Mighty Marketing Mojo

Tag: small business

Why I Chose Coaching to Grow My Business

Choosing to Use a Coach Has Been One of Smartest Business Decisions I’ve Made

Sometimes we solopreneurs can be stubborn. Many of us think we have to do everything, well, solo! We might scoff at hiring a VA (virtual assistant) to help us with creating graphics, scheduling social media, setting up shopping carts or payment systems, or creating content. We try to do everything ourselves. We think we can’t ‘afford’ to have a team. We might think that investing in coaching is too luxurious. Or maybe we’re skeptical of all the people out there selling their services as coaches – not knowing who to trust if we DO decide to make that smart investment in coaching.

I’ve been there. I still do most of the work in my business myself. And I have the late nights and foggy head to prove it! But I KNOW that hiring help can really HELP me and lead to growth. I have goals to get there in terms of hiring a VA to do routine tasks so I can spend more time with clients. But one thing I jumped on pretty early in my solo career – hiring a coach.

In fact, it was hiring a coach that led me to starting my solopreneur business in the first place.

I had finally made the decision (a complicated and bit painful one) to leave the path I’d been on to becoming a professor and teaching at the graduate school level. I’d spent a lot of years grinding away on that path. It was very hard for me to clearly see what my other options were or where my passion really lay. My husband suggested I work with a former colleague of his who had become a coach, and Lauren helped me work through what I was great at, what I wanted, and where to go next. And voila, more than 6 years ago my LLC was formed and I was officially a business owner and my own boss. I’m still grateful for Lauren’s help – a big part of it being showing me the power of coaching.

I could tell you my new solo path was smooth, straight, and led right to happiness, joyful clients, and plenty of income.

But nope.

That’s not how life, or business, works most of the time. And certainly not for me. There were downs, and twists, and ups and successes too. But I hit a point where what I had first created my business to do, wasn’t serving me, or making the impact I wanted.

At first, I tried to learn my way out.

I joke that my MLS means I have a graduate degree in ‘finding stuff’. As an info pro and researcher at heart, I kept researching, studying, and reading. That always worked in the past. I was a pro at being a student and life-long learner (remember, I had spent YEARS working to be a teacher/professor and to basically stay in school forever).

I bet you read a lot too. Blog posts, emails, magazines, internet news articles. You’ve probably taken some online courses or a few webinars. Maybe a LOT of webinars. Maybe shelled out more than your wallet wanted for some fancy courses that promised the moon.

I know I did. Ouch.

Did that work for me?

Well … sort of.

I DID learn a heckuva lot about how marketing works today vs. my long ago days in advertising.

I learned what’s different for small business and B2B vs B2C (it’s all really H2H—pssst ask me what that means!), about marketing services vs. products, online businesses vs. bricks-n-mortar, marketing automation, how email marketing isn’t dead, content is king, and don’t build your business on the shifting sands of social media. whew.

And that there is NO magic bullet, NO one-size-fits all solution, NO single right marketing solution. I DO believe that, whole-heartedly.

I saw a lot of ‘gurus’ that contradicted each other and operated in ways I didn’t like.

I spent A LOT of time on this. Heck, I’ve spent the last 6 YEARS listening, learning, observing, testing, practicing (and now teaching) marketing. I should have another degree by now. 🙂 You don’t have that kind of time, nor do any of us need any more degrees or formal coursework.

You know what REALLY helped?

What got me unstuck when things weren’t clear or the ideas jumbled together?

Getting help. Asking for assistance.

Investing in a coach again was what cleared my confusion and reset my business.

Coaching refreshed my marketing mindset. And got my marketing mojo back!

Sure, I got tips from mentors, from my professional association memberships, and from those zillion webinars over the years. But sometimes we need more. We need a more personal touch and support. We need that cheerleader or wise guide on our side. We need info that’s more current than a book.

I choose coaching.

Coaching combined learning, seeing skills in action, being in a supportive environment, and often a hefty dose of accountability to get me to take ACTION.

