0026: The Power of Paid with Public Speaker & FB & Instagram Ads Specialist Janet Johnson

Ea interviews, episode 26, inspiration, transformation, success stories and the imperfect action round. Seven days a week. Join Mario Ficcini for today's Expert Authority Effect interview. Welcome, Expert Authority world. I've got a question for you. Have you ever wanted to make profit with social media? Do you see all these companies out here running ads and wonder, how do they do that? Why can't I do the same thing? Well, you're in for a treat. I have none other than Janet E. Johnson on today's episode. And she runs a successful social media agency out of Minnesota and she works with companies all over the country in the world both large and small. She speaks all over the world in places like Egypt and she's going to be bringing her knowledge and wisdom to you today. She's been featured in many national publications like Social Media Prose, Social Media Today, as well as Entrepreneur. She's the host of Business Grants, a successful podcast. And I'm excited to bring her up right after we thank the sponsor. So you want to go live on Facebook, but you're not sure where to start or what to do? Some people say just grab your phone or buy all this expensive software. Well, I have a better option for you. Check out marioficini.com BELive BELive is the simplest and easiest way to go live on your Facebook with a professional production. Once again, mariofoccini.com forward/belive. Here she is, everyone. The lovely Janet E. Johnson. Welcome, Janet.

Well, thank you for having me, Mario. Appreciate it.

Let's jump into it. There's a lot of courses you can take in life and everyone knows that there's windy roads and you know you can do whatever you want. What inspired you to start your company and get into the field?

Ooh, that's like a long story. To get into the field goes back to 98. And this isn't actually the field, it's the world of the Internet. So what really got me was by ebay, I am a shopper by heart. I like shopping and I found out I could shop on ebay online. That was like, that was the first time you're bidding. It was fun, you know, it was kind of, I could get things less expensive anyway. I learned from that that I could actually make money selling products on ebay. So then I started a business selling women's high end clothing on ebay. And over the years I transitioned that business again and again and again and until this led me to social media and even 2007 when I started the Janity Johnson Agency. And that was more focused on even Google and Facebook. Google and social media, all social media, everything. And over the years I've transitioned really to niching it down to just a few social media sites.

What inspired you with the Internet? This is interesting because there's not a lot of people who.

You know, I, I would say got started with the Internet. They, they saw what it was going to become and then they go, you know, there might be something to this, but it sounds like you were on the cutting edge of it. What, what inspired you to go, you know what, the Internet. What got your attention with it? Because I Remember when in 98 and 99, Juno Internet and 30 emails a month. But what made you go, you know what? I see the future in this.

It wasn't that exactly. It wasn't about seeing the future. I wish, you know, don't we all wish that we really understood what Google would have been back then, you know, or back when that started? Because then we all would have invested in Google. But bottom line is it was just me looking at a different way to make money. I was actually in the corporate world back then and I couldn't stand it. I wanted out. And that's kind of, I went, you know what, let's see what happens if I dabble on the Internet here. And I just, it was just ebay at that time, really. That was my main focus and I didn't realize where the Internet would go after that.

So how did you parlay your first company into your existing one?

Well, there were many transitions along the way, including a partnership that was about a two and a half year partnership that didn't last.

There was, it just, it basically was all trial and error and testing. And that's still the life I have today with the Instagram and Facebook ads. It's still trial and error and testing.

I think the industry term is split testing. That's the proper way to do it, right?

There you go. Yeah, exactly. Yep. Split testing.

Yeah. Because, you know, everyone thinks that, you know, we know everything about everything and ultimately marketing is testing, right?

It is, it really is testing. And if you're not willing to try new things and to test and to go with the changes, then the Internet probably isn't for you because changes so fast you can't keep up with it.

Absolutely. I was just talking with a client earlier and they were going, what, what inspired you to start your business? You know, when did you start the business? I'm like, which time?

Exactly. That's exactly it. It's, it's, it's evolved along the way. And you've got to shift according to what is happening out there.

Okay, so tell us what you're doing with your clients now. Who do you help and how do you help them?

