In this episode, I'm sharing my own journey to falling in love with email marketing, why I've decided that I'm going to double-down on it in 2021 and how I'm going to do that.

Why I'm Excited to Double-Down on Email Marketing (And You Should Too!) KDS: 063

This podcast isn't just about digital marketing; it's about creating a business and a life you love on your terms. I’m here to explore how you can harness the power of email marketing, newsletters, content marketing, and even artificial intelligence to create value and serve your audience in a meaningful way.

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So, are you ready to turn digital marketing into a fun journey that brings real results to your business and life? Let's do this together!

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Today, I’m coming to you not from my usual studio setup but rather from the driver's seat of my car.  This freestyle episode is all about embracing what I like to call "sacred simplicity" in both our personal and professional lives. 06:41 A Busy weekend led to a much-needed rest. 09:11 Appreciate health because it can be fleeting. 11:52 Woman shares emotional video, regrets, seeks comfort. 15:21 Working for a year, not just privilege. 18:40 Experiences shape us and make us strive for self-actualization. 21:27 Regret over past, compassion for self, insignificance. 24:04 Prioritizing joy, learning, and mastering paid traffic. 27:10 Uncertainty about shift, preference for simplicity explained. 32:50 Tangible benefit motivates discussion of white labeling. 33:43 Offer writing, content, SEO services, validate organically. 39:07 Discussing lead gen and content strategies for ads. 40:42 Optimize traffic ads, capture leads, and test. 43:45 Focusing on quality work and living with ease.A Time of Transition and ReflectionI’m currently in a season of significant change, counting down the months until my move to Costa Rica. As part of this transition, I've been tackling the task of decluttering and sorting through years of accumulated belongings at my dad's house, now up for sale. This process has been both physically demanding and emotionally revealing. It's amazing what we hold onto over the years, isn't it? During a weekend dedicated to clearing out my storage unit, I realized that some boxes hadn’t been opened since my move from Boise in March of 2021. Items were still labeled "go through before Costa Rica," a reminder of postponed decisions. Yet, this clean-up wasn’t just about sorting through physical objects but also about reassessing what’s essential in my life. This is where the concept of sacred simplicity really comes to life—finding clarity and joy in the essentials, shedding the excess that no longer serves us.The Refreshing Break from Digital ClutterThe physical labor of sorting and moving boxes provided a much-needed break from the digital clutter of my daily life. There’s something profoundly liberating about stepping away from screens and focusing on physical tasks. It allows for a mental reset, which is increasingly rare in our hyper-connected world. This disconnect from digital work brought a surprising freshness to my thoughts. It reminded me of the importance of balance and taking time to enjoy simple pleasures—like the perfect weather we had, a crisp 76 degrees of pure sunshine. It was a reminder of the beauty of living in the moment and appreciating the small, simple joys that life offers.Learning from Vanessa Lau: A Lesson in Sacred SimplicityDuring this time, I watched a video by Vanessa Lau, an influential content creator who recently returned from a sabbatical. Vanessa chose to step back at the height of her career to prioritize her well-being—a decision that resonates deeply with the concept of sacred simplicity. It’s about making life choices that honor our deepest needs and values rather than constantly pushing for more. Vanessa’s courage to choose herself over perpetual business growth is a powerful testament to the strength found in simplicity. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best thing we can do for ourselves and our businesses is to take a step back, reflect, and recalibrate.Sacred Simplicity in MarketingIn the realm of digital marketing, sacred simplicity can transform how we approach content and engagement. It’s about stripping back the unnecessary and focusing on what truly matters—connecting with our audience in authentic and meaningful ways. For instance, my philosophy of "Everything is Content" is an embodiment of this simplicity. It’s about seeing the...

Embracing Sacred Simplicity & Organic Validation KDS: 141

I Think It’s Safe To Say Most Content Creators Are Using AI For Content Creation These Days.But I thought I’d go deeper, specifically, with how I’m using it. There are a few different ‘camps’ when it comes to AI and some of them are totally over my head. In other words, I’m not sure that I really care how it works, what LLMs are doing, which companies have completed a new round of billions of dollars invested, or whether Nvidia or AMD is producing more chips. All I care about is how I can use it in my business to do one of two things (I’ll go deeper with each of these below):Get clarity and createCut down the time it takes to complete things
I haven’t gotten into much in terms of automations or having AI do tasks I don’t want to do, but that’s mainly because I don’t have a significant need for it right now. My primary focus with AI right now is on using it for content creation. I write all of my podcasts, blog posts, and emails. In other words, none of this is generated by AI (probably obvious, but you know what they say about assuming). I’ve created one post with the help of AI (you can read that here) because I wanted to test creating an outline, seeing what the output was, and then adjusting from there. It was a good experience and process, and I’ll use it again for a couple of more in-depth tutorial posts I’m working on. For example: I’m in the process of moving from ConvertKit to beehiiv (at the time of writing this post). As beehiiv continues to grow, I know a lot more people will be making this move, and I think it’s a great way to get traffic to the site, attract new subscribers (people making this move are definitely my target market), and make some affiliate commissions along the way. Here’s the prompt I used to start this post: Good afternoon! I’d love your help writing an epic blog post (that I’ll create a video for as well) on the process of moving an email list, subscribers, newsletter, and automations from ConvertKit to beehiiv. Is this something you can help me with? I want this to be super clear, easy to understand and highly optimized for SEO. I’ll convert the blog post into a PDF that people can download as well. What do you need from me to get started? By the way, that’s one of my favorite ways to start a conversation with ChatGPT (yes, I call them conversations). I give simple context about what I want to accomplish, then ask what it needs from me to get started to accomplish what I’ve asked for. I don’t want to get into the weeds with detailed prompts (I think I may start doing some video on this), but I want to give you an example of how I’m using it) – but the initial question of “what do you need from me” will help you get the best result possible. OK, let’s look at the first of the two bullets I mentioned first.Using AI For Content Creation To Gain Clarity And CreateFirst, I treat ChatGPT (or Chatty as I call her) as more of a partner than a tool, which is why I write in a conversational manner as opposed to simply imputing prompts. I find the entire...

