Brandmerry Blog Archives
Reflections and Takeaways from an Entrepreneur's Summer Break
At Brandmerry, our belief in the power of storytelling drives our mission to empower entrepreneurs in owning and monetizing their stories through personal branding and advanced marketing strategies. In this episode of the Brandmerry Podcast, we delve into the behind-the-scenes of my recent Summer Break.
The transition from summer to fall is marked by a significant energetic shift, especially for business owners. After a rejuvenating summer break, I’m feeling the energy start to simmer as consumer buying behavior ramps up.
The shift from a more relaxed schedule to a period of increased business activity is exciting, and I find that I’m more eager and ready to take on this season after I’ve taken some time away.
In this episode you’ll discover:
How I've shifted my business over the past two months to support my future business goals better.
A big personal change that happened and the impact it's had on my business.
How I generated over $30k cash without selling on social media or launching!
What I'm looking forward to next in the business as I reflect on the past seven years.
A Strategic Use of Time During the Entrepreneur Summer Break
Instead of the typical need for a content creation hiatus, this summer break was about intentional recalibration.
Prior to the Summer Break, numerous shifts occurred in my personal life, creating a ripple effect in my business approach. Our family dynamics evolved, with my husband deciding to return to working outside the home after four years, changes in homeschooling routines, and adjustments stemming from our new home purchase.
I wanted to take this opportunity to reevaluate Brandmerry's trajectory. These personal changes prompted me to further dive into a more tailored business structure that would align with my evolving life priorities.
Balancing Business and Personal Shifts as a Business Owner
My approach, and everything we teach at Brandmerry, prioritizes putting your personal life front and center.
As a result, I decided to work an average of three to four hours per day, leveraging my business's evergreen systems (think free Google traffic thanks to SEO, YouTube content that perform from years ago, and consistent Pinterest traffic) and consistent email marketing efforts.
These strategies were not only rooted in data but also in my dedication to email communication and authentic connection, which allowed me to continue growing the business without the pressure of creating new content or constantly promoting it on social media.
The Power of Evergreen Content for Marketers
My decision to step away from social media for a period highlights the significance of evergreen content, something I encourage all my clients to focus on as a core pillar of their marketing strategy.
My business continued to generate leads and revenue from my evergreen platforms, such as Pinterest and Google, even in my absence from social media promotion. The focus on long-term content creation and SEO paid off, proving the effectiveness of organic growth strategies.
This was such a great experience because it further allowed me to see that this is where we experience the greatest ROI as a business.
Shifting Program Structure and Client Relations
This summer, I embarked on a new venture: Brandmerry's Summer Shop. While offering pre-existing courses and trainings, this endeavor marked a departure from our traditional model.
The shop provided an opportunity for direct sales to my email subscribers, offering courses that resonated with their needs. While this experiment yielded valuable insights, it also affirmed the importance of live program components in my offerings as something I not only love to offer, but that I also see a need for.
Honoring these personal changes led to crucial decisions in reshaping my business. I chose to modify the enrollment process for Brandmerry Academy, making it exclusive to clients who had previously engaged with our services.
This decision was made to better cultivate a community of aligned entrepreneurs who could benefit from my expertise and personalized support throughout the year. Additionally, I made the decision to shift my focus from taking on more one-on-one clients to launching my signature group program Roadmap to Freedom, allowing me to provide comprehensive support to a wider audience.
Reaffirming the Mission and Upcoming Endeavors of the Business
My summer of reflection solidified my commitment to my mission as an entrepreneur and business owner: ensuring my business complements my life and priorities.
I’m excited about the upcoming launch of Roadmap to Freedom, a group program that embodies Brandmerry's values. Furthermore, I revealed my plans for writing a book on authentic branding and a new course to support entrepreneurs in their journeys.
The summer break at Brandmerry offered a space for reflection, experimentation, and growth.
My intentional decisions to realign my business with my evolving personal life, leverage evergreen content, and evolve my offerings highlight the importance of strategic business choices.
My goal is to help more entrepreneurs create this freedom and space within their businesses and truly craft a business that complements their lives. I know that it is not only possible but essential for long-term success and fulfillment.
Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
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DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
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MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
Hey there, I’m Michelle Knight!
I’m an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I travel the world (sometimes in an RV) while running my business.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation, productivity, and more.
