Disposal Order Fee
• Removal Order Fee
• Unplanned Service Fee
• Returns Processing Fee

And here’s Amazon’s calculator tool.

Why Sell Through Amazon FBA?

Amazon FBA might have a few extra costs, but you get a whole lotta bang for your buck. Here are a few reasons you should consider it:

• Piggyback on Amazon’s Reputation: Consumers trust Amazon. When they make a purchase, they know that they’re going to get it (in days, not weeks).
• Provide Super-Fast Shipping: Today’s modern shoppers expect 2-day delivery. Anything more than that, and you’re behind the times. With Amazon FBA, you can keep up with the expedited shipping of even your biggest competitors.
• Consolidate Your Processes: Tired or wary of managing a warehouse, customer service representatives, and shipping teams? Hand it all off to Amazon FBA’s one-stop shop.
• Hand-Off the Nitty-Gritty Work: Running a business is hard enough without having to do all the packaging, labeling, shipping, and customer service yourself. You have bigger fish to fry—hand off the minutiae to someone else.
• Work (or Don’t) On Your Schedule: When you work with Amazon FBA, your products get processed, delivered, and returned on time—whether you’re in the office or on a beach somewhere.

7 Amazon FBA Fees

Now that you’re hyped about Amazon FBA, let’s look at the fees you can expect. Remember, we’re going through a list of Amazon FBA fees—not all of your expenses. You’ll still have general Amazon fees (per-item fees, referral fees, closing fees, etc.), manufacturing, website hosting fees, and more.

Here are the 7 Amazon FBA fees:

1. Amazon FBA Fulfillment Fee

The FBA fulfillment fee is also known as the pick-and-pack fee. Amazon charges a per-unit fee to find, label, and ship items to customers. The fee is determined by the item’s size, weight, and category. Check out Amazon’s rate cards to determine what fulfillment fee you’ll be charged per unit.

First, look at your product type. Next, figure out the sizing tier. Need help figuring out what size package you have? Look at how Amazon determines the product size tier here. After that, you’ll use the shipping weight to determine your per-unit fee.

2. Amazon FBA Storage Fees

Amazon charges a monthly inventory storage fee based on the size of your products. These fees vary depending on your product category and the time of the year.

For example, it often gets more expensive to stock up on inventory just before the holiday season because Amazon has to store extra inventory (for all the other businesses) at that time.

However, you don’t have to guess at this number. Amazon provides rate cards to help you determine your FBA storage fees each month of the year.

3. Amazon FBA Long-Term Storage Fee

Unfortunately, Amazon FBA isn’t somewhere you can just stash your extra inventory—especially if it’s not selling quickly. Amazon charges a long-term storage fee for any item left in storage for more than 365 days.

FBA uses a first-in, first-out calculation to determine the age of your inventory. Some products have shorter long-term storage fees, so make sure you check Amazon’s inventory health manager to identify which items have storage limitations.

4. Amazon FBA Disposal Order Fee

You may want to discard old product that’s not selling and accumulating storage fees. FBA will dispose of your products for you, but it’ll cost a fee. Prices vary depending on the size and shipping weight of your products.

5. Amazon FBA Removal Order Fee

Removal and disposal aren’t the same things. Submit an FBA removal order if you’d like Amazon to return your inventory to you—submit an FBA disposal order if you’d like them to go ahead and trash it.

Removal order fees also vary depending on the size and weight of your products. Note that the prices of a disposal order and removal order are the same. However, if you request a removal order and then decide to dispose of it on your own, that’s likely going to cost you a separate bill with your landfill (unless you’re selling sticky notes).

6. Amazon FBA Unplanned Service Fee

Amazon has strict rules for preparing and labeling your products before shipping them to fulfillment centers. If you get it wrong, you’ll have to pay a per-item fee for them to correct it. These mistakes can also cause selling delays.

7. Amazon FBA Returns Processing Fee

Amazon FBA conveniently handles all returns and exchanges for your products. However, with FBA, many categories of items offer free return shipping. While this may encourage more customers to give your products a try, it might jack up your return rate—and returns aren’t free for you.

You’ll be charged a per-item returns processing fee for any items in the apparel and shoe categories. Returns process fees can be expensive. For example, you could end up paying $2 to $43 per item if your customers make a return.

Amazon FBA Fee Calculator

Don’t want to get out your smartphone and crunch the numbers yourself? No sweat. You’re an entrepreneur—you don’t have to be a mathematician, too.

Try out this plug-and-play Amazon FBA fee calculator to let them do the crunching for you. This is Amazon’s calculator, so you can be confident it’ll be just about spot on.

How to Use Amazon’s FBA Fee Calculator

Using the calculator is pretty straightforward. First, find the product you want to sell on Amazon. If you can’t find the product (or it doesn’t exist yet), enter the estimates for the weight and packaging dimensions.

Next, plug in the self-fulfillment details such as the price of the item, typical shipping costs, storage fees, and cost of goods sold. Once you’re finished, click the yellow button, “Calculate.”

The Amazon FBA fee calculator will process the estimated costs and ROI for fulfillment by you and Fulfillment by Amazon. You can see the head-to-head net profit and margins for the two options.

However, don’t let this final number be the deciding factor. Remember the valuable time you could save that the calculator doesn’t represent.

For example, selling through FBA might yield a little fewer dollars in profit per transaction, but it could save you countless hours of work. That’s time you could be spending managing your business and planning for the future.

Read more: What to Sell on Amazon: 8 Tips to Find Profitable Products

Other Amazon FBA Costs to Consider

Of course, Amazon FBA fees aren’t the only costs that you will encounter on your ecommerce journey.

Fortunately, Melisa Vong, who has built two multi-million dollar brands on Amazon, has made a list of the other costs you need to be aware of:

• Business formation: It’s not something you pay for immediately, but when you start to earn over $10,000 per month for three consecutive months, you will need to get liability insurance, which is only possible with a registered LLC.
• Trademarks: Amazon has its own brand registry tool, which allows you to set yourself apart from competitors. Registering trademarks can take a long time, so start the process early.
• Product inventory: This is where most of your budget should be allocated. Always make sure you have enough saved for your next inventory restock to ensure a smooth delivery process.
• Shipping: Typically speaking, shipping costs aren’t included in the cost of your products, so they are a cost you should be mindful of.
• 3Pl fees: 3Pls are middlemen that you might want to use for inspecting and packing your products, as they are cheaper than Amazon’s in-house version.
• Branding: Brand spending includes packaging, logos, and anything else related to the branding of your product.
• Listing images: High-quality product photography is crucial for a professional look and feel and is, therefore, a cost you must factor in.
• Amazon PPC: This is the built-in pay-per-click promotion in Amazon, where you will be charged for every click made on one of your product ads.
• Product research software: This refers to paid tools that help you identify products to sell under your brand.
• Giveaways and rebates: Promotional tools such as giveaways are highly effective, but they aren’t free. It’s important to factor in the cost of giving products away for free.

Ready to Master Amazon FBA?

The world of Amazon FBA is vast, exciting, and brimming with potential. However, it’s far from simple.

Instead of learning through trial and error, expedite your journey from beginner to FBA pro with our training: How to Sell on Amazon FBA.

Melisa Vong will be your instructor, and Jeff Bezons practically paid for her house. She’s launched 2 multi-million dollar brands on Amazon using her “Prime Product Method,” and now she’s breaking down her formula for success for you.

The post Amazon FBA Fees: How to Calculate What FBA Will Cost You appeared first on Foundr.

It’s a question that must be answered, yet many marketers and entrepreneurs are much more focused on producing content rather than reflecting on how well it performed.

Sure, your content needs to be engaging, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of time spent analyzing its performance and learning why it’s engaging.

It’s a common mistake I see when coaching my clients at The Social Cliq. Too much time is spent on content creation, and not enough time is spent tracking performance.

Regardless of the industry, I push all my clients to dive deep into Instagram analytics to help identify what worked, what didn’t, and what future content should look like.

Analytics cannot be swayed by preference. The results are wholly objective and show you exactly how your audience is interacting (or isn’t!) with your brand.

In this article, I will break down everything you need to know about tracking Instagram analytics, ensuring you don’t leave any quick wins or opportunities to improve on the table.

Why Are Instagram Analytics so Important?

Before we dive in, it’s worth pointing out why reviewing your Instagram analytics is so important. After all, you’ve likely already got enough on your plate before you add another task to your seemingly endless to-do list!

The time spent reviewing Instagram analytics might seem like a time-consumer in the short term, it will actually be a time-saver in the long run!

Think of all the time you’ll save making content that statistically never gets engagement or time saved refining content that performs just as well without being heavily edited.

A proper Instagram review process will ensure that your time is used much more wisely, making your social strategy much more efficient and effective.

Don’t Skip: 27 Expert Tips on How to Get 10k More Followers on Instagram

What Are The Top Metrics Within Instagram Analytics?

• Follower Growth: Are you attracting new community members to your account? You can understand the impact of your brand awareness campaign by tracking the follower growth within Instagram Analytics.
• Engagement Rate: How many likes and comments are you getting on posts? After all, there’s no point in having a thousand followers if only five people are engaging with the content you are creating.
• Saves: This feature indicates the number of people who have saved your content, which is particularly important for educational and shopping content. Saving is a great way for potential customers to come back to your content in the future. Think of it as a shopping cart for Instagram.
• Impressions and Video Views: This measures how many people are getting delivered your content in combination with how many people are actually watching it through.

For Instagram Stories

For any Instagram Stories, you should focus on engagement with elements within the story, such as polls or questions, the number of people watching the content in its entirety, and the number of people clicking into your stories to consume the content.

Where Can You Find Instagram Analytics?

Start by clicking on your Instagram profile page before tapping the three lines in the top right-hand corner.

1. From there, click the “Insights” button and select your chosen date range.
2. From this page, you can see the number of accounts your content has reached, the accounts you have engaged with, and your total follower count.
3. You can also see which pieces of content you have posted in the chosen time frame, highlighting which ones have performed best.

Keep Learning: How to Use Instagram for Business to Smash Your Goals

Don’t Just See Success in Your Socials

Once you’ve turned your social strategy into a success, why stop there? Next, it’s time to turn your entire e-commerce enterprise into a success, with 7 days of foundr+, for just $1.

In just 7 days, you will get everything you need to start and scale a life-changing ecommerce brand, including access to world-class instructors, proven frameworks, and a powerful community of like-minded, passionate entrepreneurs.

The post Instagram Analytics: Stats You Need to Know appeared first on Foundr.

Is the lighting right? How is the sound? Is my voice really that irritating in real life? These are all questions we ask ourselves throughout the creation process before finally tapping send and beginning the process all over again.

But the process shouldn’t stop there. One of the common mistakes I see when I coach my clients for The Social Cliq is getting caught up in content creation and forgetting to track performance.

Whether they’re makeup or tea brands, all my clients rely on TikTok analytics to inform their content strategy. Because analytics are the objective information of how your audience is interacting with your content and how the platform is serving that content to the audience. And if you ignore TikTok analytics could be missing out on significant quick wins and improved performance.

In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about tracking TikTok analytics, including why it’s important, what to track, and how to do it properly.

Why Are TikTok Analytics so Important?

First, let’s quickly cover why it’s so important to invest time and effort into your TikTok Analytics.

After all, if you’re going to invest time, effort, and resources into your TikTok strategy, why would you not spend time tracking what has been successful and what hasn’t?

By tracking TikTok analytics, you unveil insights into your success, which can be used to mold future social media campaigns.

Reporting analytics also ensures you remain accountable and allows you to adjust a strategy as you go if needed.

Reminder: To access TikTok analytics you need to convert or make a TikTok business account. However, that means you’ll sacrifice access to royalty music.

Don’t Skip: How to Get More Views on TikTok from a TikTok Agency Founder

What Are The Top Metrics on TikTok Analytics?

• Views: This metric identifies how many people actually view your TikTok content. It allows you to see who has been shown your content and stopped to watch it.
• Followers: This metric will help you track how many followers your account had before your campaign and how many after, which is ideal for brand awareness campaigns.
• Engagement Rate: The engagement rate refers to the number of people who have received your content on their “For You” page and have either liked, commented on, or shared it with others.
• Average Watch Time: TikTok also allows you to track the average watch time per viewer, showing you at which point viewers become disengaged or whether they watch the video all the way through.
• Shares: This metric tracks how many people are sharing your content and is also available on other social media channels, such as Instagram.
• Profile Visits: This metric tracks how many people saw your video on their “For You” page and then clicked through to view your profile.
• Sound Usage: If you create unique audio for TikTok and then other accounts use it for their content, that is a great sign that your content is likely to gain a lot of traction.

Where Can You Find TikTok Analytics?

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can find these metrics within your TikTok account.

1. From your profile, click the three lines located in the top right corner, and then click on “Business Suite.”
2. Once you’re in the Business Suite, select “Analytics” and pick the date range you want to look at. From there you can see the Reach, Engagement, and Conversions in much greater detail.
3. By scrolling down, you can also see the most popular videos and follower statistics.

Keep Learning: How to Use TikTok for Your Business

You’re Ready for Success on TikTokNow Get Ready For Success in Your Sales

You now have all the information you need to track TikTok analytics, tweaking campaigns to suit noticeable trends, and continuing to grow your audience.

So now is the perfect time to ensure your product sales also rise to meet and even exceed your expectations, with the $1 foundr+ trial.

In just 7 days, you will get everything you need to start and scale a life-changing ecommerce brand, including access to world-class instructors, proven frameworks, and a powerful community of like-minded, passionate entrepreneurs.

