Marketing with Purpose

Monica is a website builder by trade…you’ve probably figured that out by now. 

But a website that can’t be found is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. 

Which makes her a student of SEO…FOREVER. Because it changes faster than a Nascar pit crew. 

And it’s not one dimensional either, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is mutli-faceted. The MayeCreate team’s responsibility is to build a website Google can be friends with. Which is a huge part of the SEO pie. But what about all the other things?

That’s where Nina Gibson comes in. She’s done SEO for some big brands…Yankee Candle, Caboodles, Orvis, National Geographic to name a few.

Monica got to pick her brain in this episode and ask questions like:

1. How does SEO work?
2. What common mistakes do we need to avoid?
3. What changes is Google making right now that we need to know about?
4. How is AI affecting SEO?

She took a lot of notes from this episode…so grab a pen and paper (or just download the transcript) and let’s get to some SEO business!

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: 
https://mayecreate.com/blog/seo-fundamentals-2024-forecast-with-guest-nina-gibson/

Domain

Hosting

Website

Sooooo intangible…yet so important for your business. We talk about these things everyday but for normal humans they’re a question factory…

• What even is a domain? 
• How do you get one? 
• How do you connect it to everything?
• And what the heck is hosting? 
• Do you need it?
• How do you know which one you need?

So if you’re up to your neck in questions, this episode is for you.

Together we'll unravel the role of domain name and domain registrars then move on to decode hosting for you—shared, VPS, dedicated—so you can know which is right for you.

Let's get to business!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-domain-hosting-and-website/

The latest episode of Marketing with Purpose, features none other than Chris West, President of West Contracting. ️

Chris and his team spent the past year in a cycle of change, reevaluating their internal structure, figuring out what works and what doesn't, and charting their course for the future. 

As part of their marketing team, it's been awesome to be a part of the journey!

Today we’ll dig into:

• How they are continuing to strengthen company culture through recent changes but keeping what works, including their employees, who have an average tenure of over 10 years!
• What it's like working in a family business (Chris is the 3rd generation to manage West Contracting) and how they transitioned from each generation to keep the company strong.
• Tap into Chris's never-give-up attitude. Even if you're a steadfast procrastinator like him, he's got some wisdom to share on how to still get things done and find success.

We've been lucky enough to get to work with Chris for many years now and are proud to share his story through the West Contracting marketing. Now, we're excited to get to share it with you in this episode! 

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/paving-the-way-insights-from-three-generations-of-success-with-guest-chris-west/

In this week’s Marketing with Purpose episode we're tackling a topic that hits close to home for many of us - quite literally.

Working from home with your spouse and managing to:

• Not go nuts
• Get your work done 
• AND stay married

Tyler and Christi Ernst have been remote working from the same ROOM for the past 4 years…and they still like each other!  

So we had to know their secret.

Tyler is our lead developer and co-art director at MayeCreate, and luckily he and his wife, Christi, share an office - because we regularly consult Christi for a second opinion!

In this episode Tyler and Christi delve into:

• The communication patterns that allow them to harmoniously work and live in the same space
• Challenges to expect when working from home with your spouse and how they overcame them
• Their secret test to tell if a couple can work the same space

And, of course, like any other normal episode, we discussed powerlifting and sourdough baking ️ !

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-work-from-home-with-your-spouse-and-not-go-nuts-with-guests-tyler-christi-ernst/

You know how Monica LOVES to geek out about podcasting? OK, not quite as much as she loves geeking out about websites…but close !

And recently, on the Marketing with Purpose podcast, Monica had the pleasure of geeking out WITH another podcasting veteran with over 300 episodes under his belt, Khalil Benalioulhaj.

He likes podcasting so much he started a business to help people run their podcasts. Now, that’s taking it to a whole new level…

Here's a sneak peek of what they covered in the episode:

• Remote recording benefits and production efficiency
• Understanding podcast analytics and measuring success
• Leveraging podcasts as a sales and marketing tool
• Plus, expert tech solutions to make your life easier!

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: http://mayecreate.com/blog/podcasting-lessons-from-khalil-compelling-content-guest-tips-roi-more/

When MayeCreate opened the new Camdenton office, Stacy and Monica needed a spot to meet up in between. They lucked into a relatively new co-working space, Jefferson and High that rekindled Monica’s belief that customer service is your number one marketing tool as a small business.

