118: How to Get Clients Without Instagram as an Esthetician (Beginner Ads Strategy with Jana Bishop)

Posting on Instagram can start to feel like a second full time job, and the worst part is the fear that if we stop, the clients stop. We wanted a more honest conversation about what it looks like to grow a beauty business without living on social media, so we brought on Meta ads expert Jana Bishop to break down how Facebook ads and Instagram ads can create real breathing room, not just more noise.

We get practical fast: why boosting posts is tempting but usually overpriced, what the Meta Pixel (now often shown as a dataset ID) actually does, and how to start “testing” in Meta Ads Manager with only $1 to $2 per day so you can learn the back end without feeling like you’re lighting money on fire. Jana also explains how to stop attracting discount hunters by tightening your audience targeting and writing ad creative that speaks to buyers with the right habits and expectations.

Then we zoom out to the system. We talk lookalike audiences built from your existing client list, retargeting people who engaged with your Instagram, and a simple funnel that sends traffic to your profile so your content can nurture the relationship. We also dig into what happens after the click: making your bio clear, pinning a “start here” reel, showcasing your best before and afters, and thinking about lifetime value through products or follow up services. Along the way, we get real about visibility wounds, trolls, and why being yourself is often the most profitable move.

If you’re an esthetician or service provider who wants more bookings with less pressure, hit play and take notes. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s burned out, and leave a review so more business owners can find these strategies.

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Transcript

Instagram Burnout And The Real Pressure

Phe 0:34

She's lovely if she's so much information asked after anything. She's always available for me to message. If she doesn't make me feel bad about it, I just love working with her if she's just instead of working in my business.

Kari Jo 0:50

Okay, let me ask you this. Have you ever felt like you just needed a break from Instagram? Like you're tired and you don't feel like showing up anymore. But at the same time, you're like, if I stop posting, am I going to stop getting clients? Because let's be honest, that is a very, very real feeling. And to be honest, I too have felt that. There is this pressure to show up a certain way. There is a pressure on us to be on all of the time. There is a pressure on us to create content, even when we don't feel like it, even when it doesn't feel like it's truly us. And what we get into on this episode is that pressure. It's actually what is holding a lot of us back. Because the truth is you don't need to become someone else to grow your business, but you do need a system that's going to support you when you can't show up. And that's where this conversation got super interesting because I brought on an ad expert, not just someone who occasionally does some. This girl is an ad expert. And I came on and we started talking ads. And I had no idea that it was going to go in the direction that it went. So if you're someone who's like, I don't have the money to pay someone, but I actually want to learn how to do this right. And I also am just tired of being on social media all the time. Then Diana is the person for you. She actually knows what she's doing. But what hit me the most in this whole entire conversation wasn't just how ads work. It was the idea that ads can actually give you space, like real space to be yourself, to take a break, to not feel like your business has to disappear if you don't show up. And I don't even think a lot of people are even thinking about that. So if you've been feeling overwhelmed and you've been pulling back from social media, or you're just tired of feeling like you have to be on all the time, then this episode is going to hit different for you. So let's get into it. Anna, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I am like a huge fan of yours and also a client because I have bought your program. I've used it. You taught me so much. Like I didn't even know about testing. Like the whole like you got to test to figure things out. Like I was like, that's genius. I've been doing this wrong my whole life. So I'm excited to have you on the podcast. So welcome to podcast.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

Ah, thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

And I know like testing is such a nice thing to do when you start out with ads because then you don't feel like you're wasting money. You feel like you're actually getting something in return for what you're spending. So I love that you said that.

Kari Jo 3:46

Yes. So tell me, how did you get into ads? Like I want everyone to kind of know a little bit about you.

