If people aren't engaging with your content, check who's being featured in your hook: is it you or your viewer? I found 3 different posts on my Facebook feed, and thought I'd share the first line of each of them with you: 1. "I’ve been learning a lot recently about how people are creating extra income through real estate..." 2. "I’ve been working on something for a while and decided it’s time to put it out there. Through my experience..." 3. "Excited is an understatement! I am loving every second of this journey as I grow my brand." In each of these 3 examples, the business owners are practicing "me-attitude" from the very beginning. The first one has the most excitement as it's talking about generating more money, but he isn't talking about ME making more money; he's talking about HIMSELF making more money. People are quick to swipe past anything that isn't very clearly applicable to themselves, and you only have a few seconds to convince them to stay and read (or watch) what you shared. Put your viewers' needs and interests at the beginning and see what changes!

"Make a website that converts!" I see this all the time from marketing gurus, but what does it actually mean? A conversion is simply the target action that you encourage people to make online. If you want someone to sign up for your newsletter and they do, that's a conversion! If you want someone to join your online community, buy your product, or send a referral link to a friend and they do, those are all conversions! A key component of helping someone convert is to make your desired action the only action available. If you make a blog post and want your readers to book a call with you, but all throughout your post you're advertising your new eBook, your growing YouTube channel (with a link to check it out), and all the other products you provide, your readers will get distracted and the likelihood of them booking a call with you (which is what you ultimately want) goes down. Think of it like sending a kid into Walmart and telling them to come out with some M&Ms. That's a single product drowning in a sea of other tempting choices! But if you send them into an M&M store with the same instructions, if they come out with ANYTHING, it's guaranteed to be some M&Ms because they were the only option. One call to action (CTA) towards one desired conversion leads to a higher conversion rate.

When you think of marketing, what comes to mind? I'm guessing things like email newsletters, online ads, billboards, SEO, and social media. When you ask most marketers what marketing is, they'll list the same things! But the elements I just listed are just one pillar of marketing: Promotion. These elements are (relatively) easy and these services pay marketers quickly with low effort, but like how a cake needs more than just flour to be a cake, your marketing plan needs more than just promotion! Commonly referred to as the 7 Ps of marketing, these Seven Pillars of marketing help to answer the who, what, where, and how questions of growing your business! -PRODUCT: what you sell and who exactly it's for. -PRICE: what communicates status and the perceived value of your offer to your customer. -PLACE: how, when, and where customers can access your offer. -PROMOTION: how you tell the world your business exists. -PEOPLE: the human element of your business, including yourself, your staff, and how things are worded. -PROCESS: how people experience your business, including the delivery of your offer and how your staff is trained. -PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: the elements of your business that customers can see, feel, hear, or smell. Each one of these pillars is based on WHO you're selling to. All of these elements change between Ruth's Chris Steak House and your local McDonald's. Ruth's Chris has premium prices, beautiful music, professionally trained staff, and flower petals on the table. McDonald's has a cheap menu, hires the local high schoolers, and aims to get customers in and out as fast as possible. Both utilize the Seven Pillars differently. Both businesses are successful even though they target different crowds. Who is your business targeting?

I’m really glad you’re here! This is a no-shame, curiosity-first space for small business owners who want to understand marketing. This is not a place to prove how much you already know (we all started somewhere), but a place to grow with others just like you! A few things you’ll see in here (and are encouraged to share): - questions you’re still figuring out - funny or weird marketing you spot in the wild (billboards, ads, posts, etc.) - helpful content or ideas you come across - honest thoughts as you learn what actually works To kick things off, introduce yourself below: Who are you, what kind of business are you building, and what made you join? No pressure to be polished. This is a thinking-out-loud kind of place!