The post TikTok Analytics: Metrics You Need To Take Note Of appeared first on Foundr.

Ask any new consultant what they’re worried about, and they’ll probably all reply: how to get consulting clients. When you’re just starting out as a freelancer, it can feel impossible to find clients for your fledgling business.

After working as a freelance marketing consultant for a few years, I’ve learned a lot about finding new consulting clients. I’ve also read countless articles that simply list places to find potential clients but don’t tell you how to win them over. That’s not what this article is about.

In this article, I’m going to share really actionable steps for landing clients — not just where to find clients but how to send them a pitch they can’t refuse, convince them to jump on a call, sign the consulting proposal, and eventually, validate your work through awesome testimonials and refer you to others.

Table of Contents

1. How to Attract the Right Consulting Clients

2. Where to Find Consulting Clients

3. How to Cold Pitch Your Way to a New Client

4. How to Charm Your Prospect During the Discovery Call

5. Crafting the Perfect Consulting Proposal

6. Red Flags and How to Respond

How to Attract the Right Consulting Clients

Before you even begin looking for consulting clients, you need to figure out who they are and create an online presence or portfolio to draw them in.

Now, I want to be clear here: I am not saying you should only rely on your online presence to acquire new clients. You don’t have the time to wait around!

But having a stellar online presence is important before you start reaching out because potential clients will be researching you. Having a respectable online presence/portfolio will help convince them to hire you.

Perfect your portfolio

While you might not need a fancy website, you do need portfolio entries that speak to your talent and past results.

Share examples of your previous work and elaborate on the project to give it context. Explain what you achieved, how you did it, and to top it all off, be sure to include a testimonial from the client. You want to provide as much proof that you’re the real deal. If you don’t have the budget to hire a web developer, use Squarespace or Weebly, which have WYSIWYG website builders that make it easy for anyone to use.

Now, you’re probably thinking, “How am I supposed to add entries to my portfolio if I’m a new consultant?”

Great question! Here are some ways to do just that:

• Use work from your previous jobs (as long as you have consent from your former employers). The work you’ve done as an employee is totally relevant to your work as a consultant. If you’re a financial consultant who used to work in an accounting department, share with your potential clients how your previous employer benefited from your work. Or if you’re an SEO consultant, explain how your skills helped clients rank first on Google for a particular keyword.
• Offer to work at a reduced rate to get testimonials. The key here is not to force a testimonial out of anyone. Simply let them know you’re charging less because you’re just starting out and you’re hoping to get more testimonials as you gain experience.
• Offer to work for free in exchange for testimonials. While some turn up their noses at the idea of working for free, the truth is, many new consultants do this to get a foot in the door.

Clean up social media accounts

Do a quick search on Google for your name. What do you find?

Are the results something you’d be happy with your potential clients finding?

If you have a forgotten Instagram account with photos from parties or a neglected Twitter account that has nothing to do with your business, either delete them, make them private, or better yet—start afresh by posting articles and tips that help solve your ideal client’s problems.

Optimize your LinkedIn profile

Unlike Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook; LinkedIn is the one place that’s strictly for business networking. So it’s a great place to find potential clients who will be receptive to pitching your consulting services.

Some quick tips to optimize your LinkedIn profile:

• Complete your profile: your potential client will want to learn as much about you as possible. So share what your consulting service offers. Fill in your profile and list every position you’ve ever held and your accomplishments.
• Personalize your profile URL: LinkedIn offers the opportunity to use a vanity URL for your profile. On your profile page, click Edit public Profile & URL on the right rail. Under Edit your custom URL in the right rail, click the Edit icon next to your public profile URL and type your preferred custom URL but make it a professional one!
• Ask for recommendations: your consulting business may be too young to gain any testimonials, but you can certainly get recommendations for jobs you’ve held in the past. Take advantage of this feature to showcase your skills.
• Use a professional headshot: make sure you have a photo set in your profile and make it a good one.

Read More: 12 LinkedIn Tips and Tricks (You Probably Haven’t Heard Yet)

Where to Find Consulting Clients

Now that you’ve created a stellar portfolio, spruced up your social media presence, and juiced up your LinkedIn profile, you’re ready for some clients to see them.

The question now is: how are you going to find new clients?

Publish a website

I cannot overstate how powerful it is for you as a business owner to maintain a website or blog with consistent, valuable posts. Your blog becomes a priceless asset that will help readers get to know you, learn from you, and eventually, want to hire you. Optimize your website for Google. Especially if you plan to work for clients locally, you need local SEO to rank for searches for consultants in your area.

In addition to that, you will want every blog post to be optimized for keywords that your ideal clients may be searching. Publish blog posts that might answer questions your ideal client is asking. Not only is this great for SEO, but it also helps you stand out as an expert in your niche.

I recently hired a writing coach because I had been reading her blog, learned more about her experience, and grew to trust her. In one of her blog posts, she briefly mentioned that she offered writing coaching and had a link to her services page. I hired her instantly.

Ensure that your website has a prominent “Work With Me” page. On that page, detail what services you offer and how your potential clients can get in touch.

Job listings

Many companies are pouring tons of resources into long-term employment positions to fill needs that might best be filled by a consultant. One thing you can do is respond to employment postings, but pitch them your consulting services instead. Try positioning it as a way the company can save money.

For example, instead of a startup hiring a full-time marketing director to create a launch strategy for a new product, wouldn’t it be better for them to hire a marketing consultant who can craft a strategy and then hand it off to them to implement? Point out that it would free them from extra costs such as paying for employee benefits.

One caveat, make it very clear upfront that you’re not applying for the position as listed, otherwise you risk wasting both parties’ time.

To find job listings, try looking at:

• Indeed
• AngelList
• We Work Remotely
• Remote.co

Referrals from previous and current clients

Even if your working relationship with a consulting client is winding down, don’t see it as the end. You should keep in touch and have an offboarding process that wows them; after all, you never know when they may need to hire you again. Plus, they probably know someone who needs your help.

At the end of every project with a client, I like to send an offboarding email that does the following:

• Thank them for their business.
• Lists bullet points highlighting the results you’ve helped them achieve.
• Asks them for feedback (this can later be turned into a testimonial, with their permission).
• Ask them if they could refer you to another person who might need your help too.

Here’s a template you can use:

Hi [client name],

Now that we're wrapping things up with [project name], I wanted to review some of the things we've achieved while working together:

• • [results 1]

• • [results 2]

• • [results 3]

It’s been a pleasure working with you, and I’m so proud of the results we’ve seen together. At the end of every project, I like to ask my clients some questions so I can continue to improve my services.

If you’re happy with my work, I’d also like to use some of your answers in a testimonial on my website and marketing materials, with your name and URL included. Is that okay with you? Please reply inline to these questions:

1. What made you decide to hire a consultant?
2. What were some hesitations you had as you looked for a consultant?
3. What results have I helped you achieve?
4. What did you like best about working with me?
5. What could I have done better?
6. Would you recommend me to your colleagues? If so, what kind of person do you think would benefit from working with me?
7. Anything else you’d like to add?

Once you get your client’s replies to those answers, hopefully, they are good and can be used as a testimonial.

I usually put the answers together into a few paragraphs, edit for clarity, and then send the finished testimonial to the client and ask them to approve it before I publish it.

I also tell them they can write their own testimonial from scratch if they’d prefer. Almost every time, though, I find they like it when I use their answers to craft the testimonial.

Cold pitching

When you need new clients fast, cold pitching is the best way to take matters into your own hands!

People often try to avoid doing this, but it’s part of how I quadrupled my business revenue in just a few months.

The basics of cold pitching are:

• Identify a client you want to work with
• Identify a problem they have (and maybe don’t realize) that you can fix.
• Reach out with a killer pitch.

When you cold pitch, you’re carving out a new path; as opposed to responding to a job posting, where you’re competing with other consultants vying for the same job.

Where to find clients to cold pitch:

• The brands and people you already follow
• Recently funded startups on AngelList
• Employment postings
• New business announcements in the newspaper

How to Cold Pitch Your Way to a New Client

Perfecting the art of cold pitching is especially important. Remember, this person did not ask you to email them. They don’t know you. Basically, they have every reason to ignore your pitch. You’re up against some big challenges to win them over.

There are a few strategies you can employ to gain some new clients.

Elements of a Winning Pitch

Be personal. If a prospect opens your email and sees “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Dear Business Owner”, you better believe that email is going straight to spam. Take the time to find out the name of the person you’re emailing. But getting the name right is just the beginning. Every pitch you send should be personalized in a way that shows that you understand that potential client’s business, needs, or desires.

Do your research, and spend the extra 30 minutes it takes to craft a personalized message to each prospect. A copy-and-paste job will be obvious, and it will make the recipient feel as though you don’t really care.

Identify a problem and solve it for free. I’m a huge fan of giving expertise away for free because it allows you to gain trust with your audience and prove you know what you’re talking about. This pays off in a major way later on.

So in your pitch email, don’t just tell them what you’d like to do for them e.g. help you grow your Instagram following, but tell them how you plan to do it. The more specific, the better. It shows you’ve done your research.

For example, when I wanted to start offering SEO copywriting to startups, I found one startup whose app I loved, and I really wanted to work with them. Before I pitched them, I did some keyword research, and in my email to the founder, I told him exactly which keywords his company could rank for and how I planned to help him do that.

I gave the outline of my plan away for free to entice them. And guess what? The growth manager for that company ended up reaching out to me and wanted to hire me for SEO blog writing! Many consultants are afraid to give their expertise away for free — don’t be! It often pays off later.

Pave the way for them to say yes.

If you’re trying to get someone to do business with you, don’t make them jump through hoops to do so! In your pitch, include everything they need to determine if they’d like to work with you, including:

• Your first and last name
• A link to your website
• Your phone number

Have a clear call to action.

Just as with any high-converting copy, you must add a clear call to action at the end of your pitch email. What is it that you want the recipient to do? Do you want them to schedule a free 15-minute call to review their sales funnel strategy? Do you want them to reply with some available times this week to discuss their social media accounts?

Whatever it is that brings that client to the next step of your sales funnel, be sure to tell them that specifically at the end of the email. And this is important: don’t make it a huge jump or a big investment; they’re just getting to know you!

The call to action in your pitch email should be simple, easy to complete, and free. So instead of saying, “Book an $800 social media package today,” try “When are you available for a 15-minute chat about how I can help you get more leads via Instagram?”

Follow up. Always. If you don’t hear back, don’t give up! But don’t be pesky either. I usually wait one week, and if I don’t hear back, I send a follow-up email. Many salespeople will recommend following up a bunch more times after that, but honestly, I leave it at one follow-up.

If they don’t respond after two emails, I move on because I don’t want to build a reputation as an annoying consultant.

How to Charm Your Prospect During the Discovery Call

It’s perfectly natural for anyone to get the jitters before a phone call with a stranger. But getting a prospect on a call is crucial in converting them to a client. If you’re nervous, try role-playing with a friend, practicing in front of a mirror, or even recording yourself. This might feel silly at first, but just like anything, it gets easier as you practice.

So what should you say on a discovery call? I’m a firm believer that as a consultant, you should take the lead in the call. Start out by quickly summarizing the goal of this meeting.

You can say something like, “Thanks so much for taking the time for a 15-minute call. I’ll start out by asking you some questions so I can make sure we’re a good fit. Then, of course, you can ask me any questions you might have about my services. Does that sound good?”

Then start by highlighting the problem they’re coming to you with and reiterating their desire.

For example, “So it sounds like you’re stressed out, and you need help implementing systems that help you automate your business so you can have more time with your family. Is that right?”

The questions I always ask:

• How will you measure success? I love this question because, in order to make a client happy, you need to know what makes them happy. Will they measure success by how many new website visitors they get? Or will they measure success by how many people download their free app? Define success early on so you never misunderstand what the goals are.
• Picture your dream life after working with me. What does it look like? This question is great for two reasons: Like the above question, it helps you to understand what’s really important to your client. Also, it helps the client imagine what it’s like to work with you, and it helps them visualize achieving success with you.
• What hesitations do you have about working with me? This question may seem blunt, but it’s my favorite. While you’ve got your potential client on the phone, this is the perfect time to address any hesitations they have about you. I also think this shows confidence, as it shows you’re not afraid of honest feedback and open communication.

At the end of the call, wrap it up by reviewing what you’ve discussed, sharing why you’re confident you can help, and telling them what the next steps are. Be clear to them when they can expect to receive a proposal from you, and then follow up.

Crafting the Perfect Consulting Proposal

Proposals come in all shapes and sizes and will vary widely depending on the consulting services you offer. Some consultants send proposals first and then separate contracts. I prefer to have my proposal and contract as one document, so the client can read what I’m proposing and then sign off on the scope, timeline, and price.

In this article linked below, we go really in-depth on how to compose a consulting proposal, the tools you’ll need, the anatomy of the perfect consulting proposal, and some templates. I suggest you head over to that article if you’re keen to learn more.

Read more: Write the Perfect Consulting Proposal: Tools, Examples, and a Template

In a nutshell, here are the essential elements you should include in your consulting proposal:

Cover Page

A cover page is exactly that, a cover for your proposal that displays your company’s brand, the client’s name, project, and date for reference.

Executive Summary

The next part is forming an executive summary, which is basically the entire project summed up on a single page. The executive summary should broadly highlight the client’s issues and challenges, and how you plan on tackling or addressing them.

