Blogging

Alicia started a website about her true passion, creating art. But she couldn’t seem to make any traction and she wasn’t sure why. She began studying content marketing and quickly realized her problem.

She didn’t have a consistent content marketing plan. Instead, she just published a new blog or updated her Facebook when the mood struck her. Of course, like many people she quickly discovered that it’s hard to build a community without consistency.

Determined to change things, Alicia created a schedule and made a content marketing plan. Within a year, her website was flourishing. She had plenty of traffic, lots of new mailing list subscribers, and was about to launch her first art course.

Like Alicia, you may have struggled with content marketing. Maybe you’ve thought that having a content marketing plan is boring or that it won’t work for you. But there are so many advantages to creating a plan for your content…

Benefit #1: Release Fresh Content Regularly

The first and most obvious benefit is that you’re releasing fresh content regularly. You can’t reap any of the rewards that come from content marketing if you’re not doing it. You have to show up daily and get the work done, just as you would at the gym.

But once you have a content marketing plan, it’s much easier to do the actual content creation. That’s because you no longer have to stare at a blank screen, hoping you come up with something to share. Instead, you have plenty of ideas and inspiration available right at your fingertips.

Benefit #2: Keep Your Brand Consistent

When you don’t have content to publish regularly, it’s easy to start putting up anything just so it looks like your blog or your Facebook page is active.

The problem with this approach is that it can cause your branding to become inconsistent. After all, if you’re talking about art one week and raising puppies the next, people might get confused about what it is you do.

But a content plan helps you to develop a strategy. Since all of your content is consistent in tone and style, your community begins to recognize your brand.

Benefit #3: Increase Your Productivity

With a content marketing plan, you already know about the content you plan to publish each month. This makes it easy to re-use your content in a variety of ways, so you spend less time wondering what to publish next and more time actually creating.

For example, you write one lengthy blog post each month and publish four videos to YouTube. With a plan, you could easily take that lengthy blog post and repurpose the content into four videos. This would save you countless hours while still giving you great videos to publish.

Benefit #4: Watch Your Mailing List Grow

This was the first benefit Alicia noticed to her new content marketing plan. Her mailing list began to grow within a few weeks of consistently publishing valuable tips and tutorials on her blog.

When website visitors give you their email address, it’s a sign that they trust you and they would like to hear from you more often. But visitors typically need to be exposed to your content many times before they’ll sign up for your mailing list. This means you need to have a big collection of content available for them to browse.

Benefit #5: Diversify Your Reach

With a content marketing plan, it’s a lot easier to make a single piece of content go further. That’s because you’re able to diversify your reach and get the most out of every piece you publish.

For example, let’s say you publish one new podcast episode each week. You could easily take that podcast transcription, add some headings, and images to turn it into a blog post or even a short report.

Benefit #6: Create Funnels that Turn Visitors into Buyers

Many marketers talk about the power of having a sales funnel in place. But when you’re publishing content with no real strategy, it’s hard to create a funnel that converts a one-time visitor into a super fan who buys all of your products.

This is the power of a content marketing plan. You have a real strategy that you can use to envision the path your website visitors will take. Then you create content specifically for this path so you can change that visitor into a happy, paying customer.

Benefit #7: Learn What Works for Your Audience

The more content you publish and the more consistently you do it, the easier it will be to discover what works for your audience. You might find that publishing in the evenings gets you more likes and comments or that your audience prefers audio to video. These are insights that can only be gained from the trenches.

After you’ve been publishing for a few months, take a step back. You’ll be able to analyze your results and see where you need to course-correct to serve your audience in an even better way.

Benefit #8: Outsource with Ease

If your strategy or plan is solely in your head, it’s hard to outsource certain elements of your marketing. For example, you can’t ask your graphic designer to create Pinterest images if you have no idea what text is even supposed to go on there.

But once you have a schedule in front of you, delegating tasks gets much simpler. You make a note of the text you need on the images and simply hand it off to your favorite graphic designer without worrying.

Benefit #9: Build Your Authority

When you publish content regularly, people begin to see you as an authority. They come to view you as an “expert” in your niche. This can result to even more doors opening such as requests for interviews, speaking opportunities, and even book deals.

You also become the go-to person for your topic. As people begin trusting you, they ask for your recommendations and guidance. They want your opinion before they make a purchase or try a new thing. If done ethically, this can lead you into the wonderful world of affiliate marketing where you make money simply by sharing useful links with your audience.

Benefit #10: Increase Your Profits

Another wonderful benefit of having a content marketing plan is that it can increase your income. That’s because you can design your content strategy around your products or services, resulting in more profits.