Jana’s Story And Why Ads

SPEAKER_02 3:54

And yeah. So well, I when my son was born, he had a heart defect. And um, the the doctor told me he couldn't be in any type of public child care. So no, like Mother's Day out, you know, nothing. Um, because we had to really keep his respiratory system healthy because of his heart. And so I was in this place where I was like, what am I gonna do to help supplement income? Like I can't, I can't go work. And so I actually started doing photography, and that kind of led me down this other path. Sometimes I think in life it's like the thing that leads to the thing. We just start something and then all these other opportunities unfold. But I kind of found my love in stock photography as a result, and I wanted to expand my audience because I was purely dependent upon organic posting. And as we all know, sometimes you kind of just reach a plateau with that. Like, well, what else? Who else am I gonna reach? How else can I get the word out about what I'm doing or selling? And so I remember I bought this little$500 ads course, and that was like all of my business savings at the time. I'm like, this has to work because I just invested all this money, and it was the longest training ever. It took like weeks to slog through it. And um, at the end, I started my first ad and I was hooked right away because I could actually start to see on the back end that my ads were reaching people beyond my current audience. And for me, it was just like magic. And so I really started to dig in. That's kind of my personality. I want to understand why is something working? How can I shortcut it, make it work faster and better? How can I make more money? And um, and so when COVID hit, I um was running ads for my business, and all of my friends were not working in their corporate jobs, they were at home, and they started reaching out to me and they were like, I've always wanted to do a side hustle. Can you help me set up ads? And I remember I was on a call with a friend and we set everything up in an hour, and she goes, I cannot believe you just set up my ads in an hour. And I was like, that's what I should do during COVID. I should start offering like hour-long Zoom calls and help people get their ads set up in an hour. Um, and so over time I did over 250 calls with women and men all around the world, helping them get their ads set up in an hour. And through that, I developed like a very specific process. Um, and we were moving through things so fast, and they were emailing me and saying, like, I'm making more money than I've ever made in my life. And uh, this works. So that's where I created Facebook Ads Boot Camp as a result of that. And from there, I've just started creating more and more DIY affordable courses that people can buy and like really start to understand like how ads work, but the way I teach it, you can move through it so quickly, you start to see results and then you're motivated to keep going. So that's just kind of everything in a nutshell of like where it started and then where it is now.

Kari Jo 6:58

That is so amazing. So, one of the things I think people get stuck on is they don't even know where to start. Where do we even start? What do we need to know? What should we not be doing when it comes to ads?

SPEAKER_02 7:11

Well, the first thing is I would say stay away from boosting posts, although that is so appealing. And that the app, you know, Instagram makes it easy to just click the little button, Facebook does too. But what we're seeing is that you're not able to get a really defined audience. And then on top of that, you're getting all these extra fees. So it actually makes running ads a lot more expensive. So the first thing would be um, if we're gonna just get like real basic, is look at your website. Where are you currently sending people to book with you? Where are you currently sending people where they can like get to know you? And just ask Chat GPT or even Google it, like, can I put the Facebook Pixel on this? So, whatever website or platform, just Google it. Can I put the Facebook Pixel on this? And if so, then what you'll want to do is get a pixel on there as quickly as possible. Even if you aren't running ads, you want that pixel there to kind of collect all the information of the people that are already interacting with you because later we can tell Facebook, Meta, to go and find people just like them. So you take your current client base, that's booking, that's viewing, that's doing all the things, and you allow Meta to get to know them, and then you can send out this like secret little message saying, Okay, now to find the people that are just like them in my area and send more people to me. So that's like the number one thing is to figure that part out. And then the second thing would be to really just set up a very cheap campaign in the ads manager, like on the back end where all the metrics are, and it's so overwhelming. I like to get people in there and I'm like, just budget like a dollar or two dollars a day because that's money that you can lose, right? And you just say, I don't even care if the ads fail. I want them to fail. I want to crash and burn magically. I want to, I want to have the experience of a lifetime because you don't care about that money. You're what you're doing is you're getting comfortable being on the back end of meta. And so that's where I like to get people to start because it's it can be so intimidating. But if you go like, I'm gonna spend 30 bucks this month just playing around with ads, it takes the pressure off.

Kari Jo 9:30

I love that because I learned a lot about actually just recently I was in the car and I'm like, I'm so overwhelmed with just a bunch of different things. And I was using Chat GPT, and chat's like, okay, we need to like just get you moving. And in order to get you moving, we got to break it down to the most simple thing, right? And so what I love and what I about what you just said is like we are thinking, oh my gosh, I'm gonna spend so much money on ads or what I'm and you're like, no, let's just get you started with a dollar a day and you're gonna learn from that. You're gonna move and and you're gonna figure it out.

