PIVOT

Last spring I paid two great people to spend the day with me planning out the next few months of my business. We spent a day in a room mapping out sequences of emails and sales funnels that lead people from freebies to great content to paid courses. It was a great plan - I was really excited. We not only mapped out the sequences, but also the topics and brainstormed all of the pieces that had to be written and by whom.

I never took action. I had all of the plans up on my wall so I could see them on a daily basis and every day I would look at them and then focus on something else.

Finally, I realized that I didn't really want to do it. I realized that it wasn't actually the right plan for me. It was a great plan for someone who wanted to focus on moving lots of people through a variety of free content into paid online programs, but that wasn't what I really wanted to be doing.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have a bunch of online courses I'm really proud of and I'm going to continue to sell them whenever appropriate because I believe there is value in the course material and it's all still valid. But the reason that I'm telling you this story is because I know I'm not alone. I know that many entrepreneurs spend hours upon hours planning something in their business, and then they realize they don't actually want what they have. And they feel badly about it. And they think maybe they should do that thing even though they don't love the idea. Even though they are resisting it.

Why does this happen and what should you do about it?

Remember your WHY

I'm a huge fan of the book It Starts With Why by Simon Sinek. The book is about knowing what your core values are and how they play out in your business. When you have a solid grasp on your why and you use that to create a strong vision for your business, it's easier to decide what IS a fit and what isn't for your business, and if you're on the right track or if you need to make some shifts.

Step back and evaluate

So many business owners get busy working in their business that they don't have time to work on their business. And when they ARE working on their business, they're doing the day-to-day things to keep going. Sometimes you need to take a full step back and evaluate where you're at. Is it where you meant to be or did you end up there accidentally following the currents driving your business forward?

Ask yourself if you're doing the thing you meant to be doing when you started your business. Are you enjoying what you're doing? Can you see where you're headed in the next year, two years and five years? If that feels difficult on your own, consider getting someone (like a business coach) to help you figure it out.

Know that it's OK to change your mind

Sometimes we simply decide we want to head in a different direction. I've heard the word "pivot" a lot in the business world lately and I have to say, I love it. You can change the direction of your business - pivot the sail - 5 degrees or 180 degrees. It's a word that allows you to realize that change of direction, big or small, may be the right choice for you. You aren't necessarily turning back, you're just changing course, and any good business owner needs to know that that's part of business, and that it's OK.

Welcome the changes and the shifts, even if it means you're going somewhere you never expected to be. Life, and business are like that.

If you're looking for help figuring any of this out, book a free consultation with me to see if any of my Mastermind or one-on-one programs are a good fit for you.

5 Ways to Build Your Community Online

Whether you're trying to build engagement in a Facebook Group or on a Facebook page or just on Twitter or Instagram, there are a few things that are important to keep in mind to build community: 

1. Set the tone

Lead by example! You are the leader of your community. The way that you behave in that community, from the kind of support you give, to the language you use, to the amount that you're present in the group, is key. If you're not willing to demonstrate through your own behaviour how you want the group to look and feel, you can't be surprised if things go off course. 

In my group there is always a distinct drop in participation if I'm away too much. I need to participate a lot if I want others to participate a lot. Also I find that people are really helpful, respectful and follow the "rules" without having to be policed because they see what the group is meant to be like. 

2. Ask simple questions

People have short attention spans, you need to ask questions (at least some of the time) that are so easy to answer people don't even have to think.

Where are you from?

How many kids do you have?

What's your favourite colour? 

Questions like that seem like fluff but what you need to remember is that your goal is to get people to participate, even just once. Once they've commented on something, they'll be more likely to comment again another time. They'll also be more likely to see your content if you're building your community on a tool that operates with an algorithm.  

Even if you're going for something more complex than the questions above, keep the questions pretty simple so they don't have to think too long. If a person is required to think too long they often decide it's not worth the effort and move on. 

