Are You Utilizing Social Media Properly | Beyond the Hustle with Carolina Millan

0:00Viral is a true phenomenon. on. To me, it's about the consistency of being as good at it as you can be consistently forever. I think attempting virality is a good part of your strategy, but it is not a requirement and nor should it be an expectation. See, this is where people get caught, Carolina. Like somebody would rather get 800 views on TikTok on a business video, not get a client, then get 25 views on LinkedIn, but maybe get one client. How do you see Facebook ads today? Do you feel it's overpriced? Is it still good for somebody who doesn't have an audience? How do you see it? I would say TikTok and Facebook, and I would include Instagram in that, are underpriced.

0:38I think pre-roll YouTube is underpriced. The biggest thing that I want everybody to leave this interview with is whether you're talking about organic or whether you're talking about media, the creative is the variable of what's going to happen. As we speak right now, where do you think the most underpriced attention is? I think LinkedIn for sure. I think Snapchat. I think everything else is getting challenging. you know, TikTok's getting harder. Instagram's very challenging. I still think Facebook is actually underpriced attention. So I'm still going through it. I haven't finished yet. But so far, what I've read, I love it.

1:12And I wanted to ask you, you know, because at the very beginning of in the introduction, actually, you talk about the ocean spray viral video. yes but one thing i've noticed is that when people try to force this kind of video it doesn't seem to work what do you think about that because that was 100 organic it was pretty much like an accident do you think it works when brands do this on purpose i think i think they do it does work i mean there's a wing stop chicken wings um ranch dressing fountain you know piece of creative that we did with them that has, you know, 100 million views at this point.

1:54But I think to your point, it's hard, but it's also hard when people are doing it authentic too. I mean, every day, there are hundreds of millions of authentic videos being posted. And so I think the essence of the story is not that brands can't do it. It's that both brands and humans struggle to do it, meaning go viral viral is a true phenomenon what I think and what I talk about in the book a lot and you know obviously we've been around each other for a long time so you know there's a lot of truth to this to me it's about the consistency of being as good at it as you can be consistently forever you know what I mean it's not about going viral that may or may not happen but But when I think about the viral video I had where I'm talking to a woman about self-esteem with her daughter, again, as you know, because you've been around my content, that's something I've said and did a bunch of times.

2:57It was just that one was ready to have its moment. And I think I try not to ever tell anyone to overly focus on virality. I think attempting virality is a good part of your strategy. but it is not a requirement and nor should it be an expectation. The point of using that in this book is that did happen and it did sell all the ocean spray. And today television commercials cost a lot more money and can't do that even when it goes well. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's the thing for me. I've had a few things go viral, but not what I wish went viral. Like every time I talk about business or I do a video where I'm like, okay, I hope this will generate me a client or two that doesn't go viral.

3:51But then I do a tour of my house that goes viral. I mean, that also sounds like there's also a lot of strategy to that. That sounds like a video that you may put on Instagram or TikTok. Whereas for me, if you want a client that gets into getting good at LinkedIn and being okay with 50 views. See, this is where people get caught, like somebody would rather get 800 views on TikTok on a business video, not get a client, then get 25 views on LinkedIn, but maybe get one client. Right? So this is why I get so excited about LinkedIn, the mindset and the attention and the reason people are on LinkedIn is conducive to getting a client with few views.

4:42Whereas you could go viral on, you could even go viral on a business post on TikTok and maybe still not get as many clients as just a solid video on LinkedIn. Totally. For me, that's YouTube. YouTube is where I get 400 views, 300 views, 500 views, but that gets me a client or two, right? Yeah. But on Instagram, TikTok, I'm really bad at it, or Facebook, it would take way more views to get a prospect or somebody asking, hey, what do you do? Can you help me? Yeah. So to me, then if that's the case, then you need to take a lot of your energy and get to a place on YouTube where you're getting 4 ,000 views instead of 500.

5:30Yeah. And so taking 50 % of your energies on the other platforms and reallocating it to YouTube sounds like a very good strategy. Absolutely. Absolutely. I do. I mean, I dedicate a lot of energy to YouTube, but it's hard to get videos over 1 ,000 views over there for some reason. But the quality is way better, the quality of the viewers. Yeah, the question becomes, what are you trying to achieve? And if you're trying to achieve clients, then you make views a very secondary thing. Exactly. Yes. Now, you talk a lot about underpriced attention, of course, and day trading attention. Right now, today, as we speak right now, where do you think the most underpriced attention is?

6:21It's funny we just talked. I think LinkedIn for sure. Overall, I think Snapchat. If you're talking general, again, when you're talking a B2B client, maybe less. But if you're talking just net attention, I would say Snapchat for sure is one. And so Snapchat spotlight is very underestimated and has real opportunity for growth. And so I would say Snapchat, LinkedIn for businesses, especially. I think everything else is getting challenging. You know, TikTok's getting harder. Instagram's very challenging. I still think Facebook is actually underpriced attention if I'm going net, net, net. Yeah. So those are the ones that stand out for me.

