Stop Being Professional and Start Being Weird with Amber Petty

What if being weird in your marketing could actually make your business more fun, easier, and even more profitable? That’s what this episode is all about with writer and weird marketing maven Amber Petty.

In this episode:

2:19 Embracing your weird in business and why it's easier than faking it
5:19 Expertise vs. professionalism and letting go of outdated "shoulds"
8:07 Why standing out with your real quirks attracts your people
13:59 Authenticity vs. weirdness and what actually resonates online
26:06 How Amber's "weird" Facebook ads bring in thousands of leads

Hang out with Amber:
amberpetty.com/revenue
instagram.com/ambernpetty

Hang out with Deanna:
deannaseymour.com
jointheplayhouse.com
instagram.com/thedeannaseymour

🪩 Check out The Playhouse: A networking community for creative business owners at jointheplayhouse.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:22

What if being weird while marketing your business can make you more money and make your business feel easier and more fun? Well, my guest today has some amazing ideas on why this might be something you want to explore. And in case you're new here, you're listening to my series called Cool People Doing Cool Things. I'm your host, Deanna Seymour, collaborative growth strategist and founder of the Playhouse, where networking is actually fun. Today I'm hanging out with my friend Amber Petty. She's a writer slash weird marketing maven who's helped hundreds start businesses, grow their email list, and get published in places like Huffington Post, Business Insider, and the New York Times. All right, let's get to it. Hey Amber, how's it going? It is going great. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to hang out with you again. I feel like when's the last time we actually talked to each other, like two. I was gonna say in person, but we're like on two, but it's close enough. Whatever.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Year I mean literal years for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

I know. Um, okay. And so I'm just gonna tell the listeners that you sort of came back into my consciousness. I mean, you've never left. You're always the person who whenever I see Snooky, I'm like, I know Amber Petty, who wrote her blog way back when. I you are you are basically Snooky in my mind now. Wow, great. I'm happy to live in that that place in your heart. But um you are popping back up in my world because I've been on Instagram more recently. And you've been on Instagram more recently, even though neither of us really like love social media and are like into it that much. Um, and also I don't know, it just popped in my head and it's like out of order, but I was just realizing that you were on my very first ever podcast series, the F That series. Yes. Oh, that was your first one? Yes. My very first one. I think it was in 2021. I think so.

