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The Importance of Consistency and My Top Tricks for Remaining Consistent in Sharing Your Message

 

The Importance of Consistency and My Top Tricks for Remaining Consistent in Sharing Your Message

10/4/18

The Importance of Consistency and My Top Tricks for Remaining Consistent in Sharing Your Message | Brandmerry Blog

Consistency is one of the most important parts of running a business. One of the things I’m super proud of about myself is my ability to be consistent. Since day one, I’ve always shown up, gave value and remained consistent. So I’m really excited to share 5 tips that will help you remain consistent in your own business and why it’s so important.

It takes 7 times for someone to take action on your offer, so if you are wanting to sell something in one week, how many times should you be showing up? Every FREAKING day. That’s why I can’t stress enough the importance of consistency.

I’ve outlined all 5 steps in this blog, but if you want to skip ahead and watch the in-depth training, just scroll down!

1. Stay Inspired

The key to motivation is constantly being excited about what you’re doing, and I think the same goes for inspiration - constantly being excited about what you’re working on. One of the ways I stay excited is because I’m taking the time to get inspired. I give myself time to write and reconnect with my inspiration. It’s so important to come from a place of inspiration rather than desperation.

2. Ask, ask, ask!

Ask your community. Ask the online space. Seriously, if you’re at a loss, just ask your audience what they want! If you are unsure what to talk about when you show up - look around you and see what your audience is asking for!

Post in a group and ask them “What do you need right now?” “What are you currently working on"?” And if you don’t currently have a community of your own, look in other communities. What are people talking about? What are they excited about?

I promise you if you take 10 minutes to look around social media, you will find tons of content ideas to use in your business.

3. Know Your Story Matters

One of the things I hear the most from my clients is that they don’t believe what they have to share matters. They don’t think people will care about their story or what they have to say. They don’t feel worthy.

So you have to know and truly believe that your story matters. You have to be so clear about who your ideal client is and how much value you’re going to give them because that’s who you’re talking to. That’s who matters. I want you to create consistent content that converts, and one of the things that is going to help you is feeling really worthy of your story. You are worthy of people receiving that content from you.

4. Plan, Baby Plan

Please start planning. If consistency is a struggle for you, it’s probably because you’re flying by the seat of your pants. Start getting in the habit of planning out your content and planning out your launches. Planning is so important and it’s going to help you show up consistently because you won’t have to rush at the last minute to get something up and ultimately end up not posting.

My favorite way to plan is with Trello. I encourage my clients to map out launches and content at least 30 days in advance to make sure they are always ahead of the game.

5. Pre-Schedule/Bulk

I’m favorite trick in improving consistency is to bulk schedule my content. Giving yourself a specific time to focus on content and be in your creative zone and a specific time to focus on client work will allow you to remain in an inspired state. On the days you are taking the time to create your content, I also encourage you to take it a step further and schedule your content to post later that week on your social media platforms.

You should not be waking up every day and then deciding what to post that day, that only leads to overwhelm. Creating content the day of should be in addition to the pieces you already have planned so they come from a place of inspiration, rather than a place of “Oh sh*t, I need to post something!”

I promise you, scheduling will change the game when it comes to consistency.

Want more details about my tips around consistency? Watch the video training below!

Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/videos/247553189277991/

And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry

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Business Tips and Tools, Branding brandmerry Business Tips and Tools, Branding brandmerry

3 Fundamentals of a Profitable and Successful Online Business

 

3 Fundamentals of a Profitable and Successful Online Business

9/20/18

3 Fundamentals of a Profitable and Successful Online Business | Brandmerry Blog

I was recently in Paris for a week for a mastermind experience, so today I wanted to share some of my top takeaways from the experience. I want you all to be able to use these important pieces of information as well so you can scale your business and grow your influence.

I’ve made it super easy for you to consume these powerful three steps by either reading through them below or watching the live stream below (hint: I give away way more detail in the video #justsayin).

