[Case Study] Instagram Marketing Expert And Coach Juan Galán

From Working At Starbucks To Building A 6-Figure Social Media BusinessHello, introduce your self and briefly share what you do and your workMy identify is Juan Galan. I’m Colombian, however I’ve been residing in Spain for nearly 15 years. I’ve been within the advertising business for over 10 years. I began working in company jobs, and through my first years, I used to be form of leaping from job to job as a result of I wasn’t very fulfilled. And within the meantime, I used to be all the time engaged on constructing my Instagram presence on the aspect. After two makes an attempt with private accounts, I launched my third account in September 2021. This time, I did it with a full enterprise mindset, and that’s how IG Creator Academy was born. It is a web based training house for creators, entrepreneurs, and enterprise house owners to learn to construct, develop, and monetize their manufacturers utilizing Instagram.It was an enormous success. It grew by 1000’s of followers each month, and I reached 100,000 followers in lower than 9 months. That’s how my enterprise started. With intensive expertise in digital advertising and social media, I spotted that each job I had led me to this second. Today, I’ve labored with over 1,000 shoppers, together with giants like Adobe and Semrush. My enterprise has generated a number of six-figure incomes, launched profitable digital merchandise and training packages, and partnered with main manufacturers.It’s been a loopy ride—actually thrilling. I’m actually wanting ahead to seeing what’s subsequent.My journey with Instagram began again in 2013 once I began my weblog. And I didn’t make any cash from it till 2021.My dream as a youngster was all the time to work at Starbucks and the Hard Rock Cafe. As quickly as I arrived in Barcelona, I bought a job at Starbucks. I used to be tremendous, tremendous glad; it was my first job ever, and it was an excellent expertise. I realized rather a lot about buyer expertise and buyer help.After that, I began on the Hard Rock Cafe. I was an enormous fan of the Hard Rock Cafe. Every time I traveled, I might go to 1 and purchase a pin or a T-shirt. It was like a fan second to be employed there. After working on the retail store for the primary three years, they supplied me a promotion to gross sales and advertising; though that wasn’t my background in any respect, I noticed it as an excellent alternative. So, my journey in advertising in gross sales and advertising began on the Hard Rock Cafe. One of the various issues that I dealt with was social media. It was 2014, and Instagram was nonetheless fairly new. Facebook was the large factor, and we didn’t have any artistic freedom to put up no matter or to create a technique. We had been simply informed that is what that you must put up. These are the rules. There wasn’t any artistic freedom when it got here to content material creation. But it was a good way of getting began within the business. After that, I bought sick of company and went to a startup. It was simply me doing all the things inside advertising. That’s the place I actually realized the way to develop audiences, handle advertising tasks, work with content material creators, and arrange content material interviews. It was a little bit of all the things, and it was actually enjoyable. Following this, I’ve all the time had jobs that primarily centered on content material or social media. Until the final job I had, which was additionally at a startup, the startup closed down. The venture didn’t work out. We bought furloughed, and that’s once I began freelancing. Having a number of sources of revenue actually provides me somewhat peace of thoughts as a result of I don’t depend upon only one factor.How was your transition from worker to freelance?Back then, I used to be all the time making an attempt to construct my Instagram presence, and thru my first account, I bought a mini consumer, if you happen to can name it that. Someone in Canada noticed my content material and mentioned, “Hey, I’ve {a magazine}, and I really like what you do, and I want somebody who can do precisely what you’re doing in your account however for my journal’s account.” I used to be like, certain, why not? So, that was my first consumer manner earlier than I really began freelancing formally. But then, after we bought furloughed, I knew deep in my coronary heart that I didn’t wish to undergo the complete technique of job interviews once more. I knew that I used to be prepared for one thing else. I had been eager to change into a digital nomad for a really very long time. So, it was like, effectively, you recognize what? Life is giving me this chance, and I’m going to take it. I nonetheless had that outdated consumer, so I began reaching out to individuals I had labored with. That helped me get two or three extra shoppers, and I began increase my freelance portfolio. I used to be doing all the things, although. I used to be doing social media administration, weblog writing, images, and translations. I really feel that whenever you begin within the freelance house, you form of take something that comes since you want the cash. But when you begin increase, you additionally begin studying about setting boundaries and altering from an worker mindset to a CEO and enterprise proprietor mindset. That’s when issues began shifting and I spotted that I didn’t wish to handle extra accounts as a result of, on the finish of the day, it felt like I used to be nonetheless working for another person. Even although it was by myself phrases, I used to be nonetheless working for another person and what I needed was to have my very own enterprise. So that’s how I began doing IG Creator Academy.How was the method of making and launching your first product?My first Instagram account, which was extra round way of life, consisted of principally Barcelona content material, which is the place I’m primarily based. My first venture was beginning my weblog. I