Kat Norton, better known to her 2 million followers across Instagram and TikTok as Miss Excel, became an internet sensation thanks to her energy and spreadsheet know-how. That’s not a typical influencer content lane, but the differentiation has earned her the respect of Excel newbies and veterans alike — oh, and she’s also earning millions of dollars per year.
Norton spoke with b. about her online success and how businesses can generate engagement and sales through their social media strategies.
b.: Where did your passion for Excel come from?
Norton: My love of Excel began during my MBA, where I had to integrate Excel into every aspect of my life to pass my data analytics major. I ended up … graduating [with] the highest average in my class.
Your videos have music, dancing, detailed lessons, and instructive visuals. How do you strike the right balance between fun and informative?
Norton: The difference between someone making something look fun versus cringey is the authenticity factor. For example, if you hate dancing, don’t dance to make it “fun.” Use something else that is true to you instead. … The better your energy or headspace, and the more aligned you are with doing something you authentically enjoy, the more likely you are to create something fun and engaging.
How can businesses find their own balance and grow their social media presence?
Norton: I think it’s absolutely essential that people running social media accounts need a genuine passion for the product/service they’re representing. It really helps with the creative process when you know and love your product inside and out. People can also easily tell if content is inauthentic. … Don’t try to just follow trends if those trends don’t feel authentic to you or your brand — and you can create your own trends!
b.: How did you transition from viral content to selling your own courses?
Norton: My current business strategy sparked from customer demand — I had people asking me for courses nonstop! Structuring my courses as on-demand, rather than live, was to make them accessible to customers at any time … worldwide, and make the business scalable in the long run.
I also structured the business around the lifestyle I wanted. I dreamt of leaving my job in consulting where I was doing 50+ hours per week in an office setting, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t simply recreate that position for myself again and burn out.
b.: What has been the key in converting social media views to actual sales?
Norton: Today, Instagram and our mailing list are our biggest marketing channels… We’ve found that promotional content is much harder to push through the algorithm on TikTok than it is with other platforms.
However, we have had a few [promotional] videos do really well on TikTok, and the biggest aspect there is promoting something free in a way that integrates with your content in a subtle way — for us, that looks like integrating a promo for a free class within an Excel tip video.
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