Moonflower Marketing

If you ask for a testimonial, there are only two types you are going to get. 1. "He's really nice" 2. Four score and seven years ago, in a land far far away, Joe did some work for our business. (3 paragraphs later...) ?? It's totally fine to pull one sentence from the testimonial, or even combine two into something coherent. If you change it too much, just get approval from the client "Hey, this was a bit too long for what I need so I shortened it a bit for you. Is this ok with you?" 99.9% of the time they'll say yes. —— *inspired by today’s post by ???? Eddie Shleyner

I did it! 52 emails over 52 weeks. A full year. I've had a goal to get my weekly email up to a 52-week sequence (on email every Tuesday morning) for a while now. Every Tuesday morning, I deliver an email to my list with practical marketing advice for their small business. Initially, I wanted to write all 52 emails before launching it...because I'm a perfectionist. I talked myself into launching it with about 23 and figured I'd get the rest in before anyone made it 23 weeks into the series. I didn't... I added a few here and there over the last 18 months. Some people got to the end before I added more emails. (oops) Nonetheless, this morning, I made it to 52 emails. ?? Yes, the numbers below are real as of this morning, for better or worse. No, my list isn't huge. Yes, too many folks have unsubscribed. Now that I'm up to a full year, it's time to go back and look at emails with lower open rates and where folks unsubscribed to try and improve those numbers over time. I will rewrite subject lines and emails, maybe replace a few altogether to offer more value. I have a handful of lead magnets I offer, and an email welcome series is attached to each of them. Once the welcome series finishes, everyone is dumped into this list to receive a weekly email from me to try and help them address a marketing concern in their business. The 52-week series covers messaging, social media, SEO, copywriting, buyer psychology, and more. It even offers free website reviews here and there if you stick around long enough.

"It's not enough to collect facts. The future belongs to those who connect the dots." This is a quote from James Clear that was shared in a workshop by the brilliant Erika Bryant last week in Nashville. With all of the talk around AI lately, that hit like a ton of bricks. It also got me feeling pretty excited. Honestly, that's the core of what I do anyway. When I sit down with a team from a business to work through their messaging, that is what I'm doing. When I ask them a simple question like "What does your customer really want as it relates to your business?" I usually receive 6-8 competing responses. I'm able to step back and connect the dots between those responses and boil them down to a word or phrase they all align under. This becomes even more important when discussing the core problem a business solves for its customers. Too often, small business owners don't truly understand the problem they solve and how to define it clearly, resulting in lackluster sales and growth. Sometimes, they think they solve many problems, which is causing deep confusion in both their marketing and their internal processes. Being able to look at all those perceived problems, connect the dots, and provide a straightforward way to think and talk about the overall problem they solve is something I love to do. AI will be able to do many things in our businesses (whether we like it or not), but unless we truly understand our customers and the core problem we solve for them, the results we get from AI won't be helpful. Often, the meat of the problem we solve for our customers can only be understood on a human level through emotions and psychology. Unless we can understand the nuance of human psychology and put it into words, AI won't be able to generate the results we need when we use it. It takes humans to understand humans and connect the dots that are often so far below the surface that technology will never see them. Being someone who can connect those dots will become more valuable than ever. Honestly, that is both exhilarating and nerve-wracking as I think about how Moonflower Marketing will evolve over the next few years. ---- ??: Shoutout to Jordan Ryskamp for the invite to hang out on the rooftop outside of Nashville on Friday with this amazing sunset view of the city. StoryBrand Coach Builder Business Made Simple

I signed my first freelance client 8 years ago this week. They reached out to me. I had no intention of starting a marketing business. My wife, Courtney, and I both now work full-time for ourselves at Moonflower Marketing. It's been a ride.

