Imposter syndrome is real, and even the most confident people in business feel it. I want to talk about it here because I had two contrasting moments of feeling on top and feeling on the bottom this past week.

And I know there are so many of you starting out in new ventures these days as you’ve had to reassess life and work in a pandemic. Businesses are closing and new ideas and projects are being born. All of us are figuring out what role we have to play in this new world.

💥 How you can get over imposter syndrome
💥 Statements you can tell yourself so that your fears don't hold you back 

When you look up a new business or service and decide to use their service or product, most likely you spend all of 10 seconds absorbing information on a site like Google, Yelp or Facebook and then know which one you like. 

As businesses, this means we are left to perfect that 10 second moment or we’ve already lost so many opportunities. While word of mouth still remains the most dependable source of new business for most of us, gaining new customers by creating an excellent digital introduction to our business is essential. Key to that success is reviews. 

No matter your industry, positive reviews typically don’t come naturally. It’s human nature to react when we’re annoyed but move on – albeit pleasantly surprised – when we are feeling appreciative. Rare is the customer who feels delighted and then proactively leaves a review. 

This is why you need to ask. 

Get ways to ask for reviews for your business and an example of a business doing this well. You can swipe their email idea for yourself.

Click here to read more on getting more reviews.

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About Wendy:

 

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I’ve worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I’ll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

This week on the Sparks of Marketing podcast I spoke with Stefanie Pesis Weil and Ilissa Berz from Empowered Nonprofits on how the nonprofit organizations they work with have had to quickly figure out how to succeed in virtual events in order to fundraise.

Nonprofits remain more important than ever now that everyone, everywhere needs more support. And yet, they typically rely on the generosity of their donor base to raise the money they need to serve others. This is traditionally done through galas, parlor meetings and in-person events--all of which were canceled just prior to busy spring fundraising season.

As nonprofits are turning to virtual events, Empowered Nonprofits is stepping up to support these organizations to figure out everything from what the event should look to how to do the tech support that can make or break the event.

What they found in this process is that those organizations with an existing strong digital media presence and engaged audience are (no surprise, here!) best positioned to succeed in this new environment of fundraising. And once organizations do successfully pull off virtual events, they expand their audience and can continue to serve more people.

Both Stefanie and Ilissa predict that while in-person events aren't likely going away permanently, combining them with some element of a virtual program is likely here to stay.

Empowered Nonprofits help organizations with fundraising campaigns, board training and event strategy and execution. Bravely enough, they launched in June 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Stefanie and Ilissa have decades of nonprofit fundraising experience. Find them at EmpoweredNonprofits.com

If you know someone who’s pivoted successfully during this pandemic, send them my way. I’d love to feature them. 

Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn

About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I’ve worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I’ll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

 

When you spend thousands (or tens of thousands!) hiring a web developer to create a stunning new website for your business, that web team is more concerned with branding, appearance and user experience. If you’re lucky, your web developer might even do a decent job on SEO.

The content for your website copy is left to you. So, let’s talk about how to get it right.

Before you think about the colors, designs and fun, creative elements on your site, you need to write your wireframe. 

This episode gives you the framework you need on your website homepage, as well as some common mistakes you should avoid on your website.

For more information and for a workbook to walk you through all the elements to improve your website homepage, go to https://sparkrmarketing.com/how-to-write-website-copy-that-converts/

If you're interested in our 1:1 coaching on website copywriting, click here to work with us: https://sparkrmarketing.com/websitecopywriting/

Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn   About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I've worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I'll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

After losing his job in digital marketing, Micah Hart took his lifelong passion for camp and his Campfires and Color Wars podcast and poured it into a new idea sparked on a run. He's using Zoom to offer a game show two times a week that's attracting over 5000 views on Facebook each week.

With sponsorship opportunities and now with special events as well, Micah is no longer looking for a new job. He's found a way to serve a niche market--camp alumni--in a big way, and he plans to make a business out of it that supports him and his family.

Here is the first of several tales from the pandemic: these are stories of people who have taken their business online to serve their audience (or a new audience) in a big way. They're using digital marketing to make a living doing what they love.

If you know someone who's pivoted successfully during this pandemic, send them my way. I'd love to feature them.   Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn   About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I've worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I'll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

At the heart of all your marketing content is a business one-liner that explains simply how you help your target clients. This is something that should be on all your marketing communication and is something you repeat all the time. You want it to be repeatable and so clear that even a child would get it without having to think about it.

