Girl Get Visible Podcast: SEO Traffic, Content Marketing, and Business

In today’s episode we talk to Essene Hayes of Coloring Pins and Essence Murjani . Essence and her pins has been at the forefront the black girl lapel and patch movement. She’s been featured in Buzzfeed, Blavity, Essence Magazine, and a host of celebrities. By making what she loves she has not only created a break out brand but she has ushered in a new movement of style and out culture In this interview Essence shares

• The inspiration behind her brand

The process to creating new products

The introducing it to an audience that didn’t even

How Essence grew her brand from an idea to being worn by influencers such as Issa Raye of Insecure

Quote: “There is no what ifs, there is only what’s next” Essence Hayes- Coloring Pins Reference links:

• https://www.instagram.com/coloringpins/

http://www.essencemurjani.com/

https://www.coloringpins.com

Brief Bio Coloring Pins was birthed from my wanting to wear pins, but not seeing any for me on the market. There are tons of cute pins, but none of them resonated with me or made me feel like I had to have them. I wanted a pin that was an extension of me, and I wanted to be able to walk with a pin that spoke before I did".- Essence Hayes, Owner, EssenceMurjani Jewelry Coloring Pins is a brand that represents people of color, the mis- and underrepresented. We want people to feel and see themselves in a very popular market. We will expand to apparel and other merchandise to complement our popular accessories. Coloring Pins is just here to add a bit more color to the pin game.

We mainly talk about online retail here on OBS, but occasionally we get asked about opening a physical location for your boutique business or even hosting a pop-up shop or vending event. So in this episode I invited Brick and Mortar Retail Coach Sonja Thompkins to share her expertise in owning a physical retail location. In this Episode you'll learn:

• What to consider when opening a physical boutique
• ways to open a boutique on a budget
• the advantages of having a physical location
• ideas for doing pop up shops and vending events.

Resources Mentioned:

• sincerelysonja.com
• Price Your Boutique to Profit

Sonja's Bio: After owning 4 businesses over the last 20 year, I’m on a mission to redefine what it means to “work for a living”. Instead of finding a job, I say make one for yourself. Just so happens that owning brick & mortar boutiques was my jam. Now I teach my clients how to have boutique businesses that fit their lifestyle and that customers flock to. I do this through this blog, my popular digital products & successful coaching programs. I'm also a foodie, mystic, wife & mother.

In this episode I have a real talk conversation with my followers about what's holding you back from getting media coverage, getting featured, and overall building buzz around your brand. If you find yourself thinking no one every talks about your brand or why does someone with similar products get all of the attention and your get none; then this is your episode. This episode also follows an in-depth SEO Q&A we had on the Facebook page the day before: Click Here for the SEO Q&A  During this step episode I give you actionable steps you can do today to start getting your products our of the shadows and into the boutique spotlights. Resources:

• Grab the free SEO Guide I mentioned
• Here's the Crystal soap feature that started it all https://www.facebook.com/Insiderbeauty/videos/400493173654420/

This episode is Part 2 of our interview with Arsha Jones of Brand Build Sell and the owner of 3 amazing brands  Tees in the Trap and Capital City Mumbo Sauce about building  phenomenal brands and the true roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship. This episode was so juicy I've split into 2 parts so you don't miss a nugget. In this episode you'll learn In Part 1 of this episode Arsha digs deep into

• How Arsha is continuing to grow her brands
• How we stay (or try to say LOL) focused with so many options out there
• how a brand can build in today's space
• how being an entrepreneur can/ and should change and shape your life

Find Part 1 Here  Resources and link mentioned in the episode

• Arsha's Faceboook Group- Brand, Build, Launch

About Arsha Arsha Jones is a creative soul with a penchant for marketing, sales, technology, social media, and popular culture. An emerging leader in the e-commerce industry, she has built multiple, highly profitable brands, one of which has seen revenues approaching a million dollars in less than two years. Known for her quiet demeanor and business prowess, Arsha’s brands have been featured in or on media outlets such as Buzzfeed, The Washington Post, Black Enterprise, FOX, CBS, and TV One. Her website, BuildBrandSell.com is where she endeavors to teach others how to turn their passions into profit with physical products. When not building her e-commerce empire, you can find Arsha spending time with her husband and children, enjoying a juicy nap or delicious bowl of ice cream. Arsha also recently won the Black Enterprise award for Family Business of the Year Award at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurship Summit.

In this episode we talk with Arsha Jones of Brand Build Sell and the owner of 2 amazing brands  Tees in the Trap and Capital City Mumbo Sauce about building  phenomenal brands and the true roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship. This episode was so juicy I've split into 2 parts so you don't miss a nugget.

In this episode you'll learn

In Part 1 of this episode Arsha digs deep into

• her road to success with both of her brands
• the triumphs and trials of getting national media attention in outlets like the Washington Post
• how she strategically positioned her brands to be the tops in their niche
• the lessons she learned starting a business from idea to concept
• hw she found and approached online influencers to market her brands

Find Part 2 Here  Resources and link mentioned in the episode

• Arsha's Faceboook Group- Brand, Build, Launch

About Arsha

Arsha Jones is a creative soul with a penchant for marketing, sales, technology, social media, and popular culture. An emerging leader in the e-commerce industry, she has built multiple, highly profitable brands, one of which has seen revenues approaching a million dollars in less than two years.

Known for her quiet demeanor and business prowess, Arsha’s brands have been featured in or on media outlets such as Buzzfeed, The Washington Post, Black Enterprise, FOX, CBS, and TV One. Her website, BuildBrandSell.com is where she endeavors to teach others how to turn their passions into profit with physical products. When not building her e-commerce empire, you can find Arsha spending time with her husband and children, enjoying a juicy nap or delicious bowl of ice cream.

