Marketing with Purpose

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!

In the third and final episode of our small business tech stack series, Travis, Stacy, and I geek out about the thrilling world of business management tools. 

Brace yourself for the drama because, truth be told, we're so attached to these tools that they're pretty much our besties.

We all agree…

If we won a big, fancy business award – our heartfelt shoutouts go to our…

…CRM, 

…Project Management, and (drum roll please!) our

…Financial Management tools 

Our ride-or-die companions. Couldn't have done it without them.

Alright, enough drama.

Let’s get to business…business management tools!

Remember when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and we used to go to computer labs to write papers ️?

And you had to bring a floppy disk that wasn’t actually floppy to save your work. 

(It didn’t just auto save itself to the cloud, you actually had to press SAVE.)

And what about that time when you forgot your disk in the lab. 

Couldn’t find it and had to start allllll over again…

…only to have one of our classmates turn in your paper as their own .

Wait, that wasn’t you. That was Travis! 

(My brother and co-owner of Tranquility Internet Services)

And the fuel for his mission to keep businesses safe from hackers. 

Pair that fuel with the spark Stacy and I have to market with purpose and that’s all you need to know this 2nd installment of the small business tech stack series will be just inspiration (or kick in the pants) you need to get going on tech-ifying your business. 

Join my two favorite geeks ❤️❤️ and I as we dive into our favorite:

1. Online Marketing Tools
   The tools we love to save time and streamline marketing.
   
   
2. Analytics and Data Insights
   Free solutions to track website performance and make data-driven decisions.
   
   
3. Cyber Security and Data Protection
   What you need to protect against hackers and keep your data safe.

Let’s tech-ify!

P.S. Need more small business tech?

Check out episode 1 of this series dedicated to communication and efficiency tools and stay tuned for episode 3 about business management solutions.

Tech is NOT the enemy.

It’s more than just a subscription service. It’s a member of your team. Allowing you to more efficiently and effectively deliver on our clients expectations AND create time for ourselves. 

Let’s rephrase that - The right tech makes people happy, makes money and gives you the ability to walk away from your business and back into your life.

Hang out with our host, Monica,  Stacy Brockmeier, MayeCreate’s chief wearer of many hats, and Travis Schumacher, co-owner of Tranquility Internet Services, as they team up in a three part series outlining the essential small business tech stack. 

This episode outlines:

1. Where to start  (how to know what you need…)
2. Communication and collaboration tools
3. ⏰ Efficiency tools

Stay tuned over the next two weeks for two more small business tech stack episodes:

• Episode 2: Marketing and Cybersecurity
• Episode 3: Business Management Tools

Can't wait to share the tech love with you!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at:https://mayecreate.com/blog/small-business-tech-stack-1-communication-efficiency-tools/

You know, freshening up your website is a lot like renovating a house. 

Sometimes, a fresh coat of paint is all you need, but other times, you've got to rip out a wall and burn all the furniture. 

We’ve all had those moments at the end of a long weekend with the kids cooped up inside, when we look around our house and think “it would honestly be easier to burn this thing down than to clean it.” 

Aaaand we end up cleaning it because somehow it seems more fun than going to jail for arson…

Arson and kid tornadoes aside, when it comes to your website sometimes starting over is the best option. 

But how do you KNOW which path to take?!?

In this episode, my chief wearer of many hats, Stacy and I will guide you through the decision making process so you know if you need to update, re-template or just start over fresh.

In today's episode, we're diving deep into the age-old question, "Should I refresh my website or completely redo it?"

You know, it's a lot like renovating a house. Sometimes, a fresh coat of paint is all you need, but other times, you've got to rip out a wall and burn all the furniture. 

We’ve all had those moments at the end of a long weekend with the kids cooped up inside, when we look around our house and think “it would honestly be easier to burn this thing down than to clean it.” 

And because we don’t want to go to jail for arson we clean it…

Good news is though rebuilding your website is not nearly as hard as building a new house. And sometimes starting over is the best option. 

In this episode, I’ve paired up with my chief wearer of many hats, Stacy. We'll be your digital contractors, guiding you through the decision making process.

We’ll explore the signs that tell you it's time for an update and when you need a full-blown overhaul. We'll discuss everything from how to handle small cosmetic fixes, like rearranging the furniture in your online home, to  the telltale signs that your website might have sprung a few leaks or even time-traveled from the '90s.

