Let's chat freebies. Do you have one? How many? Are they working for you?

A freebie may not make you money directly, but it will be the most important resource you create in your business because this is what will "hook" people and get them interested in what actually does make you money. Freebies are also known as list builders or lead magnets. 

You want your lead magnet to be straightforward and simple, something that can provide your audience a quick, immediate win. Freebies commonly take on the form of checklists, templates, or worksheets. Quizzes are another direction you can pursue to obtain leads. They don't offer the value that the other freebies might, but for some reason, everyone loves a good quiz and they typically work extremely well. 

My best performing lead magnet to date has been a free welcome email template. I've also had a lot of success with an entrepreneur-related Harry Potter quiz (yes, I'm a huge HP nerd).

Now, my Harry Potter quiz was extremely successful, b...

Content creation can quickly become this dreaded thing, this thing that makes you feel like you're stuck on a content hamster wheel and can't get off for fear your business will crumble. But I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be that way, and shouldn't be that way. The answer? Repurposing content. However, you have to do it in a way that makes sense and not one that comes off as repetitive and boring.

Here's what a typical content "cycle" might look like for me: 

1. Live video on specific topic on Facebook page. 

2. Save live video and upload it as an IGTV video on Instagram account.

3. Upload live video to Pinterest linked back to my website.

4. Create blog post on same topic. 

5. Share blog on Facebook page and Pinterest.

6. Create 5 different blog post graphics, each with a different but relevant title relating to said blog. 

7. Add one blog graphic to Instagram story and save to "Blog" highlight.

8. Use graphics strategically on Pinterest and Instagram to recycle blog...

Email marketing feels tedious and loathsome for many business owners. I'm not one of them, personally I love email marketing and list building, but I do get it. So in an effort to make it a little less loathsome, I'm providing you with several email prompts that have gotten me my highest open rates. I have an average open rate of 60% with my list whereas the average business' open rate is a mere 20%. So in the interest of higher open rates, let's do this!

1. Introductory email sharing your story. You can do this every so often for your newer subscribers that have joined since your last introduction or welcome email. 

2. Email that relates to something trendy to your niche. For instance, I recently wrote an email on how to digitally declutter. This email received my highest percentage open rate EVER! With Marie Kondo and the minimalist lifestyle becoming extremely popular, people really enjoyed this topic.

3. Address frequently asked questions that you're approached with by customers...

It's a noisy world out there. So how do you stand out? How do you make sure you've got a step up on the competition? I'm going to tell you. 

1. Creat videos, lots and lots of videos. You should be consistently showing up on IGTV, Facebook Live, and uploading videos to Pinterest. Here's what I do to streamline the process: I start by doing a Facebook Live. After you've finished that, Facebook gives you an option to save it, so I do. Next, I use that to upload the video to my Instagram feed via IGTV and Pinterest. In this way, I only have to record one video, not 3 and this creates consistency across my feeds. 

2. Use third party validation as much as you possibly can. This means whenever and wherever your customers are talking about your business, you post it, share it, pin it. I have a highlight on my Instagram account specifically for testimonials, they're all over my website, and they're front and center on my Facebook page. If you have a Facebook group, make an album of custome...