ideas and tips for busy business owners… like you!
I’m tickled pink because I finally reached 1M pageviews here on the blog. It feels like a #VanityStat but I know it has led to lots of great opportunities over the years… ten years, in fact. This wasn’t even a goal when I started blogging in … Keep reading…
You and I both know it can be a lot of work to keep the content machine going – blogging, email marketing, social media and more. When I find an idea I can execute in 15 minutes that will give me social media posts and … Keep reading…
If your ideal client has finally found you – your website, your blog, your social profiles – you want to be strong and confident with your calls-to-action. I’ve written before about ‘just’ and ‘feel free’ and other wishy-washy language. It doesn’t serve you well. Here’s … Keep reading…
There are no 3-easy-steps to becoming a millionaire. If magic bullets and passive income really existed, we’d ALL be sitting around enjoying the view from our yachts. Cambridge Dictionary defines a ‘magic bullet’ as “a quick and simple solution to a difficult problem”. None of … Keep reading…
Have you noticed a sudden flurry of emails recently? Here are a couple of examples I’ve received: The nail technician who I haven’t heard from since before the pandemic suddenly shows up telling me she’s open for appointments. But not a word earlier about the … Keep reading…
Recently several small business owners have asked me about how to set up a lead magnet to encourage more subscriptions to their newsletter. Here are instructions for you DIYers. First, prepare your lead magnet – the thing that you’re giving away. It should be something … Keep reading…
There seems to be some thinking that getting people to read to the bottom of a newsletter is a most desirous goal. And, if getting people to read to the bottom (read the whole newsletter) is so important, isn’t putting the really good stuff at … Keep reading…
Advice is one thing but thought and research are still necessary. Theory is another thing (I’m all for it) but experimentation is where the rubber hits the road (and many other analogies). Now is a good time to try new things and figure out what … Keep reading…
A client recently wrote in her newsletter about how reducing her social media presence over the past few months hasn’t impacted her sales results. Here’s what Natasha said: As the weeks and months fall away, it’s glaringly obvious to me how I can let go … Keep reading…
Imagine you’ve just gotten off the phone from a lively conversation with a prospect that lasted an hour. Your purpose in having the call was to build a new business relationship or build on an established one. You both discovered you have much in common … Keep reading…
Buying or subscribing to a software application is never the solution to a problem. But it can certainly be part of the solution… or not. It’s all about the process. An app can help streamline a process. Likewise, it can overcomplicate a process. It’s all … Keep reading…
We all want things we’re working on to be successful. Nobody ever plans to fail… but wait, planning for failure can be a useful exercise. The term ‘premortem’ comes to us from the field of project management. According to the Harvard Business Review: “A premortem … Keep reading…
pivot – purge – plan – prepare – postpone The P words are overtaking our business lives in recent months! To make all those P’s happen, we also have long to-do lists… longer now than usual. I know this because I’ve had chats with many … Keep reading…
Sometimes I take things for granted. For instance, while many have been adapting to working alone, I’ve been happy as a pig in sh*t. You might think this is because I’ve been working at home for 15 years, so I’m used to it. Sure, that’s … Keep reading…
Search engine optimization (SEO) has been low on my own priority list throughout the 15 years I’ve been marketing my own services. Yes, I freely admit I’ve been mostly ignoring it while doing just the basics. This may seem like a blatant disregard for something … Keep reading…
Perhaps you’re wondering, “What the heck am I going to write about this week?” Look no further than your Sent mailbox. Over the past month or so, I’ve answered a lot of questions by email. I bet you have, too. Have you considered that, if … Keep reading…
You’ve just finished editing (and proofing!) your latest blog post. You pause for a mental happy dance, then you click Publish. Ahh. And now the rest of the work starts. Because, of course, you need to let people know about this new useful and interesting … Keep reading…
Whether you’ve been doing an email newsletter for a while or are just getting started, there are always ways to improve. Download our Newsletter Audit Checklist and use it to ensure both you and your readers get the most out of your email marketing efforts. … Keep reading…
It happened again today. I am blown away by how often I see this particular mistake. I received an email newsletter from a business I wasn’t familiar with. That’s OK but I wanted to go to their website to investigate more. And there was not one … Keep reading…
Like many things, list building seems pretty straight-forward… until you start. You may expect it to be tedious work of copy/pasting and spreadsheets and looking things up online. Yes, it likely involves some of that but I get asked a lot of questions about who … Keep reading…