Blog -junemorrow-

Stop trying to do it all

In 2005, I wrote a list of New Year’s Resolutions that was 42 pages long.

I can’t remember if 2004 had been exceptionally shitty or if I was feeling exceptionally ambitious, but I do know that at the end of that year, I’d accomplished 75% of what was on that list.

I also spent two months in bed recovering from panic attacks.

I did too much, and I paid a price.

This is not what I want for you.

People often associate burnout with perfectionism or people-pleasing but sometimes it’s neither of those.

Sometimes, it’s a result of being highly creative and not knowing how to harness that creativity.

Maybe you’re like me: with a million and one ideas for how you can serve your clients and a strong drive to implement those ideas.

What happens if you try to create everything in your head?

You spend all of your time building. You give, give, give but never give yourself the time and space to receive.

Consequently, you burn out.

This is why I’m not a huge fan of relying on inspiration alone to fuel your marketing. I don’t know about you but in my mind, the inspiration never ends.

Instead, you need a strategy.

Strategy guides and polishes inspiration.

It looks at where you want to be and where your ideal clients want to be and then finds the simplest way for you to take them from A to B to C.

It allows you to create but it also helps you get consistent, which in turn, allows the rest of the world, and especially the people who need your services, to catch up with you.

In short, it focuses you, so you don’t need a 42-page to-do list to meet your goals. And you don’t need to take two months off from chasing them to recuperate.

Need help creating a strategy for your business? Book a complimentary call and get on the path to doing less in your business this year.

I’m not saying stalk your ideal client but…

I once had a boyfriend who kept a file on me – not in a creepy, stalkerish way, but in a sweet, I care about this woman and want to make her happy way.

When we went for ice cream, he noted my favourite flavour. If a song made me smile, he’d write it down. If I mentioned a movie I wanted to see, it went on the list.

He paid attention to these details because he wanted to woo me.

I bring this up because…

THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS.

You need to keep a file on them.

Literally! Not just in your head but in a document somewhere.

When they tell you their dreams and their challenges, note the exact words they say…

AND WRITE THOSE BABIES DOWN!

Then, when you develop your marketing materials (emails, social media content, landing pages, lead magnets, etcetera) use their words!

Now you might think…

BUT WHAT IF THEY RECOGNIZE THEMSELVES IN MY MARKETING?

Awesome! If your clients and potential clients say “that’s me,” your marketing is doing its job!

You don’t have to say who said the phrase or sentence you use, just use the words.

For example, I once had a market research call with someone who said they felt “stuck in analysis paralysis.”What an awesome phrase! I used it in my marketing and almost everyone I spoke to was like, “Yes! I’m stuck in analysis paralysis! That’s me!”

Mirroring people’s words is part of active listening. It’s how we ensure we understand those around us and how those around us feel understood.

IT BUILDS CONNECTIONS.

When you actively listen to your clients, you don’t have to worry about what to say in your marketing because they write it for you.

So, pay attention to the words people say to you.

Repeat it in your marketing and people will start to pay attention to you.

If you’re like, “Where can I find more clients to listen to?” connect with me for a 30-minute complimentary marketing roadmap session.

Marketing can be simple

You also know that you need people to know, like, and trust you. And, you’ve been told it’s important to give. So…

You create all sorts of free content…

long how-to pieces, live workshops, month-long video trainings…

But nobody signs up for your coaching program.

Desperate to get some income going, you decide to create a low-cost introductory offer – a course, a series, or a membership.

Now you’re juggling even more balls and every single one of them needs to be promoted.

You’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and confused! It’s too much!!!

But you’re supposed to have a funnel! Right?

Freebies, how-to content, and low-cost offers can be valuable parts of your marketing strategy, but…

When they consume you because:

A. You have a million ideas

B. It’s easier (and more fun) for you to create them than do the scary work of relationship building and selling, or

C. You secretly worry no one would buy your main offer without them

You’re sabotaging yourself and your clients by putting unnecessary speedbumps in the way.

You don’t need to give to the point of exhaustion.

The fastest way from A to B is a straight line.

What is the easiest way for your clients to find you, get to know you, and work with you?

Pick one tactic for each and free your time and your mind for the work that makes the biggest difference.

Need help with this? Connect with me for a complimentary marketing roadmap call.

Likes don’t equal clients

Yesterday I got a voice message from a client saying she’d posted something I’d suggested in our Magnetic Messaging VIP Day and hadn’t received any comments or likes.

I was thrilled.

Why?

Because she followed up by saying she’d received four new subscribers to her newsletter…

which was the point of the post!

Too often we judge the success of our content by the interaction it gets online.

Interaction is great as it encourages the social media algorithms to show your content to more people but it’s not always the right measure of if a post is working.