Check Out the Latest Posts
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Must-Reads on the Blog
3 Ways to Improve Your Email Funnel (when growing your email list)
You know you need an email list when running an online business, but what about the funnel? An email funnel gives you a chance to onboard each new subscriber the same. Today, I’m sharing 3 ways to improve your email funnel. Read it on the blog.
3 Ways to Improve Your Email Funnel (when growing your email list)
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
You know you need an email list when running an online business, but what about the funnel? An email funnel gives you a chance to onboard each new subscriber the same.
Today, I’m sharing 3 ways to improve your email funnel.
Your email funnel is important and although we typically think of the funnel as a way to sell a course or small-priced offer, it can also be used to get your ideal customer on the phone with you or signed up for your high-level offer.
There are a lot of possibilities with your email funnel, but a few things to keep in mind.
Your funnel should introduce you, the brand, your mission and position you as the expert that can solve their problem.
You can do this in a variety of ways by sharing stories, referencing past blogs or videos, offering inspiration or tips inside the emails and of course making an offer (aka a solution to their problem).
Let’s start at the beginning before we dive into the tips.
WHAT ARE EMAIL FUNNELS?
An email funnel is a staple in marketing your business. When you offer a lead magnet/freebie/free offer, the email funnel is what happens after their email is added to your system (automatically with Convertkit and other platforms).
The email funnel is a predesigned series of emails that takes your new subscriber from not knowing anything about you to ready to invest.
If we think of social media as the handshake, then the email funnel is the happy hour!
It’s where you, the marketer, introduce yourself, tell stories, build trust, position yourself as the expert and offer your product as a solution to your ideal customer’s problem.
After the funnel ends (typically over the course of a week or two, although 6-month funnels are NOT unheard of) your subscriber goes into your newsletter list and receives real-time emails from you weekly.
HOW TO CREATE AN EMAIL FUNNEL
Before we can dive into the email funnel, we have to talk about what happens BEFORE someone even gets into the funnel.
In order to grow your email list, you want to have:
Free gift or Lead Magnet: an incentive for them to give you their email
Email Provider + Landing Page: we use *Convertkit in my business, but *Flodesk is another great option
Landing Page or Opt-In Page: where they learn more about the free gift and provide their email and name
Thank You Page: where they will land after adding their information to your opt-in
Welcome Email: this is where you’ll send the free gift or lead magnet
Email Funnel Starts!
This photo gives you a visual of the email automation process.
Ok, on to the tips!
IMPROVE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING FUNNEL
TIP 1: LOOK AT YOUR NUMBERS
So many entrepreneurs begin by focusing on their subscriber count. While that's a great marker for your growth it’s not the only one and sometimes it can give you a false view as to how your lead magnet is funnel working.
Entrepreneurs, myself included, have a tendency to see a low subscriber number from a lead magnet and think, “Well I guess it’s not working!”
Then we scrap it and create something new and 9 times out of 10 it’s not the lead magnet it’s the marketing.
So how do we determine where the holes are and what we need to fix? So glad you asked!
Additional analytics to look at:
Landing page views
Landing page conversion (number of views/ divided by opt-ins)
Open rates of emails in the funnel
Click-through rates in emails with a CTA (call to action)
Once you have these numbers you can make decisions for improving your funnel.
For instance, this is a screenshot of my lead magnet that is to a cold audience.
This is pretty dang good for a cold audience, considering the industry average is 30%, but let’s say that I had a large number of people visiting the landing page (7,620) and my opt-in number was much lower (currently 4,918) that would make my conversion % lower and tell me that people are interested, but my page is losing them.
I could improve the landing page.
Let’s flip it. Say the page isn’t getting much traffic at all, that would tell me I need to improve my marketing because it’s not getting people interested enough to visit the landing page.
Once they’re in the funnel, looking at the open rate can tell us how our “Subject Line” is performing.
See how having this information can help you optimize your lead magnet and funnel without throwing it all out the window.
Only paying attention to the number of subscribers is a small game and with marketing, we have to play bigger.
TIP 2: ADD STORY TO YOUR EMAILS
I’m the brand story queen in case you’re new here, in which case WELCOME!
I’ve built my entire business on the power of story and incorporating it into everything I do. The reason for this is that your content is 22x more likely to be remembered if you use story.
Storytelling is also how we build trust with our audience. Because storytelling is vulnerable and often brings up an emotional connection, it allows us to pull our audience in and relate to them and their journey.
Adding storytelling to your email funnel is the step so many entrepreneurs miss...don’t do it!
