The Kara Report | Online Marketing Tips and Candid Business Conversations

Have you ever had a difficult client? Have you ever got stuck in your head and spent more time thinking about the client and how you can make them happy than you did actually doing the work? Have you ever had a bad day that was caused by someone not absolutely loving what you created for them? Today's episode is for you. It's going to be, I want to say a little more vulnerable and a little bit more motivational than the content that I usually put out, but that's one of the things I wanted to do on this podcast. 

On my Instagram and on my blog, I typically will stick to marketing content. That's what I do for work, that's what I'm selling, that's what I do for a job. But I really wanted this podcast to be a space for just honest conversations and that's what this is. Today, I'm excited to share three things that I think we just need to remember when we are what we're selling, whether it's our work or our brand. It is hard not to take things personally. So here's my advice when selling yourself!

🎙️ In This Episode:

• A reminder from Princess Diaries
• What to do when you catch yourself spiraling
• 3 Mantras for when YOU feel like the product (and it's hard)

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/10
•  FREE guide on how to balance fast and slow marketing strategy: https://thekarareport.com/roadmap 
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

What's the point of blogging if you're not being found on Google? Okay, I am obviously a blogging stan, so I could go on and on about the benefits of blogging beyond SEO, but the truth is SEO is probably the biggest reason you're reading this right now. After all, you want to be found on Google. That's kind of the whole point.

Today we're going to talk about blogging and ultimately: how do we know if our time spent blogging is paying off? How do we know if our blog posts are ranking on Google and what are we supposed to do if we can clearly see that they are not ranking?

I cover everything you need to know about blogging for SEO in my Blogging for Bingeable Brands mini course, which you can get 20% off with code Podcast 20, but today, I want to talk about four ways to make your blog posts more findable and how to keep track whether or not they're ranking at all. If you're spending literally any amount of time or money on your blog posts or SEO, this is a MUST listen!


🎙️ In This Episode:

• The free Google tool that not enough people use and know about
• 4 things you should do when writing your blog posts
• Why your blog posts aren't ranking 
• Creating GOOD content that Google loves

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/9
• Hire us to write SEO-driven blog posts for you: https://thekarareport.com/blogging
• Join Blogging for Bingeable Brands (Use Code PODCAST20 for 20% Off!): https://thekarareport.com/bbb
• Sign up for Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/about 
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

2024 is going to be all about the little tweaks we can make in our business that create a bigger impact. Don't you agree? I am so tired of the "burn it all down", of the create a course, then create a membership, then do this, then do that. Even though that has been great and has definitely served us for a season (let's ignore the fact that we're all burnt out and half of us are completely leaving entrepreneurship), I feel like I am very ready for the shift that's happening.

Today I'm going to be sharing the top two tweaks you can make to make more sales from your website today.


🎙️ In This Episode:

• The 2 most neglected pages on your website (And how to fix them if you want more sales!)
• Why SEO traffic is different (and needs to be treated so)
• The biggest opportunity you have after someone inquires!

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/8
• Hire us to write SEO-drive website copy for you (and make more sales from your website!): https://thekarareport.com/copywriting 
• Join Blogging for Bingeable Brands (Use Code PODCAST20 for 20% Off!): https://thekarareport.com/bbb
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

I'm in marketing, but I don't specialize in Instagram marketing strategy. Today, I wanted to bring you guys my biz bestie turned real life bestie, Laura Milroy Media to spill the dirt on what we should be doing and what we need to know about social media strategy in 2024. In this episode, she shares her 4Cs of conversion, what we should be doing with B-roll, how we can become better storytellers, how we can kind of combine Instagram with the rest of our business, and so much more. 

🎙️ In This Episode:

• What the 4C's of conversion are (and how to create content when you're not "launching" all the time)
• What we REALLY need to focus on to make more sales with our Instagram marketing strategy
• How to implement message-first marketing to get better results
• Better ways to use B-roll
• Easy ways to make your messaging less boring
• How to implement a holistic marketing strategy from your Instagram content
• How to work well with a social media manager (if that's the next step for you!)

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/7 
• Her recent vlog-style reel we reference: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2QO_iHvFAc/
• Grab Laura's Free Guide to B-roll: https://lauramilroymedia.com/small-business-broll/
• Work with Laura: https://lauramilroymedia.com 
• Follow Laura on Instagram: https://instagram.com/lauramilroymedia 
• FREE guide on how to balance fast and slow marketing strategy: https://thekarareport.com/roadmap 
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

 Are you marketing like matcha or like coffee? Hear me out on this one. I've recently switched to matcha in the afternoons over coffee (and if you know me, I am a huge coffee drinker!) because I find that it helps me overcome the afternoon slump.

And it had me thinking (don't judge me - I'm in marketing), but there is a big difference between matcha and coffee and in a lot of ways it can translate to your brand and business model too, beyond just marketing ideas (which this episode is definitely going to touch on!).

If you've been looking for UNIQUE ways to think about marketing your business, this episode is for you!


🎙️ In This Episode:

• What too many people don't consider when creating their marketing plan
• Coffee marketing ideas for tiny offers 
• Matcha marketing ideas for offers where you want your customers to be invested 
• Deciding how much energy you are giving to your audience (AFTER you've "sold them")
• Making your marketing reflect your customer journey (to make it more effective!)