Targeting Buyers Not Discount Hunters

SPEAKER_02 10:07

Yeah, it creates that momentum. And then when you start, the biggest win that you're gonna get in ads is just getting comfortable on the back end of Meta, making a few mistakes, and then going, okay, that wasn't so bad. You know, like when you kind of get in that comfort level and you're spending a dollar a day and you're playing around with different ads that you create, you feel so empowered. And it starts that snowball effect of like, okay, I just checked that off my list. Now what else can I do? And what's fun is, you know, as you begin to learn what all the different columns mean on the back end of Meta, you start to see like, oh my God, I got 180 visitors this week. Like, what? Where are they coming from? And then you can start to like dig in a little bit more and go, okay, of all those visitors, who's actually in my area? You know, and you start to understand, like, okay, how can I weed out the people that I don't want and really start to attract in the people that I do want? Um, so for instance, one of my favorite things is like set up of an audience of people that love luxury items. If you're not wanting to attract in people that are looking for a deal or that are wanting a discount or freebies, set up your audience to where you're only reaching out to people that have money to spend, especially in your industry, you know, skincare, all the things that come along with that, those are more of the high maintenance girlies. And so the easiest way to start to attract them in is be like, if you like luxury purses, you're gonna love my skincare line. You know, if you love this, you're gonna love me. Um, and so that really gives you a lot of control over where your ads are going.

Kari Jo 11:43

Yeah, and I do hear that all the time because I was just in a group chat and they were talking about how they're like, I'm running ads, but I'm just attracting all of these people that just want a discount all the time. So really what I hear you saying is it's kind of almost in the wording of like who you're attracting. Would you say that?

Pixels Metrics And Knowing What Works

SPEAKER_02 12:05

Yeah, yeah, it's gonna be two things. So in the back end of Meta and the ads manager, you can actually select an interest audience. And I like to teach people to do that first so they can understand all the ways that you can use meta ads. Um, but when you go in and you select that demographic or that interest of like they want luxury goods, they like luxury travel, you can even define it down to people that like to stay at the four seasons, you know. Um, when you can run an ad and understand exactly the type of like persona that you're reaching out to, the type of buying habits that they have, then your ads can speak to like, you know, that very thing. Like, do you have a vacation coming up? Get your skin ready. Um, so now you know you're attracting in people that like luxury resorts. They are about to travel and they want to look their best. So that type of client is normally gonna not worry about the price tag when they come in, you know, and so we we we start to steer according to the interest and the ad who you're actually talking to.

Kari Jo 13:09

Yeah. So how do you know? So, like, let's say we're like, okay, we we get the wording right and we post it. How do we know if our ads are actually working or if we're really just wasting money?

SPEAKER_02 13:25

Yeah, well, that's where the pixel comes in handy because it can really start to give back the information to Meta about who's visiting your site and how many of those people are taking action. And then on your site itself, there should be some way to track what um is coming in from the ads. So let's say that Meta's like, okay, you got five leads off your current ad. You should be able to see on the back end of your website or whatever platform you're using, like, oh yeah, I actually got four new clients this week, or I have four new people that have reached out. Um, you should be able to start to kind of match up and go, okay, now I can see that the ads that I'm running are, you know, produce these leads or produce these bookings. And now I can see that, okay, yeah, I got in some new clients this week or this month. Um, so it's kind of a combination of both. And the reason we want that Facebook pixel, that Meta's changed the name of it for so long. It was the Facebook Pixel, then it was the MetaPixel, now it's a data set ID, but it's the same thing. It's a little piece of code or numbers that goes from Meta to your website, and then it allows them to talk. So they become best friends all day long. Your website and meta are like, oh yeah, this person loves you. And then you can start to get the information you need to attract more people just like them.

Kari Jo 14:45

That is like probably the best kept secret that I think none of us know. Like, I don't even have to do the work to figure out who my ideal client is.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Like, let's just let Meta and my website do talking. And it and it gets even better because if you have uh a list, like a customer list, people that have already been and used your services, like if you have their name and their email address and their phone number, you can actually upload that to Meta and tell Meta, like, here's my current clients, and you can create a look-alike audience of those current clients, and then Meta can start to show your ads to them. So it's like, I know that's why I geek out so bad over this because like it's like the best kept secret, and most business owners don't know that you have this like secret weapon, and there's all these ways that you can legally, ethically reach people that you want to show your ads to. It's very powerful.

Client Lists Lookalikes And Retargeting

Kari Jo 15:44

Wow, no wonder why you have so many followers.

SPEAKER_03 15:49

Isn't it fun? It's like it's like you just unlocked a new level.

Kari Jo 15:56

Yeah, I'm like, this is like because every esthetician out there, they do have a client list. They all have the because when they come in, they got the forms. So we actually have because we're like in person, we have a list. So you're saying we could literally take all of our client emails, upload it. Am I uploading it into like a certain spot? And I mean, does it tell you where to upload it?

