When it comes to working smarter and not harder, you know the conventional wisdom: Manage your time, take breaks, get enough sleep, tackle the big projects when you feel the most focused, and the list goes on.

You know all this stuff, but why is it so hard to act on it? And even if you are applying some of those strategies (which are all good), you still find yourself with more work than you can possibly get done in a single day.

Enter Carey Bentley. She’s a productivity and accountability expert. Along with her husband, Demir, they founded Lifehack Bootcamp, a program designed to get you working more efficiently so you can create the lifestyle you want.

Now, Carey and Demir weren’t always experts at this—in fact, they once were raging workaholics, but they had to figure out another way because the way they were working was literally affecting their health.

Their secret is practice—hard, intentional, sweaty practice. You know, the way pro athletes practice. So think of productivity less like a class where you’re studying to pass an exam and more like a craft that you’re working to get better at all the time.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• The four phases of productivity and why you’re ultimately shooting to be like LeBron James. (Check those out at 11:54)
• The four layers of accountability—with a coach, with a team, with a buddy, with your community—where you are closing off all escape routes by making yourself feel the pressure from all sides. (Carey starts to break down those levels at 16:19)
• How to create a “Champagne Moment” that literally has you popping open a bottle every week (metaphorically, but you can take that literally too!).

Download this week’s freebie for a step-by-step walkthrough of this process. (You can think about your own moment at 15:18).

You’ll also hear Carey and I talk about the five limiting mindsets (OK that’s just really a nice way to say “excuses”) people adopt to NOT get things done. Have you ever complained about not having enough time or having too much on your plate? Yeah, me too. It’s time to shut that down. Carey and I talk about the first two on the show. You can get all five (and the “Champagne Moment” exercise) by downloading this week’s freebie.

No more procrastinating—time to move forward.

And as if this isn’t enough, Carey grabbed her hubby, Demir, and filmed an extra special video for your eyes only on steps to beat decision fatigue.

The deep dive into all things Facebook Ads continues with part two of my mini training with Rick Mulready.

In part one we discussed the importance of mapping out a strategy before you jump into scheduling your ads, as well as knowing how to target your ideal customer and build custom audiences using the Audience Insights tool. (Missed Part 1? It was SO GOOD and you can listen here.)

We’re going a little deeper in today’s second part by telling you how to set up your ads using the Power Editor and how to assess your performance by focusing on a few key metrics.

PART TWO
Getting to know the Power Editor. A Facebook ad consists of three elements— campaign, ad set and ad. The campaign is where you set the objective of the ad, such as page post engagement or website clicks. The ad set is where you select the targeting, budget and schedule for the ad. And the ad is where you have the image and text for your ad.

How to Create a Campaign:

Using metrics to evaluate ad performance. First, don’t look at anything related to how your ads are doing for 72 hours. Then, take a look at these numbers by going to the ads manager, clicking the performance dropdown menu and selecting customized columns to choose the stats you want to review.

These are the metrics to pay attention to:

Cost per lead (or conversion): In general, shoot for $9 and under on a lead. Sound high? You’ve got to be real about what’s happening with Facebook. It’s super competitive and that means it’s getting more expensive—yet it’s still the most cost-effective ad platform.

Landing page conversion rate: Your goal is at least 20% conversion. If you’re not there, look at the consistency between your ad and the landing page. Are you using the same text, color scheme and other graphical elements? Is the messaging consistent?

Click-through rate: If it’s less than 1%, that’s a sign that your ad is not resonating with your audience.

Relevance score: The closer you are to 10, the better. If it’s low, that means your ad isn’t relevant. The problem could be with your ad or with the audience you’re targeting.

Frequency score: If you’re at a 4 or higher, that means people are seeing your ad too many times and won’t look at it anymore. Try changing up the type of ad you’re showing.

If you’re happy with the metrics, start to scale. If not, use the data to figure out your next step. For example, if you’ve got a 2% click-through rate and a decent relevance score, but your cost per lead is high, that might mean something about your landing page isn’t consistent with your ad. Use the data to troubleshoot your campaign.

Remember: Become a student of Facebook ads! Research the strategy that works for you, and don’t be afraid to dive in and take some risks for your list-building efforts. Now is the time.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve dabbled with running a Facebook ads campaign, I want you locked into this jam-packed two-part episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy podcast.

My good friend Rick Mulready, who knows Facebook ads better than anyone I know, helps me cover everything you need to know to get your Facebook ads off the ground.

PART ONE

Have a strategy. One of the biggest reasons entrepreneurs lose faith is because they put a bunch of money into ads without a plan, and then get disappointed when there are no returns.

Rick has a lot of great advice here, including why working backward from your end goal is the ultimate way to set yourself up for success.

We also explore questions like:

• How do I convert Facebook fans into email subscribers?
• What’s the key to attracting paying customers?
• Can I build my list using Facebook ads, even if I don’t have anything to sell?

Target, target, target. You’ve got to get specific on your audience. This is one of the biggest advantages of using Facebook ads, and I want you to spend some time here. For example, if you’re a personal trainer, go beyond simply targeting people who exercise and target audiences that fit specifically within your areas of expertise or certain specific interests.

You can do so much more to refine your audience by looking at where they shop, what brands they like, how they exercise and more.

One of my favorite tools within Facebook Ads is Audience Insights because it allows you to educate yourself on the characteristics of your audience, based on people who already like your page. By doing this, you can better cater to the needs of existing customers and scale your business by targeting new potential customers with similar characteristics. (Check out my video below on how I use it in my business!)

Also, don’t miss Rick’s breakdown on how Facebook wants you to target. One thing we all know for sure is the more you do things Facebook’s way, the more the social media giant will like and reward you.

In part two, we get into the ins and outs of the Power Editor and what metrics you should be paying attention to. Don’t forget to check out the links below to other podcasts Rick and I have done on Facebook ads.

Let’s get back to basics.

I love HGTV. It’s easy to get hooked watching JoJo and Chip Gaines on “Fixer Upper” transform an old ranch home into something SPECTACULAR (with shiplap of course!), and I’m always picking up little tips that I can DIY along the way.

Because sometimes DIY is best.

A professional web designer or developer isn't always the answer.

And neither is a seasoned copywriter or Facebook ad consultant.

Here’s the truth: You’re an entrepreneur.

Which means, by nature, you’re a DIYer.

In fact, you probably started your business because you knew you could do something better yourself. You’re likely great at wearing many hats—owner, marketer, writer, developer, etc. AND, you may have to do things yourself for awhile because you don’t have a big team or a big budget (yet!).

I’m here to say, “You’re on the right track!”

I think there are some things you just have to DIY, especially when you’re a rookie entrepreneur. In the long run, your business and your tribe will be better off for it.

BUT, there aren’t enough hours in the day, week or month for you to do every single thing yourself. So these are the five things I believe are crucial for you to take on in the beginning:

• Website (Listen in at 4:40)
• Copywriting (Listen in at 11:05)
• Marketing (Listen in at 16:25)
• Facebook Ad Campaigns (Listen in at 21:16)
• Money (Listen in at 26:55)

None of these might seem like small potatoes—and they’re not—but I’ve got some resources below to help ease the learning curve.

Also, hang out with me until the end and I will answer the question that crosses every entrepreneur’s mind on this topic: How long do I need to keep doing these things myself?

Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.