I had a great evening session last night with MUD CREEK CONSERVANCY INC as they look to build on their incredible work in recent years. We met at their headquarters, which is a cool elevated old home that they have restored. I have driven past this structure for years and always wondered what it was like inside. These folks have built a movement around conserving Indianapolis's largest remaining natural area but still have 900 more acres to protect. The work they've done with the Sargent Road Nature Park is impressive. To expand on that work, they need to increase their awareness in the area, grow their membership, and build a coalition of support around conserving some of Indy's most beautiful land. I walked them through the StoryBrand framework to help them invite their community into a transformational story that will leave a legacy in this part of Indy for generations to come. Full circle from the beginning of the year when I spoke at the Indiana Land Protection Alliance conference with members of Mud Creek in my session! #indianapolis #landtrust #conservation

Do you think you need a beautiful website to grow your business? I don't. Here is why... Sure, a beautiful website can be a big help in growing your business, but it's not the aesthetic that makes people buy. It's the words. Without the right words, nothing else you do will matter. It doesn't matter how gorgeous your logo is, how shiny your website might be, or how pretty your social media graphics are. Without the right words on them, nothing else you do will matter. That's why every client I work with STARTS with their messaging. We make sure they are crystal clear on The problem they solve How it makes their customers feel Their plan to solve the problem What success looks like when their customers win What failure looks like if their customers lose When you are as clear as glass on your message, you will know what words to put on your website to move your potential customers to action. Your website will convert more, even if it's not the prettiest website on Al Gore's internet. Don't get me wrong. Design is a HUGE help. First impressions matter. However, if you have to choose between spending money on a gorgeous website or getting your words right, choose words every single time. You can always go back and refresh your website with a better aesthetic later. Want help finding the right words to land the right clients? Book a free intro call with me. ??

This one change made HUGE differences for three clients. What was it? Their messaging. So simple. Here's the deal... Without the right words on your website, ads, and social media posts, your business will not grow. People buy things because of words they read or hear. So, when you use the wrong words in social media posts and ads, they don't get clicked. When you use the wrong words on your website, even if someone does click your ads and posts, they don't stick around long enough to hire you. Ranking high on Google is worthless if the people clicking on your site aren't buying. Are the words you are using confusing your potential customers? If they are, you could be losing a ton of business without even knowing it. I help you find the right words to land the right clients so your business grows. ? Know what to say on social media ? Get the words right in your ads ? Turn browsers into buyers on your website AND ? Save money on marketing ? Grow your business ? Increase your referral leads This is all without a massive overhaul of your business or marketing. We just need to fix your message so you have the right words. Want some help? Schedule a free intro call with me ??

Stop treating your website like a piece of art. I honestly get so bummed every time I see this happen. Someone I know gets all excited because they just launched their brand-new, beautiful website. I click the link, and the site loads. Ugh. Yes, it's gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. BUT, I have absolutely NO IDEA what they do, how it makes my life better, or how to even buy what they're selling. That is BAD. Your website's primary function is to make you money. No more. No less. Sure, it would be great if it were also beautiful, but beauty is NOT the goal. Often, small businesses end up with websites like this because they prioritize ART over CLARITY. ALWAYS start with your messaging. What do you want to say and how do you want to say it? Get the words right FIRST, then work on aesthetic. If the words are right, the beauty of the design will enhance them and make them more effective. If the words are wrong, no amount of beauty will fix it. Without the right words, nothing else you do will matter. I work with businesses and nonprofits every day to help them find the right words to grow their organizations. I would love to help you, too! Drop me a DM or schedule a free introductory call with me anytime.

If your website's homepage is scattered, too detailed, and hard to understand, you are losing business. There are two reasons most small business websites end up like this. 1. You have a complicated service like Beth here. 2. You are too close to what you do to explain it in simple terms. Either way, this is what I do every day for my clients. I help you distill your message and process down into clear and simple terms that anyone can understand. The quicker visitors can understand the problem you solve and how you make their lives better, the more business you will have. Is your website confusing and scattered? Are you sure? Shoot me a DM. I'd love to help!

This is why you need to have an email list. This is from a client I worked with earlier this summer. She provides a fairly confusing healthcare service. She found me online and subscribed to receive my weekly marketing and messaging emails in March. She hired me in June. While she wasn't ready to hire me immediately, she stumbled on one of my old emails in her inbox, read a few more, and then called me. The emails I sent her are part of my weekly email, written and scheduled FORTY-EIGHT WEEKS out. This means I rarely put any effort into it in a given week. Occasionally, I drop another email or two at the end of the series. Meanwhile, emails are sent every week to remind leads that I exist and give them something to think about for their business. Don't sleep on email.