When you don’t have a plan, you may rush to promote the newest shiny object that someone else is releasing or you might put together content that doesn’t fully explain the benefits your service or product has to offer.

But when you take the time to come up with a content marketing plan, you can focus on the key objections that your buyers might face, and you can address them one-by-one. This boosts your conversion rate and results in increased sales.

Content Marketing Can Be Easy

This is the easiest and best benefit of having a content marketing plan – it makes the whole process of content creation more fun. That’s because you can relax and focus on building your relationship with your community. You get to create valuable content with a strategy and your audience gets to benefit from your smarts!

Would you like to develop a body of content that shows the world what you’re willing to take a stand for so you become a powerful invitation and see more people respond to your content than ever before? If so, be sure to check out my Banner Message training today. 

 

When it comes to leading our community we want to be at our best, right? After all we did create our websites and do what we do to attract and reach new people because we want to serve them and serve them well. But if we’re not taking care of ourselves how can we expect to be at our best for our people and to be great leaders?  Taking care of US means we’re ready to act when our websites are successful. There’s nothing worse than getting a lead or sale and feeling too worn down to manage the follow up!

So, when was the last time you put yourself first and focused on taking care of YOU? If you’re like the majority of people, it’s probably been awhile. The good news is, there are several ways that you can start putting yourself first for once (and it doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time).

Here are 25 simple ways that you can begin putting yourself first and make self-care a top priority!

1. Practice Self-Reflection

Getting in touch with who you really are and what you want is a great way to begin making self-care a priority. Self-reflection gives you the opportunity to really evaluate your life – your thoughts, choices, attitudes and behaviors that have brought you to your current situation. If you’ve been putting self-care on the backburner, you could start to ask yourself questions like, “What is a choice I can make this week based on my needs alone,” or “How can I be more intentional with my time today?” You don’t have to spend a lot of time on this – 5 to 10 minutes a day is all you need to start. Once you begin reflecting on what is really important to you, making yourself a priority will be a much easier process.

2. Say No

Setting boundaries and learning to say no more often is probably one of the best things you could ever do. It allows you to get back in the driver’s seat and have more control over your own life. We often say we don’t have time for self-care because we are so busy, however, that’s only because we’ve said yes to everyone else’s demands. Instead of filling up your schedule in this way, start saying no to mundane tasks and leave more time for what you really want to do. You’ll start to see that you do have time to read that book or see that movie or take a much needed bubble bath. No is a full sentence and it works wonders on helping you make self-care a priority in your life.

3. Put Yourself in Time Out

One of the best things you can do when life gets overwhelming is give yourself permission to take a break. It’s so necessary to allow yourself a breather so you can collect your thoughts and work through problems in a reasonable way. Simply take 5 minutes to walk away from your desk. Step outside to breathe some fresh air. Lock yourself in the bathroom. Put your headphones on and blare your music or find an empty room in the house and sit in silence. If you have problems making time for breaks, there are plenty of free apps you can use to help you schedule in a “time out” session every day.

4. Artist Dates 

Have fun with your inner child and take yourself on an artist date. As we become adults, we seem to stray away from the things we loved most as a child. Think back to when you were little. What did you enjoy? Writing, painting, sketching, acting, reading? Get back some of that magic and make time to just play and be messy. Go see a movie you’ve been wanting to watch. Pick up a book and read. Try that new yoga class. Get yourself a canvas and some paint and create a masterpiece. Do what it takes to get your creative wheels spinning and allow yourself time to reconnect with the things you really love.

5. Take a 15-minute walk

Making the time to take a walk every single day is one of the simplest ways to prioritize self-care in your busy life. It’s a great way to reduce stress, lighten your mood and just make you feel better. Plus, walking is a natural energy booster – no caffeine needed. Take 10-15 minutes out of your day to step outside and breathe some fresh air. Without your phone. Taking a digital time out during your daily walk allows you to be more in touch with your thoughts. You give yourself the opportunity to be fully present and notice things you would have otherwise missed while scrolling mindlessly through your phone.

6. Spoil Yourself

How often do you neglect your own needs, because you’re too busy saying yes to everyone else? Probably too often. It’s time to start saying yes to a little indulgence once in a while just for fun. It doesn’t have to be anything that breaks the bank – just take a little time out for YOU. Treat yourself to a good book or a relaxing massage. Buy yourself your favorite snack and eat it with zero guilt. Take a short road trip and explore someplace you’ve always wanted to go. Try a bold new lipstick. Blast your favorite music and have a dance party in the kitchen. Put your needs first for once and make spoiling yourself a priority.

