149: MKM Wrapped: 2023 Recap If you like me, binged your Spotify Wrapped analysis last week, you are my kind of people.   As I swiped through my recap of top songs, top artists, time spent binge listening to Taylor Swift and Zach Bryan and Dax Shepard, and places around the world with listening habits similar to mine (Bozeman, MT), I was inspired to complete my own Wrapped for MKM 2023.   In today’s episode, we’ll break down my top ten things learned at MKM this year, including but not limited to:  

1. the power of having a mantra to root into and orient your actions all year long
2. the power of tiny, consistent habits
3. the power of asking “what if?”
4. the power of letting go

Connect with Molly Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Hey there, listener.    In this week’s solocast we’re tackling the to-do list. Specifically, what is on your list just to do and what is there to make a real difference in your business? How many courses or workshops have we taken without implementing? How many self-help books have we read without helping? How many storage bins have we purchased without doing any organizing? This podcast discusses the difference between action instead of just motion. As small business owners we’re always moving. But do our motions move us forward? Key Takeaways

• Sweat Inspire Sisterhood Drop 10 linked here, follow Erica on Instagram and Facebook
• “The pursuit of a goal isn’t just in managing the mile markers to get us to that end result.”
• “We don’t rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of the systems we put in place as we reach for those goals.” - Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Stack habits you would like to adopt with habits you already have.
• Consider workshops and education opportunities carefully. Do they put you in ACTION or just in motion?
• “Motion in a business can look like creating the world's most gorgeous social media content calendar, but it is only motion if you don't actually push publish on the post.”
• Analyze the actions you make regularly and question how the result will help you in the long run.
• Build a reflection time into you schedule at least once a week to revisit if your actions are moving the needle.
• Dollars are not your only currency. Also consider how you spend your time and energy.
• Suneera Madhani of the CEO School Podcast has the method of Do, Delegate, and Delete for determining what tasks to focus on.
• “Rest is an active choice when you are someone who is ambitious and motivated and driven.”
• Your homework is to TAKE ACTION. Don’t just let your next business podcast play, go now and GET STARTED on something you took away from today.

Connect with Molly Sign up for the MKM Eras Bootcamp for just $77 Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Your Lover Era: Video Get ready to see sparks fly across your business’ social media platforms! Every day this week on The Found Podcast I’ll share quick, actionable tips for engaging content to close out the final quarter of 2023. Are you ready for it?   Today’s Intention: Put your face on video if you want to make a connection with your followers.   Just last year reels and TikToks were the fast-track to success. Video is no longer guaranteed to go viral, but it remains a great way to connect with your audience.  What’s working now doesn’t require fancy transitions and heavy editing: Try some B-roll background video overlaid with a hook and an insightful, educational caption. Use video to humanize your brand and connect with viewers. Take them behind the scenes on your day-to-day or offer a live Q&A session.  Videos can be simple, but it doesn’t take a lot to do them well. Seek out good lighting and get a wireless mic for the best sound. The algorithms seem to prefer you to edit within their platform. Otherwise, Camtasia is my favorite software for long-form editing. Connect with Molly Sign up for the MKM Eras Bootcamp for just $77 Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Your Reputation Era: Captions  Get ready to see "sparks fly" across your business’ social media platforms! Every day this week on The Found Podcast I’ll share quick, actionable tips for engaging content to close out the final quarter of 2023. "Are you ready for it?"   Today’s Intention: Get real with our writing and know that there is a way to make it more efficient and engaging.   Use ChatCPT to generate a content calendar and captions for your business. It’s going to take a little work to train it to “know you,” but it can respond with a specific length, objective, and tone for a post.  Edit your posts to include words and phrases you typically use and make sure each caption has a hook, body to explain the point, and call to action for what your followers should do next. Connect with Molly Sign up for the MKM Eras Bootcamp for just $77 Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Your 1989 Era: Storytelling  Get ready to see "sparks fly" across your business’ social media platforms! Every day this week on The Found Podcast I’ll share quick, actionable tips for engaging content to close out the final quarter of 2023. "Are you ready for it?"   Today’s Intention: Get real with ourselves about how we need to use storytelling in our marketing if we want people to remember it.   I’ve covered narrative framework in depth in previous episode (Episode 147), but provide a quick refresh here. Think of your social media post, or series of posts, like the plot maps we made in middle school. We need characters, a setting, a problem, and solution. Don’t come right at your audience with a “HEY! Buy my product!” Instead, build a story that illustrates how your product or service can solve a problem. You might be a few posts into a series without mentioning your product at all. Connect with Molly Sign up for the MKM Eras Bootcamp for just $77 Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Your Red Era: Graphics  Get ready to see "sparks fly" across your business’ social media platforms! Every day this week on The Found Podcast I’ll share quick, actionable tips for engaging content to close out the final quarter of 2023. "Are you ready for it?"   Today’s Intention: Stop making boring graphics.   Ok. Graphics for your social media are NOT the same as the newspaper. You do NOT have to fit ALL your information in one. single. square. Go with a carousel: A multi-image graphics-based post. Each “swipe for more” is an engagement that the algorithm loves. Use Canva to create your graphics with templates. Templates can be found on Canva, Creative Market, or customized with a graphic designer. Connect with Molly Sign up for the MKM Eras Bootcamp for just $77 Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Your TS Era: Photos  Get ready to see "sparks fly" across your business’ social media platforms! Every day this week on The Found Podcast I’ll share quick, actionable tips for engaging content to close out the final quarter of 2023. "Are you ready for it?"   Today’s Intention: Understand and implement what’s working right now with photography on social media   What’s working RIGHT NOW for photos on social media? I share my top tips in today’s mini-episode:

