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How I Grew Instagram Story Engagement By 206% In A Month

Keeping three important steps in mind

By: Grace Gurley 

While I was working as a bartender and server for a local brewing company, my coworker and I were brainstorming how to get in more people on a slow night. We concluded that Instagram would be helpful. An Instagram would give us exposure, and allow clientele to interact with our “new items on tap” lists when they went up. To our shock, we found out the business had an account but hadn’t used it in over a year. I emailed a pitch to the owner on how I could grow the page, and he gave me access to all accounts. Here’s how I grew the story engagement by 206%.

Consistency

To grow anything (relationships, plants, followers, etc.), you need to be consistent. The more frequently you post, the more your consumer is seeing the content. Posting content at least 14 times a week is ideal for a page with under 1k followers. Those 14 posts can be the main account or story content. Posting Instagram stories every day keeps your account popping up every time your followers open the app.

You can also share your own main account posts to your story to drive engagement. I used the format of 3 main account posts a week and 1 to 2 story posts daily. The reason it was imperative to post more frequently on Instagram stories than main came from the recent Instagram Stats notes. These stated, one-third of the most viewed stories came from brands and businesses. Posting daily I got questions and comments about posts in the brewery during my shifts.

Engaging Content

Putting out engaging content can boost you in the Instagram algorithm. Instagram sorts content by the users interests, whatever they interact with most will be boosted in their feed. For example, if you asked your followers a question to answer in the comments, every time someone new comments it will put your post at the top of followers feeds again. It does this because Instagram will flag it as something that person wants to keep interacting with.

Likewise, with stories, users are more apt to remember a story they participated in. You can have polls, rate scales, question boxes, and more on your stories. Not only do these practices engage, but it’s an invaluable insight into what your followers want to see from you. Picking your followers’ brains with playful questions, stories are a great place for conversations with your customers.

Whenever a new beer comes onto our tap list I’d post it on the mainstream and repost it to the story with a question or poll. This way followers would have two chances to see anything new. Additionally, it helped us see what beers most excited our clients.

Promoting Your Instagram

Engaging and consistent content is great, but people need to know about it. You can grow your following or re-engage stagnant followers in person and through tags online. 

Using hashtags on your posts and stories makes it easy for your content to be tracked and located. There are different types of tags including branded, location-based, seasonal, broad appeal, niche interest, entertainment, and time-sensitive. Searching and finding tags in all the categories that are relevant to your business will give you a massive “like” boost and new followers. I would use tags like #brewsaders, #grandrapidsbrews, #Oktoberfest, and #newtotap. All of these tags boosted our engagement as a small brewery in Grand Rapids.

In-person engagement driving came mainly from my front-of-house staff and me. I put the Instagram handle on the door, the hostess stand, and right above the bar tap list. Whenever a table asked about new beer or food promotion, we would guide them to the Instagram page. If any of us took a picture for a table we would tell them to tag us and repost them to our story. Not only was this effective, but it was also fun. Customers loved to be included and see their faces supporting their favorite beer or brewery. 

Importance of Social Media Growth

In the modern world, it’s important to grow in relevancy with your brand. Growing that Instagram page taught me how valuable it is to have your brand constantly put out there. In 1 month we saw an increase in nightly diners and drinkers, got tagged at least once a night, and had people walk in the door asking to try our newest beer. We saw the direct impact of having social media outlets on the business. When I started managing the page, stories were getting between 35-50 views, by the end of the month every story was being viewed by 300+ accounts. It created a fun way to communicate with and engage with all our regulars and large clientele base. 

More on social media:

Week 4 Project Update: Final Week!

Hey ya’ll, I’m Grace and this month I took on the challenge to set myself up to become a successful sales rep in 30 days. In this project, I landed a job as a sales rep, traveled with the company to work a booth at a trade show, networked at mixers with new and existing clientele, created leads lists for my area, made cold email sequences, and presented material to clientele.

Check out full project here.

Creating A Landing Page

Over the course of the month, I’ve been constructing a landing page outline to slowly fill in with the content of the project. The landing page will be a “portfolio” segment on my website. I spent this week going back and editing all my documentation posts and updates and linking them to my outline. I also took the time to fill out the project page with strong copy to present what I accomplished this month.