I work in two areas of my business. So I have two sides of it. One side is the agency side where I do full management. And the other side is online courses where I help entrepreneurs, small business owners that want to learn to do it themselves. So I do have both sides. I do come from elementary education. That was my major in school. So I do like teaching. That is one of the things I always thought I was going to do. And that doing the online courses is my way to be able to teach. And I teach a lot of what I do on the agency side. I learn it and then I reteach it. What worked and what didn't work. And we talk about the successes and then I show and break down everything that happened with the successes. So those are the two sides of my business and they are focused on conversion. That's my big focus. And we do really hone in mainly on Facebook and Instagram.

So let's expand on conversion. If someone's listening and they're not sure what that is, it's a great metric. You absolutely need to know what it is. But what's your take on conversions?

Conversion can be multiple things. It depends on your goal. So it can be a conversion to an email to build an email list. It can be a purchase for E commerce. If you're E commerce and somebody purchases on your website, conversion can be leading to an actual sale. But there's different forms of conversion and it depends on what your goal is. It's not always going to be direct to a sale from social media.

Out of the people you help, what would you say is your biggest client success story? Where they had a problem and they came to you and you were able to help them and it was the biggest success you've had?

Ah, there's so many. There's a few. The biggest one, I guess I'll go back and it's a couple years. So the strategy doesn't really. It works still. It actually does work still, but it's changed a little bit. So this was a deck railing client. We used a testimonial video of a client that was showing off their video and it was not a perfect video at all. Actually back then it was vertical, meaning up and down and we back back in. Now that's become an Instagram thing. So vertical isn't a bad thing anymore. But back a Couple of years ago, it was a bad thing and we went ahead and used it, promoted it on Facebook and got lots of video viewers, spent $500, retargeted those video viewers with a special offer for people to walk into the store and buy that deck railing product. And that $500 turned into over $30,000 in profit for the business. It's just retargeting, building the trust on the front end and retargeting those video viewers. It still works. It's just we. I do it a little differently now. We still use the same, same methods sometimes too.

That's fantastic. And I love retargeting myself. For people listening that are unfamiliar with it or just breaking into it, how would you find, how would you define retargeting to be useful for any business?

I think that is going back to the conversion word. That is the retargeting. That's a specific audience that's been to your website, that has watched a video that is on your email list, that is engaged on your Facebook, engaged on your Instagram. Those are what we call custom audiences. And those audiences are the most likely to convert because they have built some sort of know like and trust with you.

And then what do you do with those custom audiences?

You put the ads in front of them for conversion. And those would be more specific to a conversion versus a brand awareness campaign. This is where you can actually ask for a sale. If it's not one of those audiences that has an idea of who you are already, then I would not ask for any sale with an ad on Facebook or Instagram. Unless we're E Commerce. I guess E Commerce can kind of throw it out there to anybody if they have the right product.

Very good tips. Very good tips for anyone listening. If you're not writing this down, you can take existing lists that you have audience, build them up of your buyers and serve ads to them specifically. It is a strategy I recommend to my clients as well. And she's sharing some wisdom. So if you're not already taking notes, consider it and do it. So how would you say video has helped your business so far?

Video is my business practically. You and I have that, that type of thing. Well, first off, one of the areas that I speak on a lot, I'll be speaking again in California in two months doing a three hour video marketing workshop. So video is something that I speak about a lot, I think. Terri and I have a podcast. Terry Bean and I have a podcast together. And that as we probably almost every episode we mentioned something about video. So how has it changed? I mean, it's just a part of my business that it. And I believe that people feel like they know me already when they meet me or if they purchase product from me. It's. It's really builds that trust factor. I feel like when I see somebody's video like you or I know you better because I've seen your videos and seen you talk to me through the camera.

You touched on it just now, and I'm glad you did because it's an awesome show. How is your podcast? What has that done for your business over the years?

Yeah, it's called Business Growth Time. And that podcast has really. You know, there's a couple of things I get. I was actually interviewed about, specifically about ROI for the podcast. And we do not return on investment. Sorry if you don't know what ROI is. It's something that I never really. Terri and I have so much fun with it. We've never really started it in the first place to go, oh, we're going to get all these advertisers and make all this money with it. So our return on investment has been more of a being able to interview cool people like Mario, cool people across the world, and sit across. We do it via video like you do, but then we also repurpose it into itunes so that people can listen to it. And that's the number one thing it's been able to make us. Help us know our peers and be able to promote them and help their business. Secondly, I have landed clients just due to the connections that it's made me. So it. It helps you land clients too. Do we have advertising on it right now? No, we never have monetized it that in that direction, and I'm not sure that we ever will. But we love doing our podcast and love having it.