SPEAKER_02 16:20

Yeah. So there's two different places that you're gonna upload it. So in the ads manager, there's a a setting called audience settings. I think that's it. Meta is notorious for changing the names of things. So um, but there is like an actual setting that allows you to upload that list into your ad account. And what Meta does is it creates, it starts to understand more about what you do and who you attract, and it like literally starts to show your ads to people that are just like them. So that happens at the ad account level. And then when you're running ad campaigns, you can also select at the ad set level. And I know this all sounds like Greek because it's like all these different settings and things, but when you run your ads at the ad set level, you can create a custom audience, and you can create that custom audience off of all kinds of things. People that have followed you on Instagram, people you can create your CSV file, which is the name, the email address, the phone numbers. Um, you can do all kinds of custom audiences. Let's say you had a reel that went viral. Um, you could create an audience of people that watched that reel. Um, you can get laser focus on who you want to attract and target. So yeah, both settings, ad account and ad set.

Kari Jo 17:37

That's amazing. But what just happened in my brain? So if you can walk me through it because I'm like, this is so cool. I could do this email list and then like, oh, I have a violar one. That would be useful. And so and I'm listening, I'm like, oh my gosh, there's so much. But what's I'm feeling is I'm like, I'm over like where yeah, where to start first. What do I do first if I'm like, I want my ultimate goal? Is like I want clients because that's what they want, right? Everybody wants that. What what would be the best way to start? Or I guess I might have just thought and answered it for myself, but you can tell me, or I'm like, maybe if I'm trying to grow my Instagram, then I want my viral. Tell me what I would I should do. Help me out.

Set Up Traffic Ads To Instagram

SPEAKER_02 18:24

Yeah, absolutely. So let's say you're already familiar with the back end of Meta and you're in the ads manager. What you would want to do is there's a little green create button in the left-hand corner. You'd want to click on that. And then my suggestion would be actually, if you're okay, let me double check the setting on that. I can come back to it here in a minute, but it's either gonna be traffic or engagement. You're gonna set up that campaign, and then there's an option within one of those campaigns. And I'm like, like, I do it just automatically when I'm in there. So sometimes I forget. Um, but there is a setting in there that says you're gonna show a reel or you're gonna show an ad. And the the whole purpose of that campaign is to get people to follow you on Instagram. And so basically what's gonna happen is you're gonna start it for like a dollar a day, two dollars a day, and you're gonna take one of your best pieces of content. That's usually my favorite way to go. So if you have a reel that's gone viral, if you have something that really popped off and it'll allowed people to get to know you better, um, you're gonna use that piece of content. And the whole goal of what you're setting up is to get more people that aren't already following you to see your ad. And then when they click on it, Meta's gonna take them to your Instagram account and it's gonna basically give them the option to start following you. So that's one really good way, especially if you're really good at social, if you like to keep up with Instagram, if you like to respond to DMs, if you're constantly posting, that is a really good strategy, and that's so cheap. It's a great way to just get started. So if you want, I can actually check that setting real quick. Yeah. Let me see that real quick. I know I just set it up for a client yesterday and we've seen some really good results. But I set up so many campaigns for her. I'm like, which one was it?

Kari Jo 20:21

One of the things that I know is like we were talking about is it changes so quickly.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

It does. Okay, so it's a traffic campaign. Okay, and then what you're gonna do is when it says under conversion, so this is at the ad set level, there's a little option that says conversion, and you're gonna choose the option that says Instagram or Facebook, and underneath it it says send traffic to an Instagram profile, Facebook page, or both. And then under your performance goal, you're gonna maximize the number of Instagram profile visits. So that is just a really easy way to get started. So that the campaign will be traffic, the ad set will be what we just talked about, the Instagram visits. And then at the ad level, instead of creating an ad, you're gonna choose an existing post and you're gonna click on Instagram, and then you're gonna scroll through and you're gonna find that piece of content that you're like, okay, this represents me, this represents my brand. When people see it, they're gonna be intrigued, or they're gonna want to learn more about me, or they're gonna want to follow me. So that's where you use to get people on over to Instagram. And then once they're there, you can nurture them. You can also retarget them later. Remember, you can retarget anyone who's following you or anyone who has engaged with you on Instagram. So I like to also use content that is commonly saved. You know how when you're going through Instagram, you can click view insights on your reels and you can see how many people saved that reel. So, like last, well, probably at the beginning of April, I just filmed a reel really quickly in my car. And within an hour, I had 180. Saves on that. So that's an incredible reel for me. Yeah, because it was one of those things that gave people information on what's currently happening on Meta. So it's kind of a very current topic, right? Um, so a lot of people saved it because it was a longer video. They wanted to go back to it later. That's the perfect audience for me to retarget with my course, right? And so um, when you're in Meta, you can actually tell the meta itself. You can when you set up your campaign in the ad set level, you can tell it show this ad to everyone who engaged with my Instagram account in the last 180 days. And so the more saves that you get, or the more DMs you get, the bigger audience you have to retarget. So I know it's a lot, but it's so fun, isn't it?

