The Bright Balloon

This will be the first year that I've ever had a full marketing strategy going into the year. I just feel like turnover at so many companies has not slowed down since the pandemic, and it's time for me to start taking better care of some of the relationships I have with my best customers.

My actual strategy, though, might surprise you!

My approach will include:

• Facebook first: posting with purpose
• Email marketing: consistency & pre-scheduling
• Recycle, recycle, recycle
• Big pumpkin energy

Facebook first: posting with purpose

With Facebook, I'm realizing that the connections I want to make with other businesses are more likely to happen there than on Instagram. And it's because things are so much more shareable in Facebook.

I want to tag the businesses and venues I'm working at and leave call to actions that people can follow to learn more.

That means with Instagram, I'll still be posting some portfolio-type images to my grid, but I'll also be looking into pinned posts, stories and stats more to dictate what gets posted to that platform.

Email marketing: consistency & pre-scheduling

With email marketing, I'll be bringing my consistent email approach from the podcast over into my balloon business. Honestly, this has always felt difficult because I don't want every email to be asking for money or talking about a sale.

And it's why I've actually created a new resource for you (and me!) that will take care of all the email marketing heavy lifting.

I've got a bundle of 24 emails in a Canva template that you can push out to Mailchimp or pull into another email service provider, setting up your email marketing for THE YEAR. The images and coordinating text go along with the seasonal holidays and big events happening around that time.

They are literally ready to copy, paste and hit send!

(Listen in to hear an embarrassing story about why I didn't include any placeholder text like "insert customer name here"... I surely wasn't going to set you up for that kind of failure!)

Back to my strategy, I'm also going to explore blocks of info in my emails that share upcoming local events and the like, because I know those clicks will tell me what my customers are interested in.

Recycle, recycle, recycle

And this takes me to my next big strategy of recycling content. I want to use these email templates as the basis for my social posts. Meaning, I'll be taking the square images from those templates and sharing them out to Facebook and Instagram as well.

I'm also going to reuse the emails year after year!

Big pumpkin energy

Finally, my big pumpkin energy is related to the ideas shared in The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz. This book has changed the way I look at my business and I can't recommend it enough.

I want to focus on the clients that I've already got a good relationship with and who hire me for big jobs. I really think this will prevent me from getting all wrapped up in the comparison game that we all fall victim to.

I feel like these strategies and goals fold into one another really effortlessly and it gives me a lot of confidence in making it happen this year!

I'd love to hear your goals and marketing plans for 2023! DM me on Instagram @thebrightballoon or email me: [email protected]

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

email bundle

The Bright Balloon Business Planner

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

Balloon Suite

Episode 117. My 2023 goals

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I LOVE goal-setting, and that it gives me something to reflect back on when I'm feeling lost or confused with different choices available to me. In this episode, I'm walking you through how I've filled out the latest version of the Bright Balloon Business Planner! Including:

- what my 2022 goals were

- the symbolic upgrades that helped me reach them

- more reflection on my business

- what I'm working towards in 2023!

My 2022 goals included hitting the same total balloon sales number, but with less jobs, plus reaching 2000 email subscribers and 100,000 downloads for the podcast. It was actually really fun to work towards number-based goals that weren't sales and I'm proud to say that I reached them all!

In 2023, I'll be considering my balloon business and the podcast together for my goals. Initially, the goals sound a little vague, but when I break them down into smaller mini-goals I'll have more measurable milestones to help keep me on track.

My goals include:

- setting & keeping stronger boundaries

- making more by working less

- recycling content

- a big & scary sales goal!

I hope that by listening in you will get some sparks of encouragement for setting your 2023 goals. And I'd love to hear what they are!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Balloon Suite

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

The Bright Balloon Business Planner

BalloonCoach.com Mastermind

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Here's another bonus episode of what we've been learning about over in the Bright Balloon Book Club!

Join here!

Last month, we read through Chill and Prosper by Denise Duffield-Thomas, who always inspires me. I'll share a few key takeaways from that book and cover a few other top lessons learned in the book club this year.

Thanks to our sponsors!

Havin' a Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

Balloon Suite

I love automation and figuring out ways that technology can save me time. I would actually estimate that the mix of platforms I'll be telling you about in this episode save me 5 hours of work a week!

It can definitely be a process to implement some of these, but knowing what kind of freedom is at the end of it really does make it worth it. I just know that having these automations is what has allowed me to be such a lean business for so long, and I promise you, there is something you are doing that you don't have to be doing.