unknown 2:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Oh we've known each other. You've been, you're one of my original, my OGs from my online business experience that I still love. And not all the OGs have made it. I mean 2020. Um, and so I want to talk to you today about how you're showing up online. And I feel like you've been using the word weird a lot in your marketing. Like this summer, you're doing the weird sisterhood summer, and you are sort of teaching people to embrace their weird and the weirdness way. And I was instantly like, okay, well, you're kind of can you come back on to be a cool person doing cool things? So let's just dive in. I guess I want to talk about. I mean, I feel like maybe have you always embraced your weird? Like in my mind, I mean, I guess I've known you since 2021. And I'm like, you girl, you've been weird to me since 2021. So have you always been weird? So I've definitely always been weird my whole life.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Absolutely. Ask my classmates throughout school. So I definitely always have been. And then there's been and and it's always shown through, you know, I'd never fully went away, but definitely, like I I was an actress originally, and definitely in that stuff, there was much more of a like, well, I need to like create a package or my ideas can't be too much. And just generally, even as a person, I did feel like uh toned down, always toned down, because I didn't want to be too much or too whatever, you know, and that just felt like that will that will lead to a further lack of friendships, if that's even possible. Um, so the first time that it was like really consciously put out there is a little bit as I started freelance writing and stuff for sure, but you're still writing for other people. But as I did start my business, it was coming from a place of, well, you know, I don't want to do business in a boring way. I'd worked as a copywriter for some people, and I don't love doing client work like that. So it's like, well, I get to say whatever I want now. Hooray. And so I just did. And so, uh, so yeah, so definitely how I spoke in my emails and stuff like that was just very much how I am. And if I'm referencing The Simpsons or swearing or using a Little Mermaid quote as a subject line, which I've literally used, that's gonna happen. I use pinup photos for my first photos, not saucy ones, but just like very retro pictures. Cause like I liked those and I had them. Yeah. So it was out of almost this, it was out of desire and necessity. So desire too, of course, I want to just say it my way, but also like it's faster to just be myself. If I've gotta create a whole persona for you, that's gonna make business 400 times harder. And so why don't I skip that part and trust that uh whatever professional is like the trust in my expertise will shine through. And if it's not professional enough for people, great. Like I wasn't for them anyway. So that was always there in my business. And then I've I've had lots of ups and downs with it. Again, I've never seemed super corporate or like that's never happened. But I have gotten through times where it's like, well, I need to do it this way, or well, now I gotta do this thing. Like I have gone through periods of that, and more and more I've always found the more you just lean into what is interesting and different to you, the more it's easier for you, you get better results, and uh, and you get more business. It's always the better way, even though it's often the scarier way and feels wrong. Every single time it's been better. So it's still a process, but born weird, certainly.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Oh my gosh. Okay, so three things I wanna jump into that you just said. You like just dropped a bunch of bombs. Good bombs, not like bad bombs. Good. Um the idea of expertise versus professionalism. I was like, ooh, such a good point. Like people, I think it's almost like everything you said, okay. I'm gonna name all the three things that jumped out at me, and then we're gonna like sort them and pick them up. Yeah. That one plus you saying it's easier. So while you were talking about it being easier, I was thinking, yes, oh my gosh, business is kind of hard. Like, there's a lot of things you're thinking about, like pricing. Uh how do I launch this? Like, how do I write a sales page? How do I do all these things? So if you're also figuring out like how do I need to speak, how should I look, like what outfit should I wear when I record a reel? Like, that's just adding to the mental load that's already a log. Yeah. So I love that. And then oh my god, I knew this was gonna happen. I was like, three whole things I'm supposed to remember while you're talking. Um I think I was just thinking about using it was um it was easier. Oh, it was it was um more effective. Like it's scary because you're like, oh, but if I'm weird, less people are gonna like me. So it feels counterintuitive to be like, don't, don't be too weird because like, yeah, uh Amber, that sounds cute and all, y'all are weird, but like if I'm weird, like you even made some references to like I would have less friends or I would like like you know, oh god, less people, I'm just gonna let my weird flow feels counterintuitive to like it feels completely counterintuitive.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

And because classically, in your life, most likely, definitely in mine, uh, if you're a person who's a little bit weird, uh, and and weird is always a good way in in my book, or at least how I'm talking about it, but um, you were made fun of for it. And like you'll be made fun of again, you know, you will get comments. Um but it was a thing that very much felt unsafe. But the thing that's cool is coming back to this as an adult in very different circumstances, being on the internet where you're putting out your own stuff, is actually the fact that that's what people picked on you for just shows how good and interesting it is. Because it showed, hey, without even trying me just being myself, I stood out from the crowd. And in school or in a shit, stupid job or whatever, like uh people were threatened by that or didn't like it or whatever, you know, dumb people do. And so then they picked on you, or people are scared to be different, so they didn't want to associate with that. Well, now on the internet, all we want to do is stand out naturally, and we've got to differentiate. Yeah, that's our whole point. That's the whole hardest thing to do. And now instead of playing to this tiny pool of people where you're like one of 10 or one of 30 or one of a hundred, even, and so it's scary to be different, you're one of billions, and you're absolutely gonna find those same people coming to you desperate to see, oh my god, thank you for actually acting this way. So it is scary. It is still even scary for me because it's not what people naturally do. But it is, even if, even regardless of the results, even though it always gets better results, more followers, more everything. Even without that, it it's you like taking back a moment of your life where people picked on you or made fun of you, and then literally reclaiming it and being like, I'll actually make money from this. This is actually what makes my whole business run. I will get followers all it's just beautiful revenge. I know, spite. Yeah, it sounds mean, but I love it sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