Presentation Portfolio

After meeting and discussing sales with seasoned sales reps at the Iges Trade show, it became clear I needed a presentation binder or software set up. Some reps told me to do it all as a physical binder, others told me everything should be on the cloud so I could access it whenever it was applicable.

They were both right. I chose to make a folder on my ThinkPad with several subcategories.

  • Database of all past prints
  • 2022 catalog 
  • 2022 brewery catalog 
  • Order sheets
  • Price list 

Then I requested fabric samples to put in a mini binder, so I could still show off the actual quality of our merchandise in person. But having it all on the ThinkPad and copies in my dropbox, I can access everything no matter where I am from my phone or computer.

The other major advantage of the think pad is the touch screen and screen pen. I can draw right on images or presentations and make notes. That way I never forget any details I need from the customers.

Additional Content

This week I also wrote out more content based on sales lessons I’ve learned. I wrote an article on how to naturally make sales, in person, without a script. To talk about different soft skills I’ve picked up over the years of customer service and working in sales this month.

Check out the article here!

I also created videos to help document my project and link to my landing page.

Week 3 Project Update: Creating A Leads List

Hey ya’ll, I’m Grace and this month I took on the challenge to set myself up to become a successful sales rep in 30 days. In this project, I landed a job as a sales rep, traveled with the company to work a booth at a trade show, networked at mixers with new and existing clientele, created leads lists for my area, made cold calls and emails, and presented material to clientele.

Check out the full project here!

What I Accomplished

This week I had a meeting with the owner of BMA and we talked about what areas/categories he wanted me to focus on first. Over time, the goal is to pass on existing clients in the area over to me, but I need more experience first.

Given that I’ve worked in multiple breweries and I have brewery connections, that seemed like the best place to start. So, my boss is having his designer put together a brewery-specific catalog for me to send and show to merchandise managers. 

While that process got set in motion, I got to work creating a lead list. I started with a lead list for Grand Rapids, MI, since it’s beer city USA. Over the next few weeks, I’ll make a full lead list for all lower peninsula brewing companies and some in Indiana. By the end of 2021, I plan to talk to every brewery on the GR list and as many as I can in the mitten!

Check out how I created the leads list here!

Setbacks

Originally when I took on this project, the plan was to close deals by the end of the month, hence the “Waitress to Successful Sales Rep In 30 Days” title. But with the trade show and some company-specific slowdowns, I won’t have all the resources I need to make visits and cold calls until the last week of the month, which falls on the holiday weekend.

I will make those 2-3 business days count to the best of my ability. However, I shifted my focus for this week to learn the skills I need for this job. 

What I Learned

Setbacks happen. When you’re working for a company things can happen outside of your control. What matters is how you react and handle the situation. I used my unforeseen extra time to master researching leads, using Hunter.io and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. I took the time to dig through all our shirt prices and learn the ins and outs of what I’m selling. All of these will serve me well moving forward.

Takeaways

I’m not giving up on this project. I may finish my 30-day project with new valuable skills, but I plan to continue to sell, grow, and update the landing page as I go.

You never stop learning, and learning out loud with this project has given me so much feedback and advice from new connections. Not only that, but I take care to ensure everything is done to the best of my ability because people will see it.

Next Week

The fourth and final week of my project is about to begin, but this won’t be the end of my sales journey with Black Metal Apparel. Next week will be some cold calls and email writing + creating my presentation binder. Stay tuned to see what else I accomplish!

How I Built A Highly Targeted Leads List For My Area

Hey ya’ll, I’m Grace and this month I took on the challenge to set myself up to become a successful sales rep in 30 days. In this project, I landed a job as a sales rep, traveled with the company to work a booth at a trade show, networked at mixers with new and existing clientele, created leads lists for my area, made cold calls and emails, and presented material to clientele.

Check out the full project here!

Without leads, a company doesn’t have the ability to make sales and grow its customer base. Companies can’t rely on their intuition; they need developed strategies for the types of customers they are trying to attract. This is where specific leads lists come in handy. 

Creating a leads list can be a daunting and time-consuming process if not well thought out and optimized. This is why over 68% of businesses are struggling with generating leads, and why it makes sense that purchasing lists are still a common B2B practice.