Project Outline/Scope of Work

Now, this is the part of the document where you want to be ultra-specific because when the dreaded “scope creep” rears its ugly head, you’ll have this document for reference, which clearly outlines what you will (and will not) do for the proposed fee.

So, if you’re being hired to write for a client’s blog, be sure to outline how many words you will write, how many revisions are included, etc. Or if you’re being hired as a life coach, specify how many coaching calls are included, how long each call will be, if there will be any email support allowed, etc. You don’t want to leave any room for confusion here or you might lose out on time and money.

Deliverables

Similar to scope of work, you might also find it necessary to outline deliverables, which are basically the identifiable end products you will be “delivering” to the client. There can be a lot of overlap here, but the difference between the scope of work and deliverables might be best explained with an example.

Let’s say you’re a freelance copywriter being hired to write an ebook to generate leads for a company. Your scope of work section might include things like learning more about the company’s brand, researching competitors, writing the ebook, and revising it.

Your deliverable, however, might be a 10,000-word ebook, fully formatted and delivered via Google Docs.

Timeline

A good consulting proposal manages expectations so no unwanted surprises pop up. Part of that requires outlining when you expect to complete the project.

So, in your timeline section, answer:

• When does the project begin?
• When does the project end?
• Are there any milestones in between?

On the latter point with long projects, it can be helpful to have checkpoints for completed work. This can help you manage your time and build confidence in the client that things are going as planned. You can also use milestones to release partial payment of funds. Just be sure not to pin yourself down with too many milestones, to allow some flexibility in your workflow.

Fees and Payment Terms

Make it clear what your fees are and what they include. Also, specify due dates, accepted payment methods, and payment terms. For example, if you require a 50 percent initial payment, make sure you clearly state that you will not begin work until the client has submitted the first payment.

Client Requirements

This section of a consulting proposal isn’t that popular, but I personally always include it and find it important. Many times, when there are delays on consulting projects, the bottleneck lies with the client. For example, every web developer knows the pain of being stalled on a build because they’re waiting on assets from the client.

If there is any part of your job that could be stalled through no fault of your own, make sure to list it here.

Expiration Date

Again, this isn’t a popular section for consulting proposals, but for me, it’s a must-have! Putting an expiration date on the proposal protects you from having a prospective client come to you three months later wanting to accept your proposal.

As you know, by that time, you might be fully booked or your prices might be higher. A client can’t reasonably expect you to drop everything and fulfill the project in your proposal if they don’t act quickly. That’s why I strongly recommended telling the client when the proposal will no longer be valid.

Optional: Contract Terms

Some consultants will send over a proposal for the client to sign and approve first, then will send over a separate contract for the client to sign. I prefer to save time and energy by having my proposal serve as a contract too. If you choose to make yours a proposal-contract combination, add any terms and conditions here.

Common ones include cancellation, payment terms, and an independent contractor clause. If you need help, use a proposal template from any of the services mentioned above.

How to send the consulting proposal

Once you’ve crafted your proposal, you can keep things quick and simple by sending it online for an electronic signature. For a free tool, try AND.CO — it lets you send a proposal and get alerted when it’s been viewed.

What to do if the client wants revisions?

It’s common for a client to ask for revisions to the proposal before they sign it. Don’t be discouraged; this is all part of the negotiation process. It’s best to get on the phone with them to discuss what their concerns are and what they’d like to see changed. Then let them know how much time you’ll need to revise and resubmit the proposal.

Other proposal tips

Send the consulting proposal promptly. Be sure to send the proposal by the time and date you promised. If you can do it within 24 hours, even better.

Follow up, no matter what. So you sent the proposal two days ago and haven’t heard back? Always, always follow up. And remember, the follow-up is still a sales opportunity.

So don’t say, “I’m just following up. Did you have any questions after our call?” Add value by reiterating your client’s desires and offering advice on how you will help them get there.

Here’s an example:

Hello [potential client's name],

I really enjoyed our call yesterday, and I've been thinking about what you said about needing a stronger Instagram presence. I think you could start working with influencers in your niche to amplify your brand. I've attached a list of Instagram influencers I've identified who'd be perfect for your business.

What do you think? And please let me know if you have any questions about the proposal. Happy to hop on another call. I really think we'd work well together in crafting an Instagram strategy that will boost your sales by at least 20%.

Always restate your client’s true desire. They don’t just want a social media consultant, for example. They want to make more sales by harnessing the power of Instagram.

Prove to them you can get them what they want, and they’ll hire you. Of course, don’t make empty promises. Tell them why you’re confident you can help them, and remind them of the results you’ve helped others achieve in the past.

Red Flags and How to Respond

Clients are people, too.

They have their own ambitions, motives, and goals. Sometimes, those things might not align with what you have to offer. If you come across a client who exhibits any of these red flags, here are some suggestions to maneuver out of the sticky situation and win the potential client.

The client is stuck on price

It’s understandable for a prospect to hesitate to make a big investment; they’ve just met you, after all, and they can’t be sure that you’re going to deliver on your promise. However, if a prospect is undervaluing your services or trying to get a bargain, then run.

I like to abide by this maxim: never negotiate on price, just scope. In other words, you should not lower your price because it’s out of a prospect’s budget. You can, however, cut back on what you’ll do and thereby lower the price. Never negotiate on price, just scope.

Why should you negotiate on scope but not price? If you lower your rates for a client, it signals a few things:

• Your rates were never set to begin with, and you pulled them out of thin air.
• That client is undervaluing your services and expertise.
• That client is likely to do something similar in the future and/or be a difficult client because they’re just looking for a deal.

The client isn’t sure you’re the right consultant for them

Sometimes, you’ll get through the discovery call and think someone is the perfect fit, but they’re not so sure about you.

To give yourself a chance to wow them while lowering their risk, you can do a couple of things:

• Offer a paid trial. Maybe the client isn’t ready to commit to a three-month coaching program with a $2,997 investment. But maybe they are ready to try it out for one month at $1,000.
• Offer a money-back guarantee (risky). As an ultimate show of your confidence, you could offer a money-back guarantee. Just realize this is a big risk on your part. If you choose to go this route, be sure to clearly define the terms of the guarantee, get it in writing, and have it signed.

The client thinks it should be ‘easy’

This is a giant red flag. If a client pushes back on your pricing or timeline by saying, “This should be an easy job,” or, “It shouldn’t take that long,” they are grossly underestimating what good consulting entails.

If it really were that easy, they’d be doing it themselves! If a client doesn’t see the real value and complexity of what you’re trying to accomplish for them, they’re probably not an ideal client. If you choose to work with them, they’re likely to be nitpicky and impatient since, after all, they figured it should be “easy” anyway.

The client is in a rush to get it done

Many consultants charge a rush fee if a client needs something done quickly. Why? Think of a rush fee as a tool. It should serve two distinct purposes:

1. Rush fees should deter customers from asking for rush jobs
2. Rush fees should cover your opportunity costs

So if a client is telling you they need something by tomorrow afternoon, it’s completely acceptable to charge an extra fee for the rush. If they balk, they’re probably not a client you want to work with.

Wrapping It Up: How To Get Consulting Clients in 2025

If there’s anything I want you to take away from this post, it’s that getting clients for your consulting business isn’t as hard as you think, but it also isn’t as easy as you might hope. Getting clients is much more than just knowing where to look. Remember these important steps for finding the right consulting client:

• • Create an online presence that attracts the right kind of clients
  • Craft a stellar pitch
  • Handle a discovery call to ensure you and a client are the right fit
  • Write a winning proposal

• Address any red flags and handle negotiations

It may seem like a lot of steps, but it gets easier as you grow your clientele. And to me, all the hustle is worth it to work with clients you love and pursue a career that you enjoy.

The post The Definitive Guide to Getting Clients for Your Consulting Business in 2025 appeared first on Foundr.

With a billion users on the platform, it’s no surprise you’re trying to find potential customers there.

However, I’ve worked with many founders who don’t know how to make a TikTok video for their brand. They assume that only dance videos or weird challenges get viewed on the platform. While that might sound fun, it doesn’t have much to do with awareness of a product. I also see founders start posting about their products on TikTok and give up quickly, citing the fact that their content didn’t gain enough traction and that it was impossible to make content that would go viral.

But creating viral product content on TikTok is actually possible. And you don’t have to be a celebrity, megabrand, or full-time content creator to make it happen.

Through my agencies, The Social CliQ and The Content CliQ, I help founders like you transform their brand’s digital footprint.

From working with brands across the beauty, beverage, fashion, lifestyle, and retail industries I’ve developed an 8-step process for how to make TikTok videos for your brand that gain views and sales.

Read on below to find out what steps you need to take to achieve growth on the fastest-growing social media channel in the world!

How to Make a TikTok Video

Step 1: The Hook

Step 2: Introduce the problem

Step 3: Talk about a failed solution

Step 4: Introduce your product

Step 5: Unpack the features

Step 6: Show off the benefits

Step 7: Demonstrate the desired end result

Step 8: Provide a clear and simple call to action

Step 1: The Hook

First off, you need a compelling hook that will stop your target audience in their digital tracks, cut through the mindless scrolling, and make them sit up and take note of what you’re about to say.
Some of the most successful hooks I coach my clients to use are:

• Is it just me or…
• I wish I knew about ____ sooner
• You need this for…
• Is anyone else feeling (insert a feeling)?
• If you’re ___, you need to try ___
• I found out today that…

These hooks draw your audience in, make them feel like the content is personalized to them, and grab their attention, preparing them for what’s to come.

For example, if you were selling dumbbells for people to work out from home, you might start with a hook similar to the following:

Is it just me, or is it almost impossible to find time to get to the gym?

You immediately grab the audience’s attention as they may also think, “No, it’s not just you, Talia, I also struggle with this.”

Step 2: Introduce the problem

Next it’s time to properly introduce the problem that your target audience is facing and that your product can solve.

Using the weights for home workouts example again, the problem here would be that people struggle to find time to go to the gym, whether it be due to work commitments, social events, or family life. It may also be financially related.

Identifying the current pain points your target audience is suffering from allows you to sympathize with them, show them you understand their needs, and build trust and credibility with your audience.

Don’t Skip: How to Get More Views on Instagram

Step 3: Talk about a failed solution

Next, it’s time to talk about failed solutions that your audience has probably already tried, which has likely left them feeling demotivated and skeptical of other potential solutions.

After all, if you’ve been burned once before, it makes you much less likely to try again. Using our example above, this could be done by highlighting that you may have tried to work out from home before but lacked the equipment necessary to see true improvements. Or perhaps you talk about trying to go to the gym before work or on weekends, but to no avail.

By addressing failed solutions, you further improve your credibility and show your audience that the product you are pitching to them is highly researched and well thought out while also adding further sympathy to their cause.

Step 4: Introduce your product

Now that you have hooked your audience in, show them that you understand their pain points and identified that other solutions just aren’t the answer, it’s time to swoop in and promote your brand new solution as their savior.

At this point, if the first three steps have gone to plan, your audience should be primed and ready to hear about what solution to the problem you have to offer, and this is the time to produce it.

You’ve already identified the issue they are likely having and the other avenues they have taken in search of a solution. Now, it’s time to show them that you have that solution right here.

Step 5: Unpack the features

However, it is not simply enough to claim that your weight is the solution to their problems. After all, at this point, from your potential customer’s perspective, what is the difference between the products that they have tried before that have failed and the ones that you are offering?

That’s why it’s so important to immediately follow up on your product’s introduction with a detailed account of all of its features and unique selling points, highlighting what sets it apart.

Going back to our weights for home workouts, for example, our unique selling position (USP) might be that our weights are adjustable, allowing you to change the weight depending on the workout or exercise.

Step 6: Show off the benefits

Once you have enticed the viewer by showing off the many features of your product that differentiate it from the rest, it’s time to highlight the many benefits those factors can bring.

For example, the adjustability of our example weights would allow users to really test their limits from home while also not breaking the bank by buying multiple sets of weights. Not to mention how much easier they are to store.

By identifying the many benefits on offer, you allow the user to envisage gaining those benefits, which in turn will make them more excited about purchasing the product.

Step 7: Demonstrate the desired end result

Up until this step, I have talked to you a lot about the messaging of your TikTok video, but we haven’t discussed the video itself.

While all of the elements mentioned above are crucial for a successful video, they are also extremely limited without the right video content accompanying it.

After all, if you are unable to show your product working and the desired end result, how can a potential customer trust that it does what you say it will do?

With our adjustable weights example, video evidence of how the weights change weight, how they are used as part of a home workout, and how they are stored away clearly and easily are all crucial elements of selling the product.

Remember, TikTok is a platform that rewards videos that look and feel authentic. So, make sure your content looks like its shot by an average person or someone reflective of your target audience.

That might require you to ask a friend to be on camera or doing it yourself.

Keep Learning: How to Get More Views on TikTok

Step 8: Provide a clear and simple call to actiont

Finally, you need a clear and obvious call to action to round off the video, highlighting the next step you want the viewer to take.

Maybe that is signing up for a waitlist, liking and subscribing, or going directly to purchase; whatever the case, the CTA needs to be super clear and obvious to avoid any confusion.

Achieve Your Ecommerce Goals

Now that you have the 8 steps to TikTok video success, why now take the necessary steps to turn your ecommerce business into a success, too?

For just $1, you will gain everything you need to start and scale a life-changing ecommerce brand in as little as 7 days.

Sign up for your $1 trial of foundr+ today.

The post How to Make a TikTok Video for Your Brand in 8 Steps appeared first on Foundr.

