Beginners Guide To Freelance Brand Scaling in 2025 (Full Course)
How I Made $25,000 This Month Freelance Brand Scaling
Overview of Earnings
- The speaker discusses earning $25,000 in a month through freelance brand scaling, with $15,000 earned just that day.
- Anticipates an additional drop of $30,000 to $40,000 from one client, resulting in a take-home of approximately $3,000 to $4,000.
Introduction to the Course
- Announcement of an upcoming "Toc freelance brand scaling course" featuring an eight-page document detailing essential strategies and insights.
- Emphasizes that this course will cover everything needed about ads and brand scaling.
Why Brand Scaling is Ideal for Beginners
- Low barrier to entry: No significant investment required compared to dropshipping or clothing brands; no shipping or production issues involved.
- High demand for ad management as many businesses seek assistance in running effective advertisements.
- Scalability: Can be managed from home with minimal equipment (laptop/phone), allowing growth into a larger team over time.
Building a Personal Brand
- Importance of having a strong profile; highlights successful figures like "Bread Scales" who showcase their earnings effectively on social media.
- Speaker shares their own profile strategy including showcasing results and lifestyle content to establish credibility and attract clients.
Content Strategy for Client Attraction
- Suggestion to create educational content explaining brand scaling concepts and advertising benefits; helps build authority in the niche.
- Profile should include both flexing content (showcasing success/lifestyle) and educational videos discussing marketing strategies.
Finding Clients: Strategies Explained
Method 1: Hashtag Hunting
- Describes searching relevant hashtags (e.g., #clo brand, #streetwear) on social media platforms to identify potential clients.
Criteria for Potential Clients
- Target brands with 1K - 10K followers; those performing well organically are likely candidates for ad services.
Engagement Metrics
- Look for brands receiving at least 1K - 2K views on posts; low engagement indicates poor content quality which may not convert well with ads.
Tools for Efficiency
- Recommends using the "Meta Pixel Helper" extension to check if potential clients are already running ads. Brands without pixels are more viable targets.
Method 2: Using a Burner Account
How to Find Clients Using TikTok and Instagram
Finding Potential Clients on Social Media
- The speaker discusses the effectiveness of using social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Instagram, to identify potential clients in the clothing brand sector. They highlight that brands with high engagement (e.g., 4,000 likes) are often trending and can be valuable targets.
- A method called the "TikTok to Instagram Bridge" is introduced as a strategy for finding clients. This involves identifying TikTok accounts with good views but low follower counts on Instagram, making them easier targets for outreach.
- The speaker emphasizes searching for specific hashtags (#o brand) on TikTok to discover emerging brands that may not yet have a strong presence on Instagram. They provide an example of a promising client with significant views but minimal followers.
- Analyzing engagement metrics is crucial; the speaker notes that even accounts with fewer followers can have high engagement rates, indicating potential interest in their products.
- The importance of checking if these brands have marketing tools like Meta pixels is mentioned as part of assessing their readiness for collaboration.
Crafting Effective Outreach Messages
- The speaker outlines a cold outreach script for contacting potential clients via direct messages (DM). It includes complimenting their work and explaining how they can help scale revenue through Facebook ads and email/SMS marketing.
- Emphasizing a no-upfront-cost model creates a win-win scenario where payment is contingent upon generating revenue for the client. This approach reduces barriers to initial contact.
- A video DM format is suggested as an innovative way to stand out from typical text-based DMs. Personalizing communication increases chances of engagement by showing genuine interest in the brand's success.
- Follow-up strategies are discussed, including sending reminders after three days if there’s no response and referencing new posts or drops from the brand in subsequent messages to maintain relevance.
Onboarding New Clients
- Once a client shows interest, onboarding becomes essential. The speaker mentions having a contract template ready that outlines key terms such as commission percentages and access requirements for marketing tools like Shopify and Meta Business Suite.
How to Set Up User Access and Facebook Ads for Shopify
Setting Up User Permissions in Shopify
- Users can be added as collaborators through a call on Discord or Facebook. They need to navigate to "Users and Permissions" to find their collaborator code, which is essential for granting access.
- To create a Shopify Partner account, search for "Shopify partner" on Google. The sign-up process is straightforward and takes about 5 minutes, including human verification.
- After creating the partner account, request access by entering the store URL along with the collaborator code provided by the user. Approval via email is required for full access.
Accessing Facebook Meta Suite
- If users have an existing Facebook account, they should go to "Meta Business Suite." Ensure they have a Facebook page set up; if not, one must be created.
- In the settings of their Facebook page, invite your email with full control over all assets. This includes managing pages and ad accounts necessary for running ads effectively.
Integrating Email and SMS Marketing
- For email and SMS marketing integration, users should install Omnisend from the Shopify app store. They will need to add you as an administrator within this app.
- Users can invite you by selecting 'Admin' role under account management in Omnisend. A verification email will be sent for confirmation.
