848: Why Social Media Can't Be Your Safety Net Anymore

Summary

The Goal Digger Podcast: Episode 848 Summary Title: Why Social Media Can't Be Your Safety Net Anymore
Host: Jenna Kutcher
Release Date: January 29, 2025

In Episode 848 of The Goal Digger Podcast, Jenna Kutcher delves deep into the precarious nature of relying solely on social media for business growth. Through insightful discussions and real-world examples, Jenna emphasizes the critical importance of building and nurturing an email list as a more stable and controllable asset for entrepreneurs.

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1. Introduction to the Topic

Jenna opens the episode by setting the stage for a candid conversation about the vulnerabilities businesses face when they depend exclusively on social media platforms. She stresses that while social media is a powerful tool for visibility and engagement, it is inherently "rented space" controlled by external entities whose priorities may not align with those of individual entrepreneurs.

Notable Quote:
"Social media is such a powerful tool, but it's rented space. If you're building your business exclusively on platforms that you don't own, you're leaving yourself so vulnerable to situations like this."
— Jenna Kutcher [01:13]

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2. The Vulnerability of Relying Solely on Social Media

Jenna shares a compelling story from one of her listeners, Brit Nicole, who experienced a major setback when Instagram unexpectedly shut down her account just days before her workshop launch. This incident underscores the unpredictability and potential risks of depending solely on social media platforms for business operations.

Notable Quote:
"Three critical days of her launch. Now, what I love about this community and Brit, is that instead of giving up, she found other ways to get the word out... her workshop sold out within 24 hours. Not because of social media, but because she didn't rely solely on it."
— Jenna Kutcher [03:00]

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3. The Power and Limitations of Social Media Platforms

Jenna delves into the business motivations behind platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), explaining that their primary goal is to keep users engaged on their platforms for as long as possible. This inherent objective often conflicts with individual business goals, such as directing traffic to external websites or email sign-ups.

Notable Quote:
"Meta's number one goal is how long people are staying on their platforms. They're not super excited when you send people to your sales page... they prioritize keeping people on the platform longer."
— Jenna Kutcher [06:45]

She further illustrates how algorithm changes can dramatically impact business strategies overnight, making it challenging for entrepreneurs to maintain consistent visibility and engagement.

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4. The Superiority of Email Marketing

Transitioning from the limitations of social media, Jenna makes a strong case for email marketing as a more reliable and controllable avenue for business growth. She highlights several key advantages:

• Ownership and Control: Unlike social media accounts, an email list is an asset that entrepreneurs fully own, allowing complete control over messaging, timing, and customer interactions.

• Higher Engagement Rates: Emails boast significantly higher open rates (27%-48%) and click-through rates (2.5%) compared to social media platforms like Facebook, which averages under 1%.

Notable Quote:
"Email marketing delivers the most insane return on your investment. Open rates range between 27% to 48%, and click-through rates are almost triple that of Facebook."
— Jenna Kutcher [20:30]

• Personalization and Segmentation: Emails allow for tailored communication, enabling businesses to segment their audience and deliver personalized content that fosters trust and drives conversions.

Notable Quote:
"Email allows you to personalize and to show up into the right inboxes with the right message, increasing your results and the experience for the person on the other side."
— Jenna Kutcher [33:10]

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5. The Impact of Social Media on Burnout

Jenna candidly addresses the exhaustion many entrepreneurs feel from constantly chasing social media algorithms and trends. She points out that the relentless demand for content creation on these platforms often leads to burnout, diminishing returns, and a sense of inauthenticity.

Notable Quote:
"The average entrepreneur is spending 20 hours a week on their marketing... Our time is so precious. We cannot get it back."
— Jenna Kutcher [22:05]

By shifting focus from social media to email marketing, entrepreneurs can alleviate this exhaustion and invest their time more effectively in strategies that yield tangible results.

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6. Jenna's Personal Experiences and Business Insights

Jenna shares her own journey of overcoming burnout by prioritizing email marketing over social media. She recounts how, despite a decrease in social media activity, her business continued to thrive thanks to a robust email list.

Notable Quote:
"Last year we increased our net income by 30%, and it was because of our email list. Even when I limited my Instagram activity, my business was still running strong."
— Jenna Kutcher [40:15]

This personal testimony reinforces her argument about the enduring value of an email list.

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7. Actionable Steps for Building an Email List

Jenna doesn't just present the problem; she offers a clear roadmap for entrepreneurs to build and leverage their email lists effectively. She outlines three essential steps:

1. Start Small: Identify one valuable offer to entice social media followers to subscribe to your email list.

   Notable Quote:
   "What is one thing you could offer them that you are willing to promote consistently as an invitation to get them off of the platforms they're on?"
   — Jenna Kutcher [43:10]

2. Stay Consistent: Commit to regular email communication, whether weekly or bi-weekly, to build trust and maintain engagement.

