Women Conquer Business

Learn to create your first e-commerce strategy, based on your offer: physical products, digital products, online services, or a hybrid.

E-commerce Beginner’s Guide

Every business is starting to sell online. With the e-commerce market growing at a fast pace, there is every reason to set up your own online shop.

However, running an e-commerce business is not as easy as it looks. To succeed you will need to constantly adjust your strategy to meet the needs of your customers.

In this episode, we show you how to create your first e-commerce strategy, based on your offer: physical products, digital products, online services, or a hybrid.

We also explain how to do a SWOT analysis of your business to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

E-commerce beginners guide ©Foster Growth LLC

Words of WisdomCustomers are a lot less loyal than they used to be. Loyalty is dead unless you have a lot of personalization. Concierge level services are the type of services that you need to be offering. You need to be hands on. It needs to be personable and personal, and you need to have things in place to touch base with your people. That's how you ‌build loyalty. — JenIt could take you six months to a year to figure out what it is you're going to be offering, and how you're going to be presenting that to people. Honing in on exactly what ‌people want and naming your unique mechanism in a way that attracts the target audience that you're looking for takes time and tweaking. Lots of tweaking. — ShelleyMarketing Self-Assessment Checklist

Marketing Self-Assessment | Women Conquer Business

Subscribe to Shelley's LinkedIn Newsletter

Messages and Methods | LinkedIn

Breaking News

• Trouble for Facebook?

Tweaks of the Week

• Warmup Inbox
• MailGenius

Inspirational NuggetEven one minute without playing the blame game is progress in the art of living.

Can I go a whole day without blaming others?

When I ask myself, why haven’t I done this yet? I find all kinds of excuses which is the same as blaming.

It all leads to excuses and blaming others and circumstances influenced by them.

It’s time to take full responsibility and answer the questions honestly.

I haven’t done that work because…

• I put it off. It feels hard.
• It requires making decisions that might be wrong.
• It might lead to losing time or money

When we sweep away all the excuses and blame and get down to the things that are truly holding us back, then we can take small steps to move forward past the fears that keep us stuck.

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Schedule a free consultation with AGK Media Studio
• New Mexico Day Trips

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Want a recession-proof business? Learn about passive and active revenue streams, and how to open up new pathways to earning revenue.

Create a Recession-Proof Business

Having only one revenue stream means taking a chance that it will never fail. When the economy experiences changes that affect your business, income can quickly dry up. If you rely solely on a few steady clients for all your income, what happens if they suddenly leave you?

That’s why we recommend creating multiple, diverse revenue streams to support your business.

In this episode, we’ll explore passive and active revenue streams, and how to open up new pathways to earning revenue.

• Brainstorming resource mentioned: Thought Leaders Practice “be a well-paid infopreneur”
• Interview with Sally Foley Lewis: Sally sent Jen Thought Leaders Practice after our interview together

Words of WisdomI'm always looking at opportunities and researching them, even if they come in from people I don't know, like a LinkedIn connection. Once I'm in, I do a good job and I show up like anything could happen. That is really what has been happening for me in my business over the last five years. I have met people. I have said yes to things and then when I'm in there, other people notice and they think of me when something else comes up. — JenWe had one really strong client that we were very happy with. Even though we were looking for more clients, we were happy. Then he died and we had nobody. So you can't put all your eggs in one basket and hope that it just continues on. Anything can happen. — Shelley

Content Consistency Framework and Schedule

Breaking News

• Make your Escape to Getaway House(Jen went to the Portland location and loved it!)
• Facebook's B2B Targeting: Facebook’s offering new B2B segments to help businesses use advertising targeted at decision-makers. When compared with LinkedIn’s $5.60 CPC, this makes Facebook’s $0.95 CPC appear more affordable (but still expensive)
• Report: Rules of Recession-Proofing: Key Takeaway: focus on the long-term, e.g., top of the funnel (brand awareness, getting people in) rather than cutting marketing or solely focusing on short-term gains

Tweak of the Week

• Loopedin.io: All-in-one tool for collecting feedback, building roadmaps, sharing changelogs and publishing knowledge bases.

Inspirational Nugget

It is necessary to begin where the world is if we are going to change it to what we think it should be.

