"You can do it all - but not all at once." That’s been my mantra for the past few years, and it’s served me well, especially in my writing.
Over time, in life and business, and with some wisdom, we all eventually learn that you can’t expect anyone or anything to do it all. Social media is no exception. Yes, social media is powerful - but it can’t do it ALL. You can sure as heck try to make it your one-stop-shop to build an audience, drive sales, get referrals, and grow your business. It might even work for a while too! The challenge with using social media for EVERYTHING is that you end up setting many different goals all at once and all in the same space. If your social media goals and strategy include sales, growth, connection, retention, referrals, and everything in between - you’re going to exhaust yourself. In social media, you have zero control over when new followers join, what they see (if they see you at all), and in what order. How can you strategically bring your readers through a customized buyer’s journey of connection and content? EMAIL. Now, before you hit me back with the “I don’t have time to add emails to my marketing - social media already takes up so much time,” STOP. Email marketing does not have to be a time thief. Email marketing does not have to be complicated. Email marketing does not have to reinvent the wheel. You have tons and tons of content that you’ve created and shared on social media. You can reuse it - with a few minor tweaks - and create an incredible email series that strategically brings your readers through your buyer’s journey! Think about it this way - if you could control exactly what posts a new follower should see, and in what order, what would those be? That is where you start. Next step - why the heck should they give you their email address in the first place? Inboxes are sacred, and no one wants to join another newsletter. Offer something of incredible value in exchange for your reader’s precious email, and then take them on a journey (strategically) without the noise or distractions of social media. Before you jump ship and sign-up for an email marketing platform, stop for a second and set some goals.
You can have a different goal for each email series - and you can create an infinite number of other email series’. Take the pressure off your social media content and take control of your reader’s journey through your content with email! Do you use email for your marketing? Let me know below in the comments!
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Wanting to be a better salesperson does not make you:
We all know that No sales = No business. Fostering strong relationships will absolutely grow your business, but NOT if you altogether avoid sales. My last post was about how relationship building is more important than a quick sale, but NOT an effort to label sales as bad. If you can’t or won’t sell yourself and your business, you’ll end up with a lot of friends, you’ll give away a ton of free value, but you won’t be able to pay your bills. I like to think of sales like food. We need it to survive. It’s not inherently bad or good. Almost all of us have a complicated relationship with it. Some food we eat a lot, some we only eat once in a while or on special occasions. It can taste delicious and makes you feel instant gratification. You look forward to it, savour it, and when it’s over, you can’t stop yourself from wondering when you’ll have it again. Or, it can taste terrible, leave you with a stomach ache and feeling sick. Sales aren’t bad. Selling isn’t bad. It’s an essential component of building a healthy, balanced business. ;-) So why do sales feel so icky sometimes? Because we don’t know if the person selling us cares beyond the sale. Relationship focused business is NOT about avoiding sales. It’s about fostering strong relationships, seeing the human behind the sale, and creating a safe, trusting and open space where sales happen naturally without the icky feeling. When you care about the person behind the sale, you care beyond a yes or a no. You want to help, offer your services, and see them succeed. But you also see and nurture the strength and resilience in the other person, knowing that your relationship is essential regardless of the sale.
Bullet lists of words are not what inspires or maintains company culture.
How can you choose the right values and then get your team and clients to buy into your values and culture? Story. In this video, I take you through the difference between core values and other common business values, as well as the simple process of creating a value story that inspires! Relationships > Sales.
There I said it. Yes, to run any sort of a successful business you need sales. Although fast or immediate sales sound like a dream - they often come at the cost of establishing any consumer trust or brand loyalty. Relationship-building sounds tedious and time-consuming, but the truth is - business is about the long game. One sale today is not more important than:
All relationships are different. Sometimes we connect instantly and know we’re a guacamole and salty tortilla chip kinda match. Sometimes they take time and need a lot of nurturing and growth. Sometimes they just don’t work. Welcome back to being human. Business is about serving humans, not selling humans. When we come from a place of service and focus on relationships instead of sales, we get benefits far beyond a sale today.