Coaching guides me out of thinking and studying and into TRYING and DOING.

I’ve had several business coaches over the years and learned a lot from each. Different coaches for different stages of my career and my business. I had different questions and needs. You do too.

My current coach helps me evaluate which options make sense for me RIGHT NOW and we always ask, “what if it were easy?”

I even bought the What If It Were Easy coffee mug!

Right now, you’re here reading this blog, visiting my site, and joining my community because you have questions about marketing. Cool! Welcome!

What’s next for you in marketing YOUR solopreneur business? Could you choose coaching too? Coaching with me? I hope so!

[thrive_text_block color=”orange” headline=”Join Me for Mighty Marketing Coaching in January!”] I’ve created a new coaching program to help my fellow solopreneurs kickstart 2019. Let’s make 2019 the year you get YOUR marketing mojo going! Check out this special offer for a short, 6-week coaching program focused on setting goals and creating marketing plans that mean action.[/thrive_text_block]

December 7, 2018
Yes, Your Business Needs to be on Social Media – But Not 24/7/365
The Questions You’re Asking to Figure Out If Your Solopreneur Biz REALLY Needs Social Media
Social media seems like it could be a solopreneur or small business marketing dream come true. Places online where you get to talk about and promote your business for free?! Millions – no BILLIONS – of people all online in the same spots, chatting about their interest, sharing pictures of their past-times/hobbies/workouts/meals, and even places just to connect with professional colleagues. But still some people are wondering if they really need social media for their business.
It actually didn’t take long for business owners – very small to very large – to realize their clients and customers were on social media AND talking about them or the products and services they sold. Business went ALL in on social media. [if you need some numbers and stats to convince you on who’s really using social media – and yes, your customers ARE there – then check out my post busting some myths and bad advice about social media]
Maybe too much in and on social media though.
We’ve come to realize social media isn’t always rosy or positive and can be a scary thing personally or professionally. Being “ON” on social media can also take up a lot of valuable time. Those of us using social media to ‘get the word out’ about our businesses (aka marketing) feel pressured to be on EVERY social platform, ALL the time. That’s not healthy, or helpful. And with literal billions using some of the social platforms, does anyone see or hear what we say? You may be wondering if you should even bother.
So, Do You NEED Social Media In Your Business?
I’m here to say that YES – your business should be on social media. That includes your solopreneur business, even if (especially if) you’re just starting out. BUT … that recommendation comes with some caveats and tips.
Caveat and tip #1 – You do NOT need to be online or on social media 24/7, 365 days a year to find success.
Caveat and tip #2 – (this could feel controversial to you) You do NOT need to be on EVERY social channel or try every new app that pops up. Stick around here and I’ll show you why.
Caveat and tip #3 – You don’t have to be perfect on social media, you do need to be human, real, and consistent. Don’t jump into something that you can’t keep up with.
Still unsure about how and why social media makes sense for your small business? Read on … AND click the button and join my group training on Smarter Social Media Success!
Join Smarter Social Media Success
Here’s How to determine whether marketing via social media is a good fit for you and your business.
Do You Have Enough Business to Last You Until You Retire?
If the answer is yes, you don’t need social media. Cool and congrats! Let’s have a separate conversation on all the great things you must already be doing in your biz and why you’re still hanging out with me.
But let’s be honest, do you really have that much business? I surely don’t! I’m busy, and lucky to lead a good life, but I still want to help more clients in both sides of my business. I still want my business to bring in more money so I can travel to more events, or pay to outsource things I’m not great at doing. I bet you feel you’re not done helping your niche and you could definitely use more money to grow your business and boost your life plans.
Do you want your business to grow or possibly stall? The adage and advice that it’s easier to keep and please existing customers than it is to find new ones is 100% true. [some stats say it’s 7x easier to retain, others say 5 times easier to keep a customer and HBR gives a range of acquiring new as 25x more expensive – point is, do NOT ever forget about your existing customers!] If you aren’t on social media, you’re not only missing a lot of opportunities to get new customers, but also to connect with your current ones. More and more people turn to social media for customer service and getting help.