   Notable Quote:
   "Send one email every week or every other week to build trust and familiarity."
   — Jenna Kutcher [44:00]

3. Segment and Personalize: Utilize email segmentation to tailor content to specific audience segments, enhancing relevance and effectiveness.

   Notable Quote:
   "Leverage the tools of segmenting and personalization to deliver specific content, making emails feel so personal and so relevant."
   — Jenna Kutcher [46:20]

Additionally, Jenna introduces chatbot strategies as an innovative method to streamline the process of moving followers from social media to email lists.

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8. Conclusion and Call to Action

Wrapping up the episode, Jenna reiterates the indispensable role of email marketing in building a sustainable and resilient business. She urges entrepreneurs to prioritize their email lists as the foundational asset that ensures consistent communication and sales, independent of the volatile nature of social media platforms.

Notable Quote:
"If you are serious about growing your business, now is the time to stop relying on social media and start building your email list. This is the foundation of the business that you likely want to have."
— Jenna Kutcher [47:50]

To assist listeners in taking actionable steps, Jenna offers a free training session titled "From Zero Subscribers to an Email List of Engaged Buyers in Three Easy Steps," available at growanemailist.com.

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Key Takeaways

• Diversify Your Marketing Channels: Relying solely on social media is risky due to its inherent unpredictability and control by third-party platforms.

• Prioritize Email Marketing: Building and nurturing an email list provides a stable, owned platform for communication, personalization, and sales.

• Alleviate Burnout: Shifting focus to email can reduce the exhaustion associated with constant social media engagement, allowing for more sustainable business growth.

• Implement Clear Strategies: Start small, remain consistent, and utilize segmentation and personalization to maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.

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Final Thought

Jenna Kutcher's Episode 848 serves as a crucial reminder for entrepreneurs to reassess their marketing strategies. By prioritizing email marketing over the fickle demands of social media platforms, business owners can build a more resilient, authentic, and profitable presence in their respective industries.

Transcript

[A]

If you're running a business and you.

[B]

Do not have an email list, you have just nailed down your biggest goal for this brand new year because without one, you're missing out on serving your audience, on making sales, and on growing an asset that you own and can rely on. It is time to focus on growing an email list and creating a direct line to your ideal clients and customers without being overwhelmed, wasting time, or playing.

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The I'll get to that later card when things look difficult. That's where I come in.

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[A]

Now when I saw this story, I'm like, dang. Like this is a clear reminder. Social media is such a powerful tool, but it's rented space. If you're building your business exclusively on platforms that you don't own, you're leaving yourself so vulnerable to situations like this. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast.

[B]

I escaped the corporate world at the.

[A]

Age of 23 with nothing more than a 300 camera from Craigslist and a dream.

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Now I'm running a seven figure online.

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Business that feels even better than it looks. All from my house in small town.

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Minnesota with my family Here, we value.

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Time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work.

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And we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love.

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I've always loved turning big goals into reality and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down.

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Every week we tackle practical, no fluff.

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Marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't.

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Join me and my expert guests for.

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Actionable insights to help you grow your.

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Dream business with confidence.

[A]

Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired and empowered. This is the Goal Digger podcast. Have you ever stopped to think about how much control you really have over your social media presence. I'm talking one algorithm change, one expected glitch, or even a hacked account could leave your content and your connection with your audience hanging on by a thread. Social media is an amazing tool for sharing, connecting and growing your business. But here's the truth. It is not yours. It is rented space. And when you rely solely on it, you are building your business on shaky ground. In today's episode, we're talking about why social media can't be your safety net anymore. We'll dive into how shifting algorithms, unpredictable trends and platform limitations can hold your business back, and more importantly, what you can do to safeguard your success. I'm gonna tell you this is not about ditching social media altogether. It's about learning how to leverage it smarter so that your hard work leads to sustainable and secure results. So if you are ready to take back control of your business and stop relying on platforms that you can't control, you are in the right place. Now, before we dive in real quick, I promise you by the end of this episode, you are going to want to learn more about the strategy I recommend to use as your safety net, which is an asset you own and can control. And so if you want to get a head start and learn more about what I'm talking about right now, head to grow an email list.com that's grow an email list.com I have a free training to teach you how to leverage the strategies we're going to be talking about in today's episode. And I'm going to show you how to go from zero email list subscribers to an engaged list of buyers in just three easy steps. So again, save your seat. You're definitely going to want to after you listen to this episode, but head to grow an email list.com and without further ado, let's dive into today's show. Growing a business isn't for the faint of heart. It's a whole lot of everything. Building an audience, nurturing leads, managing channels, tracking metrics, and juggling all the moving pieces of your strategy. And let's not forget those late nights, long days and working weekends. Sound familiar? Sometimes it feels like you're wishing for just one thing to make it all a little bit easier. Well, meet Breeze HubSpot's brand new collection of AI tools built specifically for marketers just like you. With Breeze, attracting the right audience, increasing.