If you remember from the beginning, your funnel should introduce you, your brand and mission. This is a great time to share stories and paint a picture for your audience.
If your funnel sounds like everyone else and doesn’t focus on the connection people aren’t going to want to buy from you. Remember, they don’t know you! Your lead magnet is meant to attract new people to your brand so you’ve got to take some time to connect.
People buy based on trust and GREAT marketing is always built on storytelling and human connection.
Use your funnel to build trust.
TIP #3: STOP ATTRACTING THE WRONG PEOPLE TO YOUR EMAIL LIST
So many entrepreneurs are feeling stuck in their funnels which are falling flat because the people in the funnel aren’t right for the message.
I want you to remember that great marketing should attract and repel, that’s why your lead magnet needs to be super-specific for your business and your ideal customer.
Your lead magnet is not for everyone.
Your funnel and messaging and stories aren’t for everyone.
And your offer isn’t for everyone.
If it is you’re going to run into problems if you haven’t already, the key to successful marketing is being specific.
I’ll use my free guide as an example. I created a free Brand Roadmap, which you can snag right here.
For this guide, I wanted a very specific person to opt-in. I didn’t just want someone who was looking for a quick logo or their colors or a company brand guide. I wanted someone interested in building a personal brand.
So I created a Personal Brand Roadmap and inside the funnel, I’m sharing my top tips for building a personal brand online in order to create a revenue-generating business.
If I made a general brand guide or just shared logo tips, I might attract corporations or people looking for just design.
You have to be specific and you have to create for your ideal customer.
So get specific with who you want to attract to your brand and business, it’s step 2 in my Personal Brand Roadmap and essential in building a profitable business.
CONCLUSION
Building an email automation funnel can be so much fun when you look at it as a way to introduce yourself to each and every new member to your community.
And with these three steps, you’re going to get started with the very best foundation.
Again, you want to start with a solid brand and choose an email provider. You can download my FREE Personal Brand Guide here and look into *Convertkit (the platform we use) here. Note: I’m an affiliate because I love it!
P.S. I’ve got some other cool blogs and videos for you, that I’m linking below. I mean you’re already here you might as well keep reading.
THE THREE KEY PIECES FOR A HIGH-CONVERTING SALES FUNNEL
HOW TO BUILD AN EMAIL LIST
THE TRUTH ABOUT GROWING YOUR EMAIL LIST (GETTING SUBSCRIBERS THROUGH YOUR FREEBIE)
WATCH THE TIPS AND MORE HERE.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
How to Write a Marketing Plan in 7 Steps (For solopreneurs and entrepreneurs with small teams)
If you’re a small business owner you most likely don’t have a large marketing operation budget or a large team, so does creating a marketing plan make sense? Absolutely! I’m sharing the Simple 7-step Marketing Plan for entrepreneurs on the blog.
When I started my business four years ago I went in search of a marketing plan. Everything I found online said I needed a Marketing Plan, and I totally agreed.
I have a background in Communications and Public Relations so I understood marketing, but marketing for online businesses was not something we covered in great depth.
The internet was a big disappointment. Everything I found was so complex and targeted more towards big corporate businesses, rather than my one-woman show.
Of course, there were elements that were valid, but so much was unnecessary. I wasn’t about to create a million-page report, I didn’t have a marketing team and I didn’t have a large marketing budget to start with.
Instead, I crafted a report that worked for me. Now four years into running my online business and teaching female entrepreneurs how to brand and market themselves online, I’m excited to share the exact 7-Part Marketing Plan Template with you today.
The Marketing Plan Process
The purpose of this plan is to give you the outline to plan out your own marketing objectives, as well as the steps (aka missing pieces) so many entrepreneurs don’t spend enough time on.
This entire process can be done for your brand, which is where I recommend starting and can then be repeated for smaller launches. Think book, program and course launches.
Let’s start with looking at the big picture and how the marketing plan fits in.
WHERE YOUR MARKETING PLAN FITS IN YOUR BUSINESS
It’s important to understand where your marketing plan fits inside your business. Many people get the different levels confused. For instance, so many people think their content strategy and content creation is what their marketing plan is about, when in fact content is a result of a marketing plan.
Let’s take a closer look.
Level 1: Business Goals
At this level, you’re mapping out your financial goals and big vision dreams for your business. This is where getting clear on your revenue-goal is so important.