3. Always go first

People hate going first. If you ask them a question they worry that what they want to say might not be what you're actually asking for or they don't know how to share the information they want to share. 

When you ask a question or if someone in your community asks a question, do your best to answer it. You're taking away a lot of the anxiety of being the first to post and you're essentially providing them with a template for their own answer.

4. Be relatable

Share you. Share your realness. Let people see that you're human and not that different from them.

The more you can do that, the less intimidated they feel, and people don't engage in places they feel intimidated. It's why the idea of sharing messy realities works so well.  

The time I accidentally uploaded a draft version of my podcast to iTunes I was horrified. I shared that in my community and it was one of the most popular posts I've ever shared. Why? Because people like to know everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Because they like to know that I'm not that different than them. 

5. Make people feel important

When someone posts anything, like it. Even better comment on it. It's a lot of work but you're rewarding people for their participation. When you give them answers and make them feel like they are truly in a place that is there to support them, they will keep posting and commenting, and that's what you want.  

Creating an active online community is a lot of work, but it also can be really rewarding, fun and help you reach your sales and business goals. 

I hope these 5 tips were useful - and that you'll join me in the Biz Studio if you haven't already! 

The Ultimate Digital Marketing Bundle

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As an entrepreneur or business owner you probably know that you need to be online, but getting online with a consistent plan is sometimes easier said then done. Or maybe you don’t have all the necessary tools needed to fully implement your digital marketing plan? When you don’t have the tools and plans in place for social media and digital marketing, you can begin to doubt the importance of even being online.

Three big reasons you need a digital marketing plan:

1. Reach potential customers easier: For example, if someone is looking to purchase shoes they are more than likely going to Google shoe stores. If your shoe store does not have a website or online presence, then they may be overlooked by a shoe store who does have an online presence. Being online is your best chance to be discovered by a new client!

2. Showcase your products and services to a wider audience: Social media makes showcasing your products and services easier than ever before! With visual social platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest as well as the visual additions of Facebook and Twitter, posting pictures and even videos of new and featured products has never been so engaging and exciting!
    
3. Engage and build relationships with clients: Whether it is through exclusive offers to just your newsletter subscribers or contests only for your Facebook fans, digital marketing not only makes it easier to engage with your clients, but the ability to quickly respond to queries and ask questions directly to your audience also makes building relationships easier.

All of the benefits of digital marketing make it very appealing, but for some, it can appear too time consuming. It is for this reason that I created the ultimate digital marketing bundle to get you started. It contains a wide array of tools an entrepreneur or business owners needs to create engaging content on a consistent basis – on their website, through their social media channels, and in a regular newsletter.

What's included in the Digital Marketing Bundle:

• 7-day Business Planning Challenge – This eBook will help make sure that you’re ready to tackle 2016 with the right business plans in place.
• Simple Start Basic – This eBook is a step-by-step process for figuring out what kind of content you should be sharing online on channels like Facebook and Twitter.
• Monthly planner – Use this worksheet to plan your online content on a monthly basis.
• Blog planning worksheet – Do you have a blog or are you planning on starting one? What is its purpose and what kind of content will you be sharing? This worksheet will get you thinking about that.
• Email marketing worksheet – Are you planning to send email to your audience? This worksheet will help make sure you’re thinking through the kind of content and what platform makes the most sense.
• Editorial calendar template – Plan out your content ahead of time in this excel spreadsheet so you know what you’re going to say and when.
• Analytics template – Keep track of your numbers on a monthly basis to see what’s working and what needs tweaking.
• Daily social media checklist - when you're online, what are some of the things you can be doing to make the most of your time?

So, what are you waiting for? Get started with digital marketing with this value packed digital marketing bundle - it's only $27! To get started – click here.

Are you ready for a great 2016?

Planning has never been one of my fortes. I'm more of a fly by the seat of my pants, figure it out as I go... "instructions?! No way!" kind of person.