Let's get to business!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/website-refresh-vs-redesign-when-to-walk-away-from-your-website/

People make a lot of mistakes in web design. 

Some are tiny. Others blow up your whole site. 

We’ve fought a lot of web fires over the past 18 years. 

From accidentally deleting your admin user to expired domain names captured by pirates. 

Some we’ve learned the hard way…others we just had to fix. 

Sometimes your secret to success is knowing what you don’t know. 

And that’s what this episode is ALL about! 

I invited my wearer of many hats, Stacy, to reminisce about some of simple and creative ways we’ve seen people nuke their sites so you can learn from the mistakes of others and can keep your website not just running but thriving.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/mistakes-in-web-design-11-sure-fire-ways-to-break-your-site/

I LOVE WORDPRESS (in case you didn’t know). 

Like as in want to marry it, did marry it, and won’t cheat on it…

I don’t build sites in anything else.

But there are A LOT of choices out there. And I don’t always advise people to use WordPress…so how do YOU know if WordPress is right for you?

In this episode I called in Stacy, my chief wearer of many hats, to help figure it out.

We've got a checklist to help you decide. Starting with your goals and tech ability all the way down to automating your business practices.

 Should you use wordpress? Let's find out!

Let's get to business!

My kids 12 and 9 don’t have phones…yet.

And to get them to stop watching so much TV this summer…I switched our Netfilx account to Spanish ONLY.

OK, so I’m a bit unconventional. But I think we’re all feeling the push and pull of digital wellness. I feel like we’re all grappling with the delicate dance between the tug of technology and the importance of maintaining our digital well-being.  

So this week, I’m excited to invite back Teah Hopper, a Social Media Expert who's on a mission to help us find that perfect balance. 

Inspired by her own journey during maternity leave, she's become a digital wellness advocate, offering invaluable insights into managing technology use for business while preserving our sanity. 

In this episode, Teah and I dive deep into the realm of digital wellness. We explore:

• the impact of social media on our lives, 
• share tips for maintaining a healthy relationship with our phones, and 
• discuss strategies for managing social media addiction. 
• tackle the challenges of balancing screen time for our children
• offer practical advice for decluttering our digital lives

Let’s open this discussion about the importance of digital health, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy online-offline balance. Grab your headphones and get ready to discover the secrets to digital wellness and social media management with Teah Hopper!

After publishing our episode, Virtual Assistants – A Unicorn Solution for Marketing Tasks, I got an email from our client Sarah. 

I know from experience she is super, mega organized and smart. And as it turns out she works with virtual assistants on the regular. Sarah offered to share how to streamline the hiring, onboarding and management process for a Virtual Assistant.

And I thought, “Who wouldn’t want to hear that!?!”

Hear Sarah’s tips on:

• Reliable hiring sources, how she structures pay and lessons learned along the way.
• Tasks her VA’s commonly handle plus how she uses her virtual assistant as a task "closer" and integral part of her workflow.
• Streamlining communication and how she uses a project management onboard her employees and keep it all straight.

Get the full transcript and epsidode summary on our website:
https://mayecreate.com/blog/advice-on-hiring-a-virtual-assistant-with-guest-sarah-luebbert/

P.S. If you’re hiring you might also like our Two Weird Yet Must Ask Interview Questions Episode!

Shout out to Liz for asking me to tackle this subject…she asked me to breakdown how mindset shapes our messaging (and how to improve your mindset in messaging).

Like, do you feel like you’re writing to friends and fans or like your messages are an intrusion?

I’d like to say I’m always a glass-half-full girl but let's be real, this whole marketing thing can feel like a rollercoaster of doubts and challenges.

And when my mindset starts falling it seeps into everything I do.

See, there’s an intricate connection between mindset and marketing magic. Every design, social post or email is colored by mindset and it’s not easy to be “on” all the time.

So how do I keep my glass full and keep from excessively apologizing to people about bothering them? 

1. I love my purpose
2. Do my homework
3. I consider you, my audience, a friend
4. Show up as a problem solver
5. Trash the negative tapes
6. And consider communication an expectation

And I’m breaking down each of those in this week’s episode - join me for a mental leg up!

Get the episode highlights and full transcript at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-mindset-in-marketing/