After successfully building a business with a 50-50 business partner, Caitlin with the Social Speak Network describes the 3 key elements to creating a successful business partnership.
Creating a Content Calendar for Social Media Marketing can be a daunting task. You may come up with a list of topics, but how do they fit together? Or, perhaps you are stuck at the initial brainstorm of what topics to actually include in your content calendar.
This video dives into the three sources of information for your content calendar for social media (you can also identify topics for your blogging editorial calendar with this same process).
If you find this video helpful, please Subscribe to the Social Speak YouTube channel.
Additionally, for more tips and tools to use for your digital marketing and content strategy, please join the Social Speak Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/socialspeaknetwork
In this interview with Gabrielle, she had her heart and mind set on one direction in college, and little did she know after taking one marketing class, how her world would change. Sometimes you have to just trust your gut and take the leap of faith. Gabrielle has created a life around something she has found a passion for, allowing her to create the freedom and flexibility she was looking for. While still having a passion for animals her path has taken her in a different direction. Listen and see how.
More about Rielle Social Media
Gabrielle Crumley is the social media expert and digital marketing strategist behind Rielle Social Media.
I am passionate about helping business owners overcome their branding and social media challenges to see real success online.
Do you stress about what to post, or spending way too much money on ads that don’t convert? Whatever your specific business goals may be, I can help you achieve them. Learn more about her and her services at https://www.riellesocialmedia.com/
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By utilizing the Eisenhower Matrix, you can divide your tasks into 4 different boxes and be able to focus on what is most important, schedule what is important but not urgent, delegate everything you can and then don’t do the things that don’t serve a purpose in your business.
The Eisenhower Box: How to be More Productive
To Do: Draw a big box on your paper and then divide that box into 4 little boxes.
Label the first box- Do First
Label the second box – Schedule
Label the third box – Delegate
Label the fourth box – Don’t do
5 time management tips when working with the Eisenhower Matrix
- Putting things to-do on a list frees your mind. But always question what is worth doing first.
- Try limiting yourself to no more than eight tasks per quadrant. Before adding another one, complete the most important one first. Remember: It is not about collecting but finishing tasks.
- You should always maintain only one list for both business and private tasks. That way you will never be able to complain about not having done anything for your family or yourself at the end of the day.
- Do not let you or others distract you. Do not let others define your priority. Plan in the morning, then work on your stuff. And in the end, enjoy the feeling of completion.
- Finally, try not to procrastinate that much. Not even by over-managing your to-dos.
Prioritizing tasks by urgency and importance results in 4 quadrants with different work strategies: https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/
Another example source: http://timewiser.com/blog/eisenhower-matrix-productivity-at-work/
We have been talking to our clients a lot about building their personal brand and how to do that. In this video, below I share with you 7 tips on building your personal brand.
Personal Branding Tips
1. Work on building relationships
2. Really understand your value that you offer
3. Be authentic and transparent
4. Include personal pictures and videos into your digital marketing
5. Live your brand in your everyday life
6. Be consistent with your marketing, social media posts, blogs, videos, newsletters, etc.
7. Listen to your audience
BONUS– share your why and your story!
Can you believe it’s 4th quarter already? It is either time to start resting and planning for the next year, or put your butt in gear and finish the year out strong! In this video, I share 10 simple holiday promotion ideas to help increase your sales for the end of the year! Let’s show 2018 what you are made of!
Now that you have decided to become a freelancer or are wanting to grow your freelance business, you have to self-promote.
I know, it doesn’t sound like fun!
A little background:
When I was at my corporate job one of my tasks was attending networking events. I have to attend different business networking events to build the company brand and build the business, I was salary and commission, so the more I sold the more money I made! That was an incentive for me to network more.
This was something that in the beginning was a little hard for me. Everyone that knows me thinks I am an outgoing person and LOVE to talk to people . . . well, inside I was terrified!
I would go to events where I already knew people and they would introduce me, then it made it a bit easier. Over time this networking thing became easier for me because I was promoting a corporate company. I wasn’t selling myself, I was selling the business, so I thought. . .
A few years of doing networking events and working as an Account Executive for a women’s online magazine, I decided to take off on my own. I had met a lot of people and grown a large support group, so when I decided to start my own business I already had 6 clients!
Now the fun part
I thought, WOW, this is easy, I am already getting clients!