Whether or not a new business succeeds or fails depends on its ability to generate a profit. While we’d all love to run our dream business regardless of profit, someone has to pay the bills, and from experience, your partner gets a bit annoyed after a while if you keep handing her “I.O.U” coupons.

Building an audience/customer base, marketing, and developing a solid business plan are all important elements of the most successful business, and they all lead back to one place.

A profitable business.

(Do you see where this is going?)

Short On Time? Here’s the List.

1. Ecommerce
2. Dropshipping
3. Courses
4. Accounting
5. Graphic design
6. Agency
7. Copy editing
8. Affiliate marketing
9. IT support
10. Legal services
11. Auto repair
12. B2B services
13. Software development
14. Data science consulting
15. Clothing and retail rental
16. Home improvement
17. Cleaning services
18. Cash-based businesses (laundry mats, car washes, and vending machines)
19. Health Coach
20. Build and sell brands
21. Childcare services

Most Profitable Businesses to Start in 2025

2025 is looking to be a challenging year, and starting a business will require more flexibility due to economic uncertainties. But turning a profit is a lot easier when you’re starting with a profitable business model.

So, what are the most profitable businesses of 2025? Let’s take a look.

1. Ecommerce Business

Ecommerce, the blanket term referring to all businesses where products are bought and sold over the internet, is consistently ranked among the best and most profitable businesses to start.

Why? Because they’re easy to launch, they don’t require the overhead cost of a brick-and-mortar footprint, and it gives you access to a geographically diverse customer base. With more than two billion ecommerce customers online, now is a great time to start your ecommerce store.

Map out your idea, plan how you are going to get the word out to the masses, and finally, turn that business idea into a profitable endeavor.

Want to learn how to start a profitable online store in 12 weeks or less? Check out the free course.

2. Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping has had a bad reputation over recent years, but when done effectively, it is still a very profitable business option.

Dropshipping is a subcategory of ecommerce that refers to businesses that sell products they don’t actually have on hand. Instead, the product is shipped directly from the vendor to the customer.

Dropshipping reduces your inventory costs and, as a result, increases your net income. And by 2028, the global dropshipping market is predicted to grow to by 20% annually through 2028.

Dropshipping is common in industries where customers expect a broad range of products that might be cost-prohibitive for a small business to keep on hand, like bookstores.

A lot of local bookstores, for example, might use dropshipping to ship directly from the publisher or a partner like bookshop.org. This allows them to offer a wider selection of books without having to contend with the challenges of storing one or 2 copies of a niche title on the off chance one customer might want it.

The most fruitful dropshipping ventures tend to be for niche products with a loyal following and minimal competition, so be sure to research before getting started.

Be wary of the risks of dropshipping, though, which include quality control, branding, and customer service.

3. Online Courses

Professionals are consistently looking for ways to sharpen their skills and advance their careers, providing a profitable business opportunity for savvy entrepreneurs who want to turn their expertise into passive income.

Courses that cover business finances and accounting, strategy, management, negotiation, sales/marketing training, and public speaking drive consistent demand. The course industry is only expected to grow, with the market expected to grow to $375B by 2026.

Want to get started? Watch our free training on starting your own profitable online course.

Online Marketing Course

The marketing landscape is changing due to rising social ad costs and generative AI, and many businesses and professionals are looking for guidance on how to adapt. Creating an online marketing course covering email marketing, social media management, SEO, or database marketing can generate a profit with minimal investment.

Language Course

Are you a multi-lingual entrepreneur? Consider creating a language course. The language-learning industry has continued to expand. To stand out from the competition, you want to identify your target market. Who is your ideal student?

Identifying your niche and narrowing your audience will drive higher conversion and increase profitability. Instead of offering “Beginning Spanish,” consider something more specialized like “7 Days to Business-Trip Spanish.”

Hobby Course

The final sector of the online course industry is hobby-related courses. Think: embroidery, woodworking, or singing. There has been a growing demand in recent years for these online courses due to the cost-effective pricing and convenience. The pandemic has increased demand here, too.

People who have transitioned to working from home now have more time to explore the topics that interest them. Others have taken stock of what matters to them and are finally gathering the courage to take a stab at beginner piano. As a result, launching a hobby-related course in 2025 is an exceedingly profitable business idea.

4. Bookkeeping or Accounting Services for Gig Workers

Bookkeeping and accounting service businesses maintain consistent demand because everyone has to file taxes, and many either don’t want to or don’t know how to manage tax preparation. This is especially true due to the rise of gig economy workers and freelancers.

If you are the type of person who enjoys doing their own taxes, then congratulations, you are in the 0.076% (I know how much you love a cheeky percentage).

If you work in personal accounting, you’ll likely see a boom in the spring as individuals look for help filing their taxes, but there are greater profit opportunities in the small business space.

Your average small business owner doesn’t have the bandwidth or the expertise to manage the bookkeeping themselves, and they might not have the resources to hire an on-staff bookkeeper. With a net profit margin of 18.4% (oh, there I go again), accounting and bookkeeping services are some of the most profitable industries you can go into in 2025.

5. Graphic Design Business

There is consistently high demand for graphic design services because stellar graphic design can be a market differentiator. In the age of digital marketing and Instagram-friendly advertising, a company’s graphic design is arguably more important than it ever has been. How profitable your graphic design business is depends on how much labor you’re putting into the projects compared to how much you’re charging. On average, graphic designers can earn from $15 – $35 per hour, depending on their experience.

Thankfully, graphic designers can run highly profitable companies due to low overhead. But they can also fall victim to scope creep and other revenue-eating practices. To ensure maximum profitability, build your business model to target higher revenue/lower labor projects. You can avoid scope creep and other pitfalls with a clearly outlined consulting proposal. For tips on how to put together a winning consulting proposal, consult our guide.

6. Digital Agency

With many large businesses cutting marketing teams due to rising costs, they’ll be looking to supplement their labor with agencies.

After all, they may not have the staff on hand, but the work still needs doing! That’s a huge chunk of opportunity to start and build a profitable agency.

Want to learn how? Take our free digital agency course.

Social Media Consulting

As we mentioned above, social media marketing is more important than ever. Social media advertising is the second-largest market within digital advertising. The global industry revenue of $138.2 billion is expected to grow to $18.4 billion in 2025.

A rapidly expanding market combined with the low investment required to start a social media consulting business makes this one of the most profitable opportunities for savvy digital marketers.

Digital Marketing Consulting

Digital marketing is an ever-evolving industry. For many small businesses, keeping up with the latest trends in email marketing or the next Google algorithm update can eat up too many resources.

If you have the skills to offer it all—email marketing, SEO, copywriting, social media—you can package it all into a high-profit digital marketing service.

7.  Copy Editing

Businesses are also looking for someone with a keen eye to double-check that their copy matches their brand standards and doesn’t sound like AI wrote it. So, beyond advertising your copywriting skills, add-on editing as a service for clients skeptical that ChatGPT can do everything for them (it can’t).

8. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a business model where a company pays a third party to generate leads or traffic to the company. These days, everyone from Instagram influencers to major news publications rely on affiliate marketing to drive profit. If you have a robust audience…or plan to build one, you can make bank with affiliate marketing. The industry generated $6.4 billion in 2019, and it continues to grow, making this one of the best small business ideas in 2025.

Ready to start growing your audience? Check out the Instagram Domination free mini-training.

9. IT Support

There’s an unspoken truth that is relevant in almost any office across the US.

We all know it, but none of us want to be the one to say it, so we’ll say it for you.

Most people don’t know how to use the tech they rely on to do their jobs. If you’ve got the chops, you can run a successful business in IT support. In 2025, the IT services market is anticipated to be $1,363 billion. Not too shabby.

10. Legal Services

Legal services are probably the most profitable of any service business. It’s high profit, consistently in demand, and relies on specialized knowledge. The specialization also allows legal entrepreneurs to focus on the work they like the most whether it’s working in estate planning, catering to a commercial bank, or providing legal services for real estate deals, there will always be a need for legal service.

11. Auto Repair Business

While some major repairs require a trip to a full auto repair shop, a lot of fixes can be done with a simple set of tools. The average age of vehicles has risen to 12.1 years, which means more people are holding onto their cars and would rather repair what they have than buy. If you’re a skilled mechanic, you can launch an auto repair service with minimal startup costs and start generating revenue in a flash. Then, when you’re ready to scale, you can open your own auto repair shop and capitalize on those bigger repairs, too.

12. B2B (Business to Business) Services

Businesses can typically handle higher price points and service fees than end consumers, making B2B services a highly profitable industry with a 22% year-over-year growth rate expected through 2027. Many of the other businesses outlined here can be marketed to other businesses, including real estate, cleaning services, bookkeeping and accounting, legal services, and marketing.

Read more: How B2B Sales is Changing Through Virtual Engagement 

13. Software Development

Software development relies on a technical skill set. If you put all your dev skills into proprietary software that can then be marketed to other businesses, you have a highly successful business in the making. Most businesses are in need of technical solutions that they can’t create on their own. While you could also work ad-hoc creating solutions via software consulting, creating proprietary software allows you to market the same product to a wide audience without requiring project-by-project dev resources, increasing your gross profit.

14. Data Science Consulting

Data science is an industry driven by expertise. If you can give business leaders the data analytics they need to make informed decisions, you can demand premium pricing, with an average hourly rate near $60. These days data is king, and if you know how to manage data to tell a compelling story, the sky’s the limit. Specializing in a specific platform like a CRM (Salesforce, SAP) or data tool (Microsoft Power BI) can make you stand out to companies looking for third-party advice or expertise for their data tools.

Read more: The Complete Guide to Getting Clients for Your Consulting Business

15. Clothing Resale and Rental

As concerns over climate change and global warming proliferate, there’s more pressure to do something, especially in fashion (the second most polluting industry). The market for clothing resale and rental is massively expanding, and with Gen Z gravitating more towards vintage and reused clothing, trends look like this industry niche will grow 127% by 2026.

16. Home Improvement Business

Demand for home improvement demand slowed last year in comparison to 2021 but is still up 2% since 2020. There have also been increased material costs due to supply chain issues, squeezing the profit margin a bit, but as supply chain issues level out (as some of them already have) home improvement businesses will continue to be among the most profitable businesses.

17. Cleaning Service

There has been consistent demand for cleaning services, especially since more people are going back to work in-person and don’t have time to sweep the floors between Zoom calls. High demand offers high profit potential, with cleaners getting paid an average of $40-$45 per hour. Cleaning services are also scalable, require minimal overhead costs, and they have high levels of customer retention. Given that customer acquisition is one of the highest costs for many businesses, that gives cleaning services an extra boost in the profit department.

18. Cash-Based Businesses (Laundry Mats, Car Washes, and Vending Machines)

Look for archaic businesses that need to get with the times. Currently, vending machines, car washes, and laundry mats are three business opportunities with old models and systems. If you have enough cash up front, you can quickly spruce up a laundry mat with some fresh paint and an updated logo. The best part about these types of businesses is that they are still primarily cash-based. This means there is less overhead for implementing technology systems to get them up to speed.

Read more: How Codie Sanchez Built a TikTok Following on “Boring Businesses” 

19. Health Coach

More than ever, people are willing to spend money on personal health. The health and wellness industry is $4 trillion and growing. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are working out from home and getting medical consultancy over Zoom. That means that building and equipment costs, the most expensive part of a health and wellness business, can be cut.
Use your personal experience and brand to start coaching people 1-on-1 online in fitness, diet, mental health, career, or all of the above.

20. Build a Brand You Can Monetize

2025 is the year of content creation. It’s never been easier to start a brand and build profitability around it, especially thanks to recent advancements in AI technology. So here are some brand-building ideas that help you grow an audience that can give you back cash:

• Right now, TikTok is the best channel to grow an audience quickly. Just make sure your content is entertaining and engaging.
• Start a podcast focused on your industry expertise.
• Build an Instagram account about things to do in your city.
• Start a blog (yes, it’s still a thing) built around search terms about your favorite hobby.
• Launch a YouTube channel about a life hack.

Remember, if you start a brand to ONLY make money, then your audience will quickly unsubscribe, unfollow, and ignore you. Building an audience that can support you financially takes patience, consistency, and dedication. Most content-driven brands take years before they have a dedicated audience that will support them via membership, merchandise, and spin-off products.

21. Childcare Services

The average cost of childcare in the US per week ranges from $200 to $600. Whether it’s a nanny business, daycare, or after-school teaching, parents will shed desperate dollars if your childcare business offers safe, educational, and reliable service.

Although a childcare business requires certifications and background checks, it’s a relatively simple way to earn cash consistently throughout the school year and beyond. Plus, if you have a passion for kids and teaching, then starting a childcare business can serve a purpose beyond cash.

Most Profitable Businesses FAQ

How to Start a Profitable Business in 2025

Ready to start your business? Here are some helpful resources to take your business from idea to reality.

• How to Start a Business from Scratch (Step-By-Step Process)
• When to Quit Your Job and Go All-in on Your Side Hustle
• Want to Be Your Own Boss? Here’s How to Make It Happen
• The Small Business Guide to Branding

—

This article was updated with support from Graeme Whiles.

The post 21 of the Most Profitable Businesses to Start in 2025 appeared first on Foundr.

Is it easy? No, not by any means. If you have money sitting around, by all means, please invest it in your business to get it off the ground and to accelerate growth.