Kari Jo 22:50

Yeah, it actually I can you make this sound fun when I don't think that it sounds fun. Actually, really cool. There's like, if you actually know what you're doing, this is this is really fun. So would you say like again, like the goal is to get clients so to get people to come to traffic to your Instagram first would be like the first, and then then running another ad after that to retarget all of the people on the site. Is that how you would maybe suggest the funnel kind of going in order to get new clients?

Growing With Consistency And Being Real

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Yeah. I mean, if you were active on Instagram, I think that's a great funnel because you're sending them to a place where they're seeing your current content, you know, they're seeing before and afters, they're learning more about you. So let's get your Instagram account healthy. Is your bio does it tell exactly where you're at? I can't tell you how many times I've clicked on a provider's Instagram account and I don't know where they're located. And I'm like, oh, I want to go see them. Oh, they're in Spain. Well, I can't. I'm not gonna go there. Um, so make sure right away that people know where you're at and they know that you're accepting new clients. So tell them new clients are welcome. I'm in Indiana, you know, like make it very clear that they are very welcome to book with you and make it easy for them to book with you. So, in your, you know, you have your top three grid, you have the the posts or the reels that you can pin. You're gonna have a start here reel that's the very first thing, and it introduces you. Hey, I'm Jana, and I would love for you to come in. I offer a variety of services. My most favorite or the most popular right now is microneedling, and we can get you started this week. You know, like make it really informative, make it inviting where they're like, okay. And then the next one, you're gonna be like, head on over to the next reel, and I'm gonna show you some really cool before and afters um with microneedling. Whatever it is that is your favorite thing or whatever it is that it makes you the most money, honestly, get that started. And then the third reel could be like people always ask me, how did they take care of their skin after they leave the office? I have a skincare line that I refer to people to all the time, and here's more about it. You're gonna see it when you come in my office. See how you just took them through a process on Instagram where they got to know you, they got to know the service that you love to offer, you know, or multiple services. And then if there's another way for you to make money in your sleep where they're not having to book with you, right? Skin care line, whatever it is that you offer that allows repeat clients without taking your time, you really want to maximize that. And so I often see people leaving so much money on the table because they're not thinking through the lifetime value of the people that are entering their Instagram world, right? We want to capture them in, we want to sell them on a service that we love and that makes money, and then we want to get them in on a consistent revenue basis with a product that we offer or another service that we offer. So if you don't have products, you could do another service, you know. Um, that is the best way to maximize what's happening when you're running those ads and sending people to Instagram. You're essentially allowing them to like enter your world and know exactly what to do. People want to be told what to do, especially when it comes to skincare, especially because you're hearing so many differing opinions when you're scrolling, right? I can scroll and hear that microneedling is amazing. And then the next reel is like micro needling is trash. You need to just focus on Botox, you know? Um, so when you find someone that is running an ad that speaks directly to you, that's in your area, and you're like, this girl is amazing. I want to book with her. And then you go to her Instagram account and she immediately tells you how to book, introduces herself, and then tells you how you're gonna keep your skin looking good long term. It's like magic, right? Yes. You just like brought them in as if I always kind of give the example of like, if you came to my door and I'm inviting you into my house, I'm gonna make sure you have a good experience. Hey, come on in. My house is gonna smell good. I'm gonna offer you coffee or water, I'm gonna host you. That's your Instagram has to host people. When ads are bringing them to your doorstep, open the door. Make sure they are feel welcome, make sure they know what's happening next. Do they know where to sit? Do they feel warm and cozy? Do they feel welcome? If your Instagram isn't inviting them into that, then they're gonna find someone else who is.