There are plenty of small steps that, were you to take them, would help move things forward. Don’t excuse yourself from doing them because the conditions aren’t right or because a better opportunity might come along soon.

What’s the smallest step I can take toward a big thing today?

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Schedule a free consultation with AGK Media Studio
• New Mexico Day Trips

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Shelley gives us the scoop on how to find and reach out to podcast hosts. Learn how to be a great guest, find the RIGHT podcasters to collaborate with, and why promotion is the key to success.

How do collaborations help you expand your audience?

Podcast guesting is one of the BEST ways to promote your business (for free!). You can expand your brand, reach a new audience, gain credibility and showcase your products and services.

But how can you find the right podcast and get booked as a guest? How do you deliver the exceptional value your host expects?

Shelley gives us the scoop on how to find and reach out to podcast hosts and how to be a great guest ‌podcast hosts want to collaborate with, promote and refer to others.

Presentation Deck

Podcast guesting: The path to visibility

• How to connect with podcast hosts
• Prepare to give value to the host and audience
• Tell a good story
• Fulfill the responsibilities of a great guest
• Reciprocate and collaborate
• The “best guests ever” did these things…
• What help or cool stuff can you offer?
• Action steps to reach out as a great podcast guest

Livecast Life Course Signup

Words of WisdomBring your best stories to that podcast. Don't worry about promoting your business so much as you worry about entertaining and educating that audience and then they will enjoy you so much that they'll want to start listening to you in other places. Milton Hershey said, “Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising.” So if you want to promote your business, be really authentically you and do your best to provide value to that audience. — ShelleyCan't-Miss Resources

Content Consistency Framework and Schedule

Listen to Shelley's recent guest appearance on Brilliance + Passion.

Inspirational Nugget

Late in his life, after surgery, Theodore Roosevelt was told he might be confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his days.

He responded, “All right! I can work that way too!”

We can respond to even the most disabling turns of fate by working with what we’ve got and choosing to have a positive attitude in any situation.

Nothing can prevent us from learning. In fact, difficult situations are often opportunities for their own kinds of learning, even if they’re not the kinds of learning we’d have preferred.

How can I make the best of situations I face?

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate(affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Schedule a free consultation with AGK Media Studio
• New Mexico Day Trips

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

How do creator collaborations help you expand your audience?

The fastest way to grow your audience is to join forces through collaboration with other creators. There are as many ways to do that as there are imaginative people to collaborate with, but how do you get started? 

Who can you collaborate with? What’s the best way to reach out and work with new people?

It comes down to relationship building and networking with other creators, coaches, and speakers. 

In this episode, we'll share how beginners can get started with cross-promotion and other simple one-time collaborative efforts, then take you all the way through to joint ventures and affiliate marketing.

Methods of collaboration we explore:

• Cross-promotion
• Podcast interviews
• Book compilation
• Summit, conference and speaking engagements
• Joint ventures
• Affiliate and influencer collaborations

Words of Wisdom

Don't turn down speaking engagements, just because you can't sell from the stage. You are your product. — JenWe look at our analytics and if we see a big jump of downloads I had when this person was on; I know she promoted herself. She promoted that podcast and I want to have her back. — Shelley

Breaking News

• Money talk: A Vericast survey found 34% of Gen Z turn to TikTok for financial advice, while 33% get money tips from YouTube
• Social selling is not doing so well... "While 45% of consumers say social media influences their shopping, only 11% have purchased directly through social media, according to a May 2022 McKinsey report."
• Google is pushing back its deadline for killing off tracking cookies until at least 2024

Can't-Miss Resources

• Content Consistency Framework and Schedule
• Epiphany Courses special 15% off deal for podcast listeners

Inspirational Nugget

“Indeed, if you find anything in human life better than justice, truth, self-control, courage—in short, anything better than the sufficiency of your own mind, which keeps you acting according to the demands of true reason and accepting what fate gives you outside of your own power of choice—I tell you, if you can see anything better than this, turn to it heart and soul and take full advantage of this greater good you’ve found.” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 3.6.1

Money creates problems. Climbing one mountain exposes another, higher peak. There is never enough love. Virtue is the one good that reveals itself to be more than we expect. Virtue—made up of justice, honesty, discipline, and courage—is the only thing worth striving for.