7. Learn Something New

You should never get to a point where you stop learning, especially with the unlimited amount of resources at our fingertips today. Plus, giving yourself the gift of knowledge is one of the best things you can do.  What is something you’d like to learn? Write out a list of things that interest you and research online courses, books, videos, etc, that will allow you to expand your knowledge on that given topic. Maybe you want to learn more about the Civil War or begin hand-lettering things for an Etsy shop. Whatever it is, you can find a course out there and start learning something new today.

8. Social Media Detox

Technology has become our lifeline to the world. We rarely spend a moment without our phones and mindlessly scroll social media to fill up our time. In fact, we tend to spend more time scrolling through the highlights of other people’s lives than we do on our own self-care. It’s time to put down your phone for once. Take a break from social media and allow yourself to be fully present. Take note of how much time you spend on social media each day. Set boundaries – only allow yourself to check social media at certain times of the day. Turn off your notifications. Schedule downtime on your phone so you won’t be tempted to peek. Social media addiction is a very real thing and can negatively affect your mental and physical wellbeing.

9. Make Time for Connection

Allow yourself to connect with people but not on Instagram or Facebook – live, in the flesh, real people. As human beings, we need connection in our lives and sometimes that takes being very intentional with our time. Make an effort to get out of the house and do something that makes you feel good. Allow yourself the time to laugh, explore and have fun with others outside of normal daily life. Try volunteering at an animal shelter or soup kitchen or re-connect with someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Go on a much needed date night with your spouse or get together for a girl’s night out (or in) and catch up with old friends. You’ll be giving yourself some much needed time away and a chance to recharge your batteries.

10. Spend Time Alone

On the flip side of the coin, spending time alone is important when prioritizing self-care in your life. We all need it. Life is hectic and we rarely give ourselves a moment to slow down and recharge, let alone be by ourselves when doing so. When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, on edge and anxious, you need to reflect on what your body may be telling you. Spending even a small amount of time alone each day can help clear your head and relax your mind. It allows you to be present with your own thoughts so you can tune in to what you truly want and need.

11. Journal Your Thoughts

Pick up a notebook and pen and start getting real with your thoughts. We don’t spend nearly enough time doing this. Our minds become cluttered with the chaos of daily life and we lose touch with ourselves in the process. Start your day with a quick journal entry. Let your random thoughts fly on the pages and let go of the idea that it has to be perfect. Write down your wins, your worries, your mess ups and everything in between. Start each day with a clear head – you’ll feel so much better when you do.

12. Plan Your Meals

Meal planning is a great way to get organized in the kitchen. It takes the stress out of wondering what’s for dinner and can also save big bucks on the grocery bill. Pick one day a week to plan out your meals, make a grocery list and go shopping.

When you already have a list in hand, you won’t be tempted to throw random things in the cart as you walk the aisles. You’ll also be more likely to make healthier choices when you plan ahead and know what you’re going for. It takes the guesswork out of mealtime and gives you much more control over your health and nutrition.

13. Get Organized

A great way to fully immerse yourself into the self-care zone, is to organize your mental and physical space. Organization is, after all, a form of self-care because it gives you peace of mind, decreases stress and allows you to spend time on things OTHER than more organizing. Start by prioritizing what really deserves a place on your overall to-do list. Do a mental brain dump. Clean out junk drawers. Purge your closets. Toss out broken toys or donate unused household items. Unsubscribe from email lists. Start a budget. Make your bed. Set out clothing the night before. By getting organized now, you allow yourself more time for self-care and less time to get distracted by random clutter.

14. Create a Playlist

Music has a huge impact on our emotional, mental and physical health and is a valuable form of self-care. Have you ever heard a song that makes you feel better after a really rough day? The lyrics, the sound, the tempo – it affects you on a deep level and melts the stress away even if it’s just for a brief moment. Find the type of music that speaks to you and create a playlist that inspires you to press play. It doesn’t have to be an hour long music fest, but just 5-10 minutes of music each morning can get you pumped and ready to start the day.

15. Create a Vision Board

There is nothing more therapeutic than taking time to envision all the amazing things you want out of life – and then putting it on paper where you can reflect on it every single day. Creating a vision board is a great way to get more in touch with the things that are truly important to you. It gets your wheels spinning about how you can improve yourself, inside and out and helps you envision your future in a more positive light. It’s about bringing those wants, needs, hopes and dreams to the surface and putting out an intentional affirmation that you believe in yourself enough to achieve them.

16. Take a Road Trip

When was the last time you offered yourself a short break from reality to get away from the familiar and see some new sights? There are some days you just need to get in the car and go with nothing but an open road and a playlist of your favorite songs to keep you company. A road trip can be just the thing you need to relax, unwind and get away from the daily stressors of life. It gives you the chance to be alone with your thoughts and reflect on who you are and what you really want – something we lose sight of in the chaos of daily life.