Kari Jo 27:19

So what have you noticed? Because in addition to like just knowing all the things ads, like you have built an amazing empire on your own, and you do have quite this social media following and things like that. What have you noticed on that has helped you grow your Instagram in addition to ads? Because we know you're that you're like the genius of ads. But like what have you seen as working and helpful? And I love those three tips that you just gave too about like how to set up your pin post because that is it is a story. You're like that. Was like a story. I loved it.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

Oh, yeah, it helps, right? Because when we're we want to think of our entire social media and business as like an ecosystem, everything needs to feed into the next. And so you don't want to run ads to something that falls flat. So the more that you can set up the entire experience for people, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, the the easier it is for them to like want you, you know, and that's the thing as a service provider. You want people to want you, they don't want anybody else touching their skin, they don't want anybody else, they want you. And so you create that crave and then they refer their friends, and like all of a sudden your ads are like just bringing in so much money because they want everybody wants you. Um, so I think with Instagram, um, in the beginning, I grew organically and I grew pretty quickly because I was offering something that was brand new in the in the I don't know, Instagram space. And I was doing stock photos specifically for Instagram. So I've always just kind of had a knack of showing up at the right place at the right time. I think it's that Aquarius energy in me, but um, I really grew because I was showing up consistently and I was responsive to people. So when they would leave a comment, I would reply. When they would send a DM, I would reply. And um, I think that just helped kind of create that like open experience. And I'd show up with makeup on and without makeup on. And I just tried to be very real. Um, and anytime I felt afraid to show up, I made sure I showed up that day. And sometimes I would really challenge myself. Like, I don't when um when stories first came out on Instagram, I was like, oh, I don't want to do video. I'm like the queen of stock photos, like everything's styled and like in its nice little order. And I gave myself a challenge to show up on stories for 30 days straight with no makeup on. And by the end of it, I was like, I don't give a shit. Like, hey, I'm Jana, come on in. And I grew so much during that time because all the ego went out the window, right? And so when you can begin to have that energy, I think people are attracted to it, especially with AI taking over. We're really craving that, like, are they real? Like, how are they gonna be? Um, and so the more that you can just show up as your authentic self, and some of that word is so overused, but especially in the service industry, especially when people want you, like show up as yourself, let your freak flag fly, be who you are, and you're gonna just when you have that freedom, you're gonna start seeing that like you get more and more bookings and they come in faster and faster because you're just showing up as yourself. Your following is growing because again, people want you.

Kari Jo 30:42

I can't believe you showed up with no makeup for I'm like, yes, that's what I need to do. Where's my filter?

SPEAKER_02 30:53

Because I know, right? And that was like the thing that was holding me back is I was I I had gained weight and I just wasn't feeling good about myself. And at the end of the day, I was like, screw all that. I have a business. I want to make money, I want to provide for my family, and I'm letting this get in the way, my ego, my insecurity. You know, I think we all have visibility wounds, like times and we've showed up and we felt rejected. Times that we put ourselves out there and it fell flat. And so the more that we can move past that, and ads really helped with that, honestly, because the internet isn't known for being kind. You know what I mean? And as I started running ads and my Instagram account was growing, like I attracted all kinds of trolls. And what's the number one thing they want to attack? They want to attack how you look, they want to attack how you're showing up. Um, and so when I dismantled that and just went, whatever, I mean, okay, I'm showing up without any makeup on. What you're gonna come at me now? Um, I started to feel even more free to be visible and put myself out there. And you'll you'll notice when you just take the deep breath and allow yourself to do that. I'm not saying you have to show up without any makeup on. I'm saying like whatever the fear is that's holding you back, whenever you just face it and go, okay, let me slow down and take a breath and know that at the end of the day, the number one thing here is that I'm showing up in my business and social media and ads are a way for me to do that. And I'm safe and I'm okay. And if someone leaves a mean comment, I can delete it, I can move on, I can look in the mirror and go, yeah, you have wrinkles. Welcome to the club. You know, like we start to be more gentle with ourselves and money just starts to flow in because we're removing all those barriers that kept it before. Because we were like, no, no, no, I don't want to be seen, I don't want to be judged. I don't, you know, and that's the very thing that keeps us slowed down in our business and our life. And so I I think ads have been magic for me because it it kind of forced me to put myself out there in a way that I had never done before. And then when I saw the money coming in, I was like, oh, this is fine.

SPEAKER_03 33:04

You know what I mean? Yeah, okay, you can make fun of me. I'm gonna go buy a new bag.

Ads As Space During Hard Seasons

SPEAKER_02 33:10

Yeah, have fun, you know, like it starts to like you, you just start to see the results in a different way and it's it's it becomes fun.

