Are you a real estate agent who feels burnt out from creating content? Learn how to build a profitable personal brand and get more visibility in just 15 minutes a day. In this video, Ed Troxell shares his “less is more” video strategy for entrepreneurs.
So many real estate agents believe they need to post more content on every platform to get more leads. This “hustle” model leads to burnout, overwhelm, and feeling stuck. In this episode, former Apple employee, Ed Troxell, shares his revolutionary “Just 15 Method” for sustainable brand building.
Ed explains why the secret to visibility and building a profitable personal brand isn’t about more, it’s about less. He provides a simple framework for authentic video content creation that only takes 15 minutes a day. This is the key to building a real estate marketing system that generates leads without the burnout.
If you’re a real estate agent who wants to build a brand with leverage, this interview is for you
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⏰ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – How to build a personal brand with LESS content
2:30 – The biggest mistake real estate agents make with video content
5:15 – Ed Troxell’s “Just 15 Method” for real estate agents
8:10 – From Apple to authenticity: Ed’s branding secrets
11:45 – Why “Less is More” is the best real estate marketing strategy
14:20 – How to create 15 minutes of authentic video content
17:50 – Overcoming burnout for real estate agents
20:10 – The secret to authentic video for lead generation
22:30 – Building a brand vs. “doing social media”
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Transcript:
0:00The secret to visibility isn’t about doing more. It’s just about doing less
0:05much better. My leaving corporate moment was very similar to yours. I call it my
0:11naked in the closet moment. The universe coming and like punching me in the gut just like you said, saying, “No, you
0:18can’t do this forever.” Video is the next best thing to you being in person, if not even better.
0:23Start where you are. The key word is start. I am so excited to have uh Ed Troxel on my call. Ed is a personal
0:32brand coach and he created the just 15 GPS method. He’s going to tell us more
0:37about that, but Ed’s got this like wildly crazy idea. It’s not really so crazy, but the secret to visibility
0:44isn’t about doing more. It’s just about doing less much better. So, I am so
0:50excited to have Ed here to to show us to show you uh as a high achiever and give you permission to show up in your
0:56authentic way. Um, so here we are. Ed, how are you?
1:02Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to be here talking with you and having all your listeners hear our
1:09inside information over here. I love it. I love it. Um, well, you tell
1:14me a little bit about you. Like, not me. I know about you. tell the audience a little bit about Ed, what you do, who
1:21you serve, like where you are, those sort of things. Yeah, definitely. So, I’m located
1:26physically in Northern California in the beautiful wine country and I am everywhere virtually uh online from
1:34LinkedIn to Facebook and everything in between. And really what it comes down to is I I’m a personal brand coach and
1:41helping entrepreneurs grow their business online so that they can show up, deliver, and engage more effectively
1:48without being bombarded with, you know, five times a day you got to post and you got to keep up with all the trends and
1:55all these things that burn us out. Um because we’re business owners, we’re not
2:00content creators trying to go viral on Tik Tok or YouTube, right? So, it’s all
2:05about breaking that down into simple, actionable steps that move the needle,
2:11even just 1% today. I love that. I love that. I had a guest on previously who talked about 212
2:16degrees. How at 211° water is not boiling, but it boils at 212 degrees.
2:21So, it’s literally just one degree that can make the massive difference in the
2:27effect, right, in what actually happens. So, I think that that kind of reminded me of that. Absolutely. Yeah. And and just a quick
The biggest mistake real estate agents make with video content
2:34little background on me. I I’ve been a full-time entrepreneur. Well, I pretty much have been an entrepreneur my whole
2:39life, but full-time doing this business since 2015 where I started with tech support and web design services and then
2:46got really deep into the marketing piece, especially video because you have to market yourself differently,
2:52especially these days. and prior to that working at Apple and being in uh retail
2:58and working with small businesses um to help support them and their growth in
3:04the changing times especially when it comes to tech. Yeah. So, how did you move from like
3:09working for Apple? Yeah. Right. It’s a great company to work for. I’m sure this is actually another good
3:14question. We didn’t even talk about this one, but I’m sure at Apple you were making a pretty decent salary and and then you leave to go chase your
3:23chase your dreams, chase your passion. Like I want to know a little bit more about that. Like what inspired you to do
3:28that? Um like what was there a catalyst moment that started that? Yeah, great question. So I dreaded
3:36full-time work forever. Like everyone’s always like, “Oh, get a full-time job. Get a full-time job.” I always dreaded
3:41that because then you’re stuck at one place doing pretty much one thing and I didn’t want to be left behind. And so
3:47I’ve always loved working with different businesses um and being able to have the
3:53different challenges and help them overcome it. And Apple was great. I I worked on the retail side of things. So
3:58I was in the the sales, the workshops, the trainings, the small business support section, um helping at all
4:05different levels and even working at some of the events as well. And so it gave me a lot of great insight uh into
4:12you know simplifying things and being able to work with different groups of people and organizations but it was
4:20limiting because I had to stick to those four walls right I couldn’t do things that I wanted to outside of those four
4:27walls because they basically would be competing with them. Um so I had to
4:32really understand that that wasn’t my sole purpose to stay there. It was great. Uh, good stepping stone. Got me
4:38all the benefits. Got me got me the good salary and got me where I needed to be, but it wasn’t what I wanted and that was
4:46the key. And so I always joke with people, I retired at the age of 30 because that’s when I finally listened
4:52to the universe. It had it it had hit me a couple times, but I didn’t listen until it really punched me in the gut
4:58and was like, “You got to go now.” And I did. and I I jumped on faith and I did
5:05that risk. Um, and it’s worked out ever since. So, I’ve been blessed to be here
5:10helping out other businesses and grow here online. You know, it’s funny is I don’t know if
Ed Troxell’s “Just 15 Method” for real estate agents
5:15we’ve ever talked about this, but I tell people all the time, I wanted to retire by the age of 40. Uh, and that was my
5:21goal. I because at one point early 30s, someone said, “What’s your goal?” I said, “I want to retire by the age of 40.” My leaving corporate moment was
5:28very similar to yours. Yeah. I call it my naked in the closet moment. Uh where like it was I was
5:35trying to get ready for work and I just like I had a massive anxiety attack and you know looking looking back in this
5:42day looking like you know today looking back at that I realized it was like the universe coming and like punching me in
5:48the gut just like you said saying no you can’t do this forever. And so you know
5:53that’s kind of what was my catalyst for for going out and following my dreams. Yeah.