Understanding Facebook Ads Structure
- The structure of a Facebook ad campaign consists of three main sections: Campaign, Ad Set, and Ads (the actual content shown to customers).
- Different campaign types include Sales campaigns aimed at generating purchases and Engagement campaigns focused on building brand awareness.
Targeting Strategies in Advertising
- When targeting audiences in ads, broad targeting is recommended due to its effectiveness; however, interest targeting can also be used for specific demographics or interests.
- It's important to understand cost-per-click (CPC), which varies based on audience engagement levels; knowing this helps optimize ad spend effectively.
Understanding Facebook and Instagram for Pre-Orders
Choosing the Right Platform for Pre-Orders
- When handling pre-orders, it's advisable to focus solely on Instagram rather than Facebook. Facebook's email feature can lead to negative reviews if customers receive follow-up emails before their orders arrive.
- For pre-orders, avoid using Facebook as it may result in poor customer feedback due to delayed product delivery.
Types of Creatives for Ads
- There are various ad formats available: flexible single image or video, carousel, and collection. The recommended formats are flexible single images/videos or carousels.
- Carousel ads allow showcasing multiple photos or videos of products from different angles, enhancing visual appeal and engagement.
Flexible Ad Options
- Facebook's flexible option automatically selects the best-performing ad format but may not provide insights into which specific creatives are effective.
- Testing individual ads is crucial to identify profitable ones; relying solely on flexible options can lead to rapid depletion of creatives without clear analytics.
Key Metrics for Ad Performance
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) should ideally be around 3; however, profitability is more critical than just hitting this number.
- Cost per acquisition (CPA) must be calculated accurately; understanding your total costs versus sales price is essential for maintaining profitability.
Monitoring Click Rates and Frequency
- Aim for a click-through rate above 1% but prioritize overall ad profitability over this metric.
- Frequency indicates how often users see your ads; a frequency above three suggests potential ad fatigue, necessitating testing of new creatives.
Strategies for Scaling Ads Effectively
Scaling Advertising Campaigns
Horizontal and Vertical Scaling
- Horizontal Scaling: This involves duplicating the ad or campaign to target new regions (e.g., expanding from the US to Canada) or different interests, such as specific influencers or celebrities.
- Vertical Scaling: This method focuses on gradually increasing the budget. Instead of jumping from $100 to $500, increase by 20% daily (e.g., from $100 to $120), which helps maintain ad performance.
Managing Ad Fatigue
- Ad Performance Limits: Ads can reach a saturation point where they become ineffective. It's crucial to spend close to this limit without exceeding it, as overspending can lead to unprofitable ads.
- Creative Refreshes: To combat ad fatigue, refresh creatives every 14 days by testing new ads, videos, and images. This strategy keeps audience engagement high and extends the lifespan of each ad.
Email and SMS Marketing Importance
- Revenue Potential: Email and SMS marketing can significantly boost revenue; for instance, one brand generated $18,000 through these channels alone.
- Components of Marketing: Effective email/SMS marketing includes flows (automations) and campaigns. Automations send reminder emails based on user behavior (e.g., cart abandonment).
Automation Strategies
- Reminder Emails: These are triggered when users add items to their cart but do not complete purchases. For example, sending a discount offer after cart abandonment encourages completion of transactions.
- Flow Examples: A typical abandoned cart flow might include multiple emails offering discounts based on order value thresholds (e.g., larger discounts for orders over $100).
Essential Flows for Brands
- Welcome Flow: An essential automation that engages new customers who sign up via a welcome popup with immediate discounts and follow-up reminders if they don’t purchase right away.
- Key Flows Overview:
- Abandoned Cart Flow
- Browse Abandonment Flow
- Re-engagement Emails for inactive customers
How to Effectively Use Popups and Email Strategies for E-commerce
Setting Up Popups
- The process begins with setting up a popup for clients, which involves navigating to forms and creating a new form.
- A recommended approach is using the "micro" popup, which engages users by offering a discount (e.g., 10%) after they express interest, making it feel less intrusive.
- Customization of the form is encouraged; adding fields like phone numbers can enhance engagement. Users can drag and drop elements to tailor the form as desired.
- After enabling the popup in Shopify, users should create workflows through automations, utilizing various templates available for different scenarios (e.g., welcome flow, abandoned cart).
- Personalizing these templates per client can improve effectiveness while still providing a solid starting point for beginners.
SMS and Email Campaign Strategies
- Discussing campaign strategies reveals significant revenue generation; one client made $171,000 in total from Omnisend alone over the past year.
- A recent campaign sent to nearly 10,000 people generated $4.3k in sales from an investment of about $500—indicating a strong return on ad spend (ROAS).
- Effective email campaigns require warm-up emails sent prior to drop days; this strategy helps maintain high open rates and click-through rates compared to mass emailing all subscribers at once.