1. Importance of Forward-Thinking

It’s time to stop planning for just the day or week ahead and start focusing on the big picture. I know that sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the small steps or wonder if they are working. Trust me they are. Those small steps lead us to the big picture and it’s all part of the process.

To make the small steps easier, you need to make sure you’re really clear on what your big picture vision for your brand and business looks like. It’s important to test the waters and tweak what isn’t working, again focusing on the big picture.

With everyone doing the same thing, how can you think ahead?

How can you try something not many people are doing just yet and go outside the norm?

These are questions you need to be thinking about on a regular basis to keep moving your business forward and no longer playing small.

2. It’s About Creating More Than a Business

When coaches, mentors, consultants, etc… all sound the same it’s SO important to be different.

What is your IT factor?

What is your audience coming to you for advice on?

How are you going to stand out?

Decide if this is your end or your beginning? For many of you I hope this is your beginning, that you’re using this business to continue to grow into something BIGGER. If so, then start making strides forward and doing things that move you towards the end result; this includes having a strong personal brand to support the evolution and growth.

It’s important to create a brand around you, so it can grow and evolve as your business does, while also creating a complete experience for your audience. Your audience is human and so are you, it’s time to start focusing on all the layers that make up your brand, rather than just what you’re selling.

3. You Need Community

You can’t do it alone and you need other women to help you fill your cup. It’s important to be part of a group program or a mastermind if it’s available to you to inspire and collaborate together on ideas. I absolutely loved my mastermind group and all of the women completely inspired me to do bigger and better things this year.

My favorite thing about having a community of like-minded women is to candidly talk about life and business and be honest. Accountability is huge. You have it from a mentor yes, but having it from a colleague is HUGE.

And to top it off, having a community to lean on and going to events is just freaking FUN!!!! I had so much fun in Paris, but one thing it made me realize was how I always wanted to do this myself. I have always wanted to bring together a group of women to do this with, so that’s what I’m doing.

If having a community, accountability, FUN and mentorship from me sounds like something you would love, I encourage you to reach out.

If you’re not ready for a high level mastermind just yet, Roadmap to Freedom will be opening soon, and you can get on the waitlist now to be notified when that happens. Learn more >>

Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/videos/310512049504029/

And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry

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How to Easily Create Content that Sells for Your Brand

 

How to easily create content that sells for your brand

09/13/18

How to easily create content that sells for your brand.png

Creating content that leads to instant audience connection and more sales in your business can feel overwhelming, scary and hard. I get it lady. Before I implemented what I like to call “my secret weapon” for creating seamless content creation, I was also feeling completely burnt out when it came to creating content. Today I’m sharing with you 4 tips to ditching that overwhelm and creating content with ease.

1. Write when you feel inspired

I know for me, sudden bursts of inspiration come out of nowhere. When that happens, it’s so important you write it down or take a voice memo on your phone of the thoughts you are having. How many times have you had an idea, waited until you were ready to write a post and then completely forgot the amazingness that you came up with earlier? I don’t want that to happen to you, so when you feel inspired to write a post or have an idea for content, take a minute to get your thoughts out on paper or in a voice memo and then go back to what you’re doing. Then, each week have a time blocked out for creating content and go back through your notes and voice recordings so you can feel re-inspired and ready to write!

2. Create Brand Containers

I love brand containers! They have helped me tremendously when it comes to creating content for my brand. They’re basically a way to group and organize your content into the different facets of your brand.

If you want to identify and create your own brand containers with me, I’m hosting a free workshop where you’ll walk away with 5 brand containers you can start using right away to build momentum, reliability and buzz around your brand and business. I’ve hosted this virtual workshop before, and it’s always so fun to see everyone excited about creating content! Sign up here >>

3. Get Organized

Organize your content into an easy to use content calendar, so you know what your focus is depending on the week, month, quarter - even year. This allows you to plan your content around course launches, promotions, features and more!

4. Recycle, Repurpose and Reuse

You don’t have to take a one and done approach to content. Content can easily be recycled, repurposed and reused. This is super helpful because you don’t always have to be reinventing the wheel when it comes to your content. Plus, those pesky algorithms make it almost a requirement to recycle your content if you want the majority of your followers to actually see it!

