Brandmerry Blog Archives
Success Habits For A 6-Figure Business
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
I want to have a candid conversation around habits, specifically the success habits that I believe contributed to my six figure business and ultimately six figure salary.
This might be a bit of a detour from what we normally talk about on content creation, branding, and marketing, but here's the thing; what happens outside of the strategies in your business, all those tips and tricks and tools and things that you're implementing, actually plays a major role in your success. Now I know at the beginning of this post, I talked about a six figure business. So I want to take a short bit of time and talk about money and business, about salary, about all of those different things.
Your goals might be different than mine. When I set out to create a business in 2016, I really wanted to create a six figure business. That felt like a milestone for me. So all of my energy and my attention and my goals were really dedicated to achieving that number.
Over the years, my goal has been to maintain that number and continue to scale it, ultimately building a million dollar business. Now I'm sharing these specific numbers with you because I think it's really important to have a monetary revenue goal for your business.
I really believe that what I'm sharing with you today will help you get to six figures. I also think implementing these tips that I'm going to share with you will help you get to whatever revenue goal you desire. I think we can all agree that entrepreneurship, running a business, starting and launching a business, and putting that out into the world is not an easy task.
Often we hear a lot about the step by step process to putting your business out in the world, being able to market your business and ultimately accept cash for your products and services. But very, very rarely are we putting the energy and attention on what has to happen behind the scenes. What has to happen in your life in order to support those revenue goals.
At Brandmerry and specifically inside of my membership, Brandmerry Academy, we take a holistic approach to running an online business. We're really focused on sustainability because we know as the support team for our members, that if things in our life are incredibly shaky, it's going to play a role in our business and vice versa.
SUCCESS HABIT #1: KNOW WHAT YOU’RE WORKING TOWARDS
So let's talk about the very first tip I have for you, which actually piggybacks off of the revenue goal idea. It's really important that you know what you're working towards. All of those strategies that you might want to implement for your business are only going to make sense if you know how they all fit together leading to the big picture.
I know I talk a lot about goal setting. I know you hear it all the time. You might even be sick and tired of it, but there's a reason why we talk about it. It plays a major part in your overall success.
So I really encourage you to take moments, even a few freaking seconds to just say, "What do you want?" What is that revenue goal that you're working towards? Because what that's going to allow you to do is reverse engineer the step by step process you need to take in order to get there.
This is one of the processes I talk about inside of my six month planning video, which you can definitely check out on my channel. And it's something that I'm practicing in different aspects of my business. So not only am I crystal clear on the revenue goal that I have, but I'm also really clear on what I want to do with that revenue goal.
Right behind my camera I have a vision board that I look at that really maps out exactly what I'm working towards. What this allows you to do is prioritize your time and your energy and your money towards the things that you ultimately desire.
SUCCESS HABIT #2: CREATE CONSISTENT HABITS
The second tip I have is consistency in habits. If you’ve been part of the Brandmerry community for any period of time, you've heard me say these two words on repeat. Consistency and habits. There is so much power in repeating the same routine day in and day out. What it ultimately allows you to do is progress. So this concept comes from James Clear in Atomic Habits where he talks about improving by just 1% every single day.
So if we think about your number one tip, which is get clear on your goals, get clear on what you're working towards, your habits are ultimately how you're going to get there.
Now you might have really clear strategies. I'm going to create YouTube videos. I'm going to blog. I'm going to email my list. I'm going to promote this offer. All completely business related. But what I really encourage you to do is also think about the things outside of your business that are going to play a role in your overall success.
For me, this is my morning routine. I know there's a whole love/hate relationship with morning routines. I'm actually going to share my full morning routine with you next week in a brand new vlog. But I have learned to appreciate the morning routine over the years. As soon as I removed all the rules of, I had to wake up at 5:00 AM and I had to meditate for an hour and I had to do all these different things and really created a structure that worked for me, it became such a powerful grounding practice in my life.
And I have tested it on the days when I do not honor this habit and go through the motions of my morning routine. I'm less productive. I'm more distracted. I'm more tired and honestly, kind of irritable. And that doesn't play well when you're trying to run a business full-time.
So whatever these habits look like for you, I highly recommend that you focus on some sort of morning routine with whatever chunk of time that you have. I’ll have more on setting that up next week on the vlog.
These daily repetitions that you're doing to really honor yourself and honor your commitments to yourself and ultimately your goals are going to play a major role in your success.
Another habit that I have is task management. So we use a software called ClickUp, which I've talked about multiple times on this channel, to organize tasks.
This is incredibly helpful because I can prioritize the things that need my attention and I check that every single day. It allows me to check in on recurring projects, make sure I'm not missing any deadlines and rearrange things based on how I'm feeling, which helps me enjoy my job and become the CEO that I want to become.