Kari Jo 33:18

Oh my gosh, yeah, that was actually really motivating and something that I needed to hear because I kind of took a little bit of break from my own Instagram for a while. And I just kind of, I don't know, just I think I was overthinking it. Like I I think I was overthinking it because I was like, I am selling to be the beauty filled. You know what I mean? And I have to like look good or I can't go on Instagram. But like if I'm being true to who myself is, yeah. When I was all when I had my business, I dressed up and I looked like a million dollars because I was trying to sell whatever, you know what I mean? But now that's just not who I am. And there's this whole like mindset I was kind of like, but I feel like I needed to be that other person. And so I never wanted a post because I'm like, but I'm like casual now. Like I'm and so and I do think that kind of hindered my growth you were saying, because I'm like, I gotta be true to who I am. So I really appreciated what you just said. And I know that there's other people probably listening that are like, yeah, I'm in the same boat.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Oh, aren't we all? I mean, like it's just I love social media and I love Instagram and I like make that part of my daily gratitude. Like I'm so grateful for these platforms that have allowed me to create the life that I have, right? But I also understand that in that there are things that I have to overcome in order to continue using them. As I get older, I feel like everything speeds up, technology speeds up, and I'm like, okay, hold on. I gotta catch up. Um, but we can so easily feel the pressure of showing up a certain way instead of just going like, this is a tool I can use. And what suits me? What business do I want to create? How do I want to show up and how can I do it consistently? And you'll start to attract in the people that are really cool with that vibe. You know, um, I can show up any way I want. I give myself the freedom. Um, if I'm driving and I have an idea, you know, sometimes I'll park in whatever parking lot is close by and I'll just hop on and share the idea. And I don't always look my best or even feel my best. But um I think, and I I have like let my Instagram account go too, girl. So don't feel like I'm sitting here going, I post three times a day. What's your deal? Um, I've had like like last year was probably one of the worst years in my life, and I had a really hard time showing up on social media, and that's where ads helped me because I was able to like repurpose old content, use ads to attract people to my offers. Um, so I've seen like the beauty of ads, even when we hit those rough patches, because we can't always show up. We we have to give ourselves the freedom to go. I might, I might need a break. And if I do, I'm gonna take it. Um, and so that became another reason in the midst of that. I was like, oh my God, I'm so glad I know how to run ads because while I'm back here taking a breather, people are still seeing my ads and still buying from me. So I know I kind of deviated there, but I feel like the pressure, the pressure to show up can sometimes overwhelm us to the point where we lose focus of like, oh no, social media is actually a gift to us in our business, you know.

Kari Jo 36:34

Yes. Well, I mean, you probably didn't even notice, but I like started to tear up just like a minute ago because I was like, Yes, I feel hurt. I feel seen, you know what I mean? I feel like because that isn't the part that anybody's talking about. Do you know what I mean? And so I can see how valuable ads are because I think we do need that break sometimes. And how magical it is if you could just be like, I need a break, but like have those ads running and take the time that you need.

SPEAKER_02 37:09

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, especially for people in your in your industry because you are showing up and you are taking care of clients and there becomes a relationship there. They're not just there to get their skin done. Sometimes they're they've had an awful week and they want to feel pretty and they're trusting you to help bring out that side of them that they feel is lost or they feel they can't tap into, you're the one doing that. So you're having it's an energy exchange, right? So if you're doing that, and then on top of that, you're feeling like you have to post, it's very easy to feel so drained. So looking at your business as a whole and going, okay, what's something that I know I need to do that I can kind of remove the pressure on? So if you're like, okay, I need to show up consistently on social media, but I don't want to create new content, ads are a great way to kind of fill in that gap. Um, so that way you're not having to feel so tapped out all the time, you know? Um I have a lot of compassion for that because I feel like anyone in your line of work, hair, skincare, you're dealing with the person's energy when they're coming in and um you're giving a lot in in return. So I can see where social media would also feel like another, it could feel like a vampire, you know.

Courses Membership And Getting Support

Kari Jo 38:25

Yes. And you're most of us were women, most of my women. And it's we are everywhere. Give us a break. And so I think what I have what I really resignated with you is like ads can provide this break, which that for me was like a hit. Yeah, you're like, oh thank God, okay, finally. Well, I want to know. So I know that my listeners, well, first I've taken your course and it's magical and it literally breaks things down. And just like you're listening to this episode right now, you're like, that makes so much sense. Oh my goodness. When you take the course, let me just verify. I've I've taken it. It's magical because it's like makes so much sense. And you walk it through. But tell my audience, how can we find you? How can we buy this course?