I've owned quite a few businesses over the last 8 + years and over each year it has become increasingly clear that regardless of whether or not I like to plan for a new year, doing it makes my business better, stronger, and (this is the best part) it makes more money!!

I thought I would share a few of my favourite strategies and tools for getting ready for a new year.

1) Three words

Every year I like to choose three words to theme my year on (thanks to a trend started by Chris Brogan quite a few years ago!). These words help guide me in figuring out what I want to do, how I want to be of service and who I want to be in my business.

In previous years I've chosen:  Create, Teach, Help and Focus, Organize, Produce

I like to spend a bit of time every year thinking about what words I want to have guide me and I encourage you to do the same. This year my words are Grow, Inspire, Support - and I look forward to showing you how those are going to be actualized in my business!  Leave your three words in the comments below!

2) Planners and workbooks

There are a lot of great planners out there. Every year I buy Leonie Dawson's Life and Business workbooks because they help me think through all the important pieces of the previous year and the year that's to come. That gets me to the place where I can start to put my new year out on paper as well and into my planner. My favourite planner is the Planner Pad because I love the funnel down system of managing tasks but there are many wonderful planners out there (including one from Leonie Dawson).

I encourage you to pick something and start getting it ready for the new year. It's taken me many years to find systems that work for me, but trying out different ones and experimenting with them was key. If you use a different planner you love, leave a comment and let me know what it is!!

3) My new 2016 Free Planning Challenge

I've been putting together so many resources for my clients on getting ready for 2016 that I decided to put together a free challenge for everyone. Sign up by clicking here and starting December 1 you'll get an email a day for 7 days setting you up for the best year ever. I would really love to have you take part so I look forward to seeing you in the Challenge update posts in the Biz Studio!

Social tools for business

I'm at the cottage and I am thinking about all the online tools out there and how valuable they can be for businesses. Now, more than ever before, business owners can communicate with their clients and potential clients quickly and effectively.

If you are a business owner who continues to struggle with how to make social media work for you then I encourage you to read through five of my favourite blog posts that offer up valuable social media tips on some of my favourite social channels:

1)   Should you be on Instagram?

If you are a business owner who doesn’t understand the value of posting pictures on a regular basis, then read this post to find out if you’re missing out on a tool that could be helping you reach an audience you didn’t even know existed! If you are a visual business, you should most probably be on Instagram. Click here to learn more.

2) The Value of Recommendations and Endorsements

LinkedIn is a professional social channel and is the best place to showcase your accreditations, skills and accomplishments. It is also a place to connect and network with new professional connections and prove that you are worth working with. It is for this reason that you should learn and use the recommendation and endorsement features on LinkedIn. These features allow people to see what you are all about and have to offer without having to connect with you first. To learn more about the value of LinkedIn, click here.

3)   Why should my small business use Facebook?

Believe it or not there are still small businesses who are not on Facebook – or they are on as a personal profile or group and do not have a business page.  There are advantages to being on Facebook as a business and this post goes back to the basics – for those who still need convincing. To read the full post, click here.

4)   The Twitter Rules of Thirds

If you are new to Twitter, or you have an account, but instead of using it for business use it for news updates instead, this blog post will help you understand what you should really be using this conversational social channel for. Twitter is not as time consuming as you may think! Used correctly for about ten minutes a day can help grow your audience substantially. Click here to learn more about Twitter.

5)   Periscope – What is it and why should I care?

This is a new social app and it is taking the world by storm!  Periscope allows you to live stream from your cell phone and it’s free to broadcast and view. There is a lot of potential in this simple app, and I have seen business owners use it to share tips, product reveals and more!  It’s a quick and easy tool that can be used to connect with your audience in real time – from anywhere in the world. Click here to read more on Periscope.

So, as I connect with you miles from my office I hope you find these highlighted posts helpful as you continue to explore the endless possibilities social media brings for small businesses.