Brandmerry Blog Archives
My Favorite Course Creation Platform
The online business model is growing every single day and more and more entrepreneurs are looking for ways to share their expertise with more individuals. Creating courses and membership sites are an excellent way to do just that, but where do you start. My favorite platform is Kajabi for its simplicity and ability to do so much more than just host a course.
My Favorite Course Creation Platform
The online business model is growing every single day and more and more entrepreneurs are looking for ways to share their expertise with more individuals. Creating courses and membership sites are an excellent way to do just that, but where do you start. My favorite platform is Kajabi for its simplicity and ability to do so much more than just host a course.
Who kajabi is for
Kajabi is truly for everyone and it you’re just starting out I couldn’t recommend it more. I really wish I had known about Kajabi in the beginning of my business because of everything that is included. Not only are you able to host your courses directly on the platform, but it also includes email marketing, payment processing, sales pages, blogging, landing pages and more.
If you’re ready to get into course creation now, Kajabi is an excellent choice because of its ease of use. Within about an hour you can have the backend of your course set up and ready to go. If you’re not tech savvy it’s an amazing alternative to hiring help and if you love tech, like me, there are tons of features to customize as needed.
And for all my new business owners, I can’t recommend this platform enough. As I mentioned, if I knew of Kajabi in the beginning I would have created my website, email and everything else on the platform for simplicity purposes. While it might seem like an investment during the early stages it’s one of the best investments you’ll make.
My favorite ways to use kajabi as a course creator
Kajabi is the one stop shop to successfully launch and scale an online business. Here is just a small list of what features they offer for your online business:
Website builder
Online Course builder
Membership site builder
Landing page builder
Funnel Builder
Automations (when, then, if sequencing)
CRM functionality
Email Marketing
Webinars
Quizzes & Surveys
Payment processing
Affiliate management
Personally, I love having everything I need to build, launch and scale a course in one spot. It allows me to better communicate with my clients and keep track of progress as well.
With their added features around video watch time, we’re also able to keep track of when people are falling of videos so we can better structure our content.
How kajabi can save you money
When we start our businesses we’re trying our freaking best to bootstrap our businesses. Even three years in, I’m super conscious of how much of my profits are paying for tools to run my business. When starting you definitely need an email platform, landing pages, website and payment processor. This doesn’t even include running courses and housing your content.
Overall I’ve found that Kajabi saves so many of my clients money because they can cancel all their individual subscriptions and just focus on one platform.
With all-in-one tools you can create a landing page to grow your email list, build an introduction email funnel to nurture your list, send weekly broadcasts before your and during your launch, create the sales page for your course, collect payment and house all materials (audio, video and workbooks) for your course. It makes it easier than ever to not just sell your course, but market it as well.
You can join Kajabi today and get a FREE 28-day trial only available through this link.
P.S. If you join during the Black Friday special I’m hosting, you’ll receive my Task Management Toolkit training completely free, just for testing it out.
If you continue with a Kajabi membership after the first 28-days, you’ll also get a bonus 1:1 Strategy Session with me to map out your course, funnel or website.
5 Tips to Improve Your Website Conversions
Looking to improve your website conversions? Then this blog post is for you! It’s not enough to just attract people to your website we want to keep them engaged. Learn my top tips for improving website conversions and exactly what you need to make sure you don’t lose warm, engaged leads.
5 Tips to Improve Your Website Conversions
July 16, 2019
Want to watch the full video where I shared the 5 tips and so much more? Scroll down to watch instead of read.
Your website can either work for you or against you.
And, I go against the grain a bit in the industry by saying you absolutely do need a website, I mean why wouldn’t you have one? It can work for you in your sleep!
We often talk about funnels working for us on automate, but what about your website.
Today, we are getting the majority of our website traffic from Google, which means free, and therefore are growing my list for free as well.
However, not everyone is focused on this, so today I want to share 5 quick fixes you can use to improve conversions on your website.
1. GRAB ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY
You have 15 seconds to keep someone’s attention on your website. The majority of the people who land on your website will be cold audiences, meaning they don’t know you, so why should they stick around? You’ve got to capture their attention with bold visuals and strong copy right away. Choose photos or videos that speak to how your audience wants to feel and showcases your service, lifestyle or product easily.
