Melanie
The Monday Morning Marketing podcast is brought to you by Esther of IPA Group, bringing premier online promotion to your business.
Esther
And Melanie of STOMP Social Media Training, who empowers business owners to manage social media and marketing for themselves. Welcome back to another episode of The Monday Morning Marketing Podcast. Today, we're talking about getting motivated with an online challenge.
Melanie
Yes, this can be a bit tough for people.
Esther
She's talking to me in case that wasn't blatantly obvious with her pointed expression right there. Currently, as at the time of recording, Melanie and I are going through 30 day challenge with our good friend Matt Hughes, who's been on the podcast before. And we are going through a shorts challenge. Now at the time of recording, I have yet to start. Maybe because I always have a mental block towards recording videos, maybe because the kids were going back to school this month and everything has been hectic, or maybe because I sign up to all these things and then just never do them. Which category do you fall into, listener? I'm sure you're in one of those ones.
Melanie
I don't think any of those excuses are any good because it's a shorts challenge which goes on for a maximum of a minute. So how she can't find a minute in her day? I have no idea.
Esther
Okay. So online challenges involve reading emails. They involve getting ready, they involve thinking about, in this case, what you're going to record and what you're going to talk about. There have been many other online challenges that, yes, I admit I have signed up for a good few, and I don't think I've ever finished any of them. I like signing up for stuff. I like to support my friends like Matt and the others who have done these challenges and put the time and effort into creating these for us. But getting around to actually doing them is where I fall short.
Melanie
Anyway, so the reason why we decided to do this particular podcast today is why there is an importance for them, why they're relevant for business, especially for marketing. These challenges can be set up by communities, by individuals. It could be set up by you. You could set it up for other people.
Esther
Yes.
Melanie
It's a form of accountability, which if you've been listening to this podcast for any time at all, you'll know that that's one of my pet passions. And I shared with Matt Hughes this morning, excuse me, some analytics from the shorts I've been doing over the past few days, because, unlike Esther, I've been doing my shorts.
Esther
Okay, so for me to do them, I have to first open a YouTube account.
Melanie
Oh, for goodness sake. You don't have a... Seriously.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
Lord, help us. Anyway, so I shared this image with Matt. And the first few, now I haven't done YouTube shorts ever before. I've done YouTube videos. I've got a YouTube channel, but I've never done a short before. I've done TikToks, I've done Reels, I've done everything else, but I've never done shorts. So I thought this was a really good challenge to put myself up for. And it's just a snapshot of the reach. And remember, these videos are only around a minute long. So 73 views, 13 views, 23 views, 44 views. And then yesterday, 391 views for my minute long short.
Esther
That's good.
Melanie
It's brilliant. And I'm getting likes and getting comments. And if I hadn't been pushed into doing this, being pushed out of my comfort zone, would I have ever done it? I've not done a YouTube short in 10 years.
Esther
Well, ever because they didn't exist.
Melanie
Well, there you go.
Esther
For the last number of years. They're quite recent thing. But you were also saying, Melanie, that a lot of people aren't actually using the Shorts feature. They're doing it as Reels or they're doing it as TikToks or on any other platform that accepts short-form videos. So people are personalising the challenge even then. I mean, it's not as if the challenge comes through and you have to do it at that time, because I think the email actually comes through at something crazy like six o'clock in the morning. You don't have to jump on it straight away. There isn't a deadline and obviously he hasn't been on my case.
Melanie
Well, you have to do it that day, that's the intention.
Esther
I know, well, that's the idea. But I mean, he hasn't been on my case going, You don't have it done yet. So there is and there isn't that accountability. It's all in the way that a challenge is set up. Like we're saying, there are so many challenges out there. Now this one is a free one that our friend Matt is doing. There are other ones that are paid for, whether it be $7, $27, $97. There are so many that are short challenges, affordable challenges, something that just could kickstart you. I did, I signed up to this because I do know, and you guys know from the three and a half years that we've been recording this podcast that I don't like video, and I still don't like video, but I have to get over myself. Because that's the way marketing and online presence is going is in the form of video. So don't be surprised if in a few months you see us on YouTube recording the podcast and having a jolly old time over on our little YouTube. Obviously, I'll be hiding behind the mic like I do. I'm almost like Wilson in Home Improvements. That's a very GenX-.