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With Breeze, you're not just keeping up, you're staying ahead. And pretty soon, your business is going to have a lot to celebrate. Check out [e-mail] marketers to learn more. That's HubSpot.com marketers. Let me first preface this episode in saying I love social media. I use it all the time. I am not anti social media, but I want to make sure that as we are leveraging this tool, we are doing so with the understanding that it cannot be our safety net. It cannot be the only place we are building our businesses. So why am I so passionate about this? I have talked about this for literal years on this show, and yet so many people do not pay attention. So this is the biggest thing we have to understand when it comes to social media. Social media is rented space. We do not own it. We cannot control it. We cannot ensure the experience of the people that follow us. Heck, we don't even know if we're reaching the people that follow us. In fact, as I was preparing for today's episode, I put up a post in our Gold Digger podcast Insiders Facebook group. And I just asked our audience, this community here, like, what are you struggling with with social media right now? Brit Nicole, one of our Goal Digger listeners. She had been planning the launch of her first ever workshop retreat for literal months. And she was so ready to share with her Instagram audience the platform where she had been building this business and engaging with these potential attendees. But then on the day of her big launch, Instagram shut her account down. Like, suddenly the main tool she was going to rely on to promote this workshop was absolutely gone. And despite her efforts to get her account reinstated, it took her three days for Instagram to just bring it back online. Three critical days of her launch. Now, what I love about this community and Brit, is that instead of giving up, she found other ways to get the word out. So she leaned on her network. She asked people to help her out. She found creative ways to promote her workshop outside of Instagram. And the coolest thing is, is that her workshop sold out within 24 hours. Not because of social media, but because she didn't rely solely on it. Now, when I saw this story, I'm like, dang. Like, this is a clear reminder. Social media is such a powerful tool, but it's rented space. If you're building your business exclusively on platforms that you don't own, you're leaving yourself so vulnerable to situations like this. And I'm going to share it, like, why I think we have to focus our efforts and our attention and just the way we approach social media in a different way. But we have to figure out, like, what is actually essential to our business and how do we put our time, energy, effort and money into things that we actually own. It's the difference between renting an apartment and owning a home. And when it comes to your business, I want for you to have total control. Something tells me you became an entrepreneur to have total control and freedom. And you might not be realizing that if social media is the only place that you're building that audience, you do not have total control. So when I like to think about social media, I think of it like a billboard. It's awesome for visibility, right? It's so good for us to be out there, to get our work seen, to have people kind of understand who we are, how we serve, what we create, what we sell. But again, we have to understand that even in growing our following, while it feels like it's ours, we don't own it. We don't own our account. We don't run the rules. We don't know the back end of the algorithms. And what's interesting, and I think a lot of times we can often forget, and I often hear entrepreneurs grumbling about this, is that we forget that like Meta, who owns Facebook and Instagram, is a business. It's an insanely large business. Like, Mark Zuckerberg is doing just fine. And so when we understand that Facebook is a business, just like we have businesses, we have to realize that that business probably has different goals or goals that might not be totally aligned with your clear path for your business goals. And so when we recognize that Meta is this business and we know that as business owners we have business goals, platforms are going to prioritize their business goals, not yours. And I think that's a really important thing to note. What I know about Meta is that they want to keep people on the platforms. Their number one goal in the metric that they are looking at in terms of their performance of their platforms is how long are people staying on them. So they're not super keen on sending people to your sales page. They aren't super excited when you say, click the link in my bio. They're not really thrilled when you have the sticker link to click out of the platform and onto a website that is not aligned with their goals. And guess what? The way they set up their app, the way the algorithms work, the way that they unlock their features, is prioritization of their business school of just keeping people on those platforms longer. And so what's interesting is, is that when we understand that and we just acknowledge it, like, hey, meta's a huge business and I can play by their rules and I can do the best I can on it, but I am ultimately not in control of it. Kind of changes the game, right? Because there are always going to be algorithm changes, let me tell you. Like when Instagram did the big push towards video, or when Facebook's focus turned to ads. That can dramatically change your strategy and impact your reach literally overnight. I mean, so many of us have experienced it, right? What worked yesterday no longer works today. And I don't know about you, but, like, I'm not a young spring chicken anymore. I'm tired of figuring out the algorithm. But when I understand that, hey, they've got business goals and they are business, and if I can try to figure out and establish what are their goals and help create content and show up on that platform in a way that helps them with their goal, then we're all going to win. And so we just have to understand what are the rules and are we willing to play by them. But also come at social media with this clear understanding that, hey, I'm renting this space and I can't complain about it. I'm not the landlord and I've just got to do my best to follow their rules and play by them if I want to be successful on this platform. Now, there's so many different risks when it comes to social media, like getting your account hacked, having your platform shut down. I mean, remember when vine was like the biggest thing and then the next day it was literally gone? And a lot of times what I see, even when all the Tick Tock stuff is happening, people are freaking out, right? They've created these accounts, they've grown these following. Some people have millions, millions of Tick Tock followers, and they're like, wait, wait, wait, wait. If this goes away, what does this become? And we've seen creators time and time again scramble because they recognize, oh, my gosh, I have all these followers, but I have no direct way to communicate with my audience. That is a very sobering realization when something happens and you need to get the word out. I often think back to 2020, when the world shut down and so many business owners were trying to get the word out about the changes in their business. You know, there were shops that were brick and mortar shops that all of a sudden had to go to online shops and they recognized, oh, my gosh, I could put up this Facebook post and 3% of my audience is going to see it. And that doesn't even guarantee it's the 3% that live in my town that could actually shop at my shop. I have no way of telling people or this service based industry where everything was flipped on its head, who couldn't reach out and tell people how to help them keep their business afloat or to share what was actually happening with their services during COVID And so it's so interesting to me because you know, it's five years later, right? Which is honestly shocking when we think about it. Like 2020 either feels like yesterday or it feels like a lifetime ago. But the fact that 2020 is five years ago is wild. But it's five years later and a lot of you still haven't taken what we learned back then and really applied it to your business and really understood the fact that you are spending so much time and effort and energy growing on these platforms that you don't own and can't control. So here's how I want for you to think about it. I want for you to think of social media as your front porch. It's where people discover and connect with you. But here's the thing. The goal is not to keep people on your porch. It's to invite them inside, into your home, a home that you own, onto a platform that you control. And this is why today I'm actually going to talk a lot about email list building, the power of it and why if you have not started yet or if you have not been consistently serving your list, it's got to change for this year so you can use social media. And I encourage you to do it. You see me doing it. I'm not antisocial media, but I want for you to think about using your posts, stories and reels to drive traffic to an owned asset. Again, owned asset. And you can do that so easily using really clear calls to action. And so as we start to think about this conversation today, we need to understand the power of having ownership and the power of having control. And that's why I am obsessed with email list building. 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[A]

