About 30 years ago, do you know one of the best places to connect with your customers? Their car. The very first thing they did after they got into their car in the morning was turn on the radio. And chances are that it remained on for their entire commute to work, both back and forth. This offered advertisers a captive audience (literally, if the driver was on the highway!) But then around 15 years ago, things started to change. People stopped listening to the radio as much when they headed to work. Instead, they would put on music from…
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Recently, I’ve been creating a lot of different types of content that allow me to get closer to my audience. I don’t just want you to read my words, but also hear my voice. I believe that this will create a stronger connection with you! (Is it working?) To get started, I’ve obviously picked podcasting. It’s a fantastic way to get your name and content out there, but it’s also entirely audio, with no visuals. Excellent if your audience is going out for a walk or running errands, but less so if you need to communicate complex ideas that require…
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I don’t know about you, but every week I get “emails” touting a new secret SEO growth tactic or hack that promises to get me on the first page of Google! It got me thinking about how overwhelming SEO can be to entrepreneurs, because there are so many components to consider. Keywords, on-page and off-page optimization, link building, oh my! The list goes on and on. So, let’s start here, how much do you know about SEO? Sorry (not sorry) for the rhyme there, but it’s a question that every small business owner should be asking themselves. Over my many…
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When it comes to food, my family are big believers in having as little waste as possible. Jayson, my husband, LOVES to cook (and I love LETTING him cook). We love to pull inspiration from the Native American idea of using EVERY part of the animal. So, when he is making mashed potatoes, he saves the skin peels to make delicious, crispy potato skin chips in the oven. When we eat chicken, he always saves the bones and tiny bits of meat and boils it down to make a tasty chicken noodle soup. It doesn’t just make economic sense; it’s…
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Want to know an online business secret? Content equals growth! It’s true! Content creation has been the core of everything I’ve done with my businesses for the past 20 years. However, when I took my content creation to the next level that is when my business really took off. Take my green lifestyle blog, Sweet Greens. Haha! Are you thinking, What? She has a green lifestyle blog too? Sweet Greens was born of my passion for environmental causes and green products. It started as a simple blog (I thought it would be a fun way to document the fun eco-friendly…
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How large is your email list? Are you using a lead magnet to help it grow? Your email list is one of the most powerful resources you can have as a small business owner. More powerful than social media, more powerful than any other digital marketing effort! I tell my clients over and over again, you should always be growing your list in the background! You might be thinking well, that is easier said than done. How do I ensure that my email list is growing every single day? With a fantastic lead magnet! You know that free download that…
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Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? That’s usually what I hear from most small business owners. They start the day ready to blow through their to-do lists, but still have half the list left at the end of hours. That’s usually because their time gets used up by small, time-consuming tasks like creating and scheduling social media as part of their digital marketing strategy. Personally, I write/design/schedule a month’s worth of social media content on Saturday or Sunday morning. I’ve developed a system over the years where I get up early and have it…
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How much time are you focusing on Instagram for your business? Small businesses are always looking to make the most of their marketing dollars. Generally, their budgets aren’t huge, so they need to make the biggest impact possible for the lowest investment. That’s why you should be on Instagram! It’s one of the most effective, budget-friendly, and hottest platforms right now! Instagram will reach 112.5 million U.S. users this year! That’s a 5.4% increase over 2019! It’s the fastest-growing social media platform, with 37% of American adults using it. And the gender mix is pretty fantastic, with 52% of women…
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What does the word “marketing” mean to you? Over the last few weeks, countless companies have been in a scramble. Trying to figure out a way to communicate with their customers during COVID-19. Their marketing used to be focused on big money spent on billboards, posters, and other traditional forms of marketing. Unfortunately, that would be money wasted while everyone is under stay-at-home orders. So, now they are putting their money into a highly-effective form of advertising that small businesses have been using for years: Enter digital marketing. Digital Marketing is an umbrella term that covers all aspects of marketing…
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There are few things more nerve-wracking for a small business than launching a new product. Believe me, I know how it feels! Since the early days of my digital marketing and virtual assistant business, I’ve expanded my offerings dozens of times. And every single time, I was filled with anxieties. I was worried that no one would be interested in that service, or that I spent all of that time and money for nothing. Over time, I’ve come to realize that there is an art to launching a brand-new product or service. If you know the formula, you can significantly…
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