I like the ONLINE Black Friday. If you are like I am, you spend a lot of your business dollars on online tools and services. So we might as well get the best deals possible, right? I’ve spent the last several weeks compiling a list of the best Black Friday deals for online entrepreneurs. I’ll be updating this list all the way through Cyber Monday (December 2).
The Kajabi Live conference in LA last week was inspiring, as we learned from some of the smartest entrepreneurs in the online business world. Obviously, for Kajabi enthusiasts, it was especially exciting because we learned about a ton of new features coming to the platform, but the biggest takeaways would benefit any entrepreneur, regardless of the platform you use.
Colin and Samir, of colinandsamir.com are podcasters and YouTubers that break down the latest in the Creator Economy from a creator's perspective.
…and I love that they shared this image above. I found it so inspiring because the lesson here is that if you keep at it, if you keep experimenting and tweaking and researching, results WILL come.
Here are some of the things they learned from their own trial and error that they stressed we should consider:
#1 If they don’t click, they don’t watch.
This rule emphasizes the importance of titles and thumbnails that attract viewers. When scrolling through YouTube, viewers are presented with many video options, so it's critical for creators to create titles and thumbnails that accurately represent their content and are enticing enough for viewers to click on.
To optimize titles and thumbnails, creators should consider:
Familiarity: Videos should fit in with other videos in the same niche, using similar visual elements and keywords.
Unexpectedness: Videos should also stand out from the crowd by incorporating unique elements or perspectives.
Information gaps: Titles and thumbnails should create curiosity by hinting at information that viewers will learn by watching the video.
Creators can brainstorm title and thumbnail ideas by studying successful videos in their niche and identifying gaps or opportunities to differentiate their content. They can also use title frameworks to help them generate ideas.
#2 Respect your viewers’ time.
This rule emphasizes the importance of delivering on the promise made in the title and thumbnail, and keeping viewers engaged throughout the video.
Creators can respect viewers' time by:
Delivering on their promise: The beginning of the video should immediately address the topic or question presented in the title and thumbnail.
Using a strong hook: The first few seconds of the video should be captivating and encourage viewers to keep watching.
A good hook meets the expectations set by the title and thumbnail, introduces a new problem or question, and tells viewers what they'll gain by watching the video.
Maintaining engagement throughout the video: Creators should use storytelling techniques, such as Jenga storytelling, to keep viewers invested in the content.
Jenga storytelling involves gradually increasing tension throughout the video, similar to how pulling blocks from a Jenga tower makes it increasingly unstable.
#3 It’s important to ask in your video “do you want more stuff like this”
This rule emphasizes the importance of creating content that encourages viewers to watch more videos from the same creator.
Creators can encourage viewers to watch more of their videos by:
Creating videos that build on each other: Videos should answer questions or explore topics raised in previous videos, creating a sense of continuity.
Using end screen pitches: At the end of each video, creators can suggest other videos that viewers might enjoy.
Developing formats: Using recurring formats, such as starting each video with the same phrase or challenge, can create familiarity and encourage viewers to return for more.
Using their face in their videos: This helps viewers connect with the creator and makes their content more recognizable.
This rule also applies to driving audiences to off-platform content, such as email lists or paid courses.
When promoting off-platform content, creators should ensure that it aligns with the free content they offer on YouTube and provides additional value to their audience.
Prioritize titles and thumbnails before making videos to better align with audience interest and optimize clicks.
Understanding YouTube's algorithm is key; knowing how videos surface in search, browse, suggested, and short feeds enhances visibility, as Colin and Samir’s viewership shows with 84% from browse and suggested feeds.
The hook (first 7-30 seconds) is vital for grabbing attention and should introduce a problem, question, or open loop that aligns with the title and thumbnail.
Encourage more views by answering questions or building on previous topics; use end screens and consistent formats to foster loyalty.
Come up with 5 ideas a day!
They shared these simple formulas for ideation:
Drive off-platform traffic carefully by offering free value first, making the transition to paid offers smooth, and preserving viewer trust. For example, their call to action on their videos isn’t “buy this product”, but rather, they take them to another free offer, like a free masterclass. From there, they can get an email address and begin the sales process.