Okay, so now that I've brought up the topic of email list building, which I've literally talked about since the very beginning of this show 800 episodes ago, is I want to walk through the key differences between Social media and email. And again, I want to preface all of this saying I use both of these mediums, I use both of these platforms, but I leverage them for a very specific reason. So when we think of social media, again, social media's main goal is to keep you on the platform, right? Just to keep you there. Social media basically is for entertainment. People scroll for inspiration and connection, not necessarily to buy. Now let me tell you, I'm a good sucker for a great Instagram ad, but we also have to understand that that's usually a paid thing, right? Somebody's paying for an ad. And the other thing that we have to understand is that with entertainment comes engagement. But engagement likely and probably won't always translate into sales. And I can tell you thousands of people who will back this up because they had a post go viral, whether it was millions of views or a hundred thousand likes, that never actually led people off of the app and into a direct result like sales. And so the problem that I have with social media and the way that small business owners are trying to use it is they're trying to game so hard with the system and the algorithm for engagement sake. And they're only caring about those vanity metrics like likes and comments, and they're not actually translating the work that they're doing into tangible results. I'm talking email subscribers, website views, podcast subscribers, sales, new clients, new inquiries, all the different things. And so my problem with that is like we are already stretched thin. I don't know about you, but like people are exhausted. The average entrepreneur is spending 20 hours a week on their marketing. And I would argue that a good majority of that marketing isn't actually leading to sales. And our time is so stinking precious. Our time is this non renewable resource. We cannot get it back. And so when we think of that, I, my like goal for you, my like dream for you is to be spending your time in the places where you know it will lead to a direct result. You can so clearly say that last hour of my time was so worth it because I know it's going to lead to X, Y and Z. And we just simply cannot do that with social media. And so if we think of social media being for entertainment, what is email for? Email is for selling. Subscribers opt in. They literally raise their hand and give you something of value, access to their inbox for something of value that you are offering them. They want to hear from you. They have already raised their hand and said, I am actually in alignment with the thing that you're selling with the offer that you have and I want to learn more and I'm willing to let you enter into my inbox, which is a very intimate exchange and you are being way more poised in a position to make a sale. When it comes to email, email offers a more focused distraction, free space where you can build trust and make offers. And so you have to understand the differences. And again, when we're thinking about it as like, meta is a business, who's going to prioritize their business goals. Email is specific to you. It is an asset you own. Therefore you get to prioritize your business goals. So one of the things that I think we have to bring up, and I think this is probably one of the most important stats that you will hear today. So if you're drifting off, come back because this is so important. But email marketing delivers the most insane return on your investment. Let me give you a really quick scenario that will just help you understand how powerful email marketing is. So you're listening to this show and I said, hey, if you give me $1 today, just give me $1, I will hand you over $40 tomorrow. Does that sound good? I think any wise person, any person, they don't even have to be an entrepreneur would say, heck yes, I will give you a dollar, you give me 40 tomorrow. Oh, you better believe it. So let me give you kind of another stat that will just help you hedge your bets a little bit, because I want to treat you like the brilliant CEO you are. I want to just sell this to you. And if you are wise and understanding and if you're like, hey, this makes sense, you're going to be ready to like dive in to get going. So here's another stat with email. So open rates for emails range between 27% to 48%. And so that means that 30 to 50% of your audience that you are sending something out to is going to open your email. Not only are they going to see your email, they're going to open it. And so unlike social media with algorithms where people might not even see your post, even just landing in an inbox and letting somebody see your name in your subject line, that's huge. But around 50% of people can open that email and can see what it is you're talking about and get access to it. Now, on average click through rates, meaning the people that click from your email to your sales page, to your shop, to your products, to your offers is around 2.5%. Now, Facebook's average click through rate is under 1% at point 9%. So we're talking almost triple the click through rate than Facebook. So when again, when you're looking at being a betting person and you think that on average 3 to 5% of your audience even sees what you're posting, would you take the 3 to 5% or would you take the 30 to 50%? That's the first question. And the second one is, if you're wanting people to click to a place that you own, like your website or your shop or your offers or your services, are you more likely to pick something closer to 1% or 2 and a half percent? Now, if