How I’m Happily Using AI For Content Creation KDS: 140

Organic traffic still works. It’s not that I thought it didn’t, but in many ways, I think I had resigned myself to thinking it was so much harder than it used to be. In some ways, it is harder, but in other ways, we have so many tools at our fingertips (AI) that there’s no reason you can’t test and try things much faster. You can get data in 90 days that will tell you what’s working. Depending on how long you’ve been online (i.e., you’re not starting from scratch), you may get results much faster. For me, I’ve seen some pretty fun results in only a few weeks. Let’s get into it. After 16 years online, you would think I would have learned to “never say never”… but here I am, changing my tune. Fortunately, I’m pretty transparent about these little lessons I go through and have no shame in sharing that I’ve changed my mind. Ideally, when we know better, we do better, right? Mind you, things change so quickly online (especially with AI now) that we better learn to be comfortable changing our minds and trying new things (once we have the fundamentals in place, anyway). The best part of what I’m experiencing right now is that this is all happening because of ONE thing. And I’m on a mission to help you figure out your ONE thing. And no, this doesn’t mean you only have ‘one thing’ in your business (I’m speaking to all of you multi-passionate entrepreneurs who, bless you, can manage multiple offers, directions, or businesses). I’m talking about starting with one core content idea that is part of your foundation.For Now, Let’s Call This “One To Many.”Let me back up a bit and explain how this relates to organic traffic still works. I won’t go too deep into my journey, as I’ve shared it multiple times on the podcast. You can get a snapshot of that on my About page. Over the last 16 years, I spent the first 10 years as ‘The WordPress Chick,’ pivoted to my personal brand, started focusing on content marketing, launched a content planner (with a strategy, not a fill-in-the-blank), added email marketing and newsletters to the mix, and have come back to content marketing as my core focus. My ‘complementary’ categories to content marketing are email & newsletters and using AI for content marketing. Now, let’s talk a bit about social media. Which I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with. Because of the clarity I’ve gained with my ONE thing (for now, let’s call it Core Content), I’ve jumped back in full force and am happily gaining some traction and, thankfully, traffic. I attribute the results I’m getting to a few things:Not starting from scratchHaving a presence on most platforms (regardless of recent engagement)LOVING what I’m doing again
This isn’t to say you can’t start from scratch and get results because, of course, you can. It just might take a little longer. But here’s the thing: time is going to pass whether you do the work or not, so you may as well do it now. And the work I’m referring to is creating, publishing, and promoting your content. Which will always differentiate you from people who want to do things quickly and easily. Especially with AI… I LOVE using AI in my business – but I also know what I’m doing, who I’m talking to, how I want to serve them, and what my business goals are. I’m not under any illusion that AI can replace my voice. What it can do is help me...

Organic Traffic Still Works… Here’s The Proof KDS: 139

There is something so absolutely freeing about getting older. I was texting with a friend in Costa Rica the other day to set up a time to chat. I had been hoping to go down in April to bring some stuff down before my move in July, but with my Dad selling his house, I decided not to. In our text conversation, we both said that we would put it on our calendars and put sticky notes everywhere so we didn’t forget. Last time we set a time to chat, we both spaced. I don’t think much about how much time and energy I’ve spent worrying about things that don’t matter. That’s a complete waste. I do, however, make conscious decisions every day to choose my thoughts. To make today different than yesterday. I was listening to a video with Dr. Joe Dispenza (who is amazing, by the way, if you’re remotely interested in neuroscience and being able to change your life with your thoughts), and he was saying that the hardest thing to do is to make sure you don’t think the same thoughts you had yesterday. 

The Old Me Would Have Been Embarrassed To Admit This KDS: 138

Someone Has To Go First.I don’t remember where I heard that (or read it), but it certainly struck a nerve. I wrote it down because I knew it would be a podcast episode the minute I read it. Before we go into that, though, let’s do a quick catch-up and recap, shall we? I’m kind of tripping out that we’re almost halfway through March already. Mind you, I’m not complaining. I looked at the weather for the next ten days, and after a couple of days of potential showers and clouds, it’s all blue skies, sunshine, and warmer weather (mid to upper 60s). I feel like I’ve been quiet lately because I had the “Everything is Content” episodes ready to go (even if the last two didn’t go out when I had hoped). I’m going to do a full break-down of Everything is Content now that I’ve:Published the email series and blog postPublished the email series as videos and podcast episodesRepublished the series on MediumI hosted my first live workshopI am about to offer the first live cohort
This is all part of a long-term strategy for me, and hot damn if it isn’t working. The gas is about to be poured on this using Laurel Portié’s $ 5-a-day ad strategy, and I’m beyond excited to see how this all unfolds. On the personal side of things… I shared that I’ll be moving back to Costa Rica this summer sometime last month (maybe that’s why I’m tripping out that it’s mid-March already), and as the time gets closer, I’m getting more and more excited. But there’s a lot to do in the meantime. My Dad has finally decided to list his house for sale and is looking at moving down to the city where my siblings live (the same city where I raised my kids). We’re hoping to get the house up for sale before the end of the month. Which means decluttering and getting the house ready for staging, photos, and viewings. Keep in mind there are 56 years of stuff in this house. 

Why I'm Excited to Double-Down on Email Marketing (And You Should Too!) KDS: 063

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