So Monica invited owner, Chris Galloway, to give us a rundown of the seamless tech integrations, onboarding process and snacks that keep his customers coming back time and time again.

If you’re craving customer service inspiration, there’s a thing or two to learn about this growing co-working space. (Warning…this episode may result in a craving for Cheetos .)

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: http://mayecreate.com/blog/how-one-co-working-space-markets-through-great-customer-service-with-owner-chris-galloway/

How are you at saying, “No”?

Monica always says, "it took birthing two kids and attempting to run a business at the same time" for her to get her head on straight and master her ‘no’ game. 

See, ‘yes’ can be a dangerous game for a busy human. Each yes has to align with your priorities.

‘Yes’ is about putting your energy where it matters most.

‘No’ is about protecting that energy for the next opportunity to say ‘yes’.

So really…No is it’s buddy Yes’s superhero! 

In this episode, Stacy, a self-proclaimed yes-gal, and Monica turn the tables on the guilt of ‘no’. Talking through their internal dialogue, and how they reason their way to the answer that uses their energy where it counts. Giving tips on:

• The consequences of yes
• The art of saying no nicely
• Strategies for feeling OK about saying no
• Dealing with negative feedback from your decision to say no

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/saying-no-in-a-nice-way-and-feeling-ok-about-it/

Over the past 18 years change is the one of the only things that has remained constant as in our business.

And some people love it…other people…not so much. 

That’s why we talk about it so much on the Marketing with Purpose podcast. Because to make marketing and business decisions with purpose we have to be able to embrace the idea that things WILL change and then figure out WHAT the heck needs to change and make a plan to pull it all together.

In our latest episode, Monica sat down with Paden Squires, CPA & CFP at WR Tax Planners, who while helping our company evolve…has changed his company just as much.

They covered everything from:

• Paden quitting a cushy job to do taxes in his living room. 
• How Paden’s the only tax accountant we know who wears a hoodie in his website photos.
• The importance of self-awareness in business.
• Struggles with delegation and perfectionism.
• And our favorite…transitioning from the warrior to king stages of success.

Get the episode highlights and full transcript at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-power-of-persistence-from-tax-consulting-to-triumph-with-guest-paden-squires/

If you’ve been following along this last year, you know that MayeCreate is on a full on journey to operate in a way that meets our values, both as a team and as individuals. We transitioned to a four day workweek after testing it out in May and that amazing feat was years in the making. To work less and not get paid less meant we had to reevaluate nearly everything we did.

We started by streamlining all our administrative tasks.

Then moved on to revamp the way our designers and developers build websites.

We changed how we bill, schedule and estimate work…

But we were still stuck in the office 5 days a week. 

So we took a step back to the one thing we held onto like a lifeline though it all. Something we had nursed like a baby and developed through 18 years of hard work.

Our account service process.

I remember sitting in my office and looking at Stacy and shaking my head saying, “It’s the only thing left, so it has to be wrong, I don’t know how to fix it but we can’t leave it like it is. It just doesn’t work.”

And after many discussions we birthed a whole new brainchild that’s even better than the last, one that creates better websites, faster, with less mistakes, that meets our current version of success…

And that, friend is what this episode is all about - knowing when to let go and celebrating the courage it took on the other side. Come join the party!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/we-totally-revamped-our-18-year-process-and-it-rocks/

My 9 year old daughter, Aveleen, decided she wants to be a Chamber of Commerce director when she grows up, after meeting K.C. Cloke, our local Chamber director and guest for this week’s episode.

I think that Aveleen will make an amazing Chamber director one day. That girl’s got what it takes to make stuff happen and a sunshine spirit to back it up…and she’s going to need it!

I’ve been part of large Chambers of Commerce and small. 

Been on committees - ones that just act important and those that really are important. Gotten business and gotten squat.

And from experience I can say:

1. They’re all different.
2. Your involvement drives your outcomes.
3. It’s more of a marathon than a sprint.

So if you’re on the fence about joining your local Chamber or just want to know what a Chamber does, this episode is for you!

Join K.C. and I as she fields questions and explains all things Chamber of Commerce. Her enthusiasm for business and candid can-do attitude will win you over…just ask Aveleen!