Episode 61: Creating Cracking Content with Claire Winter

Ep 61: Creating Cracking Content with Claire Winter for Dawn of a New Era Podcast ‘Chronicles of a Serial Entrepreneur’ 

In this episode we’re joined by Claire Winter, a content and copy coach and host of the Cracking Content Podcast, which has been named one of the top 20 marketing podcasts in the UK. She is also part of my new PowerCircle program – find out more about this at dawnmgruer.com

This week we are talking all about online marketing, social media and improving your digital presence, so listen now, follow the podcast and share.

Did you know that my podcast Dawn of a New Era has reached the top 5% most popular shows out of 2,249,182 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score?… Just 14 months and 61 episodes in – SUBSCRIBE NOW
Interview with Claire Winter

Here are the highlights from the episode:

{3:11} An exciting time to be alive

{7:39} Social media is a listening tool

{14:06} Keeping people engaged with your content

{16:13} Walking boosts creative output

{21:34} Social media is a business behind-the-scenes

{24:36} The about page is one of the most visited

{28:10} Don’t be afraid to share what’s unique about you

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Dawn McGruer’s Marketing * Motivation * Mindset Group    



 
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Welcome to Dawn of a New Era, a business and marketing podcast with a difference. Ranking in the top 5% globally for people who want to start, scale, and grow their own business. Dawn McGruer shares tips to improve marketing, motivation, and mindset, as well as her own real life challenges and experiences as an entrepreneur. Guests include some of the world’s most inspiring leaders too. So, if you are an aspiring, established, or serial entrepreneur, this is your go-to podcast to fast track results and rise to meet today’s challenges and master the art of online influence and business success, and avoid common pitfalls along the way. Never miss an episode and subscribe and listen at dawnmcgruer.com.

 

Introduction

 

Dawn McGruer:

So, welcome everyone, to this week’s episode of Dawn of a New Era, and we’ve got special guest, Claire Winter, with us. Now, I’m going to give Claire a little intro and I’m sure she can share more about herself, but Claire is a trainer, coach, and host of Cracking Content podcast. So, fellow podcaster too. I’ve also appeared on Claire’s podcast and we are passionate about one thing, which is content. So, as you know, guys, online marketing is definitely my number one thing, but Claire is all about creating cracking content, as her podcast says.

Now, she’s been named one of the top 20 marketing podcasts in the UK, which is pretty epic, and she’s passionate about helping coaches and creative entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR. So that they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. So, we do definitely share a commonality. Claire is also part of our new program, launching, the Power Circle program. So, Claire is definitely the number one in terms of content, in my eyes. And I’m sure once you hear some of the tips on today’s podcast, you will agree. She is also trained in NCT, she’s a journalist, and started her career in ITN in radio and television. So, you’ve kind of done it all, Claire, is there anything left to do?

Claire Winter:

I’ve got to write a book, which I know you’ve done, so that’s definitely on the list. [crosstalk 00:02:16].

Dawn McGruer:

Yeah. So, I’ll just warn you during the book process, you need to be fairly stocked with a little bit of fizz and wine to get you through the process because I have to say, writing 400 pages, doing checklist activities, it was definitely a toll on the old mind at the end of it, but it was a relief when it got out there to the public. So, Claire, tell us a little bit about obviously, your background in terms of obviously the content. We know, obviously some of your key accolades, but what is something that we need to know in terms of the content side for you?

Claire Winter:

Well, as you so kindly shared, I was a journalist, I’ve been one for 20 years. I still write a bit of national content for Families magazine, which I used to be the editor of one of their editions. So, I’ve been a content creator since I began in journalism. And what I love now is obviously that entrepreneurs, which we both can count ourselves in that category, is that we’re all broadcasters. And I think it’s just a really, really exciting time to be alive in terms of the amount of content we can create for our businesses, whether you have a team or you’re a solopreneur.

Dawn McGruer:

I think the thing is the amount of mediums. I mean, we’ve got podcasts, we’ve got social media, we’ve got email, website. I mean, the digital landscape just means that the opportunities are vast, but I guess also on the other side, probably one of the biggest challenges, would you agree?