And that's the fantastic thing about it, because I know a lot of people, I'm thinking of a handful of them right now. Other great podcasts that I've had the honor of being interviewed on, they never did anything with ads either, but they're using it as an extension of. They have Facebook, they have their Facebook business page. They have their Facebook personal page. You have LinkedIn, Instagram, all these social medias. They're counting itunes as like the seventh or eighth one.

Yeah, I agree.

And then I know other people who started it as a show. They don't do any of the other stuff and all they do is the podcast. So when people ask me, how do I launch a book, how do I launch A show. How do I launch my training? I go, the first thing I always ask is, what is your goal? Because all of these are just basically like tools. They're like a car. Do you want to drive a Hummer, Mercedes, Cadillac or Lamborghini? All of the above. Right. But not at the same time. It depends on what you're doing.

I agree, I agree. And that's. The podcast is just a very different format and I did just recently hear Mike Stelzner talk about that. People, the fast paced society that we live in today, it's. I think podcasts will grow even more. So it's just a different media is what it is to get our word out.

I'm glad you're using it because I love your episodes and it was fun being on the one, but I've listened to other ones and I'm glad you guys do it. It inspired me to start mine.

Cool. Awesome. Yeah, it's been a blast. So I'm glad you started one.

Let me ask you about your training. What have you found that to be the most beneficial of having your own training course?

You know, I have multiple. Well, you're ambitious and I'm launching a. Well, I launched a new one and I just cleaned up a past one that I've had for multiple years. I have to, because it's social media, I have to clean it up every six months, make sure it's updated minimally. And.

You know, what it's done for me is it really helps me to be able to help the smaller companies.

I'm an agency. I've been around a long time doing this. I know my content, I know what I'm doing. So I can't charge small prices at the agency level to manage accounts for people. But I have a heart that wants to help the smaller companies too, because I am one. I started my own business. I'm an entrepreneur too, so I do want to help the smaller businesses and this has been able to provide that option where if they can't afford to hire me, then I can at least train them or help them along the way.

I like that. I've noticed that about you over the years. You've always had a heart and I'm glad you do because it's one of the things that I, I look for in life and also straight up for people. I, I've been getting requests to, you know, to be on the show and honestly, if I don't like someone or don't think they're a good person, they're not going to make the cut. So thank you for not only helping people professionally, but having a heart personally as well.

Well, thanks.

I'm excited about bringing you up for the second part, but guess what? We're gonna do the commercial. Yep. Let's thank our sponsor. And we'll be right back with the imperfect action round. Instead of trying to get your prospects attention, why not be so captivating they can't look away? That's quote from my first book, Video marketing for business owners. And I'm saying again today, because the truth of the matter is if you can't get your prospects attention, they're not going to pay attention to you and they're not gonna receive your message and you're gonna never be able to help them. That's why I love belive. Before it even launched, I was using it in the beta phase. And it is the simplest and easiest way to do Facebook lives. To reach your audience, to interact with them. You can cue the comments up, you can take questions, you can answer them live. There's live polling features. You can make a professional looking production very inexpensively and very quickly, which is important because you don't want to be spending your time messing around with computers and hardware and all this other stuff. Live streaming can get very intense and there's literally nothing else I would recommend to start off with that is simpler, easier, and more affordable than belive. So check out MarioFacini.com belive once again. That's MarioFicini. All right, we're back with Janet and it's the imperfect action round. And I'm excited about that because I tell my clients all the time, take imperfect action. And truthfully, out of the 137 different accounts I have one of them, that's actually the password.

Imperfect action is what? I'm not making that up. I probably shouldn't have said that, but whatever. You should take imperfect action all the time. It's what separates the achievers from the people who want to achieve. So, Janet, are you ready to take imperfect action?

Yep. Always.

So the first question, I have 60 seconds. Answers rapid fire.

Oh, boy. Okay.

What is the biggest problem that you see with your audience and how can they solve it?

Perfection. Not wanting to take action because they want to be perfect. For instance, video. So I always give a bunch of suggestions on different options so that they don't even have to worry about being on video. Or just do it. Just do. It's my number one saying that I use.