Level 2: Brand Foundations
This is the foundation of your brand and what I teach inside of You! Branded. Your brand foundations include understanding your niche, unique selling proposition, ideal customer, brand messaging and your offer.
Everything you create in your business will come from this, including your marketing strategy. You can learn more about branding in my free masterclass, The Build a Better Brand Method. Sign up here to watch.
Level 3: Marketing Plan
Your marketing plan comes next, ONLY when you have a clear understanding of your brand can you effectively create a marketing plan, you’ll see why in a minute.
The purpose of the marketing plan is to attract your ideal customer and keep them engaged. You’re leading them from cold prospect to hot prospect, from knowing nothing of your brand to becoming a client.
Level 4: Content Strategy
Once you have your marketing plan mapped out, you can begin to create your content strategy and content calendar. So many entrepreneurs skip the marketing plan part and jump straight here - this is a mistake.
Now, that we’re clear on where the marketing plan fits in, let’s dive into the 7 steps of a marketing plan template and how to write your marketing plan for your online business.
7-Step Marketing Plan Template
STEP 1: BUSINESS GOAL
You’re going to pull your revenue goal from your Business Goals. It’s important that we remember what we’re working towards with our marketing and with this number front and center it will help you map out how you’ll get there.
Another area to identify is your marketing budget for the year. I recommend a minimum of 5% as a marketing budget based on your cash coming in. For instance, if you make $1,000 one week in your business you want to set aside $50 into your marketing budget.
REVENUE GOAL x .05 = MARKETING BUDGET
Understanding this, in the beginning, will also give you a general idea of what you’ll be able to invest throughout the year.
ACTION STEP: Write down your revenue goal for the year and figure out your potential marketing budget.
STEP 2: YOUR TARGET BUYER (IDEAL CUSTOMER)
This section comes from your Brand Foundations, something I teach in-depth inside of You! Branded.
However, it’s important to condense your information from your branding work into your marketing plan. Everything you create will stem from the information you’ve collected about your Target Buyer.
Some questions to identify within your marketing plan are:
Who do you want to attract to your brand? What are their defining characteristics?
What do they struggle with at this time (pain)?
What do they desire (pleasure)?
How do you support them in getting from pain to pleasure?
ACTION STEP: Answer those questions above.
STEP 3: LEAD GENERATION
The goal with lead generation is to collect your potential buyer’s attention and add them to your inner circle or community. This is where you’re taking a prospect from cold to warm and going a step further than just a simple follow on social media.
You want to create something that you give as a gift to your target buyer that solves a problem for them. The trick is it is FREE. The goal here is to give them an incentive to provide their email address.
They receive a free gift and you get another touchpoint with your target buyer. It’s important to note that email marketing is essential for online businesses. It’s not enough, or even a good strategy to rely on social media.
The goal is to create a lead magnet/freebie that is irresistible to your ideal customer. Pull from the information you organized in Step Two. So many people think marketing is just social media, but the goal with marketing is sales. Sales come from community, which comes from your marketing efforts.
ACTION STEP: Decide on the lead magnet you’ll offer your target buyer. This is also a good time to decide on your email platform if you haven’t created one already. I suggest Convertkit, it’s what I use in my business, you can try it for *free here.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one platform, Kajabi is a great option for online entrepreneurs who want their website, lead pages, email marketing, courses and more in one spot. You can try a free 14-day *Kajabi trial here.
STEP 4: MARKETING OBJECTIVES + KPI’S (Key Performance Indicator)
It’s important to note that Step 4 and Step 5 can be interchanged based on your preference. I prefer to have my objectives and KPI’s clear BEFORE I jump into my strategy. For instance, if I decide I’m going to focus mostly on website traffic and have clear objectives in place, then that will affect my strategy moving forward.
Some areas to consider setting clear goals and KPI’s are:
Social Media Engagement
List Size
Website Metrics
Conversion Rates
SEO Performance
Social Media Followers
Video Views
These are just a couple of ideas to get you started, but you want to think of the different ways in which you can attract your ideal customer and set goals for yourself moving forward.
A Note on Brand Awareness: Many old-school marketers will teach you to run ads or plan your marketing with the main objective to increase brand awareness. This is one of the ways so many entrepreneurs waste money. When you’re focused on marketing and growing your online community, your brand awareness will grow as a result of this.
When determining your objectives make sure they are specific and measurable, otherwise, you’ll have a hard time determining if your efforts are working.
Example: Let’s say your Q3 goal is to build your email list to 1,000 subscribers.
