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It’s OK To Sell Things
Think of the emails you’ve received that have really rubbed you the wrong way. I bet you that they were trying to sell you something. The takeaway from that could easily be that people don’t want to be sold to through email. But I’m here … Keep reading…
Automation Doesn’t Mean Set-and-Forget
Let’s face it – designing, setting up and documenting marketing automations can be tedious work. For some strange reason, I enjoy it. It’s about bringing order to a complex idea. And for me, turning it on is like plugging in Christmas tree lights for the … Keep reading…
Saved by the Last-Minute Content Idea
You’ve been busy working in your small business – time flies when you’re having fun, right? But lying in bed at night, you mentally review all the things you keep putting off, like your next newsletter or blog post. You’ve just been too busy to … Keep reading…
Are You Working Your Assets Off?
We don’t often think of all that hard marketing work we do as creating assets. But that’s most assuredly what we’re doing. Marketing assets include anything you use to promote your products, services and brand. Here’s a simple exercise that will make you feel good … Keep reading…
Answers to Email Marketing Strategy Questions
Over 13 years of specializing in email newsletters, I’ve been asked a lot of different questions. And I’m pretty sure you’ll find answers to most of them here on my blog. But of course, nothing stays the same for long when it comes to marketing. … Keep reading…
Perseverance. Persistence. Patience. Repetition. Determination!
When Ann Perry first got in touch to ask if I could help her with ActiveCampaign, I had no clue what I was in for. But I was hooked right away because she had just under 5000 email subscribers and almost 20K YouTube subscribers. One … Keep reading…
Marketing Like a Treadmill? Hug the Hamster.
We see jokes all the time about life or work – or both – feeling like a hamster running on a wheel. It’s the perfect analogy for constantly being busy but never seeming to reach our goals. I have to admit, I’ve always secretly liked … Keep reading…
To Drip, or Not… What is the Goal?
If you’re new to the lead magnet game, you may be confused… and rightfully so. There’s a lot of info and advice out there, much of it is conflicting. This article comes nowhere close to covering the whole gamut of options but my goal is … Keep reading…
Are You Blogging in Your Head Instead of on Your Website?
Received this message from a friend: “Why is it that we even bother to carry “writing” around in our heads? As soon as we sit down to do it, it is completely different than what we’ve been thinking about!” I know she wasn’t looking for … Keep reading…
How to Choose the Right Marketing Software for Your Small Business
You’ve probably already experienced it: you bought or subscribed to some software that you’ve since ditched in favour of another option. I’ve done it lots. Often, we don’t know what we don’t know till we give it a try. Sometimes there is no one app … Keep reading…
Newsletter, Blog, Promotion, Advertisement, Spam – An Email by Any Other Name
When you scan your inbox each morning, how do you decide what to open, what to delete, or what to leave for later reading? People choose to open emails based roughly 50% on the subject line and 50% on recognizing the sender’s name. That’s a rough … Keep reading…
Tips to Clear Your Inbox
Email is a business tool we just can’t avoid. Keeping our inboxes manageable is a daily challenge. (Believe me, I’ve tried the avoiding option and it only becomes a bigger job.) I’m usually pretty good about reading and responding; it’s the filing and organizing that … Keep reading…
Always Showing Up
One night last week I dreamed that Mary Jane Copps and I co-authored a best-selling book called “Always Showing Up”. It was about the importance of being seen often and always bringing value to clients, potential clients and referrers – the commitment to building relationships … Keep reading…
What are You Curious About? That’s Your Marketing Content!
My friend Anita Kirkbride has been digging deep into all the social media platforms for years and regularly shares updates on changes and new developments. Another friend Alison Knott enjoys reading about stats, trends and best practices, and shares interesting tidbits in her monthly newsletter … Keep reading…
Can I Make You Curious?
Perhaps it’s the control freak in me but have you ever wished you could make someone else be more curious? Years ago when I lived in Toronto, I went out with a guy who, after a few dates, suggested I shouldn’t talk about my work … Keep reading…
Beautiful Doesn’t Equal Attention
We can all appreciate a beautiful website or newsletter or social feed. Colours, fonts, everything matches. Brand expression can be a wonderful thing. Last year, I was working with a new client who raised a concern that the colour I had used for the call-to-action … Keep reading…
I Want to Start a Newsletter for My Small Business – Where Do I Start?
It’s easy to get hamstrung by what you don’t know… and then do nothing at all. If starting an email newsletter for your small business has been on your to-do list for a while, here’s the perfect place to start. Below I’ve gathered my best … Keep reading…
Email Marketing: Text vs. Images
Have you ever opened an email to a big blank nothing? Probably you saw a little icon that tells you there should have been an image… but it wasn’t loading for you. Ugh, what a waste of time opening that email. Of course, you don’t … Keep reading…
Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About
THIS is yet another good reason to be creating marketing content: “Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about.” – Cory Doctorow While I would argue that content is more than just something to talk about (or should be), I love this sentiment! … Keep reading…
Consistency Comes from Having a Process
Late in the ’90s, after an intense SAP implementation with my employer at the time in Toronto, I spent the better part of a year working with all of the different business groups to document and improve on their process workflows. This meant travelling to … Keep reading…
One Word for 2021
When 2020 arrived, I had recently split with my husband of 17 years, sold our family home, and moved into a new apartment. The problem was that during the year of getting the house ready and sold, I turned away work. And I started the … Keep reading…
Books and Games: Enlightening and Strategic 2020
Like you, this past year has been one of changing and adapting for my business. And also like you, it’s meant big changes to my personal life. For one thing, I had more time to read. But instead of escaping into my usual murder mysteries … Keep reading…
Easy Solutions to Complex Problems?
“For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” – Henry L. Mencken – Henry was not a small business owner. Instead, he was a journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar who penned that quote a hundred years ago. … Keep reading…
If Starting to Write is What’s Causing You Pain…
A glowing white screen can be mesmerizing in its utter emptiness, taunting you to type something… but not just anything. It’s got to be useful or interesting to your blog and newsletter readers. It’s got to be better than the last article you wrote. It’s … Keep reading…