Alexa, part 2
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Michelle: [00:00:00] Hello, and welcome back to Inside the Click, your resource for the creator economy. Happy 2024. We are back at it after a couple of weeks break. This is part two of our conversation with Alexa from charm lane. If you haven't listened to part one, yet link is in the show notes, or just look at our last podcast episode on our channel. Hope you all enjoy.
How did you approach building out all the platforms because I feel like that's a really big barrier Where creators know that they should be on different platforms But then they'll maybe try it for a little bit and then it's not Successful and so they're just basically like well I already have my audience here.
I'm just going to stick to these. It's what works. This is my livelihood So how did you approach growing and nurturing all of those?
Alexa: Platforms. Yeah. thAt's a really good question because especially teaching story school. I wasn't like, okay, put everything [00:01:00] in Instagram stories and like never build out anything else ever again.
You have to have a holistic strategy, but if you're starting out, you can't be an inch deep and a mile wide and be on TikTok and be on Pinterest and have a blog and have an email list and be trying to grow following on Instagram. Like you can't do it all. So you need to pick, I would say, one platform and a website.
I feel like every creator should always be focused on building out their own platform, whether that's even like, collecting emails via Instagram somehow. You should be just focused on one, and then every six months to eight months be like, okay, do a little recap a performance review on yourself, and say okay, can I take something else onto my plate, and can I now Figure out a really good like Pinterest strategy.
Do I have the bandwidth now where I feel like I can You know put this one down and keep it on autopilot and then focus somewhere else Because if you try to do everything at once you're going to fail for me I was like, okay I'm gonna start with instagram because I have A good understanding of the [00:02:00] platform right and I know what formats I want to use and how I want to grow it and specific goals.
I set for myself both like Growth wise and then income wise and then once I was able to hit those I was like, okay Now I feel good that I can focus on these other platforms. I feel like if someone's starting out it's really tempting to be like I need to throw every real on tik tok and I need to put everything on my blog and I need to also like figure out my pinterest strategy like That is really scary.
That's overwhelming.
Monica: Don't do that. And I think too, when you're in the experimentation and testing phase for a platform to try to see like what's working for you, what isn't, each platform is different so then you're running all these experiments and tests on four different platforms where you don't feel like you're the expert in any of them yet.
And it is just so taxing and it's like if you had a full time corporate job, but you spent half of it creating strategy on I don't know, like the beauty industry [00:03:00] and the other half of the day was on let's say banking. You're not gonna do your job well because you're basically doing two part time jobs and I think it's just taking it for what it is and being like, okay.
These are all different things. It's not just like copy paste and I don't have to be on all them at the same exact time I can build to that and get in. Let's say someone wants to start on Instagram and then you build that up to a point where you're not necessarily like coasting, you're still paying attention to it, but you know that you can put a little bit more of your brain power and figuring tick tock out.
And by adding that it's not going to, Kill all the work that you did on Instagram,
Alexa: right? If anything, I feel like we make it easier because you would have good data points So like, you know, what type of contact typically resonates and also you can direct your following from one to the other I feel like the tick tock to [00:04:00] Instagram funnels really strong the Instagram to tick tock funnels Not as strong if I'm even myself on tick tock if I find someone like wait, I love them I need to follow them on Instagram.
I leave and follow them and I know I'll see that person's content more on Instagram. Whereas TikTok, sometimes I find people, I'm like, wait, I love them. What happened to them? I never get to surf them again, even if I'm following them. I purposely don't
Monica: follow people if I want to keep seeing their stuff.
Alexa: Great! I'm like, why am I never seeing this person again? And I'm like, whatever happened to that girl's crazy story? I want to know what the hell like, there's always like a love story involving. And I'm like, I hope that the algorithm brings me back. But, no, I totally agree. You can't go all in on everything because you'll be, you'll have nothing.
You'll have absolutely zero. So you need to just go deep in one, feel really comfortable, and then move. Move on, but I honestly I'm not gonna sit here and be like, I'm gonna tackle TikTok next. I'm not I'm focusing more on my own [00:05:00] platform, so my email and my blog, because also like, I like spending my time there more, and I think there's just a longer term strategy because also, again what if people just decide they don't want to use Instagram anymore?
That could totally happen, and that's scary, so I feel like diversification is
Michelle: So one thing, even when you were just saying six months, then do a little like self business review
Alexa: and then see
Michelle: where you want to go next. Some people listening may be like, Oh my gosh, that's a long time. That's immediately what I think, right?
Because even like with our account, like
Monica: I've been telling you, I've been telling you there is a long game to it, right? And at the day, six months goes by so fast.