Melanie
That's so GenX.
Esther
Reference right there. Sorry for our younger listeners go and watch Home Improvements. But these can be, even if you just start one day. I know there are other challenges to do with email marketing, to do with getting started on your Facebook page, TikTok. There's so many that you can go. I highly recommend finding someone that you trust, someone who has been in that industry for a long time. Now Matt has been recording videos, doing videos, uploading. He is the King of YouTube. For many, many years.
Melanie
King of Video is his actual handle.
Esther
Yeah, King of Video is his handle. So we know based on that and based on our personal interactions with him, that he knows what he's talking about. So it's not as if it's something that would just... Like a 17 year old who's just lifted their TikTok for the first time and they've just decided, Oh, I know what I'm doing and you should do exactly what I did so that you get the same reach. Matt is of the same generation as us. He's of the same business idea, mentality as us. So find somebody like that that has the knowledge that you don't have, the knowledge that you want and the knowledge that you need.
Melanie
And remember, these challenges can be all sorts of things. Some people do blog challenges, other people do Canva creation challenges. In the past I've run going live challenges. There's all sorts of challenges that you can find out there, and as Esther mentioned, they can be free or paid for. But if you can't find what you're looking for, why don't you set up a challenge? Who would you come across? Could you come across suppliers or potential customers by you running the challenge? All you need to do is be confident that you know what you're doing a challenge in, okay? You don't have to be known as the expert. You just need to be confident and competent in the challenge. And remember, there's going to be a set criteria that people will expect. In this particular challenge with Matt, we're not getting handouts or presentations or anything like that. We're getting a short video telling us what our short should be about that day. Just giving you an idea, okay, today we're going to be talking about the three myths in your business. Just mention what those three myths are and debunk them basically. And I've really found it quite interesting how I can get experience and the more pattern that I'm using and remember that you have to include calls to actions every now and then as well. At the moment, he's just trying to encourage us to just get out there and do the videos. And he warned us the first week was going to be a little bit on the boring side because it was just us talking about ourselves all the time. But hopefully over the next 2-3 weeks, it will get a bit more creative and a bit more interesting as we start to feel a bit more challenged. I'm sure you're delighted to hear that, Esther.
Esther
Oh, wonderful. Yes, you're really encouraging me to do this.
Melanie
We need a bit of accountability, guys. We need to start barraging Esther with emails saying, 'Where's your YouTube channel? ' Share your link.
Esther
Yeah. Okay, so as Melanie said, you could set up your own challenge. You can do it in a way that all of your information is ready to go, so you're not having to wake up at six o'clock in the morning to send the email to people. It is all set up and automated, so that even before you announce the challenge or before you launch the challenge, then you have it all set and ready to go. But you can have it that it is just an off-the-cuff and say, Look, I'm going live every day at one o'clock. I'll see you there, and there I'll give you the information for your challenge. There are so many ways of doing it, whether it's doing download on your website to 30 tips or 30 strategy plan or 30 whatever. It doesn't even have to be 30, it can be 10. You could start with something really simple and go from there. Just don't take a leaf out of my book. Do you actually do the challenge? Because like I said, I have so many in my inboxes that I get a little overwhelmed by them all. But I do promise you and I promise Matt that I will get onto this one, whether it is in September or October or any other month after that, but I will eventually do-.
Melanie
Esther.
Esther
30 days. But I'm also thinking like if everybody's going online and doing these at the one time, then it'll be more saturated. Whereas in a couple of months you guys will all have lost interest and not be doing it anymore. So then I can jump in and take YouTube by storm. Yeah, I'm joking, but I will do it eventually. And on that note, we shall end today's podcast with that little bit of accountability that yes do let me know if you come across my shorts. And we'll be back next week with Monday Morning Marketing until then. Bye-bye.
Melanie
Bye.
Classic Esther.
Esther
Do you think I can get out of it yet?
Melanie
No.
Esther
Yeah, thanks for that Matt.
