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How to write your own personal brand statement
Being the boss of your own business is damn hard work, but it also means you get to decide who you want to be and what you want to be known for. Your personal brand statement is the first step to getting the right kind of message out. For solopreneurs, freelancers, and sole traders, writing...
5 Ways to Create a Social Media Plan that works for an Australian Small Business
In the 2020s, social media has become an essential part of modern business. It allows companies to connect with their customers, promote their products and services, and drive business results. It can take lots of work to make a social media plan that helps your business reach its goals because...
8 Social Media Mistakes We Made in 2013 That We Definitely Shouldn’t Repeat in 2023
Social media is a powerful tool, but with that power comes a need for etiquette. In 2013, social media etiquette was in its infancy, and many of us needed to be aware of how our words and images impacted our public perception. Fast-forward to 2023, and we all must practice proper social media...
Why niching down your content might be the worst thing you could do
As content creators, we often hear the advice to “niche down” and focus on a specific audience to build a dedicated following and stand out in a crowded market. But is this the best strategy? Let’s explore the potential drawbacks of niching down and why a content creator might want to think twice...
A few bad social media habits that we all need to move past
In the internet age, avoiding the omnipresent social media monster is hard. Unfortunately, many of us have fallen into bad social media habits that prevent us from maximising the potential of our online presence. From spending too much time scrolling through our feeds looking for inspiration to...
Nine ways that a solopreneur can make money in 2023
Life got expensive in 2022. And while some prices are starting to fall again, it’s still not at the level it was before. This has left the self-employed, solopreneurs and others on rollercoaster incomes to start looking for more ways to make money. Here are nine suggestions that could help make a...
50 things to post about in December 2022
Finding something to write about or post on social media can be hard when you're in the middle of a creative block. So I’ve listed 100 things that you can post about in December 2022 based on five main categories: Christmas End of Year / New Year Learning Planning Inspiration Let’s go! Christmas...
Reach is not the metric you should be focusing on with social media
Reach isn’t always what we assume it to be. The reach metric has come to join “likes” as one of the least useful metrics for business on social media. Why is this? Reach doesn’t equate to actual attention from followers Reach calculations aren’t transparent There are far more useful metrics for...
How do social media platforms count video views?
Video views on social media aren’t what you think they are There’s a very good reason why your video views are so much higher on TikTok than anywhere else. And it’s not just because so many people watch so many videos on TikTok. Every platform has its way of counting video views. So here’s a quick...
Should you base your personal brand on someone else’s personal brand?
The short answer is no. The long answer is “maybe a little.” Personal Brand is an incredibly personal topic. After all, you’re choosing how you plan to project yourself to the world, personally and professionally. And while I wouldn’t say I like the idea of someone basing their personal brand off...
Why You Should Focus on Building Your Personal Brand Before The End of the Year
No matter who you are or where you work, personal brand is ever-important Having a strong personal brand is the most crucial career asset you can have, and like most assets, investing in it is essential to continue providing value for you. Many professionals who are serious about their careers are...
How to wean yourself off stock photos
Ever noticed how stock photos make you feel a little “meh?” There’s a good reason for that. While they’re meant to show a slice of life, they are so posed and unrealistic that you may be better off not having a photo at all. But what are the options apart from using Canva’s stock photo library,...
What Simon Sinek’s Success Can Teach You About Marketing Yourself
Marketing yourself isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be scary either. The trick is to find ways to market yourself that are authentic and aligned with who you are and what you stand for. And if you have no idea what that is or how to get there, it can feel pretty hopeless. But don’t lose faith...
What do you actually do?
Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about the way we write for social media and websites. For small businesses, this often translates to “how I can write about my business, products and services.” Yet the tasks you perform, the products you sell and the services you provide are part of the story....
Why your Facebook ads are probably getting rejected
You’ve just had your ads rejected by Facebook. They don’t give you much of a reason why. Just that you have probably violated their ads policies or community standards or something like that. What’s next? We’re going to take a look at three main reasons why ads get rejected: There’s something...