However, we realize that’s not always a possibility—and that’s OK. Some businesses don’t require any capital to get started, making them low-risk, high-reward ventures. Those are the kind of businesses we’re going to focus on in this article.

Short On Time? Here Are the Best Businesses to Start with Little Money

1. Content Creator
2. Podcasting
3. Freelancing & Consulting
4. Blogging
5. Teaching/Instructing/Tutoring 
6. Coaching
7. Virtual Assistant
8. Event Planning
9. Online Community Management

Below, we’ll walk you through the best businesses you can start with no money. While nothing is entirely free in this world, these business ideas come pretty dang close.

But first—is starting a business with no money a good idea?

Table of Contents

Should You Start a Business with No Money?

How Much Money Do You Need to Start a Business?

Best Businesses to Start with No Money

Tips for Starting a Business with No Money

FAQs About Starting a Business with No Money

Should You Start a Business with No Money?

You’ve probably seen other startups score massive venture capitalist (VC) funding or substantial business loans. Sure, you can find equity financing or a lender to fund your business, but that’s not always the best choice.

There are advantages and drawbacks to starting a business with no money. Here’s what to consider:

Pros of Starting a Business With No Money

• You’ll have no financial obligations and total control over your business—you won’t be accountable to lenders, shareholders, family members, or friends.
• There’s little risk involved. If the business succeeds, there’s a huge upside. However, if the company goes under, you’ll lose little investment except for time.
• You can achieve your dreams regardless of your financial situation. Go from startup to C-suite—there’s always a chance.

Cons of Starting a Business With No Money

• Growth can be slow. A bit of capital can help jumpstart your business and accelerate progress.
• You’ll miss out on opportunities. Your website might be simple, and you may not have capital to build up your inventory or supplies. Marketing tactics will be limited, and you’ll have to be strategic with every dollar you spend.
• You’ll probably be operating alone. With capital, you can hire employees and freelancers to help. With an empty wallet, you’ll likely fly solo (at least until you start earning some cash).

Don’t Skip: The 15 Best Businesses to Start 

How Much Money Do You Need to Start a Business?

Technically, you don’t need any money to start a business. You could walk across the street, cut your neighbor’s grass, collect your payment, and you’d have started a lawn care business without spending a dollar.

However, it’s not that simple.

There are overhead prices you’ll need to consider:

• Equipment: You’ll likely need at least a computer to run your business. Depending on the services and products you offer, you may need additional equipment and software.
• Utilities: Even if you’re just using a computer, you’ll have to pay for your internet and electricity. These are (relatively) minor bills, but they’re still expenses you need to consider.
• Hosting: Even consultants and freelancers need websites to market their services, and these require annual hosting, domain, and security fees.
• Maintenance: Computers need replacing, software needs debugging, and equipment needs fixing. Even if you’ve already purchased equipment, you’ll have to pay to maintain it.
• Licenses and Permits: You’ll have to pay local, state, and national governments to operate and sell, depending on your industry.

You might not face any of these expenses from the get-go, but expect to incur these costs within the first 12 months of your business.

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of your time. While that’s not a number you’ll see on your financial spreadsheets, the time you spend working on your business is time that could have been spent on something else. Calculate your opportunity costs to understand your true gains and losses.

So, how much money do you really need to start a business? Regardless of your business or industry, plan on spending at least a few hundred dollars every year. Of course, this number can widely vary depending on your products and services, but this should be a baseline to ensure you don’t go under.

9 Best Businesses to Start with No Money

1. Content Creator

Whether you call it an “influencer,” “content creator,” or “social media nerd,” building a business around content can earn you, on average, $80K per year. Now, like any business, that doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll need to create consistent and engaging content that builds an audience you can leverage for dollars.

We suggest focusing on a niche you have experience in and never stop talking about (ask your friends, they’ll know).

A niche can be anything from baking to archery. As long as a community of fans is out there, you can generate valuable content. Once you’ve built up a large enough audience, here’s how to turn it into a profitable business:

• Sell merchandise
• Affiliate marketing
• Brand sponsorships
• Sponsored posts
• TikTok Creativity Program
• Start a Patreon for exclusive content

Grad your phone and start creating. All it costs is your time and creativity.

2. Podcasting

Podcasting relies primarily on connections—not capital. All you need to create a top-notch podcast is high-quality content. Depending on your format, you’ll need to land influencer interviews or provide your own expertise.

Yet, that doesn’t usually cost money. Influencers will want to join your podcast for more exposure, not necessarily for cash. However, that means you’re going to need to build adequate traffic to your podcast channel before you can monetize it.

That, or you’re going to need to know the right people.

You can use a podcast to make money through various means:

• Podcast subscriptions: Require listeners to subscribe to your podcasts to listen to episodes.
• Donations: Ask your audience to contribute to keep the show alive. If you’re delivering quality content, your fans will want to make sure it keeps coming. Consider creating a Patreon account to provide add-on and premium rewards to those who donate.
• Sponsorships: Find local or big-name sponsors to pay for shoutouts and advertising on your podcast channel.
• Affiliate marketing: Sell other companies’ products on your podcast and earn a commission when listeners make a purchase.
• Ecommerce: Sell your own physical goods, courses, ebooks, or brand merchandise.

As far as expenses go, you’ll want a decent microphone and basic recording software. Eventually, you’ll want to invest in a nice setup, but you can get by in the early days with your laptop microphone and free audio-editing software like Audacity or Audiotool.

You’ll also need to invest in podcasting hosting services. A subscription to a platform like Buzzsprout or Captivate will only cost you about $10 to $20 per month, but it’s an expense you’ll want to budget for.

Read More: How to Start a Podcast (A Step-by-Step Guide)

3. Freelancing & Consulting

All you need to start freelancing or consulting is a marketable skill, a computer, and an internet connection. Everything beyond that is just a bonus.

Freelancing and consulting share a lot in common. Consulting is similar to freelancing, except that instead of creating deliverables, you’ll be selling your advice and expertise.

There’s a market for virtual assistants, writers, programmers, designers, photographers, recruiters, and more. If you’ve built a solid career and portfolio in any of these fields, then there’s a good chance clients will be willing to pay for your work.

Eventually, you’ll want a website to host your portfolio and build your credibility—but it’s not a necessity on day one. If you’re struggling to find initial clients, you’ll need to invest in marketing yourself. However, you should be able to get started by networking with your friends, family, colleagues, and previous employers.

Your earnings may start small as a freelancer or a consultant, but they’ll grow steadily alongside your experience and portfolio. Every client you win isn’t just a paycheck—it’s an opportunity to create career-long relationships. It’ll also help make you a better writer, which will help you bump up your rates and score bigger, higher-paying clients.

4. Blogging

Blogging often gets hyped up as a way to go from nothing to six-figure income in months. While there’s real earning potential behind this profession, approach it with a bit more realism—optimism, too, but realism first.

It doesn’t take much to start blogging. Instead of building an audience on third-party sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Medium, or Tumblr, invest in your own property. It’ll cost a few bucks, but it’ll give you more versatility with monetizing your audience in the future.

You’ll want to build a basic website, and most of these come with pre-made blogging functionality built-in. Hosting fees for a website and a domain will cost you around $100-$200 a year, which provides plenty of functionality for you to get started.

Beyond that, you’ll need a computer and an internet connection—and that’s about it.

Monetizing Your Blog

Now, as for revenue. Once you’ve built an audience and consistent traffic to your website, here’s how you can start monetizing:

• Ecommerce: Sell your own products on your website. If you don’t want to invest in inventory, consider selling print-on-demand or digital products. For example, you could write and publish an ebook or course for free and sell it on your site.
• Affiliate marketing: Don’t want to sell your own products? Sell other businesses’ products and get paid a commission when your readers click through your affiliate links and make a purchase.
• Advertising: Run ads on your page and get paid for impressions or clicks.
• Donations: Notice those sites that ask you to donate $5 for a cup of coffee or to help support the great content? That might seem like a small amount of money, but it can be a significant revenue-maker if you’re raking in thousands of monthly viewers.
• Memberships: If people are devouring your content, they might be willing to pay for it. Consider locking premium content behind paywalls. For example, you could start a subscription-based newsletter using a membership platform like Substack.
• Sponsorships: Brands may want to get in front of your niche audience, and they’ll be willing to pay to do it.

Read More: How to Get Sponsored: From 0 to $50,000 in 4 Weeks

5. Teaching/Instructing/Tutoring

Think about what educational content you could provide for others. Do your friends, family, or colleagues frequently ask you similar questions? Do you possess a talent or knack that others struggle with? If so, your idea has the potential to be a lucrative course.

Start small and test out your idea. Don’t make your first course a 30-hour-long piece of content. Start with a 2 or 3-hour course and see if you like it (and if your audience wants it). Course creation is an excellent side hustle you can experiment with without quitting your 9-to-5, giving you an added level of security.

You can also look into substitute teaching, tutoring, or instruction for kids, adult education programs, or local classes. Check your local schools, YMCAs, or government parks departments to see if they need a new instructor. For no cost besides your time, you can use your experience and knowledge for side cash or a full-fledged business.

Options for teaching/instructing/tutoring include:

• Substitute teacher
• Mathematics
• Writing
• Reading
• Test prep
• Athletics and exercise
• Arts and crafts
• Driving
• Second language
• Trades
• Entertainment (acting, improv, comedy)

6. Coaching

Starting an online tutoring or coaching business could earn you top dollar with little-to-no upfront costs. All you’ll need is expertise in a particular field or subject—after that, you’ll just need to learn to market and sell your knowledge.

Whether it’s academic subjects, music lessons, fitness coaching, new languages, or personal development, there’s a demand for personalized instruction and guidance. Use free platforms like Zoom or Google Meet to conduct short sessions, making it a business you can operate from anywhere without overhead.

Here are a few ideas for monetizing your expertise as a coach or online tutor:

• Hourly Sessions: Charge per session or offer package deals.
• Group Workshops: Host workshops for multiple clients at a reduced rate per person.
• Content Creation: Supplement your income by creating and selling related educational content, such as ebooks or online courses.

This business model allows for maximum flexibility and scalability, empowering you to expand your offerings and client base over time on your own budget and schedule.

Learn More: How to Start a Coaching Business That Changes Lives

7. Virtual Assistant

The rise of remote work has increased the demand for virtual assistants (VAs). These professionals handle administrative tasks for businesses or entrepreneurs, often remotely. This business requires organizational skills and can include tasks like managing emails, scheduling appointments, or social media management, but it’s helpful to have a wide range of administrative skills to offer maximum value to clients.

All you need to get started is a computer, reliable internet, and expertise with basic administrative tools. Here’s how you could charge for your services:

• Hourly Rates: Charge based on the complexity of tasks and your experience.
• Retainer Services: Offer monthly packages for ongoing support to regular clients.

The VA business model offers flexibility, the ability to work from anywhere, and the potential for a stable income as you build a roster of regular clients. If you can get enough retainer clients, you can safely scale this business and hire additional VAs to work for you, allowing you to scale as large as you’d like.

8. Event Planning

With the shift back towards in-person gatherings, there’s a gap in event planning experience and knowledge. This business involves organizing and coordinating online and offline events like webinars, conferences, pop-ups, and workshops. You might be responsible for setting up the meetings and coordinating the logistics, and you could also leverage your network to offer sought-after individuals and connections.

To get started, you just need attention to detail and familiarity with virtual meeting platforms and event management tools. Here’s how you could charge for your services:

• Consultation Fees: Charge for planning and executing events.
• Package Deals: Offer packages for different event sizes or types.
• Vendor Coordination: Include additional services like coordinating with speakers or technical support.
• Hosting Fees: If you have a flair for the spotlight, why not offer hosting services for team working events, virtual celebrations, or conferences?

Event planning offers a unique opportunity to tap into the evolving landscape of offline and in-person interactions, catering to a diverse clientele. As you gain experience, you can specialize in niche events or offer premium services for larger, more complex gatherings. Even as the shift returns to in-person gatherings, there will forever be a remote/hybrid mix that needs to be satisfied, providing you with a secure business for years to come.

9. Online Community Management

Online community management businesses foster and manage digital communities around brands, interests, or causes. It might involve engaging with members, helping on forums, moderating discussions, and creating content to build and maintain a vibrant community.

Not every big brand has the resources and bandwidth to hire internally to engage in all these places. There’s everything from social media networks to Quora, StackOverflow, Discord, Reddit, and other niche communities. However, they can’t afford to ignore these valuable conversations.

To get started, you’ll need to know how to use most social media platforms and how to navigate and engage with a community on forums and boards.

Here’s how to monetize your business

• Retainer Contracts: Work with brands or organizations to manage their online communities.
• Consultancy Services: Offer advice on community engagement strategies.
• Content Creation: Charge for creating engaging posts or managing social media accounts.

You can expand by specializing in specific industries or platforms, or by offering training on effective community management.

Tips for Starting a Business with No Money

Choosing the right kind of business is the first step. Now, it’s time to get smart and thrifty. If you want to start a business with no money, you’ll need to learn where to pinch pennies and how to stretch every dollar. Let’s go over a few tips that’ll help you save money early on:

Be Willing to Spend Some Money

This tip might sound contradictory to this section, but hear us out. Often, refusing to spend cash on important expenses can make you penny-wise and pound-foolish—which essentially means you’re pinching pennies but losing dollars.

Know where and when it’s right to spend cash.

For example, while it’ll cost a bit of annual capital to purchase a web domain and hosting services, you’re going to need a site for your business. Sure, you could rely on a Facebook business page to communicate the bare minimum, but a site gives you an extra air of professionality that’s essential to gain the credibility you need.