 

An exciting time to be alive

 

Claire Winter:

Yeah. And I think a big thing I hear from people that even if they are stepping into having a team, it’s like, how do I share my brand voice, my vision, my content? More people sharing it, how do I don’t dilute it? I guess is one way of looking at it. And also it’s like, where do I concentrate? Because obviously if you are just, you’re trying to promote yourself when you first start out in business, where do I show up? How do I show up? What platform do I choose? Because, obviously you can’t be everywhere.

Dawn McGruer:

This is exactly what I was talking about today. I did a live all about the harsh truths of social media. And I think a lot of people will find it maybe refreshing, but also maybe think I’m a bit crazy because the world of digital is so central to me, that I’m actually saying to people, “You can’t be everywhere. Realistically, you need to pick one platform as a priority and you need to be able to show up authentically, but also in a way that you’re loving it, rather than thinking that social is a drain.” Because, one thing I hear from clients a lot is that the sheer volume of content they think they need to create is the bit that they procrastinate over. What would be your biggest tip in terms of chunking it down and thinking about how to create your content in a more dynamic and exciting way?

Claire Winter:

Yeah, I think it is blocking out time, it is literally dedicating time as you would to any other part of your business. I think people sometimes stick their finger in the air and go, “Right, what shall I talk about today on social media?” Which is lovely if you’ve got time, but it’s not being intentional with your content. And I think having a plan and deciding on what core bits of content, i.e., podcast, video, or blog, that you concentrate on, and then you use social media to amplify it rather than I think some people start with posting every day and they don’t think about how to drive traffic organically back to their website. Whereas for me, I’d be like, blogging is a great place to start because you can boost your organic SEO and use social media to drive traffic to it.

Dawn McGruer:

See, this is what I love, and this is really why we get on, because one thing that we talk a lot about is SEO. And again, the fact that you are creating content to be visible, because I think when people think about SEO, it’s always been this gray area, hasn’t it? And I think obviously, when people think about the technical and the algorithm, it’s quite simple in terms of actually when you’re writing, you’re appealing to what people are searching for. And I think this is why people miss out, because you can create great content, but if no one’s reading it or seeing it, it’s as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

Claire Winter:

Say it how it is.

Dawn McGruer:

Say it how it is. In terms of obviously, writing with SEO in mind, have you got any tips for people that brings it a bit more down to layman terms?

Claire Winter:

Yeah, definitely. Use Google. I mean, literally type in what you’re writing about and use the search terms. As you scroll down, it will say, “Other people have searched on these terms.” It literally … And obviously, you’ve got the keyword planner as well, but often I don’t even go that far with clients. They don’t want to get into the technicalities of it. If you’re writing about the key pain points of your customers, wherever they may be, and then you’ve brainstormed titles around that, what are they going to type into Google? Really importantly, what are they going to say to Siri or Alexa? Because people use voice search. I don’t know, there’s a certain generation, i.e., anyone under, probably 25, they don’t type anything, do they?

Dawn McGruer:

No.

Claire Winter:

So, they voice search everything.

Dawn McGruer:

See, I think this is so true because I think we get bogged down in a bit of the detail, and you’re very pragmatic in the way that you approach marketing, as am I, but I’m very much in seeing is doing and I like to be in it. And I think the thing is, is there’s no better way than actually going to Google. I think what I see a lot is that clients, especially in corporate brands, et cetera, creating content, because it’s what they want to create rather than actually thinking, “Is there a demand for this content?” So, when people go, “I’m churning out content, but I’m not getting anybody there.” It’s either they’re not in Google or no one blooming well wants it. So, how do people, or how do you get your clients to look at, well, what is the best thing to write? Is there any tips you can give?

 

Social media is a listening tool

 

Claire Winter:

Yeah, I mean, I definitely think that age old, go back to your audience if you’re not sure, do a competition with a survey. And again, the same for corporates. I mean, I don’t work with so many of those, but definitely I think what people need right now is not what they needed 18 months ago. It’s like, use social media as a listening tool as well. I think this is the bit that people forget, that you need to see what’s trending, and listen, and also create conversations. We don’t just broadcast. We don’t just post and ghost. You’ve got to engage in and create conversations with people and say, “What are you looking for help with right now? How has your view of the world changed?” And I think that’s something that we can use social media and email really successfully for.

