How I Grew My Firm From $0 to 7 Figures in a Year
Instagram and no ad budget — that’s how Brittany Alexander — founder and CEO of Premier Property Law and host of The Modern Professional Podcast grew her revenue to $1.78M and hired 15 people in one year. Here are her four tips on how to grow organically on social media. Bonus: Tips to create a content plan in 10 minutes.
People don’t realize that their social media profiles could be seven-figure assets. Before social media, people had a limited ability to put their message, product, or service in front of large groups of people. They paid for a billboard, TV, radio, or newspaper ad.
Social media allows people to connect with and sell to (i.e., make money from) a virtually unlimited number of people for FREE. A person without any savings or startup capital can post on social media tomorrow and make their first sale or secure their first client, turning a free asset into a profit.
I posted my first marketing video on Instagram in June 2020. A few weeks later, I was getting leads from my content. By October 2020, I opened my law firm. In our first full year, we did $1.78 million in revenue — all from clients we got through social media. I turned my free social media profiles into seven-figure assets.
Here’s how I did it, during a pandemic, no less:
1. Entertain then educate
Attention is the currency of social media. The more attention — the greater your value. In my experience, you’re likely to generate more clients if more people are engaging with your content and your brand.
How do you get attention on social media? Entertain your client and educate them about your service or industry.
If you start your video or caption with a phrase like, “I am Brittany Alexander with Premier Property Law,” your viewer is already bored. They will immediately swipe to the next video or photo. The amount of content available on social media is unlimited, so if someone doesn’t like what you post, they will move on.
Use a hook to grab your viewers attention: “$100,000 insurance claim!?” Not only will a good hook stop the scroll, but it will also convert that viewer into a follower, further growing your presence and your authority.
Once you’ve hooked the viewer, dive into the point of your content: to educate your viewer about who you help and how. If you keep the viewer’s attention long enough to understand who you help and how, they are in a better position to determine if they (or someone they know) needs your services.
2. Create a content menu to ensure consistency
When you build an audience, consistency is key. I tell my students to post every day. Why? Because frequency means people are more likely to see, share, like, or comment on your post, resulting in greater engagement. (And, of course, the more familiar someone becomes with you, the more likely they are to become a client — or to refer one.)
Many would-be small business owners find it difficult to post daily. They struggle with content creation because they are trying to come up with ideas and topics on-the-fly. Usually, they end up making one mediocre video that never gets posted, and they don’t grow their profile or their business.
Luckily, I have created a solution for you: the content menu. Your content menu works like any other menu: instead of trying to create ideas from an unlimited number of options, you create a set number of options, and you choose one each day.
To create your content menu, allocate 10 minutes.
Write out:
Common questions from clients and leads.
Every topic you can address that is even remotely related to your industry or profession.
Ideas from other sources you've recently viewed.
Set a timer and write for the entire 10 minutes. Even if some ideas seem outlandish or unrelated, jot them down! One semi-decent topic could lead to another idea.
You now have the start of your content menu! Next time you need to create content but you find yourself questioning what to say, open up your menu and choose your dinner. Choose one of the listed ideas, and talk about it on camera. Answer a question or give a bulleted summary. Create the content. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to be consistent.
I explain how to organize and use your content menu in my free workshop where I discuss how to create one week’s worth of social media content in just one hour.
3. Get on video (even if you feel awkward) with a simple-to-use app
Nobody believes me when I say I was a shy child. I was so shy that when birthday party performers would ask for volunteers, I would hide behind other kids to avoid being picked. All this to say, I am not a natural on video.
But in order to get what I wanted (a thriving online business) I had to get over my fear of the spotlight. I tell people, “Do it scared. Don’t let yourself get in your own way.” People follow people that they like or relate to. In order to know if they like you, they want to know your personality. They have to connect with you. Video shows your personality more than any photo or graphic ever could.
My most practical strategy to get over my fear of video was using a Teleprompter app. I would stumble over my words, blush, and blank out when recording videos, so I began writing short scripts and using a Teleprompter app (I use BIGVU app, but there are many options).
I took five to 10 minutes to write out a few short scripts, and I would read them on video. I started improving. I wasn’t as worried about whether it sounded good. Eventually, I was comfortable enough to abandon my scripts. The Teleprompter app was akin to training wheels.
Don’t compare your chapter one or two to someone else’s chapter. In fact, I invite you to scroll back to my first (now cringe-worthy) videos from summer 2020 to see that we all start somewhere. I started recording in my living room with an iPhone and an iced coffee.
I share two more strategies to get over your fear of video in my free workshop:
4. Show your face
People like to see what other people are doing and saying. It’s human nature to be nosy. Use that to your advantage by showing your face in your content.
When I first started posting business content, I noticed that videos of me got more likes, shares, and comments than the infographics I created on Canva. The graphics included more information and took more time to create), but even my least-educational videos prompted more engagement and created more leads. I reached the conclusion that showing a human face — in this case mine — stopped the endless scroll more often than a static graphic or words.
Taking this human behavior into consideration, get on camera! Don’t hide behind graphics. Show people what you look or sound like, your mannerisms, and your value. This alone will give a potential client enough information to decide if they are interested in working with YOU over another option.
Bottom Line: Embrace your seven-figure asset
If you dream of starting or growing a company to give yourself more freedom, income, and impact, social media is the quickest and cheapest method. There has never been an opportunity like this in history — using a free asset to build massive profits. Start posting!
This expert produced this original thought leadership piece free of charge to SheVentures. This expert values educating female entrepreneurs and the SheVentures community. SheVentures is not receiving affiliate compensation from the author/expert. Questions? Contact social@sheventurespodcast.com.
