Hello beautiful people!
Our December 2023 meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 13th at 11:30am PST at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85965793555 and its replay will live on this page within a day of the live mastermind session.
Reminder: We’re using the same Zoom link for all of our JFDI hotseat sessions. Keep it handy! And keep an eye on my events calendar for any changes to our dates (time will always be 11:30am Pacific). So excited for where we’ll GROW from here!
If you’d like a refresh on any of the JFDI with Bon curriculum goodness without having to comb through alllllllll the content we’ve covered since March 2020, check out this lovely orientation page over here. Yay!
AND, if you’d like more support or just some hang time each month, you’re welcome to join in for Connect with Bon (check for all the details here). No RSVP, no replay, no pressure.
Such great work today, y’all! We created some space around the creative process, lowered the stakes that can keep us blocked, looked at some clever Instagram product positioning, discussed 3 kinds of marketing, explored the wine list method of positioning your offers, played with the “What if this is the 1st/only thing my buyers see” test, and went over the Google “knowledge panel” too!
This is a bizarre time in the world, y’all, so please go easy on yourself and provide yourself with ROOM to be content with what you’re doing. There’s no race. There’s no competition. We’re building businesses that bring us joy along the creative journey. ENJOY the process… because “success” is way more about the process than anything else.
As always, I love seeing you do the workout, out there. Continue the convo in the comments below and be sure you tag me and use #JFDIwithBon out on social media so we can *all* celebrate you as you build your best life! Sign up for my fabulous year-ahead woo webinar at bonniegillespie.com/webinar and I’ll “see” you Saturday (or in replay). You can witness my REVEAL (using the wine list method for positioning my offers), too!
All my love,
Marking a money mindset win:
I’ve been going back and forth with an arts high school looking for a guest choreographer to set several pieces on their students for Spring. I’m kinda ridiculously qualified for this gig, and the hiring teacher saw my resume/reels. So, when she finally gave me the info to quote, I took a risk and asked for a higher rate than I’ve previously quoted other gigs (not a lot, just enough to make me a little antsy). AND I DIDN’T DIE. What’s more, she came back to me with the number she already had in mind- a quarter of the quote. And? I’m not spiraling. I’m not even upset… maybe mildly annoyed she wasted my energy writing emails when she already had a number, but I DIDN’T DIE. Yaaaaay!!! Here is a boundary I held, a ‘no’ line I didn’t cross, and a victory of valuing one’s work. Thanks for witnessing. 🙂
Well done. And of COURSE you didn’t die!! LOL! (I love that and have to remember it for myself!)
Mildly annoyed myself that she already had a number in mind and just didn’t come right out and say it. Pfft! Come ON!!
Thanks, Kathi!
And I agree… if you have a budget, especially one determined by a higher entity like a school board, just say so. Don’t make me guess. Ah, well. On to the next thing!
hey! Good for you knowing your worth. <3
Yayayayayayayayayay!! So so so good, Stephanie! NICE JOB!
Okay, interview date set! It’ll be December 12… a little too close to MRx for my liking, but I’ll just remember to take my time and be ready for snags. I’ve got a few talking points prepared, physical books to show/reference on camera, my agreement signed, and my Brandprov notes ready for a pre-interview practice session. Wish me luck! 😉
Dancemas is also well underway, and I took a page out of Bon’s book by including a CTA slide with every email and IG post this year. I’m surprised to see how many unsubs I’m getting as the series continues on. I’ve included an opt-out for the Dancemas emails specifically, but no one has gone that route. Instead, I’m getting 1-2 unsubs every day… interesting! My open rate is still hovering around 50%, so I’m not worried. Just surprised to see a free KLT thing sweeping out the non-buyers so much. Good data.
Anyway, that’s my accountability post for now. Hoping everyone’s holiday strategies are going well!
You’ve GOT this, Stephanie!! December 12th is great and you are great which means this will all go great! 😉 Keep us posted! Good vibes flowing big time from here!!
