Kassaundra 0:00

If you're a teacher painter who uses Instagram to market your resources, you're not going to want to miss out on today's interview with my lovely client Dawn Ellis, Dawn is an educational powerhouse with 15 plus years of experience in elementary and preschool special education. She's armed with an educational specialist degree and is a national board certified teacher. She's a beacon in the field presenting at conferences and touching various classroom settings from inclusion to autism. Don's passion extends beyond teaching evident in her impactful initiatives like a school garden and accessible coffee cart run by her students. When not teaching she's a devoted mom and avid reader and the host of the the exception podcast tailored for special education teachers. Online she shares her expertise through her blog, a t shirt and sticker shop TPT store and cultivating Exceptional Minds on social media, her monthly membership, the exceptional Collective is a treasure trove of resources, training and templates, letting special education teachers focus more on teaching and less on planning. So teacher authors, go ahead and reheat that cup of coffee, because I'm your host, Cassandra Foster. And we're about to get schooled in socials. All right, welcome back to school and socials. I am so excited to have Don Ellis with us here today. So we can talk all things, Instagram, and using it as a teacher printer. So thank you so much for joining us, Dawn.

Dawn 1:28

Hi, Cassandra, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to chat with you.

Kassaundra 1:32

Yeah, so let's jump right in. So can you share a little bit about you your business and why you started using Instagram to market your resources?

Dawn 1:41

Sure. My name is Dawn Ellis, I am a special educator for 15 years. And about five years ago, I decided to create a teacher Instagram page. And for a while I just used it as a way to get ideas for my own classroom and just kind of browsed and just watched what other people were doing. And I was like, goodness, I can do this too. So I always say to start messy, like do it scared. And so I did just that. So about five years ago, I started actually posting material that I found helpful, different quotes, things for special ed teachers, who is my market for them to use things that I was already doing in my classroom, but just sharing. And from there, I'd already had teachers pay teacher's store, but started to get a little more serious with it. And Instagram allowed me to have more eyes on products and share the features of things that I had available in my TPT store. So it really allowed me to kind of catapult my online digital resources and sell them in kind of a passive way by posting a various kinds of post. You know, back in the day, it was really just still images. But now they're carousels and reels and so many other things. And so, I have used a variety of different kinds of post and have seen the benefits of them. So I feel like by taking Instagram, serious for a good little while we've definitely seen the benefits of that.

Kassaundra 3:24

For sure. Yeah, it's like you were saying, when you have your TPT store, you can, you know, post thumbnails, and you can even do previews too. But Instagram gives you that place to show like even more features of it, which is, I think, one of the real big benefits of using a social media platform to market your resources. So you are a teacher, you're a teacher printer, and you are marketing on social media, and Don has her own podcast, her own membership data is very busy. So how do you balance all of those pieces and make sure you're still like effectively marketing on social media? Well,

Dawn 4:10

I don't have her balance very well but kind of my plan of attack for making sure that things get done in a timely ish manner is to make sure that I am bashing materials. I've worked very hard this year to make sure that I have my emails well setting up systems in the very beginning systems that felt very weird to do because I couldn't imagine like having 12 and 15 emails that I needed for a month in a folder but I set up those folders three or four years ago before I even had the stuff to put in them so setting up systems in the very beginning. And if you are a teacher printer like Aaron waters course the the framework Um, is really good at helping set up that system finishing framework I could not think of it for. And so that really helped put in systems for how do you write a blog? How do you where do you store all your emails? What are you doing with your social media? Are you looking at your data to help drive what you're promoting uncertain times. And so having systems in place, and then batching content that goes for the podcast, it's always done at least a month out in advance, if not six weeks, social media, all of my emails, but also using past emails, because they're all in a Google folder. And so just having to update information or create new pieces that you can then send in the emails, but your structure is the same. So having your systems taking time to batch and repurpose content that you already have, and giving yourself some grace. So that sounds really silly. But I have like literally in front of me right now my October month of all the things that I need to get done, and where all the pieces need to fit. But there's also several days where there are nothing now I still may knock a thing or two off that list as time allows. But I also have to be intentional with rest time for my own mind and body. Because still teaching in the classroom, still running my online business and running my podcast and all the things in order to be creative and do well. And all those things I soft, take time for myself as well. So being strategic in those three areas is definitely how I feel like I've been successful ish in that area.