Recycle

I love to use SmarterQueue* to recycle my blog posts, Youtube videos, Podcasts and more so that content is always going out and my Facebook Business Page basically runs on automate!

Repurpose

Go live on your Facebook page? Turn it into a blog post. Write a blog post? Break it down into smaller social media posts. There are so many ways you can repurpose content. One content piece can be showcased in different ways across multiple platforms to benefit as many people as possible.

Reuse

Look back at posts from awhile ago and reuse the posts that performed really well. No one is going to notice if you posted that same exact thing 8 months ago - and if they do, they must really like your stuff, so they won’t care to see it again!

Don’t forget to sign up for my free workshop
How to Create Seamless Content Creation That Leads to Instant Audience Connection and More Sales >>

And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!

*Affiliate Link

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry

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How to Set Healthy Boundaries for a Successful Business

 

How to Set Healthy Boundaries for a Successful Business

August 30, 2018

How to Set Healthy Boundaries for a Successful Business | Brandmerry by Michelle Knight Branding and Business Coach 

If you start getting into the habit of setting boundaries in your business, even if you're just starting out, it's going to make a huge difference. Today I'm sharing some small adjustments you can make in your business to set healthy boundaries. 

You should be creating a business that compliments your ideal life of freedom and not one that takes away from it, but it's easy to kind of let your business take over. You have to make a conscious effort to create harmony between your business and your life. 

In today's blog post I'm sharing how to set boundaries outside and inside your business. Feel free to read or scroll to the bottom to watch the complimentary video.

Setting Boundaries Outside Your Business

You have to be open to communicating with your friends and family what it is you really do. You're not just staying at home, or hanging out on Facebook all day. We have to understand that there is going to be a time to dedicate to our business and a time to dedicate to our family and friends.

We have to find that harmony - and you'll notice I don't say balance because to me balance seems like 50/50 and it may not always be 50/50. Harmony is about the ebb and flow, which is more realistic when running a business. Think about a launch - you're not always launching, but it's a time when your business needs more love. 

How can you communicate with your loved ones when you're going through a launch and are a little busier within your business? 

There is no exact formula or percentage between your business and your family. I don't believe in them because it's going to be constantly changing. So you just need to be aware if you are working all the time or if you're neglecting your business, and make the adjustments where needed. You have to honor the seasons of your business and your life. 

Ben, my husband, knows my schedule. He knows when carts open when I'm launching, when I have downtime, and that helps our lives run smoothly. Make sure your family is aware that this is your passion and to support you during those busier times in your business.

Having those conversations is so important, because it allows you to give yourself permission to be fully present in your work and with your family. 

One of the biggest things for me was creating my office space, so I can shut the door when I need to. If you need to, move your work. I love blocking time off to go work at a coffee shop if I know that I have something big to get done. 

Even for things that aren't business related. If I want to take Cal, my son, to the Zoo on a nice day - I will block that out in my calendar. That is stepping into that CEO role.

Give yourself permission to love your business and also love the people around you. Understand when you need to love on your business or love on your family. And when you're with your family, remove the distractions. Stay off your phone. But also remember that no ones perfect, so don't get down on yourself if you break the boundaries every now and then. 

Action Steps: Block out the time in your calendar and honor it, create an "office" space, leave your home to work, when you're with your family remove distractions.

Setting Boundaries Inside Your Business

The biggest areas you need to set boundaries for yourself are on social media, emails (clients) and tech. From my experience those are the most significant time suckers.

Boundaries online. Some of my favorite tricks to making sure I don't get sucked in are to put myself on a timer, so I'm not spending all of my time in these areas. Another strategy is to set one or two times a day where you check your email. If someone emails after that, you can respond the next day and the same for your Facebook groups. 

Boundaries with your clients and your audience.  It's really important that you are clear from the get-go what your clients can expect from you and what you can expect from them. One thing I do with my clients is give them a 24-48 hour response time. If they email after I've already checked my email that day, they aren't going to get a response until tomorrow.