2. CLEAR BRAND STATEMENT
This needs to be the first thing people see on your homepage. I like to refer to this as finding your Superpower, and is something I teach in my course You! Branded. What do you want to be known for in your industry and what does it provide your ideal client? For instance, when you land on my home page you see a header that says, “Create a Profitable Brand Through the Power of Story.” My superpower is Story and the benefit is a Profitable Brand.
3. CRYSTAL CLEAR NEXT STEP (WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO DO?)
This one can evolve based on what you’re promoting or the action you want your audience to take, but you’ve got to give them a next step. Aside from grabbing attention, we also need to chat about keeping it. If you have a clear next step for your audience, they are more likely to take it. This could be a free offer, a link to your blog, a product or service. If people stay on your website longer, it tells Google people like it and increases your odds of converting them into a warm lead.
4. STORY, STORY, STORY
Since this is my Superpower, I couldn’t write a post without including it, could I? The trust is story makes your content 22x more memorable and builds trust quicker that if you don’t include it. Therefore, story elements need to be present in every part of your website. In addition, your ‘About Me’ Page is the second most viewed page on your website. And despite what many people teach I believe this is your opportunity to talk about you. I don’t go to someone’s ‘About Me’ Page to learn about me, I want to hear their story!
One of the most important pieces of writing a strong story is understanding your personal story and how it ties into your brand story. I teach this inside You! Branded. Click to learn more.
5. COHESIVE BRAND MESSAGING
When you start to create your website you’re probably listing out all the pages and then writing each one individually, but this can lead to a break in consistency and therefore a break in trust. We want to create clear brand messaging for your brand as a whole to make sure no matter where people land on your website it matches your brand. I call this Core Brand Messages and it’s one of the modules inside You! Branded.
When you create messaging for your brand as a whole, it allows you to string together your website pages, leading to higher percentage of people staying on your website longer. It’s almost like a journey you’re taking your ideal client on. Think homepage, to story, to blog, to work with me. Having consistent messaging is key.
If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level and create a bold, captivating and money-making brand, I’d love to support you inside You! Branded. When you join by midnight on Thursday, July 18, you’ll receive a fast-action bonus to help you carry your brand into your web design.
You’ll get Websites Made Simple: 4-Page Website Cheatsheet completely free. This bonus includes a website checklist, what pages to include and what you need on each one to increase conversions, plus my Sales Page template.
Join You! Branded now to claim this special bonus.
Want more details about the information above? Watch the video below.
Don’t forget to join us in You! Branded to receive your special limited-time bonus! Learn more and get signed up at youbrandedcourse.com
Please share your biggest takeaways from this blog post and how you’re going to implement this information in your own business!
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.
How to Find a Business Coach: What To Look For
Are you considering hiring a business coach? It can be a little intimidating starting the search process and wondering if it’s the right move. As a mentor and strategist I’ve worked with my fair share of coaches and mentors and ask myself the same questions every time. Learn how to know when you’re ready to hire a business coach and the top four things to look for before investing.
How to Find a Business Coach: What To Look For
July 15, 2019
Are you considering hiring a business coach?
It can be a little intimidating starting the search process and wondering if it’s the right move for your life and business. Typically, hiring a private mentor is a big investment. I want to tell you it’s all based on trust, but that doesn’t really give you much to work with does it?
Over the past three years I’ve worked with multiple mentors and coaches to bring my business to multiple 6-figures and ask myself the same questions before investing.
Today, on the blog I’m sharing how to know when you’re ready to hire a business coach and the top four things to look for before investing.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN YOU’RE READY TO HIRE A COACH
1. IDENTIFY THE HOLES IN YOUR BUSINESS
Before you move forward with a coach you need an idea of what's not working or missing from your current business. You’ll want to find a mentor that can help you with this specific area, every mentor has their specialty and it’s important to identify before investing. I suggest asking yourself the following questions.
“Where do I need the most support?”
“What are my goals for the year and what do I need to know/do to accomplish them?”
“What areas of my business do I feel the least confident?”
2. UNDERSTAND YOUR GOALS
You don't have to have it all figured out before you hire a mentor, but you need to know what you're working towards. This will not only help you find a coach that can support you in reaching your desires, but will also help your mentor deliver on your goals. The best coaches WANT to see you succeed so having this clearly defined in the beginning can help everyone in the relationship feel confident in moving forward.