Do You Have a Process That Is Already Generating Enough New Prospective Clients?
Your process or plan probably has a few leaks in the old ‘customer pipeline’ and could use help. Ask yourself, can you really have too many prospective new clients, or too many actual customers? Well … for us solopreneurs who offer services or work with clients 1-to-1, we could kinda run into problems if we hit the client jackpot or our pipeline floods! But usually, it doesn’t hurt us to keep bringing in new prospects and new paying customers. That’s sort of the point of business. It’s how a business grows and expands and keeps going. Social media could open you up to a whole new audience. It can drive new traffic back to your website and your email list. Smart social media use could raise your visibility and build your reputation at the top of that path of new clients.
A lot of the consultants, coaches and others with service businesses who I know, still rely on word-of-mouth as their #1 marketing tactic – if they even think of WoM as ‘marketing’ at all. Hard truth time pals- these days that isn’t always enough. (and you need a process, a system, for your word-of-mouth – but that’s a different post and training. )
Having a good, consistent, engaging social media presence can work like word-of-mouth if your followers share your content with their followers. What’s a RT or a Share from Facebook but a new twist on word-of-mouth. However, you need to create a compelling social media posts that people enjoy and want to share. Being seen as helpful and real on social media could have your posts spreading and really expanding your audience.

Can You Afford Traditional Advertising Methods?
Most small businesses, and certainly the vast majority of solopreneurs, can’t afford TV, radio, or newspaper ads – and they wouldn’t be very effective in most instances even if you could afford them. You’re probably not buying a billboard outside of town. I bet most of my solopreneur pals aren’t running print direct mail campaigns either. You may not be able to spend much on PPC (pay-per-click) ads or Google AdWord campaign.
So, pretty high chance your answer on most paid advertising is “no.” That means social media advertising could be your cheapest, most affordable advertising option. And honestly, social media ads can so narrow down and hyper-target your ideal client, that traditional advertisers could only have dreamed about back in my ad agency days. Paid social media advertising is way more targeted and cost-effective than even the best local cable ads, direct mail, or any other ‘traditional’ sources claiming to be targeted. You don’t have to jump straight to paid social ads, but do know it’s a tool that solopreneurs should keep in their marketing kit.
Note: I say “advertising” up there and I mean just that – paying to promote, share, or place ads. Advertising is one part of the whole marketing process. On social media today, advertising could be a boosted post or event, a supported Tweet, or straight-up social ads. Do NOT buy into the myth that social media is ‘free’ – because while you aren’t paying to join the social platforms, you ARE paying in your effort, time, and resources. Social media can cost blood, sweat, and tears – and sometimes some cash too. But don’t ignore social ads.
10 Tools for Social Media Success
Sign up below to get your FREE guide to my favorite time-saving, budget-friendly social media tools for solopreneurs!