I like it. I'm just gonna giant middle finger made out of dollar bills, like hundred and dollar bills.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Yeah, it's like a middle finger and it like heal heals a little part of you. Not, I'm not a therapist, but you know, it does help kind of just in a light way at the very least, go, hey, that thing that probably subconsciously has kind of held me back. I don't have to be scared of that anymore. So it is this rare form of marketing that is helpful to your business goals and is also just helpful for your human life. Of like, oh wait, maybe I can't just act how I want to act. So I'd certainly never, I mean, before I got into marketing, I thought marketing was horrible. I was like, this is the worst in the world. I don't want to promote myself. I was like, oh my God, what a nightmare. And then in the end, it's been like, oh, it's actually where I've been most fully expressed as a person and like healing those old wounds of the kid who nobody liked. So certainly didn't think marketing would bring that about, but it actually does when you let it be creative and interesting to you.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Yeah. Well, I think we also think of marketing as being like fake and like a salesy, and we have to like put on a front to like market yourself. But you're saying the more you are real, the easier it also becomes, just in feeling like, oh, I have to market myself.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Exactly. Because what um is one is that sort of, and so the reason I don't say like be yourself or be real or be authentic as my main terms is that can be just so hard to define for yourself, you know. Like, I don't know. I've got a little different different people in my brain. So I'm like, which one uh is the real me? You know, there's like a lot of and then be real. Well, I am real, but am I being real enough? So that's why I use weird simply because everybody in your own head and body has a definition of what that means to you. So yeah, if I if I'm just even saying be weird, that might not be helpful. But if you have a, hey, I have a post, I have an ad, I have something, and I go, what's the weirdest way you could do it? You will naturally think of something different. And it's going to naturally be very different than what everybody else does. Because when you say be authentic, we still see people kind of perform that the same way. Because it's hard to just suddenly be honest and sell something and talk to a bunch of strangers online. But like being weird, just I find it lights up that creative center of your brain instead, which is where you are real and authentic in you. So it's kind of a shortcut to get to that to me.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Um, okay, I'm gonna tell a quick story about authenticity. Yeah. So back in the beginning of my online business journey, I joined this course with a famous um podcaster. I was gonna like maybe make up a rhyming name. Like her name was Shmema Schmucher. We'll just call her that. Um I don't know who that could be. I don't know, who knows? No cease and desists coming my way. No, not for Shmema. But I got on a Zoom call with her and I was like, oh my god, this is amazing. I get to ask this, this amazing business lady a question. And so I asked about being authentic because she was very different, like on her podcast, in her video, like than when she was like being real with us. So I was like new in business, and I was like, wait, what you keep talking about authenticity, so like what's real? And her answer was like, Well, I feel like you can be authentic in many different ways, like you have different ways of presenting that to different people. And I just remember being like, What are you talking about? And now I'm like, Oh, you just have a brand voice, and then you were like on a call with it. Like it was just a bunch of like word salad, which now I'm like at tracks. But um, so I like that you're like not using authentic, because I think authentic is like like what is that even now? Is that word salad? Like, so weird, I also feel like weird to me. Tell me if this is true for you. But maybe it's because you're saying everybody has their own weird. Like, to me, weird is definitely gonna push it to funny. Like, if if I did something and you were my coach and you said, How can you make it weird? I would take it and get like silly, you know. And but maybe someone else would like, I don't know, get different visuals or different color palette, or like how would they make it weird?

SPEAKER_02 14:36

Yeah, it's gonna be very different. Cause with weird, that's where I don't mean like make it don't again, you don't be performative with it. It doesn't have to be like wacky and crazy unless that's how you already are.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Like, which is why mine is like, be silly.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

Like, I'm just like, oh, let's get weird. And mine tends to be more on that dramatic scale. But for some people, it's, you know, even I have like a client who's a psychiatrist, and being weird partially was just talking like a person. It was like, oh, what if I just said it like that, you know, or she wanted to make stickers to give to her clients, you know, and it's like, oh, but that's I don't know if that's professional enough, blah, blah, blah. It's like, why wouldn't it be? Coming back to expertise, it's like the fact you are a doctor shines through. You clearly know what you're talking about. And you don't need to be a doctor to have that level of expertise. Likely anybody who's listening to this, you're smart and good at what you do. Probably you're taking 10 more classes than you need to take. Um, I certainly do. But like that's and that's okay. You know what you're talking about, and that shines through. Um, and the professionalism in quotes thing is just old. I mean, it's just old. And so, yeah, if you were trying to apply for certain jobs, maybe they'd want that, but you're not. That's why you're that's why you're doing this. You don't have to put up with that anymore. So, uh, so yes, for me, so weird is different for each person. Sometimes weird just means, oh, I'm like, but I'd like, I'll do a little more of like tarot because I really love it and I use it with my clients. It's like, yeah, then you can use that. Or I want to be really quiet, or I don't want to say anything of myself. Great. One woman uh was an artist, she didn't want to do um process videos. Everybody said, Oh, just you know, film while you're working. And she just really hated doing that, but felt like she had to. And I was like, no, just just show pictures of your art, show a drawing you made first, show, show anything. A pro you don't have to make a process video. So her weird was it wouldn't anybody else wouldn't go, whoa, that's crazy. But to her, it was like, oh, that's what I wanted to do. It felt different, but now this feels more natural and flowy and easy to me.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