For a large-scale target audience, like every single gift shop in the United States, buying a leads list would be more cost-effective for a company than paying reps to do it. But since I’m the rep for the lower peninsula in the mitten(Michigan), I need a more specific leads list for targeted areas.

Here is how I created a leads list for a specific audience in a specific territory.

Define Your Target Audience

Define your targeted buyer persona and audience to create a specific lead list. Working for a business with a specific field (custom screen print shirts), I was looking for B2B leads.

Since I already know the main market for custom screen print is souvenirs, uniforms, and company merchandise I have several categories I could choose to target. 

Living in Grand Rapids, which is beer city USA, breweries are a big market for merch and uniform sales. Two birds one stone, yet it is still a very specific field to target.

The Mitten has breweries all over the state and an abundance of breweries going down into Indiana. Eventually, I will make a list of breweries for each prominent city/town in the lower peninsula and Indiana. But, for this week I want to focus on Grand Rapids.

Search, Filter And Gather Data

For leads lists in the past, I have used LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It is a fast and widespread way to search by area, keyword, and title. For this leads list I looked up the 2021 Grand Rapids Beer Guide as my base for the list, and then I collected all the names, websites, numbers, and addresses in a doc on Google Sheets. 

Then I used LinkedIn to see if each brewery had a designated Merchandise Manager, and if so, I inserted their name and brewery into Hunter.io to get their email.

Mom and pop shop breweries don’t typically have a set Merchandise manager listed on their website or LinkedIn, but with a single phone call, I was able to get a contact for each brewery (even if they told me to use the mainline).

Use A Tech Tool For Storage 

I have kept lead lists in my Google drive or I have put them in Salesforce in the past. I’ll use whatever software the company I work for uses. Black Metal Apparel isn’t the most tech-savvy company and I haven’t been fully onboarded into the tech they use yet (Shopify). So, since I’m the only rep using these leads I’ve just been cross-referencing them with the list of current clients we have to avoid an embarrassing cold call to a current client.

GR Brewery Lead List

Given that GR is my backyard, I plan to visit most of the breweries in person to show them samples and establish a relationship. For chain breweries, I’ll be calling the merchandise manager or front of house manager to talk or get an email to send our brewery-specific catalog to. The catalog is in the works right now, and my goal is to start calling and visiting these breweries next week!

Updates coming soon on my website!

Wanna learn more about lead lists? Check out these sources I found helpful!

Week 2 Project Update: Iges Trade Show

Hey ya’ll, I’m Grace and this month I took on the challenge to set myself up to become a successful sales rep in 30 days. In this project I landed a job as a sales rep, traveled with the company to work a booth at a trade show, networked at mixers with new and existing clientele, created leads lists for my area, making cold calls and emails, and presented material to clientele.

Check out the full project here!

What I Accomplished 

This week I flew to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to work a booth for Black Metal Apparel at the Iges Trade Show. I met the company’s administrator on the trip and together we put up the booth, presented to customers, attended networking events, and wrote out orders. The week was insanely packed from working the show from 9-5, then attending Iges sponsored networking events to meet new clientele. This gave me an opportunity to work on my time management and learn how BMA works.

What I Learned 

The number one lesson I learned was the importance of networking. Trade shows are about a lot more than just writing orders. They are all about making connections with new clientele and maintaining current ones.

I wrote an article on networking at the Iges show. You can check it out here!

While working the booth, I had the pleasure of being taught how BMA uses Excel to write orders and Dropbox to send them to Steffany (administrator). I also got to sit down with BMA’s top sales rep, who walked me through the ins and outs of presenting the brand to businesses. I got to put his tips to use as I walked new customers through our custom screen print tees and filled out orders. By the end of the show, I had most of the garment prices memorized and a good sense of what products sold best in the 2022 line.

Takeaways

Jumping right in with a company was a great learning experience! I met a ton of business owners (both buyers and exhibitors) and made a bunch of connections. 

Having worked alongside Steffany and the top sales rep, I was able to brainstorm some good areas to target for cold emails and visits. Taking over the lower peninsula of Michigan gives me the opportunity to reach out to breweries (a big market living in Grand Rapids, which is beer city USA) and hit towns along the Great Lakes.