Boy, was I wrong! It is a lot different promoting yourself instead of a corporate, established company. Over the 3 years, I was an Account Executive and networking I didn’t realize I was actually building my own personal brand. People were doing business with the magazine because the knew and trusted me!
This is what made my self-promotion task a little bit easier for my own business. The support group that I have been unknowingly growing for the past three years wanted to see me succeed, they were doing business with me, referring people to me and by word of mouth my business was booming!
This obviously gave me a heck of a lot of confidence to get out there more, BUT and a big BUT I was ONLY going to events where I knew people. I have found that I am a BIG comfort zone person. I find my tribe and I stick with them. This is a good quality to have, and at the same time, I was limiting myself from reaching new people, expanding my business into other cities, and making more connections.
I would find new networking events on MeetUp, drive to that event and then create an excuse in my head why I couldn’t go in:
I didn’t feel well
I should be at home
Oh, I forgot to email someone
I will come next time
What if they don’t like me
What do I say to start a conversation
Why am I here
Whatever that excuse was kept me out of a lot of events and away from potential clients. It took me a couple years to get over that fear.
I finally started finding groups that I “fit” into. Groups that were focused on growing your business, had a structure, not just open networking. It was the open networking piece that terrified me.
Finding Your Mojo
Usually, within a few months of attending these events, I ended up helping out with them or even running a few events. That was my AH HA moment, when I am in the driver’s seat of the event, I am running it, I am the leader, that allows me to have the confidence to speak with everyone that walks through the door. They want to know me, they look at me as an expert and leader.
I already knew I was a very good public speaker so that part wasn’t the problem. I know that doesn’t make sense, right? I can’t go to an event with open networking, but throw me on a stage and I can talk about anything!
Fast forward 10 years I have successfully lead over 6 different networking groups for different organizations and ran them for a long time. When I moved to Florida it took me a year to figure out how to start a group of my own. I was in a new place with people I had never met before, I thought I could just sit behind my computer and still get clients as if I still lived in Colorado. I knew that I had to start a group of my own because that’s where I thrive. I love building relationships with people, learning their stories, connecting others and still being in the driver’s seat. Yes, I am a control freak!
You have to find out what your superpower is for self-promotion. We are all going to be nervous when it comes to promoting ourselves, whether that be in person or online. Networking events to sharing blog posts, videos, and even social media postings. We have to get rid of that negative self-talk and just push through that fear.
Here are 4 tips that I have found to help me get over the fear of self-promotion
1. Be clear on your tribe
When you set off on your own it is important to know who you want to work with, who is your ideal client or target market. Know the type of services you are offering and who they would be best for. Knowing your target market will help you not only find your clients or customers easier, it will also help you find the type of networking events to attend, the type of Facebook or LinkedIn groups to be involved in. The goal with being very clear in your target marketing is anytime you need to promote yourself either online or offline you know “who” you are talking to.
2. Know what you’re fearful of
Self-promotion can be a little intimidating for sure! Taking a moment to sit with yourself and identify what scares you will help you move forward. For me it was more of what others would think of me, did I dress ok, will people want to do business with me, more of that self-confidence is what I had to get over. For others, it could be how do you handle more than one clients, or client onboarding, they want to work with you now what? Fear of rejection or failure.
One thing I have learned and honestly am still working on, is when it comes to business, nothing is personal. This is a motto I heard on a podcast, nothing is personal. If someone rejects you, that doesn’t mean they don’t like you as a person, it could be they can’t afford your work, or they are not in need of your services right now. When we work for ourselves we tend to take everything personally and that stunts us from wanting to promote ourselves further.
If you cannot face the fear, fear will win and you will end up throwing the towel in, we don’t want to do that. Each failure or rejection is an opportunity for us to grow. Maybe you were unclear in your 30-second commercial, or too pushy in your video, maybe there wasn’t enough value. Whatever it may be, work through it. Sometimes it helps if we ask that person that said no, why? You would be surprised in the answer, always be willing to look inside and make a change to better yourself.
So, what are you fearful of when it comes to self-promotion?
3. Work on your commercial, don’t sell.
People like to call this your elevator pitch, I am NOT a huge fan of that term, I also don’t think it should be called a pitch, you should be focusing on building relationships that turn into clients, not just selling someone. I hate being sold! When you think of your commercial this can be for both online and offline. This is about educating your tribe on who you are and what you do, but more importantly, how can you help them?
