Mistakes To Avoid When Growing A Community As Part of Your Paid Program

Kinsey Machos 0:07

Welcome to captivate and close. I'm Kinsey Machos, business consultant and marketing strategist. And I'm going to show you how to attract and enroll high paying clients using my break through online marketing strategies, all without having to rely on complicated funnels, disingenuous clickbait, or spammy sales tactics. These are the messaging marketing and selling secrets that virtually no one is talking about. So let's dive in.

Kinsey Machos 0:43

Hey, you, welcome back to another episode of captivate and close. So good to be here with you today. Although I apologize in advance for my nasally scratchy voice I was hoping to have been holding on or delaying the recording of this podcast episode hoping I'd be feeling better. But I am not, I am not. And so here we are, I definitely am feeling a little bit more rested. But man, this Cold Flu, whatever it is, has been hanging on. For a while. I was just telling a friend also that I don't remember ever getting this sick prior to COVID. But that is not what we're here to talk about. We don't even need to get started there. But it is something that I think is important to talk about when you think about getting sick and how inconvenient it is to life. But also how inconvenient it is when you run your own business. Especially if you are your brand, right a personal brand. Even if you have a team like I do that can continue to roll things along without you. There's still pressure on you to be able to deliver at some capacity. And so this is something I've been thinking about a lot. And I'm so grateful that I do have the infrastructure underneath me that can move things along when I am not feeling well. But it's something for you to consider also, when you think about really taking your business seriously and operating as a CEO, if everything in your business, including coaching clients, writing content, doing sales calls, if everything relies on you, and you're really starting to feel the capacity of that, we definitely want to come in and help you one of the things I'm going to talk about here today is community. But it's all in the same vein of sort of elevating yourself as a leader, not just in your business or in the industry. But in your coaching programs. This is something we definitely specialize in. And in our higher level mentorship program, female founders board, this is what we work with you to do. And so although I didn't mean to talk about me being sick, it's all sort of under this umbrella of how do we remove you from the weeds so that if you do get sick, or you do want to take a vacation, or you want to scale back in your hours per week, or whatever that looks like this is the time to start working towards that. So we'll definitely have some information in the show notes. If you want more information on that we have a waitlist, but we will be opening doors soon. And female founders board is really an accumulation of high caliber leaders in the industry. In all sorts of different niches we have the grief space, we have improv, we have speaking, authorship, intuitive learning, energy healing, ADHD learning, like there's all these incredible, incredible niches represented. And it's an intimate room full of just beautiful, beautiful souls. And we're just so grateful to be able to work with them and in the capacity that we do. So moving into today's topic, I want to talk about community, in your client programs. Okay, this is something that is definitely sort of like tossed around in the industry. I remember when I first started, I was also at that place where it's like, I'm just going to throw up a Facebook group and call it a community and if you can relate to this, hang on here, but what I'm going to talk about is the mistakes that coaches make in sort of building community within their paid programs, and what to really think about if you have a community element to your offers, okay, so Oh, this is definitely, again, this is not about like a free Facebook group this is for this is related to having a community that is a part of a program that somebody, you know hires you or purchases from you, right? So you may be in one right now, right 10k content Collective is a coaching program, where we give you the tools to attract and enroll clients consistently with your organic content. And within that coaching program, there