Next Week

Next week I will create a leads list for GR breweries. Then I will sit down with the owner of BMA to talk about the trade show and review the leads list I plan to follow with him. With his guidance and a few additional resources (my business cards and uniform pieces should be in that week), I will be ready to hit the ground running.

The biggest bonus of the trip was how beautiful the Smokey’s are this time of year. Check out some pictures from the trip below!

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…”

Galations 6:10

New Connections Breathe Life Into Your Business

This past week I had the pleasure of traveling to Gatlinburg, TN with Black Metal Apparel to help run their booth at the Iges Trade Show.

Needless to say, I met a lot of people. 

Learning how to network for a company and personally at the same time was exciting! From networking events to the actual show, to plane rides the networking was never-ending. Given that this was my first trade show, I hadn’t realized the magnitude of networking potential they held.

Networking Events

Before trade shows paused for the pandemic, about 5% to 20% of new customers came from them according to Marketing Expertus, 2020. Furthermore, over half of business travelers said that 5% to 20% of their company’s new customers came from participating in trade shows and networking. More stats on trade shows can be found here.

With the pandemic on the decline, trade shows have been up and running in 2021. I attended the Iges trade show, which had two locations for vendors to present in, all within the thread of souvenirs. After the show that ran from 9-5 Wednesday through Saturday, Iges hosted networking events and mixers for exhibitors and buyers to get to know one another.

Attending these events and taking clients out for drinks after was pivotal in gaining new connections. Someone you meet and connect with will make a point to stop by your booth the next day because of that connection.

Hoedown Mixer

On the opening night of the trade show, Iges started networking events off strong with a hoedown. Given that the event was taking place in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, TN they brought in a country band and had a ticketed bar running.

I attended the event with Steffany, another Black Metal Apparel staff member. The goal of the night was to find existing clients that we hadn’t met and introduce ourselves along with mingling to meet new buyers and exhibitors. 

At first, I struggled.

I’m a naturally friendly person and I love people and social events, but when I put pressure on myself it came across as awkward and ingenuine. So, I decided to have fun and just mingle. They had a dance floor going at the event so I used this as my way to meet people. I taught girls how to dance to some country swing, and just had a good time with everyone. I took down names and got contacts for several new connections, all of which found our booth the next day to say hello and review our custom shirt designs.

ZAAG Zoo Mixer

The second mixer took place at Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo which was sponsored by a lot of the vendors (including Black Metal Apparel). This mixer was loud and crowded. I lost Steffany very quickly and was on my own to make connections. Again, I discovered that walking into a room with no expectations allowed me to network naturally. I met people at the different animal enclosures and picked up a ton of business cards. These include cards from buyers, exhibitors looking for new reps, and sales reps who offered me advice given that I was new to the Iges Trade Show.

By the end of the event, Steffany and I had made a lot of friends. I even got to hold a snake that weighed over 100lbs, which was a definite conversation starter at the booth the next day.

The most important connections I made weren’t buyers at this event. Instead, they were owners of companies looking for more reps to sell their line.

At trade shows and selling for a company as a freelance contractor, you can work with as many companies as you want. As long as the companies don’t carry the same merchandise. For example, I’m the Michigan sales rep for Black Metal Apparel which sells custom screenprint t-shirts. I could work for any other company as long as they don’t sell apparel.

Networking At The Tradeshow

Networking is important at the tradeshow itself. From standing in line at the coffee cart to talking with buyers and other exhibitors, it’s all about getting your name out there.

Steffany and I quickly made friends at our neighboring booth. They were two very friendly gentlemen selling dog-themed items. They found out I was new to sales and after the initial shock of being “A little young for a sales rep”, they gave me invaluable advice. They advised me to befriend as many exhibitors as buyers, and if they don’t sell competing merchandise, they can send buyers your direction if they like you.

The best connection I made at the tradeshow was Richard. Richard is the top sales rep for Black Metal Apparel, but he wasn’t at the show to sell for us. He was there for a different brand. He sat down with me and walked me through how to sell shirts and how to pick up new lines. He sells for over six companies and has connections all across the country. At the end of the show, Richard gave me his card and told me, “Prove you can sell, open fifty new connections for BMA and I’ll recommend you as a sales rep for my other companies. They need someone in Michigan.”

That statement was a huge motivator: Prove your worth. 