Alexa: Six months ago, I think it was like the 4th of July, right? Yeah, exactly. Or six months ago. But it's also, with a
Michelle: lot of this stuff too, [00:06:00] you're playing, yes, you're playing the long game, but it's, Because if you're doing it right, you're making this compelling content and you're like changing user behavior as opposed to just like, Oh, migrate everyone there.
Okay, done. Like you and Alexa, how you even mentioned, you really focus on the audience that you're building. And in general, because you are being more selective and you're tailoring your content, yeah, it won't happen overnight, but it does sound like a long time, Monica. Didn't you say that on average, it's three years that it takes someone?
27 months. 27 months to, to make that time.
Alexa: And
Monica: I tell this to people all the time that people do not become full time creators, influencers. The reason why it feels like it's overnight is because as their audience has [00:07:00] grown, it gets shown to more people. And then now you are in their sphere. Like you just didn't see them posting 18 months ago when they only had 500 followers.
You didn't see that. But of course, you're only gonna find them when they're at the closest point of jumping off a cliff. And I think that's what people forget because they're like, oh, I just started following this person. And then five months later, they're like, oh, she's full time now. How did she do that in just five months?
It's like, she didn't. She didn't. For two years, for all we know, she had 200 followers for two years.
Alexa: It's such a good point because again, like having my background. If I go all in, I'm all in and it's hard, of course, when you have a full time job, but if you have a goal and you want to become full time with, let's say like influencing or being a full time blogger, I think it's a mindset you have to show up every day as if you already are full time.
So when I was [00:08:00] starting in April, I was like, okay, what would I be doing if I had a hundred thousand followers on Instagram? 200, 000 page views on my blog. How would I be operating and then thinking okay, I'd probably split my day up like this. I'd have a content calendar for sure. I would be, chatting with other people to see like kind of having a think tank and trying to get ahead of the trends.
EvEn when I had 10 followers, I was posting like I had a hundred thousand followers and on my blog I'm like, I want it to be professional from the start because Every impression is a first impression pretty much on any platform. You want it to matter so I think it's all about mindset.
You have to be Delulu. You have to be like, okay, I am this huge Content creator and this is my full time job. Like you can't go half in, You have to go all in because that's what people are expecting if they're engaging with your content. They want quality content They don't want something that was thrown together.
They want it to be hyper curated And that's where I [00:09:00] think people have found the most success. There's this account on Instagram. The girl had her 10, 000 followers. She had like the, you know, the balloons. The last week in October, today, I think she has 200, 000 followers. And I think how she did it is.
She was showing up every day like, like me. I'm like, I'm just showing up as if I'm exactly the brand that I want to be someday. And everything on her account is very much within her content pillars. It's not like she went viral for a reel on lawn care. And then you go to her page and she's has a bunch of recipes, it was like, okay, she went viral for something that was exactly perfect for her brand.
And that's why the conversion rate for followers is just so much higher. So Again, you just have to deliver a little bit
Monica: and you have to push through the cringe of it Because I saw a tiktok the other day Which spoke to me so much, people talk about the decision making piece of i'm gonna i'm gonna do it I'm gonna become a content creator and it's like, okay cool.[00:10:00]
Awesome. Good for you And then people talk about the celebrating of like i've now hit this milestone. I now Work for myself, but no one talks about the point where you have a thousand followers and you're posting an affiliate link thinking that Being like one person's gonna click on this But I still have to post it and I still have to post it from the mindset of hey everyone Here's my link, there's that in between where you do have to be de lulu because if not, you're never gonna do it And the other day I decided to start a broadcast channel and I then immediately I was like, Oh no, this is so cringe.
There's 11 people in it and I was like, okay, yeah, but also what if next year there's 500 people in it, then I'm going to be real annoyed if I was like, not going to do it just because it feels cringey right now for there to be 11 people
Alexa: in it. A hundred percent like push through the I honestly, I think my fatal flaw, but also maybe [00:11:00] my greatest superpower is I literally don't care what people think.
I just don't care which is good and bad, but especially in this space, you just can't care because. At the end of the day you just have to do what makes you happy and what fuels you. To your point about the broadcast channel, I had the same journey. I'm like, oh my god, I started one because everyone else is doing it.
But like, oh, it's it's gonna send out, , all those phones every time I post. I'm like, it better be important. Right! Um. But that's how I've been thinking about just the decrease in organic reach on platforms in the past six months, even since the October update on Instagram. If I had 10, 000 people viewing my stories and then Today, I have a thousand.
If I had an email list of 10, 000 people and then I just accidentally deleted 90 percent of them, I would still send out my email list, because you still have to show up and just work with what you have. So it's the reverse with the growing stage. It's like you eventually, you keep putting [00:12:00] in the work, you will Get there.