This is especially true if you help people with things like confidence, money, body issues, sexuality, or anything else they might feel embarrassed to talk about online.

In these situations, a call to action to signup for a lead magnet helps your audience see there is hope and build their trust in you as a safe source for a solution.

Likes, loves and comments are great for your ego, but they aren’t always great for your clients… or your pocketbook.

If you’re not posting strategically with an end game in mind, I can help.

With a Magnetic Messaging VIP Day, you get a custom content marketing strategy designed to speak to your ideal clients so you’ll always know what to say, how to say it, where to say it, and when to say it on social media, in emails, and on blogs.

And, you’ll know how to measure if it’s working.

The problem with most (but not all) social media marketing

Last night, I had a dream that I went back to 2005 with the knowledge I have now.

“Get on YouTube,” Future Me whispered to Past Me. “Forget about Facebook. It’s going to turn into a cesspool.”

Oddly, Future Me didn’t whisper “Invest in real estate in Toronto.” (Damn you Future Me!)

Do I believe that Facebook is a cesspool?

No.

I believe it’s a great place to stay in touch with people, let people know what you are up to, create value for others, and connect with potential new clients (although it can become a cesspool if you don’t manage your use of it.)

However, like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn, it’s not a place that people go for solutions. It’s a place people go for connections and distractions.

Think about it.

The last time you had a problem, where did you search?

Facebook? Instagram? LinkedIn?

If you’re anything like me, you went to Google or YouTube. (Hello: How do I date two men at a time?” “Is this weird mole cancerous?” and “Recipes for leftover lasagna noodles”)

Where we used to turn to families, friends, and God for answers, we now turn to the search engines.

This is why it’s important to create evergreen content that people can find using a search engine:

Content that people can keep accessing long after you’ve posted it on social media and the algorithmic tides have washed it away.

How?

Take your emails and longer-form social media posts and turn them into a blog for your website, a blog for a site like Medium, or videos for YouTube.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel (and you don’t have to do videos if that’s not your jam).

But,

If you are in business for the long term, it helps to create content that people can find in the long term.

Need “leads”? Try this reframe

You may have heard “If you want a lot of clients, you need a lot of leads”

But, to heart-centred coaches who feel icky about selling and marketing in general, “getting leads” can seem transactional and cold – the opposite of what you want to be seen as.

If this is you, try this reframe:

Change the word lead to relationship.

Because, ultimately, this is what marketing your coaching services or program is all about – inviting people into your orbit, meeting them, connecting with them, and developing increasingly closer relationships with people over time.

And just like a relationship, you’re not going to hop into bed with the right person overnight (unless it’s a very, very lucky night 😉).

You need to take time to get to know each other and determine if you’re the right fit.

This is what your content strategy and sales funnels are all about –nurturing the connection between you and the people who could use your services.

So, focus on cultivating relationships, not gathering leads – especially in the first few years of your business.

You’ll feel more connected and so will those you serve!

When Plan A doesn’t work

This Halloween I had the brilliant idea to go as The Devil with the Blue Dress

(a song that apparently no one under 50 knows… but whatever.)

I had a blue dress. All I needed was a headband with devil’s horns and a tail. How hard could it be to find those?

Harder than finding toilet paper at the beginning of COVID, it turns out!

The drugstore, the Dollar Sore, even the pop-up costume store had all been ransacked of everything but the lamest of Halloween accessories (like big clownish bowties and headbands with the poo emoji on them – WTF?).

I even tried the adult novelty store thinking maybe I could find my headband with a sexy costume.

“Yes! We have devil’s horns,” said the friendly clerk. “In this package right here… it even comes with a devil’s tail attached to this butt plug for only $79.99.”

Hmmm… tempting but a wee bit over budget (and honestly, how often would I wear a butt plug with a devil’s tail attached?).

I moseyed up to Chinatown hoping that maybe one of the shops there would have something. Nope, nope and nope.

As my hopes sank, I mentally ransacked my closet for alternatives:

Businesswoman! Work from home person! My Tinder picture!

Lame, lame, and lame.

Then, I remembered some leg warmers and a fluorescent t-shirt in a bin under my bed.

I could go as me at 14!

I was just warming up to this idea when I walked by a vintage store. “Why not?” I thought. “Maybe it will help with the 80s theme.”

And that’s when I saw them…

A set of devil’s horns on a headband… with a tail… and no butt plug!!! For only $10!!!

Ever notice when you let go of looking for something, it finds you?

There’s a reason for this. Attachment to an idea can be emotionally exhausting, especially when it doesn’t come to fruition right away.

And this exhaustion prevents us from being resourceful, creative, and seeing other possibilities.

If you’ve been pushing and pushing in one direction with your business and nothing is happening, it might be that you’re pushing too hard.

There’s more than one way to dress for Halloween and there’s more than one way to achieve your business goals.

