This week I talk about something in copywriting that trips a lot of people up.

THE SALES PAGE.

Your sales page can be the key piece of success in your sales funnel and customer journey if you take a critical (yet organic) view of it.

Your sales page should be clear on exactly:

• what you’re offering
• who it’s for
• why it’s important
• how it will help solve a problem or deliver a transformation 

Your copy should be organic to you and your brand. It should be conversational and include the reader. Use copysation, the writing style I teach that uses copy as conversation. It will flow better, come across more natural, and will immediately connect with your reader.

In this episode, I go through how to structure your sales page from top to bottom.

As an example, you can look at my Email Ally sales page. It's a great reference point as I go through each section. Click here to check out that page.

Whether you're thinking about launching an e-commerce business or are actively building one, this episode with Jamey Warren is key. A musician through and through, Jamey harnessed that creativity and ambition in growing his online career. Back in high school in El Paso, TX, Jamey and our own Joey Ramirez marched proudly in the Coronado High School (go T-Birds!) marching band…and participated in some rowdy hijinks on the side (wink, wink).

Hear how this professional musician found a way to intertwine his passion for and skills in music to create a career helping others start their own business and progress in their musical journey.

The Start

• Professional saxophonist
• Recording Engineer degree
• El Paso, TX to Tempe, AZ to Boulder, CO to Bozeman, MT
• Helped build an e-commerce website that became headphones.com

The Shift

• The jump to Shopify
• E-commerce expert specializing in Shopify

The Strategy

• Top tips in getting started with Shopify
• Mistakes to avoid when managing an e-commerce business

The Action

• How COVID inspired his new project, Groove Buds
• Tips to compete with Amazon
• Marketing tactics that got his business in front of the right people
• The power of SEO in growing an e-commerce business

The Mindset

• How high school marching band impacted his career
• The impact of journaling each day
• Intention - identifying his core values
• Goals and Vision
  • Build a bed and breakfast recording studio
  • Simplifying the offer of Groove Buds
  • Have the coolest music store on the planet 

The Wrap-Up

If you could listen to one music artist for the rest of your life, who would it be? Curt Warren (his dad)

Where can people find you online?

jameywarren.com

groovebuds.com

I hear the term side hustle a lot. And it makes me cringe every time. Calling something a side hustle gives it less weight. Less importance. As if it's this fluffy thing in the corner that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Pick it up and put it down as needed. That sounds more like a hobby to me.

But what I mostly see that are called 'side hustles' are not that at all. They are legitimate businesses. The start of a company. Really valuable products and services. 

Most successful entrepreneurs, in defining success as financial gain, have multiple income streams. They own multiple companies. They invest in multiple companies and start-ups. They own real estate. They offer a variety of products and services. 

Guess what? If you work full-time for an employer and have started your own companies that you are putting consistent effort into - you are an entrepreneur.

You are NOT "someone working full-time that also has side hustles". You have multiple income streams. Full stop.

I hope this episode gives people in this situation confidence to keep going, and to be proud of what they're building.

I see so many headlines screaming - quit your day job! But, what if you like your job AND you are building other businesses too AND you are serious about all? If you still work for an employer, should you be ashamed of that? If you're not stepping away from your full-time job to pursue your entrepreneurial ambitions does that mean you're not successful? NO WAY.

I want to put an end to this crazy either/or rhetoric that we've all been hearing for too long.

You may have asked yourself this question multiple times in the past year, a few times this part quarter, and maybe even a couple of times this week: 

Do I need to pivot (or shut down) my business?

After having sooooo many conversations with entrepreneurs via this podcast, in my Facebook group, in my courses, on social media…one of the main common threads has been - "this is how I realized I need to make a change in my business." 

In fact, I don't think I have spoken to a business owner in the past year that hasn't made an intentional shift. 

This week I go over some of my own pivots over the years and these top 3 indicators that a shift may be needed:

• How to identify if the passion is dead or if it can be regnited
• Business or hobby - making sure you have a validated business that can thrive with some tweaks
• Does your business still fit your lifestyle and goals?

Send me a note at [email protected] and let me know what changes you're thinking of making or that you have made to your business.

There are so many metrics you can track when it comes to email performance.  Seriously, it can be a full-time job to meticulously analyze reports around the performance of your email marketing. Completely fine to track them all, but less than a handful need your consistent attention.

In this episode, learn:

• The 3 email metrics that should command your attention each week
• How to improve your email open rate
• Action steps to stay out of the Spam folder
• Click-through rates of top industries 
• The real deal about your call-to-action and images
• How to increase your conversion rates
• The truth about subscribes and unsubscribes

PLUS: doors to the one-of-a-kind subscription, Email Ally, close this week (along with the incredibly low VIP pricing)! Cross 'emailing my list every week' off your list with this powerful tool. More info here. Here's to growing your audience and revenue!

Why is connecting with your audience (customers, students, clients, followers) so incredibly important? How are you, a business owner who barely has time to shower, supposed to do this?

This week I tell you why's and the how's of using consistent content to grow your audience AND your revenue. I go over 5 ways to make it happen :

1.  who to write for and how
2.  leveraging 'life as content'
3. executing a content audit
4. creating a system that scales
5. time-blocking, batching, keywords

Tune in and LET'S GO.

Remind me again why you're not using email marketing in your business? Is it because for every $1 spent it returns an average of $35? Or could it be because almost 60% of consumers say that marketing emails influence their purchase decisions? Or maybe it's because almost 50% of Americans subscribe to email lists?