I also have a habit of scheduling everything in my calendar. Every single thing that I am doing goes in that calendar, whether it's business related or personal. I honor that, and that really helps me prioritize the things in my life that I know are going to lead me to my ultimate goal.
SUCCESS HABIT #3: TAKE TIME TO REFLECT
The third tip for you I have is to take time to reflect. This was a really hard one for me in the beginning. I have a very go, go, go mentality. Some might call it a push mentality where I'm always fixated on what is to come, AKA tip number one.
I don't take the time to actually pause and feel gratitude. In the beginning I noticed that that definitely kept coming up over and over and over again. I actually credit this tip to reaching my first six figures in business because it allowed me to celebrate every single thing that I did achieve.
I started to implement a daily self-reflection practice where I would sit down and write down the things that I was proud of, the things that I had been working towards that I wanted to celebrate. I got in the habit of celebrating every little thing that happened in my business until I hit that six figure mark. Every little sale that came, even if it was a $47 sale, I would do a dance around my house. Anytime a sale would come in with a big launch, we would go out to dinner.
It became a joke almost that if we didn't celebrate, did it really happen? Now as my business has grown, I've backed off a little bit on the little micro celebrations, but I still take time to self-reflect and sit and really think about what I've done. I think this gives us momentum. It keeps us going. It gives us the power to continue building our business even when times might get a little rocky. I also find that having this self-reflection practice is great for checking in on all areas of my life.
So as I mentioned before, I'm not just a business owner and you're not just a business owner. There's a lot of other things that you're doing. And I want to make sure that all of those different areas feel good and feel in alignment and I'm dedicating the appropriate time and energy to them.
So having this self-reflection practice is incredibly helpful in reflecting on how am I feeling with my relationship with my husband? How do I feel about my son and I in our day to day routine? How am I feeling about my self-care and so on and so forth?
So whatever this self-reflection practice looks like for you, I am not one to tell you exactly how to do it. You want to make sure that you carve out time to honor that.
Today in my life, it looks like a weekly check in with journaling. I also do my very best to pause and celebrate every single sale or every single milestone that we achieve in the business. And I'm doing regular yoga practice, which for me is just such a way to honor, not only my body, but also reflect. I also do a 90 day self-reflection where every single quarter I'm asking myself:
How did this feel?
What did I love?
What didn't I love?
What do I want to change?
And so on and so forth. We actually have an entire podcast coming out on the Brandmerry Podcast walking you through all the questions that I use in my quarterly reflection.
SUCCESS HABIT #4: MAKE TIME TO PLAY
Number four is all about play. We have to take time to have fun in our lives. When was the last time that you actually played freely? Like, you had no obligations, you had no expectations. You just allowed yourself to have freaking fun. We know that rest and play are essential habits in your overall success. So it might sound a little crazy what I'm about to say to you, but I want you to actually schedule play.
Now before you're like, "Ugh, that doesn't sound like fun." If you're like me, you're probably not naturally doing it. You probably aren't seeking out natural opportunities for play. I know that's how I was when I was first starting my business.
I was in a work, work, work mentality, which of course was needed as I was launching my business. But I would forget to stop. I would forget to play. Luckily I have a husband and a son who are very, very good at it and so they would remind me.
Now it is a top priority. And to get to this place, to get to where I am today, where I will close my computer and peace out for the day or we'll book an impromptu trip, I had to start scheduling moments of play and I encourage you to do the same. Eventually it will become a habit. It will become consistent. You won't have to schedule it, but to get started it's okay.
So I encourage you to schedule friend time, to schedule happy hours, to schedule days to go to the zoo, to schedule vacations. All of those different things are so important.
One of the things I started doing in my business, which I guess is scheduled technically, is taking an entire week off every quarter. Now I call this my quarterly week of rest, but let's be honest, I'm playing most of the teo time. And we typically try to coincide it with a vacation. So this allows me to schedule a period of time where I'm not working at all in my business. I'm not answering client communication. I'm not in my Facebook groups. I'm not doing any of that. I get to have fun and rest and play with my family and ultimately fill my cup back up. This is an incredible habit that will lead to not just your first six figure success, but continuing to scale and grow your business.
SUCCESS HABIT #5: RESEARCH
This fifth tip I have for you is all about learning and advancement. One of the things that I identified in my own routine really early on, a priority if you will, was research. I really love research. I'm really good at it. It's part of the reason that people pay me for my services because I've got a lot of knowledge in my brain because I love to learn. I love to research.
I know that it is this combination of learning and advancement and implementation that has led me to building a successful online business. I really have seen time and time again, where entrepreneurs, people in general, but entrepreneurs specifically can get stuck in what they're doing. That they're like, "Ooh, this is working and so we're just going to keep doing this over and over and over and over again."