Do You Have a Faster Way to Interact with and Answer Customer Questions?
Social media is a great place to get feedback from your customers or your potential customers. As I said, more people are turning to social media for customer service and to get direct answers, not just for research or asking their friends about favorite products. In many cases, they head to social media before the phone or email.
You can answer questions via social media and get to know your current or potential clients on a more personal level. PLUS, all your other potential clients will see your answers, your honesty, and your customer service in action. PLUS, research says consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on a social referral. Personal service is extremely important to people these days. You can build a life-long customer relationship simply by making people feel that they matter, they are important and that you desire to cater to their needs as best you can.
To be successful at building a business today, you need to be building relationships. Forget about “B2B”, “B2C” and think “H2H” – human-to-human. We have better buying experiences when there’s a real human element and we connect with the person selling us something, especially if we think – no KNOW – that other human has our interests at heart. Client loyalty, repeat business, referrals, even that vaunted ‘word of mouth marketing’ comes from good relationships. Building a solid, meaningful social media presence that responds to customers is an excellent way to build those relationships.
Convinced Now That Your Solopreneur Business Can Use Social Media for Growth and Success?
Look, this isn’t about whether or not YOU personally think much of social media, like, love or hate it, or are a high user of social media. I’m not saying do something you hate and dread … BUT … it matters more that your prospective client and customers ARE using social media. They’re out there looking for answers, for services, for products, for help, and even researching YOU.
Unless your market isn’t online at all anywhere (doubt it!) and never touches a computer, the chances are that your business can benefit greatly from being on and using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Instagram or Pinterest. I am NOT saying go join ALL of them and start promoting like crazy! “That’s not how this works, that’s not how any of this works!”
DO go take a spin around the major social sites and check out how solopreneurs like you are using those platforms and reaching their customers. This will help you decide if it’s a smart move for you. [That and joining my Smarter Social Success group training program so you can learn about finding where your ideal clients are hanging out – because you don’t need to be everywhere all the time! That’s not smart social.]
Gaining visibility, building your reputation, speeding up KNOW-LIKE-TRUST process, sending targeted traffic to your website, building your prospect list, listening to your customers, researching your marketing – the many ways you can use social media for biz wins. Smart social media use can do wonders for many businesses. No, it won’t be a key marketing strategy for every business, but it’s becoming more and more common.
Still wondering how social media can translate to paying clients? Need to know where YOUR clients are likely to be hanging out on social media? Time to get even SMARTER in how your business uses social media – time to join me for Smarter Social Media Success training!
Join Smarter Social Media Success
October 2, 2018
9 Ways for Busy Solopreneurs to Keep Up With the Latest Marketing Trends
Check Out 9 Ways You Can Keep Up with the Latest Marketing Trends

Staying on top of the latest marketing trends can present quite a challenge. With that being said, there are a few ways that you can stay on top of the game and make sure you are using the most up-to-date methods of marketing your business.

As a business, it is essential to make your presence known. Keeping a professional website is the first step in making sure that is done. Your website is the “storefront” for your business and this is what actually sets the tone for those that express an interest by visiting your website. Make sure your website is search engine optimized. Having a perfectly optimized website is awesome, but make sure you gain the exposure you need in order see the success you are hoping for.

But having an awesome and optimal website isn’t enough. You need to do your homework to stay on top of the latest and greatest marketing opportunities available for you and your business. But hey, I’ve done the homework for you! Check out these trend tips:

9 tactics that can keep your solopreneur marketing one step ahead:

Visit Internet/Digital Marketing Blogs

Interact with others in the community by visiting forums and read posts by others regarding marketing methods they have tried or those they intend to try. If you see a new opportunity that arises, take advantage of it. Few of my favorite marketing blogs to recommend (other than my own here!):
- Duct Tape Marketing – from author and small business marketing expert, John Jantsch
- Marketing Profs – articles, training, strategies, conferences for both marketing departments and individual marketers
- Content Marketing Institute – want to know more about the world of Content Marketing, this is THE place and they do awesome yearly benchmarking research on B2C, B2B and nonprofit CM.
- Chris Brogan’s Blog – speaker, author, consultant, marketing guru with a focus on entrepreneurs; personable, approachable style.
- WebInkNow – blog from best-selling marketing book author, David Meerman Scott
- HubSpot – they are the ultimate model of content marketing – they teach it, live it, help other businesses execute it properly. It’s well worth giving them your email address in exchange for some of the fantastic guides, planners, spreadsheets and tools they offer as lead magnets.
Participate in Conferences

This will allow you to meet other people, many of whom are right on top of the game. This is a great way to gain useful insight and information that will prove to be invaluable for you and your business. This might mean planning for 1 conference a year that’s not in your clients’ fields, nor your own professional association, but a marketing-centric meeting or conference. Look for ones with other small, solo businesses so you can pick up tips from others facing similar challenges. It doesn’t help to learn about tools that only the really BIG girls and boys can afford.

