As I mentioned, this started with MySpace.
Back then, you could add custom HTML to your MySpace profile and completely change how it looked. So, what I did was turn my profile into a landing page. The offer was a free book they got when they signed up to my mailing list.
When they signed up to the mailing list, they were then presented with a one-time offer to by my full service at a discount. It was a real one-time deal that they only got on that page, that one time. If they passed, they went on my mailing list and got emails encouraging them to get the service.
All pretty standard internet marketing 101 stuff.
But then… here’s where the spamming came in.
I created 50 or so profiles just like that. At the time, there was a piece of software called Badder Adder. MySpace was notoriously hackable and this software let you add hundreds, even thousands, of new friends a day — across multiple profiles.
And you can do it by search term on MySpace.
So, I’d load up some search terms, turn it on and walk away. It’d proceed to send friend requests to thousands of people per day. A certain percentage of those people would click to check out my profile — and a certain percentage of those would sign up to my list.
Some of those bought… and so on.
It was all a numbers game.
And I made several thousand per month just doing that.
The funny thing is… this same basic strategy still works on social media today — minus the spamming. Obviously, the platforms today are a lot more sophisticated — and you can’t add custom HTML to them.
But most (Instagram, for example) let you add a bio to your profile.
That bio should point people to some kind of free offer…
And get them on a mailing list.
And, of course, I *don’t* recommend using any spam tool, like Badder Adder, to follow people on the platforms today. That’ll get you booted quick. But, you can still do it manually. And yes… a certain percentage of those will read your profile, click and sign up for your free offer.
Social media users are a lot more savvy these days…
But, the right offer in front of the right people will work.
Do with that what you will.
A little tactic you could probably implement in just a few hours.
Now…
What I just described is the 101 level. There’s a 201, 301 and 401 level to this… to get even more eyeballs on your profile, get more of those people to sign up for your free offer and convert them into paying clients and/or customers.
That’s what I teach in my Social Media Marketing For Freelancers course.
It’s a TOS-friendly way to “hack” just about any social media platform and turn it into a client-getting weapon for you. And, as you see here, very little of it is about what you actually post. Obviously, that plays a role but it’s just one small part of a much larger strategy.
Anyway, if you’d like to learn it, you can get it essentially free on Skillshare. That’s because, as a teacher, there I can offer you an exclusive 1-month free trial of the platform.
With that, you get full access to all 30,000+ courses.
And, if you cancel before the month is up, you never pay a penny.
Do with that info what you will.
You can find the link to get the 1-month trial on this page: https://johnmorrisonline.com/skillshare
Later,
John
P.S. If you’re a patron of mine on Patreon, you can find access to this course (and all my other courses, plus several Patreon-exclusives) here: https://myjohn.us/patreon