Here’s a simplified map of their overall process:
Natalie Ellis, of Boss Babe shared with us her journey with her phenomenally successful membership.
Focus on recurring revenue. She emphasizes the importance of recurring revenue, particularly for business owners who have previously struggled with cash flow from physical products. Recurring revenue allows for greater predictability and financial stability.
Create a membership with a curriculum and a pathway that doesn't end. Unlike digital courses with a defined start and finish, successful memberships provide a continuous learning experience. She suggests developing a curriculum that members can revisit and refine their understanding of over time.
Foster a strong community. While curriculum attracts members, community keeps them engaged. She stresses the importance of incentivizing member interaction and creating a space where they can connect and build relationships.
Utilize webinar funnels. Despite claims that webinar funnels are outdated, she attributes a significant portion of her success to this strategy. She encourages entrepreneurs to stick with marketing methods they can master and produce consistent results.
Define a specific target audience. Initially hesitant to narrow her focus, she discovered that clearly identifying her ideal member led to greater success. By tailoring her membership to a specific niche, she was able to attract a more engaged and committed audience.
Prioritize retention. She stresses the importance of focusing on customer retention alongside marketing efforts. By continually engaging with members and addressing their needs, entrepreneurs can reduce churn and build a more sustainable business.
Understand the exit point. By analyzing member behavior and identifying common points where they disengage, entrepreneurs can proactively intervene and provide support to encourage continued participation.
Offer a low price point if you can generate traffic. She highlights that a low price point can be successful if paired with effective traffic generation strategies. This approach requires mastering organic traffic building, paid advertising, or affiliate marketing.
Grandfather existing members in when raising prices. She advocates for taking care of loyal customers by grandfathering them in at their original price point when implementing price increases. This demonstrates appreciation and fosters long-term customer relationships.
Avoid creating a complex value ladder. She cautions against building overly complex value ladders with numerous product tiers. This approach can lead to burnout and distract from delivering excellence in core offerings.
Don't underestimate the perceived value of monthly subscriptions. She notes that even with a low monthly price, customers perceive the overall value of a membership based on its long-term cost, not just the monthly fee.
Consider scaling ads if the monthly cost allows. She acknowledges that memberships with low monthly fees can make it challenging to scale advertising campaigns effectively.
Prioritize simplicity over complexity. She advocates for streamlining business operations and focusing on delivering exceptional value within a simplified framework. She highlights the importance of choosing simple solutions and avoiding unnecessary product diversification.
Boost customer lifetime value (LTV). By focusing on LTV, entrepreneurs can reduce their reliance on constant customer acquisition. Strategies for boosting LTV include raising prices, improving retention, selling additional products, and incentivizing annual memberships.
Make the offer a no-brainer. She suggests incorporating "done-for-you" elements into membership offerings to make them irresistible. By providing high-value resources and templates, entrepreneurs can significantly enhance their membership's appeal.
Strive for excellence. She emphasizes that while the market may be saturated, there's always room for excellence. Entrepreneurs should focus on delivering exceptional quality and value to stand out from the competition.
Natalie's journey underscores the importance of prioritizing customer value, fostering community, and continuously iterating on membership offerings to achieve long-term success. By implementing these lessons, entrepreneurs can build thriving and sustainable membership businesses.
It was so motivating to see how shifted her membership business from 20% annual members to 80% by changing her offering from a problem solver to a "no-brainer." She did this by incorporating done-for-you elements and opening up the entire Boss Babe playbook to annual members.
Here's a breakdown of her process:
She realized her previous bonuses for annual members weren't enticing enough. They were "extra," didn't differentiate the annual product from the monthly product, and didn't solve a specific problem for her ideal client.
She decided to make the annual product a done-for-you template vault with over 55 templates and a form for members to request new templates. This gave members her "keys to the business," including details like the number of social media posts and emails her company sends.
She completely revamped the core product with a new curriculum on building a freedom-based business. It also includes weekly calls, community features, and monthly content and challenges.