constructed a extremely cool weblog. Published a put up each week and promoted it on Instagram. I attempted to develop my weblog and my Instagram presence, however I didn’t have the best technique, so I had to return to work. And I form of deserted that venture. It was my first failed venture, nevertheless it was an excellent apply and an excellent train to create content material. My second account was centered on the journey house, and I launched three various things. The first was a preset pack. Presets had been fairly in style again then. They had been mainly photograph filters that you simply bought, and other people might apply them to their pictures. I believe I bought perhaps two solely. Then I additionally launched prints of my images prints. I didn’t promote any. But by this account, I did get plenty of photoshoot bookings from individuals coming to Barcelona. They had been getting in contact, and so they needed me to take them to the Instagram locations right here. And I used to be really making good cash from that—not sufficient to generate a full-time revenue from it, nevertheless it was fairly respectable. This was round 2020, and I began to see digital entrepreneurs, social media entrepreneurs, and content material creators instructing or sharing their information and experience on Instagram and TikTook. And proper after COVID, they had been rising quick and beginning to make some huge cash by teaching and merchandise. And I felt like I had plenty of expertise and experience. I had launched many issues. I had created plenty of content material. I labored with completely different manufacturers in numerous industries. And I felt that I additionally might present worth to my viewers. So, I shifted my area of interest from journey to social media advertising on content material suggestions. I launched a beta teaching program, and I bought my first shoppers and began working with them. However, it was complicated for the algorithm as a result of it was a journey account. I used to be nonetheless displaying journey content material but in addition social media advertising suggestions and content material creation suggestions. So that’s once I determined to go away that one simply as journey because it had all the time been and began IG Creator Academy.One of Juan’s early posts (Original)A Reel from across the identical time (Original)And because you launched the IG Creator Academy, might you share with us how the enterprise has advanced?I launched IG Creator Academy in September 2021, and in 2022, its first full 12 months, it generated six figures. I used to be tremendous glad and excited that I had been in a position to obtain a lot inside the first 12 months, nevertheless it wasn’t actually the primary 12 months as a result of it goes again to my first years as a freelancer. It even goes again to once I began my weblog. I all the time inform those who my journey with Instagram began again in 2013-2014 once I began my weblog. And I didn’t make any cash from it till 2021, mainly. Before the IG Creator Academy, I made round $2k – $3k per 30 days from freelance tasks + teaching however not from presents and prints I solely did like $24. Also, this was very inconsistent. Some months, I’d make $1k, some others $3k, and on high of that, I used to be working tremendous lengthy hours. And it was good again then, as a result of it was the primary time I used to be making good cash by Instagram, however nonetheless, I wasn’t making a full-time revenue to stay off that. And I do should say as effectively that I’ve a number of sources of revenue. Those numbers come from working with manufacturers, associates, teaching, digital merchandise, and programs. Some people’s recommendation is to do only one factor and persist with it. And if that works for them that’s nice. But in my case, having a number of sources of revenue actually provides me somewhat peace of thoughts as a result of I don’t depend upon only one factor, and I used to be in a position to develop all of them on the identical time.Anyone constructing a web based enterprise ought to concentrate on long-form content material and what I name the first channels, the place you don’t compete with algorithms.That’s an excellent technique. Don’t put all of your eggs in the identical basket. And what’s your course of behind making a digital product that may finally change into a brand new income stream?There are so many various kinds of merchandise. Low-ticket merchandise may be something from an e-book to a mini course or a 60-minute workshop. Then there are high-ticket merchandise, which may be extra complete programs that may take months to construct. Let’s use the latest one which I simply created for example. It’s a digital product about rising an Instagram account with AI. I created it primarily based by myself experience—I began a brand new account, and I mainly did the entire thing with AI. I created my profile with AI. The bio, the content material pillars, and the content material that I’m making are all AI-generated. And it’s been rising actually quick. I grew 10k followers in 8 weeks and 90% of the heavy work was executed by AI.Since I created that account, many individuals have requested me how I do it. So, I believed I’d create a mini-course on it. I had the entire course of already laid out. I simply wanted to place it right into a doc and document a couple of tutorials. For that, I used Loom, a display screen recording instrument. In these movies, I stroll individuals by the complete technique of constructing and rising my account. I recorded the entire course of and arranged it into completely different steps. It was very, quite simple. It’s a quite simple product, nevertheless it’s additionally a mini-course, which implies it’s low-ticket. I exploit Skool, a extra community-driven platform, to host my programs. Skool’s entire which means is constructing paid communities, however inside the paid communities, you possibly can host programs. I host all my completely different