Brandmerry Blog Archives
EP 09 | Our BIG Announcement
Our BIG Announcement
Free to Be Podcast | Episode 09
In today’s episode, Ben and I are sharing our Big Announcement!
Have you ever made a decision that you JUST KNOW is going to change the trajectory of your life? That's what we've done and I can't wait to share it with you. I can’t give you many details, or I’d give it all away, so let’s dive in!
Things we talk about in this episode:
↠ Our next big step as a family of three
↠ Our biggest lesson to date in taking chances
↠ Why we are making this change NOW and not 5 years from now
↠ Future plans for The Free to Be Podcast
The doors are now open to my signature program Roadmap to Freedom. Roadmap to Freedom is my 6-month LIVE group program for the new female entrepreneur who is ready to launch an online business that allows her to make money on her own terms.
It's for the woman who is tired of just guessing at creating her profitable business and wants to seriously start making sh*t happen!
This program was designed to give you the COMPLETE roadmap, to remove the feeling of overwhelm and give you the support and accountability from someone who has been exactly where you are now so you can dig deeper than you could ever do on your own.
Learn more here: brandmerry.com/freedom
Important links mentioned in this episode:
CONNECT WITH ME
Web: brandmerry.com
Instagram: @brandmerrycoaching
Facebook: @brandmerrycoaching
Biz Group: Authentic Brand Builders
FOLLOW FREE TO BE ON INSTAGRAM: @freetobepodcast
LOVE THE FREE TO BE PODCAST?
I kinda secretly hoped you'd say yes! I love you right back lady and I'm so honored you tune in every week for massive inspiration. I've got a favor to ask. Would you be so kind as to leave a review of the podcast on iTunes (if you haven't already)? It means so much to me to read your reviews + it allows more people to get their hands on the amazing interviews and content. Let's spread the love, shall we? REVIEW ON ITUNES ↠
Featured Review of the Week
Review by thepurposefulvet
“I love listening to Michelle and the people she brings into her podcast. It always leaves me feeling good, inspired and ready to move forward and take action. I find something new and inspiring in every episode and I'm always excited when a new episode drops. She is real, helpful and super relevant to anyone wanting to live their big dream and get down to the business of creating a life by design. Love it💕”
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5 Pieces of Tech You Need as an Online Entrepreneur
5 Pieces of Tech You Need as an Online Entrepreneur
11/08/18
There are so many different sources of information floating around online regarding what it takes to actually start a business. Now, I’m a lucky one and so are my clients because they have created service-based businesses, meaning aside from the business registration and a couple programs there isn’t a large investment to get the business up and running.
But what do you do after you decide on a business name, buy the domain and register your business? That’s the mystery, isn’t it?
And rather than making a long list of all the things you DON’T need I wanted to make you an even shorter list of what you do because after building my own business from scratch and helping so many women do the same, I know that all the bells and whistles aren’t needed.
Today I’m sharing five pieces of tech you need to share your business with the world and start making sales.
*Please note affiliate links are included in this post because I love sharing products I have tested and love.
1. Email Marketing System
One of the most important pieces in running an online business is the power of your own list. Every single entrepreneur should be focused on growing their own list and community and nothing makes that easier than an email marketing system that automates your new subscriber onboarding and makes it easy to stay in contact with your community.
My personal favorite platform is Convertkit (try a free trial) and many of my beginner entrepreneurs use Mailchimp because of their amazing free features.
2. Landing Page Software
Now, note I didn’t say website or website platform - that’s because you don’t need one from the start of your business to share your services and make money.
The reality is building a website takes time and at the start of your business time is serious money. All you need to get started is a simple landing page, sharing your name, email, brand mission. If you have a free offer and opt-in ready to go or a sales page it can be used for that as well.
There are landing page specific platforms like Leadpages, but you can also build a simple Cover Page in Squarespace or a platform like Kajabi (try free for 30 days) which can later become the home of your beautifully crafted and branded webpage.
3. Contracts and Legal Documents
Ok, it’s time to get serious for a minute. I see too many entrepreneurs waiting to get their legal ducks in a row and the reality is they are putting themselves at serious risk.
If you plan on selling a course, signing 1:1 clients, selling packages and more you need a contract in place. I also recommend a Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions and Disclaimer. My friend and attorney Christy Westerfeld, who is the guest legal expert for my group program Roadmap to Freedom, has amazing bundles and templates available on her site. Learn more at https://christywesterfeld.com.
4. Social Media Scheduler
Your ability to consistently show up for your audience, yes even in the very beginning, is going to help you increase your visibility, ultimately leading you to build a strong community and sign clients.
