Today on the Strategy Hour Podcast we welcome the wonderful, the magnificent, the powerhouse, Erin Kelly! Erin is here to talk to us about MemberVault, something we are more than excited about. We’ll be hearing about how MemberVault uses gamification as way to boost your business and increase your revenue. Erin will be starting from the very beginning and explaining exactly what MemberVault does and what gamification actually means, so if any of this sounds new and a little daunting, don’t worry because we have you covered!

During our discussion you’ll get everything you need to know about the great service that MemberVault provides and how you might be able to incorporate it into your strategy. By incentivizing, tracking and tagging, MemberVault enables businesses to tailor and curate their communications and offers to their audiences which are proven to increase results. Sound good? We thought so! The most exciting part of it all is how the service actually cuts down on your workload and allows many automated actions to occur.  You will be getting more interaction for less time spent, and if that isn’t the ticket, we do not know what is. So stay tuned as Erin helps us break it all down for your listening pleasure.

Today on the podcast, we welcome our latest internet crush, Chris Davis. Chris is the Director of Education at ActiveCampaign and is an email marketing genius. With everything going on in your business, the truth is, you need to take your email marketing seriously. Chris has helped us so much with kicking our email marketing strategy into high gear. He is an incredible resource, and in this episode, we get deep into discovering information about your customers, as well as some of the basic mindsets you need to be in when you’re starting your email marketing game.

Chris uses a ton of analogies to break this information down in a way that is easily digestible for newcomers and old-timers alike. We discuss how to personalize your emails, the benefit of multiple marketing platforms and get a few key tips for using the ActiveCampaign platform. If you are about to tackle your own email strategy, this episode will really help you to dive in with the right mindset. And if you already have an email marketing strategy set up and sailing, there is information in this episode that will get you to reconsider, adapt and improve it. If you are just stuck or overwhelmed, in any shape or form, about your strategies – this episode is here to help you reset that mentality, help you move forward and get your audience through the door.

Today on the show we welcome Josh Stanton. Josh is the co-founder of Screw The Nine To Five, which is his and his wife, Jill’s, slice of the internet where they help entrepreneurs bring  more attention to their brands, make more money in their business and get more out of their life through simple strategies, how to’s and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the realities of building a business online. In this episode, we tackle the topic of how to create a highly engaged Facebook group. We’re here today to let you in on a little secret and that Facebook member numbers is kind of a load of BS if you don’t have engagement! But how do you cultivate engagement, and better yet sustain it, from the get-go?

Josh lets us in on their tips, tricks and processes that have helped him and Jill create a successful, highly engaged and empowered Facebook group that actually drives members to sales. All done in as little as thirty minutes a week! We discuss how to show up for your people personally, how to drive them to your products or services, how to set group rules and expectations and how to keep your page alive and buzzing with content, questions and resources that impact the community you are serving. If you are looking to step up your Facebook game and create a thriving community – then this is the episode to fill up your notepad up with!

All right, it’s the episode you’ve all been waiting for. We are finally ready to talk about the biggest change we’ve made in TCC in a long time. We’ve moved email service providers… TWICE and we spoke about this is in our monthly review for April but promised we would break it all down into an episode all of its own. So here it is. Today we are running through the reason why we switched from MailChimp to ConvertKit, and then switched again from ConvertKit to Infusionsoft and then again from Infusionsoft to ActiveCampaign. Complexities aside, what we really want this episode to do is serve as an educational resource for you if you are needing help deciding between two platforms.

So in this episode we will be diving into why certain platforms just didn’t work, as well as the key reasons that made us sway to ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign. We walk you through various system features of the platforms, like ConvertKit’s tagging-based system versus ActiveCampaign’s automation-based system and how these worked for us. We also get into the nitty-gritty’s of how integrations, deep integrations and visual automation work in ConvertKit as well as in ActiveCampaign and how we were able to find out so much more about our customers using certain features. No matter what service provider you choose, at the end of the day you should always pick what feels right for you and your business. We hope that this episode will help you to make a more informed choice and get you a step closer to being a turbo-boss babe!