With an open rate of 50%, let the unsubs flow!! That’s the tradeoff. If we want NO unsubs, we’re looking at a bunch of non-opening non-buyers and that’s not good, even if it is easier on the ego in some ways.
I’m laughing… 10 points to Mercury. The interviewer’s Facebook account just got locked, and she can’t get in to do the interview tomorrow for her audience there… So, we have to reschedule. How very retrograde.
I will pocket all the good vibes for later, thank you so much!!
Hi folks, happy December!
I might not see y’all live but I will definitely catch up on the replay if that’s the case. I’ve got some accountability for y’all :
– My “be a helper” reel series went out, as did an indigenous peoples’ day of mourning post, and a testimonial from one of my recent projects
– The testimonial is up on my website too!
– I’m on YouTube at @MagicHourID, and I’ve got my intro video up! I am debating whether to add old content first or newer content first for my next few weeks of video, but I can definitely upload content twice a week for a few months. (I actually started this comment being like, I’ll do that later this month, but ended up procrastinating on other stuff by doing youtube setup instead. I will totally take the win.) Do y’all have thoughts about whether to start with Be A Helper stuff (topical, shows my ideological stance) or Course Creation stuff (evergreen, indicative of more of the work I do)? Writing it out it seems like I go with course creation and allow my values to show up in other ways.
My new goal:
– I want to get into a new research & outreach habit:
– – I’m starting this week with asking some friends who had been talking about referrals if they were still interested in that connection, and reaching out to adjacent-industry friends.
– – Next week and the next few weeks I’ll revamp my resume in case of corporate jobs that look truly incredible or contract opportunities that want resumes.
– – In the new year I want to have a muscle where I’m spending some time either on research or on outreach every week, while maintaining my workload and my content strategy. :bicep emoji:
– I do still have Course Creation Essential graphics ready to go out, and the Instructional Design In Action series to shoot and post. Because of all the horror in the news though, I may do another Be A Helper series.
Bonnie, you’re totally right! I started looking at my disrupting the bystander content to write the first snappy reel and it’s SO MANY MORE REELS than five :laugh emoji: :melty emoji: <3 I have a new plan and it's to chunk things up further! Starting with one reel about the superpowers of neuroception (noticing safety/danger cues and when we or others are activated) and co-regulation (being able to use your own regulated nervous system to help someone else shift towards regulation)
Yaaaay, you!! Way to get ‘er done. 🙂 My vote for the Youtube is to start with Course Creation stuff. It’s what your company is about, it’s in your brand’s name, and then when you lean into the Be A Helper stuff, it will be a logical extension. (In other words, here’s all the creation stuff that I’m good at, here’s some actual creation I’ve done that hints at these values, and oh yeah, and here are my values outright as I share some of the helper stuff I learned when I was building the creations.) I’d also go older-to-newer on the video posts, just to keep the growth smooth visually (especially if you’ve changed cameras/setups/backdrops over the course of shooting).
I’m applauding your idea to go in on direct marketing and outreach, as well. I’ve heard SO MANY stories from this year of people in all fields, all getting the majority of their work through direct contact. With the New Year coming soon as well, I’d expect interest would be higher for your services… (“This is the year I finally build my course!”)
I recently took a direct marketing course for voice actors, and the coach heavily advocated for this direct method (including following up several times as you describe with your friends/referrals). Initially, I found it a lot to take in, but now that I’m in a groove with it, it’s not too taxing a load every week to reach out to a few leads at a time. I just keep my BC number very low (lower than his), and that keeps me from getting mean with myself. I know you’re really great with Baseline Criteria as a tool, but perhaps my sharing a similar journey to what you’re planning helps! 🙂
You’re awesome!
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Stephanie! Yes, I want to build exactly the muscle you’ve got up, where it’s easy to do in your normal week. <3
I think I'm leaning towards the course creation education stuff first as well, I appreciate the vote.
Well… Stephanie basically said what I would’ve said so… copy that. Or agreed. Or… you get it. 😉
Yayayayayayayayay!!! I am your subscriber!! AND, everything DOES look better at MagicHour!!!!! Love!! Great short/intro to your channel. Faboooooo!