Entrepreneurs make the mistake at the beginning of just posting when they remember rather than utilizing one of the many tools available to help you streamline your social media content. My personal favorite is SmarterQueue (free 30-day trial) which allows you to post on multiple platforms and within groups, as well recycle your evergreen content for repeat posting.
Additional free options I recommend to my clients include Buffer and Later. The key is finding a platform that lets you do all of your posts at once, making it more time efficient for you and increasing the likelihood you will keep putting your story, brand and services out into the world.
5. Invoicing and Client Portal
Look, if you want to make sales in your business you’ve got to have a way to collect payment am I right? A CRM system that allows you to house your client information, send contracts, invoices (including repeat payments) and more is essential if you want to scale your business and I don’t know, sign a freaking client.
I’m a huge fan of Dubsado, which is always improving and adding new features for its users. It’s a one-stop shop CRM for all the backend you don’t want to do, but you kind of need to.
And that’s it my friends. In terms of tech, this will get you started right away with gaining visibility and signing clients - hello profitability.
However, there are still some business foundations that need to happen to ensure that:
• Your voice is actually heard.
• That the content you create gets engagement.
• That the marketing strategies you test out give you results
• AND SO MUCH MORE
Learn more about building a solid foundation at brandmerry.com/freedom.
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!
Episode 08 | Defining Your Own Freedom with Kate Killoran
Defining Your Own Freedom
Free to Be Podcast | Episode 08
In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Kate Killoran about all things freedom. We’re getting deep into her own journey into entrepreneurship, one I think so many can relate to and her key takeaways in creating her own freedom.
Kate’s sharing a behind the scenes look at her own journey and sharing some of her favorite tips around automating her business. Not to mention you guys, her Golden Nugget on SEO is amazing, especially if you don’t have a current audience. It’s SO GOOD!
I’ve never heard this tip before and know it is going to be super valuable to all my entrepreneurs.
This week on the podcast I’m also sharing an exciting FREE training happening Tuesday, November 13 on Bringing Your Brand Story to Life: 4 Essential Steps to Follow for a Thriving Brand and Business.
Learn more and get signed up: brandmerry.com/novembermasterclass
Things we talk about in this episode:
• Kate’s super relatable journey from corporate life to creating her own business and the steps she took to get there.
• What it’s really like when you need a change every couple months and how to start saying YES to those small steps that will lead you to a bigger purpose.
• The reality around feeling guilty for pursuing your dreams and how Kate’s tried to get away from people pleasing in life and business.
• Why everyone’s story to entrepreneurship looks different and why that’s ok.
• How to handle when people don’t agree with your decisions.
• Kate’s favorite tips for automating her business and her clients.
We talk about a lot on this episode and there are so many little nuggets I can't wait for you to walk away with.
Kate Killoran
Kate Killoran is a growth strategist for female entrepreneurs and small business owners. She takes business' stories, visions, and energy, and creates unique growth strategies, utilizing SEO, Google Ads, and Pinterest Ads, to cater to your audience with today's authenticity-driven world in mind. When you find yourself overwhelmed, and need that one-stop resource to grow your brand - Kate's it.
Kate is also the founder of the Build Your VA Resume Course, a 4-week online skill and confidence building course created to better serve the entrepreneur community. This how-to DIY course is available beginning on December 1st of this year. Registration doors open + early bird pricing officially begins on November 15.
Grab Kate’s Top 3 SEO Tips Freebie: katekilloran.com/top-3-seo-tips
CONNECT WITH KATE
Website: katekilloran.com
Instagram: .instagram.comkate.killoran
Facebook: facebook.com/katelouisekilloran
Pinterest: pinterest.com/katelouisekilloran
CONNECT WITH ME
Web: brandmerry.com
Instagram: @brandmerrycoaching
Facebook: @brandmerrycoaching
Biz Group: Authentic Brand Builders
IMPORTANT LINKS MENTIONED
Airbnb - Save $40 off your stay
LOVE THE FREE TO BE PODCAST?
FOLLOW FREE TO BE ON INSTAGRAM
I kinda secretly hoped you'd say yes! I love you right back lady and I'm so honored you tune in every week for massive inspiration. I've got a favor to ask. Would you be so kind as to leave a review of the podcast on iTunes (if you haven't already)? It means so much to me to read your reviews + it allows more people to get their hands on the amazing interviews and content. Let's spread the love, shall we? REVIEW ON ITUNES ↠
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4 Must-Haves for a High-Converting Landing Page
4 Must-Haves for a High-Converting Landing Page
11/1/18
Freebie.
Free Offer.
Lead Magnet.