In today's episode I talk to you about what's killing your online checkout process and loosing a lot of sales for your online boutique. I know we talk about abandoned cart recovery, but in this episode I want to talk about what drives customers to abandon their carts and leave your online store in the first place. What you'll learn:

• Why people are stopping and not buying during your checkout process
• What's an upsell and how it can make you more from each sale
• How to get people to act on those impulse buys
• How to set up your eCommerce website pages so you can get more sales from your social media post
• 3 ways to improve your check out today and avoid costly traffic leaks.

Mentioned in this episode: SEO Beginner's Guide http://onlineboutiquesource.com/seoguide

In This Episode Our guest, Irina Balyurko, shows us how putting your products on Amazon.com can benefit your business. She goes in to a detailed process of how to get your product on Amazon. What You’ll Learn

• Benefits of using Amazon
• Shipping with Amazon vs. self-shipping
• How to scale in your inventory to Amazon fulfillment
• Is it really worth it to use Amazon

Irina’s Quote “I love my life” How to find

• Main Website: sellerladder.com
• Facebook: Irina Balyurko

Books to check out Essentialism Disciplined Pursuit of Less - Greg McKeown Irina’s Bio As an Amazon consultant Irina's main goal is to help product based brands grow on Amazon platform.  She built her e-commerce expertise on both personal experience and providing guidance to business in various stages: from product launches to boosting sales for a mature business. She also brings MBA degree, and 10 years of corporate experience in project management and business analysis. Irina has an unhealthy obsession with farmers markets, and often can be caught playing superheroes with her two boys.

In today's episode we talk about something a little different, the latest trending retail stores going out of business. This isn't a new trend it happens every year after the holiday season makes or breaks retailers, but the recent closings have caused a bit of panic and insecurity in the online retail space. So, in this episode I talk about what we need to do turn this into a real opportunity for our online retail businesses. Also to make the most of the strategies I share in the episode, I've created a list of the top stores that have closed or closed locations in 2016-17 and their social media followings for you target 😉 Enjoy the episode Grab the download: 2016-2017 Retails Closing List with Social Media Counts Resources:

• peek.usertesting.com

In This Episode: You need to find a way to convert all those page visits in to purchases? Well our guest, Apryl Beverly has the answers you are looking for. Apryl is the million dollar word stylist well know for he straight no chaser approach to copy writing and business. Famous for her catch phrase 'Smack the Buy Button" (don't we all need that), Apryl is an accomplished copy writer, author, and entrepreneur. In this episode Apryl shares tips on writing copy for online boutiques and Facebook Ads from her best selling book F.A.S.T. Money! The Easy Way to Use Facebook Ads to Hook Smokin' Hot Leads. What You’ll Learn:

• The keys to Facebook ads
• How to get your first 100 likes
• Page, Video, Group
• How much to spend on ads

About Apryl Apryl Beverly crafts compelling copy that has generated $7,022,810 (and counting) in revenue for B2B solo entrepreneurs, small business owners and some of the country’s top brands. Known for her action-inducing writing style, she has earned a variety of awards and recognitions including hitting the Amazon Best Seller’s List in 3 categories just 24 hours after releasing her first book, Shots Fired! How to Write Copy that Pierces Hearts (And Opens Wallets). Her second book,F.A.S.T. Money! The Easy Way to use Facebook Ads to Hook Smokin’ Hot Leads shot to the No. 1 spot on Amazon’s Best Seller’s List two days before its official release. Apryl has 15 years of experience in copywriting, marketing communications and proposal writing. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University in Journalism and the University of Phoenix in Masters of Business Administration in Marketing. Visit www.baab.biz to find out more about her spine-tingling sentence slinging. Apryl’s Favorite Quote “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Book’s to Read “Power Permission Fire Your Fears - Shemicka Tankerson” How to find

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BAABWriting/
• Website: baab.biz
• Twitter: @baabwriting
• The Copy Closet: http://thecopycloset.com/

In this episode we talk to Lauren Varlack of Visionary Stationary and the creator of the Brand Flava Quiz ://visionarystationery.com/brand-flava-quiz/. Lauren is a premier designer in the Atlanta area and specialize in helping business find their unique design style. In this episode Lauren talks about branding your boutique, finding your unique style and purpose. Here's what you'll learn:

• how visual element of your brand help people connect with your boutiqe
• the importance of choosing colors that portray the emotion of your brand
• using imagery to encourage more retail sales
• the visual elements you need to represent your boutiques brand

A little about Lauren Lauren Varlack is the chief designer and strategist for Visionary Stationery | Lauren V. Designs. Lauren helps women entrepreneurs, especially women of color, unleash their purpose to create a spectacular visual brand that effectively communicates your powerful message to your dream customers and clients. Lauren has always been fascinated by art, design and computers from a very young age. She spent some time honing my craft by obtaining two Bachelors of Arts degrees: one in Social Sciences and Education, and the other in Fine Arts Digital Design. Lauren received accolades and awards as a high school teacher of 5 years. Also, since 2009, created beautiful visual brands for awesome business and clients through being a web and graphic designer many who are still loyal clients until today. The vision for Lauren's business came from the lack of authentic expression in the entrepreneurial world for African-Americans. At a point of emotional breakdown, in searching for stationery and visuals that represented who she was and her walk, Lauren noticed there were none.  So Lauren decided that it was time that we as African-Americans be who we are; unapologetically, do what we are called to do in life and business, and use visuals that represent our way of life. Thus, Visionary Stationery—Lauren V. Designs was born. When you work with Lauren, you will gain an effective plan and execution of your brand’s vision and message that speaks visually to the needs and desires of the clients and customers you want to embrace and work for. Your purpose is waiting to be unleashed and told in a colorful way! Sign up for a free brand assessment here: http://bit.ly/freebrandcheck