You have 500, so that means you need to add an additional 500 subscribers over the next 3 months. So you can set a specific goal of 166 people a month or even 42 new subscribers a week.
If you’re just starting out, I like to start with 100. Doesn’t that feel good? And if you have a bit of a following, you can start with an increase of 25% and adjust as you gain more data.
ACTION STEP: Create a spreadsheet or document that outlines your goals for the next year, and break down into quarterly segments.
STEP 5: HOW TO ATTRACT YOUR TARGET BUYER
This is the meat, what so many entrepreneurs jump too and you’re finally there...congratulations. At this stage, we want to determine where, when and how you’ll show up.
At this stage you want to identify the following:
Platforms: What platforms will you be showing up on?
Delivery: How will you deliver the content? Think video, written, audio, imagery…
Volume: When and how often will you create content?
Paid: Will you invest in paid advertising?
From this information, you can map out your daily, weekly and monthly activities (this is where your content strategy will start to take shape).
ACTION STEP: Answer the questions above.
**This is where everyone stops with their marketing if they’ve even made it this far. Don’t make that mistake. Keep going!
STEP 6: NURTURING
This step is so important. You’ve got a growing list and a community, how will you show up and serve them.
Remember so much of what you’ve done has taken your targeted buyer from cold (not knowing your brand) to warm (super interested and on your email list). During this process you will have made sales, it’s only natural, but you have a large part of your audience who needs more value and trust before making a decision.
This is where nurturing comes in.
How will you continue to show up for your audience - this is where I believe social media comes into play. What I create on social media is not for cold prospects it’s for my warm audience. It’s where I share more stories and behind the scenes of my life.
So my strategy looks something like this...
Cold Audience: Blogging, SEO (Google), Pinterest, Advertisement
Warm Audience: Instagram and Facebook, Weekly Lives and Email Newsletters
Many of your activities will cross over, for instance, I will attract new people through social media and I can email my blog to my warm audience to build trust.
ACTION STEP: Identify how you will show up for your existing community.
STEP 7: CLIENT RETENTION AND CUSTOMER LIFE VALUE
Part of your marketing strategy should be your existing clients. So many entrepreneurs are focused on making the quick sale and are missing out on true fans of their brand who are willing to invest in more services.
If you don’t take time to care for your customers they won’t want to stick around.
And, if you don’t have a next step for them THEN they will be your biggest referees!
ACTION STEP: Think of how you will serve your customers at the highest level. What will your outreach look like? How will you continue the relationship and conversation? What can you create to support them at the next level?
CONCLUSION
It’s important to remember that your strategy consists of 3 phases: Brand Awareness, Marketing and Clients.
When you have a clear marketing strategy in place it’s easier to attract the right people! Keep in mind client acquisition shouldn’t rely on one single marketing strategy. Once you’ve started to map out your plan, it’s important to understand how your strategy and tactics fit in the mix.
Marketing strategy is my bread and butter and what we cover in-depth inside my membership Brandmerry Academy. Learn more and sign up for the waitlist at brandmerry.com/academy.
P.S. Don’t forget that the first stage is your brand! I’ve got a free brand guide available at brandmerry.com/roadmap.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs
I’ve been an online entrepreneur for over four years and my biggest challenge has not been the strategies, marketing or selling, but letting go of old beliefs. That first year of business was hard because at the end of the day it was all up to me and this the case for so many solopreneurs and entrepreneurs. You’re it boo and your mindset and beliefs will make or break your business.
Today, on the blog I want to share those 3 beliefs and mindset shifts to make if you’re experiencing the same thing as a new entrepreneur.
3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
I’ve been an online entrepreneur for over four years and my biggest challenge has not been the strategies, marketing or selling, but letting go of old beliefs.
That first year of business was hard because at the end of the day it was all up to me. There was no team to turn too and decisions were made by yours truly.
This is the case for so many solopreneurs and entrepreneurs running a small team. You’re it boo and your mindset and beliefs will make or break your business.
Now, I’m not a mindset mentor, but I have done my own in-depth work and worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years who carry three core beliefs that are keeping them stuck.
Today, on the blog I want to share those 3 beliefs and mindset shifts to make if you’re experiencing the same thing as a new entrepreneur.
If you prefer to watch the live video recording, you can scroll down and do that now!
Ok, let’s get into it.
BELIEF #1
“Everyone is already doing it and the market is saturated!”