If you've been following me or listening to this podcast for any length of time, you know that when I say 'email marketing' I'm not talking about the email marketing strategies of decades past. I'm talking about real connection (yes, copysation - get the behind-the-scenes info on that in episode #53, 'Connect with Copy: Grow Your Clientele') - not just throwing up some lame promo image and copy that creates the ick factor.

In this episode I break it down for you - the 7 ways your competitors are leveraging email marketing and sliding right on past you. From the astounding number of people using email to how much email absolutely CRUSHES the performance of social media, to the conversions businesses enjoy with this tool, I cover a lot of ground in just a few short minutes.

Grab my FREE download, 'One Year of Subject Lines to Amp Up Your Open Rates & Accelerate Sales' here. https://www.musclecreative.com/emailsubject

Ever wondered what goes in to self-publishing a book? I have heard from so many entrepreneurs, especially over the past year, who are finally starting to dust off their book idea(s) and turn them into reality.

Our guests this week, Miriam Wagliardo (published author and tradeshow event producer) and Nancy Giammarco (published author, illustrator and sound engineer) did just that. They tell us all about the steep learning curve of the process, tools they used, their first 'COVID' marketing phase, and their plans for getting their book into the mainstream post-pandemic.

The Start

• Miriam: dancing ballet professionally and teaching, singer in a band, interior design, tradeshow event producer
• Nancy:  Market degree, website design, guitars/keyboards/backing vocals in bands, sound engineer
• The two met with the band Mojo Dolls

The Shift

• Nancy had written and illustrated a book, Under the Purple Sea, and posted drawings to Facebook
• These drawings inspired Marian to reach out to Nancy to collaborate

 The Strategy

• Miriam's vivid dreams would be the foundation of the book
• The process they created to get this book finished - remotely and during COVID

The Action

• Before long, they had enough content to finalize their book collab, "Oh Look! It's a Bird!"
• Using Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) the began their self-publishing journey
• Their key learnings from this process (pay attention here!)

The Mindset

• Nancy:  To recharge - walking the dog (check out stories of her dog Tuff here), weightlifting, and practice illustrating everyday. Read, study, take classes to learn new elements of illustration
• Miriam: To recharge - working out (especially crucial when recovering from a serious car accident in 2016), painting, sewing
• Goals and Vision
   
  • Working on their next book 
  • Implement marketing campaign once COVID restrictions lift, including international elements

The Wrap-Up

If you could listen to one music artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Miriam - Journey

Nancy - Fleetwood Mac

Where can people find you online?

• "Oh Look! It's a Bird!" on Amazon
• Instagram

If you've been listening to this podcast or have tuned into my live trainings you know that I am all bout growing your email list. And not just growing your email list full of whatever emails you can get on it, but growing your email list full of targeted, actual people that you think will benefit from the information that you're giving them, and that might be interested n your products or services down the line once you develop a relationship. 

I always say grow an email list, because growing an audience on just on Facebook, or Instagram or any of the other platforms comes with a long-term challenge. And it's a pretty big one. You don't own those platforms, right? So the if the algorithm changes again, which it will, if Zuckerberg or whoever decides to shut it down, you're screwed. Because you don't own those followers. 

But your email list? That is your crew, those are your people. So I always teach people to start an email list and how to do it. And then some people are like, "That's awesome. But nobody is opening my emails."

 So with that, is obviously your subject line is kind of like first line of defense, right?  Why write such amazing content that's really going to help people if it's just gonna kind of languish and collect dust in their inbox? 

This podcast episode all about the email subject line. In this episode I'm teaching you the five qualities of super clickable email subject lines.  I also created a download that gives you all this information as well and a little activity to do to help you create an mail subject line bank, so that you can  pull from that when you need it. 

Ready to see your email open rate hit the high heavens? Let's get to it!

Grab your download here.

I've noticed this funny thing that happens when businesses start talking to their audience. They turn into robots.  

Picture it:  you're having a conversation with a friend. Letting them know what you're up to, your latest project. You're excited about it, detailing how it's going to help your customer base, how it's a game changer, who it's for, why you created it… Your friend is intrigued by your project and is excited for it simply because of your energy and excitement in telling them all about it.

Then. 

You go and post about it on social media. Or you send an email. Or describe it on your website. It's like your passion and excitement come to a screeching halt. 

(robot dance gif)

The way you describe your project/product/service is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than how you described it to you friend. The excitement and emotion are gone.

Why?

Why do we think we need to switch into 'sterile-corporate' mode when we talk to the public? And not any public but a curated group that have made the decision to be in our community, whether a social media follower, email subscriber or the like.

Obviously you need to 'read the room.' On the opposite end, I've seen people get too casual and not know their audience. Greeting an audience with , 'Hey girl hey!' might not get you too far depending upon their temperature/vibe. 

In this podcast episode:

• I teach you all about my 'Copysation' strategy 
  • How to connect with your audience through an organic, continuing conversation 
  • How to talk with them and not at them 
  • How this connection increases your revenue of more what I like to call 'heart-eyed' customers
• I also give you my 'Triple P Strategy'
  • These are three questions I ask myself before I write anything
  • These points need to be sorted out before pen hits paper or finger hits keyboard

Before you write anything else, listen to this training and implement it. It will make a world of difference in your audience connection and response.

Let me know when you make these changes and the positive impact you see from it!