5:58Very similar story. I love it. It’s so true. And that’s the thing, you know, we’re hard workers and uh those
6:04listening, you might be as well and you might be at a a 9 to5, you might be in that corporate lifestyle. Understand
6:11that you will get signs and make notes of those. You don’t have to jump right away, but just keep making notes of
6:18those because that that is an indication that you have something more that you need to to pursue, whether part-time or
6:24full-time. So, just keep those notes running. Yeah. So true. Pay attention. Yes.
6:29You know, pay attention. Listen to your gut. Trust your gut. Um, tell me a little bit more about your
6:35first few days, not days, whatever, years, whatever, inside your entrepreneurship space. Like, how did
6:41that feel for you? Like where did you because you came from doing like tech, right? So, I’m what I want to know is
6:46how did you get to doing video, right? Tech to video is kind of a big jump. So,
6:53how talk talk to me about that a little bit? Great question. So, I had had a previous
6:58business prior, but it was only part-time. I mean, I I ran it full-time, but I only did it part-time. Um, which
7:04was a magazine business. So, there was some video tied into that and of course publication and and journalism, all
7:10that. Um, but going straight from the tech to this business full-time, I knew
7:16that I had to market myself differently, right? Like Apple, think differently. I was market differently. And I was
7:22thinking, how am I going to do that? How am I going to stand out from other web designers who are are creating websites
7:27for people? How am I going to stand out from the tech expert who’s been around for 20 plus years? And that’s when I had
7:34a real conversation with myself in my backyard like a crazy person, but we’re entrepreneurs, so we’re the crazy ones
7:40as Steve Jobs would say. And I had a real conversation with myself of either
7:45you get good at video or you go back to a 9 to5. It was plain and simple. That
7:53was my ultimatum. And I will tell you, I was not wanting to get on video. That is far from what I
8:00wanted to do because I don’t like the sound of my voice. I don’t like the way that I look on camera. You know, all the things that you’re probably thinking of
8:07right now as you hear us talk about video, you get that cringe moment and you’re like, I no, not me. That’s that
From Apple to authenticity: Ed’s branding secrets
8:15was me. And that was the thing that I knew video was going to be the game changer. and that’s what’s going to make
8:22me stand out. And so, I had to get good at it. I didn’t have to be great at it. I just had to show up. I just had to
8:28show up on camera and put that video out there. I had to post it somewhere. And
8:34that’s how I jumped into it. And in fact, fun fact, I actually started with Periscope, believe it or not, back in
8:40the day, live streaming video. Um, which I know is crazy. That’s an old name, by the way. A lot of
8:46people aren’t have gonna have no clue when you’re saying Periscope. what
8:52it’s so Periscope similar to Facebook Live or Instagram Live or Tik Tok Live.
8:59Um but I I did it because Periscope was the only one at the time which had live
9:05streaming because Facebook came later with live streaming. Um but I also kept doing it on Periscope
9:11because I didn’t want people who knew me to see me on video because I was again
9:18worried about what they’d say. and judge me, right? So, I had to find an outlet
9:24that worked for me to get warmed up and going and then I started to migrate that
9:30experience to the platforms that really mattered. So, that’s that’s kind of how the the video piece evolved and then of
9:37course started helping clients with getting comfortable on video as well. So, you said like something that I think
9:43so many people can resonate with. You said the I don’t like the way I look. I
9:48don’t like the way I sound. Uh I feel like I’m very cringe. Um so what do you think? You know, you
9:55right now you work with entrepreneurs. So most entrepreneurs are very very high achievers, right? There’s a lot of goals
10:01that we’re trying to achieve a certain thing. Why do you think I mean you had the experience yourself, but why do you
10:06think showing up online to to an entrepreneur feels too
10:12personal, too vulnerable? Because I mean that’s that’s a story I hear all the time. I don’t want to show I don’t want
10:17to like it’s I want to keep business and my personal life separate. It feels too vulnerable. So why why do you think that
10:23is and what advice do you give to them? That’s such a great question and there’s a lot of unpacking with that. I think a
10:29often times it happens because we don’t like talking about ourselves. We feel like when we talk about ourselves we’re
10:35bragging and maybe we come off too cocky or too extra or whatever it might be.
10:42And so sometimes that can be a little bit embarrassing because maybe we’ve had
10:47an interaction where someone in the past has told us like, “Okay, you’re you’re just full of it. You’re doing too much,
10:53right? Like tone it down a little bit.” So we’re afraid to talk about ourselves and our achievements in that way. And
10:59it’s just like writing an about statement for yourself. Like how many of us jump to write an about statement? No.
11:05Like what do we say? What do we do? Like I don’t know, right? We’re too close to
11:11it. And so that’s where you need to have somebody else come in and help support you with extracting that and giving you
11:17that courage, giving you that boost of um confidence that you have. You just
11:23need to unpeel some of these layers so that you can get in front of the camera and really also testing out the
11:31different environments. That’s a big one when it comes to being on camera is testing out the different environments.
