Selling on Instagram, Self Publishing a Book and Finding Your Creative Identity with Elise Cripe of Get to Work Book
Episode 057: Show Notes
Today on the podcast, we are super excited to have Elise Cripe of Get to Work Book. For those of you who do not know, Elise lives with her husband and her two young daughters in San Diego, California, and not only has she launched the Get to Work Book daily planner, but she has been online since 2005 and she has done a lot! Elise has been a blogger, she has shared DIY projects, and she is quite the artist.
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In this episode, we dive into more on the Get to Work Book, an actual, physical book that she created from an Instagram challenge. She is going to tell you exactly how she made that happen and cover some cool Instagram strategies, where she finds a lot of her audience for Get to Work Book. We’re finding out how she built her product-based business from Instagram, why she stopped blogging, and ideas on y’all getting creative again. We go over finding your creative identity and how important that is for us to stay inspired and motivated every day. We can’t wait for you to dive in and get re-inspired today, so go ahead and give this one a listen.
Blogging Before it Was Even a Thing
In 2005, while Elise was at university, she started a blog to go along with her scrapbooking hobby before blogging was even really a thing. As the blogging world changed, Elise changed with it, and she tried different things. Her focus was always personal and all about what she was busy with at that moment. She continued to share her projects on her blog, and eventually, she transitioned into selling things on Etsy. Although her business changed a lot, the one constant was her blog. It was where people could find her, especially before the days where social media could be your central platform.
Creating a Brand Behind a Following
Get to Work Book was the first product where Elise separated herself from the brand of the product. She specifically made a different Instagram handle for Get to Work Book so that the business could exist and grow on its own. In fact, to Elise, it does not even matter whether or not people have any idea who she is in connection with the book. After so many years of being the face of the products she was selling and after starting a family, Elise learned that what she truly wanted was to pull back. Her goal was to be active in the business, but she did not want the business to be her life. The launch of the book was perfectly timed with the journaling trend, so Elise took advantage of the great response to create a movement by encouraging her following to use the brand hashtag.
Using Instagram As a Sales Platform
Although sometimes it can be tough to plan out a constant sales method as a new mom, for Elise, her main sales strategy has been to focus on Instagram. When it comes to making those purchase decisions, customers often want to hear great reviews from others before buying. This is exactly what happened with the Get to Work Book, because Elise has customers that truly want to share their books, which is really helpful. Another great aspect of the book is that it is a very visual product that is constantly changing. Each page is unique, as you decorate it yourself, so there is always something different to share.
Building a Newsletter For a Product-Based Business
A newsletter can be a great way to continue to communicate with your customers, and really build that relationship. For Elise, she has two newsletters; one for the workbook, and a personal newsletter. She only uses the newsletter for the planner a few times a year to make important launch announcements and to inform people when to buy. Her personal newsletter has taken over from her blog, showcasing the planner and acting as an outreach. One of Elise’s best tips to grow a newsletter is to offer a freebie that is good and in line with what your audience wants. This gives people a reason not only to subscribe, but to open the newsletter.
Turning An Instagram Challenge Into a Book
Elise started off with the 100 Day challenge by creating photos with a pep talk for each day. Every day of the challenge she would write out a pep talk on Instagram with an accompanying photograph to send out. After getting through 50 days of pep talks, Elise realized that she had a ton of content on her hands. She decided to self-publish, and eventually ordered a thousand copies and sold them. The challenge has turned into something big and exciting, and really helped her to get out of the rut she was in and do something completely different.
Finding Creativity In the Midst of Your Work
Oftentimes when you have your own creative business, you go into it because that was your creative outlet. However, once it becomes your business, it is no longer your creative outlet. That is why it is crucial that you have a separate creative outlet that is fun and great and yours. If we don’t give ourselves the time and we don’t dedicate our energy to something like that, we burn out quickly and then it’s all over. You have to be active in reclaiming your creative projects and truly pursue what is fun for you, and not just work.
Quote This
You don’t want one single platform to hold up your business.
—Elise Cripe
Highlights
Hear Elise’s story and how blogging has been a constant in her entrepreneur “career”. [0:03:01.7]
Learn more about how Elise created the following behind her Get to Work Book brand. [0:07:17.8]
Elise shares her strategies for successfully using Instagram as a sales platform. [0:09:27.9]
Understand the benefits of using a newsletter for a product-based business. [0:16:06.7]
Find out how Elise turned a 100 day Instagram challenge into a book. [0:20:37.3]
Learn how Elise was motivated to find the creativity in her life, to pursue her hobbies in work. [0:34:27.4]
#TalkStrategyToMe [0:44:38.9]
Sign up for a creative, fun class.
Set a commitment to the class/activity.
Share your projects on the internet.
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Elise Blaha Cripe
Elise Blaha Cripe lives with her husband and two young daughters in San Diego, California. She has been sharing thoughts and DIY projects online since 2005, running an online shop of handmade goods since 2008, and in 2015 she launched GET TO WORK BOOK, a day planner and goal setting journal. In August of 2016, Elise published a book of pep talks. Elise hosts a weekly podcast, Elise Gets Crafty, that focuses on creative small business.
KEY TOPICS
Blogging for your business, Building a brand following, Using Instagram as a sales platform, Sending a newsletter in a product-based business, Turning an Instagram challenge into a book, Finding creativity in work
WE MENTIONED
Elise’s podcast Get to Work Book Typepad Bullet Journal
Solly Baby Wrap The 100 Day Project 100 Pep Talks