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 welcome the email list queen, Steph Crowder. Steph is an educator and coach at Courage & Clarity, one of our Mastermind members and the “Den Mamma” at Fizzle.co. She is a delight to have on the show and we’re excited to dive into her secret sauce! The email list is where it’s at, right? Everyone has heard about the email list buzz, but the truth is your email list is keeping a lot of you up at night! This episode is helpful for those who are terrified of opt-ins, emails and have no clue what to do with those subscribers afterwards! Steph has been on a recent journey of quadrupling her email list in just 30 days. But what is brilliant about Steph is that she then successfully went on to sell programs to those already warmed up dreamy dreamers. 

Steph has so many action steps for those who are feeling overwhelmed by their email list, are not sure what to focus on and don’t know how they should grow. For those of you just starting to get your business off the ground – Steph feels ya and gives some great tips on what to do, as well as what not to do in those early stages. She also gives us a great model for setting up your work week in just 15 minutes every Sunday afternoon while you sip a cuppa tea. So take notes because by the end of this episode, you will have all the tools and all the inspiration needed to get to work on this right away!

Today we are creating your marketing game plan and we couldn’t be more jazzed. Up to this point in the Beginner Business Series, you have figured out what you are best at and what you can get to market the quickest without learning anything new. We’ve also figured out how to package and price it. We’ve set up your shop, listed it and you are ready to sell! You’ve come a long way and in today’s episode, we’re going to dive into your marketing game plan so you can get your stuff out into the world and start making money right away.

A lot of the times, when people get to this point of selling, they’ve taken all the necessary steps to get there, but their product just won’t sell! Why? Well, we want to tell you this is not because you or your product or service or idea suck – it’s because you just didn’t have a solid marketing game plan in place. So if this sounds like you, you’re in the right place. Marketing just so happens to be our internet love child and in this episode, we’re going to be walking you through social media posts and the three foundational posts you should be doing in order to engage your audience and build a consistent relationship with them – one that will benefit them as much as it does you. So let’s jump in and get started!

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 on the show we have the amazing Katie Krimitsos! Katie is the founder of Biz Women Rock, which is a community and education provider for women entrepreneurs around the world, a.k.a, everyone listening. She is so helpful and an absolute open book on how she has found success in her corner of the world. Inside this episode, Katie shares a ton of incredible strategies. Not only are we talking about how to use a podcast to fill your programs, but really how to promote your podcast in order to get the most traction out of it.

Now, if you’re not a podcaster, don’t you worry! All of these tactics and strategies can really be interchanged with things like Facebook lives, Instagram posts, email market strategies and growing a Facebook community. So listen up! We have a lot of super specific strategies you can try right away to start selling more, more often. At the end of the show, we also talk about how you can join Katie’s Private Mastermind Community, so if masterminding is something you might have on your horizon, be sure to get inside her group!

Natalie Franke, the founder of Rising Tide Society is joining us today on The Strategy Hour Podcast. Many of you may be surprised to find out that Natalie is a huge neuroscience nerd and uses this background to strategically make decisions in her business. She sharing how you can take cues from neuroscience and psychology to communicate with your clients and customers, form your message on your website and social media, grow your audience and more.  |  The Strategy Hour Podcast

In this episode, we welcome the video queen, Andrea Corson. Andrea is an Emmy-nominated television producer, digital strategist and consultant. She has created awesome videos for a wide range of clients including Google, Disney, Covergirl, DSW, Carnival Cruise Line and Nordstrom Rack, to name just a few. Everybody is always saying video is where it’s at. Video is where you have to be and where you need to be investing your time. But how do you actually get started with the video component of your business with little to no experience? Well, Andrea has devised actionable steps to get you started and moving forward with video content.