7:10Totally. What about paid ads? Because I love creating content. I do a lot of it, but I also love Facebook ads. Like that's where I'm like, I have more control and I'm, I have more certainty. How do you see Facebook ads today? Do you feel it's overpriced? Is it still good for somebody who doesn't have an audience? How do you see it? I think it's still underpriced. I think obviously the first part of this meeting and interview and podcast for everyone who's listening has been predominantly focused on organic reach. Now for talking paid, I would say TikTok and Facebook, and I would include Instagram in that are underpriced.

7:48I think pre-roll YouTube is underpriced on YouTube proper. But again, for everyone who's listening, I think Super Bowl's underpriced, which it is. The problem is that if the creative isn't good, so maybe the media for$8 million is cheap to get 130 million people to watch, but if the creative isn't good, then you're finished. And so I think that's the big call out for everybody. If you're listening right and you're saying, oh, I've done Facebook ads, I've done YouTube pre-roll, Gary's wrong, it's overpriced, it doesn't work. I would counter by saying your creative doesn't work. Because I know that because with WineText, my family's wine, we have certain ads that cost$65 customer acquisition to get someone to sign up.

8:39and then we have other ads that are$14. And that was a viral ad and that$14 ad is very good for business and the$65 ad is good for business. But obviously, if I was looking at it as a whole, I would say, oh my God, it's very underpriced if everything was$14. But the biggest thing that I want everybody to leave this interview with is whether you're talking about organic or whether you're talking about media, the creative is the variable of what's going to happen absolutely do you think the landing page like i mean i haven't seen the i mean i have seen it just not lately the wine text landing page because i think that influences a lot too you can have a great creative but the landing page sucks i think it's a tremendous call out you know if you're talking full conversion you know there's obviously the first part which is getting someone interested so you could be getting people at, you know, to your point, the reason I know the creative really works on the ad I'm talking about is the landing page is the same for the people at$65 acquisition and$14.

9:46There you go. There you go that the ad really made that happen. But to your point, tweaks on the landing page may drop both of them down from$65 to$40 and from$15 to$6. The landing page is another very important variable of conversion. So, you know, look, all of it matters, right? getting people to your store matters and then your store doing a good job matters. And I think that's how it's about ads and landing pages. Absolutely. Now, another thing that I love is email marketing. It's another strategy I use a lot. And I know you use it. I know you've been using it for two decades plus, but people have been saying it's dead for a while.

10:29Like, oh, email marketing doesn't work. It's dead, blah, blah, blah. What's your take on email marketing right now, 2024? Look, it's definitely not where it was in 1999 when I was in my prime. But I think it's crazy to think it's dead. I mean, television and newspaper and radio is not dead. Email is far from dead. You just have to be better. You have to provide more value. But there's a lot of value still in email marketing. It's also free. it's free to send it right obviously it's not free to get build up the list but and so you know i think this becomes a game of you have to be way better right like your email has to be better your title has to be better your first sentence has to be better your design has to be better but most of all what you're providing in value needs to be better totally you know that's the punchline yeah that is a punchline so what is something that you didn't get to put in the in the book before it went to print that you wish like that you know it's i already touched on one i didn't talk about attempted virality in the book and it's something i want to i'm definitely pushing bainer media more to do it uh it's something that i'd like to do a little bit more of as well as a personal brand.

11:54I haven't been able to get around to it. Like really trying to make a video that a lot of people see. It's kind of the opposite of my famous document, Don't Create. I love that one. This is create with purpose to get the whole world to see it. And that requires a lot of talent. It requires a lot of thinking, a lot of energy, but I do think it's a good framework. It also allows people to be dramatically more creative, potentially silly and have a little more fun. Right. And so I think there's something there. I think that has been something that's evolved in my repertoire, this attempted virality framework that unfortunately was something that had an epiphany on, you know, after we went into publishing.

12:48so that that I would say probably stands out the most I love that I love that now you have another book coming out for children meet me in the middle um how do you feel about this because that's the first like this is your seventh business book but it's the first children totally new experience I don't really know exactly what to fully expect um you know obviously and you know this because are close to that community. It's a very big moment of expanding the IP of BeFriends. Early indications, we've given them to some influencers and things of that nature, very positive response. But to your point, I knew that I wrote a good book with day trading attention.

13:29I knew it. I don't know that I wrote a good children's book. I tried. I'm excited about it but i think it's going to be really interesting to see that play out and so um it's a really exciting thing because you know back to what i was saying earlier with attempted virality you don't get that many chances to try new things you know and i this is a very new thing for me and i think it's got a shot um and i'm really excited about the feedback and all that and so we'll see we'll see i'm definitely um i'm definitely focused on it i'm excited too i wish i had kids that i could buy it for but i'm excited for you to see it and i'm excited for it to like do what i needed to do which is you know i as you know there's a lot of trials and tribulations and we're all kind of in a holding pattern as we all wait to figure out what's going to happen regulation and clarity in nft land but what i can do is get people to fall in love with these characters and I think this kids book and the cartoons that come out in the fall these are important watershed moments for the brand and that's what I'm focused on I'm excited I didn't know about the cartoons that's new for me I haven't really figured I'd give you a little something here and uh you it's YouTube kid cartoons uh but that's where cartoons are watched now and so that's a scoop anyway thank you for having me I know I have to run to my next thing thank you so much Gary love you