134. How to mobilize and monetize your community authentically with Stacey Lauren

[00:00:00 - 00:00:15]On this podcast, I've been featuring expert speakers at all of the various topics that they're going to be covering at the get more clients from your content summit. Topics ranging from creating content that sells, growing an audience, and then, importantly, leading that audience to actually buy from you.

[00:00:15 - 00:00:16]By the way, if you want free.

[00:00:16 - 00:00:51]Tickets to get more clients from your content summit, you can grab them@captcho.com. summit. And in today's episode, I'm thrilled to introduce Stacey Lauren, the founder of do the thing. And you're going to want to pay attention to this one because she is diving into a topic that is crucial for every entrepreneur. Building a thriving community. Stacy has built an incredible engaged community of her own, and today, we're going to learn her secrets. Secrets like why building an engaged community is different and better from just getting.

[00:00:51 - 00:00:53]Engagement on social media.

[00:00:53 - 00:01:24]How to build that thriving community with only a handful of members to start with and the only thing that you need to do to create engagement in your group. This one literally blew my mind. So you're gonna wanna listen out for it. Oh, boy. If you're like me and you struggled with building a group that didn't feel like a chore each and every day, then this episode is definitely for you. My name is Deidre Shen Cyr and co founder of Captcho. The fastest way to create content designed to get you leads. And this is win the content game.

[00:01:24 - 00:01:29]Hi, Stacey. Welcome to the get more clients of your content summit. How are you feeling?

[00:01:29 - 00:01:32]I'm good. I'm so excited to be here. Right?

[00:01:32 - 00:02:07]I am so pumped. Oh, my gosh, your session. I know that we were doing a bit of prep work beforehand going into what you're going to talk about, and I was like, as we're going through it, I'm like, not only does everyone actually need to know this stuff, like I need to know. So I am doubly excited because I'm going to be learning so, so much. Um, so, Stacey, we're going to be talking about essentially building your community, but I think we need to start with, why is it even so important to be doing this? Because I know I'm not going to lie. Like, for the longest time, even when.

[00:02:07 - 00:02:08]We first set up cap show, I.

[00:02:08 - 00:02:30]Was like, you know what? I am not going to do the community thing. It is too hard. I've done it before. I got no engagement. I got, you know, it just felt like I was doing this thing because I was told to do it with no real results. But what I love about what you're going to be speaking about is you actually tangibly get people results. So. But why is it even important to have a community?

[00:02:31 - 00:03:34]Yeah, it's such a great question because I think there's so much confusion out there about, number one, that it's going to take a lot of work. Right. Or, like, what is the point of it? And I think what is really important for people to know is that a community is different than regular social media. You know, it's different than TikTok, it's different than LinkedIn, it's different than Instagram and all these things, because those platforms are great, but they're more of a platform. That's one way. So you're posting and people are engaging with that one post, but they're not really engaging with each other. Or if they are engaging with each other, it's not on a private platform, so they're not safe to be able to really express how they feel and get connected together. And that's what I love about having a community, a gathering place where your people get to gather together and they're talking to each other. So you're just this kind of, like, facilitator of all of this magic with people that you put together with this common goal of whatever your community stands for, and they become friends, and they're actually able to support and encourage each other in the process.

[00:03:34 - 00:04:24]Okay? So, again, not gonna lie. Like, I hear that, and I'm like, I've been sold the dream. I've been sold this dream, Stacey. I've been sold the dream of, you know, let. Just let the people hang out and look after each other. But it takes. I mean, like, I feel like it takes a lot until I saw you and how your community, like, you have an amazing community yourself. Like, such amazing people who are so bought into not only you, but, like, what you're doing. And. And we're going to be talking about shared goals and things like that, which I'm so excited to get into, but I really want you to just help me debunk some of these hesitations that I know that probably a lot of us are feeling. And what is it that we do actually need to be focusing on to make this work for us?

[00:04:25 - 00:05:33]Yeah. The biggest thing is, first of all, like, you get to decide who you're inviting to the community, right? And so at least to start. So you don't want to really have to start with a million people, you know, in your group. You just start with 100 people. And whether that you already have a community going, you have a gathering place and you're, it's not engaged or you're wanting to engage it. It doesn't matter. Just think of 100 new people, basically, is where you start. So that way you're getting to know the people that are in there and you're able to create the conversations among them. And so that's really where the magic is, is you being able to just not post this one way thing, like, oh, blah, blah, blah. This is what I'm doing, or whatever. You're actually posting something that actually generates them talking to each other, and that's what Captcha is so good at. Right? Like, I just have to record a five minute video of my thoughts or do a live, and then I just uploaded in capture, and it literally gives you, like, these amazing conversation starters and polls that generate these conversations. So you are actually the thing that makes it even easier to generate this amazing, beautiful space for people.