Networking

Take time to network with other business marketers. It’s good for more than building your contact list, it can build your knowledge too if you ask interesting questions and listen a lot! Share information with others and gather information from those who are trying to do the same thing you are. This allows you to stay on top of the latest marketing trends, and extract information from others as to their experiences with certain methods.

Research

You know this is one of the most important actions you can take that will help you gain knowledge about current marketing trends. Put your research skills to use and find information about the newest marketing trends. If anything in life is certain, it’s the fact that marketing trends are always changing. Keeping up-to-date can really be like a rat race if you don’t do your homework and commit time and effort in keeping up with the changes presented into today’s marketing world.

Subscribe to Alerts

You can use Google Alerts and get an email any time Google finds new results anywhere that matches your topic(s). Use it for tracking your competitors, key influencers in your niche, tracking the main industries of your clients, and of course keeping up on specific marketing topics. Note: Google Alerts has been buggy and not 100% reliable for a little while.

Alternatives to Google Alerts:
- Talkwalker Alerts [FREE] – simple, bare-bones style, sends alerts to your inbox or an RSS feed reader.
- SocialMention [free again] – especially good at monitoring blogs, social networking, videos and the comments sections for your selected keywords/topics.
- Mention – probably most powerful monitoring tool – you pay for power and reliability though! [Free trial, solo plan starts at $29/mo]
- Meltwater News – [paid] big time, industry level online media monitoring (a good tool for info pros to know of for their own work – if you have it, don’t forget to use it to monitor YOUR brand and how to boost your own biz)
Subscribe to Blogs and News Sites

You can subscribe individually to many blogs and get the latest posts emailed to you automatically (check the sidebar to the right and sign up for posts from me, The InfoHound). Or you can grab the RSS feed of a blog.
The RSS feed is NOT dead – and with many new magazine style apps out there for mobile, there are more ways to read and keep up with your favorite blogs (like this one!) and news sites. Basically, an RSS feed talks to the feed reader (aggregator) and every time something new hits a site you’ve subscribed to, it’s sent to the feed reader and it’s ready, waiting for you.

I personally love Feedly (Web-based version – I only use for making some adjustments and doing a lot of content curating to Hootsuite; I use the Feedly app on phone + tablet DAILY!) and have TONS of sites feeding in, organized by various topics. I can keep News and Politics separate if I want (hard to do in life!) and I have ‘folders’ for Marketing, Tech, Photography, Libraries, etc. It’s simple to set up and you don’t have to know anything about RSS feeds really, you just tell it the URL of a site you want to have added to your ‘feed’.

Feedly RSS Feed Reader – Keep your content filled up

I also use a similar app called Flipboard that pulls my preferred topics from an assortment of news sites and blogs. It shows all the images as well as original text and is easy to read on mobile devices.

Get Social

Besides reading forums and blogs, go join some LinkedIn Groups, Facebook Groups, or start a list in Twitter. Ask questions in those marketing related groups about what others are seeing as emerging trends, hot trends, trends that don’t really matter, and their best practices. Create a list on Twitter of influential people, who post regularly with helpful Tweets, on the marketing for small or solo businesses [Here’s a few I like: Melissa Galt, Edmund Lee, Ken Watson, Barbara Schenck, Viveka Von Rosen, Berrak Sarikaya, Melinda Emerson, SCORE Mentors (do find your local SCORE chapter too!) and Ian Brodie]. Add a few who are overall marketing luminaries (like Guy Kawasaki, Ann Handley, Jay Baer, Chris Brogan, and John Jantsch) and see what they’re talking about. You can even create a hidden or secret list of your competitors and monitor and learn from them in real time too – maybe see what NOT to do!

Be Ok with Change

Make yourself readily available for change. Be resilient and flexible. Don’t forget what the main goals of your business really are. Think outside the box. Those are all ways of motivating yourself to entire ownership of the actions you take in marketing your business.