Certainly, nothing will improve your life path more than virtuous choices. Doing your best work will always bring more satisfaction and better results than doing the bare minimum or shirking responsibility.

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate* (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard* (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy
• Epiphany Courses

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Shelley's Livestream consultancy AGK Media Studio
• Shelley's podcast: Messages and Methods: Livecast Life 2.0 Podcast

 

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Social Media Automation: Best Productivity Boosting Marketing Tools

Are you sick of wasting hours every day on social media? Does it feel like you're not getting anything accomplished because of all the time you spend posting on your social media accounts? 

That's exactly how we felt. If you're spending too much time on social media, but not seeing any results, then this episode is for you. We'll guide you through solutions to help you boost your productivity. We review the best social media automation tools we've used and tested. 

We'll explain how they work, and how they can help you automate the social media aspect of your business, resulting in increased productivity and increased profits.

• Available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7xRA7Q4I5M0
• Deck and more info: https://womenconquerbiz.com/podcast/social-media-automation/
• Interview with Kate Bradley Chernis: https://www.womenconquerbiz.com/podcast/kate-bradley-chernis/
• Interview with Ben Dell: https://www.womenconquerbiz.com/podcast/great-business-ideas/

Words of Wisdom

How do you get your social media automation going so that you can spend your time engaging? You get your stuff, you create it, you put it in a social scheduler, and then the next step is to automate it as much as possible. Then you can be commenting and engaging and asking questions and driving people to the content that you're sharing on social. — Jen

Can't-Miss Resources

SPECIAL LAUNCH OFFER: get a LIFETIME 15% off discount on Jen’s courses and community: https://www.epiphanycourses.com/podcast

Content Consistency Framework and Schedule https://framework.agkmedia.studio

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate* (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard* (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy
• Epiphany Courses

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Shelley's Livestream consultancy AGK Media Studio
• Shelley's podcast: Messages and Methods: Livecast Life 2.0 Podcast

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

How to Expand Your Reach on Social Media with Effective Engagement

How do you increase your engagement and reach on social media in 2022?

• The purpose of social media
• Brand awareness
• Customer Service
• Sharing fun and interesting posts
• Thought leadership (blogs, podcasts, articles written by others)
• Create a strategy for visibility and credibility
• Use our topic clusters episode to generate content ideas
• https://www.womenconquerbiz.com/podcast/topic-clusters/ (or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy-evnzLJxc) 
• If you can do nothing else, comment on other people’s posts
• Social selling: great example Lately.ai (other people’s audiences)
• Share personal values that are relevant and relatable
• Tag people and share their content
• Tools: Typeshare (https://typeshare.co) (tweak of the week); Hypefury (https://hypefury.com/)

Words of Wisdom

If you don't have time to post a lot, go comment on other people's posts. Go find people that are in your area or adjacent or people who might be your ideal client and watch what they post and then comment on it. It positions you as a thought leader if you are professional and you are sharing something of value to other people. It makes a tremendous difference because when you comment on other people's posts, you're expanding your reach beyond your own followers and you're opening the door for other people to find out about you and what it is that you do. — Jen

If you are trying to connect with somebody and they have a social media presence, go find out about them, instead of asking stupid questions that you could have just looked on their Facebook page or their LinkedIn page and found out for yourself. Instead of asking them those things, ask them deeper things that nobody asks them. — Shelley

Breaking News

• Shelley’s guest appearance on Chasing the Insights Podcast speaking about consistent content creation and distribution with Vince Warnock https://chasingtheinsights.com/ep226-shelley-carney-content/
• Rally.io (crypto for creators): $RISE (Jen’s first crypto purchase — Mark Schaefer’s ‘community’ coin). $TILT (Tilt), Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley, Brian Fanzo, and other creators are on Rally

Can't-Miss Resources

• Subscribe to the Women Conquer Business newsletter: https://www.womenconquerbiz.com/newsletter 
• Get on the waiting list for Shelley’s upcoming Livecast Lifestyle course: https://sendfox.com/lp/1xq86n

Tweaks of the Week

• Typeshare: https://typeshare.co 
• Upcoach vs. Vonza

Inspirational Nugget

• “When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why, like a fool, do you look for a third thing on top—credit for the good deed or a favor in return?”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.73

The answer to the question “Why did you do the right thing?” should always be “Because it was the right thing to do.” After all, when you hear or see another person do that—especially when they might have endured some hardship or difficulty as a consequence of doing that right thing—do you not think, There, that is a human being at their finest? So why on earth do you need thanks or recognition for having done the right thing?

