Launch With Words

Matt Levenhagen of Unified Web Design works with businesses to translate their visions into code. He's been working on the web for 20 years and his business just passed its five-year mark.

https://www.thebuilders.fm/https://www.unifiedwebdesign.com/https://twitter.com/mattlevenhagen

This episode focuses on why custom WordPress websites allow you to scale your business, how maintenance allows you to make "quick changes," and ends with five quick takes you'll want to hear.

"Once you have that website, especially on WordPress, the beautiful thing is that it can grow with your business." Matt Levenhagen

Did you miss my last appearance on his podcast (July 2022)? Watch it on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbmexJxfu6E

Listen to more episodes of the Launch With Words Podcast on your favorite podcast player or on the landing page for the podcast, hosted on Castos.

https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Sherry Holub of JV Media Design is "Your trusted partner for worry-free custom websites + design." She is the Creative Director at JVM Design with over 25 years of experience designing custom WordPress sites. When she's not helping support nonprofit and LGBTQIA+ businesses, she's taste-testing cupcakes and fostering cats.

https://jvmediadesign.com/

This episode focuses on why it's important to hire a professional, how custom sites help small businesses, and what you should look out for in security and marketing scams out there.

"You may be the expert in your business, but you're not the expert in everything." Sherry Holub

(Did you miss our first conversation? Watch it on YouTube.)

https://www.youtube.com/live/-RyoY1QTGbc?si=0OBv2nxwTCAMMWVS

Listen to more episodes of the Launch With Words Podcast on your favorite podcast player or on the landing page for the podcast, hosted on Castos.

https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

It's 2023 and the Launch With Words Podcast is back. If you haven't listened to episodes before, feel free to start at Season 1. I don't put my episodes behind a paywall.

 

This season is going to be all about WebDevs. I'll be interviewing people who build websites to help you, the small business owner, understand the process and participation that goes into website launches. 

 

WebDevs: I just released the Launch With Words SEO Mini-Pack and that is available here.

 

https://bit.ly/LWWSEO

 

September 2023 will include an eCommerce Mini-Pack. And I'll also be taking requests for topics.

Do you just post like a robot, schedule everything, and never respond? When's the last time you took a look at your target audience? Who are they -- really? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by writer and developer Hashim Warren for an insightful conversation on the importance of humanity in marketing.

"So the way that I've grown is understanding that not all of their business has to transact through the website. So I used to oversell the website as a part of the sales process now I'd say your website is your recommendation tool -- even when you have great word of mouth. That person who's receiving that referral is going to look you up online. You want your story to be the first thing there." Hashim Warren

Follow Hashim on Twitter

https://twitter.com/hashim_warren

Justice Year Newsletter

https://justiceyear.com/

More Episodes

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Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress

https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Premium Packs Are Available Here

http://bit.ly/LWWPremium

Do you just post like a robot, schedule everything, and never respond? When's the last time you took a look at your target audience? Who are they -- really? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by writer and social media manager, Carol Stephen, for an insightful conversation on the importance of empathy in our marketing.

"I think empathy is more important than ever. And if somebody's bullying somebody else, for example, that doesn't go over. You know? People are quick to jump in and help that person. I think that's become more evident over the last couple of years" Carol Stephen

Follow Carol on Twitter

https://twitter.com/carol_stephen

Carol Stephen's Blog

https://yoursocialmediaworks.com/blog

 

More Episodes

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Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress

https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Episode Transcript

00:22.64Bridget WillardHey hey! Welcome to another episode of Launch With Words. This is season 2, episode 8 with my very good friend Carol Stephen. Carol, how are you doing today?

00:33.77Carol StephenBut I'm doing great today. It's a wonderful day. We just had a big rainstorm and we're in the middle of a drought. So we're very happy. Oh yeah, everybody just loves going outside after the rain.

00:41.50Bridget WillardYeah, that's good and I love the way it smells after the rain. It's just, it just feels, it smells so fresh and clean and it's just wonderful. Gets all the pollen out of the air.

00:59.35Bridget WillardSo, when it comes to like you're small. I mean I know like you have roots in technical writing and you've worked with a lot of startups in the Silicon Valley area of the Bay Area of California but you also work with small businesses. So a lot of times you're doing the writing but I imagine sometimes people are like where do I even start? I mean what is your advice to small businesses who know they need to be blogging like we've said it enough like how do they even start.

01:32.74Carol StephenOh my gosh. Well I think the number 1 thing is they have to find their audience. So they need to know who their audience is. Like who is that person in the middle of their target? And I think for some people, that's probably changed since they started their business and they might not have revisited who their audience is. So if it's been two or three years I'd really recommend that people revisit figuring out who their target audience is. Now you don't necessarily have to pay somebody to help you do this but you you know you could find somebody who's just outside your business and someone who'll be honest with you to give you some advice.