you're picking the later versions, you're saying email is a smarter strategy, which I would argue is correct. We see it all the time. We see it all the time. We leverage social media for awareness and to get people onto our email list. I often break it down in this way on the show, and if you haven't heard this yet, this is for you. But people are overworking their marketing strategies and they're overwhelming themselves with what they think they need to do. There are only two main priorities you need to have as a marketer. The first one is to grow and prioritize your email list. And the second one is, is that any additional efforts that you make are in the effort to grow your list. If you are blogging, the goal is to grow your list. If you're showing up on Instagram, the goal is to get people off the platform and onto your list. If you are podcasting, the goal is to get people off of your podcast and onto your list. If you have a website, the goal is to get people off of your website and onto your list. And so when you look at business in a simplified version of just two main priorities, you can understand how you're going to leverage these tools differently. Social media should be a gateway or a bridge. It should not be the end destination. And so you have to figure out, okay, what is something of value that I can offer my audiences on these other platforms, the platforms I don't own and can't control, that will address a specific need of theirs. And then how can I promote it on those platforms to invite people off of the platforms and onto a place that I own? Once people are on your list, you get the opportunity to serve them so well. You can share exclusive news, you can share high value content, you can continue to build trust and nurture relationships, and you don't have to do it in five second looping videos on Instagram. Like, you get to do it in a much more Intimate way, you get to open up a conversation. But more than that, you also get to make sales. Email is the number one way we drive profits in my business. If somebody said, hey, Jenna, you can either choose between an Instagram post or an email, and you need to make X amount of money, which one are you going to pick? Email all day. Even one of my friends the other day, he's a really brilliant businessman. He used to be a mentor of mine. He has a book coming out, and I asked him, like, hey, how can I support you? And instead of saying, hey, can you do a couple Instagram posts? He said, could you send an email? And I said, yeah, you get it. Email is the way that we drive results. And if you don't have an email list, you are missing the massive opportunity to do that. Now. Another reason why I just think social media cannot be our safety net is the exhaustion factor. Who else is burned out from creating content, from chasing algorithms, from trying to keep up with the trends, from recording B roll, from writing the captions, all these different things? Algorithms are going to constantly evolve. That is the only thing we know to be true. And, boy, have we seen it to be true. And what that does is it forces creators to adapt to trends just to maintain visibility, not to maintain results, not to maintain growth, but just to stay visible. And for a lot of us, I mean, I have been growing my business on the Internet for nearly 15 years. We're exhausted, we're tired, and that's okay. We're not meant to, like, play the game this way the whole time. That's why we should be focusing on building the asset we own. But the one thing we know to be true is that algorithms are going to keep changing. And so if you are already feeling burnt out or you are already feeling exhausted, your efforts have to go into a different place, and you have to have a different energy around it. The truth is, is that when I pulled my audience, most people were just saying, I am overwhelmed with content. And I am often just so disengaged because when I go on that app, I'm thinking of all the things I'm not doing. I'm thinking of all the ways that I should be connecting. And we recognize that it's hard to get our messages through. And so it just leaves us in this state of, like, frustration and overwhelm. And oftentimes it leaves us paralyzed to the point where we're not putting any content out there at all. And so it's basically like we're running this race for attention and if you are a savvy enough business owner, you are realizing that the roi, the return on your investment, often doesn't justify the energy and the time you are spending on that platform. The time spent creating content for multiple social media platforms often outweighs the time spent on email marketing campaigns. And what happens is, is that when you're spending all that time on the social media platforms, you are bargaining with less predictable results. I did an episode recently where I talked about how I posted 104 times on Instagram in 60 days. And I talked about how all of a sudden it felt like this quantity game where it was like what used to be predictable is not predictable anymore because of the algorithm. Therefore, the amount of content you need to put out in order to get the same results has greatly, greatly increased. I would say 3x what you need to put out now versus what you needed to in the past. And what's crazy is that if you're not willing to play that volume game, like, I just don't know how it's going to work for you. And so social media engagement rates average around 2%, 2% like your message. And I think a lot of us intrinsically like and innately know this. A lot of us know that, like, our message is probably not even reaching a fraction of this audience that we worked so hard to build. And I just, man, I feel the bitterness. I feel it for myself.