So how do you start building relationships and honouring the human behind the screen? Listen. Care. Serve. Can I get an amen? After ten years in Ottawa, I’m still not used to these harsh winters. I grew up in pretty mild climates, and through most of 20’s I spend winters in the South training for swimming. I find myself craving trips to the sun and sand. I’ll be sitting on the couch wrapped in my flannel snuggie in front of the fire, writing an email sequence for a client and all of a sudden drift off in my mind imagining a tart margarita and the feeling of hot sand burning my feet. This year I decided I didn’t want to hate winter anymore. My trips to the south were all put on hold, and I didn’t want to be miserable for seven months (damn Ottawa). I got some new gear, and I can confidently say that winter doesn’t have to suck, IF you prepare, dress appropriately, and TRY to like it. For Real.  Here are a few things that made a big difference for me. None of these are sponsored or paid in any way - they are just my honest favourites: AKU Boots - These ‘hiking’ looking boots are fitted just right, not too tight, fully Gortex (waterproof), and are incredible for keeping my feet dry and warm. Fjallraven Parka - Ok. I spent the extra money, and it was worth every penny. Warm (verging on HOT), comfortable, and looks good. What’s not to love. Columbia Mittens - Screw gloves; my fingers always end up cold. I got these fantastic mittens, and I will never go back. My fingers stay toasty, and I don’t care if I can’t open my phone because it’s too cold to text anyway. New Attitude - I’ve committed to trying to enjoy winter. I used to get distracted by how cold and uncomfortable I was and never really give it a chance. Now that I’m geared up and prepared, I have no excuse and find I can be more present and open to the fun around me. You can take this as a simple gear recommendation post or look at it as a metaphor for most things in life. Preparation, spending a bit more for better quality on the things that matter most, and committing to a new attitude can make pretty much anything more enjoyable. Here’s to making the most of even the coldest winters! Hit LIKE if you are ready to have some fun in the cold this year too! Sincerely, Mickey PS - If you are looking for more than just gear and want some incredible winter hiking and outdoor recommendations, head on over to www.girlgonegood.com for everything wellness and wilderness! She’s my go-to for pretty much anything outdoors.
We all want to be a part of a community that is a positive space and filled space with people who embody the qualities we believe in and bring out the best in us. As a business, having a strong community is an incredible tool for building and maintaining culture, improving brand reputation, increasing brand awareness and visibility, and attracting and retaining clients and employees who embody your company values. Many challenges can arise when both building and maintaining a community for your business. Toxic members, miscommunication, ignored boundaries, awkward silence. One challenge that is SO common and yet rarely discussed is how you can stand out from the mass of other ‘communities’? How can you define and differentiate your community from every other community out there? The most common strategy business owners and marketers use is to ask their members to describe it in their own words. “I love this community because it’s so positive and welcoming; everyone is awesome!” Not super helpful - everyone says that about their community. So, how do you explain your culture with enough context that outsiders can see how it’s different? The same way you go about describing how your business is different from the rest of the competition.  ASK MORE QUESTIONS.
This isn’t a 5-minute project. Learning the right words to describe your community and the culture it upholds takes TIME. BUT, if your community is a crucial aspect of your business, you can and should use it to market your business. Community is something we all crave and is a MASSIVELY powerful marketing tool when used correctly. If you’d like an audit of your community ‘pitch,’ post it in the comments, and I’ll help you nail it! We, and our businesses, grow and flourish in connection ⚡️. The word connected has taken on a different meaning in recent history. Phones, social media, and a constant need to be “connected” is NOT what I am talking about🙅♀️. Often, we are so attached to our phones and social media when we feel the most disconnected.  Genuine connection, brought forward through mutually meaningful relationships, has four specific components.
1. Mutual engagement and empathy: mutually involved, committed, and sensitive to the relationship with a willingness to impact AND be impacted by another. 2. Authenticity: the freedom and capacity to be ourselves with an awareness of how we impact others. 3. Empowerment: The sense of personal strength that emerges from the relationship. 4. The ability to express, receive, and process diversity, difference, and CONFLICT in the relationship in a way that fosters mutual empowerment and empathy. If I’ve learned anything through this time of global crisis, it is that mutually meaningful relationships directly impact: the healthy development of our sense of self, our resilience, AND the success of our businesses. We are wired to connect 🧠. “We do not use nurturing or loving people to fill us up or prepare us to separate and then stand strong alone. There is not a cutoff on our need for connection - ever!” (Jordan, 2017). 🚫 It’s time to stop the cold DM’s, generic email campaigns, and manic feast-or-famine social media marketing strategies. ✅ It’s time to step up and take ownership of our communications authentically and take back REAL connection. I’m here to help. 🙋♀️ If you are ready to build real connections and foster mutually meaningful relationships that empower, influence and lead, I’ve got news for YOU! Strategic Communications & Marketing Consulting. Connective Communications Coaching. Done-for-you Marketing Services. 2021 HERE WE COME! Get to the heart of what matters most to your clients and team so you can empower, influence and LEAD 💕. Interested in learning more? Click the link in my bio or send me a DM. Yes. Some questions are loaded. |
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