is a community full of 10k active members. And that community is freaking amazing, right? A similar example of this would be female founders board are our mastermind community, right? It's not in a Facebook group. But the community that we curate there is the total vibe and culture of the clans. And so this can be looking at it from a micro level, like logistically or technically, where are you putting your community of paid claims, if that is something that you offer, but it's also sort of the feeling that you create within the culture of your clients. Now, I'm going to talk a little bit advanced here, because I think this is really important. And again, it's not, it's not taught in the way that I have ever, ever heard it or seen it. It's something that we've learned and I have an incredible team behind me that has been spearheading this for for over a year. But it's it's also just sort of overlooked is something that's actually one of the most important assets to your paid coaching programs. And again, nobody's really teaching it in the way that it needs to be taught. Because community, in my opinion, is everything it could potentially make or break your brand, it could potentially make or break your clients experiences. And if done well, your community will literally grow your business for you, your client community will grow your business for you, because they're going to love it so much, they're going to be out referring people to you, they're gonna be clients for life, right, they're going to ascend up into your higher end programs, like, there's so many benefits, both tangible and intangible, and it should not be overlooked. If you're somebody like me, that didn't really come from a lot. And I always sort of as, as I was growing up, I always felt like an outsider. And so I always craved community where I didn't feel that way, or where I felt comfortable or confident to be, quote, unquote, at the table. And even going into corporate leadership, I never actually felt like I belonged. And I remember always feeling like there was I was like an outsider looking in to a group of people that seemed to really love each other and like each other and kind of connect with one another. And I just never had that feeling. I mean, turns out, I had a lot of growth to do as an individual in my own self confidence. But also, those just were not the rooms that I was meant to be in. But all to say that I really, really value community because of how long and how much I craved it. And so it's one of our core values in our company. And it's one of our core initiatives in any of our client programs, when we really thoughtfully curate our communities, we have team members that are solely responsible for this piece. And so I just want to offer a shift there. And the biggest mistake I see is coaches throwing up a Facebook group and saying, like, I have a community with my clients group, right? So it's kind of like a checklist item, right? Because you added a Facebook group where you funnel those clients into you call it a community. But the truth is, it's likely in this is just because of what I've seen and heard. It's likely that that is not thriving in the way that you want it to write, it could be that people aren't showing up in the community. It's dead, right? They're not engaging with one another. They're not showing up and asking questions, they're not sharing their wins. And ultimately, that's really what that community should be for is like that, that holding container of have the joy and again culture of what you want your brand to represent and what you want people to feel when they're connecting to your brand. And so it's not good enough to just like start a Facebook group and put your claims in there. There has to be intentionality that goes into this. And some thought, What do you want your client community to look and feel like, okay. The truth is, most people, even though you might be a part of other communities, right, a part of other client communities, maybe you're in other masterminds, you're in other Facebook groups where you purchased a program or service. And you are familiar with it, right. But for the most part, your potential clients, your clients don't really know how to show up in a community like this. And so if you're not getting what you want from them, as far as how to engage or interact within that community, it's basically your fault.