This seems pretty simple on the face of it, but so many businesses get this wrong.

This episode goes over some bad examples of business one-liners and how to make them sound better. 

I also go over the 3 components of a strong business one liner  and a formula for writing your own.

 

Get your Content Ideas Kit here   For more training on digital marketing, at a deeper and more interactive level, join me in Sparks of Marketing Facebook group.  I go live every Thursday at 10:30AM CT, training you on a new digital marketing topic.   Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn   About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I've worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I'll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

Most business leaders accept today that they need marketing for their business to get more clients. This is even more so true today during COVID-19 when we are no longer gathering in public spaces and chatting with acquaintances. Word of mouth marketing is by no means dead, but it certainly has been a less reliable source of business lately (we posted about how to get more word of mouth marketing during COVID here).

What most business leaders struggle with when it comes to marketing, though, is where to start. I get this question all the time in discovery calls and in my Sparks of Marketing Facebook group

JOIN HERE   I will cover the basic elements of a content marketing system. In the coming weeks, we will walk through each element in more detail. 

The goal of these blogs is for you to understand what you for the basic components of marketing, either to DIY it or to hire someone to do this for you.

What is the big picture for the content marketing system? 

I’m going to break down for you what is the big picture for how content marketing works and then I’m going to go deeper in those categories over the next several weeks on this blog and on my podcast. My goal is that you will learn enough to know what you need to do your business or hire someone to do for you. 

Key to avoiding the overwhelm is staying really focused on the area that you’re working on at the time and trying not to get distracted by what other people are doing or what more you could do. 

Here are 4 basic elements every business leader needs to understand in marketing

1. Website
2. Social pages
3. Lead magnet  
4. Email marketing 

Sounds simple, right? Listen and we'll break that down. 

Get your Content Ideas Kit here   For more training on digital marketing, at a deeper and more interactive level, join me in Sparks of Marketing Facebook group.  I go live every Thursday at 10:30AM CT, training you on a new digital marketing topic.   Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn   About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I've worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I'll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

How do you tell people about what you provide with marketing that isn’t pushy? This episode focuses on why you should focus on content marketing, especially now (hint, your business depends on it!) and how you can do it without being annoying and losing followers.   You'll learn 4 key ways to share what you do with your prospective clients in a way that makes them want to learn more.   Get your Content Ideas Kit here   For more training on digital marketing, at a deeper and more interactive level, join me in Sparks of Marketing Facebook group.  I go live every Thursday at 10:30AM CT, training you on a new digital marketing topic.   Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn   About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I've worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I'll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

LinkedIn and Facebook are a great space to find new potential clients and customers, but only if you use it well. This episode covers ways to use LinkedIn to find exactly who you want to target and then connect with them in a way that is natural and social.   This episode also focuses on using Facebook groups to target your ideal client.   You'll also learn how to use Twitter lists to follow and connect to your prospective clients.   Get your Content Ideas Kit here   For more training on digital marketing, at a deeper and more interactive level, join me in Sparks of Marketing Facebook group.  I go live every Thursday at 10:30AM CT, training you on a new digital marketing topic.   Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn   About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I've worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I'll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here

It's summertime in Chicago, and it's short-lived! And this summer, with COVID-19, more of us working parents have our kids home...still! This episode features ways to focus on family, have some fun and still get all your work done.     Get your Content Ideas Kit here   For more training on digital marketing, at a deeper and more interactive level, join me in Sparks of Marketing Facebook group.  I go live every Thursday at 10:30AM CT, training you on a new digital marketing topic.   Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn   About Wendy:

I help service providers stand out by telling their story on websites, emails and social media. When it comes to marketing, the greatest waste is an idea that fails to connect to its audience – not because it wasn’t a good idea but because it wasn’t packaged as a great story.

My goal is to help you tell your story so that you can reach your business goals. I've worked in marketing communications for nearly 20 years and experienced firsthand the rapid pace of change in this space. I launched Sparkr Marketing to help you stay ahead in this age of information overload. I'll help you filter through the countless marketing tactics to find the right ones to reach your target market. Most importantly, I help your business stay true to your story. Schedule a free consultation with us here