If you’d like some fresh ideas for your marketing or content creation, book a call and we’ll chat.

How I lost seven pounds and why that matters to your business

This week, I hit my goal weight of 154 pounds!

I’ve been fighting to get down from 161 pounds since January.

Seven pounds over almost 11 months may not seem like much, but there were times when I thought I’d never get here.

“Maybe my bones are heavy,” I’d think. “Maybe it’s my muscles.” Or my favourite – “You’re not 30 anymore. You can’t expect to be skinny.”

But this morning when I stepped on the scale, it said 153.4. Take that, self-doubt!!!

WTF does any of this have to do with your business?

Well… a lot.

I’ve been tracking my weight since January when an ex-lover gave me a scale for Christmas. (Yes, a scale! What a great present for a woman! Did you notice I said ex-lover?)

Here’s what I’ve witnessed:

When I eat a lot of junk food, eat late at night, drink alcohol and/or don’t exercise, my weight goes up. But, when I refrain from drinking, exercise four to five mornings a week, don’t eat after 6:30 p.m., and limit junk food to one treat a week, it goes down.

Stop the presses!!!

Yes, I know this is nothing new… but it does reinforce this fact of life:

The results you get in anything reflect your actions. This is as true for your weight as it is for your business.

When I spend the day watching TV or surfing social media silently comparing myself to others and feeling like crap about it, I don’t attract new clients. (What? How can that be?)

But when I stick to good habits – going to networking meetings, following up with people I meet, asking for referrals, and sending out emails like this one on the regular – I get new clients. (I know! Wow! It’s like magic!)

Success in business is the result of building successful habits and repeating them over time.

One of the most important habits you can build is connecting with and communicating with people on the regular.

This can be done through messaging people you already know (one-on-one and in bulk emails like this one) or by creating something to reach new audiences be that a challenge, a downloadable lead magnet, a webinar, or something else.

I help coaches, transformational consultants, and other life-changers with all of the above.

If you’re not sure what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and where to say it in any written or scripted marketing products, book a free 30-minute appointment to learn more about how to get out of uncertainty and into action so you can change more lives.

Now go build some healthy habits of your own.

Marketing shouldn’t feel like manipulation

When you think of marketing, how do you feel?

I recently had someone say to me “I don’t like to manipulate people.”

Me neither. Manipulation involves getting people to buy something they don’t want or need (and that’s gross).

When you genuinely believe that a specific group of people can benefit from what you have to offer marketing isn’t manipulation.

It’s simply saying one or more of the following:

“Are you this person with this problem? If so, here’s how I help people with this problem. This is how it changed my life. This is how it changed my clients’ lives. This is how it might change your life. I don’t know if it’s right for you but if you think it might be, I’d love to have a conversation.”

Marketing is a bridge between one person’s suffering and a solution to end that suffering.

If having read this you still feel gross about marketing, three things might be at play:

You haven’t defined your target market well enough to understand their problems.
You haven’t created a service or program that solves your target market’s problem.
You don’t have a marketing strategy that feels authentic to you.

Many of my clients come to me feeling icky about marketing and leave feeling excited about it.

If any of the situations above are at play in your business, I can help.

Reach out for a complimentary appointment to learn more about how a Magnetic Messaging VIP Day can make your marketing feel more like you.

The truth about six-figure launches

You love teaching. You love the comradery of a group. And hell, you’d really love to scale your income.

What better way than with a group program?

After all, you’ve done free challenges with hundreds of people participating, many of whom signed up for the person’s offer.

You may have even looked at the math thought, “Holy crap! This person is rolling in the dough!”

Before you dive in headfirst, slow your roll, sister.

Here’s what many of those gurus promising you six-figure incomes from an online program aren’t telling you.

Coaches who bring in $100K+ from group programs, typically have three things going for them:

Detailed knowledge of their ideal client’s pain points
Finely tuned messaging based on that knowledge
A list of over 2,500 pre-qualified people

Most of them also spend four or five figures on social media ads to promote their challenges and grow that list (which works because they know their ideal clients’ pain points inside and out.)

In your first few years as a coach or transformational consultant, you likely don’t have these things and that’s okay.

Do your program anyway!

Launch it as an exclusive small group experience or a beta at a lower cost than you would normally charge. Look at it as market research for your next launch.

Working with an intimate group gives you valuable insights and intelligence.

My first program had just three participants. Doing it helped me clarify who I serve and what I help them with, and taught me how to do a launch, which made the next one waaaay easier.

You might not have a massive mailing list or the money to pay ads (and nor should you until you master organic messaging) but you can go deep on your target market and refine your messaging now.

If you need help in this area, reach out for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to start building the foundation you need before you grow your list.

Communications Mentoring for Heart-Centred Coaches & Consultants