02:14.35Bridget WillardYeah, that's really important. Rhonda with Fat Dog Creatives and I are doing a presentation at our small business chamber in a couple weeks. And we're like your website has to talk to your customer. It's not about you and then we both said that to each other and then we both went and looked up our own websites really quick.

02:35.25Carol StephenAh, well, that's right because I was thinking about my own business and it's changed so much. So I mean this is something that I'm telling myself as much as I'm telling the person listening to this that um that person that you were targeting is not the same person. And that that goes for everybody. So a refresh is good even if it is the same audience is it's a good reminder to do this exercise to figure out who that person

Is blogging bad or a waste of time? Do home remodelers and design-builders have to blog? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by SEO Writer, Tess Wittler, for an insightful conversation on why small businesses should care about publishing regularly on their websites.

"Your website is your Number 1 piece of digital real estate." Tess Wittler

Follow Tess on Twitter

https://twitter.com/TessWittler

Tess Wittler's Website

https://tesswittler.com/

Are you ready for the Done For You Newsletter?

https://bit.ly/DoneForYouTess

More Episodes

https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress

https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Episode Transcript

00:19.11Bridget WillardHey, hey! Thanks for joining me again on another episode this time with my longtime friend Tess Whitler. She is a remodeler and custom home builder marketing solutions person. She is that Marketing Department that you want. She has a Done For You Newsletter Program. She is amazing. She is smart. Tess, welcome to the show. So I know that you have been writing in the service industry for contractors for

00:40.92Tess WittlerOh it's great to be here. Bridget thank you.

00:52.41Bridget Willarda very long time enough to have a MBA if if we were just handing them out. How do we get people who are small business owners, how do we get plumbers and yoga teachers and manicurists to care about having a blog on their website?

01:12.79Tess WittlerWow so you know that's kind of like the million-dollar question but it really boils down to a couple of things, right? So it. It boils down to um Google likes fresh websites and fresh content. So what better way to do that than to have a blog? But more importantly than that, I think that 1 thing that a lot of small businesses sometimes forget is as we're feeding that Google Monster, you know, common, everyday customers -- they check you out before they ever pick up the phone to call you. You know they go to your Facebook page and they go to your Instagram and they go to your Google My Business or Google Business Profile as it's called now. And they definitely go to your website to learn more about you to see if.

01:54.94Bridget WillardHm.Bridget Willard

02:07.76Tess Wittlernumber 1 you offer the services that they're looking for and number 2 if you are the right solution. So I think even more important than, than SEO which is definitely my geek zone and I love that space. But I think even more importantly than that, it's just to be able to be there to help your potential customers understand what you do and get to know you better.

02:28.41Bridget WillardOh for sure. I mean yeah, if Marcy told me to go to Alamo City Plumbing because my bidet is leaking, Ah, I'm gonna go look and see if they even talk about bidets. I'm gonna look and see if they have reviews I'm gonna check out their, you know, Facebook Page. Are they still even in business? Do they have Instagram? What is going on with this place? And I think that most people have overly obsessed on what's being found ah on a Google Search Engine Result or the SERPs. Um as opposed to "plumber near me."

02:49.93Tess WittlerYep.

03:06.77Bridget WillardAh, "manicurist near me." I mean how many of us are doing those searches?

03:10.77Tess WittlerAll the time every single day.

03:14.10Bridget Willa

How do you start writing if you keep staring at a blank page? Are you in your own way? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by marketer and coach Jen McFarland for an insightful conversation on why small businesses should put their audience first with their website content.

"You just have to get started." Jen McFarland

Follow Jen on Twitter

https://twitter.com/jensmcfarland

Jen's Blog Post on ClickFunnels

https://womenconquerbiz.com/clickfunnels-review-2022/

Take an Ephipahy Course and Stop Decision Fatigue

https://epiphanycourses.com/

More Episodeshttps://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPresshttps://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Episode Transcript

00:19.23Bridget WillardHey hey thanks for joining me on this latest episode. I'm here with the Jen Mcfarland. Welcome! I am doing fabulous.

00:26.61Jen McFarlandHey hey how are you doing, Bridget? How you doing listeners?

00:33.64Bridget WillardAnd so we're we're talking to our small business owners. You and I have worked with a lot of clients and what's like so something that you kind of wish I feel like you wish they had an epiphany about?

00:49.16Jen McFarlandAh I feel like all of us as consultants give our clients small epiphanies every single day and that's one of the reasons why I started a new business called Epiphany Courses -- because it's our job as consultants to do that. But then there are people who can't afford us as. Consultants. So Why not give them little epiphanies? And that's my new business called EpiphanyCourses. They are courses based on business decisions, so in in an hour or less, you can make some exceptional business decisions on things that often confuse a lot of people. Like I am a total tech Nerd. We've just spent the last.