Yeah. I mean, it's almost like in this instance with like the doctor using regular language, it's almost like in that world, speaking in just normal English and making um these stickers is weird in that world. Like if you're in a bumper sticker world, you're doing whatever. Like, yeah, it's almost like, do you know what I mean? Like it, like I love that you're saying it doesn't have to be quote unquote weird.

SPEAKER_02 17:15

Like you're not saying put uh baby doll parts on everything or a skeleton or need to get like a generic whi-hat and like dance around or whatever. Uh I'm realizing I've like keep forgetting my age of like, wow, lots of people won't even know what I'm talking about. But that's okay. You can look up a generic Y hat. It's the Dr. Susa. Um, so anyway, but yeah, I mean I do I do now put skeletons on myself, but you don't have to do that, you know? Yeah. That is not that is not what I mean. It's for everybody else. So that's why I like it because I feel like it fits your own personal context, it fits whatever industry. And I just find at nowadays, be yourself, be real, be authentic. Because we've seen so many examples of people like Shmema be performatively authentic that it's hard. And then again, because you're likely an overthinker if you're listening to this, I bet. Then we're like, oh, but is it real or is it too real? And can I, you know, and it's like what's just a little bit weird that's gonna shortcut and make it more fun. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Would you agree also that the way you're speaking about weird also should when if someone's listening and they're like, okay, I'm gonna embrace this, when they start thinking, like, how could I make it weird? It should also feel a little bit easier. Like, it feels like all the examples you gave, those people feel a sigh of relief. Like, thank God I don't have to make those process videos. Thank God I don't have to use the fancy words, I can just speak how I want to.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

Yeah, it should feel easier and it should feel a little bit exciting, maybe slash slightly scary. Like the initial feeling should be, oh, that's easier and fun. And then you might have a hint of, oh, is that okay though? But it's weird. Like, but I might be weird.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Yeah, but people might think it's weird. Like people also, maybe even like instead of the classical, like weird definition, like the scary part might be, but people might think it's weird. Exactly. Other artists might think it's weird, other therapists might think it's weird. Yeah, other marketers might think I'm weird. Um I love that. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

Yeah. And I use the word weird on purpose because there are some people that do not like that label at all, would not resonate with that, and so good. I'm not gonna be very helpful to them. So it naturally so that's that's another reason where it's like it's okay if what you do is literally repellent to some. That just means the people that are attracted are attracted all the harder.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

So yeah, yeah. And I just want to share a quick anecdote that might be related. Before we hopped on this call, I was talking about what I saw, something I saw in the stuff I've been seeing of yours where you um used the craft, the movie The Craft, which again, we're old, you gotta Google it. Just kidding. Google So you have to Google Jameer Kwai and the craft. Um, but the line is like, we are the weirdos, Mr. Yeah. And I right away was like, oh my god, I love Amber. This is great. This is so funny. I love this weird stuff she's doing. Like, I love her using weird. And we were talking about too, how sometimes when people, when you do things like that and reference things that are maybe weird or like in your own little world, like we're admitting it's in our um yeah, pop culture past, and maybe some people aren't gonna get it, but um the people who get it like love it, and the people who maybe don't get it, we were saying kind of just like skip over it. Like it's not a yeah, not a huge deal for them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