My vote on what to put up at your channel/when is to go ahead and do one vid of each type since you’re looking to upload 2x per week. That’s 1 vid from the newest content and 1 vid from the oldies that you know are relevant and cred-affirming.
As for whether to go with Be a Helper or Course Creation first, you could also make this part of the rhythm. If you’re putting up 2 things a week, make one of the things BAH and the other of the things CC. Eventually, it’s all going to be up there in some form or fashion… so just start rolling things out and get a sense of what feels good to keep going with. You can make a plan now and then change it up after getting a dozen pieces UP and feeling in the flow of it all.
I’m glad you’re chunking the reels/shorts even more. The stats are showing that ~25 to 35 second long reels/shorts are performing the best, so there’s even more incentive to chunk, chunk, chunk! When the info is packed in for something that short, people tend to watch the reel/short multiple times to really GET IT and that’s huge for the algo and recommending your stuff, whether at YT or IG.
Like the showbiz saying goes, “Leave ’em wanting more!” 😉 And then, of course, provide more in the shape of another thing they can watch… or a link to work with you for money, honey!!
ooooh even shorter! Okay, that’s great to know. I’ll do this next set even shorter as a test.
Thank you so much for subscribing to my channel bon! heart-eyes-emoji!
My accountability.
November/December’s been slow for me (partially my choice) so I’ve been recovering from the strikes/ratification process with some Jiggy crafting.
I have 2 new Peanuts-themed items up at the Etsy store and should have one or two more additional items up before I head back east on the 20th.
In book news, the third and final cover option has *finally* shipped after being delayed by 2 business weeks (those Holiday book orders are no joke and good intel for next year should I make any – early! early! early!). Unfortunately, the third cover will night arrive in time for when I go back to my friend’s 4th grade class (and we even pushed the date back twice for various reasons) but it’s one I really doubt I’d go with so I’m not concerned. As long as it arrives by the 20th (it should).
I should have cover feedback as well as physical books to show for our meeting. I also placed the order for my friend, he ordered 20 books (!), giving me a $184 profit! Woohoo! With the massive printing and shipping delays right now with Ingram I won’t be able to get the 2 remaining family members and 2 illustrators their free copies until just after the New Year. Was hoping to have them in time for Christmas, but oh well. They’re still getting a free book.
Oh, wow. Delay-topia! Yeah, I had to start early-early-early as well, especially for my Dance-spirational Decks. In fact, mid-September was already too late for those babies. (Total side note, but I need a new printing company for those. I can’t get them into Canada without MASSIVE duty and taxes now… something changed with the border rules.)
So thrilled you got an order for 20 copies from your friend!!! HIGH FIVES!!! That’s awesome, congratulations! Don’t worry about the free books being a little “late”, they will arrive right when they should. 🙂
Excited to see your books on Zoooooom!!!
Thinking about what Bon said in the reminder email about sprucing up websites at the end of the year… I recently changed to new banner images for all my main pages, so that feels fresh. And I know I want to re-do my actor bio, as well. It’s still not sitting right for me. I might just have to hire someone to write it; I’ve been wrestling with it forever. (Suggestions welcome!)
As far as JFDI stuff, I’m considering removing my page for Workshops on offer, which had a grand total of 10 views all year. I don’t hate the copy there, but I’m also not really booking any of this stuff anymore. Not sure if it’s really positioning me as Next Tier, either. Thoughts welcome, yay or nay. (https://StephanieBergeron.com/Workshops)
I’m also considering re-doing my Shop page. It feels a bit disjointed and vague to me, and also gets very few hits- 61 all year. Most of my sales are funneled through the TDS or #30 pages, not the Shop page… so I’m not sure if I need this Shop at all. Curious for everyone’s opinion here, whether all my individual products should have a direct link (which would make this page quite long, but comprehensive), or if the more general “books here”, “dance teacher resources here”, “voiceover stuff there” funneling system that’s currently in place works for the buyer to self-identify. (https://StephanieBergeron.com/Shop)
I’ve yet to feel like I want to put a blog page together from my previous newsletters, but I also know that could be beneficial for search traffic in 2024. Waiting for the alignment on that one… or a spark in another direction. We’ll see!