While I'm all about repurposing what works and I'm all about repetition, I think we always have to behind the scenes be thinking ahead. This is how we get ahead of trends. This is how we talk about things and we present things before anyone else in our industry. It's how we're jumping on maybe a new way of marketing before everybody else has.
It's because we're paying attention and we're open to learning and advancement. So what I typically recommend my clients do is dedicate 20% of their schedule to learning. I don't want to tell you to just learn because I know a lot of you will then say, "Okay," and you'll just start learning, learning, learning behind the scenes, researching, researching, and not actually implementing anything you're learning. There has to be that balance. So if you can, dedicate at least 20% to researching your industry or learning something new.
Maybe you're looking to expand your marketing. So you join Brandmerry Academy and have access to all of our courses and you're going through those courses to continue to advance your business. We always have to be looking for opportunities for growth. That's what ultimately leads to success in any area of life, the opportunities and taking advantage of those opportunities to grow, even if it's just by 1%.
SUCCESS HABIT #6: FOCUS
My last tip for you today is to focus. At the very beginning, I asked you to get really clear on exactly what you want and why you want it. This is going to help you take the daily action in order to get there. Now we have to make sure that you're actually honoring and focusing on those daily actions. I think distractions are one of the ways that entrepreneurs deplete their time and their energy.
When we can really shift how we focus on our priorities and have those things like task management software, using our calendar, setting boundaries, having communications, all of those different things that ultimately help us focus, we're going to find that we're actually more productive with less time.
I think this is the key to building a sustainable business. Oftentimes we think to get to the next level we have to do more, we have to put in more time, we have to put in more energy, we have to put in more money. When in reality it's about doing more with less. It's not about doing more things. It's about being more strategic with our time, with our energy, working smarter, not harder as everyone likes to say.
So this last tip I have for you is to really focus on those goals, focus on those priorities, honor them.
I think the key to focusing is being able to say no to things that aren't serving you at this moment. I know that can be really hard, but I want you to really think about it as a choice. You're not sacrificing this thing. You're making a choice to honor this one instead.
I also know that minimizing distractions will serve you at the highest level. So things like turning off notifications on your phone, removing Facebook. I do not have Facebook on my phone anymore. Turning off notifications if you use Slack. Shutting the door to your office, even for a small period of time so you can focus. Using something like a Remarkable to take notes because there's no other apps or anything else. Use a pen and paper, whatever it is, really work on ways of minimizing your distractions because that's going to ultimately allow you to focus on those things that you've already deemed a priority.
I know focus is going to look different for everyone. And so much of it does depend on your schedule, but I really encourage you to take a look at where your energy and your time is going and ask yourself, are these going to my top priorities? If they are fantastic, now laser in and let's focus on them.
If they're not, then how can you shift the energy or shift the amount of time that you're spending on certain things to remove distractions from what you ultimately want? I think at the end of the day, the success habits or achieving success, whatever that looks like for you is saying, "This is what I want. I'm willing, I'm open and I'm going to take the daily steps to get there. And I'm going to focus on this priority," while also of course making time to care for yourself.
The idea of success is a well rounded idea. It's not just, you make a lot of money, right? It’s “I can make a lot of money and I'm also loving the crap out of my life. Spending time with my family, doing the things that I love, traveling, honoring my values.”
That to me is the ultimate definition of success.
I hope that this video is really helpful for you in identifying the six things that I really credit to having a successful and sustainable business and life. As always, if you are looking for support when it comes to building a sustainable business, which includes sustainable marketing habits, mindset, daily life habits, we always have a spot for you inside of Brandmerry Academy. You can go to brandmerryacademy.com to learn more. Join the waitlist to find out when doors open again.
P.S. Have you tuned in to The Brandmerry podcast? I release new episodes every Thursday on topics around branding and marketing! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at brandmerry.com/podcast
- 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.
Marketing Funnel Explained for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Understanding the purpose and the power of marketing is incredibly important. There are a lot of moving parts. I talk a lot about content creation, video marketing, podcasting, SEO, etc…
It can feel like there are so many pieces to market your business, and you might be wondering how they all fit together in this mysterious puzzle that is marketing.
So today we’re going to take a deep dive into marketing, explore the different phases of marketing, and help you understand where all of these different elements fit in.
If you prefer to watch the video training, you can watch it here on my YouTube channel.
THE MARKETING FUNNEL
The first thing that we're going to dive into is the marketing funnel.
In the first section, the largest section, you have your cold audience. These are people who don't know you at all, nothing about your brand.
Then in the second section down, we have your warm audience. So once someone has gotten to know you a little bit, they've been warmed up via your content, some of the things that they've seen online, they've joined your email list, and they're starting to really build up that trust with your brand.
At the very, very bottom, we have your hot leads. These are essentially people who are ready to purchase or are already paying customers. And we're really focused on retention with them. So as you can see from this diagram, we want to make sure that people are coming in through the top of the funnel consistently.