• People stop their scroll for PEOPLE, even if it’s hands posing with a product
• Keep it simple: Unposed and unperfect photos are all the rage.
• Use multiple images per post
• Use nostalgic photos
• Invest in brand photography (@maddiepeschong on Instagram)
• Consider stock photography (@michellemensing.photography on Instagram)
• Make your photos pop in just a few taps with preset filters (@randileaphotography on Instagram)

Connect with Molly Sign up for the MKM Eras Bootcamp for just $77 Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Your Social Era  Get ready to see "sparks fly" across your business’ social media platforms! Every day this week on The Found Podcast I’ll share quick, actionable tips for engaging content to close out the final quarter of 2023. "Are you ready for it?"   Today’s Intention: Get real with ourselves about how our social is doing   It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with our content creation. If you feel like your content is stale and same-old-same, sorry to tell you, but your audience probably feels the same way.  The good news is there are no rules and you can absolutely improve to get the impact you’re searching for. It’s going to take a little risk and a lot of clarity, but I’ll be there by your side. This week I’m sharing what works NOW in Q4 on social media. No fluff- just six quick episodes on what you need to hook your ideal follower and engage their attention.  Connect with Molly Sign up for the MKM Eras Bootcamp for just $77 Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Hey there, listener.    I’ve shared before that I am (and always have been) a total bookworm. My favorite memories from teaching are getting kids to love reading for reading’s sake, not just for points on a quiz. There’s something about a great story that makes memories so much more vivid. I can remember exactly where I was, what I was eating, and how I felt while reading a Laura Ingalls book as a fourth grader. I can’t tell you the exact title, because memory is like that. We don’t always remember the details, but the big picture sticks. In this episode I’m sharing how to use stories to help your big picture stick with your audience by using a narrative framework as your marketing plan. Key Takeaways

• “It's so easy to forget the specific facts and figures of something but the compelling nature of narratives stay with us.”
• Psychologist Jerome Bruner’s research suggests facts are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they are part of a story.
• In a random group, roughly 40% of people are auditory learners, 40% respond best to visuals, and 20% learn by doing. Stories help each of these types of learners create a mental picture to view in their mind’s eye.
• Book recommendation: Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
• There are five elements to a story that our marketing needs as well: Exposition (Introducing your team and location), rising action (sharing problems your product or service could solve), climax (advocating for your product or service), falling action (sharing next steps), and resolution (showing the transformative power of your product or service).
• “Features or specifics can be forgotten, but story sticks.”
• Frame your business’s best or worst moments into the context of a story and bring them into a narrative structure. Choose the right medium like a visual on Instagram, a long-form blog post, or a newsletter series. 

Connect with Molly Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram. Reach out by email: [email protected]

Welcome back, listener. In this week’s episode of the Found podcast I’m sharing a tale of two vacations. Both are very memorable but only one for good reasons. When Ryan and I went to Texas, that was literally our only plan. Go to Texas. We wanted to be fun and spontaneous but we ended up being absorbed in choosing our next stop or where we would sleep that night. We didn’t have the shackles of a schedule, but we didn’t have support either.   For our South Dakota family vacation, we learned a little. Your girl is still NOT going to have a spreadsheet itinerary, but we at least booked our stays in advance. We listed the landmarks we were excited to see and had a rough idea on which days each event would happen. THAT vacation is remembered for the good things.   I share my vacation examples to illustrate a helpful marketing strategy: Begin with the end in mind. Key Takeaways

• Don’t miss the Re-Find mini episode series
• If you feel lost in the marketing noise you are not alone. According to this survey, the average American sees between 4,000-10,000 ads each day: Double the rate of 2007 and five times the rate of the 1970s!
• “In order to cut through the noise, your best bet is to make sure that wherever people encounter you, the most effective thing you can do is have cohesiveness.”
• For your customer: Begin with the end in mind. Illustrate the end goal that your product or service can help your client achieve. Paint the destination super clearly.
• Offer a scenic route or an interstate highway with turn-by-turn directions. 
• Avoid just listing products and services. Instead include them in an overall marketing message that illustrates the final goal.
• Create marketing that is aligned, cohesive, and moves people down the path to work with you.
• If you are seeking a scenic route for marketing help, check out the MKM shop at mollyknuthmedia.com/shop. 
• Personalized marketing strategy is my JAM! If you would like the highway route of 1:1 support, email me at [email protected]

Connect with Molly Find me, Molly Knuth, on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Molly Knuth Media on Facebook and Instagram.