So yeah, I am very pragmatic and keep it simple. For me, it always comes back to storytelling. If you think about the people that are well-known for what they do, Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, Brene Brown’s Vulnerability, all of those things, you need to be known for that thing. You don’t want to be known for millions of things. You want to be known for something very specific. And I think if you’re highly creative, it’s very hard not to diversify it off. And obviously you can, but you still want come back to the storytelling, the key bits that you want people to remember. And the other thing that people often say, and I don’t know if you get this, they’re like, “I’m repeating myself. I can’t say this thing again.” And I’m like, “Yeah, you can, because then you’ll remember it.”

Dawn McGruer:

Yeah, absolutely remember it. Well, this is it, to stand out from the crowd and to be memorable, repetition is really important because the one way that you put a message across might resonate with one person, the next terminology or storytell that you give, really resonates for someone else. And it’s all about timing as well, because someone might scoot past your content in social media one day and then the next day you’ve written something and it really appeals to them. So, I have people in my audience who’ve been there for 20 years and maybe it takes 15 years to come and do something because it’s not relevant to them beforehand.

I like what you said about the question side of things, because when you’re looking at designing content, one of the things we do, and this could be helpful for others, is our team feedback FAQ’s, so frequently asked questions by clients, customers, either on the phone, email, or on social. And we use them as the question to create the content, so we can answer them, but also what a perfect resource for the team. So, when someone asks it, we’ve got a nice juicy piece of content and it means it’s constantly getting traffic. So where do you see … I mean, I think for everyone, this is the big bit, the quarter end, right? Everyone’s now thinking about Christmas. Today, I saw a Christmas advert.

Claire Winter:

Yeah, they’re coming.

Dawn McGruer:

I mean, what on earth? Right? So, we’ve got Christmas coming. Everyone’s now focusing on the end of the year, but the bit that people then forget about is the bit in January. I always get my clients to start planning now for what they’re doing in the fourth quarter, so they don’t go back to work, wanting to run away. They feel that they’ve got things prepped. What advice would you give for planning out some of the content?

Claire Winter:

Yeah. I mean, obviously with the journalistic background, we’ve done all our Christmas content. The other piece of work I do is helping people pitch to the press. So obviously, if you want to be in a glossy magazine, you’ll have been pitching your Christmas stories from July onwards. So, I think when we’re the looking at the year, editorially is a really nice way of looking at it. So, looking at the seasons, looking at the key selling points that you’ve got in the year, if you’re a product-based business. And really thinking about launches and what you’ve got coming up. So, setting those business and content goals.

So, if you’re launching something in January, how much do you need to grow your email list, for example, and how are you going to do that? What new resource are you going to release? What new content are you going to put out there? Lots of people, I’ve noticed in this quarter, have launched a podcast. Still a great thing to do. It’s one of my favorite things to do. It’s just a lovely bit of content. And I love the fact that you record your podcast and also stream it live, which is a great idea. Yeah.

Dawn McGruer:

We started doing it because some people might jump in and get one tip from it. I’m not saying everyone’s going to watch it all, all the time. Some people will watch it all the way through, but we also cut down the content from the podcast and put out mini, little snippets. So, people are getting little golden nuggets of wonder, whereby people want bite-sized content. People haven’t got time, have they really, to be consuming the level? I mean, we know that with doing things like a free guide, that we have to come out and pull some of the information and front lead it in to people’s social posts.

Because I have all the intentions of doing free guides, webinars and things all the time, and quite often, sometimes I’ll just catch a live because I’ve got time or I’ll just go and watch something on social media. We have to appeal to the fact that when people are watching some of these things, they could be walking, they could be on a train, so we’re not always in the zone, are we, when these things come to play? So, what’s your key platform at the moment? What are you finding, you’re getting really good resonation with clients on?

Claire Winter:

Yeah, I still really like my Facebook group and I still really like the podcast. It’s getting downloads from lots of different countries and lots of people engaging with it. So yeah, I really like the idea though of doing some live podcasts like this. So, you’ve definitely inspired me because my first series of podcasts were based on the blogs that I’d written. So, I’ve been blogging for four years with my current business. And so, they were solo episodes and I used them at scripts and then injected storytelling. So, I was like, well, this is a brilliant repurpose, but I really like the idea of also putting it out as a live show as well. I think it’s a great idea. So, yes, I’m going to try it.