Never Stop Learning

Sign up for 1-2 courses, workshops, online training or webinars every 3-6 months. The world moves fast, technology changes, best practices in marketing shift around – so stay on top and keep learning. Professional development and education expands your business mind, keeps you up to date, gives you new tools and insights to help clients with, and makes sure you stay on top of your game.
HEY – maybe you want to check out new offerings from me, The InfoHound!

Your success really is based on your efforts in putting your business name right in front of your intended audience. Using the information given will give you the insight and knowledge you need in order to help you keep up with the latest marketing trends for your business. So will reading the blog here with me, The InfoHound, and signing up for classes, webinars and the training I offer especially for small, solo info-preneur businesses like yours (and my own!).
June 29, 2016
Learning to love change

Changes, tweaks and adjustments coming soon!

A bit of remodeling and upgrading coming here to the home of The InfoHound. I’ve been watching videos & webinars; reading books, articles, blog posts, emails, trade press, and magazines; attending events and conferences, ‘going to class’ and generally learning so much good stuff lately that my head might explode soon!!

I need to find new ways to get all that knowledge out and share it with you here!

1) Because it’s the kind of knowledge that is meant to be applied, shared and taught, and

2) because that’s what I DO!

What kind of changes? What have I learned?

I’ve attended great talks by Debra Fine,

photo © by Mark Goldstein / IRC https://www.flickr.com/photos/mg-irc/

and Erika Napoletano

Photo © by Mark Goldstein https://www.flickr.com/photos/mg-irc/

And branding expert Aaron Templer.

Amazing, inspiring, thought-provoking presentations. [Maybe someday I will tell a story about Debra Fine’s great book “Small Talk” that I was able to tell her!]

And now I have my signed copy of Napoletano’s UnPopular to finish reading.

[Napoletano gained… I won’t say more ‘popularity … from this TEDx talk – watch and you’ll know why! ]

Video Super Heroes!

Video is HOT! It’s perhaps the biggest change to marketing since the days of John Wanamaker! Small businesses, firms, entrepreneurs and non-profits that could never afford TV advertising can produce creative, engaging, educational videos on their own.

Want proof that even seemingly ‘unsexy’ industries, or B2B companies, can make this work? Seen the Blendtec videos? Yeah, that’s an iPhone in a blender! It’s a great story and marketing success.

I’ve learned (and am still learning!) many cool tips, tricks and techniques for videography from some of the current gurus in the field of video marketing. Experts such as Steven Washer, Don Crowther, Jason Fladlien, James Wedmore, Jody Jelas, Andy Jenkins and Marisa Murgatroyd.

I’ve got a few pieces of gear, accessories for my DSLR & pocket HD video, new software and will be putting it to use to better engage here and elsewhere in my business.
As I learn more, I’ll share even more – because that’s what I do!

Entrepreneurship, marketing and marketing intelligence

Small business, entrepreneurship and marketing ideas from Steve Gordon, Ian Brodie, Dov Gordon, Chris Brogan and PJ Van Hulle are now in my toolkit/arsenal. So much good information to share and spread the word about.

The team at Aurora WDC, along with SLA [Special Libraries Association], and info pro colleagues like Ellen Naylor have been buffing up my knowledge of competitive intelligence, market intelligence, event-based research & intell as well as using social media to collect intelligence. Some of those research tools and skills are ones all business folks can make use of, and I’ll be sharing those in the near future.

So, what’s next?

The interesting news and excellent resources about doing better research and using search shortcuts will continue – but likely over at the blog part of IntelliCraft Research. IntelliCraft will maintain its focus on business intelligence through smarter research – so you can always look smart in your business.

But The InfoHound is going to explore the ‘info’ of marketing – marketing strategy, research, planning and techniques. Emphasis on strategy and research, sound principles and how it can all work for us ‘little guys and gals’. It keeps the blend of marketing, information, research and libraries that is the essence of The InfoHound’s background and expertise. So, keep your eyes peeled for new things coming!

September 20, 2013