It's just a matter of like consistently showing up and just I guess just like mindset you're like eventually they will come if I keep showing up someone will eventually this content and the algorithm will do its thing and find you that ideal audience There's a lot of people who just quit like their accounts that I was following back in april and i'm like what happened to them I loved their content and you go and they haven't posted since june and you're like, oh man they didn't stick with it And I think there's peaks and valleys and there's hard times especially like right now I would say people are down in the dumps about All of the changes that have been happening and all the new rules and changes to community guidelines and things like that.
You just have to keep pushing through because at the end of the day there's people who will give up. And then if you just are one of the people who doesn't give up you'll eventually make it to hit your goals and be full time. But I
Michelle: think that's so important, going back to what you said earlier about Needing to make sure that you're enjoying what you're doing and that [00:13:00] it's yeah fueling you because if you're Let's say that you don't like to get on reels and you're posting a bunch of reels every day Like you're gonna hate it.
So It's about also when no one is looking if you enjoy what you're doing then You don't really care. I love the saying Do your best and let go of the rest because it's just like You're just like doing it and then whatever happens happens, but at least you enjoyed the process and you enjoyed not necessarily having to have all of that external quote unquote success
Monica: Yeah, and then the pressure of you know it makes it easier to not care what other people think in a way because when You are always so confident about you doing something for yourself because it brings you joy Even if someone has a snarky comment, it never [00:14:00] lands the same way as if you're doing it for maybe external validation or something like that.
Because if you're just wanting to be a creator for the Cloud then yeah, it is gonna sting if someone says should you really be doing this because all you're doing is looking for that external piece, but if you're just doing it because It lights you up. It fuels your creativity Then that's when those snarky comments really just bounce off
Alexa: Totally.
I feel like the second it doesn't feel fun anymore. You just can't you're not gonna do it It's not gonna feel fun. And especially if this is like this is something I at least started as a creative outlet And I put so much into it because it really was fulfilling to me. And so you have to just chase.
Those highs of wait, this brings me joy. This is exciting. It's that cycle you want to get in versus a cycle of oh my god, I hate creating reels, but they're doing really well So I have to keep creating them. Eventually you're gonna stop posting because you're gonna be like, this is I'm drained My cup is not full you have to [00:15:00] focus on things I think that fill your cup because burnout Is real, especially through Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday people emerge and they're a shell of a human.
Because I think maybe they weren't doing things that brought them joy. My strategy for that crazy season was, I'm really only gonna post what I think is good and what I'm buying myself. I'm not gonna post 20 gift guides and hope that someone clicks it and I win the last click.
Because I knew I would get really burnt out doing that. And I I'm like really good with my boundaries, especially with this world. It's sometimes you can work 24 seven and never stop working, but you have to be like, okay, this is what I like to do. This is the amount of time I'm going to spend doing it.
And I'm like link up the two, because if you just try to be everything to everyone and you're not like. Figuring out what resonates with you. It's just not gonna be authentic and work. And I've seen that with creators time and oh my gosh,
Monica: I'm still traumatized from Nordstrom anniversary sales circa 2014 to 2016, [00:16:00] where I would literally, I'm sure I was, for part of it, I was on the East Coast and so I'd literally be up till 2:00 AM for it to go live.
West coast time and not sleep for four days watching like Stock is this back in stock? Is it out of stock? Should I go to the store and go try on? Oh my gosh Absolutely not. It is not sustainable at all, but there
Alexa: was definitely a
Monica: moment in this industry where that nordstrom anniversary sale was People were not sleeping, to
Alexa: say the least.
Oh, for sure. And that was the marathon for influencers. Yes, exactly. And I knew who to, I'm like, wait, I need to go shop this person's Nordstrom anniversary list. Because I knew it was like hyper curated and there was a lot of work put into it. But yeah, on the other side That poor person was probably exhausted.
Monica: Oh my gosh, and then there was the pressure because you were seeing other people post a different guide every day. Oh, do I need to be posting that? And it was just this insane whirlwind. [00:17:00] Which makes sense now why the Nordstrom sale isn't what it used to be. Because I do think that so many people went so hard on it.
And the quality of the products have changed for sure. Back then you could get a pair of rag and bone boots for 40 percent off and now you're not going to see that but Yeah, that was a whirlwind and I think people learned a lot about how many personal boundaries that they're going to put in place when it comes to creating content.
Alexa: Totally. And I also feel like the consumer is just used to a sale more than in 2013, 2014. I was like, of course I want the shop to sell because there was like never sales. Whereas now, I am trained to only shop sales and there's always a sale that's every, totally, so it's like why am I killing myself to put up all these collages and content when maybe my person already shopped two weeks ago and they're not gonna shop this sale that happens all
Monica: the time.
