I was in a meeting with a couple of team members, and we were assessing our lead flow. We wanted to see where our best leads were coming from.
“Looks like we pulled in about $52k this month, just from IG,” Rose, my sister and right-hand gal, announced.
I was stunned.
I never really expected to make so much money with Instagram stories.
Instagram is a goldmine! Again and again, I pull in a cool $50,000 a month just from leads coming to me from my Instagram. (And that’s just one platform I am on.)
I used to be one of the many business owners who leave so much money on the table by not properly utilizing IG stories… but no more!
I have really nailed down exactly what you need to sign clients from IG stories, and I am sharing them with you here.
As with anything else, the key is consistency and strategically working to grow your platform. (you don’t need 10k followers, yes, but of course, the more, the better, right?)
Even if you don’t have a massive following, just know that Instagram stories have, time and time again, helped my students in the Get Clients Now program easily add new students & sign new clients.
I am a huge believer in sharing what’s working for me with everyone so let’s just dive right in, shall we?
Instagram Story Tip #1: Use Instagram polls to get more clients.
Instagram story polls are one of the easiest ways in the whole wide world to get clients.
Step One: Make sure you’ve built a habit of sharing easy-to-answer polls.
(Yes/No) etc. This gets your audience used to interacting with your polls.
These are simple and easy-to-answer polls. This teaches my followers to engage with me when I create polls, helping them build the habit of interacting with my stories.
Step Two: Create a simple poll asking something like, “Which would you prefer help with? X or Y”.
This allows people who are struggling to raise their hand and ever so slightly, ask for help.
Notice how simple and positive this lead-generating poll is. It’s not overly pushy and has a friendly, helpful vibe.
Step Three: Start a DM conversation with everyone who interacts with your poll.
I like to keep things really casual and go slow, at first.
I really prioritize nurturing the relationship first.
After I have gotten to know everyone a little, I will see that some people will be a good fit for my program and others won’t be.
If I feel like they are a good fit, I will invite them to chat with me more (over DMs) about my program.
It’s a very straightforward conversation because I really believe in selling from a place of authenticity and honesty, without being sleazy or salesy.
Instagram Story Tip #2: Create compelling calls-to-action every week.
In my experience, most business owners don’t invite their followers to join them in their paid programs enough.
Think of it like this, you are throwing a big party, and you’ve put a ton of work into it. You’ve gone out, got decorations, food…everything. And then, because you are worried that some people won’t make it to the party, you don’t invite anyone at all.
Some of you may be doing that with your paid programs; you put all this work into creating something beautiful but you never invite your followers to take things to the next level with you.
So, I recommend you create a weekly CTA (calls-to-action).
Below is a video example of one of my CTA (we closed over $24k in sales just from this one story!)
I usually do one of these every week but if your growth on Instagram is slower, try doing it every three weeks.
Instagram Story Tip #3: Strategically use the question box.
I love using the question box to start conversations with my ideal clients. It’s an easy way to prompt my people to reach out and start talking to me. And then I strategically turn those DMs into sales.
The key is to ask a mix of questions (like we do with the polls). I ask some playful, easy questions, and then I ask some questions about what’s going on in their business. (of course, you would switch out “business” for whatever it is you help them with!).
This one is just fun, pure & simple!
This one I was able to get a great sense of who would be a good fit (based on their answers!)
I followed up & asked what they needed help to hit their goals. 3 ended up needing a business coach & they joined my Get Clients Now program!
Remember, not all your questions need to be posted with the goal of signing clients but, if you do want that, I find it to be really helpful to think a couple of steps ahead.
I like to ask myself, “How can I ask a question that will prompt a good conversation with the right people so that I can invite them to join my program?”
Thinking strategically allows me to ask the right questions to get the most engagement possible.
Instagram Tip #4: Share testimonials of past clients.
I share testimonials two different ways:
Testimonial #1: just as a way to create a culture of sharing the big and little wins.
This teaches my story views that I am an expert and that my students see amazing results. It creates a lot of trust, and it’s not over the top; it’s just a little seed that I plant regularly.
Testimonial #2: As a call to action to generate more clients.
This one is so simple, but it works so well.
What I usually do is share a testimonial and then create a simple poll underneath it: Something like, “Who here wants results like Jane?”
And then I start up conversations with anyone who votes, “YES,” and if they are a good fit and I can help them, I enroll them into my Get Clients Now program.
If you don’t have any testimonials yet, don’t worry! You can skip this one for now, and soon enough, you will have lots of great testimonials to share.
Example of a lead-generating testimonial…
Another example of a lead-generating testimonial…
Example of a testimonial meant to simply celebrate a great win!
Instagram Story Tip #5: Create FOMO.
Ever see a little sneak-peek or insider’s share that made you feel like you were totally missing out? I know I have!
A healthy dose of FOMO never hurt anyone, and it helps you create hype around your programs.
I love dropping little teasers of my Get Clients Now program!
It also creates additional value for your current clients.
My students love when I share little sneak peeks or insider glimpses because it reminds them that they are on the inside and they aren’t missing out.
Instagram Story Tip #6: Overcome sales objections ahead of time.
This is a totally underutilized tactic, but I love using my Instagram stories to pre-answer sales objections by teaching people how to think differently.
For example, many people say, “Now is not a good time for me to invest in a business coach,” so I will create an Instagram story sharing, “6 Reasons Why NOW is the Best Time to Invest in a Business Coach.”
Or, using a different example, let’s say you’re a VA, and an objection you hear all the time is, “I don’t need a VA.”
You could make an Instagram story series saying, “4 Reasons Why Every Business Owner needs a VA.”
It’s helpful content, AND it’s pre-answering your sales objections.
One final thought…
It’s super important for you to test all of these different ideas to see which ones work best for you.
I wanted to leave you with something my sister always says. Rose is smart as a whip and an incredible marketer (I’m so lucky to have her on my team, working for me full-time).
We interviewed her once for my Youtube channel, and she said something that always stuck with me,
“Marketing is two things, 1. Repeatedly testing everything to see what works and 2. Learning to remove your emotions from the equations. Some things will work, and some things won’t, and that’s part of the process.”
— Rose Wendt, my lil sis <3
So, remember to test and see what works for you!
I hope this helps!!
Before you go, want to get everything you need to make money on Instagram? Snag my little $7 IG kit:
This digital course + IG growth template pack shows you exactly how I make money on Instagram (without having tons of followers!) Everything you need to grow & monetize your Instagram! Just $7!