Dawn McGruer:

I think the thing is, is people like multiple mediums. And one of the things I was talking about this morning is you can’t be on everything, but with live streams on StreamYard, one of the things I love is that it’s multiple channels.

Claire Winter:

I love that.

Dawn McGruer:

So, someone can be on LinkedIn, someone’s on Facebook, someone’s on YouTube, and they’re seeing you streaming live. And with YouTube, to stream live is something that people hardly do. So, I sometimes get more people coming to me going, “Oh, I didn’t even realize you had a YouTube channel.” Or, “I just saw you streaming.” And I think it pulls a different audience in. Now, one of the questions I get asked, and you probably hear this a lot, is, “How do I get my content to attract my ideal client, but most importantly, get them to buy something?” And this is something that I think people struggle with all the time. So, what’s your answer to that?

 

Keeping people engaged with your content

 

Claire Winter:

Well, I think it is about, like you say, people can be watching you for a long time. So, it is keeping them engaged, sharing really, really useful, engaging content and also ask for the sale. I don’t know if you find this with people that actually they don’t put solid sales posts out. They don’t do a benefit-led post like, “I’ve got space for four one-to-one clients next month, message me to have a conversation.” Or, “We’ve got eight places left on our mastermind.” Whatever it is to actually physically say, and give them some scarcity with it as well. So, I think sometimes people forget, they just put out nice content, they give lots of advice, but actually to put sales posts out regularly and get people having conversations with you. Get them.

Dawn McGruer:

Totally agree. Totally agree. Because I think, building the relationship’s the first thing, and then people start to get interested in what you’re doing. For me, I love doing things like workshops and masterclasses because it’s the greatest showcase you can have, that’s the nearest to face-to-face or doing events and things on stage. And I think the thing is, is people will say to me, “I went on that masterclass and I learned so much in the first 60 minutes,” or something, but then they’ve sparked their interest, they start to understand then, well, what they would get if they worked with you in a deeper capacity, but the fact that someone has shown up in that first place, you’ve built a connection with them.

And I think for me, one of the things I’m doing with content at the moment is on LinkedIn. If somebody gets in touch, I just do a voice message back. And I think people are going to feel too pressured and that it’s going to be really rude if they don’t reply. So, I’m the world of voice messages. And I do it on Facebook now, I do it on LinkedIn, and I just start having chats with people. And the other day there was a lady I’ve not heard from for 15 years, got in touch with me. So, I was talking about networking events and then she was joining my new program. So, it’s just keeping in touch with people and keeping in their radar. So, if we’re thinking about our content plan and we’re thinking about obviously writing, I think one of the things that people find hard is that sit down and start writing bit. Have you got any ideas to inspire your creativity and to get your pen to paper?

 

Walking boosts creative output

 

Claire Winter:

Yeah, definitely. One, go for a walk. It’s been proven that, that will boost your creative output by loads. So, if you’re stuck, go out. Another thing that I like doing with clients is object writing, which is something that script writers use as a tool. So, you describe something with all your senses. So, you could just look at a rose in your garden or pick something up and just describe it in all the different ways that you can do, and then start writing. So, sometimes that just kicks you into creative flow and it takes the pressure off, got to create this converting copy and all of this stuff. So, I think sometimes it is just taking a break, but also blocking time.

And again, imperfect action is better than none at all. So, set a timer, do the Pomodoro technique. All of those things seem to really work, depending on your personality, but sometimes it is just getting pen to paper. And I do think journaling, so getting all your other thoughts out on paper first, can work as well. So, all of those things work really well for the people I work with. I like tuning into people’s creativity as well, because we’ve all got something unique about us and an authentic voice, and to be heard, it is a really noisy world at the moment, and to speak with integrity and truth and really grab attention, is a great thing to do at the moment because not everyone’s doing that. I think it’s-

Dawn McGruer:

I think a lot of people have stepped back. I mean, I’m not seeing anywhere near the amount of people I was seeing pre-pandemic. And then, I saw a flurry during, I think people are just a bit fatigued and a little bit exhausted and I think people are re-energizing and re-gearing. See, when I think about content, one of the things I do, is when I’m out walking, I just use a voice note or something that I can actually just speak it all into. And then, I just translate it when I get back. And I think it comes out in a more emotive way because I’m speaking it, I’m delaying it and talking and blah, blah, blah. And when it comes out then on text, it is exactly how I would speak, and I think it has more of my personality in.

