Own Your Business

Today’s episode is focused on tips and tricks to DIY a website. But it’s also a big day for Katy and me, and our entire team, because we’re opening up our Showit template shop. 

Of course, everyone who owns their business would gladly have an expert take care of their website if it was as easy as, say, emailing the marketing department of the company you work for and saying, “Hey, we need a new site! Make one, please.” 

But it doesn’t work that way when you’re not only the Creative Director for your company, but also the Marketing Dept. Which means you’re the one who’s in charge of the website.

But the CFO for your company - also YOU - knows that money doesn’t grow on trees, and you (probably) don’t have a pile of cash laying around to give to an outside expert to do the work for you.

All this means that, yup, you’re right, YOU have to step up and do your website. Ugh.

DIYing isn’t the ideal way to create anything in your business except the product and services you give your clients. THOSE are YOUR area of expertise. That’s what you’re good at. 

Building websites is not a skill you can “fake it till you make it.” It’s complicated, with lots of moving parts surrounding design, layout, copy, messaging, image selection and a ton more. 

It’s also time consuming. We spend between 60-80 hours working on a site when we’re hired to do copywriting and design. But that doesn’t count the 15-20 hours our clients spend selecting images, making edits, and collecting other necessary information for the site to be successful.

If professionals spend that much time on a project, you can bet that amateur DIYers will spend significantly more time through trial and error, struggling with the hook (even our seasoned copywriters run into writer’s block, and trying to get design right, especially on mobile.

This is exactly why we created our new templates, which we call Compass Website Templates, because not only are they gorgeous Showit designs, but we actually provide you with real direction on how to fill in the template with incredibly effective copy and images that trigger your ideal client’s biggest desires. 

How do we do that? We offer what other template providers don’t:

-Our conversion copywriting formulas for each and every section of the site

-Ideal client avatar workup so you know you’re creating a site that’ll attract the right kind of buyer

-Image selection guide to choose the best images based on buyer motivations and emotions

-A hefty copywriting workbook to help you create messages designed to trigger your ideal client’s needs

-3+ hours of video tutorials with Katy (and a little of me) teaching you section by section, page by page what goes where, how, and why

-Regular ask-me-anything office hours (not a lame FB group) with a copywriting expert and website designer answering live questions

-Finally, you get a website review from us to tell you what can be done to make the site even better

If you plan on DIYing your site, our templates are your place to begin. Because we do it WITH you rather than you doing it alone.

And if you want step-by-step, page-by-page tutorials, office hours, workbooks and guides to help make your new website incredibly effective, check the show notes or visit www.ideactionconsulting.com.

We’re running special bonuses for everyone who buys a template between November 12-19. Don’t miss these extra perks!

On today’s podcast, Katy and I will share a few tips and tricks with you on how to improve your current website, or DIY your next one. 

If you are DIYing it. If the inner CFO in you is telling the Creative Director that the Marketing Dept. is on leave, and you’re the only one left to do the hard work of making your new website, well, listen up.

Katy and I are going to spill 5 of the most impactful tips from our Compass Website Templates tutorials live, right now.

Enjoy the episode. 

I hear a lot of talk about ideal clients in the wedding industry, including us. 

We put out content on the regular to share information about who and how and why and what for those perfect buyers you want on your calendar.

And we’ll talk about it on today’s episode too.

But we’ll also dive into what it means to be an ideal service provider, because very few people are talking about that - and it’s incredibly important.

In fact, that’s exactly what your clients are searching for when they head to Google, scroll social media, or ask a friend for a recommendation.

Think about it from the couples’ perspective. They want the perfect provider for their wedding, and they’re searching for signals in all the noise as to who that might be.

Today, Katy and I talk about the concept of being an ideal service provider, and, more importantly, how to communicate that at different stages in the buyer’s journey.

Not gonna lie: Copywriting is tough. Especially for websites.

You have to do so much all at once. Communicate messages. Maintain interest. Stay in voice. Persuade people. Provide reassurance. Provoke desire. Impress Google. 

Like any skill or craft, it takes a long time to get good at it. 

And like any skill, when you get training and insights from an expert it shaves years off the learning curve.

Obviously, you want to bring in experts for important projects like your website. But I get it, not everyone can afford to hire someone who’s incredible at their craft.

Today, I bring on my wife, business partner, and copywriting expert, Katy Taylor Jacobson, to share 8 copywriting hacks to make it easier to write copy on your website.

So if you’re trying to DIY your website with copywriting on your own, stay tuned, because you’re about to get a crash course in what to do and not do when you sit down at the keyboard.

If money grew on trees, you’d have the best of the best do everything for you. But money doesn’t grow on trees or fall from the sky, and extra zeros don’t show up on your bank account statements.

So we have to deal with reality - which, for entrepreneurs, means wearing all the hats. Social media, bookkeeping, sales, system set up, technology. You name it, and you probably do it at some level in your company.

What’s wild to think about is how NOT normal this is.