This strategy was highly successful. Instead of generating $2,750 every 10 members, Boss Babe now generates $8,170, a significant increase. She notes that the price increase from $29 to $97 per month didn't seem to deter people because the value of the offering was so high.
Loved that she shared this checklist from when she first launched her membership site:
Here is how Danielle Walker's online membership influenced the success of her cookbook Make It Easy:
She attributes much of the success of her sixth cookbook, Make It Easy, to her Kajabi customers and audience. The book became a New York Times bestseller and reached number one on Amazon, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly lists.
She believes that staying in touch with her customers through her meal plan membership was a large factor in the book's success. She designed the meal plan membership as a quarterly course without auto-renewal, allowing participants to opt in as they wished.
She used the meal plan membership to gather feedback from her audience, checking in weekly to inquire about their preferences and any difficulties they encountered. She even adjusted the weekly meal plans based on this feedback, originally providing five dinners per week but reducing it to four after learning that members found it more manageable.
The membership utilized Kajabi Circles as a platform for direct customer interaction and community building. This private, secure space allowed her to solicit feedback and foster connections among her audience. She found that this direct engagement was more valuable than relying on social media platforms, which she felt had become increasingly noisy and less effective for community building.
Her experience with the meal plan membership directly influenced the layout and content of Make It Easy. Each chapter mirrors a meal plan, featuring four meals with a comprehensive grocery list at the beginning. This format was directly inspired by feedback from her audience, who preferred a centralized "command center" for meal planning.
She used the membership to build anticipation for Make It Easy, keeping her customers informed about the book's development and incorporating their feedback. This created a sense of shared ownership and excitement, which translated into strong pre-order sales.
She emphasized the importance of pre-orders for achieving bestseller status, noting that her established customer base from the membership was crucial in driving early sales. She also provided pre-order incentives, such as signed copies and exclusive webinars, to further engage her audience and reward their early support.
In essence, Danielle’s online membership served as a testing ground and a collaborative space where she could connect with her audience, understand their needs, and refine her content. This direct engagement and feedback loop allowed her to tailor Make It Easy to her audience's specific preferences and pain points, ultimately contributing to the book's remarkable success
Extra bonus, we all got free copies of her cookbook!
This is the third time I’ve seen Brendon Burchard speak, and the level of fired-up he instills in me is hard to put into words. Was also nice to have a front row seat to really soak it all in.
Main takeaways:
1. Prioritize Mission and Expression Over Dollars:
The key to longevity in the online business world is to focus on your mission and the joy of creative expression rather than chasing money.
When you're passionate about your work and driven by a sense of purpose, you avoid burnout and stay engaged for the long haul.
Building a landing page, crafting an email sequence – these are all art forms, and approaching them with that mindset can make all the difference.
2. Embrace Excellence and Charge More, Then Simplify:
He advocates for charging more, especially in the early stages of your business, as it allows you to provide more personalized services and motivates you to deliver exceptional value.
As you grow and incorporate scalable products, you can adjust pricing accordingly, potentially offering more affordable options to reach a wider audience.
The key is to simplify your offerings, focusing on a core set of products or services rather than spreading yourself thin across too many.
3. Launch Consistently and Leverage Evergreen Funnels:
Don't let fear or perfectionism hold you back – ship your product or service quickly and iterate based on customer feedback.
Set up evergreen funnels that consistently drive traffic to your opt-in page, leading to a value sequence and your offer.
This simple framework can generate significant revenue if executed effectively and consistently.
4. Optimize Your Kajabi Pages for Maximum Conversion:
Utilize the "hello bar" at the top of your landing pages to display compelling copy that encourages visitors to take action.
Incorporate countdown timers to create a sense of urgency and drive conversions.
For high-ticket offers, implement a "stop page" between your sales page and checkout to reinforce the value proposition and highlight key benefits.
5. Cultivate Authentic Connection and Human Interaction:
In the age of AI, human connection is more valuable than ever. Don't be afraid to engage directly with your customers, offer personalized support, and build a sense of community.
This approach not only strengthens customer relationships but also keeps you grounded and re-energized.