Kassaundra 6:41

I think you've been very successful. So if you are a teacher who is still in the classroom right now, like just No, it is possible. So it sounds like Dawn is telling you get your systems in check, which I have talked about a lot when it comes to your social media as well having those systems and workflows and repurposing. Before I came on to Don's team, she was running her Instagram by herself for quite a while and had a very large following. So like kudos to you, you are working those systems and doing that repurposing. So for those of you listening who are still in the classroom, DIY and your social media marketing, it definitely can be done, you can do it. And I love dawn that you talked about that intentional rest time, too, because we want these things to be sustainable. Like we don't want you to like go hard on your social media marketing for a few weeks, and then realize you can't keep up with it, and burn out and then not post again for a month. So like making sure that you have that whitespace in your schedule is a really great tip. So what is your favorite thing about using Instagram to market your business?

Dawn 7:52

I think that one of my favorite things with Instagram is that you can make it what you need it to be it can either be beautiful and curated on your feed. Or you can just do an in the moment story and talk real time of where you are what you're doing and show it in action in that moment. Or you can do a little bit of both and have a carousel or have other pieces that you can piece together with a little bit of both so that you're hitting people who want that Pinterest perfect, because people are looking for that. But then people also want raw and what's actually happening in the classroom, what it really looks like how long it really takes to prep that material, what the actual benefits are. And so Instagram allows you to provide all of those things. And you're able to relate and connect with your followers in a way that is manageable for you. Like if you need to set up an auto responder to help just connect with him initially, but then continue the conversation you definitely can. So there are ways to use it to benefit yourself but also to show the features of your product in ways that relate to teachers who are searching for it. That's

Kassaundra 9:12

why I love Instagram is there's so many ways to showcase your materials, whether it's that static photo, whether it's a carousel whether it's a real whether it's you hopping in to stories, and by using all of those features we can make sure that we kind of like catch the bulk of your ideal audience because different people are drawn to different things like you said some want that like Pinterest perfect like photo of that resource. That's what's going to draw them in and some people want that like nitty gritty in my stories here. I'm using it in my classroom. This is exactly what it looks like. So I definitely agree with you there. All of the Instagram features are my favorite as well. What is your least favorite thing about using Instagram?

Dawn 9:54

Hmm, I think that okay, so I also have a tech Talking about we're not necessarily talking about tick tock today. But I will say one thing that I like about tick tock a little bit better than Instagram is that it is a little less curated, it is a little like, you can just turn on your camera talk to it, there's not a ton that transition do you have to do a lot of like current music you have to do, you can talk for 10 minutes, and it doesn't cut you off. And so there are still a few of the like, features of Instagram that I feel like sometimes are a little bit behind, or that it just wants you to be more in that all put together form. But again, it's still hot, it is still beneficial, it still has lots of great features. So I will just say like, I do like the aspect of just like on the go of Tiktok. Whereas I feel like you have to take a little time to add pieces that Instagram wants in order for it to be successful. Because like, I could do the same thing on Tiktok and Instagram, and not add all the fluff to it. And it's going to do way better on Tik Tok than it ever will on Yeah, Instagram. But if you have the cute music, and you have the different, like transitions, you're gonna get more views. So like, you just have to think you have to shift your mindset a little bit for who your audience is that you're working for at that moment. Yeah,

definitely. So even though Tiktok and Instagram both have that, like short form video feature, like usually, what you create for one isn't necessarily going to work great on the other platform, it can for sure. But I know like that's what we've been we've been seeing is that they're different in little ways. And so that changes like how successful a video is on one versus the other. And I think I know, we love all the Instagram features, but I think they're kind of a double edged sword, right too, because there is like so much that you can do. And so that can kind of feel overwhelming. And it's nice sometimes to just turn on your camera and talk to the camera and get some content out into the world. So yes, I can definitely see that. What benefits have you seen from marketing on Instagram, specifically?