It doesn’t matter what you call it, there is ONE thing they all have...a landing page where you collect their information. The reality is a well-structured landing page can make or break your free offer. After all, we can’t see all the amazingness of your gift if we don’t opt in.
Typically you want to try and have a landing page convert at 32%, although I frequently work with my clients to convert in the 50-70% range. There are four key pieces that are going to increase your conversions and taking the time to map out your landing page and getting as specific as possible with the content you’re presenting is key in doing just that.
To support you here are the four key pieces!
#1 BUILD TRUST
When someone lands on your landing page it is from an outside promotion and nothing hurts conversions more than breaking trust. Whether you are organically promoting your free offer on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest or running ads it’s important to keep the following pieces the same:
Photo
General esthetics
Title of your free offer
Keeping these key pieces consistent will help in the overall conversions and increase the likelihood that someone will follow through with signing up.
#2 SPECIFIC TITLE
The first thing someone will see when landing on your page will be your title. I highly suggest keeping it at the top of your page, followed by an option to opt-in, gives all those people ready to take action an opportunity to do just that.
Don’t be afraid of a long title, sometimes those are the best because they really tell your audience what they are going to get with your free offer. That’s the key with a title that converts, spelling it out for your clients so there is no guessing.
#3 BULLETS WITH BENEFIT
Following your title, your bullets are the second most important piece of your landing page. If someone doesn’t opt in from the very beginning what else do they need to know in order to say YES? Exactly what they will be learning.
Don’t deny the power of a simple, “With this training, you will learn:” It’s one of the easiest ways to draw attention to what your audience is looking for. Create bullets that are very descriptive and outline the benefit for your audience.
#4 CLEAR CALL TO ACTION
You should have ONE, I repeat one, call to action on your landing page. Do not include a link to book a call, join your Facebook group or follow you on Instagram; all of that comes later. We want your audience to come to the page and complete the one action we brought them there for.
Be sure your buttons are clear, contrasting in color so they stand out and have a clear call to action; including “Sign up here!” “Grab your free gift!” “Yes, I want in!”
BONUS TIP: Have at least two calls to actions on your landing page to give people an opportunity at the top and bottom to opt in.
Want to see a high-converting landing page in action? And hey while you’re there sign up for my upcoming FREE challenge Uncover and Own Your Story for a Bold, Captivating and Money-Making Brand. Sign up here: brandmerry.com/storychallenge
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!
3 Questions to Ask When You Have So Many Business Ideas
3 Questions to Ask When You Have So Many Business Ideas
10/25/18
What do you do when you have all these amazing ideas in your business? This is something all of my clients have been struggling with this week. They have so many ideas, and because of that, they aren’t taking action on any of them. I see this a lot in the online space and something I believe I’m really good at is action taking. How to take action and when.
There are 3 main questions I want you to ask yourself when you’re having a lot of ideas. These questions will help you navigate through your ideas and decide which will benefit you the most at which time. The reality is if we’re trying to implement all of them at once, they won’t be as good.
1. How does this idea actually feel?
Ask yourself where this idea came from and is it coming from a place of inspiration or a place of “oh I have to do that to be successful.” Is this something you are doing because someone else is doing it, and if so, how does that feel? Find out if it’s something you really want to do or if it’s something you feel obligated to do. Is this coming from a place inspiration or a place of desperation?
2. Will this move the needle forward?
We have to constantly be doing things that are going to keep expanding our business. We have to constantly be thinking about that end result. What are you going towards? Is what you’re doing now helping you get to that end result? Or is it just going to take up time and energy? If this is just adding more to your plate, and it’s not going to move the needle forward and help you get to that end goal, it’s not something you need to focus on right now.
The biggest block I see is that people are afraid if they don’t do it now, they won’t ever have the opportunity to do it. But you can decide at any moment what you want to do. Your ideas can happen at anytime. Just because we don’t take action on something right here, right now, doesn’t mean we can’t come back to it when the time is right.
3. What needs to happen to make this idea come to life?
This is a big thing. We sometime forget to direct what needs to go into our ideas. I believe there is value in putting energy and love and attention towards something, giving it our all, to make sure it works. So you need to ask yourself “what does my time look like?” Do you have the time to be doing it right now? What are the things that need to happen and can you make space for that to happen right now?
Once you’ve asked yourself these 3 questions, you can really decide if this is a business idea you should start right now, or if it’s time to take action right now. You have to be really honest with yourself. But the biggest thing is ripping off the bandaid and taking action. Once you’ve made the commitment, and you know what you need to do to implement your new idea, you need to TAKE ACTION.
And if you’re still struggling, do you know what your end goal really is? You have to be really clear and where you want to end up, so you can decide which pieces to focus on now.
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/462769990911822/
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!