Less marketing noise.More clarity, strategy, and action. Blog
The importance of documenting business processes (even for small businesses and entrepreneurs)
By laying all of the steps you take to accomplish various tasks or complete recurring projects out in a document or program, you've created a basic standard operating procedure (SOP) that will help your business thrive.
Documenting processes and procedures, even as an entrepreneur or small business saves time, and can support productivity, business growth and hiring, consistency among outputs, and regular review and analysis to improve efficiency.
How to create effective calls to action (CTAs) in your content
Your call to action directs your audience as to what you want them to do in each piece of content. It provides consumers with clear next steps and direction, which can reduce friction for customers, prevent decision fatigue or overwhelm, and generate more conversions.
Unfortunately, these calls to action are also often misunderstood, which can make them frustrating.
Here are some examples of the common issues I see with CTAs and how to fix them.
How learning chess reinforced my love of strategy and strategic marketing
Earlier this year, my son decided he was going to teach me how to play chess, and despite my initial disinterest, he not only managed to successfully persuade and teach me, but I even almost won a game against him...once!
As green as I am on the chess board, I have a deep appreciation for the time players spend learning various tactics, as well as the skilled practice of thinking through and playing out different scenarios. Thinking strategically in marketing and business is a lot like a chess game, which is why chess is so often used to visually convey strategy.
Let’s explore the parallels between chess and business and marketing.
Small business pricing and profits: The importance of aligning your prices to your values
Pricing can be tough when you’re a small business or solopreneur. As business owners, we’re intimately connected to our clients and our pricing. Because of this interesting dynamic, I find small business owners make more emotional decisions, modifying (or not modifying) their pricing based on what they feel their clients can afford.
It isn’t enough to simply pick a number that sounds good out of thin air for your program or service. It isn’t enough to just check a few items off your “marketing to-do list.”
Your pricing needs to reflect your values. And when you take the time to gain clarity on your values and goals for each of the offers you have, you’ll feel much more empowered to share about your business, promote your services, and find your clients.
What kinds of goals can you set for your business?
We've talked about setting goals before. The importance of establishing your company vision and the direction you want to move in, gaining clarity on your business and marketing goals, and how to use the S.M.A.R.T. framework to define your goals with more intention.
But what are some of the different kinds of goals you can set for your business? And how do you decide what to focus on? Here’s how to get started.
Know your competition, but don’t try to become them
One of the foundational activities I love to do with my clients is to look at similar businesses or organizations to see what they're doing and whether it's effective.
The goal isn't to emulate them or even to get inspiration. It's about finding gaps in the marketplace that could be filled with my client’s business offerings or through communication and marketing differentiation.
Being different is GOOD. After all, if every company presents itself in the same way, what's the point? Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it's not going to show how you're different. And your strength lies in what you do differently.
Case study: Don’t write "how-to" articles that aren't helpful
There are probably hundreds of millions of marketing-related articles out on the internet. A big portion of those articles are "how-to" guides for various activities us marketing types like to encourage business owners like you to implement.
The problem is that way too many of these articles have little to no real value in them.
Let's break down the points of one of these articles and instead review what real value looks like.
Authentic inclusion and activism aren’t tied to a calendar
One of my favourite things about raising a “Gen Z” kid is how outspoken he is about marketing nonsense. Leading up to Pride Month, he mentioned the inevitable rainbow washing that was coming several times. While he may only be 14, he already knows when he sees something disingenuous.
And this applies to far more than our 2SLGBTQIA+ friends. It stands equally for BIPOC, disabled folks and every other historically marginalized group. Inclusion and activism aren’t marketing strategies. You either do it for real from the core of your business, and your business values, or you're not being authentic.
Here are some brands that get it.
The DOs and DON'Ts of automation
While you’re likely always going to have to do some things you don’t love in your business, if you’re spending all of your limited resources on tasks that are draining your energy, your motivation to work on your business is going to wane quickly.
Automation can support you in saving your time and energy, easily generating data, and improving customer or user experience. However, automation is also one of those things that can be a curse when done poorly.
Here are a few differentiating factors to help you determine what to automate, and what’s best left done manually.
What kind of support can you get for marketing your small business? An introduction to outsourcing marketing
Oftentimes there is frustration or aversion when it comes to marketing because entrepreneurs have fallen into marketing because they want a business, not because they enjoy marketing or have marketing expertise. And while I love to help “accidental marketers” find joy in marketing by making it easier for them, I also know that sometimes the best thing to do for your business is to outsource the tasks that are draining your time and energy.
When you allow yourself to let go of some of these tasks, you can instead focus on the activities that are within your zone of genius; working more “on” the business, instead of “in” it. Here are a few of the most common options for outsourcing marketing work.
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