HOW TO CHOOSE A BUSINESS COACH
1. THERE VALUES NEED TO ALIGN WITH YOURS
I've made this mistake and got distracted with the promise rather than who they were as a person and what was important to them. You’re going to be walking very intimately with someone and it’s important that your values are aligned.
2. DO THEY FILL HOLES
As I mentioned before, it's important to identify what holes are happening in your business. Don't just get support to get support, find the right person who will help you fill the holes and move your business forward.
3. THEIR CHARACTER
When I read testimonials I focus less on results and more on what people have to say about their character as a person. Everyone's results will vary and you have the opportunity to achieve more or less depending on you individual personality, but their character and how they support their clients is so important and will majorly impact the relationship.
4. LOOK FOR MORE
I don’t mean shop around for coaches, but rather be open to learning more. Even though you go into this with an idea of where you need support more is going to come up, it always does. I always look for a mentor who can support me with different levels of life and business and feels in alignment with where I want my business and brand to go - i.e. have they achieved what you are setting out to do.
I hope this was helpful in pointing out some really important details to consider before hiring a mentor. As I mentioned in the beginning, a big component of choosing a coach or mentor is to trust them.
In addition to the steps listed above, I suggest following them on social media, joining their email list and consuming some of their content - this will tell you so much!
If you’re interested in learning how I can support you with your brand and business, I’d love to chat. You can schedule a call here.
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.
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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.
Where and When to Share Your Brand Story
How often should you share your Brand Story? This is one of the top questions I receive as a Branding Mentor, followed by, “but won’t my audience get annoyed?” In today’s blog, I’m excited to bust this myth + provide you with a bonus audio recording where I’m addressing the underlying issue and fear of annoying your audience.
Where and When to Share Your Brand Story
June 27, 2019
How often should you share your Brand Story?
This is one of the top questions I receive as a Branding Mentor, followed by, “but won’t my audience get annoyed?”
In today’s blog, I’m excited to bust this myth + provide you with a bonus audio recording where I’m addressing the underlying issue and fear of annoying your audience.
Before we dive into today’s post it’s important that you’ve done some work around your Brand Story. You can take my free quiz below where you’ll identify your brand story + how to market it to attract your tribe.
You can also check out this post on How to Identify Your Brand Story and 3 Things You Can’t Miss.
AND, just because I love giving away free gifts - I also have a must-see masterclass where I’m sharing my 3 Steps to Build a Better Brand.
Alright, let’s get into it, starting with some stats!
Did you know that it takes your audience 7 touch points before they are ready to invest in your product or service?
It’s called the Rule of 7 in marketing and it’s one of the most important “rules” you need as an online entrepreneur.
What does this tell us? Just talking about a product or sharing a story one time isn’t enough.
The good news? With the power of social media and the freaking explosion in online marketing, we have like a million avenues to share these stories so they don’t become boring.
And while I could close this blog post right here, because I’m hoping you’re sold on the effectiveness in repetition in marketing, I made a brand new recording just for you so you can finally overcome this fear.
After listening to the audio, be sure to scroll down for a break down on exactly where I would share my Brand Story to get started (hint: it includes 10 different placements)!
The recording you’re about to listen to is part of my brand new show, The Authentic Brand Builders Show. It’s an exclusive weekly show for my private community Authentic Female Entrepreneurs.
EP 01: Getting Over the Fear of Repetitive Storytelling will give you a more thorough explanation of the Rule of 7 and the mindset shifts necessary to show up for your community fully.
Be sure to join Authentic Female Entrepreneurs to catch all the weekly episodes!
10 WAYS TO SHARE YOUR BRAND STORY
Now, you’re ready! You know the power of sharing your story with the world, you’ve identified your story and now it’s time to share it.
Below, I’ve included 10 DIFFERENT places to share your Brand Story as a way to build brand awareness and community. I’ve marked the ones that can be repeated ever 30 days with an *.