Whether you’re looking to improve your editing skills, wondering what equipment to use or where to market your video – Andrea has it all mapped out. In this episode, she is going to give us the steps to get started with video, tell us how to prepare and where to market. If you’re anything like us and have been talking about starting a vlog for the past eleven years and are feeling like a total fool sitting down in front of a camera – then this episode is a must for you!

Today on the podcast we have our new friend Julie Solomon. Julie is a long-time listener, first time interview and an all-around fan of the podcast. Julie is a communicator at heart and a believer in the power of sharing stories. Her purpose is to encourage confidence and determination to create, perform and connect. She also comes with some sexy taglines like New York Best-Selling Publicist, Influencer Marketing Expert and Strategist, Founder of an iTunes Top 15 Business Podcast and Speaker. Girlfriend knows her stuff.

In this episode, we are talking about the number one marketing strategy every business owner forgets and how it sabotages their growth. Not to mention all of these crazy, insane places on the internet that y’all did not know existed and how they can help unlock some crazy publicity for you inside your biz. So if you are sick and tired of going down the same old path and constantly sabotaging your business from reaching its true potential, then this episode is for you! Stay tuned to hear more about how to change your approach.

We are back for another Q&A with Abagail and Emylee! Sometimes we allow you, our audience, to post up a thread of burning questions in our Facebook Group. These questions could be anything; business or life — literally anything is on the table. We did this a couple of days ago and received a ton of really great questions. We thought we would share them here on the podcast and make it an educational experience for y’all. Hopefully, we get to answer your question on air and give you all a bit of free coaching in today’s episode and even some strategy if you will.

With all the questions, we cover a big range of topics, including launching new products, knowing when to hire out and advice we wish we had known before starting our business. We also dive into the best strategies for creating challenges and let you know how to get those eyes on your prize! So if you have submitted a question to the group or you are just simply dying to hear the answers to all the many questions, stick around to hear us answer them. Now grab that coffee, get yourself comfy and let the answering games begin!

Today on the podcast we have Kaye Putnam. Kaye is is a psychology-driven brand strategist for entrepreneurs. Through work with over a 100 clients, from Fortune 50’s to entrepreneurs, she developed the In Demand Brand method. She has had some crazy success though with her famous opt-in. 55,000 people have taken her psychology quiz all about branding and y’all need to take it too. Inside this episode, all three of us nerd out pretty hardcore. We talk about the psychology behind understanding your competition and establishing your brand presence. We uncover a couple of the most popular archetypes and the least popular ones.

Kaye brings to the conversation a different way of looking at your brand, your messaging and what you’re serving to your clients based off what you are actually best at and who you are as a human being, which is the easiest and best thing to do, right? Of course, we also talk about her quiz, the strategy behind how she set that up, how she has collected the leads and what it’s meant for her financially. This a good one to listen to just to uncover a little bit more about yourself and how you can use that to craft your brand messaging to your benefit.

Today we are going to be talking about the 23 launch mistakes that your business can’t afford to make. But before we get started, first and foremost, we want to encourage you to get into the mindset of treating every single thing in your business like a launch. Whether that’s an Instagram post, a blog post, creating a course, new brand colors – treat it like a launch. Because if you don’t treat it like a launch, it becomes one of those things that sits on your to-do list and doesn’t actually get done! As soon as you treat it like a launch, you will take the steps you need to in order to make it happen.

We have gone through the process of launching an obscene amount of times, and we have helped so many others do the same. Through these experiences we have noticed a pattern of common mistakes made throughout the launch process and today we want to share the top 23 mistakes we see happening in a launch. From aiming for perfection, to poor planning and promotion, or just not reaching out for support. There are small (and big) things we can do to maximize any launch and keep our sanity in the process! We believe in you and if you’re thinking about launching, you are in the process of launching, or you are just wondering how you can improve on your next launch – this episode is an absolute must!