Can I do the right thing—even without the promise of rewards?

When we offer value and help others first because it is the right thing to do instead of focusing on “what’s in it for me?” - then the Universe takes over to provide for our needs. We keep our momentum going by continuing to offer value and helpful advice without asking “How many downloads did I get?” or “How many viewers watched my livestream?”

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate* (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard* (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy
• Epiphany Courses

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Shelley's Livestream consultancy AGK Media Studio
• Shelley's podcast: Messages and Methods: Livecast Life 2.0 Podcast

 

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Transitioning to a Content Entrepreneur 

The content entrepreneur drives the creator economy through the content-first/audience-first strategy. How do you know when your content creation hobby is ready to transition to a content entrepreneur business? What are the steps you must take to build a profitable business from your content and audience?

In this episode, we will explore the ways we move from having a hobby to a "jobby" to becoming a business owner. We'll talk about preparing mentally, emotionally, and physically to become a digital CEO and how to build a money-making machine.

What are the steps you must take to build a profitable business from your content and audience?

o  Hobby

o  “Jobby”

o  Business

o  Build a money-making content entrepreneur machine

Words of Wisdom

Algorithms and the rented space and stuff like it could all change and those people could go away. It's not a list. You can't just pick up that list of people and say, now I'm going over here. But people who really want to engage with you, people who really want to learn from you, people who want to listen to you, they subscribe. Then wherever you go, they will continue to follow you. And that's why I tell a lot of people to make sure you're asking people to subscribe to your email list. — Jen

I think it's a performer mentality. Performers are used to working with venues, showing up, and then whoever is in the audience is who they perform for. But when you become a performer who has a following, who has a fan base, then it's really important to be able to have some kind of communication going on with your fan base outside of just showing up. — Shelley

Breaking News

• Google to Auto-Delete Location? Eh…. I don’t believe them. “Google has now said it will automatically delete location history data for visits to sensitive locations such as "counseling centers, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities .. and others." https://www.nearmedia.co/google-location-privacy-eu-antitrust-win-shopify-brand/ 
• Why 2022 is the year of ‘relationship marketing’: https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/28/why-2022-is-the-year-of-relationship-marketing/ “As a marketer, that’s something you can’t sleep on anymore. Not after COVID. People want to have a voice. They want to be recognized, and they want to be given recognition for their allegiance and loyalty to brands.”

Can't-Miss Resources

• Subscribe to the Women Conquer Business newsletter: https://www.womenconquerbiz.com/newsletter 
• Get on the waiting list for Shelley’s upcoming Livecast Lifestyle course: https://sendfox.com/lp/1xq86n

Inspirational Nugget

“This is what you should teach me, how to be like Odysseus—how to love my country, wife, and father, and how, even after suffering shipwreck, I might keep sailing on course to those honorable ends.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 88.7b

If you got everything else wrong from The Odyssey, but you left understanding the importance of perseverance, the dangers of hubris, the risks of temptation and distraction? Then you really learned something.

Can I show Odysseus-like determination and perseverance?

As content creators and entrepreneurs, there are always times when our life circumstances will knock us down and steal our attention and passion away from what we are creating. It is up to us to have our systems in place to keep us going on our pre-determined path when we experience our own shipwreck. 

My mom had a stroke. My husband has cancer. I’ve got my own medical issues, too, but I have systems and a support community that I have built to get me through these difficult moments. Content entrepreneurs must learn to use these challenges as fuel for their content and passions.

That means I talk about my personal challenges within my content and tie that into my brand and message. That message resonates more intimately with the people who are going through something similar and creates a bond between us.

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate* (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard* (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy
• Epiphany Courses

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Shelley's Livestream consultancy AGK Media Studio
• Shelley's podcast: Messages and Methods: Livecast Life 2.0 Podcast

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Skyscraper Pages

Last week, we talked about topic clusters, making lists of topics or content themes based on your expertise. A list is nice, but what do you do with it?