This is where marketing comes into play. Often in the industry, we talk about it like a faucet. You want to turn that faucet on so that new people, leads, and money are constantly coming in. Anytime you turn it off, the bottom is going to dry up and that's where your paying clients are coming from. So this idea of consistent leads coming in is incredibly important.
Now, one thing I want to mention is that the timeframe from cold to hot is going to be different for everyone.
CUSTOMER BUYING PROCESS AND MARKETING
I talk about that process a little bit more in-depth in my Customer Buying Process video, which you can go ahead and watch here. That explains a little bit more about the phases that customers go through before making a purchase.
You might attract someone at phase one, not even thinking about buying anything, or phase five, ready to purchase. They could be coming in at any one of those markers. And that's important to note because even though we have this upside-down triangle, this funnel that’s focused on bringing in leads, someone could move through this funnel in as little as 10 minutes.
Or, somebody might take six months to a year.
But let's explore a scenario right here. Let's say that someone finds you on Google. They are Googling your niche, they find you on Google, they land on your website, and they consume a piece of your content.
So now they've moved from cold to warm, and then they're immediately like, "Okay, yes, this is perfect." They’ve gotten what they need, they feel connected to your brand, they know you’re the right person for them and they submit an application or make a purchase. And it all happens within 10 minutes. That person was a little bit further along in the buying process when they initially discovered your website. But as you can see, they went through your funnel very quickly.
One of the things that I love to teach inside Brandmerry Academy is the power of SEO. We have an entire marketing course on SEO and how to use it to your benefit as a business owner.
Now, the same might happen when someone discovers a piece of your content on Pinterest.
They go to your website, they read your blog, and they opt into your email list. On your email list, you give them an offer to buy something and they buy immediately. We see this happen quite a bit when it comes to evergreen marketing strategies, which is why we're obsessed with teaching them inside of the academy.
Then we also have members who have been on our email list for years sometimes before they're ready to buy. But it's been through that warm-up phase, creating content, and showing up for them that they stayed. And when they were ready to purchase, they came to my brand because of the relationship that I had built.
So I always want you to remember this diagram because this just shows us how important it is to consistently focus on marketing and getting in front of a cold audience so that we can then move them through the funnel.
MARKETING PHASES
A few years ago, when I launched Brandmerry Academy, I wanted to think about a way for my clients to simplify how they approached marketing.
We have this “fancy” upside-down triangle with your cold, warm, and hot audience, but what does that mean?
What's happening at each of those stages?
That's when I created a three-part marketing system. This is the foundation of everything that we teach inside of our marketing membership when we teach our different strategies like SEO, Pinterest, blogging, podcasting, and video marketing.
Inside this three-part system is where we're going to talk about all the little bitty things that you're doing with your marketing and where they fit into the bigger marketing picture.
AWARENESS PHASE
The very first one is going to be the awareness phase. The awareness phase is when someone is suddenly aware of your brand. So they didn't know about you before, but then they discover a piece of valuable content that makes them aware of your brand and what you provide.
This phase right here is just more proof that evergreen marketing strategies are so important. Because evergreen marketing strategies, like the blog that you’re reading, or the video that you might watch next are pieces of content that continue to perform over and over year after year. So by putting those pieces of content out there, you always have ways for someone to discover you and enter into this awareness phase.
ATTRACTION PHASE
Then the second phase that they would move into I call the attraction phase. This is when they're suddenly like, "Oh, I am totally into this brand and what they're sharing and I want to know more." I often use the imagery of a little bunny where their ears perk up and they're like, "Yes. Oh my gosh, tell me more. I am ready. What else do you have for me?"
That's the attraction phase. This area right here is where your email list-building strategies come into play. So typically someone who's moved into this phase will be ready to give their email to you, which I always say is like currency, and invite you into their world, invite you into their inbox so that they can learn more about you and from you and ultimately how you can help them solve their problem. So this phase is incredibly important.
CONNECTION PHASE
Then we move into the third phase, the connection phase. This is the moment when someone has moved from being attracted to what you're saying to being fully connected to your brand. At the connection phase, this is where we find that you're building that trust - the know, like, and trust factor that gets people to buy.
We know that purchase decisions are based on an emotional connection. One of my favorite quotes that I discovered when I was starting my business from Zig Ziglar says, "If people like you, they'll listen. If they trust you, they'll do business with you." So this connection phase is focused on building trust. And we have a lot of different marketing strategies that help us do just that.
The triangle shared in the beginning shows the power of marketing and why it's so important to constantly be getting people in front of your brand. This second part, these three phases of marketing shows the step-by-step process that someone might be going through.
Now, let's talk about the different strategies that you're going to use at each of these phases.
MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR EACH PHASE
STRATEGIES FOR BRAND AWARENESS
In the awareness phase, individuals are completely unaware of your brand. This makes content creation super important as it serves as the strategy for attracting new audience members. Whether discovered through Google searches, email shares, or platforms like YouTube and Pinterest, strong content is key.
Focusing on evergreen marketing strategies is essential during this phase. Strong SEO practices ensure visibility on search engines like Google, Pinterest, and YouTube which rely heavily on keywords and can put you at a major advantage.
Unlike social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram where content is not searched for, but rather stumbled upon, platforms like Google, YouTube, and Pinterest attract users actively seeking solutions to their problems, making them further along in the consumer buying journey.
For those of you who still like social media (more on this in a bit), short-form videos on platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels can be effective. However, it's important to note that these platforms may not give you as high buyer intent as search-based platforms.
Another valuable strategy at this phase is to invest in public relations. This can be an investment of an expert, or just some time in your calendar weekly. With a PR major and years of experience in the industry, I love to emphasize the importance of guest appearances on podcasts or other channels to my clients. Being invited into someone else's community establishes an amazing level of trust, speeding up the audience's journey to a paying client.
The awareness stage is about consistently reaching a cold audience. Rather than constantly seeking out your ideal customer, focus on optimizing your content delivery and platform selection to allow your audience to discover you—a principle we emphasize at Brandmerry Academy.
STRATEGIES FOR BRAND ATTRACTION
Now, let's talk about the second phase: the attraction phase. This is where your social media skills will come into play.
I've shifted my approach to social media over time. Initially, I used it for awareness, trying to scout for clients on the platform, but it wasn't yielding the results I hoped for. However, when I began integrating evergreen strategies, I realized I could reposition social media into the attraction phase.
Now, those who already know me from other platforms might follow me on social media. It alleviated the pressure. I could focus on building trust, sharing expertise, and even have a bit more fun, knowing this audience was more likely to convert because they were already familiar with my brand. Social media became a nurturing tool rather than a hunting ground.
Social media serves as an excellent tool at this stage for building connections that lead to sales. Think video content, posts, Instagram stories—all those engaging elements, whether you love or loathe creating them.
Moreover, at this stage, email marketing takes the spotlight. Once someone is attracted to your brand, getting them onto your email list is crucial. This is where having a compelling lead magnet comes into play. It's vital for marketing success.
We advise all our clients to get their lead magnets set up quickly. In fact, inside Brandmerry Academy, clients get a bonus called Funnel in a Weekend, which guides you step-by-step through setting up your opt-in page and funnel in just three days. If this has been a challenge for you, I highly recommend checking it out.
In the attraction phase, our focus is on moving our audience closer, encouraging them to follow us on social media, and join our email list. We continue to create and share content, sometimes repurposing what we've already produced in the awareness stage. The goal now is to ensure our attracted audience sees it, utilizing social media and email marketing to maximize visibility.
Additionally, public relations can be a game-changer at this stage, enhancing authority and trust with our existing audience. I've had the privilege of being featured on esteemed platforms like CNBC and Fast Company, and each time, I make sure to inform my audience. It's incredible how these features can boost authority and reassure those who've been on the fence about working with me.
So, while we're not creating new PR content, we're leveraging it to enhance this phase of the marketing process. It's a reminder that a single piece of content or action can serve multiple stages or phases of marketing.
STRATEGIES FOR BRAND CONNECTION
Now, let's dive into the connection phase. Here, it's all about maintaining the momentum of sharing our content and building trust with our audience. However, there's one element that I believe is absolutely crucial in this phase: storytelling.
Storytelling is my passion; it's where I shine. I adore discussing brand storytelling and, more specifically, how to craft compelling micro-stories within your content—whether it's on your blogs, social media, or videos.
When I first started my business, I stumbled upon the power of storytelling. As I integrated it into my content, I noticed an amazing shift. My small audience began to engage more, and ultimately, they started making purchases.
I vividly remember one of my early live streams, where I spoke to the same small audience I'd been nurturing for months. To my surprise, someone reached out via email afterward, expressing their readiness to schedule a discovery call. The only thing I changed was the addition of storytelling.
I firmly believe that it was the humanizing effect of storytelling that made the difference. By sharing more personal stories, I became more relatable and approachable, and my audience responded positively. Storytelling can be a powerful tool for converting your audience, especially when they're small. It's a strategy I've employed numerous times in my business, including in this very video. I highly recommend integrating storytelling into your approach and leveraging it to your advantage in the connection phase.
Whether you're launching a new offering, seeking to fill spots in your program, or introducing a new product, storytelling can speed up the transition of your audience from attraction to connection, ultimately leading to conversions.
I share my Storytelling 101 training inside Brandmerry Academy. Entrepreneurs with more knowledge can explore my course Storytelling Made Simple for a deeper dive into digital storytelling and how to use it in all of your marketing efforts.