17. Let Go of Perfection

We are bombarded by fake perfection everywhere we turn – social media, movies, magazines etc. It’s hard to get away from it and even harder to measure up to something so unattainable. For this reason, it’s so important to let go of the idea that you need to be perfect. When you allow yourself to get caught up in this game, your mental, physical and emotional health can suffer. Take care of yourself, do what is right for you and be intentional about the choices you make. Life is a unique journey for everyone – stop trying to measure up to something that isn’t even part of your story.

18. Have a GYST day

GYST simply means Get Your Stuff (or whatever other word you choose to insert) together. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated when you have a list of tedious to-dos piling up. A GYST day allows you to take care of all those things in one swoop so you can be more focused and organized for the coming week. Pick a day that works with your schedule and do all the things that make you feel better about your life. Maybe you need to pamper yourself more, so you take time for a face mask and a relaxing bubble bath. Maybe you need a day to clean and organize your space or pay some nagging bills. Setting aside a dedicated day to get your life together (or at least feel like it) will give you the boost you need to get through the rest of the week.

19. Get Enough Sleep

Prioritizing sleep is so important for your overall health and wellness. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation impacts your physical, mental and emotional health and has been linked to depression, anxiety, weight gain and many more negative side effects. It’s much harder to cope with the daily stress of life when you’re walking around in a groggy daze and you can’t possibly operate at 100%. Try starting a bedtime routine for yourself. Make an effort to go to bed at the same time every night and turn off all electronic devices an hour before so your brain has some downtime. Sleep is vital and a great place to begin on your self-care journey.

20. Ask for help

When you need help, ask for it. It’s as simple as that. Too often, we don’t want to burden anyone with our problems, so we attempt to handle everything 100% on our own. This is a lonely path to take and will only lead to feelings of overwhelm and unhappiness. You’ll waste so much of your time and energy trying to find your own solutions when could easily just reach out to someone else for a little assistance. As humans, we need connection. We desire to contribute and make a difference in someone else’s life. So, with that being said, let go of your pride and open yourself up to a little help now and then.

21. Eliminate Toxic People

If you really want to put yourself first, it’s so important that you eliminate anyone who brings your down. Take a look at the people in your life – friends, family, co-workers. Do they support you and push you to be the best version of yourself? Or do they discourage you from success and drain you with negativity? Let go of anyone who spends more time putting your down than building you up. Establish firm boundaries or cut ties with any relationship that makes you feel less than 100% worthy. You don’t need people in your life that distract you or direct you away from who you are truly meant to be.

22. Watch Your Words

Pay attention to the words you use when you speak to yourself. Are those words encouraging and positive or negative and spiteful? Mostly everyone suffers from negative self-talk from time to time. However, when your inner voice constantly criticizes your every flaw and makes you feel unworthy, it’s time to realize there’s a problem. Negative self-talk is damaging to your overall health and self-esteem long before you even realize what’s happening. Awareness is the first step to flipping the switch and putting yourself back in the driver’s seat. Start by challenging your negative thoughts anytime you notice one come about. Use this time to reflect on where the thoughts are coming from and how you can turn them around to support a more positive way of thinking.

23. Feed Your Mind

One of the most important things you can do for your mental health is to feed your mind inspiration and positivity on a daily basis. With all the resources at your fingertips, the options are limitless when it comes to choosing a medium. Find a favorite podcast or choose an uplifting Ted Talk. Read (or listen to) a book, seek out inspirational YouTube Videos or watch a documentary. Set aside a little time each day to give yourself a boost of positivity. Not only will you feel better, but it will open your mind to all the possibilities life has to offer and inspire you to become an even better version of yourself.

24. Practice Gratitude

There is something so powerful about appreciating what you already have. When you actively choose to love your life and all the things in it, the result is a life-changing shift in perspective about what is truly important. Practicing gratitude is one of the most basic forms of self-care that you can adopt into your daily routine. It costs nothing and you can easily get started with just a journal and a pen. Take time each morning to write down a few things you’re thankful for. Do this at night too. In fact, do it as often as you need to until it becomes like second nature. As gratitude becomes more of a habit, you’ll start to notice more – the joy, the beauty and all the miracles in life that surround you.