So it's because I would say if somebody's like, we're the weirdest mister, oh, I don't what I'm not weird, I don't like that. Good. Okay, you're gone. And then if somebody's like, oh huh, we're weird, that's cool. Like they did don't get the reference, but they still get the context. And then yeah, for people that are like, ah, yes, of course I want to be a witch for the craft. Yeah. Um, Nancy was the best witch, actually. Uh, you know, then they don't have to say that per se, but like it's just a more immediate connection, which is all we want. And again, for me to reference pop culture stuff is just how I am. You know, it's like I just love TV and movies and stuff. That doesn't mean you have to do that, but that also means, hey, if you want to put a reference to an astrology thing, a tarot thing, a book thing, put it in there.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Like if people even if it feels like obscure, because it's almost like the payoff is even bigger if it's like super obscure and they get it. And if they don't get it, they probably don't care.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Super quick example of not of not pop culture, but like in one of my ad videos where I talk about using how you get bullied, you know, for your marketing and stuff. Um, I talk specifically about getting made fun of when I was 11 for not shaving my legs and not getting invited to Stephanie's party. And I use those specifics specifically, one because they stand out in your brain more, but then it's so funny to see people like, I was 11 when I was made fun of. I was invited to Stephanie's party. They even had a Stephanie around the same age. So it's like, so and then there's tons of other people where the specifics don't match, but they're like glued into the story more by the specifics. So even yeah, even if I didn't explain a Jamaicoi hat for the people that remember that or just picture it immediately and get it. And everybody else is like, I assume it's a weird hat.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

So yeah, you know, yeah, like within the context, they get it.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

Yes. Oh my gosh. I mean, I hired my accountant because she did a reel with uh teen witch, like top that, top that rap. And I was like, oh my god, I love this person. Who is it? And Then I did her little QuickBooks court, like I got on her email list. And then she had the expertise.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

That I was like, Oh my God, you did that, and you're smart. Will you do my taxes and my bookkeeping? Yeah. Being funny. There's a bunch of money. Like I pay it. She's probably the person I paid the most money to in my business.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

And she's doing taxes, right? Where you would definitely think, no, but I've got to be serious and I've got to show. And like for tons of people, they're like, I've got serious at the wazoo. I can see a million serious people and I don't get them and blah, blah, blah. So she comes out with top that, and you're like, oh, maybe I won't feel weird with you. Maybe I'll feel like you can understand me. And this whole different audience she reaches instantly.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

Because I mean, I kind of assume, yeah. And I assume like basically every accountant can do accounting and bookkeeping. But who knows all the words to the top that rap? Callie. Just her.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

From Radical Profits Club. Yeah. Cause like that's why professionalism is just a facade. And then the expertise is real. You actually know what you're talking about. And the more you talk like you do and let that out, that shines through brighter. You can trust people will get that. Um, I'd say, especially for your listeners. So the weird never takes away from it, it just draws attention uh from the right people.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Well, and we've probably already, I mean, I've hired people who looked legit. And when I worked with them, I was like, oh, I could have done this. Like, I know just as much about that topic as you. I thought you were like really gonna kill it on this topic, but I kind of knew some stuff about that topic already because they looked legit and professional. Yeah, like so, like you're saying, the expertise is I don't know. In a way, I almost feel like that can be faked, but the weirdness can't be faked.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

Weirdness exactly you're hard to fake. Yes, but you're exactly right. Authenticity can be faked, professionalism can be faked, expertise can be faked. Weirdness cannot be faked, and because your expertise is real, it's gonna pair with your weirdness fine. It's not gonna take away from it, but that's why, because weird is different for everybody. So even Deanna, Deanna's weird is gonna be different than mine, even though we're both similar and colorful and all that stuff. Hers is still gonna look totally different from mine. Um that's good. That is the whole point. Because that's one thing where you know, it's like, yeah, I have the weirdness way, which is like a structure for marketing and a way to like bring that out of you, but it is never like it's my structure, it's Amber Petty's like way to do it. Like, I'm just helping you. Yeah, it's a structure to help you uncover this of your own because we've covered layers and layers of this for years, and so uncovering it sometimes takes time, but it's always based on your most interesting creative way to be.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Yes. Okay, I want to get to this because we're talking about expertise and professionalism and how this works, and you are also running Facebook ads. And so in my mind, for some reason, I'm like, ooh la la, Facebook ads means you're like looking at numbers. So automatically I'm like, this is real. Because I I guess I'm interrupting myself and I'm aware and I'm working on that, but I swear I'm gonna get back to what I was saying. Um I think sometimes like me talking about fun, you talking about weird people can be like, oh, that's cute, but I want a real business. And like they don't really, they kind of hear it and they're kind of like, okay, yeah, we are supposed to repel some people. Like, I get what you're saying about authenticity, but there's still like I don't know because I want a real business. And so when I think of Facebook ads, I'm like, okay, you're putting money into this, you're looking at a dashboard, there's numbers, there's click-through rates, there's conversion rates, there's that feels to me like real business. So I I was like, all right, Amber, let's talk about your success with your weird Facebook ads. In case anybody listening isn't already completely um convinced that weird is the way to go, um, talk about your experience with Facebook ads.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