SPEAKER_02 39:25

Oh, you're so kind. Thank you. Um, you can find me on Instagram, that's where I'm the most active, and it's at the Jana Bishop. And I'm not trying to be snotty there. Someone else had taken Jana Bishop, and the only other option was to put the in front of it. So that's so you can find me there. And then um, I think I have a few courses out. Um, I'm assuming, did you probably take Facebook ads boot camp? Was that the one that you heard? Yeah. So that's still available. I will say that I haven't updated it because the user interface on Meta has changed so much in such a short amount of time. But it is still a good course in order to just kind of break down where to click, what order to run your ads in. And it's just a very gentle introduction into that process. Um, I also have MetaMatch, which is my new course, and it closely models the Facebook ads boot camp uh process, like kind of a one, two, three where you set up three campaigns, you do it in a certain order, you learn how to test and retarget. But that one focuses in on how to set up your ad creatives to speak to your ideal audience in order to really start to weed out the people that you don't want and bring in the ones that you do. So I would say both of those are a great place to start. And I mean, total, if you were to buy both of them, it's under$200. So I try to keep all my courses at a very affordable level. I always say it's kind of like a buffet, like you can just come in and pick and choose what you want and leave the rest. I don't like to create those mega courses that like drain your energy and your wallet. Um, I'd rather you just go, oh, I want to learn that and then go and get it.

Kari Jo 41:08

Yes. And do you still have um like afterwards when you take the course, like a master group or like I do, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

I have a membership and I set that up so it's basically a cohort for all of 2026, and people are welcome to join at any time during the year. Um, and we have three, two or three weekly calls. I'm in there, I do two calls a month where you can come in and I'm it's supposed to be two hours. I mean, we've spent like hours on the calls because I go through everybody's questions, I look at their ads, I look at their accounts, we get everything set up and make sure they're all good to go. So, um, and then I have Eliana, she's one of my coaches. We work together for years. She leads two calls a week, so you can go on. And I call her the metrics maven because she can look at the metrics and go, this is what's wrong. Like it's it's literally how her mind works. I'm like, I don't know, girl, but I love it.

SPEAKER_03 42:03

Like she's she is really good.

SPEAKER_02 42:06

Um, so that's a great place to get like the ongoing support, and then just the the community of people that are running ads and get it. And everyone is so helpful. I always am like, how do I attract in like the best people ever? I don't know, but I'm grateful for it. And so the membership is very small, but um, that is a great place to go and get help if you need it.

Kari Jo 42:27

Okay, awesome. Well, thank you so much, Jenna, for coming on more. Like, I just love learning. I didn't, I actually thought ads are like the worst thing to talk about, but like you actually made this conversation so much. I'm like sold. I'm like, let's start running ads, everybody.

SPEAKER_02 42:46

Do it, do it. You know, give yourself that budget, a dollar a day, two dollars a day. Go in and F it up. Like, like it's like just go in and make every mistake possible for the first month. Enjoy it, have fun with it, laugh at yourself. Like I literally just do that, and then um ads will be get, they'll just become fun. They're just gonna like the the pressure will go away and they'll become fun.

Track Your Numbers And Next Steps

Kari Jo 43:10

Yes, I love it. Well, thank you so much for coming on and we'll see you both next week. Before you go, I want to leave you with this. Ads are just terrific. But if you don't understand your numbers, then you're not gonna know if it's actually really working. And that's where most estimates can get stuck. They're spending money, they're posting content, and they have no idea where the breakdown is. So if you are serious about growing your business, you have to, you have to start tracking your numbers. I put together a really simple tracking guide for you. This is what I teach my clients in the very first day because it shows you exactly where your leak is. You can download it in the show notes. But once you start tracking, if you actually want help reading it, knowing what's not working. Then apply for a business audit and we'll walk through your numbers together and we will figure it out. All right, I'll see you next week on another Esthetician podcast. Bye, guys.

Announcer 44:10

Thank you for listening to the Esthetician Podcast with Carrie Joe Patterson. Each week, Carrie brings you real-world lessons on how to grow your empire. To learn more about Carrie's fearless prosperity mastermind group, one on one VIP coaching opportunities, and more, visit www.caryjopatterson.com. That's www.karijopatterson.com. See you next week for more insights and strategies on the Esthetician Podcast.