And when we do a Zoom meeting and we’re doing a planning content, we link it with the AI so that it will just read what we’re saying, and then, the team then can translate the copy, because I have a lot of clients who say, “Well, if we’re doing copy and we’re creating it, how do we get them then to implement it and can we get it onto the platforms?” Well, I think the easiest thing is, say it, get it transcribed, and then people can put it into emails and things like that.

Claire Winter:

I think that’s a great way, Otter.ai is great for that, isn’t it?

Dawn McGruer:

Yes.

Claire Winter:

And there’s other apps available as well.

Dawn McGruer:

There’s loads now.

Claire Winter:

I think a lot of people speak to think, don’t they? So, some people are much better … I’ve got clients who are really, really articulate, but the minute you get them to write something down, they’re like, “I hate it.” And I’m like, “Well, why don’t you start with video, or podcasting, and get those transcripts and get someone else to make them into written content, to convert them to blogs and emails?”

Dawn McGruer:

And then you can chunk that content down. I mean, if you’ve got content now, I would imagine you’ve probably got 12 weeks worth of stuff that you can re-utilize. You can take snippets from. I mean, one of the things I’m saying at the moment is I’m a bit of death to the graphic at the minute, because on social media, think the temptation is, is just to create a graphic for everything. And I’m saying, well, step away from camera and actually take a photo because we need to see these things now. And I think when we think about content, we start thinking about, “Well, we’ve got to write the copy, we’ve got to do the creative side of things.” And I think sometimes we over-complicate it. And just take a picture and describe how you’re feeling at the moment and hey presto, you’re living an authentic life on social media.

Claire Winter:

You are. And I think that’s the thing, isn’t it? If you have that content plan in place, then when you’re inspired on a walk, or you’ve had an amazing call with your team, or a client, you can post on stories or posts like, “Oh, I’ve had this amazing light bulb moment.” And that engages people.

Dawn McGruer:

Yeah. And I think this is it, because I think it builds more of a commonality or a feeling of trust with the person. I quite often tell people when I’m having a challenging time or something’s just not working, or if I’m delaying something or procrastinating, because number one it’s accountability. And number two, people see that you’re actually having challenges as well. Because I would imagine people are looking at you, thinking, “Oh my goodness, she’s got her content absolutely nailed. She’s done all of her Christmas content. Totally unachievable.” But the thing is, is when you probably share some of the behind the scenes of that-

Claire Winter:

Bumps in the road. Absolutely. Yeah. And it’s real, isn’t it, it’s real entrepreneur life? It doesn’t always go smoothly. And I think people like to hear the whole picture. They don’t want to just see glossy pictures of glossy photo shoots in glamorous locations. They just want to see that you’re also grafting like the rest of them.

 

Social media is a business behind-the-scenes

 

Dawn McGruer:

Oh yeah. I mean, when we couldn’t get venues and things, I just said, “Right, we’ll do it in my house.” And people were like, “Really?” And well, why not? Because I’ve got to do video, I’ve got to do everything. So, I’m just going to record the whole lot in my house and that’s it. And actually, I think it brings a more human element anyway, because people are like, “Oh, is that a wine rack in the background? Or is that her dining room?”

Claire Winter:

Are we going to crack it open?

Dawn McGruer:

And why not? Because I suppose, people do want to see those things. To a degree, social media for brands and businesses is the behind the scenes. People want to know, what do the people look like? What are they doing? Who are the team? Who was doing the social media? We want to see the human stuff, which brings me to my last point on content, is that I’m seeing a lot of generic graphic and broadcasters, they’re not using the medium as a channel, but an output, talking at their audience rather than with. And I think people have gone into this scheduling mode, where I really feel we’ve lost that personal connection, where people are just buy, buy, buy, sell, sell. And it’s just a one-way conversation. People are not getting the engagement. What are you seeing in social media? And what tips can you give for brands to bring that more human element back in?