This could be a belief you hold on to if you're constantly questioning why...
...Why would anyone listen to me?
...So and so has 10k followers and I have no one!
...I’m not an expert like Suzie!
But the reality is the digital learning industry is projected to be $325 Billion in 2025 and my guess is that’s even higher now with everything happening in the world.
THERE IS PLENTY OF SPACE FOR YOU!
By holding back on your voice, expertise and gifts...you’re doing your ideal community (and future community) a disservice.
That’s why running a business has to be about more than you!
If you’re experiencing this belief and it’s keeping you stuck we need to make the focus more mission-driven.
SHIFTING THIS BELIEF
Your business and brand needs to be mission-driven.
I spent years working in the nonprofit sector and understand the power of having a clear mission statement. Without a mission, a nonprofit won’t be approved by the government and will struggle to receive funding.
We need to treat your businesses the same way, but many entrepreneurs instead start with themselves and their goals.
If you don’t identify your mission, in the beginning, you’ll always be trapped in comparisonitis and feel as if there is no space for you inside your industry.
When you take the time to choose your mission, then you’ll also know WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, who you’re showing up for and how your business will impact others.
ACTION STEP: What is the mission of your business?
BELIEF #2
SOS - Shiny Object Syndrome and An Inability To Focus
So many people are jumping around and doing things that aren’t contributing to your growth as an entrepreneur.
Maybe you see someone doing it and think if it worked for them, then it will work for me, I should do that now.
Maybe you’re playing small and trying to learn all the things. You’re focused on Instagram and a new Youtube video comes out with a new strategy, even though you haven’t implemented the last one, and you spend your time consuming.
Maybe you are working on so many things at once that there’s no clear growth overall because you’re only able to dedicate 10% to each thing, rather than a full 100%.
So what should you be focused on in your business?
This is the 5-Part Roadmap for a Thriving Online Business that I teach inside my program Roadmap to Freedom.
Brand Foundation
Build Community
Market Your Mission and Message
Sell With Confidence
Scale Your Systems
It has to happen in THIS order! What it looks like inside each phase will be different for each of you, but the roadmap is the same.
When you follow this structure and build one on top of the other your focus will be streamlined and running a business will be effective and results-driven.
If you want to learn more about Roadmap to Freedom you can learn more here.
BELIEF #3
I don’t have enough time
The reality is we all have the same hours in a day.
What’s really happening is that you lack clarity on what’s most important to move your business forward.
Now you know and it’s about making your business a top priority, and shifting this limiting belief.
The process of looking at time differently can only be done by you. No strategy or planner can help if you don’t understand how to believe in and manage your time.
To support you in making time work for you, I’m sharing my top 4 tips below.
4 TIPS TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR TIME IN BUSINESS
TIP 1: DO A TIME AUDIT
You have to know where your time is going in order to make changes, but the majority of people have no idea where they are spending their time most. For the next 72 hours conduct a simple time audit of everything. Write down everything you do and how much time you spend on it.
This includes social media! When you identify where your time is going, you can then limit the areas where you’re not contributing to your overall growth (I’m looking at you Facebook!)
Take back the power and spend your time where it’s most valuable.
TIP 2: COMMIT TO YOUR BUSINESS...FULLY
If you’ve found in the past that you just don’t have time to build your business, then it’s time to reevaluate your priorities. Where does your business fall on the priority list and are you making time for it?
I suggest new business owners dedicate 3 hours a week to their business to start.
Is this three hours on an early Sunday morning?
Is this staying in on a Friday night to build your dreams?
Is this waking up one-hour earlier three days a week?
Make the decision and take action.
If you need a little priority pep talk watch this video.
TIP 3: CATCH YOURSELF WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF SAYING, “I DON’T HAVE TIME!”
I use to say this all the time. In fact, I said it so often that I actually believed it and guess what, I constantly ran out of time.
Switching your mindset is about you, we’ve already covered it, so it’s up to you to catch yourself.
The first step is always awareness, which you have now. So the next step is to switch your belief around time whenever you talk negatively about it.
The tiny switch I made that made the biggest difference was no longer saying, “I don’t have the time” and instead saying, “I’m choosing not to spend my time on that.”
It’s all about priorities, decide on yours!
TIP 4: PRIORITIZE TASKS INSIDE YOUR BUSINESS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR TIME
You now know the top 5 areas of focus for your business and you can make those a priority for yourself moving forward.