But yeah, totally. It does sound like, oh, that's cute, but I I wanna, I wanna actually make money. And it's like, but this is what will do it. Because if the regular professional, boring ways worked for you, you would have already done it by now and been successful. They don't work for you because that's not how it just doesn't line up for you. Also, because a lot of fake people uh did good there that people don't trust the same fake nonsense anyway. So you can continue down that path and and make it hard for yourself. But and again, weird's a spectrum, it's going to get you better. And when I said like I've had dips, every time it was a dip, it was because, well, now I need to act like a real business owner. And that never helped me. It's never helped me one time, and believe me, I still think it. Oh, but I want to be a real thing. Oh, except it's never worked. I get it, it's very pervasive. So for Facebook ads, um, so organic traffic is so great because it's free. So everybody's like, well, it's free and I could go viral and I could do this and that and this and that. But it also takes up so much freaking time. It is a lot of time and attention. Uh, Facebook ads are not. So my Facebook ad first that took off, so these are all for getting leads. So I'm not selling, I'm taking people to a free a freebie. So the first ad that did well is just I say, Hey, are you a weird girl in business? And then I talk about my free Telegram group. And I am, um, I have a pair of sunglasses over my regular glasses that I take off. And then I'm just outside. It's my hair doesn't look that great. It's not even when I watch it back, sometimes I'm like, that was a choice of an angle, uh, low angle there. Uh, you know, it's not like there's even car sounds in the background. Um, it's not fancy at all. And I talk about being disorganized and blah, blah, blah, but I've had the success, and this is what we do in this free group join. So that ad has been running since um November. It is now end of June. And it's gotten me between a dollar, a dollar 20 and $1.35 leads that entire time. Thousands of people have come to my email list from this ad that I've done nothing with but turn the price up or down, just depending on my budget. So Facebook ads does sound like, oh, I've got to do this and this, and then recalibrate it and do that. And I think, and people do that at a different level. And later, if I had help, maybe I'd have somebody doing that for me. But I don't do that. And I just ran another ad that's all about uh, like I said, getting made fun of and Stephanie and all that. And that one is getting between 96 cents a lead to a dollar four, dollar six maybe cents a lead. Like 1,500 people have come in the last three weeks to my email list that I get to keep. And that's from what one video I made. So it took let's say 10 minutes to record, let's say 30 minutes to record and edit and put up. Um, it'll take a little longer for you to put up if it's the first time on Facebook, but it's still not that bad. Then that's it.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

But honestly, even if it took you an entire workday to like be like, oh my god, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put this Facebook ad out. I mean, that's a great return on if you think about all the like you're saying, organic is free and I might go viral and whatever, how many, how many hours you're putting into that content? Yeah. And is it getting you anywhere close to 1,500?

SPEAKER_02 30:21

And for me, this last I hadn't really used social media that much or been very inconsistent this last year. I've been very consistent. It is, I don't know how many leads it's brought me. It's brought me perhaps let's say on the let's say on the high side, $2,000. Leads-wise, some not that much, most of my growth in my Instagram comes from the ad. Because even if people don't sign up, then they follow or do both. So um, so let's say $2,000. Um, I've made in five years of if business, right? And so then the rest came from running ads on other places, newsletters, stuff like that, or Facebook ads, and selling through my email list. And that's made uh over $850,000 in five years. So like it's I may even leave Instagram completely at the end of my experiment. But ads aren't about like, oh now I'm fancy or now I've got to get so serious. It's the same exact stuff. And in fact, it's refreshing because I'll put the same exact video on my organic and it gets like okay, but not like I don't know, 500 views or something. And then again, it's brought me in 3,000 people like over months. Like, get out of here. So part of me is like, you want, you are never uh Facebook, Instagram is never, it's especially now, it's not designed to help you sell anything, it's designed to keep people on the app and want you to pay. So I'm like, I would rather not dance around your stupid game. If I'm gonna use this system, I would rather just pay you money, but actually get a return, as opposed to you taking my life away. Well, that's what I was gonna say.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Some people think, oh, I don't want to give money to Facebook. And I've struggled with that and I've dabbled in Facebook.