- By targeting engaged subscribers first (those who opened emails recently), open rates can reach as high as 74%, significantly improving overall performance compared to previous methods that yielded only 10%.
- Gradually expanding outreach from highly engaged subscribers allows marketers to build a valuable list of customers who consistently engage with emails.
Optimizing Engagement and Compliance
- Sending timely reminders about upcoming drops or sales enhances customer engagement without overwhelming them with messages.
- SMS marketing boasts higher open rates (around 90%), but it's crucial not to spam recipients; sending one or two well-timed texts is more effective than frequent messaging.
- Legal compliance is essential when using SMS marketing; including opt-out options prevents potential fines or bans on messaging services.
Tracking Performance Metrics
How to Effectively Track Profitability and Increase Average Order Value
Importance of Tracking Costs
- Utilizing paid software like Triple Whale can enhance tracking of product costs, shipping fees, and profit margins, although manual tracking is also an option.
- Monitoring analytics is crucial for maintaining profitability; understanding cost per result and acquisition ensures clients remain profitable.
- It's essential to account for all expenses including shipping fees, packaging costs, and service fees to ensure every package sent out generates profit.
- Keeping clients happy hinges on consistent profitability; if ads stop being profitable, they should be turned off immediately.
Strategies to Increase Average Order Value (AOV)
- AOV refers to the average amount spent by each customer; increasing this metric can significantly boost revenue.
- Implementing upsell strategies through tools like Bang AI or Monster Cart can encourage customers to add more items at a discount.
- Demonstrating upsell options effectively can lead customers to purchase additional products due to perceived savings or value.
Effective Use of Promotions
- Campaign analytics show that strategic promotions (e.g., "buy two get one free") can generate significant revenue increases.
- Offering free shipping on orders over a certain amount is a straightforward method to incentivize larger purchases.
Website Optimization Tips
- Many businesses suffer from poorly designed websites; using themes like Symmetry or Dawn can improve user experience without high costs.
- Tools exist that allow users to identify website themes easily, ensuring they utilize effective designs for better sales performance.
How to Close Deals and Get Paid in Freelance Brand Scaling
Introduction to Freelance Brand Scaling
- The speaker introduces a free 15-minute training video on freelance brand scaling, which includes a document for note-taking.
- Emphasis is placed on the importance of closing deals and getting paid effectively.
Overcoming Client Objections
- Common objections from clients include affordability concerns and negative past experiences with other service providers.
- The speaker suggests offering a 7-day trial where services are provided at no upfront cost, allowing clients to pay only if they choose to continue after the trial.
Strategies for Securing Clients
- Following a structured guide can help freelancers generate revenue for their clients, leading to successful partnerships.
- Setting up payment systems like Stripe is recommended; alternatives such as Zelle or Venmo can be used initially without an LLC.
Scaling Your Freelance Business
- Hiring a team can facilitate business growth; designers can create ad creatives while freelancers focus on core tasks.
- White-labeling services allows freelancers to partner with email and SMS agencies, splitting profits or paying monthly fees.
Transitioning from Freelancing to Agency Model
- Moving from freelancing to establishing an agency enables charging higher retainer fees (e.g., $2,000/month).
- As income grows, hiring additional staff for various roles (ad management, outreach, etc.) becomes feasible.
Launch Plan for New Agencies
- A 30-day launch plan includes creating an Instagram profile and sending out direct messages (DMs).
- After securing clients, it's crucial to build trust through communication and offer comprehensive services like website optimization.
Key Metrics in Brand Scaling
- Understanding Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), which measures total spending needed to acquire one customer.
How to Leverage Facebook Ads for Profit
Understanding Effective Ad Strategies
- The speaker introduces the concept of using the Facebook Ad Library to analyze successful ads from other brands, emphasizing that one can replicate effective designs.
- High-end brands like Gucci utilize a different advertising strategy focused on brand image rather than direct sales, often featuring luxurious photo shoots without discounts or aggressive calls to action.
- Despite high costs per item (e.g., $3.4k), Gucci's marketing approach may lead to initial losses on sales; however, they rely on customer loyalty and repeat purchases over time.
- The long-term value of a customer (LTV) is highlighted as crucial; even if the first sale incurs a loss, subsequent purchases can significantly increase profitability.
- The speaker warns against pre-orders due to negative customer experiences that can deter future business.
Creating a Campaign from Scratch
- To start an ad campaign, click "create campaign," select "sales," and proceed with manual settings instead of automated options like Advantage Plus shopping campaigns.
- Set up your campaign by naming it appropriately (e.g., testing campaign), turning off unnecessary features, and selecting your website as the destination for ads.
- Budget recommendations suggest starting with $20-$50 daily; manual placements should focus solely on Instagram for better results compared to Facebook.
- When setting up ads, ensure proper naming conventions for easy identification and organization within the ad manager interface.
- For video ads, input the correct URL after verifying it through Google; maintain essential settings during setup for optimal performance.
Finalizing Your Ad Setup