Each project you’re working on can be broken into smaller tactics and should be! If you’re not already working on Asana or Trello, or some task management system now is the time to start. It’s the easiest way to break down all of your projects into smaller tasks.
These smaller tasks will help with your overall productivity.
I love talking about Time Management in case you couldn’t tell and released an entire podcast episode on my Time Management Hacks over on The Beautiful Climb podcast, check it out here.
CONCLUSION
Running a business requires you to be at the top of your game and that means your mindset needs to be a top priority.
If you read this post and discovered you’re carrying some of these beliefs then start here. Start with these three and keep digging.
And as always get the support you deserve. Having someone who has done what you’re setting out to do and can offer insight, coaching, strategies and support will make your journey a little easier (hell a lot easier).
If you’re interested in this level of support, then check out Roadmap to Freedom at brandmerry.com/freedom.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
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MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales
Incorporating storytelling into your business makes your content and copy 22x more likely to be remembered, which as a small business and entrepreneur is HUGE, especially if you’re promoting online. Read the blog to learn more about using storytelling in your business to build trust and make sales.
The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Every single day I am messaged or approached by someone who is concerned with their Brand Story.
And while understanding and framing your Brand Story in the best way IS important, it's not the only story you should be sharing online...
…and, dare I say, it's not even the one that's going to build the most trust or lead to the most sales.
It's the everyday stories you share on video, via email and on social media that make the biggest connection with your audience.
These stories make your content 22x more likely to be remembered and I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time and energy crafting content for my audience so I’d like for it to be remembered!
However, so many entrepreneurs struggle to figure out what stories to share, understand the core pieces of a great story and how to effectively write for social media.
And that’s because…
It doesn’t come naturally to many of us, myself included in the beginning.
So many people make storytelling so freaking complex when it doesn’t have to be.
But, I've spent the last 4 years studying, testing and getting results from sharing stories on social media.
In fact, everything I write in my business is centered around story and I’ve built a multi 6-figure business by sharing stories online #nojoke
So, let's just say I know a thing or two around this whole storytelling on social media thing.
What’s important to understand is:
The importance of story in branding and how to use it to break free from the algorithm and social media chains currently keeping your brand from its full potential.
What makes a GREAT story online and why it’s not really about you!
How to start integrating storytelling into your content to build a deeper connection and trust with your audience.
And lucky for you, this blog is going to cover just that.
I’ve also got a video training below if video is more your thing!
MY JOURNEY WITH STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS
A little backstory on me. I started my business with just an idea, seriously I wanted to help women design their website and brand. I spent months building that business until I wasn’t seeing results.
So I did an exercise, I looked at my story and my past to try and determine what I could build a business around that lit me up and made an impact. I had determined that not only was I not making money because my messaging and marketing was off, but because I didn’t actually want to do the things I was trying to sell.
I went deep into my story, performed my niching down exercise I shared last week and came out with the idea that I wanted to help women experience more time, financial and location freedom, but how?
I decided that I could do that by helping them build profitable brands, so I started showing up and sharing more of my own journey, my own experiences and sharing so much more of my story.
My community began to grow and I almost instantly started signing clients. I kept going and tapped more and more into my story to scale my business to multiple 6-figures.
Yes, my brand is the center of how I’ve created a successful business, but even further down it’s been the power of story.
Every single day I’m incorporating storytelling into everything I do and now I’m going to share with you how to do it too!
WHY STORYTELLING IS SO IMPORTANT AS AN ONLINE BUSINESS AND BRAND
I like to use the Ice Cream Sundae analogy when talking about your brand and storytelling.
Imagine for a second that your brand and story are the ice cream. The ice cream alone is delicious and something you can enjoy just as it is or you can enhance it to make it even better.
Now, let’s imagine the marketing, funnels, ads, social media platforms, etc are chocolate syrup, nuts and whipped cream. Mix those together and have them stand alone; it’s kind of just a mushy, nutty sweetness. Definitely not as good as it is with ice cream.
The point is your brand and story can stand alone and make you money. The marketing strategies can not. You need to have the entire package for those to even work.
You need the whole package.
WHY STORYTELLING WORKS IN ONLINE MARKETING
When you add storytelling to your messaging and content it is 22x more likely to be remembered
Not to mention it helps in the decision-making process. A report from Harvard University found that 90% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously and based on emotional connection. Emotional connection comes from trust and storytelling.
So you’re also more likely to convert your clients into a sale by using storytelling.