25. Let Go of Guilt

Putting yourself first is 100% necessary if you want to show up in the world as the best possible version of YOU. It’s not selfish, contrary to what we’ve told ourselves, yet there is so much guilt surrounding the idea of routine self-care. The first step to letting go of this guilt is to understand what it means (or doesn’t mean) to put yourself first. This doesn’t mean that you disregard everyone else and only care about yourself from this moment on. It doesn’t mean that you need to stop helping others. It only means that you prioritize your needs first and then move down the line in order of importance. You can’t be of service to others when you are depleted and empty. The whole world benefits when you set aside your guilt and begin making yourself a priority.

There are so many different ways to incorporate self-care into your life so you can be at your best for your community. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort, just a commitment that you are going to start showing yourself more love, because you deserve it and your community will appreciate it.

When it comes to running a business and the different legal entities, it can be confusing. Should I run my biz as a DBA (doing business as), sole proprietor, LLC or something else? What are the differences between them all?

Thankfully, attorney and business coach Pam Hamilton explains everything for us. And before you skip reading the post because you think it’s a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo that won’t even make sense… you’ll be surprised the fun, unique approach Pam took to digging into this topic.

Pam says:

Like lizards, there are different types of business structures. And, depending on where you are in your business when you look at them, they could each be seen as ugly, dangerous or poisonous to your business.

She goes on to use The Chameleon, The Komodo Dragon and The Chinese Water Dragon to explain sole proprietorship, D/B/A , General Partnerships, LLC, and more.

For a simple, but fun, intro to legal entities head on over and read Simple Intro To Legal Entities – Also Known As A Story About Dragons now.

Are you a crafty person? Whether you like tinkering with crafts as a hobbyist or are a die hard crafting fanatic, you can take your passion of all things crafty and turn it into a blog. And that’s exactly what Lynn Leusch, a craft blogger who is passionate about encouraging creativity in others, did.

I love how she describes her blog:

I liken my craft blog as a Grown-ups Show-and-Tell. This is my carved-out space to allow the authentic and real me to shine and showcase what I’m passionate about.

Lynn says there are two things to remember when starting a craft blog:

• Crafters Love Seeing Crafts
• You can do it. Just S.T.A.R.T.

You can see that S.T.A.R.T is an acronym – to find out what it means, head on over and read S.T.A.R.T A Craft Blog now.

Card decks are a unique, fun way to showcase your expertise. In this case, the card decks I’m referring to are not your typical pack of playing cards. Instead, these are what you may have heard referred to as affirmation cards, inspiration cards, or quote cards – just to name a few. Heck, you may even own a set… or two, or three, or more – not that I’m speaking from experience or anything 😉

Don’t think creating a card deck means you have to come up with all new content. Because you don’t! In fact, you can leverage more of the content you already have. For example, I took my popular Stretch Yourself Challenge and turned it into some bite-size card deck content. Unlike lots of other card deck creators, I do not sell my cards as a stand-alone product. I use them as bonuses.

Not sure you could use a card deck in your business? Check out this quick video, 11 Ways Different Businesses Use Card Decks, from the Queen of Card Decks Rosie Battista.

Rosie’s step-by-step card deck creation course has helped lots of people publish their own card decks. Once students have completed and published their decks, Rosie interviews them. These interviews are a great way for you to see how unique and different card decks can be for different niches.

Here are some for you to check out:

Card Deck Creator Interview Series: Eat the Pickle

“Eat the Pickle” is a metaphor for being willing to experience the unexpected. Rayven says it’s the fastest way to teach our bodies to embrace a new future – one that we intentionally manifest.

You can listen to the interview here.

Card Deck Creator Interview Series: Ponder or Pursue?

Rosie says: “I found while flipping thru Tina’s cards that I had to dig deep to answer them. And then I thought, wow, how fun would this be to ask my partner and my kids these questions. What a great idea to leave a bowl of Ponder & Pursue cards on the coffee table! Imagine the conversations that can easily ignite, when they pull the card, “what are your pet peeves?”

You can listen to the interview here.

Card Deck Creator Interview Series: Stretch Yourself

I’m all about Stretching Yourself and that’s what I invite others to do with the card deck.

“Pick a card, lean in and ask what you want to do about it. There’s always a next stretch for you and your business!”

You can listen to the interview here.

Card Deck Creator Interview Series: Bedtime Love

Brook Packard’s “Bedtime Love” Card Deck is a fun and effective way to help our little ones fall asleep with love as well as learning life long healthy sleep habits and hygiene.

During Rosie’s interview with Brook, she shares some of the reasons she is passionate about this topic, why she wanted a card deck to add to her Sleepytime product collection, her journey thru the creation process, and how she is using her card deck.

You can listen to the interview here.

Are you ready to put your awesome content into the hands of your tribe? If so, be sure to join Rosie’s Card Deck Creation Course today!