In companies with more than one or two people, for example, a marketing department would handle social media. IT would take care of all your app and tech needs. Finance would take care of invoicing, and all you’d get is a report once a month to make sure everything’s on track.

One of the biggest and most important areas DIYed by wedding professionals is the website. And it’s also one of the most important, which means if you’re going to attempt to develop or manage your own site, you should start with some standard best practices.

Today, I bring on Katy Taylor Jacobson, my wife and Ideaction website expert, to share some tips and tricks to remedy often-overlooked issues on your site.

To rebrand, or not to rebrand. That is the question on the minds of many right now.

What exactly does it mean to rebrand, though? Is it just a new logo? Is it a full overhaul of your style kit? Does it always have to involve a name change?

More importantly, when is it a good idea to do? And when should you hold out to see where you can get with your current brand?

Because rebrands are not inexpensive - in either money or time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from clients who end up halfway through a project like this, and they run out of energy, time, or money to get the rebrand and new site launched.

Today, I discuss a recent rebrand with Kate Ford, one of our long-time clients who recently went through a full rebrand, doing everything directly with us. Kate changed it all. Name, style kit, ideal client avatar, marketing messages, website design and, of course, copywriting.

You’ll hear:

- Why she did it

- How it came together

- What she learned along the way

If you’re considering an overhaul, this podcast is for you. Or earmark it for later if you’re not yet ready to dig in, because these things take time to plan out.

For those who don’t know, I write a newsletter for nearly 6,000 subscribers every week. I’ve done it for nearly 6 years now, and it’s filled with great advice like you get on the podcast.

One of the cool things about a newsletter is that I can talk about exactly what’s going on in the industry right now. It’s why I usually only do 2-3 at a time when I batch out content, because I want to make sure I’m in tune with what’s happening rather than sharing evergreen content like I do on the podcast.

This past week, I wrote a newsletter that got a ton of positive feedback from subscribers, and I want to share it with you today.

As you know, I hosted the State of the Industry panel on September 18, and we had a massive turnout for the discussion. Lots of engagement with the audience in the week that followed. Many people wanted my take on it, because I stayed fairly quiet in lieu of having the panelists do most of the talking.

However, I DO want to share my thoughts on what’s going on in the industry, and more importantly, what you should consider doing about it with your business.

Enjoy the ideas. I think they’re amongst the most important I’ve shared in a while.

There’s this terrible myth out there that SEO doesn’t matter as much as it did, say, 5-10 years ago. Or even last year.

The SEO-is-irrelevant idea is especially widespread in the luxury space - which is a crying shame for all those wedding pros who’ve put ALL your eggs into the referral basket.

Yes, referrals are important, even essential, when you get to luxury. However, you can’t NOT have key SEO elements on your search engine results page.

Think about it from the couples’ perspective: They get a throaty endorsement from a past client who hired you, or maybe their planner adds your name to the short list.

The couple still has to look you up to learn more. And where do they go? Google.

Yes, contrary to popular belief, wealthy people ALSO use Google. There’s not a secret search engine for the affluent.

So if you’re in luxury or not, you must get SEO right.

That’s why I brought on my favorite SEO guru in the wedding industry, Sara Dunn, to talk all things SEO for 2024.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Top three mistakes people make with their SEO

- What areas you can probably DIY - and what ones are best left to the pros

- When to hire your SEO expert when you’re considering doing or refreshing your site

Anyone else feel like it’s a little “weird” in the wedding industry right now? Actually, it’s probably been about a year since it started, but we’re just now starting to talk about it openly. The sentiment hit a tipping point recently, and people are beginning to share how hard it’s been to book couples.

Today’s episode is a megaphone on the conversation. But it’s not just me, it’s a panel of industry experts from around the country in different fields at different price points.

If you’re struggling with filling your calendar, tune in for advice on how to get couples to move faster in saying “yes.”

If you’re doing well, but know you have more potential that’s still untapped, you’re in the right place. The panel has luxury and ultra-luxury perspectives that will give you the inside track on how to connect with clients at the highest levels.

If you enjoy the conversation, please share with others you know who could use the help and encouragement right now.

Everyone talks a big game when it comes to attracting ideal clients, so why is it so hard to actually make it happen? 

It’s because there’s a LOT of work that goes into getting from A to Z, from I know what I want in an ideal client and now I have a calendar filled with them.

That gap is filled by the buyer’s journey, and your job as a marketer and salesperson for your business is to craft a path that’s easy and inspiring to travel. 

If you’re anything like most other wedding pros, though, you’re probably throwing up obstacle after obstacle for couples to become clients.

Tune into our conversation about what’s getting in the way of you and your favorite couples.

Filling your calendar with clients you love is almost as hard as finding a potential partner on a dating app.

It’s hit or miss - with a lot of ghosting.

Before you blame the game, though, look at how you’re playing it. I’m not going to offer dating advice on this episode, but Katy and I will share 10 mistakes we see wedding pros make on your websites and in your sales processes.

Take note so you can make quick updates in key areas. 

Website review

Sales process audit