AND not to mention the average time someone spends on a website is 8-15 seconds. Yet, this is where all the information about your business is. So, how do you keep them captivated for longer? Storytelling and strong personal messaging.
That’s because storytelling makes your brand:
Captivating - pulls in your ideal customer
Memorable - at the front of their mind, even as they scroll
Trustworthy - builds an emotional connection to you and your brand
WHAT MAKES A STORY GREAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA (or anywhere)
The key to great storytelling isn’t you.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but great storytelling is about your audience.
This is a hard switch because when we first start tapping into our story for our business it often looks like our Brand Story and About Me Page.
And those pieces are important, but so many entrepreneurs stop there.
They might be the only two ways a business owner incorporates story.
But, if someone decides to go further they tend to carry this framework over into our marketing is only going to hurt us.
And, that’s because what makes a great story memorable and captivating is that the person (your audience) can see themselves or relate to your story.
The key takeaway from all of this should be that great storytelling isn’t not about you, it’s about your audience.
THE 3 PHASES OF STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS
Phase 1: The Beginning
This is your niche, brand story and the overall direction for your business.
Remember, when I said I couldn’t determine what I wanted to do, until I tapped into my story? This is how we use storytelling in the beginning. We dive deep into our own personal journey to determine a great deal of our brand foundation.
Phase 2: Showing Up
This is when you start sharing your own experiences and story, as it relates to your niche and audience (more audience focus here) to showcase your expertise.
You’re building your momentum online and starting to incorporate story into your content (it no longer just lives on your website).
Phase 3: Messaging and Marketing
This is my favorite stage and the one you’ll hang out in for the majority of your business.
At this stage you’re getting to know your audience more and more and artfully framing stories around their need and desire.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 should last no more than 30 days, it’s the business creation/foundation stage and something I walk you through in my program You! Branded youbrandedcourse.com, then you move into studying your audience and writing stories for them.
This is where sales really start to amp up.
3 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN SHARING STORY ONLINE
1. Know you and your stories
You need to feel good about the stories you are sharing online. Not every single story needs to be shared, even if it’s great for your audience. If you don’t feel good about sharing it you won’t want to share.
2. It’s not about you
Stop guessing when it comes to what types of stories your audience will appreciate and resonate with. Do the work, and by work I mean Market Research.
3. Incorporate Emotionally Charged language
Part of storytelling is incorporating emotion, that’s why it works so well after all. You can do this by tapping into the pain and pleasure of your ideal customer in your copy.
HOW TO FIND YOUR STORIES TO SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND BEYOND
The first thing I want you to remember is a story for your business is not a period in time, it’s a moment in time.
What does this mean?
It means that when you’re choosing stories to share online to build trust and make sales, you’ll have much more luck and feel less overwhelmed when you’re focusing on a very specific moment.
For instance, I wouldn’t share a story on the birth of my son, I would share a story on how the birth of my son forced me to embrace vulnerability.
This is specific!
The second thing to keep in mind is that storytelling can, but doesn’t always have to be the entire piece of content. In fact, sometimes you will want to use a small sliver of story just to connect, but then go into teaching or selling your product or service.
Even a single line can be a great story.
EXAMPLE #1:
When I was sitting in a hotel conference room and heard the presenter share that story made content 22x more memorable, I knew I was on to something. I had spent 4 years sharing story to build a successful 6-figure business and knew I needed to teach other women to do the same.
Story part: A moment when I heard something, the stat I heard, how long I’d been in business, the success of my business and my ideal client and mission.
EXAMPLE #2:
Do you struggle to feel confident on social media?Does it feel as if the algorithm is always out to get you?You take so much time to create content, only to schedule it and watch it fall flat?
Today I want to share…
Story part: Highly relatable pain points my audience has expressed, painting a picture of what they are going through.
So not only should stories be very specific moments in time, but they can also be very short and used to enhance the content you’re creating.
Watch the video below for 6 types of stories to get you started.
CONCLUSION
If you’re running an online business you need to make storytelling your top priority.Not only is it going to enhance the return on the content you’re creating, but it’s also going to help you increase sales and build your personal brand.
If you’re interested in building a personal brand, deeply rooted in storytelling then I’ve got a free gift for you.
Grab the Personal Roadmap below.
P.S. I know I didn’t talk about your Brand Story above, but it’s still a fun way to start. Read this blog on How to Identify Your Brand Story.
P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.