11:37both your location as well as if you’re sitting versus standing. Right? You’re
11:43sitting right now. I’m standing. I love to stand when I’m on camera. I feel
Why “Less is More” is the best real estate marketing strategy
11:49uncomfortable when I’m sitting. It it it feels too awkward. Don’t even get me
11:54started. If we were in person sitting on somebody’s couch, right? Like when we see on talk shows and stuff, sitting on
12:00a couch is like the most uncomfortable. Unless maybe it’s the Drew Barrymore show, I guess. I I see those clips, you
12:06know, and she’s very casual and stuff, but it’s one of those things where, you know, you got to find the space that you
12:12feel comfortable and the clothes that you feel comfortable in as well. That’s another big one. Kind of dropping a few
12:18different things here. Um, and when you’re thinking about being on video, I talked about Drew Barrymore Show for a
12:24second. It’s because I studied the different talk shows when I got on to
12:30video. I wanted to start I I did start my own talk show at the time and ran it
12:35for about a year going five days a week live for about 45 minutes to an hour and
12:42ran it like a talk show because I wanted something different. So I studied that area. So find something that works for
12:47you and and just take note and see what’s one thing that you can implement
12:53in your business so that you can show up on video. And it might not even be posting something today, but working up
13:00so that you can post something tomorrow. Okay. So, you gave a lot of really good tips. Yes. And mine mine that I always
13:07think of and this is like tell me what you think of this. Yeah. So, I’m always like, yeah, I’m sitting right now, but when I’m coaching, I’m
13:13standing. Oh, yes. I remember. Yes. Yeah. So when I coach because I all, you know, obviously I coach. So when I’m
13:19coaching, I’m standing or um when I’m at like, you know, if I if I do happen to be going to someone’s house or being in
13:25person, I’m always standing, right? Uh and when I’m doing this, I’m sitting. So I think that there’s something to be
13:31said about like not only just showing up on video in a place in a way that feels comfortable, but like what’s what’s
13:37creating your own scenario like the Drew Barrymore show, right? Like you’re a great example. Like Drew Barrymore, it’s a very casual show,
13:43right? So, I guess it’s kind of like what’s the purpose of the the video that you’re creating, right? Do you think
13:48that there’s validity in that? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, exactly. And that’s the thing. That’s why we see a
13:54lot of videos from In the Car performing really well and making it easier for you
14:00to jump on video. Um, because it’s one the quietest space typically, especially
14:07if you’re a parent and have kids running around the house. Um, two, you have the best lighting typically in the car. And
14:13three, you’re in a moment that people are curious about like, who where are
How to create 15 minutes of authentic video content
14:20you going? What are you doing? You must be important. You have must have something important to say cuz you’re in your car still. Like, so there is
14:27something to be said about the different locations and trying different angles as well um for recording your videos.
14:34Yeah, because you got to I mean, you got to find it, right? It’s like trial and error. You You would like this. Right now, I’m doing a video challenge. And it
14:40started because I was talking to an entrepreneur on my way
14:46home from one of my masterminds and he was telling me about how he created like 200 videos over the last 30 days. And I
14:51was like, that’s a lot of videos. Yes. I was like, I could do that. And he
14:57said, he said that part of what he got from creating that many videos is like the problem when you just do one at a
15:02time, you don’t have enough data to tell you what works. You don’t have like on anything. you don’t have enough data to
15:07tell you what the audience wants to see, how you feel, how you show up, the scripting, like you don’t have enough data when you just do one at a time. So,
15:15I was like, “Okay, I’ll take that challenge.” And then when I went to Arizona, I had some people who are
15:20around me, and this is a bunch of high achievers all in the same room. So, of course, I’m not the only one who’s going
15:26to take the challenge. Not the only one. And then one of them is a oneuper. She’s fantastic, but she’s
15:32a oneuper. You know what I’m talking about. and she was like, I did a I recorded a commitment video from all of us. So, we
15:38all have it out there. It’s on Instagram. You can go see it just to hold me accountable. Um, but she said,
15:43″We’re going to do 10 videos a day for the next 30 days.”
15:50Wow. So, so the video challenge is to get out
15:55there and I’ve got to film today. I still I mean I’ve done I mean I have a couple edited but I have that I have to get out and I’ve done a couple video
16:01texts but the video texts don’t count apparently. They have to be at least on your they have had to be posted is what what the rule is. So I’ve got to post
16:07these stories or post these videos. But anyway, 300 videos over a period of 30
16:13days. Now that’s me, right? I’m also super comfortable on camera. What would you say to someone who is not Lana who
16:21wants who wants to just start getting comfortable on camera or maybe wants to take their video production, their video
16:28creation up one lot, one notch? What would you tell them? I love that you bring this up and you show the extreme
16:36because that is something that a lot some people listening are like, I’m going to do that. I I’m ready to push
16:42that envelope and I’m ready to jump in. And for those who aren’t, I want you to
16:47start with the bare minimum, which is at least one video per week. At least. At
16:55least one video per week. Right? Because for some of you listening, just the thought of doing a video I is
17:03terrifying, right? So, we got to get comfortable with being in front of the camera, holding the phone, looking at
17:08it, talking like there’s there I will break down really the steps with clients
17:14depending on where they’re at in their video journey to the fact like you’re just holding the phone. You’re not even recording, right? You might press the
17:20camera button. I I know it sounds so simple and you might be thinking, “Oh my gosh, that’s kind of ridiculous, Ed.”
17:25But no, sometimes we need those baby steps to be able to help us get really
17:30good at just jumping on the video part. So yeah, start where you are. The key word is
17:37start and be able to start recording at least one video per week
17:42that you are actually sharing. Now that’s the bare minimum. So don’t go be telling everyone, “Oh, this guy Ed super
17:48cool and he said all I have to do is post one video and I’m going to blow up and have all this business.” No,
Overcoming burnout for real estate agents
17:54that’s the minimum. That’s not what I’m saying. Should not clip this part and just make that the clip. That’s not it.
18:00Yes. Exactly. So, start where you are. Record those videos. Tag us on social.
18:06Like, if if part of that problem is you worried about putting something out
18:11there and nobody’s seeing it, you have permission to tag at very least me, but
18:16I think both of us you can tag. We will jump in those comments and we will give you that. Yes. Thank you. So good to see
18:24this. That’s what you need to keep moving forward. We’re happy to do that for you. Absolutely. I Yes. I’m I’m agreeing with
18:31that volunteering me 100%. Um just out of curiosity. Yeah, I’m all I’m all in. I’m all in. Um
18:39do you ever go back and watch your first couple of videos you ever created?