If you are attending in-person networking events know if your commercial is 30 seconds, 45 seconds, or 1 minute, that will help you determine what you can fit into your commercial. I always like to ask questions on social media and then turn that into a commercial, you want to give value as much as you can.
One thing that worked for me s I would type out my commercial and then print it and practice it in front of my husband or friend to make sure I was sticking to the correct time and also that they understood what I was saying! Remember you are an expert in what you do, so show it!
As you become more confident in your commercial you always want to come from the place of value or education and not selling them. Have you ever walked into a networking group or received a message on social media with someone trying to sell you something, and they are so pushy about it?
People want to do business with people they know, like, and trust. Be authentic in your commercial, show them who you are!
4. Trust and believe in yourself
This one seems so easy, but can be the hardest one. This could be one of your fears from tip #2. It is important that you trust yourself. If you believe in the service or product you are selling then you believe in yourself. Coming from your heart and knowing that you can help others will help you gain that trust.
Being a freelancer is such an exciting journey, you grow so much as a person and that allows you to grow as a business.
Knowing your core values and your roots allow that belief in yourself to be stronger. Core values play a big role in your business, more than you think. It is important to be yourself and have fun, you want to work with people like you, and have things in common, similar core values, people you can trust.
Trusting yourself is more than putting yourself out there, it is about providing people with help, answers, a solution. Think of your “why”. Why are you doing this business? Trust yourself, trust your intuition, and move forward, go on, build your business!
Are you ready to start self-promoting?
In Conclusion
If you want your business to grow and be a success you have to work through your fear and put yourself out there. Network, create videos, use social media, brand yourself.
If you want to learn how to create core values for your business sign up for our free workbook below:
I love hearing stories of how people got started in their freelance business, what was that final straw, or trigger point for them to take the leap of faith and go out on your own.
We had spoken with Seth a little over a month ago and really loved what he was helping businesses do, the foundation he was creating. Branding is so very important to your success and it is something that can be overlooked.
Meet Seth
Seth is a versatile Designer + Creative Director with a decade of experience that includes work for major brands such as USA Today, Disney, Adidas, Union Pacific, FOX, and Coors.
He started WonderWild with the belief that great design can be simple. He loves helping companies of all sizes rediscover the wonder of their brand and visually express it in ways that create emotional connections and ultimately helps them level-up.
He and his wife of 13 years have 4 bio children, 2 foster children, a dog, a cat and a fish.
Free Guide: 25 stats about design you can’t afford to ignore.
If you are looking to create a life you truly love, you may start to think of becoming an entrepreneur. Creating a business that you love and can help others is the best of both worlds, right?
In this interview with Ashley Howard, co-owner of Howard’s Cleaning Service, you will learn how her and her husband Billy are successful business owners. They started this business from the ground up and Ashley shares a few great tips if you are thinking of starting a service based business!
If it something you really want to do, just start your business and do it. Provide great customer service and get good at putting out fires as needed. You don’t know what is going to happen everyday, but just go with it!
Learn more about Howard’s Cleaning Service Here
This is one of my favorite parts of our coaching program, core values! When we start our business it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, making money, setting up a website, finding new clients. All of those ‘business’ things. We forget about our core values.
What if we reversed the order of how we start a business, if we started at square one, what do you believe in? If you think about it your core values are what has shaped you as a person. Phrases or words that your parents or family has been telling you for years, it’s the foundation of who you are and your belief system.
We need to do the same thing with our businesses. Set that foundation, what will our business look like, feel like and stand for? Your core values start with your WHY.
- Why did you want to start this business?
- Who are you wanting to serve?
- What’s Your Story?
There are a lot of successful business owners that would say they wish they would have started with their core values from the beginning, a lot of them didn’t develop or even think of their company’s core values until later on in business, like years later!
We are wanting to save you some time down the road by talking about your businesses core values now!
Setting the foundation and creating the content. By having these core values in place it helps you and your company make decisions based on shared values. Everything from hiring the right help, to bringing on new clients, creating a successful partnership, etc.
In this blog we will be covering the following topics:
- What are Core Values
- Why they are important
- How to Share Your Core Values
What are Core Values?
Core Values are the base of your belief system. They are your morals, what is important to you each and every day. The reason behind what you do.