Claire Winter:

Yeah, I definitely, I think, like you say, it’s having real life conversations. I think user-generated content always goes down brilliantly. I think encouraging people to tag people and share, especially if you’re a product-based business, share the product that they’ve bought. Also, get them to interact with you. Definitely share pictures onto your stories, whatever it is, get some level of involvement that isn’t like you say, just broadcasting to them. Or, you start noticing a similar kind of fashion with templates, don’t you, on camera? And you’re like, oh, someone’s sold a whole load of templates.

Dawn McGruer:

Yes.

Claire Winter:

Yes, exactly. Yeah. And I think it is. And again, it’s like, what will disrupt the scroll? What can you do that’s different from your competitors? What are they doing badly? Go and have a look, are they missing something? Are they not sharing something that you think they should be sharing? What stories can you tell, that you haven’t told about your business and the success stories or the benefits of the product that you’ve created, or service? I think, definitely go back to really thinking about the people who are on the receiving end. Yeah, definitely. Your view is your listeners.

 

The about page is one of the most visited

 

Dawn McGruer:

I think one of the most viewed pieces of content at the moment, on our academy website, Business Consort, is my about us page. My story. I actually videoed my story and just talked it through of how I started my business at 21 and all of the challenges that I hit during that time and the feast and famine of clients. And also, the pivotal moment of my business, when it kind of then got to the next stage, but the things that I learned along the way. And I think people forget that, that when they go to a website, they actually do want to know where you came from not just where you are now.

Claire Winter:

100%.

Dawn McGruer:

And I think just recording something where you’re just talking quite honestly, people have messaged me and got in touch just on the back of that, saying, “I didn’t know this and I didn’t know that you started your business at 21.” Crazy, but I’m glad I did it. I look back on and some of the times, it was hard. It really was hard, but I think that brings them-

Claire Winter:

You walk your talk, a lot of people don’t. And people forget that the about page is one of the most visited pages on a website and that you really should craft your story. And again, even if you’re telling your story, you’ve still got your ideal client in mind because you’re still talking to their pain points and how you can help them. But yeah, I love the idea of doing a video. I think that’s a great idea, definitely.

Dawn McGruer:

Now, we’ve just seen a tool that one of my clients got in touch with me about. It’s where you put audio onto a website. So, under a paragraph, you just click on it and it’s got the person talking through, maybe not just repeating the paragraph, but it’s just a direct message to the person. I’m loving this idea. And I only saw it the other week, so I’m going to go test it out on my website because I think it was interesting.

Claire Winter:

Oh, definitely.

Dawn McGruer:

I think voice now is a big thing with podcasts. We don’t always want to watch a video.

Claire Winter:

No, we don’t. No.

Dawn McGruer:

And just a quick soundbite, just saying, “You might be thinking here now, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I just think it’s a bit more personal. I really like the idea.

Claire Winter:

Yeah, definitely. And also, going back to that about you stuff, if you’re a journalist, so with my other hat on, like with the PR piece, the first thing someone’s going to do is go and check out your website, your blog, your social channels, and all of that. So, if the storytelling and the writing is on point and there’s a great biography about who you are, and what you do, and who you help, you’re much more likely to get those speaking gigs and the media that you want as well.

Dawn McGruer:

I think that’s so true because I know that when I got my publishing contract with Wiley and they got the proposal and they said it was really solid, loved it. But the clincher was when they went online and they saw my videos and me talking and the way I was writing and also the fact that I had platforms out there already and had an audience. So, I do think that in all walks of life, I mean, if a client looked at you online, they’re going to check you out, aren’t they?

Claire Winter:

Of course, yeah.

Dawn McGruer:

So, I think we have to be true and authentic and also consistent across the channels that we are going to be using, but we don’t have to be on everything. Now, Claire, final question. Are you a TikTokker?

Claire Winter:

I’m not, my children would literally kill me.

