Cyber Tip - Holiday Marketing
West Coast Cyber Chick
Well here we are again, the holidays are about to go into full swing. Actually to me it feels like we skipped Thanksgiving and went straight to Christmas. I admit, I've been listening to Christmas music and watching the Hallmark Channel since the beginning of November. Guilty. This time of year seems to go by in such a rush and I find myself "trying" to slow down and enjoy it a bit more. So the whole feeling of moving past Thanksgiving might be a little self-induced. Sigh. So that said, what are your holiday marketing plans? We don't need charts and...
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Episode 3: Starting Over and Killing It with Christi Vogt
West Coast Cyber Chick
SHOW NOTES Christi Vogt #3 Christi Vogt lost her business overnight, but instead of simply giving up, she decided to go after her dreams of helping make a difference in the longevity of peoples’ lives and successfully launched a business of her own. Christi is no stranger to educating herself on her passions and has figured out a way to blend her purpose with making money. Discover how she is helping people live longer, is building a tribe, and what her best network marketing tips are! Don’t fight the universe. Be open to what possibilities are out there! What we’re talking...
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Episode 2: Get Off the Couch and Go with George Crezee
West Coast Cyber Chick
SHOW NOTES George Crezee #2 George Crezee is the co-host of Aging and Awesome, founder of Get Off The Couch And Go and one of the most inspirational and motivational people you will encounter. George is on a mission to share with others how you should get up and get going, no matter what age you are. He surrounds himself with positive people and is not only a great friend to all, but a creative at heart and someone who is working to change the world. Today is the day to start working towards your goal…just put one foot in front of the other! What we’re talking about...
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Cyber Tip: Improve Your Website for Voice Search
West Coast Cyber Chick
Voice search is going to do nothing but increase in the coming years. How often have you found yourself saying “Hey Siri” or “Alexa find me…”? That’s voice search. If you have any doubt about the importance of ranking for voice searches, check out my post ““. So how can we tune up or optimize our websites so that Siri and Alexa, and ultimately our potential customers, can find us? Let’s start with the reminder that Google is looking for sites that deliver a better customer experience. Are you serving up what your potential customers are asking for? And...
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Cyber Tip: Survive the Next Economic Downturn
West Coast Cyber Chick
It’s not if, it’s when… No, I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer here, I’m just being realistic. For those of us with small businesses, an economic downturn or recession can hit us hard, some to the point of being business-ending. I managed to (barely) survive the last recession as a small business owner by the grace of supportive parents, which isn’t easy to admit at this age, learning to do a lot of things for myself, and scaling back… way back. If I had $10 in my checking account at the end of the month, I was doing well. And not only was I struggling, so were my clients. And...
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Cyber Tip: Tools to Grow Your Email List
West Coast Cyber Chick
So hopefully I've convinced you of the importance of email marketing. If not, please read my article ! An Email Address is an Asset Your email list is an asset, something that all of those social media followers are not. Email is a tried and true way to stay connected with your clients and prospects. I'm a big fan of soliciting email addresses from my website visitors, as you can probably tell. My goal is to create content that my readers enjoy and find meaningful, and keep them coming back for more. The best way to do that is to subscribe to my monthly...
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Cyber Tip: The Importance of Video Marketing
West Coast Cyber Chick
Three, Two, One - ACTION! Video marketing continues to be on the rise as one of the most effective ways to promote your business, brand or product. You don't have to have expensive equipment, a studio or even a ton of knowledge to make a video that viewers want to watch. Video marketing can start with something as simple as your smartphone! You've probably noticed the increase in Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, and maybe even Snapchat. And YouTube - holy cow there's a how-to for everything there right? Want to know ? My good friend Linda did an impromptu, super simple video in her kitchen...
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Cyber Tip: Google vs Yelp Reviews
West Coast Cyber Chick
There are all kinds of online review sites out there, Yelp and Google being two of the biggest. Question is, which one should you focus your efforts on? Short answer - focus on Google but don't ignore Yelp. Here's the Why: Google Reviews are Better for Business - Take Advantage! Google is the king of search these days and Google Reviews has surpassed Yelp and every other platform in the online review world. Google makes it easier to leave a review, there's less competition at the moment, they don't get filtered the way Yelp reviews do and they help your local...