Building Your Personal Brand Can Burn You Out. Here’s How to Prevent That.
This past week I've watched seven different young personalities on LinkedIn with fast-growing followings and great personal brands very publicly burn out. They all appeared suddenly in my feed around three months ago, and just as quickly, they were making public statements saying that they are...
Social Media Isn’t Dead. It’s Forking.
You probably didn’t realise that it’s social media’s 25th birthday this year. Back in 1997, a website called Six Degrees attempted to show that we’re all connected by just six degrees of separation. It featured messaging between members and the ability to invite people to the platform. It was...
Future Marketing: The Skills You’ll Need
Marketing is more complex than ever. Digital transformation has led to the rise of new technologies, channels, markets and customer behaviour. To thrive in this new environment, marketers need new skills and a broader set of abilities. The effectiveness of marketing teams will hinge on their...
How to not annoy your followers on social media
There’s a fine line between staying in touch with your audience and annoying them. You want to stay top of mind with them without coming across as spammy or desperate. But how can you ensure you’re not crossing the invisible line and annoying them? If you don’t take measures to avoid annoying your...
Five reasons why personal branding works so well… even if the cringe factor is real
Today’s digital landscape is packed with opportunities, both for business and personal brands. A strong personal brand will help you stand out in a competitive market and expand your network. Personal branding can also be an effective strategy to get a job or accelerate your career. If you want...
Why it’s the right time to start advertising on Facebook again
Marketers worldwide have been howling over the loss of most interest-based targets in Facebook Ads over the last 18 months or so. Apple's war on data tracking for advertising has made Facebook & Instagram ads much harder for many advertisers. But this isn't the story for all advertisers. A lot...
A few things you should be doing on your website
You know that old saying: "If you’re not growing, you’re dying?" Well, it rings true for businesses today. In order to compete, you need to be thinking outside the box and coming up with new ideas and creative solutions to keep up with your competitors. One way to do this is by optimising your...
Is email marketing still relevant in 2022?
Email is still one of the most effective ways to market your business. But it’s also a channel that can feel saturated and cluttered. If you’re not sure where to start with your marketing strategy, asking yourself if email marketing is still relevant in 2022 might help you think about how you can...
What are good marketers actually like?
We’re taking look at three things you can do in your day-to-day business or personal life that lead to you being a better marketer. You might even find that you already do these things, but didn’t understand their link to marketing. A good marketer is a good reader It might sound unsurprising that...
6 ways to use LinkedIn when you’re not looking for a job
LinkedIn can be useful far beyond being just a job hunting tool If you’re reading this article, chances are good that you’re not currently in the market for a job. Maybe you’ve just started a new business venture or maybe you’ve decided to take some time off from the 9-to-5 grind. Whatever your...
Why you should niche your business and your marketing
Niching down to a smaller number of customers than you once may have had can be a little frightening. There's always to risk that you're going to leave a lot of money on the table. But that's mostly because we look at much bigger companies than ours, and see how they manage to serve everyone, and...
Understanding the primal brain and how to appeal to it in social media posts
We all want to write better social posts. But few of us know what that looks like, and we don't know many people who are smashing it on social. So I’ll outline a formula here that will really help your social media posts appeal more to your preferred customers and clients. It’s simple enough to do...
Handling change when it comes
Change is going to happen. To your business. To the way you are doing things. To your family. And in every part of the life you live. I'm going to Share a story about some change I am going through now, and how this is all just the latest in a lifetime of change that I've learned to handle by...
How to market yourself when you’re an introvert
In this email, I'll share how you can still promote yourself or your business despite feeling uncomfortable about it. The different approaches to life between extraverts and introverts can be summed up in this quote: “Introverts enjoy people-watching. Extroverts enjoy people watching.” -Johnny Sun...
These are the objections you’ll face when you start selling
There’s a certain set of objections that come up when you’re selling your stuff. That may sound like bad news, but it’s actually a good thing. When you know what the objections are in advance, then you know how you can prepare to handle them, even if you’re not a natural salesperson. Let’s take a...