[B]

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April of last year, I recorded this episode and it was. It was titled Confession. I'm Burnt out. Here's exactly what I'm doing about it. I've linked that episode in the show Notes if you are resonating with this burnout topic. But it was scary to admit at the time, especially because everything in my business was going really well. But what was just interesting about being in that state was I was kind of hitting my head up against the wall of like, what is the point of social media? Like, what is the point of all of this? It feels like a rat race. It feels so inauthentic. It feels just like a numbers game. And I think that so much of my burnout was just stemming from how trivial social media felt and how challenging it was to actually feel like you were getting traction. And this is coming from me, who has a really large account. And so I can only imagine that you might be feeling the same way as you are, like in the trenches, growing your audience there. And so what's interesting is, is that when I approach social media now, and I think something that really helped me get out of that state of burnout was looking at my return on investment and getting very clear, what is the goal here? What is the goal on this platform is. Is the goal to play the game and to get a ton of views and to get a ton of likes and comments that don't actually translate into results? Or is the goal here to show up and serve so well and to invite people off of this platform and onto my email list so that I can serve them at a much higher level that feels so much more aligned with who I am and that also helps them get better results? And so what was interesting, and I think where we get social media wrong often, is that if you were to do, quote, a social media audit of my account, you would go through and you would look and my least performing posts in terms of likes and comments were likely my posts that drove the greatest results in my business. Why? Because they were actually tied to a tangible result. And so it might be a post that got 300 comments versus 2,000, but those 300 comments led to 300 email subscribers, which is of great value for my business, but also a great opportunity for me to show up, serve, and then eventually sell to these people if they're in alignment with what I have to sell. And so if we are looking at social media purely from this vanity standpoint, then we're doing it entirely wrong. And so we have to really get clear on, like, what is the objective here, what is the motive and how do I measure success? And I would argue that 10 new email subscribers is more valuable than a hundred likes. That's just what I'm gonna say. I've just had to look at social media in a much different way, especially like post burnout and just get really clear. And when I say, like, my motive and goal is to get people off of those platforms, that doesn't mean that every single post I do is trying to get people off the platforms. There's still a lot of serving and connecting content, but I know which posts I actually want to do. Well, I don't need to go viral. I just want to connect that work to a direct result. And for me, that is getting new subscribers onto my email list. And so that is how I want to look at that. And that's, you know, that mindset shift is just a game changer because it shows us like, social media is an awesome discovery tool, but the real business growth actually happens in your inbox. Email allows you to nurture relationships over time. It allows you to deliver real value beyond just a caption, and it also allows you to keep your audience engaged without worrying about having to chase the next trend. So here's where I'm going to argue again, like, focus on growing your email list. When you do this, you can stop relying on the unpredictable nature of social media and focus your energy and your efforts into building this sustainable and reliable foundation for your business. It is literally a direct line of communication to your ideal audience. And you know it's going to get delivered. And so this is where I think we just have to rework the way that we're looking at it and rework the way we're looking at metrics. So what do I think about this? To kind of sum up this section of just the burnout factor and people are exhausted is I think it's really important for us to get really clear on what is the objective of our social media and what are our boundaries around the strategy. And so how can we shift our focus from creating, you know, these viral moments or these moments that'll just get good engagement, to creating content that has a clear purpose and a clear call to action instead of always chasing the trends? Because I think if we're chasing, we're going to just stay exhausted. And then I also just think we have to shift the way that we're looking at it and understand that engagement metrics like likes and views do not define success. It is not a clear path to success. The goal here is to drive meaningful action, like actually getting conversions and getting subscribers, AKA subscribers and sales. And so let email be kind of this safe zone as this reliable space to connect and convert without the distractions of platforms changing rules. Okay, so the main goal, to reiterate, is to get them off of social and to get people onto your email list. So when we understand that the ultimate goal of social media isn't just to, like, grow followers and get this mass following, it's to guide them into your email ecosystem, it allows us to just recognize and acknowledge. Social media is amazing, but it's also fleeting. And my reach is dictated by algorithms that I am not in control of. And so when we think of it in that way, I think of social media being fleeting, I think of email being enduring. It is that direct line of communication. And so when we think of it in that way, we just understand that bigger goal is to grow and connect and build that awareness on social, which is the