01:25.62Bridget WillardUm.

01:26.80Jen McFarlandWhat hour talking about all of our tech nerdiness? And so a lot of things that I am passionate about people get really confused about. And so that's kind of my focus whether it's on my podcast or my website or now with courses is to just help people untangle the techie bits that seem to really keep them from taking action on things.

01:47.95Bridget WillardYeah, um, with the Launch With Words starter pack the whole point of it is that it gets imported as a blog draft and so they know how to use the Draft Folder in WordPress. So just write. You know? A lot of people wanted it to be complicated, like a course, I'm like no -- small business owners don't have time for this crap. They just need to get in there write a blog post.

02:11.56Jen McFarlandYeah, and well what I love about what it is that you've done is it's like you're giving them drafts and you're giving them prompts. Like so many people hate the blank page and I'm one of them. And I've actually sometimes hired people just to help me keep the blank page from staring back at me. And when I see somebody else start it then I'm like oh okay now I got this. Now I can do this because I love to write; I hate the blank page. And that's what is so powerful about Launch With Words, I think, in the people that I work with they're like: I don't even know how to get started. So now I can be like well actually here's the thing.

02:45.69Bridget WillardYeah, the blank pag

How much does SEO matter to a small business? How complicated is coming up with blogging topics? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by writer Kitty Webb for an insightful conversation on why small businesses should put their audience first with their website content.

"Always think about your customer first." Kitty Webb

 

More Episodes

https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress

https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Transcript

00:22 But first, a word from our sponsor.

Zencastr.

I use Zencastr because it takes the headache out of producing podcasts. Who has time to edit in Garage Band all day long?

Zencastr is an all-in-one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how.

It records each guest locally, then uploads crystal clear audio tracks right into the dashboard so you have high-quality raw materials to work with. And then they run the production -- and TRANSCRIPTS.

With my promotional code, Zencaster will give you 30% off for 3 monthsof their professional plan (the one I use).

Plus, the hobbyist accounts are always free.

So, what have you got to lose? You only have time to gain.

zen.ai/launchwithwords0

The Promo Code is LaunchWithWords0

That's Launch With Words 0 no spaces.

02:23.25Bridget WillardHey hey it's season 2 episode 5 with Kitty Webb Webb -- one of my favorite people on the planet: SEO, writer, dancer. All the things.

02:34.62Kitty WebbAll the things.

02:39.90Bridget WillardSo We're talking to small business owners, Kitty Webb, and like to me everything I know about you makes SEO so easy like it's not really that hard. Like what are some of your like top-of-mind tips to small business owners who are writing their own content?

02:58.29Kitty WebbWell first of all, you're not writing for Google you're writing for people. Google is a tool that is trying to connect actual human beings with the information that they want to find and it gets better and better at that as time goes on so you see a lot of these trends in SEO. And everybody's talking about things like keyword density and neural networks and now they're like looking at different keyword categories and you look at Wikipedia and then you look at the subcategories in the Wikipedia category to make sure that you have your internal linking. None of that is necessary because all of that has to do with Google trying to find ways to connect actual human beings with the answers that they want. And it gets better and better and if that's what you're focused on then you really don't have to worry about all those complexities of SEO. Um, honestly, that really only comes into play when you're in the corporate SEO category and it's hyper-competitive and you're competing against Walmart or Petco or something like that, you know, which I've done. And that's a different ball game. But if you are you know a roofing company a contractor, a dentist. Um Google's not going to put you up against denti

Why should your small business value writing as part of its marketing efforts? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by writer Robert Nissenbaum for an insightful conversation on why small businesses should consider writing as part of their SEO efforts.

Follow Robert Nissenbaum at @RNissenbaum on Twitter and check out his company website at tso.media.

More Episodes

https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress

https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Transcript

00:22 But first, a word from our sponsor.

Zencastr.

I use Zencastr because it takes the headache out of producing podcasts. Who has time to edit in Garage Band all day long?

Zencastr is an all-in-one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how.

It records each guest locally, then uploads crystal clear audio tracks right into the dashboard so you have high-quality raw materials to work with. And then they run the production -- and TRANSCRIPTS.

With my promotional code, Zencaster will give you 30% off for 3 monthsof their professional plan (the one I use).

Plus, the hobbyist accounts are always free.

So, what have you got to lose? You only have time to gain.

zen.ai/launchwithwords0

The Promo Code is LaunchWithWords0

That's Launch With Words 0 no spaces.