18:44Great question. I haven’t in a while, but when I first started, I actually, as
18:51painful it was as it was, I actually watched all my videos after I had posted
18:56them. It me too. It was hard. But you know what it we’re our own worst critics. And often times
19:03what happens is in the moment we think, “Oh my gosh, I messed up.” Or you finish recording, you’re like, “Gosh, I said
19:09something wrong or I said the wrong name or the wrong word or whatever it might be.” And then you go back, if you will
19:15go back and watch it, you don’t even see it. You don’t even realize it. You’re like, “Wait, I thought it was right
19:21there. I thought it was that point.” No, you were fine. Yeah. Like, and if you did, worst case scenario, you
19:28did. Oh, well, it happens to all of us. You just keep moving. I hate to tell
19:33you, most people, they don’t care that much. They’re not even going to understand it most of the time cuz
19:39they’re watching it. They’re doing other things. they’re probably on 2x speed listening to it, right? So, it could
19:45literally just be a hiccup in the in the Wi-Fi. So, just keep that in mind. Like, it’s okay. You’re human. And that’s the
19:52beauty of video and you being present on video. Yeah. And I think it’s even more important now like the the less perfect
20:00your video is, the more human you are. And in today’s day and age, I mean, I
20:06had someone on a couple of episodes ago who we were talking about, we went deep into AI, and I could talk about AI all
The secret to authentic video for lead generation
20:11day, every day, and like I I’m like, yeah, you know, I could I could total nerd out on AI. Um,
20:18but we were we were talking about that and the thing is like in today’s day and age of AI, you don’t even know like Hey
20:23Genen, have you heard of Hey Genen? That’s that video app that you you take a headsh shot and it can create a a whole video with you. And it’s not a
20:31real video. It’s not you. It’s the AI. You just plug in the script and it it takes your voice and your video and every your face and everything and
20:37creates a video and and so talk a little bit about that because the reality is like with that
20:42coming out it does yeah it makes it a a lot easier for people to show up on camera 100% right you just plug in a
20:48script and I don’t have to be there right but there’s a lot to be said about the authenticity about the ums and the
20:54a’s and the oh you know there’s there’s a lot to be said about that that makes you feel like a real person like
21:01for example The re part of the reason I think we connected is because I saw one of your videos and I’m like man this guy’s got a lot of energy and like he
21:09probably he probably I don’t know if it’s real energy but it feels real because in the next video same amount of
21:14energy next video same energy next video same energy. I’m like okay I feel like I kind of like I feel like I know you and
21:19we’ve never even met in person. We’ve talked a few times but so anyway my question’s over you.
21:25I love that. This was great. Such a great setup on that one because that’s exactly what
21:31video does. You watched one video. Didn’t even watch the whole thing. I’m sure it was probably
21:36I think I watched the first 5 seconds if that. Yeah. Perfect. So, this is what’s happening. Everyone listening. This is
21:43what’s happening when you put out your videos for the most part, right? Is that people are going to see just a few
21:48seconds of that video. Now, yes, that might be like a bummer cuz you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I spent a ton of time on
21:53that video and it’s at least 3 minutes long.” There’s a time and a place, right? But get this, most people are
21:59only going to watch a few seconds of it. But then they’re going to search your other videos. They’re going to get a
22:05sense of who you are. Do I like this person? Do they have a good vibe? Uh, do they have the energy? Um, what are they
22:11saying? How are they saying it? How do they show up? You know, what what are they all about? People are researching
22:18you before they ever contact you. And that’s why I love video so much and why
22:24you have to be on video, not your AI robot, not your uh faceless videos. You
Building a brand vs. “doing social media”
22:30can include some of those if you want, but we need to see you. We need to hear you. And we need to be able to feel your
22:37energy because people refer from people they know, like, and trust. They can’t
22:42do that if they don’t see who you really are. Yeah. And that’s why I love video so much. And
22:49I I say it all the time. video is the next best thing to you being in person, if not even better because once you get
22:56comfortable on video, you just let loose and you don’t have to worry, right?
23:02Mhm. Compared to being in a room full of, you know, 50 strangers or 100 strangers
23:07where you’re kind of nervous and you’re like, “Okay, well, how should I present myself because I don’t know how all
23:12these people?” Video, you start to get real comfortable and that’s a good
23:17thing, especially right now. authenticity and having more raw
23:22content, unpolished, unhighed edited videos perform way better than the
23:30polished ones. And you should say thank you to the universe for that one because it wasn’t always like that. So, it does
23:36help having less editing um on your plate so it’s one less thing you have to do.
23:42Yeah. to that point when I first got into creating video. Um, first of all, I
23:47do go back sometimes and watch my first few videos because I like to show people
23:52that it’s okay. I like to show people like, look, when I first got on video, I was like this.
23:59Hello everyone. It’s so great to I was so awkward like, hi. I hope you’re all having a great day.
24:06Um, I want to talk to you today about Right. That’s literally
24:12Yeah. Hey everyone, Lana Carver here. You know, like not realizing now. I
24:18mean, to those people that still do that, you know, it’s okay. Just work through doing that. Work through doing
24:23that. But that’s where I started. Um, but I like to go back and watch it sometimes. Um, and I think like one of
24:28the things that was really helpful for me in getting really comfortable on camera is I I got really uncomfortable
24:35by asking my husband to give me feedback. Now, it’s hard because like of course he’s the one person in my life
24:41that I want to think I’m it’s that he I want him to think I’m perfect, right? Not really. Uh but, you know, he’s also
24:47very like analytical and very methodical and very thoughtful, right? He’s a super
24:53thoughtful person. So, he put a lot of thought into this and he came back and he gave me two pages of feedback, on how
24:59how I presented on camera, on on my facial expressions, on my movement, on
25:05like my body language, my posture. It was just like and then he like actually went and he’s like, “Hey, I have a
25:11couple of things I want you to see.” And he showed me car he’s super into car videos. So, he would show me car videos
25:16and how the car videos would essentially tell a story, right? you you you don’t have to have words in a car video and it tells an
25:23entire story. Like how how can you do the same thing? Like even if you weren’t talking, how could what you’re doing,
25:29what you’re wearing, what you’re what your background is tell a story. That’s why I think the car videos do so
25:36well because it tells a story. It tells a story that this is a real person. It’s a it’s a I’m I’m just like you, right?
25:42I’m in the car. I got to go to go grocery shopping and I’m jumping between meetings and you know there’s another
25:47another content creator Robert Croak. Do you know who he is? I don’t think so. Yeah, you should follow him. He’s on
25:53Instagram. Um and he’s he’s a finance guru. I think he’s like super into Bitcoin or something. But like he’s he’s a
26:01multi-millionaire. I don’t think he’s a billionaire, but I think he’s a multi-millionaire. Um and his videos
26:07like he he will actually be there. He lives in New York and he’s like walking and talking on the streets of New York.
26:13So, it makes you feel like as the user I’m like I feel like I know who this guy is because I’m like right in his face.
26:19You can see that he’s busy. You can see that he’s on the go and he’s probably just like me, right? He’s probably he
26:25pulling out his phone telling he has something at the top of his mind. He wants to say it, you know, and he just pulls out his phone and he starts
26:31talking about it and it makes you feel like you’re right next door or right in walking with a millionaire.
26:38It’s so true. And I love that you bring that point up too because that goes back to what we were saying about, you know, hey everyone or hey guys. Um because
26:45actually when you were saying that I remember I think two weeks ago I did come across an old video of mine and and
26:51I did that and I was super awkward like you were describing. Yeah. That’s why I had the flashback. Um, and
26:57it’s one of those things that the reason why we’re saying that for those who are listening and wondering like, oh, what’s
27:02wrong with that part is because in the early days we were talking to a whole
27:09audience, you know, cuz that we were live, we were we’re engaging and we still do that, but but now, like you
27:15pointed out with walking on the streets with one person on on the streets of New York, now we’re starting to really tune
27:23into one-on-one conversations. Y we’re really that’s why we’re talking
27:28about personal branding and being able to get on video and get comfortable with it and talk to your audience, but just
27:35have one person in mind. Just just that one person cuz then it makes it more intimate and it makes it more sharable,
27:43more relatable, and it just feels more comfortable, especially for you filming it.
27:48Do you do you ever find yourself like envisioning a certain client on the other side of the camera? Oh, great
27:55question. Oftentimes, no. I think for me, I really I mean, I love social media and
28:02I love having conversations with with people, especially when we’re doing podcast interviews like this. Um,
28:07so I really just get into the topic and and really try to include everyone in
28:14it, but also make it feel more personal at the same time. I know that’s really weird, especially when I say it out
28:19loud. I’m like, what? But I I don’t I actually don’t think it was weird at all. I actually I actually I
28:25can now some people might not know what you’re saying saying. So explain that. But I actually personally know exactly.
28:32I also do a lot of video though. But Right. Right. Exactly. So and like you said earlier, it takes practice. It’s
28:39trial and error. Like neither one of us, for those who are are are keeping up with the the story here, neither one of
28:46us came out of the gate video pros. We had to learn how to get good and be
28:53open to feedback. I love that you brought that up because I look at feedback as strengths and opportunities.
28:59And I actually had one of my viewers on Facebook who had sent me a message about
29:05how I needed to make sure to remember to smile on camera. I mean, I always smile,
29:10but like it there must have been some kind of, you know, resting face happening.
29:16RBF happening. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Um, and so I after he said that, like first off, I could have been
29:23super offended, right? Like, oh my gosh, like why are you telling me like that, you know, no, come from it from the
29:30standpoint of I’m only going to get better. What are my strengths? What are my opportunities? And that’s how I
29:36looked at it. And from then on, I paid more attention to how I presented myself
29:42even when I wasn’t talking. And I made sure to continue to have that eye contact and be able to position myself
29:50where it felt comfortable in front of the camera as well as I have other screens right now in front of me. I make
29:57sure to put things in the right place so that when I am looking at something I
30:02can look and then I can look back at just straight in the eyes. Right? So, there’s ways that you will figure it
30:08out, but you have to start and understand it’s going to take time. And
30:15that’s why I love videos because you can record as many as you want. You can do the the 300 in 30 days if you want. You
30:23can do the one per week, whatever works. But the point is is that you’re taking action. You’re not just consuming,
30:29you’re taking action. And that’s what we both want for you after today’s episode, right? just take action now. Uh so I
30:37want to ask you some technical video questions. Couple. So you have basically when it comes to a video, you basically
30:42have three parts to a video. You have the hook, right? You have the mid, the
30:48body, and you have the call to action. Yes. So tell me in your opinion or your
30:53professional opinion, what’s the most important part of a video? Oh, well that’s debatable. I would the
31:01initial right off the bat I was going to say call to action because people forget the call to action
31:06all the time when yeah but when we think about what we hear online and what we want people
31:12to do it is the hook because we have to get people to actually watch the video right so it is a tossup between the hook
31:20and the call to action I will say if people are adding the call to action in
31:26their captions at the very least right we want to end the video but if If we’re assuming everyone is writing a beautiful
31:32storytelling caption and has the call to action in there, then I would lean with or start with the hook of the video.
31:40That obviously is the one that’s going to get people’s attention, right? That’ll get people to to to to
31:46stay on. I look at it like I like to tell people like for it’s really easy to tell what the problem is with a video.
31:51Like let’s say a video didn’t perform. I say that very loosely. Performance. I mean, even if you have 200 views on a
31:58video, that’s 200 people that saw your content, right? So, and when do you ever speak to 200 people at one time?
32:04Yeah. So, it just takes one. Just takes one. Right. Um, so even that I like to look at it as like you can
32:10usually easily tell by data what the problem is. Yeah. Right. when it comes to views per se
32:18like views just the number of views that’s you if you have really low number of views or a really high number of
32:23views like I think on Instagram views is something like 3 seconds or less
32:29something like that on YouTube views is like I think like 1 second so it’s like very different but like if you have low
32:36number of views it’s usually because there’s an issue with like the thumbnail or the title that very first impression
32:43like you may had anything like it could be the way the video opens, right? The
32:48the very first like you click on the video, it’s the first thing you see. So that’s usually like a view problem and
32:54then if you have a retention problem, it’s usually a hook problem. How do you feel about that? Absolutely. I agree with that. Um
33:00especially when we think about platforms like YouTube, uh that’s the big one. I mean, we always hear about the thumbnails, you know, that being there.
33:07It will be interesting and I haven’t done any research around this. May maybe you have, I’m not sure. Uh, but it will
33:14be interesting to see how AI changes things for YouTubers. Not in the sense
33:21of creating thumbnails because we can do that, but because everything’s searchable now, it will be interesting
33:27to see if videos with really bad thumbnails or no thumbnails at all start
33:33to perform better because of AI and search. If you have I’m totally coming
33:38up with this off the cusp, so yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know where that’s going, but that just entered my thought
33:44was like that will be interesting to see because I know thumbnails is what holds up a lot of people from doing videos on
33:49YouTube. Oh yeah. Yeah. Because I mean thumbnails and titles like like the title is how you like because the title’s searchable.
33:55Um but also the title has to be relevant. Like if you think about it, think about a title. Like I saw one yesterday. It was like 12 years of
34:02business lessons in under 12 minutes, right? So I’m So for me that’s a really good title. I’m like that’s a great
34:08That’s not even the hook. Like the hook was like the hook was like this. The cool thing about it is like the second I
34:13turned on the video, he had his hook done in 4 seconds. Nice. And I was hooked in 4 seconds. And so
34:19it’s like I’m looking at that and I’m because I’m obviously always trying to get better. So I’m trying to take that feedback from myself, but the title was
34:27what I told you. I don’t remember what the I have no idea what the thumbnail looked like. Ah, no clue. I’m like I just saw the title
34:34and then when I clicked on it, I was hooked in four seconds. See, that’s cool. Now I got to go look that up afterwards.
34:39Yeah, I’ll send you I’ll send you the link to the video. But it was it was really cool because I was like, man, you
34:44know, when I look at it, it’s like I see there’s a lot of opportunity for my own content. Oh, 100%. Yes. And that’s that’s the
34:51thing, you know, we always put ourselves last, right? Because we put everyone else first. So, and there’s always going
34:56to be opportunities no matter what. So, for those who are listening, just know that there’s always going to be
35:01opportunity for you to grow. You just have to start implementing something and stick with it for a while, right? like
35:07like you said, there’s the 30-day challenge that’s going to help build that muscle of also actually doing it
35:15consistently. Right. Right. So, we have to find ways to be able to not only have great ideas, but
35:21what are our goals and how are we going to get there and how are we going to stay sustainable with it?
35:26Yeah. So true. So true. It’s like um my CEO our company, he just recently said,
35:33″What do you want that you’re not doing the reps for?” O, right? What do you want that you’re not doing the reps for? Like, you know, for
35:40for a lot of people who work with you, I imagine they want more visibility. They want to make more they want to help more people ultimately, right? Like that same
35:46with me when I when I work with people, they want to they want to help more people and they’re they don’t know how to do it.
35:51Yes. Um, so I like to say like what do you want that you’re not doing the reps for? That’s what the 300 videos for me. It’s
35:57like I want more visibility and the only way for me to get more visibility is to be more visible. Like there’s
36:03that’s rock not rocket science, right? And so the only way to do that, the only way to build those reps and to stay
36:08consistent is to give myself a massive goal. Yeah. A massive goal, right? With a big
36:14support, with a big accountability group, right? So, you know, talk a little bit about that. Like your your
36:19clients, they’re coming to you for a certain thing. What’s their biggest problem that they come to you for usually? Yeah, it’s it’s right around
36:26there the visibility part and it typically starts with social media because that that’s where they’re struggling the most um with actually use
36:34using the tool or tools um and being able to be more visible on those
36:39platforms. And so it comes down to exactly what we were just talking about and being able to think about, you know,
36:46this is where that GPS ties in that framework that I have is what’s the
36:51goal? like what are you working towards or what do you want to work towards? Um just that simple question can really
36:58open up a lot of doors because a lot of people may not know what they’re working towards when they just say I want to
37:04post, right? Um I I want to be more visible. We got to dive in a little deeper. So really starting with that as your as
37:11your G for the GPS part. Then you want to think about what’s the plan. How will you show up? So in your
37:18case, you’re talking about video. Great. and you’re going to create the video. Awesome. But then there’s the S, the
37:25system. How are you going to stick with it? And like you said, you got your accountability group going. And so
37:32that’s what I want people to start thinking about is how can you get in the car, turn on this GPS, where figure out
37:40what’s the goal, where are you trying to go, figure out what’s that plan, and and what are you going to actually show up
37:48with? And then figure out what’s the system that’s going to keep you on the
37:53road, that’s going to keep you going even when times are tough, even when you’re busy. Like right now for a lot of
38:00businesses, you might be struggling with the economy going on, right? A lot of people are being affected by this. So
38:07you might have more downtime than you would like to have. So you’re thinking, what do I do? How can I how can I bring
38:13in more clients? How can I have more conversations? How can I become more visible? Starts with this work. But it
38:19doesn’t end here. This is what you need to be doing throughout your busy seasons
38:25as well, right? It’s not just, “Oh my gosh, we have no business today. What can we do to have a magic pill that’s
38:30going to give us business tomorrow?” It’s putting in the work, putting in those reps consistently over time so
38:37that you’re continuously bringing in and nurturing new and people who have been
38:43in your world already. Yeah. So, it’s really, really important to not just look at this as a I’m just going to
38:49do this right now because business is slow until I get more business or I’m not going to do it yet because business
38:54is great. I’m gonna keep putting this off. Don’t do it. I talked to too many businesses who put it off until the ship
39:02is underwater and it’s not good. So, start now and continue to build from there.
39:08Yeah. That’s like the vicious cycle of entrepreneurs, right? It’s like Yeah. They get super busy and they forget that
39:15what got them busy is the very stuff that they’re not doing today. Yep. And then what happens three months from now because everything’s about a
39:20three-month cycle, right? you start to things start to pay off in about three months and then three months from now all of a sudden they’re like, “Oh,
39:26shoot. I’m not busy again. Let me go right back to it.” So, it’s like this vicious like up and down cycle. So, you
39:31have a you have a kind of a method, the just 15 method that kind of solves this problem.
39:37Yes. So, tell me about that. Yeah. It’s basically taking that GPS that we were just talking about and
39:43giving yourself 15 minute sprints. So what I’ve developed over time for myself
39:49and then I’ve noticed with it’s worked with my clients as well is 15 minutes is
39:56a good amount of time for us to get something done and to be focused on
40:01getting something done. You know, when we think about all of the different things that are distracting us in our
40:08worlds, both business and personal, and when we think about how we don’t have time, I mean, because that’s always the first excuse I hear, especially when it
40:14comes to creating video. Oh, but I don’t have time. Well, you do. We just have to
40:20find it. And we have to look at your schedule. And that’s where this just 15 comes into play because it’s all about a
40:26mindset and visibility piece here. And that 15inut sprint is what is going to
40:32help your brain agree with you in yes, we can create a video because it’s only
40:38going to take us 15 minutes. We got this. And it’s just long enough for us to focus
40:44and then we can have a break. So your brain’s like, “Yes.” Right? We just have so much bandwidth these days. And there
40:51are other methods out there that are longer and I have not found those to be uh helpful because yes, they can be
40:59helpful in some situations, but the 15 minutes has been a sweet spot for so many in being able to get that work done
41:07and to build that momentum to keep getting that work done. Yeah, agreed. Um, do you have a like
41:14your favorite client that you’ve worked with with like your just 15 method or your GPS method? Like that just have the
41:20like tell me about that. Like what’s the best results you’ve ever seen from this? So, I’ve had um a few clients who have
41:27done amazing things with with their video journey and being able to implement this to increase their
41:32visibility. Um, one of my clients, she was already showing up on social media
41:38but not using too much video and and really didn’t have a plan. So, we we got that GPS set up for her and she kills it
41:47on video now. It is just amazing. She not only was starting to get comfortable
41:52with being in front of the camera, something that took a while to get there. Um, but also sharing more insider
41:59information on her industry and what she’s doing and how she can help people and what people should know. And then
42:06she was also getting attention from what would be traditionally thought of as her competitors, but they’re chiming in
42:13saying, “Oh my gosh, you’re doing a great job. I want to do that.” Like, how what if you did one on this, right? Like
42:19it became a conversation piece because let’s face it, there’s plenty of business for all of us out there.
42:24There’s no competition. We need to work together to be able to help serve our clients and make sure that they get the
42:30best experience. So, she started getting comfortable on camera. She started getting more well-known in the community
42:36and she got so wellknown that while other businesses were kind of at a
42:43standstill or maybe dropping off a little bit, hers was increasing. And within the first 3 months, she saw an
42:50uptick in clients. Within the first 6 months, she doubled her business and had to start growing her team in order to
42:57help support. So, there’s so many things. Yes. And and and the coolest
43:02part, I mean, obviously revenue and everything is great. We we want we want that, but the coolest part is when I get
43:09to see those videos show up and see what’s new, what what she’s doing. And I
43:14do that with all of my clients. Like, knowing that they are showing up in a different way, that they’re marketing
43:20themselves differently, and they’re doing it no matter what is huge. And
43:26that’s something that I want everyone to take away is start doing something that’s a little different that you’re
43:32not used to. Know that it’s not going to pay off right off the bat. Uh I was just actually at we were just talking about
43:38this earlier. I was at uh an event earlier today where I was speaking and one of um the attendees. She I
43:46complimented her because I’ve seen her LinkedIn. She’s upped her LinkedIn game and she was like, “Yes, I know. I’ve
43:52been getting good. she’s doing videos and now I got a newsletter and she’s like but you know it’s still a little
43:58challenging getting the actual paid clients. Mind you, she just started doing all this stuff. So she knows that
44:04it’s taking time and we had that conversation that she’s going to keep doing this because she’s doing really
44:09well with the videos and the newsletter. So again that 3month piece right that you were just talking about that’s going
44:15to start to turn over in the next 60 days probably because she just started within the first 30 days here rolling
44:22with that. So give yourself grace. Understand that it takes time. That’s
44:27why we start now, not when we’re already in the bottom of the the boat, right?
44:33The ship’s sinking a little bit. We try not to start there. We try to start where the water is even with the boat.
44:39Um for that piece of it. Yeah, it’s so true. I like your story reminded me some very similar I mean I
44:45don’t I don’t I teach a little bit of video. Like right now I’m just rolling out with my with my students. cuz I’m like, “Look, you guys, we’re going to go
44:51after YouTube and we’re going to do it.” And I basically gave him all the stats as to why YouTube’s a better platform,
44:57the best in my opinion. It’s a better long-term branding than Instagram and Facebook. Instagram and Facebook are to
45:04support YouTube, right? They definitely support it. You want to have a strong presence there. But if you really want
45:09to have a brand, a longterm lasting brand that eventually means you can cut all of your lead generation expenses,
45:16um, like YouTube, YouTube is really the place to be. Um, and it was it’s really cool because my like I have a client who
45:22very similar to to yours was coming in and super like not confident in what
45:29they were doing. Yeah. Right. And so I think like as a coach, you know, it’s really it’s really fun
45:35and rewarding and fulfilling and feels very purposeful when um you know, I can
45:41help someone who’s feeling a complete utter lack of confidence and it’s
45:47affecting all areas of their life. And then just through like a tiny tweak like the just 15 method or the GPS, I have my
45:54I have what I call the Fab 15 method. I know we talked about that, but it’s a tiny tweak like that. You can with like
45:59the Fab 15 or the Just 15 or whatever it is, you can see someone go from complete like like am I should I
46:08even be doing this anymore? Am I doing the right thing? Am I should I even be here anymore? Is this what my calling is
46:13to wow? Like just almost like a complete 180. And it’s so rewarding. So
46:19rewarding. Sounds just like your client that you were talking about. 100%. And you bring up such a great um
46:26insight around the thinking that goes behind it. Should I even be doing this anymore? What? And that’s happening a
46:32lot. That conversation is happening a lot with seasoned business owners, you know, 10 plus years in the business and
46:38having to market themselves for the first time in a very long time, right? So those are
46:44real conversations for those who might be thinking that. Understand that you’re not alone. And that’s why you have
46:50resources like us to tap into and to really make sure that you are putting in
46:56those reps however you can because it does make a difference. And chances are, by the way, when you start posting
47:02consistently, chances are you’re not going to get that person who wants to
47:08work with you right off of, you know, let’s say you’re posting on the YouTube channel. You may not get them directly
47:14from YouTube. They might have seen you on YouTube, but then they checked your website and then they checked your
47:19Instagram and then they saw your Facebook uh video and then they reached out to you. That happens all the time.
47:26And and that’s why when I go to networking events, especially the local Inerson ones, I’ll have people come up
47:32to me who I do not know at all and they’re coming up to me, Ed, how’s it
47:39going? And acting as if we are best friends. It is cool. It is mindblowing.
47:46And the reason why is because they’ve seen my face. They’ve heard my
47:51voice. They’ve seen my videos. So, it’s a nice icebreaker, especially for those of us
47:57who are like myself a little bit more introverted, especially when we go to those inerson networking ones. So,
48:02understand that there is a lot more at play, but you have to show up, you have
48:07to deliver your expertise, and you have to engage wherever you can.
48:12Yeah. And you brought up a really good point about like showing up at events, right? Because the very the very first
48:18time it ever happened to me was I don’t know four, five years ago. Someone I was eating lunch. I think I was probably
48:24taking a big bite of food like Right. Yes. At the right. And I think I can hide. I think I
48:30can hide. Right. And I didn’t know I couldn’t hide, but someone walks up and she’s like, Lana. And I said, “Hi.” Like
48:38in my mouth, probably falling out of my mouth. Who knows? Uh, she said, “I see your videos all the time and you make me
48:47feel so confident and you don’t even know me.” She said, “I just want you to know that your videos are changing this
48:54old lady’s life.” Yeah. And also, I’ll never forget that. Like, I’ll I don’t remember her name, who it
48:59was. Um, but I’ll never forget your videos are changing this old lady’s
49:05life. And so there’s something to be said about like, you know, your clients that you’re helping, my clients that I’m
49:10helping, you me, like when we show up for them. It’s not just about showing up on camera. It’s about showing up in
49:17their life. It’s that parasocial relationship that you’re you’re creating with them and you don’t even know it.
49:23You don’t even know who’s going to watch this video right now and be like, “Man, that Ed is like the exact person that I
49:30think I’ve been looking for, and he just happened to show up because I follow Lana.” Right? you just you just don’t you have no idea.
49:37So, I think it’s important and I love that you bring that up. I don’t know if I told you this, but um
49:42when I went to last I think it was last year a Tom Ferry event, it was somewhat
49:48local about two almost three hours away. I expected to not know anybody, right?
49:53I’m going to this event. I I I’m not in real estate. I’m not a real estate agent. I just work with agents and
49:59others in the field. So, I didn’t expect to meet anybody or know anybody. I get down there and I ran into a couple
50:05people I knew from my area and then I had one person by the end of it who came up to me and was like, “Can I get a
50:11photo with you?” And I was like, I I literally was by the bathrooms and I looked past me to see if she was talking
50:18to somebody else. She’s like, “I’ve done that. No, you’re Ed. I I know you. I watched your videos.” I was like, “What?” And it
50:25was just one of those same moments where you’re like, we make such a huge impact on people, most of which will never know
50:31because they’re our what I call our secret followers. They’re watching. They’re they’re paying attention. They’re consuming our content that they
50:38It’s just like, again, a daytime talk show. You show up consistently, people are going to watch you consistently and
50:44feel like you’re part of their world. It’s the power of video. So, embrace
50:49video and know that it’s a long game you’re playing and that you are going to make these milestones that we’ve shared
50:56here and you are going to make money. Um, but you need to make sure that you’re going in it with a plan and that
51:03you’re going in it for the long haul. Yep. Totally agree. That’s like I actually just said that today on my
51:08coaching call. I’m like, “Look, you guys, this is not an overnight success. This is a long-term game.” They were
51:14joking with me, but they’re all like, “What? We don’t want a long term. we want to make it happen tomorrow. And I
51:20they, you know, they were joking because they know that’s how I talk, how I speak, how I teach. It’s what I teach. I’m like, look, you can’t stop right
51:25now. But it was just, it’s just a good validation that like, look, you you you
51:31have to show up every single day or at least every single time you turn on the
51:36camera. Exactly. Exactly. And that’s the thing. It’s just it’s even for those I know we
51:42we beat video to death and and we’ll continue to do that because we love video and it’s important.
51:47Both of us do. Yeah. But even for those who are like, “Okay, I get it.” But, you know, I’m
51:53still trying to get just a regular post on a consistent basis done on these social platforms.
51:58Please understand that that is important, too. If if you can’t get to the video set stuff yet, that’s fine.
52:06But start being more consistent with posting on the right platforms for you
52:11and your audience. Keyword keywords you and your audience. And start adding in
52:17more storytelling. Give it a little bit more meat because chances are there there’s some opportunities there. We
52:24talked about call to action and now I’m adding in the storytelling in your captions for your post.
52:30Yep. Love it. Love it. Um, okay. So, how can my audience help you or how can my
52:36audience find you? You know, how can you how can they help you? You’ve been here to give them so much value. Um, what can
52:41they do for you? Oh, such a great question. I would love it if you joined my email list. It’s
52:48free. You get tips and um tricks and advice and Q&A options with me and it’s
52:55once a week, so it’s nothing that’s over overloading your inbox. And if you want, you can just go straight to my website
53:02edtroxel.com and if you do55inut plan and it’s also on the homepage, you
53:09can pop in your email so you’ll get the email list and you’ll also get uh a plan as well. So you get a little extra
53:15training there. That’s awesome. I love that. I love free stuff. So join Ed’s email list. Ed,
53:21thank you so much for being here, being a part of my growth. It means a lot to me that you took time to invest in me um
53:28and my audience uh and I can’t I can’t say thank you enough. So um absolutely thank you. This is awesome. I
53:35love that you do this and happy to be a guest. Absolutely. Okay, everyone. We’ll see you on the next episode.