#79: How Social Media Changed Business for Chocolate Johnny

How Social Media Changed Business for Chocolate Johnny
Social media is an ideal way to actively engage with your customers, but not only. When it comes to marketing your brand and finding your ideal clients, there is no other platform that can do so faster.
John Kapos, better known as Chocolate Johnny, has taken full advantage of social media for his chocolate business in Australia. Through engaging live streams and images, John has been able to build a worldwide fan base of people who want to buy chocolate, and as a byproduct, John is now an international speaker and coach of business owners who want to do the same.

Pushing the Live Button
John says his success is mainly based on his strong brand identity. “When I started out, I built a website for my business as soon as I found out that I could actually do that. I registered various domains, which came very much in handy later on,” John remembers. He did the same with social media. “As soon as social media platforms started to exist, I got on there straight away. First Facebook, then Instagram.”
John continued to grow his presence on Twitter, Snapchat, Periscope and any app that could help him sell his chocolate. “I always pushed the boundaries on social media. For me it was all about: How can I use it for my business? What can it do for me?”
When one day in 2015, somebody on Periscope asked who he is, he signed in with his Chocolate Johnny account and started telling his story. “I’m a really good story-teller and social media is a great way to spread a story. I love to push the broadcast button, the ‘go live’ button. So many people are afraid to go out there and do it. But someone’s always going to hear you, someone will listen. You’ve got to tell your story if you want to sell your product or service.”

The First Sale
John sold his first product through an experiment on Periscope. He created a product called Freckle, which was a big chocolate disc. “I went on Periscope, introduced myself, showing my audience that I was in the chocolate factory and that I had just produced 10 of these Freckles. I told my audience that they were usually $20, and that if they wanted them, they could email me and I would reduce the price to $16.”
John didn’t push for the sale. He simply said: “Here’s the product, here’s the email address, if you want it, buy it.” Within three minutes, he made $160. “If I could make $160, I knew I could make more. I started giving people more calls to action. I told them: If you tweet this, you’ll go into a competition and I’m happy to send you chocolate.” John ended up sending chocolate all around the world to people who helped him promote his message.
“What I love is that I don’t ask them to do anything, they act because they want to.” People started connecting with him because they saw him live. They knew he was the real deal.

What I do on Social Media
On social media, John’s main goal is to make people smile and create a connection. “I like to broadcast funny moments on Periscope and live streams. It’s all about who you are, your life, connecting to your viewers. I tell them when I go to the supermarket, what I buy. Then I celebrate customers who have watched me on Periscope and get them on my live stream. At the end of the day, you get to see me, my life, and people want to be part of it, and I let everyone join in.”
John says that another good strategy for social media is to show what goes on behind the scenes. “It doesn’t matter what kind of product you’re selling. You can present your behind the scenes in such a warm, comforting way that people will just love you. You just have to tell a good story.”

A second business
John always wanted to be a speaker on stage. “I saw Anthony Robbins back in 1998 when I saw ‘Unleash the Power Within’. From that day on, I was hooked. Now, I’m listening to James Wedmore’s podcast, to Garry Vee and Lewis Howes. It’s great stuff. At the same time, I’ve always dreamed of being an international speaker myself. I wanted to be on stage and help people.”
While John’s chocolate business was growing in success, people started turning to him for advice. “I helped them, but then I realized it was taking up a lot of my time. That’s when I started making people book time with me. Now, they can even book a VIP day. I’m slowly building up a team and together, we help other businesses reach the next level. We inspire and motivate them.” John’s dream of becoming a speaker has become true, too. “Sometimes I can’t believe that I just came back from New Zealand, from L.A., San Diego or England, where I was on stage as keynote speaker.”
John gives his community the credit for his success. “I’ve done the work, but without that community and people sharing my message, it wouldn’t have been the same. And even if only one person watches me, that’s one person I can touch and inspire. I don’t care if I speak in front of a thousand people or just one person. I tell my story as best as I can, and I want people to walk out of the room and feel inspired.”

Key Takeaways:

Talk about your life so that you and your audience can share that. That way, they can feel connected to you.
For people online, do a live stream. Broadcast your progress and ask your audience for their ideas.

Connect with Chocolate Johnny:

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