Love to hear that, right. But truly, you are the leader. And that is where the responsibility comes from. And so I really want you to think about, again, the question of, what do I want my client community to look and feel like, and this should be an extension of the culture of your company. And if you don't consider yourself a quote, unquote, company, that's fine, right? Look at it as a personal brand is an extension of your personal brand values. But if you don't have that clarity there, right, then that's where there's going to be a huge gap. So you might have to take a few steps back and really do the groundwork here. Because if you're growing to multi six figures, even just 100k, but multi six figures, seven figures, these are the elements, these are the softer skills, the softer sort of, quote, unquote, strategies that again, people want to overlook. But when you have these freaking mastered, this will be the thing that scales you hands down. And so you might want to accelerate through this or overlook this piece or skip right by it. But the truth is, you cannot have like that notoriety and that thought leadership in your industry, without the culture piece, and without really being able to extend your brand through your clients. And so that's the first thing to do is really consider what is the culture of my brand of my company? And what does that look like as far as my client community goes? The other thing is to really think about what the expectations are of your client. Now, this also ties into your onboarding process, which I will talk about in my next episode. But expectations are super important. I think it's super fascinating how much and again, I'm I am definitely guilty of this. But it's so easy to assume that people know what to do when they come into your programs or services. Because you're in the weeds of it, you just write it, this is what you breathe. And so it's easy to overlook some of the most basic elements of what people need to know when they come into your program. And one of those expectations is how to leverage the community. Again, if you are not getting the results from your paid community, meaning people aren't showing up, they're not speaking, they're not engaging, it's because you haven't told them to do it. But most importantly, you haven't told them why it's important that they do it. Ultimately, everybody is in it for themselves. Even after somebody invests into you and your program, you still have to sell them on that next step, which includes right expectations of what they'll get if they maximize their success of the program and what that looks like. Tell them how to engage in that community. Tell them what the expectations are. Is there a hashtag system? Are there rules they need to follow? Are they supposed to be connecting with people behind the scenes? What do you want them to do? The expectations and the guidelines. Now, this is really important. One of the things that I was guilty of for the longest time when we see our clients falling into this is setting expectations or rules, but then bending the rules. I get it, totally guilty of this. But if you want a coaching program that's truly is scalable, right, you can bring volumes of claims into it. You can create a mass community within that. Without it needing to be a ton of time on your end. You will have to be super, super good and consistent at following your own rules. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you. People break their own rules all the time and it creates So, so much chaos. Let me give you an example. One of the things that happens is when you start to really grow an offer, and people are less familiar with how to really interact in a program or something even at scale, right, and they start, you know, coming into the Facebook group, but a lot of times what they'll do clients will send you a private message or send you a DM through Facebook. And while it seems so amazing, and oh, you just like we just want to over deliver, and, oh, it's okay, I can I can message them back. It's okay. Right? What happens here is we're breaking the rules, okay? Because imagine having hundreds of people on your program, and 10 to 20 of them think that they can just DM you to get answers, or they just want to chat or whatever. Again, this is not to say that we don't love our people. And I want you to love your people. And, again, this is no judgement for anybody that's doing this. But what happens is, when you break these types of rules, you end up burning out, and you end up breaking boundaries. And this will seep into you as a coach and a leader. Because if you're trying to meet everybody's needs, and you've basically given permission to somebody to get into your DMS, you're going to be spending a lot of time there, when you had the purpose of growing a coaching program where that is the container to get coaching, that is the container for people to learn from you. And it's not all these disparate systems outside of that, right? Oh, you can email me you can send me a DM that is not the point. Again, this is meant to protect your own boundaries as a coach as a leader, but to also set the parameters in place. People need to be told how to engage with you how to get coached, right how to leverage the community, and you have to hold true to those boundaries, or you will burn out, I'm telling you, I've been there. And it was so bad, I'm not willing to go back, I will do anything to not go back to that. And it sounds sort of cold or like sort of not white glove service, if you will, but one of our core parameters is white glove service. But let me tell you white glove service does not mean bending over backwards and breaking our rules. White Glove Service is creating a container where people feel heard and seen, they understand how to get what they need. And there's beautiful, beautiful boundaries around that people love boundaries, people love to be told what to do, because it gives them guidelines to operate under and when there's clarity there people succeed way more, I'm telling you, it might feel a little counterintuitive, it might even feel uncomfortable. Because you might be in a place where you are breaking rules. And you're perhaps sending personal messages to claims that shouldn't be getting personal messages, or you feel like you might be sort of answering all these incoming inquiries, which has you feeling tired and overwhelmed and burnt out. But I'm telling you, it's so worth it. If you can just live, like really create those confines for you and your clients, everybody will be so much happier. And so really, really thinking about what are the rules here? What are the expectations within the community and not breaking those. And so if you look in our 10k content galactic community, we have a hashtag system. So if people want questions answered, right, they use a certain hashtag, what this does is it's not to, again, like create this whole political system to follow. What it does is it allows us as coaches to quickly go in and have an organization system where it's like, we can just go in and answer questions, right. And this is, again, allows people to get that service that they desire without, like really spinning their wheels figuring out okay, I have a question. Now, what do I do with that? Right? They also know how to submit questions for live coaching every week, right? It's very clear on what those expectations are. Again, I'm kind of straying away from the community, but it's all tied under this idea of what are the rules of the community and how do you want people to show up there. Now, the other thing I want you to consider is what is the long term vision of this community, which is tied to your offer, right? So if you have a coaching program that you intend to move, you know hundreds of people through or even 50 the parameters you put in place and the culture you want to create, I want you to think with 50 in mind, or 100 Remote in mind, right? Whatever that sort of end goal is. That's how I want you to operate. A lot of times what we see is like if you're trying to scale an offer or coaching program, but you start out because it's smaller, right, because that's where we all start, we all start with something small a small community. But if the intention is to roll with it, you have to abide by your own rules. But the the procedures and processes that you put in place will be designed with the end in mind.