[00:05:33 - 00:05:52]Oh, thank you. Thank you. Okay, so I want to go back to. Because I know that you mentioned, you know, stop racing the numbers and you mentioned 100 people, so can you, can we go into that a little bit more around, like, what does what, what number, if it's even important, is, you know, does kind of success look like in terms of creating a really thriving community?

[00:05:52 - 00:07:06]Yeah, I love starting. I say 100, and it doesn't have to be 100. It could be less. It could be more. But it's really having, like, ten people out of whatever that number is that are showing up. They get it. They're aligned with your mission, because then they become the welcoming party for everyone else that joins. So if you do decide to do ads and you want to blow your group up and you want it to be this big thing, it is no longer on you anymore. It's on these people that have already kind of, like, been united in your mission and what you're doing, and they've been part of this, like, co creation process, right, of you saying, hey, this is new. This is what I'm doing. Or if you already have a group and you're revamping it, it's like we're revamping it. People love being a part of that process, and that's really where the engagement comes from because they're making. They're, they're feeling like they're, they're a part of something, you know? And everyone wants that. We all want that sense of purpose and belonging and contribution, and you're giving that gift to people to be able to, to do that. And so that's really what it is, is you're having those people that are like, they're kind of like your biggest fans, right? And then all of a sudden, as new people start joining, they're showing them the ropes and it's just a really cool way to create that engagement with the community.

[00:07:07 - 00:07:16]And do you formally anoint them, if that makes sense, or do you just let them kind of put themselves forward organically?

[00:07:16 - 00:07:53]Yeah, great question. I like to do celebration interviews. So when I see somebody that's really just standing out and contributing to my group, I always like to just like, bring them either on my podcast or I bring them live in the group and I'm able to acknowledge, like, who they are, what they've done for the community, and then I also spotlight whatever they're doing. And so, and even if they don't have a business, it's actually really cool because they're, um, whoever they are, they have a story, right? And they're there for a reason and you get to like, bring that out of them. And if they have a business, it's great because then they're able to promote their podcast or business, whatever they're doing.

[00:07:56 - 00:08:40]So cool. So cool. Okay, so that would, I'm assuming that's almost like one of the first 1st hacks, I guess, or part of one of the first pillars of your framework of how to actually build, start to build a thriving community is actually to stop working on numbers and just create these really deep, meaningful connections with your fans. Right. The people who the, as you said, the ten, the handful of people who can become that welcoming community in, in your group. And so then you also touched on, and I want to go into this a little bit deeper around how to actually start creating those conversations. Um, so can you go, you know, so kind of got, step one is, you know, get. Stop focusing on the numbers. And step two is really all about the creating conversation. So tell us a little bit more about that.

[00:08:40 - 00:10:53]Yeah, so it's really important with your community that you show up as yourself, you know, and not feel like you have to have some kind of like, show and try to be something for someone or what people are expecting from you. That's where a lot of people fall into a trap, because then what happens is you're wearing this, like, mask, you know, and so they're not really seeing the real you and you're attracting people that are like, attracted to the mask version of you and not to your, like, heart and your, like, guts of who you are. Right. And so the best conversations happen when you're, when you're showing up as. As vulnerable and open and sharing your, like, wins, but also your losses and what you're struggling with and those pain points. And then from there, that's where the conversations happen, right? Like, oh, wow, you know, here I am. I recently did my TEDx talk, and I was falling into imposter syndrome, and I was even asking my group for advice on memorizing my talk. And all of a sudden, everyone, I literally got so many comments of people getting to give me advice, you know, on this talk. And that's just one example of how I brought them into my experience in being able to do that. And then I also was able to bring in speakers like, TEDx talk, people that were experts in that, and then they came in, got to bring them involved in that conversation. And so you're actually getting them to both feel like they're supporting the group with giving information, but then they're also learning, which is great. And that is where some of the best conversations start. It starts with whatever you're working on, whatever you're excited about, whatever you've learned, and then you're able to spark it, whether it's with a question or a poll. And that's what I've been loving about, like, even with cap show, because I can just do a quick, like, voice note on my phone and, like, I call it throw up my thoughts. I've got to come up with a better word because it's not so gross. But, you know, I just basically start talking, you know, gibberish in here, you know, like, of how I'm feeling. I call it, like, a venting voice note, actually, in my find your voice challenge, and I'll talk about, you know, like, what's going on and all of that, and then I can upload it, and then all of a sudden, it pulls out conversation starters and polls. And that's, like, an easy way to kind of, like, have it tap back into your experience, because you're starting that conversation from something that's important to you.