This actually empowers your client because it gives them room to explore their own answers and ideas. My favorite thing is when I get an email on Friday night with a bunch of questions, and yes some of the questions will require my guidance, but come Monday they have already figured out a lot of their questions and now feel confident taking action in their own business. 

Boundaries with yourself. One of my mentors told me some advice that has changed my business this year and I want to pass that on to you. Stop working 15 minutes before you think you're done. We can push ourselves, but that will just lead to burnout and frustration. I could probably work 12 hours straight, but that's not good for me, that's not good for my soul, and that's not good for my family. 

Action Steps: Set an alarm for when you are going on social media, block out time in your calendar for emails, stop working 15 minutes before you think you're done.

Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/videos/2196704633944875/

And be sure to sign up for future live videos so you don't miss a thing: brandmerry.com/live

And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry 

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How I Made 3/4 of My Income Goal in The 2nd Half of 2017

 

How I Made 3/4 of My Income Goal in The 2nd Half of 2017

08/16/18

How I Made 3/4 of My Income Goal in The 2nd Half of 2017 | How to reach your income goal for the year | Brandmerry Coaching with Michelle Knight Branding and Business Coach

Last year, I had a goal to make $100,000 in my business. That number felt good to me, and the reason   I'm sharing this with you today is because I made 3/4ths of that in the second half of 2017. Which means that it's to too late for you if you feel behind in your own goal for the year right now. My biggest months last year were September and October which were both right around $14k and December which was closer to $18k. So it's not to late for you to reach your goals, you just have to take some steps in order to get there. 

Believed in My Goal

I believed so much in my goal. I was so grounded and rooted in hitting $100k - in hitting 6 figures. Be super clear and specific on your goal. I felt that number in my soul. I was invested and excited in that number. 

I visualized every step of the way, every month, every time I hit a goal. I was super clear on my visualization process. I was really inspired by this number. It was about how that would make me feel. I also had to do the inner work. I really started to bust through my old beliefs around money, and I also had to release my inner perfectionist.

I was always checking in on where I was at in my goals and where I might need to pick up slack. 

Planned for a Big Launch

I had planned for a big launch. Launches are a great way to bring in a big influx of money when you are trying to reach a big goal. I had been planning mine for 9 months and growing my list since January!

I did the prep work and knew this was a big part of the end of the year for reaching my goal, so I took time to prep for it and get those pieces in place. 

I really focused on building relationships and nurturing my audience. I started going live regularly. I started doing more workshops and webinars. Building trust with your community is massive. I really credit the relationship building I did to the success of this launch. 

I truly went all in on this launch! There was no holding back. Everyone knew I was launching. I put money in a mentor and Facebook Ads and the return on investment was huge. 

Focused on New Eyes and Ears on My Brand

 

I focused on growing my list daily and taking sales action, but also community action.

I used FB ads, Instagram and organic reach through groups to grow my list through webinars, workshops, live videos, freebies, challenges, etc (everything I do has some sort of opt in ;))

I created a welcome sequence so people really got to know me through my free offer, so when I rolled out a new offer, they were ready to invest. 

Strategically Stacked My Offers

I always had and still have a next step for my clients so they feel supported. If someone finishes a program, I have a next step for them. I planned out my launches and cart opens to lead clients from one into the other

With this in mind I heavily introduced my intensives as a welcome to coaching and focused on filling that from August - December, this led to my 1:1 clients at a higher ticket price. So you can bring people in at a lower cost level and then funnel them to the higher ticket prices. 

Separated From The How, BUT Took Action

 

I had my big goal in mind and things I was working towards daily, but I wasn’t obsessed with one thing working over the other.

I focused my time and energy on taking action and if something didn’t work I found something that did.

I was constantly showing up, taking action and investing back into my business to get it to work. Always take action. Don't just wait for the best idea to fall into your lap. It will come, but always take action. 

Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/videos/300033270574356/

And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry 

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