Prepare for the leech

Happy Friday!

To kick off this edition of the Friday Five, I'd like to issue a special thank you to the people who reply to my emails each fortnight - I truly love hearing back from you.

In response to the last edition of the Friday Five, I received an?awesome heads-up from one business owner about a company called?ZeroCo. They are a true for-purpose brand with a?mission to untrash the planet. Upon checking them out, I immediately purchased their Body Lotion combo (body lotion that comes with a 'forever bottle' and a refill packaging system)?and stainless steel clothes pegs.?

Another business owner shared her plans to?put ESG on the agenda for her business and I'm going to help her do this. (You'll hear more about this in the coming month).

A further business owner shared her?story in response to my story about technology making it too easy for consumers to?purchase. I love hearing these!!!

The quote that I have chosen to share this fortnight served as a timely reminder for me to approach big dreams in small steps. Sometimes focusing on the finishing line is too overwhelming. Taking things one step at a time is way more realistic.

Happy reading.

Jane x

"Writing is like driving in the fog. You may only be able to see as far as the headlights, but you'll make the whole journey that way."

E.L. Doctorow

How a brand refresh re-energised Kids Heart Pilates

As one of my fabulous Friday Five email subscribers, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm rebranding.

Not just the look and feel either. I'm undergoing a name change; repositioning, and adding new product offerings.?More details are to be revealed in the coming months.?

I find brand refreshes, and revisions so exciting. The prospect of new opportunities, the challenge of entering new marketplaces and revealing something new - it's exhilarating.

I've walked this path with so many of my clients and it's such an awesome journey to be part of. I interviewed one of these fabulous clients; Liz Dawson from?Kids Heart Pilates, about her experience rebranding. She shares her story about transitioning from feeling the fear of changing an identity that had been in place since the inception of her business to feeling completely re-energised and re-invigorated by the rebranding of her business. If you are considering a change of direction for your brand, this ep is definitely worth a listen.

You can listen to this ep right?here.

HOW TO DO MORE WITH LESS

Tip #2 - Find out where your target audience consumes media?

"I use Instagram, however, I refuse to pay attention to anything to do with my profession on this channel. I use LinkedIn for work and Instagram is where I switch off."

This is what an HR Director revealed to me in a conversation that took place as part of some research that I was conducting on behalf of a client. I was asking her a line of questions about what social media channels she used regularly and how she used them. In that conversation, I also asked her about the emails that she found valuable to subscribe to, and what made them valuable. What associations was she a member of? Why??

This information is crucial when you are looking to make an impact on a small budget. It makes zero sense to spend time and money showing up on a media channel, be that a billboard, a radio station or a social media channel, if your target audience is not there.?

It's such a small consideration when planning your marketing ecosystem, but it can make such a huge impact.

So, in the example of the above target persona, I was confident about recommending that my client take a?LinkedIn-first social strategy as part of her overall marketing ecosystem. This target persona of my clients, along with several other target personas that I had a conversation with as part of that research project, openly told me that LinkedIn is where they notice thought leaders in their industry. They told me how often they check LinkedIn and what kind of content they respond to.?

The client I was conducting this research for was a consultant who had previously been focusing on Instagram for her social media content. Because that's the social channel that?she?was comfortable with and that?she?preferred.?But this consultant IS NOT her target audience. She was spending a lot of time and effort on Instagram and NOTHING was happening.?

Once we refocused her time and effort to where her clients were paying attention; LinkedIn, everything changed. Her marketing results improved significantly.

So where do your prospective customers hang out ? Where are they paying attention and what are they paying attention to? If you're not sure, ask them! This information could save you hours of time and thousands of dollars!

Are you prepared for the Leech?

I was recently taking our kitchen compost bucket from the kitchen down to the back of our garden to empty it into our big compost bin.?It had just rained so everything was a little wet and soggy.

Immediately after, I headed upstairs for a shower and as I was taking off my shoes, I noticed a black thing on my sock line.?

I tried to kick it off and it didn't budge.

Upon closer inspection, I realised that the black thing was a leech. I had not had a leech for over 20 years, however, I knew exactly what I had to do to get rid of it. I ran downstairs, grabbed the salt, dowsed the leech with the salt and within two seconds, the leech shrivelled up and dropped to the floor.?

The very first thought that came to mind once I had dealt with the situation at hand was;?'gross'.

The second thought I had was,?'I'm so?glad I knew exactly what to do in that situation'.

Because I had 100% confidence that pouring salt on the leech would end the gross ordeal of some slug sucking my blood, I didn't panic or even slightly worry.

Because I knew exactly what to do next, I didn't waste any time having to Google solutions or try and make decisions in a state of haste.

When you know what you need to do, you can confidently?and calmly make good decisions about what action to take next.

This is always the best state of mind to be when something unexpected crops up.?

Too often in the world of marketing, I see organisations trying to react to an unexpected event; a major competitor entering the market, a downturn in the economy, a shift in a consumer trend, with rapid-fire marketing. It's a panicked reaction, generally laced with a healthy dose of fear.

Unfortunately though, without the foundations of a considered strategy and plan that outlines what activities you need to take, how often to take them and when, this rapid-fire marketing is nothing more than activity for the sake of activity.

It takes time to build up a sustainable?brand and marketing presence that will future-proof your business from unexpected turns of events.

And the first step to future-proofing your business and your brand is to think about what you need to do in the good times in order to protect your business from the not-so-good times.?

Jane if you'd like to ensure that you have no fear of?the unexpected, then?click right here?and let's chat about getting your marketing strategy in place.

How To Do Marketing - A Comprehensive Guide for Small Business.

As mentioned above, I'm about to embark on something new.?

And to make way for the new, sometimes I feel like you need to free up space.

To do this, for one week only, I am offering my book;?How To Do Marketing - A Comprehensive Guide For Small Business?for just?$10 + postage.

Until Friday 18 August, you can purchase this book for yourself, a friend, a business colleague, or whoever you think could benefit from a no-nonsense, easy-to-follow guide to small business marketing.

The RRP of the book is usually $34.95 so you will be saving close to $25.

To take advantage of this offer,?simply email me at [email protected]

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