This doesn't mean you're less customized, this doesn't mean anything about the service that you provide is just meant to create the operational infrastructure to grow your income and impact. A lot of people aren't thinking long term, they're just sort of like this really ad hoc process, which again, goes back to this desire of just, you know, throwing up a Facebook group and calling into community. Always think with the longevity, like really think about this community with with long term in mind. And also consider that process that people come in, what is the first thing you want them to experience in that community? How do you want them to show up? Do you want them to introduce themselves? How can they get immersed into that community as soon as possible, because that is the thing that will again, hold them for life. People are going to come in, they're going to be super excited after they, you know, hired you or purchased your program. But that will die really fast. And it quickly can turn into buyer's remorse, this is just the natural buying pattern. And so in order to avoid that, get them plugged in, in your community. If done well. If your community is thriving, this is going to be one of their first impressions of you your brand your program, right? If they get access to say your portal or login to their curriculum, that's another point of first impression. But their community, the community is a living breathing thing of your program. And it can be the best best possible solution for them to plug into to really hold them as they're starting to navigate their next steps, which again, can be very fearful for people that are starting to change, right? Whatever you sell, whether it's health, or relationships, or business or marketing, there is a change element to that they know that they have to change themselves, they have to change a strategy, whatever in order to get the result. And that that piece is frightening for people, even when they say they want it. And so making sure that that living breathing thing can really hold them. And they're going to see all these other people really helping really like coming in and wrapping their arms around each other. And it can just be a life changer. So do not take this piece lightly. If I haven't already proven my case, that creating community within your client programs is like so important. I don't know what else to say. But the truth is, this can look and feel different for every program. A lot of times this is in, again, a Facebook group, right? But we use Slack for higher-tier mastermind. So the slack is sort of like the vehicle of community for that. But at the highest level, this goes into the culture, right? How are people able to connect with each other? How are they experiencing your brand, and this program at sort of that feeling vibe, and really think long term, I don't want you to think about your programs anymore as sort of this like it's just an a means to an end. I don't think that's what you want out of your business. And I don't think that's how you want to show up for your clients. Right? We like to think of our clients as clients for life. In fact, when they come in, they fill out a client for Life Survey, and we want to embed that from the get go in their brain of like we're in this for life with you. And so everything that we create has that in mind. So don't just slap up a Facebook group and call it a community really be thoughtful in this process and know that if you do a well Mian that we have ambassadors practically all over the industry shouting our names, because that we've done this so well, right they become sort of just walking billboards, if you will, for your for your programs. So I hope I've encouraged you. And I hope that this really inspires you to take a look at your claim communities and think about what that next version looks like. And if you are at the point where you're starting to really flush out your scalable offer in designing something that can pull a lot of people through right and want the client acquisition machine to bring people in at volumes. female founders board is definitely the space for you. It is application only We definitely don't accept everybody because it's a very, very special space. And so again, we'll include some info in the show notes for you here. But I hope you have such a great day and I will talk to you next time

Hey, you, thank you so much for listening. It's an honor to be able to pour into the hearts and minds of like-minded entrepreneurs all over the world. But my most favorite part is being able to connect with you in real life. If you love what you heard here, head over to the community where thousands of female CEOs, just like you are changing the world one human at a time. We go deeper into the topics we discuss here and give away tangible roadmaps to help you crush your revenue goals to join this high caliber free community head over tohttps://kinseymachos.com/community. A see you there