Also, think about your equipment. If you’re starting a smoothie stand, you’re going to want to invest in a high-quality blender. While you might be able to get by with an old hand-me-down machine or even your muscles, a blender will help you whip up better smoothies faster. In this case, it’d definitely be a worthwhile expense.

Don’t refuse to spend money on your business—just spend it wisely in the right places.

Bring in Sales Quickly

The faster you start making money, the sooner you can reinvest that revenue into your business. If possible, ask your clients for a shorter payment turnaround time. This can help you get cash now instead of waiting 30 to 45 days.

Focus on completing work quickly. When you finish the necessary work, submit invoices immediately—this will reduce the turnaround time and potentially shave days or weeks off the payment process.

Don’t just put the money away into savings. While you should take a small percentage of every sale for your rainy-day fund, use your other sales to build your business. Whether you’re investing in better equipment or marketing tactics, find ways to accelerate growth.

Keep Your Current Job (For Now)

You don’t have to ditch your 9-to-5 to make your dreams of owning a business a reality. While that might be the eventual goal, start slow and dip your toes in the water. Start a hustle on the side while you rely on your safe, predictable full-time income.

This can reduce pressure and risk. You can also use income from your full-time job to help finance any unavoidable expenses or emergencies.

Starting a side hustle also allows you to scale slowly. Since you have your full-time income to lean on, you don’t need to rush off to find 10 paying customers from the get-go. You can take your time to experiment with new ideas and find one you genuinely like and want to invest in.

Keep Learning: What’s the Most Profitable Business to Start?

FAQs About Starting a Business with No Money

Start Your No-Cost Business Today with These Resources

Knowing what business to start is just the first step (albeit, an important one). Now, it’s time to figure out how to do it. That’s where we can help.

Whether you’re launching a side hustle or building out your content marketing plan, we have courses, community, and tools for $1 to help you every step along the way.

The post 9 Best Businesses You Can Start with No Money appeared first on Foundr.

Instagram’s algorithms change from time to time, and we do our best to stay up to date. We have to in order to keep growing our own Instagram account.

We’ve learned a lot, taking our account from 0 to 3.6 million followers. We’ve mastered content-producing frameworks, stumbled upon secrets of success, and made mistakes here and there—and we’re sharing everything we’ve learned about Instagram’s algorithm right here, right now.

Short on Time? Here’s What You Need to Know About the Instagram Algorithm in 2025

• Instagram has moved toward promoting smaller creators over bigger creators in Explore.
• Shares, Saves, and Comments are the topic three metrics influencing the algorithm.
• Static images and carousel imagery are making a comeback.
• Crop your static images to  1080 x 1350 (4:5) so you can take up more of the screen.
• Similar to website SEO, when you upload images, you can put alt text to describe what’s in your image.
• Don’t forget to post your Reels to your Reels feed, main feed, and Stories so you get more engagement.
• Shorter captions are starting to work better, so start experimenting with more “hooky” and concise language. Yes, this means the days of copying and pasting diary entries in the caption are gone. Nobody is interested in reading a novel on Instagram.

Below, we’ll break down in depth how the Instagram algorithm works in 2025 and what you need to do to get the algorithms working in your favor.

First things first, let’s get something out of the way.

Table of Contents

11 Ways to Hack the Instagram Algorithm in 2025

How the Instagram Algorithm Works in 2025

What Engagement Metrics Matter for the Algorithm?

Users Determine Their Own Viewing Experience

11 Ways to Hack the Instagram Algorithm in 2025

Remember the overall purpose of the Instagram algorithm: to keep people engaged and on the platform. Instagram is a for-profit business that relies on advertising to make money.

The more users it keeps happy and swiping around the platform, the better it is for the business. If your content accomplishes that goal for Instagram, the algorithm will likely be in your favor.

With that said, here are our top (proven) tips for getting the Instagram algorithm to work in your favor:

1. Post Frequently and Consistently

The more you post, the faster you grow. However, you have to be consistent. You can’t publish 10x today, 2x tomorrow, and 4x next week—the Instagram algorithm doesn’t like that. It wants to see consistency.

Start by posting 1x a day, every day. You might be tempted to do more, but don’t rush into things too quickly. Remember, the first priority is quality. Once you can get into a habit of producing excellent content regularly, you can begin to scale and post more frequently.

Slowly ramp things up. Experiment with posting 2x a day for a couple of weeks. Then, bump it up to 3x a day.

As of now, we post anywhere from 6 to 8 pieces of content per day, and it works great for our account and followers.

2. Test, Test, Test

Because there is so much content on Instagram these days, it’s getting harder and harder to stand out. Some creators believe the algorithm will only reward content with a 20% engagement rate, meaning you have a one-in-five chance for your post even to be prioritized in the feed or Explore page.

So, how do you combat those odds? By testing as much as possible and taking chances.

Don’t treat your feed on Instagram as sacred as your website or product page. Instagram is a tool to reach and engage with people, so take swings. If you miss, then learn from it and keep going.

Your audience will forget about your misses anyway.

Or, more likely, they didn’t see it at all.

3. Double Down on Reels

When cannot emphasize the importance of Reels enough for growth on Instagram. Because of the success of TikTok, Instagram is now chasing the popularity of short-form videos. Will it last? Who knows, but for now, you need to put a majority of your energy into creating engaging Reels content.

The goal is to stop the scroll.

And the good news is that the creative mindset to produce content on TikTok now can be carried over to Instagram. Just make sure that you natively edit your short-form video within the app. Both platforms will penalize you for repurposed formats.

Hack for 2025: Don’t forget to post your Reels to BOTH your Reels feed and main feed so you get double the engagement. 

4. But Don’t Sleep on Static

Where is everybody on the internet spending their energy on?

Short-form video.

But if your audience’s feed is full of videos trying to grab their attention, what actually would stand out?

How about something completely different?

A static image.

*Gasp*

Yes, static is making a comeback.

In our recent interview with paid ad expert Nick Shackelford, he told us that the most successful ads he’s run for his clients are all static.

“We’re still primarily image based on a lot of what’s working today,” Shackelford says.

Why?

Because it’s standing out in people’s feeds amongst a barrage of video content.

Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.

5. The Unicorn Strategy

We used this strategy to grow our Instagram account from zero to millions of followers. It’s a simple method of “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” or in the modern context—following the trends. Here is our step-by-step unicorn growth strategy:

1. Look at someone else’s account that you want to be like.
2. Analyze their top-performing posts.
3. Think about how you can create it better.

For example, our most viral video ever was inspired by the “Guy with a Sign” account. But we added another layer to fit with our message of how entrepreneurship can provide freedom and opportunity. Have a look below:

6. Treat Your Audience Like Gold

Instagram wants to promote content that keeps users engaged because that’s what’ll keep people on the platform longer.

Respond to every like, comment, and DM. Visit your audience’s profiles to like and comment on their content, too. These types of interactions will get the Instagram algorithm working in your favor, and it’ll also help you create genuine relationships with your followers.

Remember, there’s a person behind every username and comment. People get excited when brands (even small, local brands) interact with them, and it encourages them to like, comment, and share more. This creates a recurring cycle of engagement, algorithm promotion, and more engagement.

7. Hashtag and Caption Quality

When it comes to hashtags and the Instagram algorithm, it’s about quality over quantity. If you’re starting a new account or refreshing a strategy, follow these steps:

1. Use Explore to research trending hashtags.
2. Focus on 5 hashtags.
3. Change them for the first 30 days of every post
4. Figure out what hashtags work the best.
5. Relate them back to your content.

Remember, your hashtags need to always relate to your posts or profile content. That way, the algorithm connects your niche to a similar audience.

What about captions? Do they even matter anymore?

Although captions aren’t important as they use to be in regard to the Instagram algorithm, they still are powerful tools to convey your message.

Provide context to your posts. Tell stories. Your goal is to use an image or video that gets your audience to stop scrolling and take a look—then, you need a powerful caption that’ll get them to read and take action on your content.

Your audience is made up of different personas and personalities. Some like to read, others like to watch, and a few will want to glance. Use all of Instagram’s functionality to capture all your audience’s interests.

Want inspiration for writing excellent Instagram captions? Check out Gretta Rose van Riel on Instagram to see what first-class captions look like.

Pro Tip: Shorter captions are starting to work better, so start experimenting with more “hooky” and concise language. Yes, this means the days of copying and pasting diary entries in the caption are gone. Nobody is interested in reading a novel on Instagram. 

8. Create Carousels

Instagram carousels are posts with multiple images or videos that users swipe to look through. It gives you additional opportunities to engage your audience, provide value, and earn that like or comment.

Mediocre carousels will feature several disjointed pictures that maybe the caption ties together. Incredible carousels flow together smoothly, telling a story from start to finish or expounding on a thought in more detail.

Carousels are also a great way to showcase diversity in your feed. We suggest mixing carousels and images in between Reels. Then you can find what works and double down on it.

Check out Chris Do on Instagram to see how it’s done. Notice how the images in his carousels are connected. You can do the same thing (for free) using a simple design tool like Canva.

Hack for 2025: Make the first slide in your carousel an infographic with a title, and then swipe to a video or sequential slide. 

9. Nurture Your Audience with Stories

Instagram Stories give you additional real estate and engagement tools to draw in brand-new and returning followers. They may play as heavily into the Instagram algorithm as Reels, but there’s no better tool to engage with your audience (and, ideally, sell to your audience).

Think about your typical Instagram experience. Sometimes you open up the app, and you probably notice a story you’re interested in from someone you follow. You watch it, watch another, and watch a few more before closing the app and getting back to your day.

By putting your content in your follower’s Feeds and Stories, you’re getting multiple opportunities to engage and interact with them. Engage them more, and Instagram is going to show your content more.

10. Use the Right Formatting

Instagram has preferred sizes of content. Use the proper sizing, and Instagram will favor your content. Fail to use the appropriate sizing, and they’ll ding your performance with the algorithm.

Here are the suggested sizes for square and vertical content:

• Square (Static images): 1080px x 1080px  (1:1)
• Vertical (Stories and Reels): 1080px W x 1920px H (9:16)

Hack for 2025: Crop your static images to  1080 x 1350 (4:5), so you can take up more of the screen. 

11. Optimize for View Duration

Instagram is identifying and pushing Reels content that is the most engaged with. For video, that doesn’t mean generic “views.” It’s how much time the viewer spends watching the video. So, make sure your video content isn’t just a hook but delivers on the promise of the title and video thumbnail. The longer your audience watches, the more Instagram will recognize that the content is worth sharing with more people.

“Kill the ego and say, ‘What are the viewers watching, and can I do that?’” – Justin Flom

Check out our interview with former magician-turned-short-form creator Justin Flom. In this episode, Flom reveals how he approaches his content creation, which has amassed 30 billion views on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok

How the Instagram Algorithm Works in 2025

There’s actually not a single Instagram algorithm at play—there are “a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes, each with its own purpose.”

In the beginning, Instagram just featured images chronologically. Now, each part of the app (Feed, Stories, Reels, Explore) uses its own algorithm to help people content.

Here’s what Instagram considers for different parts of the platform.

Instagram Algorithm for Reels

The most important update to Instagram in 2025 is that they’re going all-in on Instagram Reels. If you’re not focusing on Reels, then you’re losing on your account.

IGTV is dead, meaning you can’t horizontal or long-form video because Instagram is prioritizing the short-form video format above all else. In order to shift your content production process to maximize the Reels algorithm, here’s what you need to do:

• Ensure all video content is cropped to 9:16.
• Videos should be anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 seconds.
• Optimize content to be quick, engaging, and entertaining.

It deprioritizes content that’s been visibly recycled from TikTok or that’s low-resolution. Instagram prefers Reels that gain likes, comments, shares, and views. It also recognizes when users save videos or add Reels to their Stories.

Don’t Skip: 26 Expert Tips on How to Get 10k More Followers on Instagram

Instagram Algorithm for Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories operates similarly to the Feed. Besides ads, the content you see in Stories is from those you already follow, not new accounts. However, you don’t have the ability to like or comment on Stories, so Instagram uses different signals:

• Direct Messages (DMs): Does a user view your story and respond?
• Profile Clicks: Does a user click your profile to see more of your content after watching a story?
• Finish or Skipped: Did your user watch your Stories in their entirety, or did they get bored and skip to the next one?

Users turning on notifications for your Stories or sharing a story with their friends (or on their own Stories) will also impact the performance of your content.

All these actions are signals that impact whether the algorithm will give preference to your content. Create engaging content that’s going to get your users to do something the algorithm likes. Experiment with surveys, stickers, and Q&As to get your followers to take action on your content.

Instagram Algorithm for the Feed

While Instagram has added Stories and Reels, the Feed is the platform’s home. You’ll mostly only see content from those you already follow here, and that’s the first significant algorithm nuance. When you’re on the Explore or Reels tab, content from your friends and family isn’t going to be prioritized. Sure, it’ll be there, but other factors will carry more considerable weight.

Next, the Feed’s algorithm looks at a few other signals to determine what gets preference at the top:

• Who Made the Post: Is it someone you engage with often? Do they have a large, engaged following? Do they typically produce great content?
• Information About the Post: Is the content an image or a video? If it’s a video, how long is it? What time of day was it posted? Are you viewing the content on your phone or desktop? Is there a location attached to the post?
• Your Activity: What type of content have you looked at and engaged with in the past? What are the chances you’ll leave a comment?