programs there. When anybody joins my paid packages, whether or not it’s my high-ticket or low-ticket, they get added to the group.Instagram is my important channel, however I imagine in long-form content material’s energy. I really feel that anybody constructing a web based enterprise ought to concentrate on long-form content material and what I name the first channels, the place you don’t compete with algorithms like on Instagram, algorithms are altering on a regular basis primarily based on individuals’s behaviors, which is regular. But on platforms like YouTube, a podcast, or a weblog; you possibly can place your enterprise a lot better as a result of these platforms provide you with authority, credibility, and higher positioning. So, my major channel is my weblog. I really like running a blog, I began a weblog a few years in the past. Now I weblog about social media and AI, and I actually take pleasure in it. I’m additionally on YouTube, which I see as a really highly effective instrument for the long term; it’s taken me a really very long time to develop an viewers there, though I’m posting movies each week. But I do know it’s an extended sport, and I actually like creating long-form movies. Those are my two core channels. And then I’ve Instagram, the place I constructed my group, however I’m all the time driving my viewers and visitors to my YouTube channel or weblog. I additionally produce other secondary channels, like Pinterest and TikTook, the place I put up as a result of I’ve content material to share there, nevertheless it’s not like I’m utilizing them strategically. I’ve an electronic mail checklist as effectively that I electronic mail each week, a number of instances per week. Email advertising is tremendous highly effective. In truth, I simply did a pre-launch for my course that’s popping out tomorrow, however I simply launched it to my electronic mail checklist and already bought out the spots I had out there. Email is actually, actually highly effective.This could be very cliche, however discover your area of interest. Choose one subject that you recognize you’re actually good at, you could speak about for hours with out planning, that you simply’re enthusiastic about, and that there’s a market want for. Do some analysis and use AI instruments that will help you with that. Find that intersection between what you’re good at, what you’re enthusiastic about, and what individuals want. Most importantly, what individuals want as a result of that’s what’s going to provide the cash, proper? Once you discover that, begin creating content material. Choose one channel. In my opinion, Instagram is the best one to construct up and in addition as a result of you possibly can construct group. And you could have all of the completely different placements like tales, lives, reels, etcetera. Choose one subject you’re good at and begin creating content material. The extra content material you put up, the extra possible you’ll begin rising. You’ll additionally get higher at content material creation, which can assist you to see what kinds of content material resonate extra with the viewers you’re constructing. I might simply go all in into content material creation for at the least 90 days. Try to put up every single day for 90 days. If you possibly can put up two instances per day, even higher. Once you begin constructing that viewers, create a proposal and take a look at it. It doesn’t should be a $2,000 services or products. It is usually a $27 product for the viewers that you simply’ve been nurturing for 90 days already one step additional and take a look at. Don’t stop if you happen to’ve been posting persistently for 90 days and also you haven’t skilled exponential development. Don’t stop if you happen to launch one thing and it doesn’t work out at first, strive one thing else. When I launched IG Creator Academy in September 2021, I had 40,000 followers, I launched a high-ticket teaching program. It was $1,500 for 12 weeks of teaching with me, and I had zero signups. I might have simply stop there and be like, this isn’t for me. But that have led me to consider the following venture, the following concept.ClickUp is my calendar, the place I create all of the content material. I work with an assistant and a video editor, so we talk inside ClickUp; I actually like that. I really employed somebody to set it up for me as a result of it’s not that I’m not succesful, however it will have taken me plenty of time to know the way it works as a result of it’s not like a easy instrument. It’s complicated. It’s sturdy, nevertheless it’s actually good. ChatGPT Plus. I do all the things with ChatGPT. Everything. Metricool. I schedule all of the content material for LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube Shorts by Metricool, which helps me keep in line with my content material output. CapCut. I really like how easy it’s to edit movies on CapCut. I edit all my Reels there, and I prefer to preserve them quite simple. You’ll by no means see a Reel of mine hyper-edited or these fast transitions and sound results. I simply preserve them quite simple. And I really like that CapCut means that you can do this. I exploit Opus Clip to repurpose my YouTube movies into short-form movies that I then put up on Shorts, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTook.I’ve been loving Fathom AI. It joins all of your conferences, Google Meet or Zoom, information the decision, transcribes it, and creates summaries and motion steps. It’s actually good as a coach, for instance, whenever you soar on calls with individuals and don’t wish to take notes since you wish to have your full consideration on them. Then you could have these summaries and motion steps, that are actually, actually cool. And it’s free. And, as I discussed earlier than, I exploit Skool to host my paid group and programs. And final however not least, the place are all of the locations individuals can discover you?

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