The Importance Of Networking

The most effective way to make a new connection is with a smile and a handshake. Our professional world saw many improvements in remote business in the past year, I had forgotten the importance of face-to-face introductions.

Seeing the clientele of Black Metal Apparel meet Steffany who handles all the orders for the first time after years of phone calls was endearing. Every client’s first statement was, “It’s so nice to finally put a face to the name. It’s nice to officially meet you.” The fact that every person credited an in-person introduction as actually meeting someone stuck out to me, so I did some research.

As of 2021 Great Business Schools reports that 85% of professionals prefer in-person meetings so they build a stronger, more meaningful relationship. 77% of professionals prefer in person so they can read body language; a tool I personally thrive off using in sales and customer relations.

You Never Stop Networking

Networking is everywhere. Whether you’re in a business setting or out on the town, you never know who you’ll meet and how they can change your life. 

On one of my flights, I happened to sit next to the vice president of a large company. We talked through the entire hour-long flight. He gave me career advice, we talked about podcasts and continued education, and this gave me an opportunity to ask burning questions I had about the hiring process. He was so kind as to give me insight into how the career landscape is changing to fit our current society.

It was great talking with him, and he gave me a business card and I made sure to find him on LinkedIn. His company may not fit my career trajectory, but his endless advice and kindness could open unforeseen doors in the future.

The biggest lesson I learned this week in networking was to be myself, be friendly, and take or hand out business cards to everyone new.

Wanna learn more about networking? Here are some resources I enjoyed!

You Never Know Who You’re Talking To

Image by dailymeal.com

The guy in front of you in line for coffee could be a CEO of a company you’re dying to work for. The woman you stopped and held the door open for could be the hiring manager of a company you’ve been applying to.

The point is, you never know who you are talking to and whether they are taking note of how you handle yourself. 

I learned this lesson when some of my favorite regulars came into the brewery the other night, but this time the couple wasn’t alone. They had brought some friends along, and we all made playful banter.

 My regulars talked me up to them because we always have a fun ongoing conversation. What I didn’t notice till the end of their meal was that this new couple had been teasing my memory, because I never had to write anything down, I just remembered their food orders and what they were drinking. They had made jokes about how I could upsell anything, and they had asked me about my education and career path.

None of these things are abnormal, most tables strike up a conversation and ask about education. But this couple had been studying me and handed me a business card, telling me to call Monday morning.

I got offered a sales rep position by the owner of Black Metal Apparel, a thriving local t-shirt company.

Potential Employers

It is a common occurrence to be offered jobs as a server. Every job I’ve had the last 3 years has come from someone scouting me while I wait on their table. From getting hired out to other restaurants to working at a car wash selling memberships, I’ve had a variety of jobs and opportunities. 

In the service industry, it is imperative to be efficient and friendly, but you’re also given the opportunity to practice and showcase a variety of soft skills. Active listening, kindness, communication, salesmanship, multitasking, self-regulation, and teamwork are just a few of the soft skills at play. Serving in breweries we get a lot of businessmen and women having meetings or catching a beer after work, so this gives space for job opportunities.

It’s not just serving, you can run into CEOs, hiring managers, and owners of companies anywhere you go. Learning to keep a professional appearance and carry yourself well can change your life.

Landing an Interview From A Conversation Alone

Walking into a professional setting with a casual introduction requires care to present yourself well. 

Before my interview with the owner of BMA, I sent him my portfolio and resume. In my portfolio, I put my project of How I Grew Instagram Engagement by 206% In A Month on the top of the page, since we had discussed how prominent social media was for this day and age. That way when I sat down with him face-to-face for my interview he had a handle on what my skill set was. 

Doing my homework was also imperative. I looked up the owner, the company, and some of the shops that sold their apparel. Having this grasp on who he was and what his company did gave me an advantage. Before the conversation, I’d never once put thought into t-shirt vendors, but he didn’t need to know that, so I did research.

By the end of the interview, I had a job offer. This businessman was willing to teach me new skills because he believed in me. He had seen my work, and we had such a friendly conversation he thought I’d make a nice fit for his team.

Creating Value For The Company

After that meeting and before I took the job, I decided to create a lead list and email sequence for Black Metal Apparel to contact zoos. Partly to show what I could do, but mostly to see how I liked the process. 

What I discovered was that creating cold email sequences is fun.