This week we're detailing skyscraper pages. Sometimes called pillar posts, or the skyscraper technique, think of this as the 'center' of your topic cluster — the most important content related to a cluster. Think of this as your 'ultimate guide' to ultimate guides.

Presentation/Training:

What is a skyscraper page?

How does it build authority?

View Slides

• Review: E-A-T, Content Funnel, Topic Clusters
• Long-Form(ish) Content Types
• Cornerstone
• Skyscraper
• 10x
• Pillar
• Small Business Content Dilemma
• Content Reality
• Questions and Advice
• Chocolate Cake Example (from last week) Revisited

Watch on YouTube

Can't-Miss Resources

• Subscribe to the Women Conquer Business newsletter
• Shelley’s LinkedIn Newsletter: “What is Personal Branding and Why Do I Need It?”

Breaking News

• On July 13 Descript will unveil a transformative new way of making a video. Join the Livestream on July 13, 10 am PT / 1 pm ET. Register to watch live or look for it on their YouTube Channel
• Privacy Issues and women’s health in the wake of Roe v. Wade reversal
• Get the whole ‘crow in the chimney’ story: How Does a Crow in Your Chimney Relates to Your Business?

Tweaks of the Week

• ProductDyno product selling and delivery platform where customers can access all their related purchases from you in ONE place. Alternative to: Podia, Thinkific, MemberVault, and Kajabi. Currently available on AppSumo for lifetime purchase (Shelley bought a Tier 3 license).
• SnapDownloader: Moving off of Facebook? Want all your videos hosted elsewhere? SnapDownloader lets you download videos from YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo. Currently available on AppSumo. As we mentioned on the show, please only use this on your own videos.

Inspirational Nugget“The mind adapts and converts any obstacle to its action into a means of achieving it. That which is an impediment to action is turned to advance action. The obstacle on the path becomes the way.” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.20

• You have the power of turning obstacles upside down, taking one negative circumstance and using it as an opportunity to practice an unintended virtue or form of excellence.
• How can I use this obstacle as an opportunity?
• I’m sure more good things will come from this occasion that I do not yet see. I have faith that doing what feels important and right is always the right course. Even if some other things need to be put on hold.

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy
• Epiphany Courses online business courses and community

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Schedule a free consultation with AGK Media Studio
• Shelley's podcast: Messages and Methods: Livecast Life 2.0 Podcast

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

If you want to know the SECRET to reach the right audience with your expertise, the solution is within YOU. Learn about creating Topic clusters (AKA content themes) based on your expertise.

Topic Clusters and Content Themes

We've talked A LOT about researching content based on customer testimonials and basic keyword research. But if you want to know the SECRET to reach the right audience with your expertise, the solution is within YOU.

This week's show is all about creating Topic clusters (AKA content themes) based on your expertise. You'll find you have a goldmine within you. We'll help you unlock the riches.

Training topics:

E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

• Why Google cares about your Expertise as a creator, the Authoritativeness of the content/information, and the Trustworthiness of your website.

YAMYL (Your Money or Your Life)

• Use care in creating content in these areas:
• News and current events (business, tech, science, etc.)
• Government and law
• Financial advice (investments, retirement)
• Shopping information (product reviews, research)
• Medical advice (drugs, hospitals, emergencies)
• People (race, religion, sexuality)
• … Yeah, we think it’s just about everything too. But Google doesn’t like it if your content is inaccurate and could do harm to another person.
• Long story short: create good content based on the content funnel and topic clusters we talk about next and you should be OK.

Content Funnel

• People search for different reasons:
• Navigational
• Informational
• Transactional
• Commercial
• Create different types of content to capture people in different places within the funnel.

Topic Clusters

• What are topic clusters?
• Grouping content based on themes or a common broad topic, held together by a pillar post or skyscraper page
• High-quality content representing different places within the funnel.

Chocolate Cake Example

• We walk you through a topic cluster using chocolate cake as an example.

Service Providers

• Use the 'problem, solution, results' model if you’re a service provider struggling to come up with topics.

