Joining us for Strategy Hour today is networking ninja, Cassandra Thompson, who helps businesses extend their network through LinkedIn! But before you think that LinkedIn is only for professional or corporate folks and therefore not applicable to creative entrepreneurs like us, think again. Illustrators, jewelry designers, and service-based providers can all benefit greatly from a LinkedIn presence, and in this episode, Cassandra gives us the step-by-step of setting up a profile, an explanation of how exactly it works and she shares loads of strategies for getting the absolute maximum out of this platform. 

We have to be honest, we too neglected LinkedIn because we thought that it wasn’t really a space for creatives to connect, but after a debate with Cassandra, we have done a 180 — and we’re pretty sure you will too after listening to what she has to say. Be sure to stay tuned in until the end because we are going to give you a 30-day LinkedIn challenge that we’d love for you to participate in! 

Today we are so lucky to host Joelle Elizabeth on the show! Joelle is a boudoir photographer and marketing strategist for other ambitious photographers and she is here to talk about growing a following and creating engagement on Instagram! 

Remember when we almost deleted out Instagram account? Well, Joelle was one of the amazing people who reached out to us and offered some great alternative ideas and we are eternally thankful to Joelle for the great value she has provided to us! Join us today as we get into how to double down on what you have going on and boost your status on the 'gram to get that business pumping!

Would you ever consider deleting your Instagram account if you had nearly 40,000 followers? Businesses go through different seasons and for a long time we had not focused on Instagram because we were otherwise occupied. But for some reason, our account remained semi-active and we were still slowly but surely gaining followers, even though we only really posted about the podcast and random bits in between. But the engagement was poor, so much so that we no longer saw the need to post at all or to have the account, and this set us on a rollercoaster of a journey of trying to figure out whether we should delete our existing account and start all over again. This might sound crazy, but we had what we believed were legitimate reasons for wanting to do that, and our intentions were so good! 

We were absolutely convinced that this was the way to go, that is, until a comment or two from our audience and friends threw a wrench in the works and forced us back to square one. This was an amazing educational process that we came though as we learned a ton about ourselves, our business and what our approach to our followers should be. If you are thinking about deleting your account and starting off with a clean slate or just looking to grow your Instagram engagement, this episode is perfect for you, so be sure to listen in! 

Today we talk about a fascinating topic, one that affects every single one of you in one way or another in your business. When we think about marketing, we tend to think about psychology in general and the things that inherently appeal to all people. But, there is a better way to approach marketing and it pertains to the different generations. Ever thought about why people of different ages think and behave so differently from one another and often bump heads, whether in families or in business? What we discuss today will shed a whole lot of light on this subject. We compare and contrast the generations, from the traditionalists up to Gen Z and everything in between. 

Each new generation is constructed in a unique way with different things that impact how they view the world and what kinds of consumers they are. For this reason, marketing efforts should be adjusted accordingly to ensure that you speak to the needs of the generation you are targeting, and so you can better understand why certain initiatives will be more effective than others. We have relied heavily on the research of the amazing Jason Dorsey for this episode, so a lot of the information provided here is from his work on the topic. Definitely check out his website if you want to find out more. Jason also speaks about a very interesting new thought about millennials, one which we will get into on this episode, so be sure to tune in! 

Hey everybody and welcome back to The Strategy Hour! Today we are talking PR, media, and marketing with Christina Nicholson of the Media Maven. Christina was in news broadcasting for many years before she decided to start her PR firm and now helps businesses grow their brands by gaining exposure and using it wisely. Today’s show has Abagail riding solo as Emylee is away with a sick little one, but do not fear! It promises to be just as jam-packed and dynamic as usual with such an amazing guest.

Inside this episode, we will be talking about how to get more media coverage and how to utilize it, getting comfortable in front of a camera and much more! Christina also talks about common mistakes and simple tips for getting the most of out of your PR. As an industry expert from the other side of the fence, Christina has a lot of wisdom to share on how to get noticed and present well. We get into reaching out, who are the best people to speak to, and ways to make the process of marketing yourself more enjoyable for better results. For all of this and a whole lot more, you know what to do!