No, that wasn’t satire. The product BMA put out was so strong that all I had to do to sell it was write a well-written copy. I enjoyed crafting emails and creating MailChimp sequences. Using Hunter.io to speed up the process was fun, tracking down leads is a game with a promising reward. You can check out the full article on the project here!

Now that I’ve accepted the job, I can use the lead list I created.

https://thegracegurley.com/2021/10/28/i-created-a-lead-list-and-email-sequence-for-black-metal-apparel-to-contact-zoos/

Taking this position is a way for me to skyrocket my growth in the sales field. In my first month on the job, I plan to represent the company well, learn how to network with existing and new clients, and create some killer cold email and call lists.

If you want to track my progress keep an eye out for my blog!

Even with this opportunity, I plan to continue to demonstrate soft skills at my workplace and in my everyday life.

Don’t Forget To Look Up

Don’t Forget To Look Up

I’m driven.

I see what I want and I get it. Control freak would be a light term to use as a descriptor for my life outlook. Whether it’s work or even taking a walk in my neighborhood, my eyes are firmly glued to my next step.

But his stay glued on me.

He reminded me I was walking on solid flat ground and could look up to see the sky.

It was beautiful.

The leaves on the trees were just starting to turn to a yellow and rust-colored scheme. The sky was smooth light blue for miles, with little puffs of cotton candy clouds. When I took the time to take that in, the rest of the scene came flooding into me, the chirping birds, the crisp crunch of fresh fallen leaves, and the warmth of the hand holding mine so gently.

When I walk alone, I blast music in my earbuds, or I listen to a podcast. I need to be learning and drowning out reality. These tendencies may make me effective, but they starve me of my ability to relax and remain soft to change around me.

He is my reminder to trust my feet to take the next step for me. They haven’t failed me yet, and I don’t want to miss another moment with a perfect sky.

Moments I remembered to look up:

“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?”

Proverbs 20:24

I Created A Lead List And Email Sequence For Black Metal Apparel To Contact Zoos

People love to buy apparel from their favorite breweries, ski resorts, amusement parks, and just plain cool shirts from local shops. I have a massive collection of brewery tees and Michigan shirts (I have a totally biased love of the Great Lakes State). But, recently I noticed a gap in apparel from my favorite brewery, they didn’t have their new seasonal tees. This was an oddity considering they always had new apparel to push, this inspired me to look into where companies are buying their apparel. 

Black Metal Apparel is the distributor for multiple breweries in my area, but they also service many other businesses such as local stores and tourist attractions. They serviced all my favorite local apparel and have been growing at a rapid rate for the past few years. 

The more I dug through their past and current partnerships, I noticed one area of business that they have yet to tap into on a large scale— Zoos! The Zoo industry stuck out to me as a promising partnership sector due to the typical tourist shop purchasing that Zoos run.

BMA has worked with four Zoos from its home state (Michigan), but there are over 23 Zoos in Michigan alone. Over 181 million people visit U.S. zoos and aquariums each year, which is more people than go to NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB games combined, making this market have massive potential. BMA has products all across the country as well, so the sky’s truly the limit for them. So, armed with this new information I set out to create a lead list and cold email sequence for BMA to contact local and country-wide Zoos.

Prospecting Emails

Hearing about a company is one thing, but actually seeing it is a whole new ball game. I used MailChimp to create all the emails in the sequence, so I could insert products from past successful zoo lines, as well as links to the website where they can view additional content. Simply seeing this company’s work is enough to make you want to purchase, so combining images with strong written copy is a winning duo. 

Lead List

To create a strong leads list I found contacts for all the Zoos in Michigan they hadn’t worked with that had a gift shop of some kind. Then I expanded the search to a few large Zoos in the surrounding states that would make big purchases. Using Hunter.io and LinkedIn I was able to get the appropriate contacts for each Zoo. Larger Zoos have a dedicated “Gift Shop Sales Manager” whereas smaller Zoos with limited staff have a general “Manager of Sales” and some really small locations have one general contact for any and all prospects.  LinkedIn helped me find the correct individual for the process, and Hunter.io got me their email addresses.