02:23.27Bridget WillardHey, thanks everyone for turning in season 2 episode 4 with my friend, writer, SEO consultant, and kayaker Robert Nissenbaum. Welcome to the show, Robert. So um. It might be that you're muted. It happens. It happens. It happens. Yeah, ah hey it happens. Ah you know it. This is technology is not always easiest thing. But you know.

02:43.26Robert NissenbaumOh there we go I wasn't muted a few minutes ago. Ah.

02:58.25Bridget WillardWe live with it. It's it's working for us remote working writing um. Hey can you tell a little bit about yourself and what what motivates you to the audience?

03:07.96Robert NissenbaumAh, from a writing perspective I've been writing for thirty some odd years. I've been published forever in some form or another. First real thought as to this being something I was good at was back in college. So would have been like 87 where I -- first week and on campus ended up reading something as like oh no and sent a quick letter to the editor to the yeah school newspaper was immediately asked to start writing for him and just kind of went from there.

03:41.50Bridget WillardNice. So ah, you've been writing a lot for your clients and small businesses for you know, a lot a long enough amount of time that we probably shouldn't be telling people.

03:55.69Robert NissenbaumUm.

03:59.60Bridget WillardBut it's definitely longer than me and um, what do you think small business owners kind of miss when it comes to content on their website?

04:12.31Robert NissenbaumThey're not putting any on it. I mean I. I mean they're just missing it all together. Um.

04:20.43Bridget WillardConcisely put by Robert Nissenbaum. Thanks for watching everyone. No for real. Like because people talk to me a lot about Launch With Words and duplicate content. I'm like you know what's worse than duplicate content? No content. Waaka Waka Waka

04:22.54Robert NissenbaumAre.

04:29.95Robert NissenbaumExactly so and I think they get worried about having saying the same things over and over again or having repeat

Why should your small business value writing as part of their marketing efforts? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by writer Maddy Osman for an insightful conversation on how small business owners can DIY their content or hire a writer.

Follow Maddy Osman at @MaddyOsman on Twitter and check out her company website at theblogsmith.com.

More Episodes

https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress

https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/

Transcript

00:19.53Bridget WillardHey hey season 2 another episode. This is episode 3 with Maddie Osman -- the Maddie Osman. If you have seen anything in WordPress written about anything you've seen her byline. Maybe you haven't seen her byline. D you ghostwriting? yeah.

00:34.26Maddy OsmanI Do some ghostwriting.

00:39.13Bridget WillardShe's she's pretty ah prolific, is the word we would use, welcome. I'm like career goals I want to be like Maddie Osman. Will you be on my podcast?

00:44.20Maddy OsmanI'm glad you think so and thank you for having me.

00:50.84Maddy OsmanWell I'm I'm super happy to and I feel like Bridget like we learn from each other. You know, like we both have these different approaches but we both like ultimately are trying to do the same thing which is like help businesses communicate better.

01:06.18Bridget WillardYeah, and that is a problem because they have a passion and an an expertise and knowledge for what they do, but sometimes they feel inhibited ah by writing.

01:13.60Maddy OsmanRight.

01:19.22Maddy OsmanSo yeah.

01:21.31Bridget WillardSo like what are some of the things you think small business owners need to know or to get over that inhibition. Like for me I'm a something is better than nothing person. Like just put it on the internet fix it later.

01:33.99Maddy OsmanSolo. Yeah yeah.

01:36.52Bridget WillardSo like what kind of tips would you give a small business owner?

01:40.47Maddy OsmanYeah, no I think that's ah, a really great start and I think that the beauty of the internet as a publishing medium versus print or even you know like media like TV or radio or something like that is that we can change it. Right? after we publish it. We have that power and not that the bar is like lower for things like grammatical errors or making mistakes. I mean that's still super important. But I think that because of the medium that we're publishing on and the fact that a lot of content that we're creating has some sort of timely nature to it. There's also this like forgiveness like if you do make a mistake or you know maybe you like need to dig a little bit deeper into something for it to really provide the value that you want somebody to get out of it or if you made you know, just a grammatical error or whatever, you always have the option to go back in and edit it and I don't think that many people are are going to be upset about that. Versus like a print book and it's like oh crap that's how it is now.

02:45.40Bridget WillardWell I started my career working at a publisher of college textbooks. There are errors in every book Always as they just have those redlined for the next edition. It's not that big of a deal even in print.

02:49.70Maddy OsmanNice Oh sure.

02:59.68Maddy OsmanRight.

03:01.67Bridget WillardBut now with "screenshots are forever" - everybody's like you did this wrong. I just read a job opening today for a mortgage company that had the wrong like plural. The plural was missing like ah all you're only going to use 1 resource I guess not many of it. So but that's me.

03: