Have you ever wondered how certain people on social media get so many followers in what it seems like such a short period of time? There are of course many different ways to do this, and It’s a lot easier if you’re a celebrity or household name.
In this article, I’m going to tell you about the story of Jason Stone who doesn’t happen to be a celebrity. An Instagram influencer that has built an Instagram empire in under 2 years. The best part is that he tosses out some great tips for anyone to implement right away into their Instagram strategy.
If you aren’t on Instagram yet or you’re someone who thinks it’s unnecessary, this article is probably going to make you want to jump on the train before it’s too late. Not only because it’s a fun app to use, but because there is so much potential within the platform to do big things.
When I say big things, I mean building or growing a business from Instagram. Influencer marketing is a huge business and there are tons of people out there making 6-7 figures solely from their social media following. Stone happens to be one of them.
Stone, better known as the @Millionaire_Mentor on Instagram has turned into an Instagram sensation by gaining over two million followers in under two years. Yes, you read that right two million followers.
The thing that’s impressive about his rise to Instagram fame was his ability to see an opportunity and seize it. Two years ago Instagram was still rather new, having been only two years into being acquired from Facebook for $1 Billion in 2012. It’s only lately that Instagram has surpassed 500 million active users and become a major contributor to Facebook’s balance sheet. Making people really take notice of the social platform.
When talking to Stone, I got to know more about his background and what’s even more fascinating is that he went to school and is a mechanical engineer by trade who started an engineering firm called Treadstone Performance Engineering that still exists today. Starting an engineering firm is pretty different than being an online marketer or influencer.
This just shows that anyone can do what they want if they put their mind to something. Anything can be attainable, you just have to believe and work hard at it.
One of the most powerful messages I received when speaking with Stone was the analogy he gave me when I asked him how he was able to grow such a massive following in such a short period of time.
“In the early days, I treated Instagram like a blog. I posted consistently, shared my story, my experiences as an entrepreneur, and found that motivational quotes with pictures of cars, luxury items, and public figures would get a lot of engagement” – Jason Stone –
This really stuck with me because he broke it down into something relatable. Everyone knows what a blog is. Heck, this is a blog post right now and I post consistently, so that’s how he treated his Instagram account. It wasn’t just an app he took a picture on once in awhile, he put a focus on it early on which has paved the path to where he is today.
When I meet inspiring and super successful people like Jason I always like to ask the question of “what motivates you as an entrepreneur?”
The answer he gave me shows that’s he a genuine person that ultimately wants to make a difference in the world.
“I enjoy connecting with people and motivating them to achieve their dreams. Showing them what the power of having a big audience can do for them.” – Jason Stone –
Now you might be thinking what kind of opportunities have come his way from being an Instagram star. The one that stood out the most to me involves one of the latest ventures he’s involved in called Local Door Coupons. It’s a new business started in Florida in which Stone and his partners recently began to franchise.
Stone and his team we’re able to sell 30 franchises in a matter of 6 months solely from his social media following. Making it a 7-figure business in under 6 months. Sit on that for a second……
30 franchises. 6 months. Marketed solely through social media = POWERFUL
I hope after reading this article you’re just as excited as I am writing this, thinking that you really need to step up your Instagram game in the coming months.
But before I let you go I want to leave you with probably the best tip that I got from Stone when we sat down.
“The best way to get a bigger following is to reach out to influencers and ask to help them out or see if you can get featured on their account. This is way more efficient than running an ad.” – Jason Stone –
There you have it. Don’t be afraid to reach out to influencers, celebrities, or anyone you look up to on social media. The worst they can say is no. But I bet you will be surprised with the few that might say yes that will help set you up for success.
What I want you to do right now is to reach out to one influencer you follow, provide tons of value to them, and then ask if they will feature you on their page. As I always like to say, you never know until you ask, so just do it.
If you do, then maybe you’ll be the next @Millionaire_Mentor.
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