Exactly. And I think it comes back to [00:18:00] then, again, your data and understanding how it's performing is really important. Your data showing that X amount of work is truly meaning X increase in revenue, or is it the same? Like where is that point where just because you're working, that doesn't necessarily mean more comes in.
Michelle: Yeah. I think the term is work smarter, not harder, but I like to say the least amount of work for the most amount of. Return.
Alexa: Yep. I like that. Great ROI. Yep. I think you said this on a recent podcast. You were like, the definition of insanity is just doing the same thing over and expecting a different result at certain points.
You have to realize what that is for you and be like, wait, I'm putting in so much time to make this happen and it's just not going to happen. So you have to know when to step away and pivot. And I feel like this whole industry, it's like [00:19:00] constant pivoting 24 seven. Just to stay compliant.
Yeah, like you're like, there's so many rules There's so many rules and I'm so scared of breaking any rules So I feel like there's just a lot to take on You just have to set boundaries as much as you can as well as you can. It's true. Yeah
Michelle: And that's what's really hard about working for yourself because you always feel There's a really positive, I think, perception around you get to be your own boss and all of that.
But then the flip side is that you always feel like you need to be hustling. And and then Monica, like with what you said with the anniversary sale example, Alexa, do you ever see some creators that you like and you've just had a day. But then you open up Instagram or even you get an email from a creator that you follow and you're [00:20:00] like, Oh my gosh, that's right.
They're doing that. I need to do this. And you have this never ending cycle of. Feeling like you need to do
Alexa: more. Oh, totally. There's, I feel like you can't really compare yourself to anyone. And that's where I really like, so my like whole Instagram is called charm lane. And my sister, she was like, just stay in your charm lane.
It's so true. You have to, you have to stay in your own lane because you have to put blinders on. If you are doing something that you see someone else doing, maybe it's not going to resonate as well with your audience. And I think that's just something that's been ingrained in me, having really known the algorithm and worked with it for so long.
You can't just copy and paste because That's really inauthentic and yesterday I put up oprah's favorite things on amazon within like two hours five other creators were like, oh my god, did you see this? I'm, like obviously you saw my story and posted but Our followers are seeing the same content over and [00:21:00] over again you have to come up with original ideas.
You can't just do something because someone else is doing it And honestly, it's more fun to think of your own Spin or interpretation on something then just doing something because everyone else has to do whatever they have to do And again, it goes back to your analytics. The answers are there just in the data So if something is working really well for you just do that more and try to make new and creative ways to do that because Instagram will Reward original engaging content and honestly as a follower you see something that you haven't seen anywhere else You're like wait, that's really cool.
Let me send this let me Save it. And those two signals are the best, they're like gold for the algorithm, right? That is telling the algorithms that the content's really engaging. So it's just gonna be this really nice cycle of sending it out organically. So I just try to not get caught up in that.
I try to stay in my turn light and that's what tell myself that is amazing. I feel like I'm [00:22:00] going to say that all the time now. Do it. Stay in your Michelle lane. It's yeah, exactly. Stay in your Michelle lane. I love that, but it's easier said than done. Because sometimes you're like, wait, I wanted to do that too, and now they're gonna like, the whole copy thing is so ridiculous just be original.
It's just so much more fun. Agree,
Monica: agree. Thank you so much. This has been so great.
Alexa: Good, I love, I mean, I loved every minute like, can I just join the show? Good, I'm so glad.
Monica: Oh my gosh, I feel like
Alexa: we could have I didn't even, I'm like, at what point are they starting the episode, and then halfway in I'm like, wait Oh yeah,
Monica: That's how we've been recording, that we literally will, at the end of it, be like, oh, we should probably make an intro.
Alexa: Please um,
Michelle: everyone like, I always say
Monica: like. Because on Spotify you like.
Alexa: Do like? I thought it was it's a
Michelle: thumbs up. Thumbs up. Rate, no,
Alexa: Rate, review.
Monica: They both do rate and [00:23:00] review, but then Spotify does the like. Spotify does like.
Michelle: Okay, do all the things please as we keep growing.
Alexa: Yes,
Monica: and make sure you follow Alexa. Alexa, where can everyone find you?
Alexa: Oh, thanks guys. @Charmlane on Instagram, charmlane. com is the blog. And then I also have like a consulting where I help creators. It's creator charm school. So all of my Instagram knowledge, I do one on one calls with.
Small creators huge creators. It's super fun. Happy to chat with anyone. That is awesome And
Michelle: I'm sure she'll be back on the
Alexa: pod for future. I hope so. This is so fun Cool.
Michelle: All right. Talk to you all next time.