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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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....

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...

‍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...

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...

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...

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...

‍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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...