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Small Business Blogging: Your First Post
A recent comment on Twitter reminded me again that each person has their own challenges when it comes to creating marketing content. But if you run a business, there’s always something to say. Ideation, like writing, gets easier with practice. But if you really don’t … Keep reading…
Interesting or Useful? Aim for Both
Many years ago when I started this blog, I focused a lot on email newsletters. I used to say that a newsletter must be interesting or useful… and both are what you’re aiming for. I was saying that before ‘content’ became a thing but, of … Keep reading…
One Word for 2022
It’s been another rough year for many small business owners. I was just reading my ‘one word’ post from a year ago. I remember feeling pretty optimistic at the time – thinking things can only get better… and other such nonsense. Was I ever wrong! … Keep reading…
Is the Journey More Important than the Goal?
Sometimes we can find business wisdom in the strangest places. Recently, while watching an interview with an actor (OK, I admit, it was Sam Heughan) about performance excellence, I got caught up in their discussion about goals and how goals may not be as important … Keep reading…
Everything is Scheduled
“Everything is scheduled” is one of the most common messages I send to clients. Then I go check it off on my workflow and… onto the next thing. It feels like erasing my mental whiteboard, clearing space for more. Scheduling marketing tasks in advance has … Keep reading…
Talking to More Than One Market? There’s a Strategy for That
It can be hard enough to figure out a marketing strategy for one target market, let alone two or more. Yet it’s absolutely worthwhile to create content as specific to your contacts’ interests as possible. Because if you are trying to satisfy everyone, no one … Keep reading…
Get to Know Your Contacts Better
This post was going to be titled “What You Need to Know About Segmenting” but that sure didn’t seem like a good reason for you to open and read. Even I tend to avoid articles making use of those marketing concept words. Segmenting is a … Keep reading…
Is Your Website Social-Media-Sharing-Friendly?
You come across some really great information that you want to share on your LinkedIn feed (or Facebook, Twitter…). You write the post with care, telling your followers why they should check it out. You paste in the website URL and… ugh. There’s no image. … Keep reading…
Get More Eyes on Your Blog Posts
You’ve written it and published it on your blog but that doesn’t mean you’re done. There are lots of ways to keep “working” that content. My most-read blog post is from 2015. That’s because it shows up on page 1 of a Google search for … Keep reading…
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…