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/6
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

If you've been looking to grow a strong personal brand as a service based business (or a multi-passionate entrepreneur), this interview is for YOU.

Sarah Beau is a branding photographer based in Calgary in Canada. She's fabulous. She did my own branding photography a few years ago and over the past few years, I have become a loyal member of her "cult following" on Instagram. She has such an engaged community of the best people, and I've really been able to see not only how she's grown her personal brand, but also how she's been able to use that personal brand to leverage new opportunities and embrace the multi-passionate entrepreneur that she is.

Make sure you listen to this interview all the way through because what she's doing now is really, really cool and I can't wait to bring all of her expertise to you today!


🎙️ In This Episode:

• Where to start when it comes to creating a personal brand (it's not just "choosing content buckets")
• How to include personal brand elements in your new branding photoshoot 
• The biggest mistake people make when they hire a branding photographer
• Her take on the super editorial/edgy branding trend in the online space (I personally wanted to know!)
• How she's using Instagram for her business (it's not to grow!)
• How she leveraged her personal brand to start a new venture as a multi-passionate entrepreneur

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/5
• Learn more about blogging for SEO here: https://thekarareport.com/bbb (use code PODCAST20 for 20% off)
• Follow Sarah on Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahbeaucreative 
• Follow Derp Dog Studios on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derpdogstudios 
• Hire Sarah for Calgary Brand Photos: https://sarahbeaucreative.com 
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

We are ONE week into 2024, and I don't know about you, but it feels like everybody is ready just to start a mutiny against Instagram. Everyone is sharing their goals, their marketing efforts, what they're focusing on, what they're calling in, all of that fun stuff, and hustling on Instagram is NOT it.

In this episode, we're going to be talking about PINTEREST marketing (because I'm seeing more and more people express interest in it). While I love to see it (naturally - as a Pinterest manager), there are a few things that I think you have to have in place, specifically three things that you need, or you are just going to be wasting your time. We don't have time to waste in 2024, do we? Let's dive in!


🎙️ In This Episode:

• Why I've turned away potential Pinterest management clients lately
• What Pinterest is truly good for (it's NOT sales - hear me out on this one)
• 3 things you NEED to have in place before you start marketing on Pinterest
• 3 bonus tips to help you get set up for success quickly

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/4
• Hire us to manage your Pinterest: https://thekarareport.com/pinterest 
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

I'm an admittedly awkward person, which is funny because I work in marketing. If you're also an introvert who prefers not to show up on Instagram stories (or do a daily search for faceless Instagram reels ideas), this episode is for you.

As a fellow introvert, I understand the struggle more than you know. Creating content and being social takes a lot of energy for me, which I don't say in a bad way - we also spend energy on fun things - but if you resonate with this, you'll love today's episode where I share my journey in marketing for introverts and how to leverage being an awkward person and still make a ton of money. Sound good?


🎙️ In This Episode:

• 5 things I do to market my business effectively as an introvert
• Why it's OK to be awkward (and how you can use it to your advantage)
• A slightly controversial thing I recommend when marketing as an introvert (eek!)

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/3
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

If you know me, you know I’m all about this time of year. I mean, who doesn’t love the holidays, right? But you know what else gets me pumped? Goal setting season! I’m a total goals person, and as a marketer, I’m obsessed with the data that comes out during this time. Give me all those juicy marketing trends we’re expecting, what worked in 2023, and the best strategies from last year. I’m soaking it all up (especially the “wrapped” posts coming out for literally everything). Today, I’m going to be diving deep into one of the biggest 2024 marketing trends predictions: long-form content.


🎙️ In This Episode:

• What marketers everywhere are predicting to be one of the biggest trends in 2024
• 3 reasons why this is a GOOD trend for you to hop of (even if you don't have a marketing team!)
• 3 ways you can implement this marketing strategy into your business more easily

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/2
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 

Happy New Year! I am so excited. Not only am I kicking the new year off, obviously launching this new podcast, but I am ALSO kicking things off with an absolute banger of an episode. I almost named my whole podcast off of this episode (and this idea of how to have an all-of-a-sudden moment and how I can help you have more all-of-a-sudden moments).

So if you're wondering what to expect, I'll be sharing a bit about my business journey in this episode, with a focus on those pivotal tipping point moments. Especially because this is a brand new podcast, I would be incredibly grateful if you would share your thoughts with me and leave a review! Thank you!

🎙️ In This Episode:

• First, join me in celebrating the launch of this exciting new podcast, where I share my unique business journey and the concept of "all-of-a-sudden" moments.
• Sharing tipping point moments in my career (so far)
• Dive into my own experience as a destination wedding planner and travel agent, and how "Hey Look Ma! I Made it" became my anthem (BEFORE 2020).
• What changed everything for me
• 5 Ways you can create your OWN "all of a sudden" moment

Links Mentioned: 

• Read the full shownotes: https://thekarareport.com/1
• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here: https://thekarareport.com/services 
• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekarareport 
• Curious about my wedding business? Check out Love at First Travel: https://loveatfirsttravel.com