Topic Clusters by Jen McFarland

Words of WisdomIt's really important that whatever you create is within your expertise and is authoritative, meaning you're creating it to create value, to help people. And that it is based on expertise and part of what helps with that is if you link to other things. So something like topic clusters, you might link out to HubSpot or Semrush, or any of these different SEO companies to show that you have well researched it and you're within your lane. — JenWe have found that when you completely radically change, sometimes you have a small group of people who ‌stay with you because they like you. They will stay with you no matter what you're talking about because they like you as a person, a friend, or a brand. So you can change your brand. You can change your focus. You can home in on things a little more if you need to in the future. But to get started, you want to be very clear about who you are, what you're talking about, and who you're talking to. — ShelleyCan't-Miss Resources

💌 Marketing Missive: Weekly Marketing Insights

Livecast Life Workbook Guide

Breaking News

• VidCon 2022 on YouTube (What’s VidCon?)Unfortunately, Jen had to give up her ticket!

Tweaks of the Week

• Canva continues to refine its product, making it easier to create slides and graphics that look great
• Bitmoji has a Chrome extension if you want to give your brand a fun touch

Inspirational Nugget“You could enjoy this very moment all the things you are praying to reach by taking the long way around—if you’d stop depriving yourself of them.” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 12.1

• What is it that you want? What are you working toward? Why?
• Where are you standing in your own way?
• If you’re happy, comfortable and loved… you’re successful.

Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Schedule a free consultation with AGK Media Studio
• New Mexico Day Trips

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

When creating content for your business, you have so many choices: podcasting, videos, social... it's easy to forget about blogs. Don't snooze on this content powerhouse.

How to Create a Successful Blog for Your Business

When creating content for your business, you have so many choices: podcasting, videos, email marketing... it's easy to forget about blogs.

We'll talk about how to create a successful blog for your business, including finding the right blog service (or hosting it on your own website), how to find topics that appeal to your customers and the essentials you need to include in each blog post.

Why blog in 2022?

• Search engines still like words the most
• Blogs aren’t going anywhere
• “Blogging” as a profession is increasingly difficult - not quick money; blogging for business (like any content strategy) is the long game
• Alternative Blogging Platforms
• Gives you a chance to test out your voice/writing style/topics, find an audience

Great place to start if you don’t have a website

• Medium: https://medium.com/creators
• NewsBreak Originals: https://creators.newsbreak.com/creators
• Vocal: https://vocal.media/

Best blogging website platforms

• WordPress: https://wordpress.org
• Ghost: https://ghost.org
• Squarespace: https://squarespace.com

Finding topics

• Make a list of your expertise, in granular detail
• What questions do you answer?
• Answer the Public / Google related questions
• Testimonials
• Customer questions
• Research, research, research

Blog post essentials

• Headlines and hooks
• Images
• Subheads
• Embeds (video, Twitter, etc.)
• Call to Action

Promote and share your blog

• Social media
• Newsletter

Words of Wisdom

The key to writing a good headline is to use something called power words and power words are different types of words that elicit different emotions around taking action and doing different things. When you're writing a blog post, you really want somebody to click on it and read it. That's the most important thing. — JenBlogging is another avenue to bring new people into your realm. I'm always getting people who are brand new, who are finding my blog, liking it, following it, and reading it every week. There are certain topics that they like and then you can also look at your statistics. What articles are the most prevalent? Who's looking at what the most? Then you double down on that content. — ShelleyCan't-Miss Resources

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Breaking News

Ahrefs releases Yep search engine (https://yep.com/) (in beta)

• Yep uses a 90/10 profit share business model where 90% of advertising profits are paid directly to creators.
• Claims to offer an unbiased, private search experience that rewards and compensates the makers behind the content.
• More info: https://searchengineland.com/yep-search-engine-385613

Tweaks of the Week

• Repurpose.io is a dream for automation
• Google Slides animation feature adds fun to your brand

Inspirational Nugget“Don’t be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can’t climb up without another soldier’s help?” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.7Connect with Us

Podcast Production

• Podcast hosting: Captivate (affiliate link)
• Livestream: StreamYard (Shelley's referral link)
• Music: Uppbeat.io

Connect with Jen

Brought to you by Women Conquer Business

• Connect with Jen McFarland
• Women Conquer Business marketing consultancy

Connect with Shelley

Engineered by AGK Media Studio

• Connect with Shelley Carney
• Schedule a free consultation with AGK Media Studio
• New Mexico Day Trips

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