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Cyber Tip: The Importance of Email Marketing
West Coast Cyber Chick
Despite the rise of social media and unsolicited spam email (which is never a good marketing strategy, by the way), email remains the most effective way to nurture leads and turn them into customers. The Importance of Email Marketing Despite the rise of social media and unsolicited spam email (which is never a good marketing strategy, by the way), email remains the most effective way to nurture leads and turn them into customers. There are many reasons you should make email marketing one of your top priorities, but here are a few of main ones: Email is the #1 communication channel. Did you...
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Episode 1: Just Start Already!
West Coast Cyber Chick
SHOW NOTES Just Start #1 Welcome to the 1st episode of the West Coast Cyber Chick podcast! Get prepared to hear cyber tips, interviews with small business owners, tools, and techniques to grow your business. You’re going to find encouragement and support and most of all motivation to simply get started. It’s important to simply start working on and towards your goals and in doing so, you’ll be ahead of those who prefer to stay comfortable. If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing! What we’re talking about - Your Podcast Host, Laura...
info_outlineIt’s not if, it’s when…
No, I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer here, I’m just being realistic. For those of us with small businesses, an economic downturn or recession can hit us hard, some to the point of being business-ending.
I managed to (barely) survive the last recession as a small business owner by the grace of supportive parents, which isn’t easy to admit at this age, learning to do a lot of things for myself, and scaling back… way back. If I had $10 in my checking account at the end of the month, I was doing well.
And not only was I struggling, so were my clients. And you know what that means… if they’re struggling to keep the lights on, they’re going to scale back with you. And then you’re going to struggle to keep the lights on. A vicious cycle indeed.
I bring this up because it feels like we’ve gone back to comfortable. Splurging more here, spending more there. I know because I’ve found myself doing it too. Ten years ago my Sirius satellite radio was one of the first things to go; now I’m like – oh I have to have that. How soon we forget.
So I’m not suggesting that you start shutting off all of those “must-haves”, that really are extras, I’m just saying it’s time to start positioning ourselves for less than favorable economic times. And I’m right there with you, I need to do the same with my business so that I can continue to not just survive but thrive.
A few of the things that I did ten years ago out of pure necessity:
- Cut back on every extra subscription, monthly payment or dues that you possibly can. At minimum, prioritize them so if the time comes, you’re not grasping for straws wondering where to start.
- Make Google and YouTube your best friends if they aren’t already. Be prepared to learn some things for yourself, whether it be repairing an appliance or fixing broken code on your website. I did it and so can you. Repair bills, no matter what they’re for, get expensive quickly. Besides, problem solving is a great skill to have on your resume.
- Build your network. Make a point to meet people, and tell every one what you’re doing. Consider bartering for services with other professionals. My Pilates teacher and I swapped website work for workouts. She got a great website and I got into the best shape of my life!
A few things to start doing now:
- Dave Ramsey school of money. Get rid of debt, build the emergency fund and build the long-term fund. Yep, I need to do this too. Interestingly enough, some “experts” are saying to increase credit lines to prepare for a downturn. It’s far easier to get financing or credit when you don’t need it. I get the idea, but the notion of opening up the opportunity to increase debt is a scary one for me. Do what’s right for you and your business there…
- Rethink monthly expenses. Are you paying “a little extra” for products and/or services that you don’t necessarily need or use? Business software is one of the first things that comes to mind.
- Be mindful of the hiring process. If you have employees, or are considering adding additional people to the workforce, remember that a downturn affects them as well. What if you have to lay someone off or scale back their hours? The extra person in the office right now would probably be a great help but are they going to be one of the non-essential expenses that you have to cut? Because that person isn’t a line item you know…
- Diversify your client base. Do you rely mostly on income from a few clients? What would happen if that amount was cut in half? Or went away completely? Spread the wealth as they say. Consider targeting some smaller-scale clients from different industries to reduce overall risk.
- Build your network. Yes I’m repeating myself. Build your network of followers and communicate and engage with them. Stay in contact with email marketing, social media and above all, personal communication. Don’t be the person or company that they forget about – or put their list of non-essential expenses. Be the one who shows up consistently and go above and beyond for them. Loyalty really is a thing!
We all get comfortable when times are good. Personally, I think now is a really good time to consider where the money is going and to make sure that there’s a cushion in place for the next go-round. Build solid relationships with your clients and support one another. We’re all in this together, good times and bad.
Because it’s not if, it’s when. Will you be ready?
To learn more about how to manage your own website and marketing strategies, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me!
Laura Nowak Brown
aka The West Coast Cyber Chick