The 4 Types of Digital Marketing Best Suited to Small Businesses
Small businesses often have a tight budget for marketing. Digital marketing is often seen as the most affordable way to get your business in front of potential customers, but it can still cost money. You might not be able to afford all the bells and whistles of an elaborate digital marketing...
3 Kinds of Blog Posts You Should Be Writing
Google loves blog posts. And for good reason. Blog posts are where you can go into the greatest depth on a topic, provide useful information to your reader, and establish yourself as an expert in your field. A blog post also has the benefit of being indexed by Google so that when someone searches...
Why it might be worth taking a fresh look at Twitter
Twitter is one social media platform that has struggled to maintain active users over the past few years. It is also one of the most misunderstood platforms. People tend to have strong views on Twitter, whether they love it or hate it. However, this negative perception may be based on outdated...
3 Reasons Why You Should Be Using YouTube for Business
The world of digital and social media marketing continues to evolve at lightning speed. So much so, that it’s challenging for even the most experienced marketers to keep up with all the changes. That being said, one of the most popular social media platforms remains YouTube, with an estimated 1...
The four social media myths that we need to let go of
Four myths about social media that really need to go away I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that social media in 2022 is considerably different from what it was when we first jumped from MySpace to Facebook. Social media was new, exciting, and not quite so useful as it is now. But,...
Yeah. It’s another article about how important cybersecurity is.
Look out! We’re talking about the most boring topic that any small business owner can face — cybersecurity — specifically on your website. But it’s important. Because some of us seem to think we’re impenetrable. It should come as no surprise that a professional hacker can break through any...
Why online advertising is so expensive now
In my most recent post, I talked about the impact of online advertising cost increases on platforms from Facebook and Instagram to Twitter and TikTok. Every advertiser is being impacted by it. But why is it happening? There are three main factors at play: 1. Apple’s iOS privacy changes 2. Simple...
Advertising online has got a whole lot more expensive
A decade ago it was easy to sell the concept of digital channels for marketing. They were cheaper. No, way cheaper. You could see the results in front of you. I mean, you could literally see your customers responding to the ads and measure when they had landed on your website. Everything was...
Is AI any good at copywriting?
When it comes to getting your message across on either social media, your website or even email, you have options. You can write the text on your website or social media yourself. You may hire someone else to do it for you. Or you could take the AI route and use artificial intelligence to help you...
Is social media related to SEO?
If you were to ask Google, they’d probably tell you that social media will have no impact on your optimisation for ranking on their search engine. There’s been a lot of discussion in the SEO universe about how social signals might assist a website rise in search rankings. However, the best idea...
Is Facebook still any good for business?
Is Facebook still relevant for business? Facebook is still the most popular social network in the world. That’s established. Over 2 billion people use it every single day. And it’s no “new kid on the block.” Surprisingly, Facebook has been going strong for over a decade. Most Australian businesses...
The 5 things in digital marketing to be focused on this year
If you ever needed proof that social media and digital marketing are changing, consider this. Facebook released 40 updates in 2021. That’s 40 new features or rules that we needed to get our heads around. It’s any wonder small businesses are confused by digital marketing — even we experts are...
How to start your new podcast
Podcasting isn't hard to do. You just need to know where to start Podcasts are fun, easy to make, and can be informative to your target audience. They build credibility and trust in your business and show that you really know your stuff. Podcasts are a great way to market your other content, both...
What you’re probably doing wrong with your copywriting
These are the mistakes you’re making with your website and social media copy. When you write copy, it’s not just about using the right words to sell your product. It’s how your message connects with people. By changing a few words in your copy, you can make it more likely that people will buy...
What to consider before you write this year’s marketing strategy
Many businesses want to develop and implement a strategy that allows their product to sell itself. That’s the dream. A strong marketing strategy will target the right audiences in ways that will make them think about your company. As a result, your stores and online properties begin to see more...