[00:10:53 - 00:11:13]That is so good. Okay. I do. Just for people who are watching this, and they're like, okay, that sounds great, but I know that you mentioned, as well, creating conversations versus, like, a one way content creation. So what's an example in your mind of where we're just, like, broadcasting content versus actually starting a conversation?

[00:11:14 - 00:12:43]Yeah, I hear this all the time. They're like, I've been posting a real a day, and no one's paying attention, and it's crickets, right? Or I'm posting all day long. About, um, I don't know. Well, I'll just say my food. I don't know, my food pictures or whatever. No one ever responds, right. But that's because it's just one way. It's like, oh, this is what I'm doing, you know, and. Or they're giving people, like, too much of a complicated way to engage, you know? And so you really want to meet people where they are, and that's where you're able to really create the best conversations, is what do you need help with? Where do you need the most support? What are your goals? And you ask them just one question that's going to ignite whatever that conversation is. And then what's cool is, you know, we all have seen this before. You actually go back to certain posts and certain things because you want to see what people are saying, right? And so that's kind of like, what you want to do is you want to create a space that you want to hang out and that you would be looking because you're interested to see what people are saying. And that comes from even, like, discussion forums, right? Like, it's like all these different things. It's. So you're basically creating your own discussion forum in your group, but because you're the one facilitating the group, you have ownership of this thing. So when you have an offer that you want to sell or a YouTube thing that you want them to go to, they go to it because you're the facilitator of the space, you know, and you're able to invite them to a masterclass if you have a masterclass, and they will come because they're in your world.

[00:12:44 - 00:13:10]And this is a really, really great segue, actually, into that concept of a shared goal, because, you know, I totally buy into what you're saying, Stacey, but I think a part of them doing the thing that you want them to do is because you all actually are coalescing around something common. So talk to us a little bit about what the importance is of this shared goal and how do we actually bring this to life when we're starting to build a community?

[00:13:11 - 00:15:29]Yeah, you're speaking my love language right now. So just so you know. So, yeah, so this was kind of like where my research has lied. This is what my TED talk was about. It's really exciting because I spent, like, years, I owned a staffing company for 20 years and saw all these patterns of people just getting stuck, stuck. Stuck in their head and not wanting to, you know, like, take the job that they wanted or, you know, quit the job or whatever it was because it was fear thinking they weren't good enough. So when I left, when I exited that business and I started do the thing, I'm like, great. Now I have an opportunity to help people reach their goals and their dreams. And I did 80 interviews on my podcast. I ended up dissecting a formula. There's six steps, but there's one step that really stood out. When I started to test the formula in a Facebook group, and I did challenges, and that is the one that no one really talks about, which is, I call it my people, which is being around people that have a shared goal. And it's different than your friends and family. It's different than your like minded friends. It's different than your normal support network. Because a lot of times, like, imagine if you want to run a marathon and you have, like, encouraging and supportive friends, they're not going to help you run the marathon. But if you join a running group, like, they're going to help you run, right? Cause they're going to be running with you. Or they know, like, when you're like, oh, my gosh, I'm tired. I don't want to run this 10 miles today. Instead of your friends saying, then don't run it, you know, they're going to say, the. The people that are, like, with them, they're going to say, no, let's do it together or take breaks. So they're going to give advice that makes sense, right? Or they'll be able to help the other person that's running, which makes them feel like they've got some kind of purpose. And so that's what the shared goal does. And it's being able to get people connected and united to this common purpose. And that's what's so cool is it brings in all of these different people around that common purpose. And so that's what you're creating your group on. And so if you have a brand that we'll just use, cap show, for example, like, I loved the challenge you guys did. It's creating content, right? So the common purpose is creating content. You're not just talking about content. There were people in there that were like, oh, I'm struggling to be on camera, or, I don't know, I'm not good at tech, right? And I need to learn how to do tech, or, hey, let's do a video. And so it brings in all of these people with all the different experiences, and the shared goal is what connects them together.

[00:15:30 - 00:15:56]That is so good. Okay. And do you, how do you find that this. That people can make keep this sustainable and going when you know, because I know that when you mentioned the challenge, and it's like a very time boxed, you know, like, people do have that shared goal because you're literally part of a challenge. But when people have a community that's kind of evergreen, how do you bring that shared goal into something and make it sustainable? Ongoing.