Taking the size of the zoo and its staff into account, some had specific email addresses for gift shop sales, and some wanted you to contact them through general email that all prospects get sent to. Example being “info@blankZoo.org. Given that my email might get sent to a very large inbox, I wanted to have attention-grabbing subject lines.

First Contact Email

Subject Line: Who doesn’t love graphic tees?

Hi Beverly,

I’m Grace with Black Metal Apparel, and we sell cool t-shirts.

Every single visitor of the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium needs something to remind them of their visit (and make them a walking billboard) for your zoo. Your gift shop has a loveable and interesting selection, but we have a bank of fresh and unparalleled designs for you to select from at Black Metal Apparel. After all, t-shirt sales are increasing by 5.53% annually.

Could I have ten minutes of your time next week to show you some of the 2022 collection? Sneak preview of past collections below.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Grace 

Black Metal Apparel

Breakdown

Using Sujan’s 3-Sentence Format, I created a short and eye-catching email. For initial contact, you don’t want to overwhelm them with too much content. Stating the needed facts and letting the brand’s designs speak for themselves will grant them less wasted time on emails. 

I personalized the email by using the Gift Shop Sales Managers’ name and inserting the Zoos name in the copy of the email. This personal touch will keep their attention and show that you are familiar with their existing merchandise.

Of course, always ending emails with a call to action.

Follow Up Email 1

Subject Line: Don’t Buy Lame Shirts, Read This First

Hey Beverly, 

Hope you had an amazing and busy weekend. 

Have you had a chance to look at our 2022 Zoo Merchandise designs… I’d be happy to answer any questions you have!

All the best,

Grace

Black Metal Apparel

Breakdown

This short and sweet follow-up email is a subtle reminder of the initial cold email I sent. As a general note, if my first email isn’t replied to in 24hrs, it won’t generate a reply. So, sending a follow-up in three business days would be effective.

Follow Up Email 2

Subject Line: Free Booklet of Tees

Howdy, Beverly

I know the Gift Shop is a beloved aspect of the Toledo Zoo, so I want you to have the best possible merchandise.

Black Metal Apparel can work with you to create new tee shirts designs that every little kid will be begging their parents to buy. 

I’d love to send you a booklet of designs to consider or I’d be happy to set up a meeting to show you all our fun new designs.

Cheers!

Grace

Black Metal Apparel

Breakdown

“Free” anything, is something that would catch my eye. I’m being persistent but clear with my pursuit of Toledo Zoo & Aquarium.

Follow Up Email 3

Subject Line: Hey – Question

Hey Beverly,

I’m more persistent than an Eagle stalking its target.

I won’t be flying away too quickly. Stocking new merchandise for Summer 2022 that your Zoo regulars haven’t seen will push your product and give you free publicity.

Cool shirts are worth it. Visitors love souvenirs, you love a walking advertisement – it’s a total win-win situation.

I’m excited to show you our 2022 collection, does next week work for you?

Cheers!

Grace

Black Metal Apparel

Breakdown

Who said follow-up emails can’t be funny? By the third follow-up email, I’m just trying to get their attention. Getting a little silly with it and making an animal comparison isn’t a bad way to go, just wouldn’t have been the first email in the sequence.

Response Email

Subject Line: One Step Away 

Hey Beverly,

It’s great to hear from you.

Let’s set a meeting to review the products you loved and place your order. Here’s a link to my calendar {Calendly link}

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please email me!

Cheers,

Grace

Black Metal Apparel

Breakdown

Short. Simple. Sweet. They replied and wanted to meet, I’d just be sure to make that meeting happen asap.

Key Takeaways

Gaining new clients through cold emails is all about being persistent. You can’t give up after one or two tries. If you have solid leads to follow, pursue them hard. Finding leads was a lot easier than I thought it would be originally, using Hunter.io to speed up the process a lot. One quick LinkedIn search would give me the appropriate individuals to contact, and Hunter.io enabled me to reach them. Using tech tools for basic tasks like building a leads list and creating an email sequence is life-changing.

Mindset changes this process taught me:

  • Persistence, Persistence, Persistence.
  • Every problem had multiple solutions. If I couldn’t find a lead email with Hunter.io or directly on their website, there are other platforms to explore. There are multiple ways to cut a cake.
  • Seeing truly is believing. This project would be weak without visuals of the product. The tshirts speak for themselves. 