I think there have been several, but I think just a couple of them would be just increase of cells on TPT. Because you have more eyes, so you're selling directly to a specific product, you can link it directly into your bio, you can send it in DMS, if they comment on the post, they can reach out for more questions, but also gaining more email subscribers to funnel into your world and let them know who you are without selling just directly into one kind of product that you're selling that day, this is more of a way to nurture them to get to know you different features. And then you know, selling products along the way as well. I think that we've seen growth in both of those areas, and just the reach like seeing more teachers be exposed to things that I offer. Even

though Instagram is a place where people come to just get like information from you, it definitely can be a great community builder, because like Don was saying, you can get people on your email list, which allows you to nurture them. So it's not like a one and done necessarily purchase just because you posted about one resource, you can get them on your email list, you can nurture them. And then you know if they liked that first research, so if they liked that first resource that they purchased, then down the road, like they're still front of mind on your email list. And they can go to again and purchase from you again. And I think one of the things that I love seeing is I help Don out with some community management. So sometimes I go in and I'm answering those people who have asked for links. And I love when I go in and I like recognize a person who's like asking for another link or like you can tell that they've like binged your content, and they like really want access to those resources because there'll be like, three resources like in a row that they've commented on. And I just love seeing that because that tells me that we've brought a new person in to your community. And I think that is so beneficial for sure. Okay, so last question I have for you, Don, what are some tips you've already shared? Some that are amazing, but if you have any more what are some tips for teachers for marketing their resources on social media? What could you tell them?

So I think a lot of times with marketing, it just seems overwhelming. Like I don't know where to start. Because you have to have the picture. You have to have the caption you have to have the hat shots. And like I said earlier, do a messy, probably do it wrong, but still just get started. I think when you break it down having a like having your image, whatever it may be, it can be beautiful and curated, it can be, you know, a quick shot, you know, probably brighten it up a little bit. But making sure in your caption that you have a hook, and that you tell a little bit about whatever it is that you're posting about. And then a call to action, what do you want them to do? When they see this picture? Sure, you can add a few hashtags. Yeah, it helps. But those would be things like doing a messy. And same thing with reels like just that record. If your mouth isn't saying to exactly to the sound, or if you feel like you look silly doing it, post it anyways, because the third one gets a little bit better than the first one. And then the 10th, one, you're a little more confident. And so you learn as you go, do it messy, and it gets better. And you know, you can figure out how you can tweak your wording and how you can do some research on for your hashtags and keep them in a note on your phone so that you have quick access to them when you are posting. But also, as you grow and you learn the system and you start planning maybe more of like a week out or a couple of weeks out or a month out using systems like air table or Google Sheets to keep all your info in so that you can reflect back on it a month from now or the following year in the same month. And using the scheduler is definitely helpful for various platforms. It allows you to kind of again, batch your work and get things knocked out to where you're not having to worry about it all month long. I know I use a scheduler for Instagram and Facebook, but also inside of Facebook groups as well to scheduling out for the whole month, different things that I've got to get posted. So that I'm not scrambling on the weekend. Oh, did I do that? I'm not really sure. So those would be my tips for just using social media. And even if you're not sure of all the features, just start and learn them as you go.

Yeah, no one is going to start out with the perfect social media strategy. And that is because your strategy should be based heavily on what your audience is interested in. So you have to put content out into the world to figure out what they like versus what they don't like, so that you can create more of what they do, like so don't think you have to have everything perfect from the get go. Because it definitely won't be that way you will have to make tweaks you will have to look at data. It's definitely a journey, it's not something that you just sit down and say this is what I'm going to do for social media and you do it for the whole year, you have to check in and see what people are resonating with and give them more of that. And then at some point that might not resonate with them anymore. And so you might need to change it. So doing it messy to start is definitely the way to go. Because you just have to get some content out into the world so you know what you need to make in the future for sure. Thank you so much, John, for joining us and chatting about being a teacher printer and using Instagram to market your resources. Don is a wonderful special education teacher has a lot of resources for those of you if you are also in special education and still in the classroom. So where can we find you to connect with you done? Sure.

So my TPT store and blog are both cultivating Exceptional Minds, you can find that cultivating exceptional minds.com. And then over on TPT. I do also have a membership for special educators with monthly resources and professional development. It's called the exceptional collective. And it is you can find that on my website as well. I also have a podcast for special ed teachers called be the exception podcast and a to teacher tea and sticker shop over on Etsy and that is stick out design CO and all of those things are linked in my bio on social media. That includes Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok, which is cultivating Exceptional Minds as well

as them and we'll make sure that we drop those links for people in the show notes too. So definitely if you're listening this I was not lying. Don is busy, but she is making it happen. All right, thank you so much done.

Thankyou for having me.

All right, cool. Coffee friends. Thanks so much for listening. If you're loving getting schooled in socials, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Also, I would love it if you left a review so that other teacher authors like you can start getting schooled in socials. too All right I'll see you in the next episode