Dawn McGruer:

Yeah, I’ve tried TikTok. I broke my cherry on TikTok and tried it out. I’m just not sure I am there with it yet. I’m not really Instagram either. I’m more LinkedIn. I mean, I think lots of our clients use all sorts of different channels, we’re au fait them all, but I think it’s finding the channel you feel most comfortable with, but-

 

Don’t be afraid to share what’s unique about you

 

Claire Winter:

Find the best one. And I think reels, if TikTok is scaring you, or you think, “My kids will kill me.” To really play around with reels, I know that Instagram are doing a massive video focus, it’s going to become much more a video-based platform. So, if you’re not using the new features on Instagram, start using them because they want you to. I don’t think anyone’s sad that LinkedIn has lost stories, are they?

Dawn McGruer:

Was anyone even using those? I mean, it was ridiculous.

Claire Winter:

No, of course they weren’t.

Dawn McGruer:

It was ridiculous. LinkedIn, I think I love the fact that we can go live on it, I think a lot of us still don’t know how to. Lots of people are not using LinkedIn to its full capacity, which in one way, for me, it’s a positive because it’s easier to get ahead of your competition and to dominate that channel for your sector. And it’s the only free channel at the minute, in terms of engagement and reach, that there is available. If you’re using Facebook, let’s be honest, you’ve got to be paying to get visibility.

Claire Winter:

You got to pay, yeah.

Dawn McGruer:

So, is there a final thought or a saying that you’d like to leave for our audience today?

Claire Winter:

Yeah. Think about the story. Think about what’s unique about you and your business, what you bring to the world, and don’t be afraid to share it. We need to hear it. And we need to hear, I mean, I know you’ve got men listening to this as well, but I’m a really big believer in hearing strong female voices at the moment. So strong, authentic female voices, and men and male voices too please. [crosstalk 00:28:34].

Dawn McGruer:

Absolutely, yeah. And just stepping out and trying things because at the end of the day, I think people worry and panic about what happens on social media. You can test, no one will die. If you did something on social media, number one, going live, people will just celebrate and applaud the fact you’re doing that, number one.

Claire Winter:

Exactly.

Dawn McGruer:

They’ll be petrified themselves. And once you’ve done it three times and you do realize that no one’s died, you start to get into your zone a little bit and that kind of thing. I used to hate public speaking because I remember when I was younger, my boss decided to put me on a presentation and I didn’t even know. And ever since that minute, I used to just feel the anxiety behind it. And then, I went on and got best female speaker in 2018. So, I just tried to get myself out in micro steps and when I was realizing, I wasn’t dying on stage, then I got there, but it did take me a while to get over that anxiety. So, I totally get it if people are a little bit scared of going live and things like that, but just do baby steps or maybe do an interview or something, where you’ve got someone else to support you on it.

Claire Winter:

That really helps. And the other thing I’ve noticed, it’s a lot easier to get LinkedIn Lives, you’ve got nothing to lose, apply. Clients of mine, I’ve pushed and pushed them, and then they’re like, “Oh my God, I got it in a day.”

Dawn McGruer:

You got it. Yeah.

Claire Winter:

So, you accepted it was quite a lengthy process, but now it seems because they’ve rolled it out and it’s been successful. And like I say, how many people are actually going live, how many people are interviewing their peers and generating interest that way? And like you say, there’s a gap in the content.

Dawn McGruer:

Well, I’ve got 30,000 connections and I’d honestly say a handful of people that I see all the time. That’s it.

Claire Winter:

Exactly.

Dawn McGruer:

So, it’s up for grabs, right?

Claire Winter:

Yes.

Dawn McGruer:

So, get yourself on LinkedIn and let’s see. Now, Claire, we can all connect with you obviously on LinkedIn. Is that your key channel or would it be Facebook, Instagram?

Claire Winter:

Yeah, you can come and find me on Facebook as well. I’ve got a community called Cracking Content and I’m @ClaireWinterUK on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Dawn McGruer:

Oh, brilliant. Well, thank you so much for that. Honestly, the amount of tips I think people have got from today will be amazing. So, if you’re listening to Dawn of a New Era, then I hope you’ve enjoyed it and remember to subscribe so that you can get more episodes. So, thanks again, Claire, and we shall see you soon on the Power Circle program.

Claire Winter:

Yay.

 

Thank you for listening to Dawn of a New Era podcast, and for your free checklist to find out how to boost your business for growth, profit, and success, and join our community, go to dawnmcgruer.com.

 

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