These core values create your vision and mission for your business and shape its future. In a sense, your core values create your businesses identity.
It is important to establish strong core values from the beginning.
- Your core values help with the decision-making process like I mentioned above this can be from hiring the right help, onboarding the right clients, quality of your products or services.
- These core values educate your employees and clients on what your business is all about. What’s important to you and how you are different. It goes back to that golden rule “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” That’s why core values are important.
Creating your core values can be a little more challenging than you think. Especially if it is more than yourself. If you have a business partner or team then we recommend having a conversation about what is important to each of you and how you can bring your individual core values into the business.
We talk a lot about creating your lifestyle, What does that look like? What defines success for you? What is important to you?
When you are using your core values in decision making you want to maintain that sense of integrity, clarity, and confidence. You want to stand behind your business core values and know what’s right.
Here are a few examples of different words that can be turned into core values.
Determining your core values takes some time and thought. Remember you are setting the foundation for your business success. You want to create your own values for your business.
I think it is important to check out other businesses values and see how they word them, but you are not just copying and pasting them for yourself.
Here are a few questions to think about when creating your core values
- What makes you feel good about your business?
- What is important to you on a daily basis?
- What values make you feel proud of yourself and your business?
- What sets you aside from other businesses?
Here are a few examples of core values:
The Honest Company
- Create a Culture of Honesty
- Make Beauty
- Outperform
- Service Matters
- Sustain Life
- Be Accessible
- Pay it Forward
- Fun!
SquareSpace
- Be your own customer
- Empower individuals
- Design is not a luxury
- Good work takes time
- Optimize towards ideals
- Simplify
Zappos
- Deliver WOW Through Service
- Embrace and Drive Change
- Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
- Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
- Pursue Growth and Learning
- Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
- Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
- Do More With Less
- Be Passionate and Determined
- Be Humble
More examples here
Once you have your core values defines it is crucial you have them listed on your website within the About page, on your marketing materials, your story, your social media, on your wall. These are great daily reminders for WHY you do what you do.
Why are Core Values Important to Your Business?
There are many reasons why it is important to have core values in your business. As a business owner or freelancer, we are our business. It shows our authenticity of who we are as a person.
Core values provide us the framework of how we see our business and how we want it to grow. It also helps with behavior for your employees and clients, setting those standards from the beginning.
This shows your business, clients, and potential clients why you are different, what you believe in and how those values play a role in your everyday decision making. People that have similar values will more likely want to work for you or do business with you. It gives them a sense of trust to help them understand your business on a deeper level.
Remember in the beginning I asked you what success looked like for you? These core values can help define that success for your business. Set standards and thrive!
How to Share Your Core Values
Now that you have created your core values for your business and you now understand why they are so important to your business, it’s time to put them to work.
Think of your core values almost as a vision board for your business. It helps you find the direction in which you are wanting to continue to grow in. Top of mind!
Here are a few ideas that will help you stay true to your business’s core values:
- Write them down. Put them where you can see them every day. Like a daily affirmation. You can create a sticky note that you have on your computer, screen saver, go to the about page of your site every day, somewhere you look at on a daily basis.
- Share them. You will have them on your website, social media profiles, maybe even your marketing materials, but more importantly, talk about them. Use them in your networking commercials, tell friends, turn them into social media posts. People do business with people they know, like, and trust, these core values will build that trust. So, get sharing!
- Let them be your foundation. These core values are what drives us and motivate us. They remind us of WHY we started our business and where we want to go. They will help us with the decision making within the business. They also keep us consistent. What feels right? They keep us on track!
- Lifestyle. This is probably the most important to me, our core values are what allow me to live the life I want. To create the lifestyle that has freedom and flexibility. How do you want to create your life? What is important to you. The core values of your business will allow you to create your the opportunity to express yourself and create your lifestyle.
- Apply them. Use these core values as ways to connect with different clients or potential clients. Make sure each decision is based on these core values. When onboarding a new client, does it feel right, do their values align with yours? Use them when you are hiring on new help or even outsourcing, as long as your core values are aligned with your tribe, the people you surround yourself with and work with you can accomplish anything!
In Conclusion.
Each business should have a list of core values, your core values are what makes your business run. What type of people you want to hire, or work with. This is the foundation of your business. Are you ready to create your today?
Sign up for our FREE “5 Simple Steps How to Figure Out What Your Core Values Are.”