CONCLUSION
Alright, let's do a quick recap and discuss some of the top tips to master your marketing. I know I've covered a lot of ground, and honestly, I love diving deep into this stuff—it's the kind of detailed knowledge you'll find inside the academy.
First off, ensure you're consistently generating leads for your business. Evergreen marketing strategies are key here—keep that flow of leads steady. Remember, it's not about doing more; it's about being strategic with your marketing efforts.
For example, if you're solely relying on social media, you might be missing out on opportunities in the awareness stage. Shifting your focus to creating evergreen content like blogs, YouTube videos, or podcasts can expand your reach across different phases. Add storytelling into the mix, and you've got a winning formula.
Always keep the client journey in mind. Don't buy into the notion that if someone doesn't buy right away, they're not worth your time. People move through the buying journey at their own pace. By honoring each phase, you guide them along the journey, building trust and connection with your brand.
This early trust and connection also lead to better client retention rates. When clients trust you from the get-go, they're more likely to stick around for the long haul.
As I've mentioned before, everything I've covered here is available inside Brandmerry Academy. It's a marketing membership designed to help you market your business without relying solely on social media. It's all about reclaiming your time as an entrepreneur and focusing on what matters most to you.
Head over to Brandmerry.com/Academy for more information. I'd love to support you on your journey and see how these strategies transform the way you run your business.
P.S. Have you tuned in to the Authentic Brand Builders podcast? I release new episodes every Thursday on topics around branding and marketing! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at brandmerry.com/podcast
- 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.
Email List Building Tips for Online Entrepreneurs
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
I'm going to make a bold statement, that you may or may not like!
Email Marketing and having an email list is a MUST.
And of course, I'm sharing exactly why that is in today's podcast, but here's my general rule of thumb. As a business owner, you absolutely need a database (something you can take anywhere) of your prospective clients. That my friend is an email list.
Relying on social media to build a community is just asking for disaster!
So, not only are you getting the full rundown of why an email list is important, but I'm also sharing how to grow one and my top tips for email marketing in 2022.
It's all happening in Episode 33 of The Brandmerry Podcast, where you'll learn:
The truth about marketing and how building a community via your email list is just good for business, and profits.
The step-by-step process that's needed to build your email list (yes, even if you're starting from ZERO just like we all did).
4 of my top email marketing tips for 2022 and what to look for when choosing a platform so you can make your email marketing practice more effortless and streamlined.
Tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Good news! You don't have to master your email marketing alone this year! And, you don't have to wonder HOW you're going to drive traffic to your grow your email list. My top strategies are taught in great detail inside of Brandmerry Academy. From Search Engine Optimization to Pinterest marketing to Video marketing, The Academy helps you market without relying on social media! 12 advanced marketing courses at your fingertips when you join. Learn more and join at brandmerry.com/academy.
- 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.
8 Content Creation Tips for a Consistent Content Strategy
I love creating content. You might not feel the same way now, but I promise it is possible to find joy in this process. And, while I genuinely love creating content, I do not want to spend all of my time and energy making it happen.
It's one of the reasons that I have focused on more evergreen strategies in my business, like relying on Google, Pinterest, YouTube videos, podcasting, and blogging, rather than focusing on social media. But no matter where you’re showing up, I want to share with you some of my top tips to streamline your content creation process.
On my YouTube channel, I shared ways to streamline your workflow process in this video. But, I want to take it a step further and share how to consistently create content, while not hating the entire process.
When it comes to consistent content creation, I’ve discovered that most people get hung up with the first step - What do I share?!
So, today we’re going to focus on this struggle and give you 8 ways to improve your process so that coming up with content ideas and creating your content becomes a breeze.
CONTENT CREATION TIP #1: KEEP RECORDS
As you begin to create your content, it's really important to keep clear records of the content you've already created. Inside of my ClickUp, we have an entire Content Database. This includes the title, release date, links, what’s promoted, etc… so I can easily locate past content.
If I ever want to revisit a piece of content, maybe repurpose it, or create a series, I have all of the information right there. This is incredibly helpful when you take an SEO approach to your content and will want to update keywords, and other factors to help with rank.
It’s also great if you want to reference an existing piece of content, and create internal links on your website (which Google loves)!
However, one of the things that's going to help you as you show up and consistently create content is to analyze the content you've already created because your audience will show you what they resonate with most.
On YouTube, we find that planning videos, content creation videos, and messaging videos do really well. So I know that every few weeks, I want to have a video that is in one of those categories. The only reason I know that is true is because we review our analytics every 30 days.
The same goes for social media. On Instagram, you can see what type of content has done really well with your audience. You could repurpose that content exactly as it is. Yes, I give you permission to post the exact same thing again on social media, because the reality is your audience is not going to remember that you already posted it. Or you can use that idea and you can create something new or refresh that content and post it again.