You should use that as a slogan.

Yeah, just somebody else does. But yeah, I love It.

You are actually the first person to turn that around on me. That is a great answer. That is a great answer. All right, rolling into number two, what is the fastest path to the cash?

Facebook and Instagram ads. I mean, the ads. Ads convert. I mean, you got to make money to spend. You got to spend money to make money. But bottom line is that is one of your fastest routes.

I'm going to expand on that. What do you think is the biggest advantage of doing paid advertising? Other over doing it organically, getting the right audience.

I love it. Love it. So number three, this is going to be a breeze for you. How do you maximize the customer lifetime value?

Ooh, well, upsells, cross sells, whatever it may be. You. You can definitely, once you have a client, you want to offer them different things.

Related to the first product, obviously.

Okay, that makes sense. So what book would you recommend out of all the books you've read over the course of life to the audience?

You know, I'm looking at my bookshelf right now. I would.

Hey, no cheating.

Two. There's two. Because I really, I'm only halfway in, but I really do like it. The four hour Work week. Just some tips that make you more productive in life. So the four hour work week. Not everything in it, you know. And do I believe I'll work four hours a week? That's hard to believe. But, you know, if you follow it, maybe you'll get closer to it. So Four Hour work week is a really good one. And then Gary Vee's latest book, Hook Too is another one. And I don't even have jab, jab, jab. Right Hook is one of them, but the other one, and I don't have it in front of me, so I can't give you the name. You must. Come on, Mario, you must know the name of that book. Gary's newest one.

I'm thinking of Jib, jab, jab. That one, yeah.

Jab, jab. See, I know that's the one that's in my head right now, and I don't have it here. It's upstairs. But anyway, his newest, latest book breaks down the social media really well, and it goes into each different area and how to use each Instagram versus Facebook. He does teach a little bit about. I think he spreads himself too thin, but he has a big team, so just remember that. He has a big team, but he has great points in the book.

All right, so, Janet, thank you for the book recommendations. Where can people find you the easiest.

Is janitejohnson.com but also Janet E. Johnson on Instagram. Instagram is kind of more my fun but I also teach account. That's where you're going to get to know me the best. And that's pretty much it. Janity Johnson.com will lead you to all the social sites.

Excellent. And I know you said you had a gift for the listeners. Would you like to share that with them?

Yeah. It actually is specific to what we talked about. It's called Key Conversion Strategies for Facebook and Instagram and it's a free guide and you can find that@janetejohnson.com Key K.

E Y Very good. Well, it's been a pleasure having you on the show. I look forward to talking with you again.

Thank you.

All right everyone, we'll see you on the next episode. Have a great day and God bless. You're already successful. You've worked hard to get where you are. We both know it wasn't overnight and hasn't always been easy. No doubt you're the expert on your subject matter, but do your prospects in your marketplace think of you first as their go to trusted advisor all the time? ExpertAuthorityChecklist.com is 100% free and reveals the 21 steps to determine if your prospects view you as the expert and authority of your marketplace or if it's just all in your mind. Important required steps like do you have a process in place for prospects to self identify if they qualify for your time and experiment, expertise or not? Does your current offer have the seven components of an irresistible offer required to make it a no brainer for your prospects? Do you have a real life paperback book showcasing you as the subject matter expert you can actually hand someone? Get your free Checklist now@expertauthoritychecklist.com Once again, expert Authority Checklist to make sure you have the 21 steps covered. It better not be more, but don't leave those one or two things you may have missing go any longer. Visit expertauthoritychecklist.com and make sure you're being seen as the expert in authority today. Once again, that's expertauthoritychecklist.com get your copy now. Belive offers entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world the opportunity to broadcast live video on your Facebook page, profile, group or event. The platform is fully web based, there's nothing to download. Belive has made the dashboard super easy and intuitive to use. You can be up and running with your own TV style talk show, interviewing guests, interacting with your community and offering your products and services to a wider audience in 20 minutes. To learn more, go to marioficcini.com belive Once again, mariofaccini.com belive thanks for listening to the episode. I hope you got a lot of value out of it. Let's continue the conversation over in the community. Thanks expertauthorityworld. Com we can have discussions, talk about the episodes, and I'd love to get your thoughts on it. Once again, expertauthorityworld. Com.