Doing some Profit Clarity this afternoon, and realizing I might also want to pull the #30SecondBallets paid webinar. It hasn’t sold a single copy since I recorded what I taught live back at Expo in 2022. I know there’s nothing wrong with the content itself (other than my own perfectionism with production), but obviously it needs a packaging overhaul, if I keep it publicly available at all.
Is it generally worth it for the prestige factor of having a course? Or is it “stale bread” on my sales floor? I’m strategizing my plans and where I’ll put my energy in Q1. 🙂
One of the things we’re gonna chat through tomorrow will help with the decision-making factor, here. We’re gonna put on the lens of “If this is the first/only thing my buyer sees…” with our online presence. 😉 Yay!
Sounds perfect. Yay!
Hey ninjas! Just swung over to claim the Google Knowledge Panel. When I did, they specifically asked me to prove my identity as the person/entity in the panel with:
-A selfie with a driver’s license or ID (everything but the name and photo blurred out- they specifically say so)
-At least 2 screencaps of websites, social media accounts, or other online profiles that you manage, showing that you are logged in and have editing privileges (also blurred of any info you don’t want to share- I sent my WordPress Dashboard, IG, and IMDb Pro)
-Your legal name that’s on the ID
-Your country
-Your preferred language
For the record, I used a Gmail that isn’t associated with any vital accounts or profiles, just in case. I’ll let you know how long it takes for them to approve! Timer starts now…
Oooooh, I’m loving the post-Twitter era’s requirements for security! Makes sense, in a day when one can buy a blue check! Thank you for the update and congrats on getting this going! Yayayayay!
Okay, Knowledge Panel claimed and verified! I actually got the email within 24 hours, I just didn’t see it right away. Lol. I’ve already submitted some “suggestions” to change what’s there (particularly the main photo they chose, suggesting my headshot instead), but everything looks good! Easy process.
A heads up for anyone out there who has other people with the same name – DO NOT TRY TO CORRECT/CLEAN UP INACCURACIES BEFORE CLAIMING YOUR KNOWLEDGE PANEL. Long story short, I did and was unable to be verified. Now my knowledge panel went away and I’ve been associated with the more famous Sarah MacLean (spelled with the ‘a’). The upside is I’m no longer getting intertwined with the porn “star” of the same name (which I was trying to clean up). So now I will wait until Google starts repopulating me and claim that knowledge panel. I’m not overly concerned since their is no knowledge panel to claim at all any more. When you google my name and “actor” it’s still all me that comes up… except for now there’s a knowledge panel of someone else. Oh well.
Quick update: tried again, this time supplying more verifying info – still unable to be verified though. I think it’s because my panel no longer exists. Don’t do it during Mercury Retrograde!!!
Oh noooooooooooooo. Hopefully this will clear up when Mercury rights themself!
Oh, no!! I didn’t have an issue when I did that, they just didn’t take the suggestions. Although my Panel wasn’t conflated with others, so maybe that has something to do with it…? Either way, confirming you pop up first for me when I use that search thread. So… all is not lost. 🙂 Weird, though.
Yeah, it’s pretty much all me when you google “Sarah McLean actor”, just that the knowledge panel is now the NYT author and not the smaller boxes for me and the porn star. Meh. Could be worse. Thank’s for checking!
I shit you not….. Mercury is barely 1 day direct, and guess whose knowledge panel is ready to be claimed. And without the porn star intertwining to boot!
BOOM. And YAY!!
Niiiiiiiiiiice! Go, Mercury! 😉 Go, Sarah!
Woo HOO! So great!
Yes. Still comforting to know I’m still easily searchable….. as long as you put in actor. Argh! Never knew I had such a common name until I got into this business.