[00:15:56 - 00:17:30]Yeah. It really just constantly knowing what they want. Right. And that's where the conversations come from when you know, like, so when they're joining, if you're using Facebook or school or one of those platforms, I'm not sure about the other ones, but with those two, you can ask people what they want when they join your group and what they're wanting to achieve. So they immediately are telling you, like, what they want want, you know? And so that's great because you're getting to know what their goals are. Like, I did a, I have a singles group also that I run with dating challenges. And you would think that they would want to know, like, flirting, right. Or how to date, but no, like, they wanted to just, like, make some new friends and get out of their comfort zone. And had I not asked that question, I might have gone in another direction. Right. And so by you knowing what they're, what they're wanting immediately, that kind of activates you to know what to do and whether it's a challenge you want to run or a workshop or just even, like, a coffee meetup, you know, depending on how you're monetizing the group, you're able to do those things to keep the group, like, engaged and excited because they're like the ones that are saying, like, oh, I want this. And then guess what happens. All of a sudden, you create it. Like, when you came live in my community, it was great because I got to ask them a question. Hey, I'm interviewing the co founder of Cap show, you know, and what questions would you have for her around creating content? And they're all able to, like, tell me what their questions are. So then guess what they're showing up to that, you know, session. Because now we're going to answer those questions, and they see that it's going to be interactive, and so that's. That's how you're able to continue that engagement, by being able to get them involved in the process.

[00:17:31 - 00:18:25]Oh, this is so good. Okay. Because it kind of, again, dovetails into, I think, almost the fourth pillar. So just to recap for everyone following along, which I hope you are you know, the first is to stop focusing on the numbers in terms of how many people you actually have in your community right now. Right. Focus on the meaningful conversation. Conversations and a handful of people who are your fans, the people that you can lean on a little bit to be the welcoming party. The second thing is to create conversations rather than just broadcast things like, you know, actually ask things that people care about, care about engaging with. And the third is building a community around shared goals. And then you mentioned as your fourth pillar, is like, creating a space for real conversations. So you, I feel like you're touching on this a little bit, but how do you think about, about doing that? And how do you actually, do you have to do anything to incentivize people to connect with each other in your communities?

[00:18:25 - 00:20:32]Yeah. The key thing is it's a private space. Right. And so a lot of times, people aren't comfortable sharing something publicly that they might be comfortable sharing privately, kind of for the reason I mentioned earlier with that, my people idea, where if you're telling your friends and family about some goal that you have, like, you want to write a book or you want to have a content, you're a content creator and you want to do something new for there immediately, people could say, oh, why would you want to do that? That sounds ridiculous. And so they don't want to show sometimes their personal friends something that they might be comfortable sharing in the group. And so that's, number one, is really helping create that safe space where people feel comfortable. And the way that you're able to really do that is by showing them who you are and really opening yourself up. And then I, once you get people to start talking about what their, like, what their goals are and what their struggles are, it really opens up that space for connection, because, you know, what happens is we all have the same thoughts, right? Like, the thoughts in our head that get in our way. Some of us are better at, like, working through them, you know, quicker versus, like, it staying in some other people. But when you say what's on your mind and what's, what might be, what challenges are coming up for you, all of a sudden someone else is seeing that and they're like, oh, my gosh, I've been thinking the same thing. I didn't know that I wasn't, like, crazy or, like, you know, like, that something was wrong with me, but actually, oh, my gosh. Like, and then they all of a sudden feel connected. That actually just happened to me. I have someone right now, a company that's running my find your voice challenge in her group. And somebody in there basically had said an answer to one of the dares that I give people. And I basically was like, oh, my gosh, that's exactly something that I've gone through, like, in my life. Right. And then all of a sudden you just feel seen and recognized. And so that's really. That's really how you are able to create the safe space is by, number one, you being open and then allowing them to be open and kicking anyone out, you know, if they're not adhering to the. To the rules. But again, it's kind of easy because the group sort of takes over and they're able to, like, talk them through it, essentially.

[00:20:33 - 00:20:58]So. Good. Okay, so now I want to talk about a little bit about, you know, we're starting to build this community. It's hopefully a thriving one. And actually, on that note, I know, Stacey, that you have a free resource for people. If they currently have a group or they're thinking of a group and they're like, a little bit scared of not getting any engagement on any of the posts that they do, you do have a freebie for them. So can you tell us a little bit about that first? And then I'm going to ask a follow up question.