front porch, and then invite them into the home that you own. Now, another thing that I love about email is that email allows you to personalize things in a much different way. It allows you to segment, meaning to only reach out to a segment or a chunk of your email list, which increases your results and also allows you to serve at a much higher level. And it also allows you to build trust in a whole different way. When you show up consistently, when you add value, when you serve in that list. These are all things that social media cannot replicate. Social media cannot be segmented, it cannot be personalized, and you cannot ensure the experience that will build trust. One thing I know to be true after being an entrepreneur for over a decade is that there are going to be low periods where your engagement is down or where the algorithm shifts. And one of the things we have to understand is that when those things happen, you don't have to press the panic button because you have your list. You have a place where you can consistently connect with your audience, regardless of those shifting sands. And I've Experienced this so many times. I mean, even I would say in this past year, in really looking at how social media has changed, the things that had worked before weren't working. And it felt like we were back to the drawing board, trying different things, testing things out. But the thing was is that we were able to experiment without this, like fear or without a drop in our results because email was the fuel behind all of the things that were working. I shared this in my 2024 year end review. Last year we increased our net income by 30%, which is massive. And it just goes to show that if you were to compare my social media results from 2023 to 2024, 2023 was shining year compared to it. But that didn't impact our actual business results. In fact, our business results were better than ever. And I would argue that that was because of our email list. It was the reliable thing. This summer I went on Instagram stories three times total in the entire summer. And behind the scenes, my business was still running thanks to email automation. Like, I was able to be home with my kids, plant a garden, join the rowing club, become a beekeeper, bake my bread. I did all the things this summer and my business was still running. And we had a record breaking summer without doing any live launches and without feeling like I had to be tethered to social media and showing my life every single day. And so we want to just figure out, okay, how do we get them off of social and onto our list? We do a lot of different things in order to do this. This is a strategy that we've refined over the years. You might see people on Instagram saying like, hey, I created this free guide or get my grocery shopping list, or if you want my meal prep list, or if you want links to my outfit, click here or go to the link in my bio or join my newsletter. And so there are so many different ways you can include call to actions in your posts. One of the things that we do that we've shared about on the show is that we leverage chatbot strategies that help me grow my list really easily to get people off of social media and to help streamline that experience for our followers. And so if you're wondering, well, what is that? If you've seen on Instagram where somebody says, you know, comment the word pin and I'll send you my free Pinterest training, that is what I'm talking about, where all of a sudden then there's a DM exchange. And this strategy is amazing. I have an episode, episode 7:43, which I'll link to in the show notes. And this one strategy earned me an extra $1 million last year. And so it's just an amazing strategy to really understand and to see and to see if it's a fit for yours. But what I love about chat funnels is that it empowers your customers through their buying journey, which helps you build relationships, generate more qualified leads, increase your average order value and your customer lifetime value and essentially grow your revenue. And so this is the most effective way to get people off of the platform and onto your list that I found in recent years. And it's a strategy that we often use to just have those call to action posts that lead to the real results. And so you want to just figure out, okay, how can I get these people who follow me, who like my content, who are engaging with it off of the platform and onto a place that I own. So finally, why is an email list this asset you own? I keep talking about ownership and I just think ownership is so powerful. The reason why this is so important to understand is like your email list is yours. You get to control the message, you get to control the order, the timing, the experience where people can click to. It's not subject to algorithm changes, it's not subject to ad budgets, it's not subject to platform policies. Am I catching your attention yet? Email allows you to personalize and to show up into the right inboxes with the right message, increasing your results and the expense experience for the person on the other side. It is so much more effective at building trust and generating sales than any other platform out there. In fact, it's so interesting cuz whenever I get around really amazing business leaders, I think people assume we're talking about like, hey, did you see how to trend, you know, on TikTok? Or like whatever. We're talking about our email list. How do you grow your email list? What's working for lead generation? Lead generation means email subscribers. How are your Facebook ads going? What are you running ads to that's getting you new subscribers? And so we are always, always, always looking at email lists. And what's amazing about it is that your email list does not need to be massive to get you results. A small but engaged list can generate significant return on investment. I launched my first program ever and made $35,000 launching that first course ever. And my email list was a few hundred