In this episode, I'll be chatting about these tools and tasks that make up the automations in my business:

17hats: I use this for every single aspect of my service business

- inquiry form & auto-response

- invoice reminders

- delivery reminder

- Grab & Go scheduling & booking

Zapier: helps your tech platforms talk to each other

- published podcast episode automates an Instagram post as well

- new course customer gets added to my email list

- new 17hats contact gets added to a list

- new money quiz takers get added to my email list

Jasper AI: artificial intelligence copywriter

- improves balloon picture captions

- improves your "about" section

- helps with SEO

Website: allows people to get information about my business

- it's available 24/7

- directs people to the information they were looking for

Later.com & Canva: scheduling my social media

- Later.com is great for photo dumping & scheduling

- Canva is for creating graphics & scheduling

- Canva will also allow you to share templates as links & view - only links

- make QR codes in Canva, too

I'd love to hear if you've got any others that I could experiment with!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

Balloon Suite / Asset Lab

17hats - 50% off referral code

Grab and Go Garland Bundle

The Weekend Launch (build your own website)

Laser Focused Social Media

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Chase and Alex from Premium Conwin come on the show for this episode to talk about how their two companies joined forces for the better of the balloon industry.

Their support at some of our biggest events has been simply incredible and I can't wait to see and experience what's ahead thanks to their merger. For so long, these two companies have felt like the backbone of balloon decor and now we will all benefit from them working together!

TIMESTAMPS:

02:18 - how our guests got involved in the balloon world

07:48 - the growth of the relationship between the two companies

11:30 - what the merger means for us as balloon artists

20:43 - sustainability goals from Premium Conwin

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Balloon Suite / Asset Lab

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

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I've been getting a lot of messages lately about balloon drops, so I thought I would dedicate a whole episode to share some of my thoughts and experiences with them!

They're so much different from regular decor because they have to actually function and entertain your customers. And that can make them really stressful! But balloon drops are such a great way to get your foot in the door at places like resorts, hotels and country clubs so I believe they're worth it!

In this episode I'm talking about how I learned to make them, how I install them, what I charge, a couple of balloon drop nightmares I've experienced and a couple of New Year's Eve alternatives. I'd love to hear what approach you're taking for NYE!

TIMESTAMPS:

03:10 - how I got started in balloon drops

06:06 - my nightmare first drop

09:27 - netting & rigging

15:56 - top tips for color selection & pricing

21:29 - helping your customers have a successful drop

24:56 - balloon drop alternatives

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Asset Lab / Balloon Suite

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

BalloonCoach.com Mastermind

Profitable Pop-Drops

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Personally, I've had awesome luck running a home-based business, but I know that can't and won't always be the case. Jamie comes on the show for this episode to tell us all about her new shop, including special considerations she took in the process of getting it.

It was so fun to hear Jamie's business story again. From laid off, to every balloon popping on her first job, to now having her own shop, I know you'll find her inspiring. Listen in for some awesome motivation to take the next step with your balloon business!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:54 - the progression of her business

06:23 - all the details about finding her shop

17:16 - the inside of her shop

22:41 - the money factor

32:48 - how her business has changed since moving in

43:35 - mindset changes since moving in

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Asset Lab

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

BalloonCoach.com Mastermind | 2023 Summit early bird special

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Join here!

Last month, we read through Business Made Simple by Donald Miller and I have a few takeaways that I'll share in this bonus episode.

Thanks to our sponsors!

Havin' a Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

Asset Lab

So the topic of this episode might feel a little bit scary, but I actually came away from this recording session with a lot of ideas!

Elizabeth and Jeff share a bunch of proactive things that you can do when you see inflation starting to affect your business and the things around you. From analyzing your pricing and profitability to adjusting your marketing strategy, there are plenty of things you can do to avoid being a victim of a recession!

Listen in and let us know what steps you're going to take first to maintain a healthy business!

TIMESTAMPS:

01:29 - what to do when a recession feels imminent

06:39 - shifting and pivoting your business

15:54 - pricing and profitability

25:04 - saving, investing and selling

37:29 - specific actions to take now

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Asset Lab

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

Fiore Accounting & Tax Services

Ep. 81 Price Transparency

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Thank you all so much for participating in this "ask me anything" on Instagram! I really had a lot of fun thinking through these questions and how I handle them in my business.

I've left quite a few resources here in the show notes that relate to the answers to your questions, and hope that I was able to share some helpful insight!

TIMESTAMPS:

1:58 - backdrops, invoices, helium and diversifying

10:35 - color choices and quoting process

13:05 - picking your business name & where to start

15:57 - outdoor balloons & the trajectory of balloon decor

18:25 - my van, when to start with a CRM & pricing calculators

22:03 - goals and dreams for my business

24:52 - favorite inflator

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)

Asset Lab

Balloon Boss Mastermind

Custom Color Chart | Multi-Brand

50% off a year of 17hats

17hats setup from Let Nicole Help

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@thebrightballoon

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