When you’re struggling to come up with content ideas, the answer might be right in front of you. Don’t stress yourself out by always worrying about creating something new, you can often repurpose your content/ reshare your content on a different medium, or with a different angle rather than creating something entirely new.
CONTENT CREATION TIP #2: ASK YOUR AUDIENCE
This is something that I think we often overlook. But if you have an audience, even if it is 10 people, you can ask them what type of content they would love for you to create.
They're already your warm audience. They're already there, creating engagement. They're already speaking with you, reading your blog, answering your emails, opening your emails, looking at your posts, and watching your videos. Why not ask them?
This is something that I do multiple times a year in my business. Every 90 days, we try to send out a market research survey to my audience. And in that survey, we ask very specific questions on the type of content that they would like to see from us at Brandmerry.
This post came from a market research survey. If you utilize your audience, people who have already expressed interest, you don't have to sit there and guess about what your audience would like. You can simply ask.
Whether it’s a simple Instagram story, you DM a few people, you ask in your email, or you have them fill out a complete survey, it doesn't matter.
The first people to help your content get seen will be your existing audience, so why not deliver what they are looking for, provide insane value, and build authority?
CONTENT CREATION TIP #3: ORGANIZE YOUR IDEAS
The third tip I have for you is a way to organize all of your amazing ideas. Okay. I don't know about you, but do you get ideas for what you can create with your content in the most crazy places? Whether you're on a plane or at the grocery store or your kid's soccer practice or doing dishes. You're not in a place where you necessarily are going to sit down and write down all of your ideas and completely map out, but you do need a place to jot down that idea that you have.
So I like to have an idea bank, and this idea bank is simply a note in my Google Drive because then I can access it from my phone, from my computer, no matter where I am in the world. And I can just jot down that idea. Then when I go to map out my content strategy for 90 days, something I talk about in this video right here, I can pull from my idea bank.
I am telling you, if you start implementing this practice, you are going to find how easy it is to come up with ideas. What I have always found is I will get these ideas in the moment when I'm feeling inspired. But then the second I sit down to write out my content plan, I'm like, "I can't think of anything."
But I have an idea bank, so I can just go look at that. And I allow that to get my juices rolling. So create some sort of idea bank, preferably digital, where you can jot down these ideas and circle back to when you're mapping out your content.
CONTENT CREATION TIP #4: CORE BRAND MESSAGES
Another tip I have for you is to create core messages or core offers for your brand. This is something that I teach in my membership Brandmerry Academy. They're called core brand messages, or CBMs.
I teach you how to create structured messaging for your brand as a whole.
What this does from a branding perspective is it gives you focus.
So whenever you're thinking of content ideas, you can look at your Core Brand Messages and say, "What does my audience need to know in order to take advantage of my offers? What are some obstacles that are standing in their way that are keeping them from taking advantage of this offer? What are some objections my audience might have regarding this offer?"
Then you can create various forms of content that are actually going to help you sell your offer.
Having these core brand messages, having these signature offers with these pillars, is a great way to streamline your content and make sure you never run out of ideas.
CONTENT CREATION TIP #5: STORYTELLING
One of the things that I talk about a lot at Brandmerry is the power of storytelling.
Not just your brand story, although very, very important, but also your ability to incorporate micro stories into your marketing, everyday things that are happening, things that you're seeing, things that are happening with your customers and your clients and really start to incorporate storytelling as just a natural form of marketing. It’s called Digital Storytelling, and it’s something I’ve been utilizing and teaching for years.
One of the strategies that I use when I am not feeling inspired is to think about my own story. I will just sit there and start to brainstorm things that have happened or things that I have heard or core pieces of my Brand/ Founder story, and I will use that to inspire my content.
This works incredibly well on social media and in email marketing because we know storytelling is such a powerful tool on those platforms.
If you’re not already incorporating storytelling into your marketing this can be a great way to start, and can help you come up with a long list of content ideas. Simply take an hour every 30 days to go into your content idea bank and write down a bunch of story ideas.
Storytelling allows the personal side of your business to come through, increases trust with your audience, and as I’ve already mentioned can take the headache out of coming up with content ideas.
These stories can be your own (the personal branding side), but you can also share stories about your clients and their results as well which just builds more authority with your audience.
The last three I have for you are really some time-saving strategies that I wanted to make sure that we touched on.
As I mentioned in the beginning, a big part of the stress that comes with content creation is just coming up with ideas. We've talked about a lot of those, but let's talk about some little strategies that you can implement to save you time overall.
CONTENT CREATION TIP #6: HAVE BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS
One of the things that I talked about in this video, is the power of sitting down for two to three hours every 90 days and mapping out your content for that particular quarter. We call it the 90-Day Content Plan and it’s the foundation of what I teach here.
This is your opportunity to sit down, look at your idea bank, look at some of the things your audience has been asking for, look at your keyword research using Google or a tool like Ubersuggest, and just sit down and write out all the different ideas that you have.
This strategy works incredibly well when paired with an SEO-centered marketing approach, which includes focusing on one core piece of content each week (specifically one on an SEO platform) and repurposing it. This means you only need to come up with 12 topics for the full 90 days. It’s all taught inside of the Content Planning Blueprint here.
Then you take that information and organize it in a spreadsheet or ClickUp, where you’ll choose the title, assign the keywords for your specific platform, and choose the date that you’re going to release it.
I find this simple brainstorming session saves me so much time in the long run, because I’m not wasting time each week trying to come up with a topic. If you struggle with inspiration, like the rest of us, this can be the difference between consistently sharing content and posting when you feel like it.
And, when you’re taking an SEO approach to your content strategy, you’ll also find the content you’re creating lasts a lot longer!
Learn more about the 90-Day Content Blueprint Here.
CONTENT CREATION TIP #7: SET A TIMER
Having a system or workflow for your content can save you a lot of time in your business, however when you’re just getting started it can still feel like content creation is taking a long time.
That's because you're building up that content creation muscle. It's going to take some time. But one of the things that I started doing in my second year of business is setting timers, and I would use these timers as motivation to see if I could create stuff in a specific chunk of time.
Rather than giving myself a whole day to create content, I'd say, "All right. I've got two hours to record as many videos as possible. My goal is four." Or I would say, "All right. I've got 45 minutes to write this blog post." And I would set a timer for 45 minutes.
Now, when I was first starting, I always went over, always, because I was still trying to refine my strategy. But, through the process, I was becoming a better content creator. I was getting better at talking on video. I was getting faster at writing blogs.
And, over time, I started meeting those mini-deadlines that I set for myself. And as a result, I was saving hours every single week.
So I highly suggest you play with it, set a time that feels a little challenging, and see how you do.
CONTENT CREATION TIP #8: STREAMLINE YOUR PROCESS
That leads me to my last tip. You're not going to master this out of the gate, but every single time you create content, I want to find ways that you can streamline your process.
So every time you do it, have an opportunity to analyze and say, "How did that feel? My blog took a really long time. Why do I think it took a long time? Is there anything that I can do to speed up this process? My graphics are taking forever. Maybe if I create templates, I'll save myself time in the long run."
Look at these little opportunities to analyze every week in your business, or maybe every 30 days, to find where you can streamline your process.
This is honestly a strategy that's just great for marketing and business in general, but using it with your content creation will save you time and it will save you energy. Having these clear systems is what's really going to support you to show up consistently for your audience.
Inside Content Planning Blueprint, I teach you my tried and true workflow and even include a ClickUp workflow for your business.
Even 8 years later, I’m still using my content workflow list to make sure I’m hitting all my marks.
CONCLUSION
I hope those tips got the juices flowing in your brain, and you are thinking about all the ways that you can gather ideas for your content creation and also save a little bit of time. As I said before, I have a lot of videos on this channel that can be incredibly helpful for you in your content creation journey.
You can also look for my videos on market research, planning out 90 days of content, as well as our content creation video on saving time with your existing workflow.
If you want more support with content creation and your overall content marketing process, then I encourage you to get the 90-Day Content Blueprint here.
Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!
The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.
P.S. In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>
- 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.
7 Content Creator Time-Saving Tips
As a content creator, you've probably recognized that it can take a lot of time to plan, organize, create and schedule your content for social media.
The good news is you're not alone! I recently surveyed my audience and the #1 struggle they stated when it comes to content creation is time. Whether you have a limited amount of time to sit down and create or find the process incredibly overwhelming and time-consuming, you're in the right spot!
Over the past 6 years, I've consistently created content online, posting new content at least once a week on my blog, youtube, podcast, email, and/or social media. When I started, I was not only doing it all myself but also working a 9 to 5 and raising a newborn. I had to learn pretty quickly how to create content efficiently, so I wasn't spending all my time behind the scenes of my business.
These tips have helped my clients go from spending 4-6 hours a week on content creation to just 2 and now I'm sharing my top 7 tips with you.
In episode 32 of The Brandmerry Podcast, I'm sharing, "7 Content Creator Time-Saving Tips," so you can start to more effectively create and share content, show up consistently and build your profitable online business.
Tune in now to hear:
The single practice I've been doing for 6 years now, that has helped me show up weekly online with "fresh" content.
Why it's taking you forever to create your content and exactly what to switch in your strategy to make sure you're not wasting hours on content creation for social media, video marketing, and more.
How I never run out of ideas for content creation and what might be missing from your current content creation marketing strategy.
Tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!
The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.
In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>
- 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.