people. And so I will argue that any amount of email subscribers is worth more than the same amount on social. Okay, just think about this Real quick. I feel like I, I haven't sold you yet. I have not done my job well. But think about this, okay? Think about the role email plays in your life. 99% of people check their email daily. This is like unmatched access to your audience. Now, beyond that, the average business owner is sending 20, 30, 40 emails a day, right? You are typing emails, you are sending emails. Most of the time, those emails are one to one, meaning you are sending it to one other person. What would it look like if I taught you a strategy where you could send one email to a lot of people and generate real results? You're already in your inbox, you're already writing emails. You are just over complicating what this looks like. And so when I think about it, I'm like, dude, the beauty here is that unlike social media that's become this quantity game to try to hedge your bets, to try to get a post to pop off, you get to focus on quality. Quality content, quality service, quality experience. And so I just think that that feels so much more aligned with what we want. Like, we want real relationships, we want real impact, real change. And there's probably a good percentage of us that are just frustrated of like, social media is not allowing me to tell the full story. Social media is just causing distraction. Social media is just adding to the noise. Social media is just like shouting into the abyss. Social media is like beating my head up against the wall when I work so hard on something and nobody actually engages with it. Your email list is not just this collection of names. It's this living, breathing asset that grows with your business. It is the foundation of what I would argue is necessary in order to have a sustainable strategy that doesn't rely on trends or algorithms in order to thrive. So here's what I want for you to think about. How can you start small? How can you figure out what is one thing of value that you could offer your followers? Whether it's 40 or 400 or 400,000, what is one thing you could offer them that you are willing to promote consistently as an invitation to get them off of the platforms they're on? Whether it's a podcast, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, like any of the platforms, what is one thing that is high value to them that they would be willing to exchange your email address for? And what are you willing to promote then? How can you stay consistent? How could you just send one email every week or every other week in order to build trust and familiarity, in order to share your voice and your story and your methods and your strategies or your products or your services or your offers. How could you stay consistent? And then lastly, how can you leverage the tools of segmenting and personalization to deliver specific content making emails feel so personal and so relevant to this audience who has raised their hand saying yes, I want to learn from you or I want more information about this. Start small, stay consistent, segment and personalize. Those would be the three steps that I want to leave you with. Now here's the truth. I will argue you can not wait any longer to do this. You can't. If you are serious about growing your business, now is the time to stop relying on social media and start building your email list, which I will argue is the foundation of the business that you likely want to have. This is not something you can afford to put off anymore. And the beginning of the year is the perfect time to kick this off so that you can hit your goals by the end of it. That is why I want to invite you. If you have listened to this and you're like, okay, I'm ready to go. I want to start small. I want to stay consistent. I want to learn about segmenting and personalization. I want to do this thing. I have a free training if you are more of a visual learner. If you want me to walk you through this step by step, my free training is from zero subscribers to an email list of engaged buyers in three easy steps. And inside of this training I'm going to show you exactly how to go from zero on an email list to people who are excited to buy from you so that you can transform not just an email list but your entire year of business using this one foundational, powerful strategy. Now let me tell you like this is not just another to do on your list. It is the strategy that will set you up for success, that will give you the freedom you're craving, that will allow you to have the security that you are hoping for. And I will lead you through it every step of the way. I will show you how it works for different business types. I will show you how to get your first four emails that you're going to send. I'm going to explain the whole value exchange. I'm going to give you ideas for opt inside. It is all included in this free training. If you want to save your seat for it right now, go to grow an email list.com that's grow an email list.com G R O W A N E M A I L l I s t.com Sign up right now. Do not wait. By this time next year you could have an email list that is driving sales, creating freedom and supporting your big dreams again. That's grow an emailist.com thank you so much for tuning in today. I can't wait to see you in the training. And as always, until next time, Gold Diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals. And thank you so much for listening to this episode of the podcast.

[B]

Thanks for pulling up a seat for.

[A]

Another episode of the Gold Digger Podcast.

[B]

I hope today's episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action, and realigned you with.

[A]

Your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to gold diggerpodcast.com for today's show notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies.

[B]

To fuel your results, and so much more.

[A]

And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time, Gold Diggers.