Moving forward, I think it would be cool for BMA to contact all 355 US Zoos along with ski resorts in all the snow receiving states. Both are massive markets for the US they have yet to tap into on a large scale. While I was creating a mini lead list for this project, I also went ahead and made a list with the names of over 1,600 Zoos internationally (gotta dream big, right). Ultimately, I want to be the one to track these leads. Making this project gave me half a million ideas to implement for this company.

I converted TikTok videos into a bank of written content for Eternal Muse Hair

I found Eternal Muse Hair on a desperate search to find a way to style my hair without creating even more damage. That month I had to cut over a foot off my hair from heat damage, so I was determined to find something new to use. Their company popped up on my TikTok and I ended up ordering their product after watching just two videos.

It was easy to see how Eternal Muse Hair was changing how women can achieve a polished look without damage. With their Zero Heat Set, I personally achieved gorgeous curls with no heat damage and cut in half my hair routine. However, I was disappointed when I first received the product. I initially hated the results, but quickly learned that  I was just using the product wrong.  

This viral UK company from TikTok with a following of 43.7K and totaling over 1.4M likes has a phenomenal product. Exposure, as they have, helps Eternal Muse move products at a fast rate and answer fan questions. But the downside to viral fame is their website left me with so many styling questions. Since most of their clientele came from TikTok, they didn’t have a way to explain the product to customers that found them through a Google search or were searching their website.

They Need a Tutorial Section

Eternal Muse’s viral TikTok answers questions and gives little tutorials, but that information isn’t linked on the website and it took some serious stalking to find on the account. They do have a nice FAQ page, but it didn’t cover how to use the Zero Heat Set, and as a new customer, I was lost. I thought it would be wise to add a tutorial page on the website that links to specific TikToks showcasing how to use the Zero Heat Set. 

Here is the layout of their current website and the page I added to the navigation bar.

Eternal Muse Hair Official Page
New Page On Mock-Up Website

Tutorial Page Content

The new page I created on the website went into the steps of using the hair product and how to achieve different hairstyles. I turned to social media to find commonly expressed concerns about using the Zero Heat Set.

As I dug deep into their social pages and got a read on frequently asked styling questions, four main categories were apparent. 

  1. Rod Placement 
  2. How-To Wear the Zero Heat Set
  3. Beachy Waves
  4. Bouncy Curls

Once I recognized what would be a value to cover, I found TikToks explaining each category thoroughly. Then I dug through their website and tagged photos on Instagram to find cover photos for my categories (see image).

Then I turned those videos I found from their TikTok into written tutorials. This method made sure that the mini-tutorials matched the companies voice. Since I’m a very visual person I included a link to the original TikTok at the bottom of each box for extra context. 

This way you get a picture, instructions, and a visual tutorial making the website accessible to individuals with different learning styles.

TikTok’s I linked on the Tutorial Page:

–Rod Placement 

–How-To Wear It

–Beachy Waves

–Bouncy Curls

Easily Accessible Social Links

On the Eternal Muse website, the only social platform they have linked is Instagram and the link for it is a small icon at the bottom of the home page. Given that they got their exposure from social media success, I think they should be capitalizing on this more. In the mock-up I created I put Instagram and TikTok at the top of the navigation bar, so it was easy to find on the home screen and stayed present no matter what page you were on.

Easy to navigate and understand websites are game-changers for sales. Adding landing pages for Tutorials, events, recent socials and more are great value adds for companies! Using both Wix and Squarespace to create the mock-up website opened my eyes to how many options you have for customizing your website.

Key Take-Aways

  •  Creating new page ideas is simple if you work backward from the problem. Is clientele not understanding something? Why don’t they? How can a make them aware before they get confused? How can I eliminate the problem before it ever happens?
  • Both Wix and Squarespace offer a ton of base layouts you can customize of hundreds of different pages. It is actually really fun to edit and experiment with website creation.
  • TikTok is the fastest growing social platform, and incorporating it into marketing and sales is imperative. Learning how to navigate a company page and find targeted issues is enjoyable and valuable.
  • Moving forward with Eternal Muse Hair I’d love to see them expand their customer education process to eliminate Customer Care issues.

Taking a critical look at how things are run and why issues are created helped me to realize that even the strongest companies still need teams and new eyes on projects.