6. Master the Four Key Skills:
To excel in the online business world, focus on mastering these four skills: copywriting, coaching, speaking, and launching.
By developing these abilities, you gain the tools to effectively communicate your message, engage your audience, and drive sales.
7. Embrace the "Done by One" Philosophy:
Maximize your productivity by prioritizing the most important tasks and aiming to complete them by 1:00 PM each day.
This approach allows for a more focused and efficient workflow, freeing up time for other activities.
8. Maintain Your Edge Through Personal Development:
Continuously invest in your personal growth to stay ahead of the curve, maintain a positive mindset, and cultivate the energy and resilience required for long-term success.
By consistently challenging yourself and embracing self-improvement, you ensure you're bringing your best self to your business each day.
9. Remember That You're Selling Belief, a Better Way, and Belonging:
Effective marketing goes beyond simply solving problems. It's about inspiring belief, offering a compelling path forward, and fostering a sense of belonging within your community.
By weaving these elements into your messaging, you create a deeper connection with your audience and elevate your brand beyond mere transactional exchanges.
By implementing these principles and utilizing Kajabi's powerful features, you can build a thriving online business that aligns with your mission, fuels your creativity, and achieves significant financial success.
In addition to all of the amazing speakers, (and I’ve only included a few in this blog post) it was exciting to hear from the Kajabi team all about the great new features that have been added to the platform, and all of the features that will be added in the next few weeks:
Already live:
Kajabi Newsletter: Stay engaged with your audience in a fresh, streamlined way, right from within Kajabi.
Digital Downloads: Selling eBooks, guides, and resources just got easier – you can now offer digital downloads directly.
Adobe Express Integration: Create beautiful, on-brand assets seamlessly with Adobe Express right inside Kajabi.
Email A/B Testing: Get even more strategic with A/B testing for emails, fine-tuning what resonates best with your audience.
In-Line Editing: Edit with ease; make changes directly on the page as you work for a more dynamic, intuitive experience.
Here’s what’s on the horizon:
A/B Testing for Landing Pages: Soon, you’ll be able to optimize landing pages just like your emails.
SMS Messaging: Connect with your audience in real-time with new SMS messaging capabilities.
Add to Cart: A long-awaited feature, making purchases smoother with an added cart functionality.
New Kajabi Communities UI: A fresh look and feel for community spaces to foster more engagement.
Redesigned Analytics: Deeper insights with a revamped analytics dashboard to help you track growth and performance.
Gift Offers: A new way to delight your audience with special gift offers – perfect for customer appreciation!
⭐ Two 45-minute calls with Team Jen to help set up your Kajabi based on your unique goals and needs. By the end, you’ll be ready to go and primed for your first sales!
⭐ Our custom sales page template—the very same one that generated over $500k in our own business.
⭐ Access to our members-only Kajabi Kamp, where we have a library full of training to help you make the most of every feature Kajabi offers.
⭐ Extended 30 day free trial of your membership-when you use my partner link, you have a longer free trial.
In this episode, I sat down with Greg Merrilees, the founder and director of Studio 1 Design, a leading web design and branding agency. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, Greg's insights will give you the tools you need to create a high-performing, conversion-driven website.
In this episode, I’m doing something a little different. It’s a short, seven-minute deep dive into how AI can act as your thought partner in business—going way beyond just task automation. You’ll hear a fascinating conversation discussing how AI can enhance visionary thinking, data analysis, and marketing strategies.
If you've been hearing a lot about AI but aren't quite sure how to actually use it in your everyday life, this episode is a must-listen for you. From travel planning to meal preparation, and even personal finances, AI is transforming how we live, work, and play. Tune in to discover practical AI applications and see how you can integrate these tools into your own life.
I’ve shared real prompts I have tested for leveraging AI across a variety of practical use cases.
If you want to be a successful entrepreneur and crush it in your business, you need to listen to this episode with Stefanie Ignoffo.
As she says, if you want to make things happen in your business, you've got to put the premium fuel in your tank. And for Stefanie, that premium fuel is a whole food plant-based diet.