[00:20:58 - 00:21:27]Yeah, I think, like, the number one thing that people end up asking me or like, that need help is really how to engage their group. Right. So it's basically called zero engagement. Here's why people aren't showing up and what you could do about it. So it will really recap some of the stuff that I said. But I also give some further details that will really help you get people to show up with different strategies that I've used over the last few years, and it's worked every time.

[00:21:28 - 00:22:12]And the great thing is that for everyone who is all access pass ticket holder, then Stacey is actually going to do a deep dive on growing and engaging your group. So you're going to get a little bit of the insights in that. But my follow up question, Stacey, was really about when you have this community, I know that you've made this incredibly successful, so I want to get your thoughts on this, but how do you actually start to monetize, like, how do you think about going from shared goal, you know, creating this really thriving community, a safe space for everyone to, hey, like, I really want to make it like, we're all business owners at the end of the day, we kind of need to be getting an ROI on our time and all of that. Like, how do you how do you actually start to bring that into the conversation?

[00:22:12 - 00:24:35]Yeah, it's fun. Now, I didn't when I didn't know how, it was kind of scary. But. But now, I mean, one of the easiest ways you can monetize this group is you already have all these people in there that love you because you've been, like, creating this thing with them, right. And so you could actually decide if you chose to now change it to a paid group. So you grandfather in everyone that's in there as free, and then anyone that knew anyone new that joins you can have it be paid. And you could start it with something low, so you kind of get your comfort level up and then you could always increase it, you know, as it's kind of like the going to the nightclub. Right. The first in get the free, get in free, and the people later get in paid. And so that's one just quick and easy way that you can monetize it. And then the other way is pretty much as you start to have this community, people start to show up to everything that you have. I mean, I have people tell me this all the time where they're like, I didn't even know what you were doing, but I'm just here because I knew you were doing something right. And so that's really fun when you get to that point because it just shows you that you don't need to really plan anything. You're able to always just kind of, like, feel the energy of the people and whatever, whatever you decide to do. But you have all their emails, so that's. You basically would treat it just like you would with an email list where you could monetize it over email. You could promote affiliate offers. You could promote your own offers. If you're monetizing with YouTube, you could send them all to your YouTube channel. Right. And so I also have a really fun group strategy for monetizing, which is it gets them into. I don't know. You're familiar with those? Well, you probably are cause you're speaking all over. But, like, the. The stage rushes, right? Where, like, everyone, like, they. Someone sells from the stage and everyone runs to the back. I have a strategy for that in a Facebook group where, uh, we're basically, uh, once you have an offer, if there's a limited time, it's like three days or four days open with the cart. It gets everyone into this rush of like, oh, I don't want to miss out, you know, and they're able to do that. And so for that, you're able to sell low ticket, high ticket membership, affiliate. You could have sponsorships because once people see what you've got going on, you know, then they're able to upgrade to that. You could have a newsletter, which I love with capture. I want to explore this, too, is because you guys even have the newsletter in there that comes from when you're doing the live and that would be another great way to monetize. But yeah, it's all over the place. But that's where, that's where you go. It's fun when you can't even say enough about it.

[00:24:36 - 00:25:26]I know, it's like literally you just, I was expecting like a one line answer, Stacey, to be like, yeah, just pitch, you know, just make an offer. You'll like, oh my God, they're actually so many ways that you can monetize a community. This is so cool. So much fun. Okay, so for everyone who wants to learn more about what Stacey does, et cetera, just opt into her freebie right now. It's zero engagement. It's going to be super helpful for you anyway in terms of finding out why people aren't showing up and what it is that you can do about it. So we'll leave the link to that below. And if you are an all access pass ticket holder, then you're in for a treat because literally the second session that Stacey is going to do with us is deep diving into growing and engaging a group. So thank you so much, Stacey, for your valuable time and all of the insights that you shared. And for everyone else, we'll see you on the next one.

[00:25:27 - 00:26:08]And there you have it. Some fantastic insights from Stacey on how to build, engage and even monetize your community. If you're ready to stop feeling like you're talking into the void and start creating meaningful connections with your audience, be sure to grab Stacey's free resource on why your post may be missing engagement and how to fix that. It's linked below in the show notes. And if you want even more of this goodness on learning about creating an offer and the content for that offer, growing your audience and then converting them into clients, then you'll want to join us at the get more clients from your content summit. You can register@capshow.com summit my name is Deidre Shen and as always, stay intelligently lazy.