SPEAKER_02 32:15

That's fine if you don't, and that's fine if you and I totally respect that.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

Sort of. I mean, I do. I also respect it. I'm like, sort of, no, I don't, just kidding. No, but I think we're undervaluing the time we're giving Lil Zuckerberg anyway. So, like, if you can toss him a few bucks and never go on the app and get your life back and grow your business, and then maybe eventually grow your business to a point where you don't need to do that anymore, or yeah, whatever. I think people, I just that's like a thing I struggle with too sometimes where I'm like, oh, I don't want to give that jerk money, but like I'm still participating.

SPEAKER_02 32:50

We're giving him our time and our energy. Yeah. So giving him our creative, we're giving him like a lot more, even when we're just scrolling. So again, if you are like absolutely not, I'm not gonna buy Facebook ads, that is totally fine. There's totally fine. But when it, if you're on the fence about it, I do just think, and this you people may totally disagree with, but I'm just for me, it's like you've they've created this big ass platform that a lot of good people use and are on. So, me, the nice person who doesn't want to fund this kind of thing, so I'm gonna not give my money. So they'll still get tons of money from everybody else, and everybody will just see a bunch of garbage anyway. But while I wouldn't have given my $50 to him, to me, it's just like we might as well use the system we created for our own good. We might as well go within there and do it because he's not getting rich off of my ad money. And believe me, when he could get rich off of my ad money, I wouldn't place ads there anymore. So I get it. I I I'm not saying this is a rule, this is just my opinion, but I get so sad when I see like kind, liberal people. I'm extremely liberal, but it's like we take ourselves out of the equation to try to solve the problem when I think it would just be better for us to dramatically insert ourselves into the equation, simply to give people something to see to make your own money so that you could fund things to not have to be there anymore. And again, that's and again, uh if you disagree with that, I totally understand. Totally understand, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

Um, I don't know if it's TMI, but can I ask you how much, like what the range is that you spend on Facebook ads?

SPEAKER_02 34:38

Yeah, so so this I learned from somebody else, but it seemed to work really well of to test it, do it at $50 a day for three days. Um, and then uh so sometimes I'll keep it at $50 a day. So the one right now I'm keeping it, it's been at $50 a day. And then um the other one, like it's turned down to $10 a day right now, just because I can't afford to have all of them going all the time. Yeah. And so the good thing has been I've seen testing at $50 a day just gives you a better idea of it. But then you can turn it down to like 25 or 10, and it still brings in people at about the same rate, you know. So obviously you're getting in fewer people, but your uh cost per lead doesn't change dramatically.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

And like for people listening, that's like the dollar-ish that you're getting.

unknown 35:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:26

When you say it'll be less people, like, you know, if you're spending a dollar per person, instead of getting 50 people a day, you get 10 people a day. You're saying it's coming in usually at the same rate. It's just how much do you want to spend? Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 35:36

Yeah. So I I do think the $50 a day just for three days, $150 to test. It's just a you're gonna just get better information. And then you can pull the whole thing if it's not performing, and then you're done. Um, but then keeping it around 10 or 25, then it's whatever you have, you know? Yeah. Um, I found like spending money on ads has always been helpful to me. They don't always return. Sometimes you lose money. Um, and it's not always possible, I know, but if you're on, I don't know, consider ads, I would say for everybody listening. And whether and I started with there was an ad I bought that was like a $25 ad, a $50 ad, and newsletters, stuff like that. Because yeah, remember you're spending money, but you're getting in front of people and doing it with very limited effort, especially those ads, you do write the same thing for each one, send it in, basically, you know?

SPEAKER_00 36:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:30

So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:31

100%. Okay. I love this conversation. I knew it was gonna be good. Awesome. I was like, we gotta talk about being weird. I love it. And this was awesome. Um, tell everybody where you can like where they can hang out with you online. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

So if you want that um uh workshop uh we talked about about bullies, that's called uh revenue revenge. It's a free workshop, and that you can get it at amberpetty.com slash revenue. So then you'll get that and you'll get my emails, which have marketing tips and also like opportunities to put yourself to podcasts and all kinds of stuff. So that's the best one. Then I am on Instagram at Amber NPetty uh on Instagram. But yeah, I would my my emails are the best place to be, or at least just get the free workshop. Why not?

SPEAKER_00 37:19

Yes. Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Amber. You're amazing. And we need to stay in touch more often. Yes, let's not hang out every like five years. Yes.