On the homepage of your blog (include a small excerpt similar to a social post)
On your About Me/ My Story page (want my tips on this? Click here)
The sidebar or footer of your blog
Social Media post (includes Facebook and Instagram) *
IGTV video
Insta Stories *
As a highlight on your Instagram
Introduction in a Facebook Group *
Youtube video (tied in with your favorite tip within your niche)
Live video (Facebook) *
That’s one freaking story, imagine what you could do if you repeated this over and over again for your most important stories - the ones that share your expertise, relate to your audience and build trust.
Pretty cool stuff, right?
Go forth and share your story and don’t forget to my new masterclass where I’m sharing How to Build a Better Brand!
Please share your biggest takeaways from this blog post and how you’re going to implement this information in your own business!
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.
My 2019 Summer Reads for Life and Business
As an entrepreneur, it’s so important that we focus on our personal development and nothing is easier to consume than a book (or audio) in my opinion. In today’s blog, I’m sharing my must-reads for Summer 2019 and why I’m so excited to implement the tools and inspiration into my life and business.
My 2019 Summer Reads for Life and Business
June 21, 2019
Last year I shared a blog on The Top 7 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read and you loved it. I followed it up with Must-Read Personal and Professional Books for 2019.
I know that books (and audio) are some of the best ways to advance your personal and professional development.
And, as I’ve admitted before, reading is not something that just comes “natural” to me. In fact, I have to create a habit around taking the time to silence my mind and dive into a great read.
What I’ve found over the past three years of running my business is that I gain so much clarity around my next steps and content and resources to share with you when I immerse myself in a book written for personal development.
So, today I’m sharing four of my favorite reads for Summer 2019 (some of which I’ve already read and a few I’m diving into soon) so you can run to your favorite book store and grab a copy.
P.S. If you’re looking for inspiration in your biz and feeling a little lost or uninspired, reading is my secret weapon and always gets my energy and thoughts in alignment to share content.
SUMMER READ #1
OWN YOUR EVERYDAY BY JORDAN LEE DOOLEY
I gave this book a shout out on Instagram Stories while reading it on the beach in Florida and had to include it in this list. If you’re not already a fan of Jordan, I fully believe you need to follow her. I was inspired by her story while attending the Kajabi Summit in March and started following her on social.
I had no idea she was releasing a book at the time, but when I learned more about her work I wanted to dive in. Her ability to merge personal story with life lessons is amazing and one of my favorite parts about her book.
The tagline for Own Your Everyday is Overcome the Pressure to Prove and Show Up for What You Were Made to Do and it’s such an amazing book for the everyday woman (that’s you and I btw). She talks about our need to be perfect, to have it all figured out and bring such light and grace to the personal development space. Check it out here.
SUMMER READ #2
GIRL STOP APOLOGIZING BY RACHEL HOLLIS
I’ve talked about Rachel’s books before and if you don’t know who she is, I’m afraid you might be living under a rock at this point. Rachel has taken the personal development world by storm and is such an amazing brand to watch and study (hello, I’m a branding nerd).
This is the second book, following Girl, Wash Your Face, and I was so fortunate to receive an advance copy. I highly recommend checking out this book as a summer read, especially if you carry shame in asking for and reaching for your goals. Buy it here.
SUMMER READ #3
JUDGEMENT DETOX BY GABRIELLE BERNSTEIN
I’m a little late to the party here, but I’m such a fan of Gabby’s and the way her book The Universe Has Your Back transformed my belief around money and releasing the HOW.
I think one of the best things we can do as business women is to release the past stories we carry that affect where we want to go. If you’ve got big, audacious goals (and I know you do) then it’s time to go the past story work. I’m excited to read Gabby’s book and dive into the 6-step process she presents in the book. Buy it here.
SUMMER READ #4
HIGH-PERFORMING HABITS BY BRENDON BURCHARD
If you’re a friend of mine you know my obsession with Brendon Burchard and the work he is doing in the world. Another amazing speaker I met at the Kajabi Summit and was brought to church by his words.
When I finally dove into High-Performing Habits I felt like he was speaking directly to me. I’ve only felt this way one other time and that was reading Daring Greatly by Brene Brown! This book made me laugh and cry and understand my high-performance habits better than before.
I love Brendon’s work because it’s so deeply rooted in research, so if you’re a nerd like me I highly suggest grabbing this book this Summer. Buy it here.
Do you have a favorite book you’ve read or are excited to dive into this Summer? Let me know in the comments below!
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.