Note #1: Before I reveal everything about my own success “plan” (below) I want to acknowledge that SOME people will see this article on social media. There’s a difference in USING social media and RELYING on it. I am here. MOST of my new content goes here FIRST. BUT there’s an ENGINE behind it… I do NOT rely on the algorithm. All is revealed below.
Note #2: I acknowledge that social media (the scroll, the feeds) is effective at selling SOME physical products (under $400) and occasionally cheap seat digital programs / courses / challenges. IF social media is WORKING for you, as it KNOW it does for some, by all means, keep doing what works. But if you’re looking for an alternative, keep reading.
Bottom line: for MOST people, social media is a big disappointment as far as actual LEAD GENERATION goes. I spoke to a multi-million dollar per year business owner recently. She has a social media TEAM. (multiple people, one full time) She made $12K on social media in 2025. And I hear from hundreds each year who have spent more than she made trying to LEARN the system, hoping to FORCE the social media algo to honor them, share them, help them.
As I sort through so many queries asking “what now,” I am both horrified and encouraged. HORRIFIEd at the lengths really smart business owners have gone to trying to make their efforts on social media pay off for them, often abandoning (with time and resources) what ALWAYS worked for what was PROMISED to work. But encouraged as I watch OLD SCHOOL tools coming back into favor… and being more effective than ever.
HELLO…. “blogging is dead” crowd WELCOMING Substack! 😊
I don’t want to POOPOO on social media entirely. It DOES have potential. I know of three people who are making BANK here. (Aprille, Eva, and Michelle, here’s looking at YOU!) And I DO make SOME money because of social media. But if I RELIED on that, I’d be broke.
So, I ask, “what STRATEGY are you using” to get leads from the socials?
Answers range from posting a lot, to asking a lot of questions… you know, to get engagement. BUT like AFTER the engagement… what was your plan to turn these people into clients or customers or patients? THAT question is often met with silence.
That’s when it hit me that so many businesses — from the solopreneur to the person with separate teams for marketing and sales — have never SEPARATED in their minds STRATEGY from SYSTEM from TOOL from FUEL. They got mixed up somehow, which is COSTLY in business.
So, I want to break it down because it will make lead gen so much simpler and easier and faster for you.
SYSTEM or ENGINE… In this case, I’m talking about the entire lead generation ENGINE for your business. in other words, how is this engine SUPPOSED to run? What is the OVERVIEW? Quite simply: HOW DO YOU HOPE lead generation will work?
Do you hope to be found on social media? IF so, by who? What will they see? What will compel them to reach out? How does this WORK, even in your own mind?
For me, my sales ENGINE is pretty simple. I will be found across multiple media outlets that SERIOUS business owners read. I will be found giving advice and highlighting simple shifts that will make COMMON SENSE to them. They will reach out for one of my free resources OR contact me directly. They will also likely look at my social media platforms. They’ll find some fodder there, to entertain and educate them, that SUPPORTS my positioning as someone who can help them. BUT THEY reach out to ME to start a conversation. This positioning is critical to easy sales. If I’m required to garner engagement so that I can then cold message THEM on social media… well, the positioning is off. Sales get harder.
Look, your engine doesn’t have to look like mine. BUT you SHOULD know how you HOPE your engine will work. Write it out. And then highlight WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL. This matters. Hope is NOT a great plan.
STRATEGY. A solid strategy is not “post lots.” A solid strategy should include ACTIONS, DATES for measurement and SO THAT accountability.
ACTIONS you’ll take… SO THAT “this result” happens.
THEN, a date where you’ll measure WHETHER that result happened. If it did NOT, you need a new strategy. Consistency ONLY works when you’re consistently doing what works.
So, what STRATEGIES are you quite literally banking on??? Can you spell them out? Do you know what to measure? Are you doing it? Are you willing to course correct when it isn’t producing for you?
TOOLS. Tools are the platforms and objects you use to bring your strategies to life. So, social media is NOT a strategy, it is a TOOL. How you USE it will determine everything. Frankly, I have always and ONLY depended on being on other people’s stages and pages (media) for lead gen, but you can use media wrong too.
EVERY tool should be used STRATEGICALLY. And the more strategic you are with it… the better it will perform WITH LESS work from you. (Ecclesiastes 10:10 for anyone interested in Biblical truths.)
Also with TOOLS you’re using, you MUST ask yourself if YOUR goals ALIGN with the goals of the person who OWNS the tool. For instance, Facebook WINS when i get so frustrated with the algorithm that I pay to be seen. So, if my goal is to use it as a FREE lead gen source, our goals are at odds with each other. For media, though… our goals are aligned. The media outlet’s goal is to get my content shared and read by as many people as possible. That’s my goal too. THAT is goal alignment so I have to work LESS HARD.
FUEL. So, what will FUEL Your plan? WHAT will KEEP your engine running? There are TYPICALLY only two options for this in the world of business, three if you separate showing up live to speak from other ways to produce content.
But TYPICALLY it’s ADS or CONTENT:
If your sales engine runs on ADS, you’re paying for attention on a regular basis. This works. But you MUST have a solid understanding of direct response principles, algorithm intricacies and have a tested and proven offer and funnel that can recoup and then multiply your ads budget.
If your sales engine runs on CONTENT, you’re EARNING attention on a regular basis. This ALSO works, but it works BETTER when you’re strategic about WHERE you’re placing your content.
For instance, facebook might show my content to more people… but if 2/3rds of them aren’t even in business for themselves, I’d be better off placing my content in an industry-specific journal with fewer eyeballs, but EACH set of eyeballs are ideal clients for me.
A lot of businesses also fuel their success with live, in person speaking. This is also content, so the same concept applies.
To build your own SIMPLE lead gen system,
something you can COUNT on,
answer these questions:
— How do I HOPE leads will be generated by my business? They will find me _______________, they will reach out about ______________, etc.
— What TOOLS will I use to make this lead gen plan happen? List them all. MacBook. Internet. Social media platforms. Media outlets. Ads budget. Direct mail piece. TV commercial. Whatever.
— What STRATEGIES will guide my use of these tools? How will I USE them to accomplish my goal here?
— What FUEL will be required of me on an ongoing basis? Content or ads budget, TYPICALLY.
Once you have your plan, ask:
Is this a REASONABLE thing to expect to happen? Does this little plan make common sense? Who must I depend on to accomplish this? What do I control? What will I measure?
Anyway… Do you want details of MY sales engine.. the strategies and tools and fuel I USE?? So you can see this concept in action? Message me and I’ll shoot it over to you.