Hey everybody and welcome to another fantastic episode of The Strategy Hour Podcast! Today we are joined by one of our favorite people in the world, a real internet bestie and the Instagram King, Tyler J. McCall! Tyler is here to talk to us about his speciality - how to get Instagram working for you immediately. Of course, Instagram, like all social platforms is constantly evolving so Tyler will be talking about what the best strategies are right now, but also looking at some of the more timeless rules of the framework. Tyler has helped a huge amount of entrepreneurs (including us!) to grow their Instagram following and engagement through the lessons he teaches. For Tyler, it really is quite simple: if you follow a few easy rules, have fun, and bring your own personality to your account you really can’t go wrong!

During our conversation we cover some of the basics around content and captions and the move away from highly curated profiles. Tyler also stresses the importance of knowledge of your audience and how this informs your strategy. We get into the nitty gritty of telling your brand’s story and how to convey this in an effective and engaging way as well as looking at the values that underscore everything that you post. One of the biggest recent developments on Instagram is obviously the Stories feature and Tyler breaks down some lessons for approaching that area and also reiterates just how important they are to your reach, engagement, and potential profits. Lastly, we cover some tips and ideas for personal versus business profiles and how to go about starting out on the platform for newbies. Jump in, it’s going to be a fun ride!

Today on the podcast we welcome Jenny Melrose. Jenny is a former reading specialist who retired from her teaching career and started blogging. She is the owner at jennymelrose.com, the lifestyle blogger over at The Melrose Family and has worked with brands that are nationally recognized, such as Neutrogena, Smuckers, Glad, Costco, Stanley Steamer, Sarah Lee and many more. In this episode, we are talking to Jenny specifically about live video broadcasting and how to utilize this fantastic new tool for Facebook and Instagram.

We briefly touch on topics like sponsored posts and sponsored live content, but for the most part we are talking about how to get over the fear of live video, how to get started, how to create engaging content and how to get people to interact with you so that you can increase your organic reach, which ultimately leads to sales! We will also be discussing how you can pitch to brands and how this has been crucial to Jenny’s business success – and the good news is, it’s easier than you think! If you have been on the fence about live broadcasting, are not sure how to structure your video or what topics to cover – no matter what industry you an in, this episode will help you find your voice.

Today on the podcast we have Melisa Camilleri of Compliment Inc. Melissa is a high school English teacher turned CEO and Founder. She owns a lifestyle brand that encourages, inspires and educates. She also sells jewelry and has an Instagram course! This woman is all over the place and she is one hardworking mamma!

Instagram has gone through a lot of changes over the years and if you’re still on the fence about utilizing the platform, Melissa is here to make it easy for you. Melissa really knows her stuff when it comes to Instagram and in this episode, she shows us how we can beat the Insta-algorithm so you can nurture your audience, bring in those dollar bills and enjoy the platform – rather than letting it freak you out. Melissa shows us how to create compelling stories, enhance engagement, create a formula for posts and take advantage of those captions to find new audiences and gain more followers. She also shares some helpful tips and tricks on the hashtag phenomena, likes and comments. #takealisten

Today we’re chatting with our friend, fellow unicorn and amazing red-headed beauty, Courtney Foster-Donahue. Courtney is an Atlanta-based four-time entrepreneur and business strategist who specializes in video content creation and Facebook marketing and advertising. Courtney helps entrepreneurs to win using Facebook through her new programme called Facebook Everything.

With over 1.96 billion people around the world on Facebook today, why are so many businesses claiming that Facebook is dead, turning away from Facebook Ads, or not seeing any benefits in them? We are covering everything from Facebook page optimization, your business Facebook page, Facebook ads, to all the tiny tips to get you maximizing your reach and growing your business. On today’s show we are busting the Facebook myths that will help you turn your business around!

Today on the podcast, we are super excited to have Elise Cripe of Get to Work Book. For those of you who do not know, Elise lives with her husband and her two young daughters in San Diego, California, and not only has she launched the Get to Work Book daily planner, but she has been online since 2005 and she has done a lot! Elise has been a blogger, she has shared DIY projects, and she is quite the artist.

In this episode, we dive into more on the Get to Work Book, an actual, physical book that she created from an Instagram challenge. She is going to tell you exactly how she made that happen and cover some cool Instagram strategies, where she finds a lot of her audience for Get to Work Book. We’re finding out how she built her product-based business from Instagram, why she stopped blogging, and ideas on y’all getting creative again. We go over finding your creative identity and how important that is for us to stay inspired and motivated every day. We can’t wait for you to dive in and get re-inspired today, so go ahead and give this one a listen.