Hack for 2025: Similar to website SEO, when you upload images, you can put alt text to describe what’s in your image. 

Instagram Algorithm for Explore

The Explore tab is where users go to find brand-new content that’s relevant to their interests. Because of this, you’ll find that almost all of the images and videos you see are from accounts that you don’t follow (yet). You might see a post or 2 every now and then from accounts you follow, but those fall into the minority.

Instagram says, “t​​he most important actions we predict in Explore include likes, saves, and shares.” The Explore algorithm also considers other factors:

• Who’s Posting the Content: Is the profile an account that several of your friends follow? Have you interacted with them before (through the Explore page or Reels) but not followed them yet?
• Information About the Post: Are other users quickly finding, liking, commenting, and sharing this content? Is it recent and timely? Which users have liked this post? What other kinds of content do they typically engage with?
• Your Activity: Have you interacted with similar content in the past? Do you typically save this kind of content or share it to your Stories?

Instagram’s algorithm is trying to predict your interests. For example, if you follow Manchester United and like their content, the platform might try to show you other football clubs. Or, the platform might think you’re generally interested in sports, and they may try to show you basketball or baseball videos.

If you like those suggestions, they’ll keep showing you more of that content. If you don’t, they’ll move on and try to find something else that’ll keep you engaged.

Hack for 2025: Instagram is moving toward promoting smaller creators over bigger creators in Explore. 

What Engagement Metrics Matter for the Algorithm?

If you have a business account (which you should), plenty of metrics are at your fingertips. However, that doesn’t mean each data point matters to the algorithm. Back in the day, it was all about double taps and follows, but with the rise of pay for followers and bots, Instagram decided to reward content on the Explore page and feed based on more authentic interactions.

And remember, the algorithm rewards content so people stay on the platform longer. So here are the three main engagement metrics you should optimize for your Instagram account:

• Shares: Are people sharing your content with friends and followers that bring them back to the platform?
• Saves: Are your followers saving your content to view or engage with later?
• Comments: Is your content provoking conversation and reaction in the comment section?
• Likes: The original engagement metric for IG…double taps still reign.
• Retention: How long are people watching your video content? Are they completing the video?

Users Determine Their Own Viewing Experience

Instagram has algorithms to determine what factors to prioritize, but your followers (and would-be followers) impact the algorithm on a day-to-day basis.

What they like, view, and comment on influences the algorithm. However, equally as important is what they don’t like, watch, or comment on. Every interaction or non-interaction is a signal to the algorithm.

Here are the factors of the Instagram algorithm in descending order of importance:

1. Shares
2. Saves
3. Comments
4. Avg. View Duration
5. Likes
6. Views
7. Follows
8. Unfollows
9. Blocks
10. Link clicks
11. Reports
12. Bookmarks
13. Mutes
14. Hides

The algorithm ultimately helps users see what they want to see, and they get to control that experience with every interaction they have on the platform.

Keep Learning: 10 Instagram Growth Hacks For More Engaged Followers (Without Running Ads)

Ready to Grow an Engaged Following?

Tired of spending time on Instagram with little to show for it? We’ll help you put an end to that once and for all.

Take our Instagram training course to learn the step-by-step processes we used to go from 0 to 500K+ followers in just 12 months. We’ve created a replicable framework for creating amazing content, growing huge followings, and turning followers into income.

Ready to put your Instagram growth on overdrive? Get the course and more for $1 through foundr+.

The post The Instagram Algorithm in 2025 (It’s Never Too Late to Grow) appeared first on Foundr.

You’re not alone. Many of us find ourselves captivated for the TikTok shop, often asking, ‘How did they start making money this way?’ and ‘How have they just convinced me to buy 100 rolls of toilet paper?’

However, money-making on TikTok is just as lucrative as it is mysterious.

TikTokers with over 100,000 followers tended to make $200 to $1,000 per month through TikTok’s Creator Fund, while those with over a million followers earn $1,000 to $5,000 (or more) per month. And a select few individuals make upwards of $100,000 to $250,000 per single post when working with big-name brands (yes, you read that correctly—a single post).

However, since the introduction of TikTok’s new Creativity Program Beta in early 2023, creators have found the new program to be more lucrative, and TikTok says creators can make up to 10x more. That’s mostly because the new program incentivizes creators to create videos longer than one minute.

Here, we will look at 17 different ways brands and creators can make money on social media. Most notably, TikTok.

Short on Time? Here’s How to Make Money on TikTok

1. Sell products through a TikTok Shop.
2. Drive sales with TikTok ads.
3. Participate in affiliate programs.
4. Promote songs.
5. Join TikTok’s Creativity Program Beta.
6. Publish sponsored posts.
7. Become a brand ambassador.
8. Start a Patreon.
9. Find new clients.
10. Build and sell TikTok accounts.
11. Work with influencers and fellow creators.
12. Receive donations through live gifting.
13. Raise money through crowdfunding.
14. Collect tips.
15. Consult for a brand.
16. Invest in TikTok Spark ads.

How to Make Money on TikTok in 2025

Many of the tactics I’ll discuss here can be executed by a business, but others require you to make TikTok your business.

For example, any brand can use TikTok ads to drive traffic to their ecommerce store, but you’ll need to invest more dedicated TikTok time into making money through TikTok’s Creator Fund or by becoming a brand ambassador.

You either have a business you promote through TikTok—or you are the TikTok business.

Without further ado, let’s look at the 17 ways I have established for how to make money on TikTok in 2025.

1. Sell Products Through TikTok Shopping

TikTok introduced TikTok Shopping in 2021 to empower businesses to sell products directly on the platform—no more sending followers elsewhere to buy your goods.

TikTok Shopping adds a shopping tab to your profile, letting users see products from your Shopify catalogs. You can also tag your products in organic content you publish to send viewers over to your store.

Don’t. Be. Shy!

One issue I often see is brands worried about promoting themselves for fear of getting it wrong. However, it is the only way new potential customers will discover your brand!

Mention your products to your audience. Try not to go overboard and be over-promotional, but also remember to give your TikTok store a shoutout every now and then.

Learn More: A Guide to Launching Your Successful TikTok Shop

2. Drive Sales with TikTok Ads

Use TikTok ads to drive traffic back to your website, ecommerce store, or even your TikTok Shopping tab. You could run in-feed image ads promoting your products or get creative with TopView ads (fullscreen takeovers) to boost your TikTok following—both can help you make money on the platform.

You can also use TikTok as a top-of-funnel resource to get users to sign up for your email list or SMS campaigns. This technique can help keep your TikTok account appear less ‘salesy’ while still being an influential revenue driver.

Want to learn more about TikTok ads? Watch our free masterclass to get up and running on the platform.

3. Participate in Affiliate Programs

You don’t need your own products and services to make money on TikTok. Instead, use affiliate marketing to link out to other goods and make a percentage of every sale when a user clicks through and makes a purchase. Here’s how:

• Place an affiliate link in your profile—then direct traffic from your organic views to click the link.
• Redirect traffic to your Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest account, where you can more generously place affiliate links.
• Paste coupon codes and URLs in your video descriptions. Users will have to copy/paste the link into their browser.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Affiliate Marketing for Beginners

4. Promote Songs

When I was little, I dreamed of making money from my music.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t play more than two chords on the guitar!

However, in 2025, that shouldn’t stop you from making money from music; you just need to be a little more creative.

Nearly every video on TikTok has an accompanying background song for creators to lip-sync and dance to—and artists recognize this value. If you have a large enough following and engagement, musicians will pay to have you promote their music in your songs.

They know if your video goes viral, their song goes viral—and that means more downloads, concert tickets, and merch.

If you’re a musician (or aspiring musician), you can use TikTok to promote your own music. TikTok is a place to sing and dance, so it only makes sense to publish your own beats on the platform.

5. Join TikTok’s Creative Academy

The TikTok Creative Academy (formerly known as the Creator Fund) is TikTok’s program that pays users for creating engaging content. The more engagement your videos get, the more TikTok pays you. TikTok wants users to stick around (to make advertising money), and they’ll pay creators who help in that mission.

You need at least 100K video views in the last 30 days to join the Creativity Program. It’s still a relatively new idea for TikTok and we’ve already seen significant change to it over past year or so, which could make it more or less profitable in the future.

6. Publish Sponsored Posts

Brands will pay you to feature their products and services—this is called sponsored content. You don’t need to be a monolithic influencer to get in on the action. Smaller brands will still pay good money to work with microinfluencers who have a robust and engaged community—even if it’s not very big (yet).

You can approach brands proactively or wait for them to reach out to you. If you have over 100,000 followers and 100,000 video likes in the last 28 days, you can apply to join the TikTok Creator Marketplace, a platform that connects high-paying brands with influential creators.

Don’t Skip: How to Get More Views on TikTok with Expert Talia Datt

7. Become a Brand Ambassador

Brand ambassadors function similarly to sponsored content, but they help in more of a long-term capacity rather than a one-off post. As a brand ambassador, you’ll likely receive compensation and free products in exchange for a fixed number of videos every week or month. The better your content performs, the sweeter your brand ambassador deal becomes.

Look for brands you love. Ideally, you can find a brand that helps you expand your network, receive gear (you actually like), make money, and have fun. Most businesses have exclusive ambassador application pages on their website, so poke around your favorite brands to see if they have any enticing programs.

8. Start a Patreon

Offer free content through your TikTok account, but entice your followers to support you on Patreon to unlock premium content. This might be:

• Behind-the-scenes peeks
• Exclusive content
• SWAG
• Personal time with you
• Live chats and hangouts
• Community access
• Public shoutouts

Get creative. When you build a loyal following, they’ll want everything you can get. However, just ensure you put in the time to make your Patreon content valuable and worthwhile—you don’t want anyone to regret their purchase after signing up.

9. Find New Clients

TikTok can be an excellent platform to build your freelancing or consulting business. Publish engaging content to build your audience, and then promote your services. A follower might need your help, or word of mouth might lead you to another client.

If you build websites for a living, feature some of your projects on TikTok. If you’re an email marketing consultant, publish some of the cool campaigns you’ve created.

With enough creativity, you can make any business (from plumbing to accounting to software) exciting on TikTok. You just need to let your personality loose and have some fun—that’s what TikTok is all about.

The traditional method of expecting leads to find your website is long gone. Now, the onus is on you to get out there and engage with your target audience on a platform that suits them.

10. Build and Sell TikTok Accounts

Have a knack for building audiences quickly? Do it for a living.

There are plenty of creators and businesses who’d love a headstart on TikTok. If you can rapidly build TikTok followings, you’ll have a list of potential buyers.

Think about potential industries that might want to purchase a lucrative TikTok account. You might struggle to sell an account focused on cat GIFs (or maybe not)—however, an unboxing profile or account focused on cars would likely sell much faster.

Steer away from making any of these accounts personal. You don’t want followers becoming attached to your face or name. Instead, focus your content on the subject material. This can sometimes make it challenging to grow an account, but that doesn’t stop people like 23-year-old Ramy Halloun from making $120,000 executing the same technique on Instagram.

11. Work with Influencers and Fellow Creators

You don’t need a massive following to make money on TikTok—you can just leverage the creative minds who’ve done the hard work of building loyal audiences. Partner with influencers to promote your TikTok account or sponsor your products.

A simple shoutout from the right person could make or break your business. Remember when Elon Musk skyrocketed Dogecoin’s value by 600% in a single week? That’s an example of accidental influencer marketing.

Imagine if you did it on purpose.

12. Receive Donations Through Live Gifting

When you live stream on TikTok, your followers can send you coin donations (which can be traded for cash). Create amazing live streams, attract a big audience, and watch the coins start pouring in.

However, be aware that actively soliciting gifts is a big no-no per TikTok’s community guidelines. The exchange needs to be natural and organic.

You need 1,000+ followers (and must be at least 16) to go live on TikTok, and you need to be 18 or older to earn gift points.

13. Raise Money Through Crowdfunding

People love to participate in crowdfunding campaigns—whether that’s financially backing your project on Kickstarter or supporting a cause on GoFundMe. Crowdfunding is projected to grow to $43.48 billion worldwide by 2028

And the success rate isn’t bad, either. The average success rate of crowdfunding campaigns is a whopping 22.4%, which isn’t bad when you consider that just 10% of startups succeed.

We recommend (when possible) launching a crowdfunding campaign related to your TikTok account’s content. It’s strange when a horse-loving profile tries to raise money for a revolutionary new board game on Kickstarter. However, just about any brand can raise money for those in need. For example, nobody will fault your brand for trying to raise funds for an orphanage, even if your account is focused on country music lip-syncing.

14. Collect Tips

If you don’t have projects or products in mind, consider asking for tips. It’s an excellent way for your audience to support your account and keep the content flowing.

Collecting tips on TikTok is similar to opening up your guitar case while you perform on the side of the street—or how Wikipedia asks you to donate every time you visit the website.

A few tipping platforms make the process quick and easy:

• Venmo: Just use someone’s Venmo link, username, or QR code to visit their profile and make a donation.
• Buy Me a Coffee: Buy Me a Coffee is a simple, fun way for your audience to say thanks. You can use the platform for one-time donations or ongoing memberships.
• Tipeee: Tipeee wins for being the most user-friendly and also offers a fair amount of features. You can create a page to showcase your profile, update tippers, display rewards, and let the community engage.

15. Consult for a Brand

In 2025, more and more brands are investing in TikTok as the next great social channel to market their products and campaigns. Why not spend their budget with you?

If you set yourself as a TikTok expert, you can consult businesses on everything from how to create content that will go viral to which types of influencers to partner with.

Growth and reach are going to be the primary outcomes for consulting clients dipping their toes in the TikTok world. Be their guide, so they don’t make silly mistakes and speak the right language for the platform’s audience.

16. Invest in TikTok Spark Ads

TikTok Spark Ads are a native ad format that allows advertisers to use organic TikTok posts for advertising. You can use your own posts or others’ posts (with their authorization) for these ads. The interactions gained during the promotion are credited to the original organic posts, which can enhance brand image and engagement rates.

Users can interact with Spark Ads by clicking on CTA buttons, ad captions, profile photos, nicknames, and more, driving them to various landing pages or profiles, which can potentially lead to monetization through increased visibility, followers, and engagement​​.

17. Don’t Make Money on TikTok

What? You may be wondering if that’s a typo.

It’s not.

Here’s why.

Sure, you can make money on TikTok by following the 16 strategies above. However, TikTok is, first and foremost, an entertainment platform, and your audience can sniff out if you’re trying to make fast cash.

Instead, think about TikTok as a way to saturate your brand with a broad audience. Sure, that’s not as tangible as a one-off sale from a link in a bio click, but you’ll be more focused on generating momentum than justifying it as a sales tool.

We interviewed Justin Flom, the “most viewed magician on the planet,” who’s amassed 30 billion views on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. Here’s what he said about creating short-form content.

“Whatever you want to sell […] you have to think, ‘How can I make this content the most engaging to make somebody finish that content?’”

“Whatever you want to sell […] you have to think, ‘How can I make this content the most engaging to make somebody finish that content?’”

So, if you want to have a lasting impact on TikTok, you need to entertain your audience first, before you think about making money.

TikTok Money-Making FAQs

We’ve seen quite a few questions floating around our community and the internet about making money on TikTok. Below, we’ll cover a few you likely have.

Keep Learning: How to Use TikTok for Your Business (Ultimate Guide)

Grow Your Business with TikTok Ads

Right now, TikTok is growing brands and businesses faster than anything else we’ve seen. But it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon. Cut through the noise and competition with TikTok ads. Not familiar? Don’t worry we have a free masterclass to get you up and running.

Gerardo Perez founder of “Marketing&” a TikTok digital agency, will show you how to create your first high-converting ad from start to finish, even if you’re a total beginner. Plus, you’ll see why reposting winning Facebook & Instagram ads on TikTok doesn’t work and what Gerardo recommends you should do instead.

The sky is the limit.

The post How to Make Money on TikTok: 17 Surefire Ways in 2025 appeared first on Foundr.

Then, with some experimentation and elbow grease, we went from 10,000 followers to amassing more than 3.6 million real Instagram followers–setting us up as one of the top accounts in our niche. We’ve been able to crush sales and conversions, drastically increase our online exposure and audience, and scale our business at a rate that’s exceeded the norm and even our own expectations.

All thanks to Instagram.

In the following comprehensive post, we’ve outlined a step-by-step guide on how we did this and how you can do it too.

As Instagram and its audience have continued to evolve, so have we. We’ve altered our plans and adapted our methods to see what sticks, and managed to climb the ladder to 3.6 million organic followers.

Now, we are here to show you exactly what we did to get this far and exactly how you can too. Discover how to amass a huge following and start taking advantage of the power of this exciting and ever-flourishing social network.

Short On Time? Here’s How to Get More Followers on Instagram

1. Choose Instagram content that’s right for you.
2. Commit to short-form video.
3. People like seeing other people.
4. Give your audience a CTA.
5. Tell relatable stories.
6. Develop an Instagram aesthetic.
7. Share user-generated content (UGC).
8. Treat your audience like customers.
9. Post more than you think.
10. Treat your Instagram bio like your landing page.
11. Use comment automations.
12. Use DMs to start conversations and convert.
13. Mix niche and popular hashtags.
14. Network (AKA comment, message, and like) with your industry.
15. Create collab content with partners.
16. Work with influencers to reach more people.
17. Make whitelist ads.
18. Consistently share on Stories.
19. Create proactive and reactive content.
20. Run giveaways.
21. Build ad campaigns.
22. Target geolocations.
23. Run offline marketing campaigns and pop-ups.
24. Support fan pages.
25. The “thunderclap” strategy.
26. Understand your target audience’s psychographics.
27. Create content in-app.

Don’t Skip: 8 Ways to Make Money on Instagram Without a Following

1. Choose Instagram Content That’s Right for You

This part is going to take some thought and effort.

To gain a huge following of real people on Instagram, you have to produce content that’s not only made specifically for Instagram but also content that’s the right fit for what your audience wants. Finding the right approach and style is crucial because it’s going to become the way your followers recognize you.

Generally speaking, there are types of imagery that work well with a lot of industries; graphics with inspirational quotes, quality food photography, travel images, or beauty selfies are safe starting points. For video content, follow the trends that are happening with sounds, format, and topics.

That being said, carefully consider what type of content it is that you’re producing. You have to remember that Instagram is such a hit because it’s a wholly unique platform, and the experience it provides the user is completely different than something like Facebook or X (Formerly Twitter). Produce content that’s not only made specifically for Instagram but also content that’s the right fit for what your audience wants.

Consider things like:

• How are people going to find your content?
• What hashtags are you going to use?
• How can you format your videos took hook a viewer?
• If someone discovers your content are they going to be intrigued enough to click through to your account?

What is it about the content you produce that will make people do more than just scroll on by? According to MIT neuroscientists, the human brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds. In less than a second, a person decides whether or not you’re worth their time. That means you need to stand out.

Once you settle on your content type and strategy, it’s crucial that you stick to that theme.

The number one thing that keeps people coming back to any brand or business is consistency, whether it’s a Starbucks Macchiato or a Snickers bar.

It’s exactly the same as Instagram. Be consistent with your content.

The reason Foundr has so many real followers on Instagram is our dedication to high-quality content. They know that we constantly share high-quality content.

This is also why we’re highly selective of the type of accounts and posts we share, also known as “share-for-share” (S4S). We’re extremely protective of our brand and our audience, which is why we only ever want to be producing content we’re absolutely certain our niche wants.

A common problem a lot of people face when starting out on Instagram is that they’re not entirely sure what type of theme or content it is they want to produce. Unfortunately, there really is no simple solution because, at the end of the day, you don’t want to be a copycat of a larger account or brand. To be really successful on Instagram, you need to be a little unique.

The best way to get started is to do some research on hashtags (don’t worry, we’re going to dig deep into hashtags further on in this article).

Find competitors who use the same hashtags as you do, or even find users who follow these hashtags and see what other kinds of content they like.

From there, it’s just a matter of testing out your content. Do some A/B testing, try one type of content one week and try something else the week after. Find out what works best, and really get to know your audience.

To get you started, we highly recommend using Canva. We have been using Canva on all of our posts, and we love the freedom it gives you to create the designs you want. Plus, it’s free to use!

2. Create Content Your Audience Will Love (Hint: It’s Short-Form Video)

Once you know what kind of content aligns with your brand, the next step is to double down on content creation consistently. That might sound obvious, but it’s often the part most overlooked. Brands get caught up in strategy and forget the core truth: great content is what fuels growth. It’s what hooks your audience and keeps them coming back. The key is figuring out what kind of content resonates with your audience, not just what performs well for others. That means listening, testing, tweaking, and above all, staying consistent.

When we started growing our Instagram account, it was a totally different landscape, just still images, basic filters, and square posts (remember that?). But the platform has evolved massively, and short-form video (particularly Instagram Reels) has taken center stage. Reels are not just a fun feature; they are Instagram’s discovery engine. If you want to expand your reach and attract new followers, Reels are where the magic happens.

Creating effective Reels means understanding how the platform serves and ranks your content. Instagram’s algorithm favors Reels that are engaging from the very start and keep users watching until the end. That first 2–3 seconds? Critical. Lead with a bold statement, a surprising visual, or a compelling question to hook attention fast. From there, focus on delivering value, whether that’s through quick tips, entertainment, storytelling, or inspiration.

Here are a few core principles to guide your Reels strategy:

• Always shoot vertical video (this isn’t optional!)

• Open with a strong hook to capture attention immediately.

• Keep it snappy (30–60 seconds is a sweet spot for watch-through rates.)

• Use trending audio, but give it your own creative spin.

• Incorporate on-screen text and captions so your message lands even without sound.

• Be authentic (polished is nice, but personality wins.)

But don’t just chase trends. The Reels that perform best are the ones that strike a chord with your audience. That’s why developing a real connection with your followers is so important. You need to learn what makes them tick. Sometimes the content you think will go viral flops, and the one you almost didn’t post takes off (it happens to every creator.)

One smart way to uncover what your audience loves is to study the content that’s already working in your niche. What kinds of Reels are being shared by your competitors? What’s getting saved, commented on, or sent via DMs? What’s showing up on your Explore feed? These clues tell you what the algorithm is favoring and what viewers are responding to.

The more you listen to your audience, through comments, DMs, poll stickers, or even just watching analytics, the more you’ll learn to create content that truly connects. Reels aren’t just about dancing or flashy edits, they’re about delivering your message in a way that entertains, educates, or inspires fast.

At the end of the day, content creation isn’t just about checking a box; it’s about earning attention. And Reels are one of the most powerful tools you have to do exactly that.

3. People Like Seeing Other People

Include faces in your content. Videos and imagery with faces have been known to increase engagement because our brains naturally want to interact with other people. Also, content that doesn’t include faces but instead is a point-of-view can help people feel like they’re a part of the content.

Just look at HiSmile’s Instagram account, and you’ll see the power of putting people using their products.

4. Calls to Action (CTA)

Every post should have a strong CTA encouraging your followers to interact with you. This can be engaging with the content or sharing it in their stories. By adding in a call to action, people are more likely to follow through on that action than without it (they don’t know what they don’t know).

The CTA should be relevant to the content and not the same as the one you used in your bio (more on your bio later). It’s a softer ask.

Think of a CTA as a way to remind people that there is an action they could take. By adding a CTA to your content, all you’re doing is reminding your followers that they don’t have to just scroll on past, they can actually do other things including liking your content or writing a comment.

Ask questions in your captions to encourage people to respond. This is a very simple tactic to make sure that your Instagram followers are interacting with your account.

“Putting a question in your caption always creates interest and forces people to read and hopefully respond.” – Bianca Cheah, founder and MD of Sporteluxe

The end goal with your posts is to boost audience engagement. You want them to be interested in your account and personally connected to your brand. A CTA is a way to build your community, to gently remind your followers that they can interact with you personally.

Examples of CTAs are “sent to someone who needs this” or “comment if you agree.” Always give your fans something to do. This helps your account spread organically.

Pro Tip: For video content, it’s important to embed a CTA in the midst of your content. Otherwise, your audience will move on once the value loop has closed. 

5. Develop a Story

Capture people’s attention by providing a narrative; don’t just settle for a generic line of text. Get people invested and show off how much value you can provide in one go.

Developing a story also ties into emotion. Always look to elicit an emotion with your posts. Whether you’re looking to inspire people, make them laugh, or stun them, your content should always aim to trigger an emotion in your audience. A great example to look at here would be Chubbies, and note how they’re always looking to make their audience laugh by posting an assortment of product, humor, and user-generated content.

6. User-Generated Content

One of the most effective—and often underused—ways to grow your Instagram following and build trust is by sharing user-generated content (UGC). It’s more than just a nice-to-have. UGC acts as powerful social proof, showing new visitors that real people are using and loving your product or brand. When potential followers see themselves in your content, they’re far more likely to hit “Follow.”

Brands like Frank Body have made UGC a cornerstone of their Instagram strategy, using it to turn everyday customers into brand advocates. Their signature hashtag, #thefrankeffect, has become a rallying point for their community, featuring real people, real results, and a ton of authentic love for the brand. This approach hasn’t just grown their follower count, it’s built a loyal tribe that keeps coming back and spreading the word.

To encourage UGC, you need to actively invite your audience to contribute. Don’t just hope they’ll tag you—ask them to. Use captions and Stories to prompt them to share their own experiences, show off how they use your product, or participate in a theme. Make it fun, make it easy, and give them a reason to engage. Competitions, giveaways, or even just the chance to be featured on your main feed can be powerful motivators.

And don’t forget to streamline the process. Encourage users to tag your account and use a branded hashtag. This makes it simple for you to track submissions and curate the best content. When you do share their post, be sure to credit them clearly. This not only builds goodwill but also reinforces the idea that you genuinely value your community’s voice.

The result? A more dynamic, interactive Instagram presence that feels less like a broadcast and more like a conversation. And that’s exactly what drives long-term engagement and follower growth.

7. Your Instagram Aesthetic

Getting more people to interact with you also involves maintaining a consistent aesthetic theme so that your Instagram content reaffirms your brand identity.

Here are a few ways to generate an Instagram aesthetic that stands out:

• Use the same type of captions
• Shoot your videos in the same angle or style
• Use branded graphics and colors
• Showcase you or your co-founder on camera

Unlike when we started out, “professional-looking” isn’t necessarily critical to success on the platform. However, you want to make sure your Instagram account isn’t too far removed from what a potential customer will see on your website or product pages.

Notice how Nespresso maintains its aesthetic theme by constantly making sure its posts have similar tones and colors. Not only do these posts look great, but because of the consistency and strong branding, you can see how their feed has a natural flow to it that builds familiarity and affinity (it doesn’t hurt to have George Clooney as your ambassador, either).