Month: January 2021

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Are you mixing business with home school?

Stressed mum mixing business with home school
Image from Pixabay via Pexels.com

So, here we are again. Just when we all thought we’d put the whole home school thing behind us, we’re back into it. Except, this time it feels different. Proper school is still happening for key worker children and there seem to be more of them now. The government is expecting schools (and, by extension, us) to provide real learning as opposed to just child care and things to keep kids going through a crisis. There’s a sense of worry that children at home will fall behind. In the meantime, we all still have to keep earning a living. January is traditionally quieter for me so I’m not panicking – yet. I took stock of how things were going at the end of last year but I find myself doing it again. Here are the things I’m struggling with about home school and what I’m learning to appreciate. I’d love to hear yours too.

I want to be alone

I’ve come over all Greta Garbo. Before my two started school Fridays used to be Mum and son days. When my youngest started in reception I found myself at a loose end. I soon adapted, of course. I mostly just luxuriated in having the house to myself. The same applied to weekends when the husband took them to the park so I could fold laundry whilst watching TV shows that no-one else likes. It’s such a small thing, but I really miss that. I know we can still go for a walk but it’s just not the same.

Changing the routine

During the first lockdown I tried to do actual work alongside home school work. Big mistake. This time I’m saving myself the stress and focusing on one thing at a time. Unfortunately my kids take after me and concentrate best in the morning. If we’re not into school mode by 10am, I’ve lost them. It means that I’ve shifted my working day so it starts at 3pm. My brain has normally shut up shop by 5pm so I don’t get as much done, but it’s enough. It demands focus and I’m adapting my usual habits so it doesn’t feel too odd starting work when I’d normally be stopping.

What are they doing now?!

I find myself saying that sentence a lot, normally because a child has vanished. It makes me laugh when I hear other parents long for virtual lessons so they can get work done. I consider it a full time job getting mine to sit still for more than 30 seconds. At the same time, seeing the work that they’re getting has given me a whole new insight into how they learn. I’ve been to phonics and maths workshops where teachers explain how everything’s changed since I was at school, but hearing my kids explain the solution to a problem has deepened my understanding and I’m really grateful for that.

My clients are brilliant

I have amazing clients and that’s been a huge plus in all of this. I’m still working is and every single client understands that things have had to change. In fact, I talked to a new client the other day and we spent the first 20 minutes discussing how lockdown had affected us and what the impact on family life had been. Even when you’re on a discovery call, those details are still important. I sometimes get frustrated when marketing feels like a slow burn, but at times like this I appreciate the fact that it leads to the best clients I could have.

If you need a bit of support to help get you through home schooling and keep your business visible, I’m currently offering 10% off your first month on my regular, growth, executive and VIP blog packages. Visit my website to find out more or book a no obligation discovery call.

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Where are you with your exercise goals?

Guest blog header introducing blog on health, fitness and exercise by Laura Jane Griffiths.

It’s that time of year again, the time of year where the guilt of what you eat and drink seems to hit twice as hard. Where the first day you swop to eating fresh fruits and vegetables and start to exercise – you feel like you are already onto a winning streak.

You set a new years resolution, a goal for 2021 – to make a change – get fit and healthy, drop a stone and exercise regularly.

Yet every year most people (not all) last until around the end of January, maybe the beginning of February, before it all falls by the wayside. Why? Read on and find out….

1: Why do people fail?

Two simple things – motivation and expectation! When people start exercising they talk about motivation “I’ve set a goal, I want to make a change, I feel so motivated”. The problem with motivation, it has a life span. Sometimes you can be motivated for a long time, other times it’s a short burst.  People try to keep up their motivation but with the constraints and pressures of everyday life it isn’t always possible. Combine this with setting unrealistic expectations (aka expecting immediate results) and you have a recipe for “giving up”.

What’s the first thing you should do this January? Be realistic with your goals and change the word motivation to discipline.

2: We change our lifestyle for the wrong reasons.

Everyone talks about exercise and fitness being a lifestyle change and it is, however we need to ensure we are doing this for the right reasons. Reasons not to – guilt, social expectation/ social media, others comments, because it’s that time of year? The reason you exercise has to come from within, it has to be because you see all of the benefits of it. It can’t be focused on weight loss and numbers on the scales (big mistake…I’ll explain why shortly). It has to be because you want to feel great, positive and energised FOR YOU. You have to want to build this discipline into your life in a way that works for you and makes you feel great.

3: Numbers on scales and good/bad food.

We are raised in a culture that puts TOO much focus on the numbers on the scales. These numbers can be the most demoralising thing you focus upon. Our weight can fluctuate every day – losing a lb can mean LITERALLY NOTHING. (Sorry to burst your bubble there). Picture the scene, you’re training everyday, feeling positive, energised – dare I say – motivated and then you step on the scales. You haven’t lost a 1lb in the last week. How do you feel? Rubbish. In one swoop you have mentally undone all of the hard work you have put in. Little do you know that on that particular week you hadn’t managed to drink enough water that week, or it’s that time of the month in your cycle…

So stop fixating on the scales instead start taking pictures, focusing on the changes you can see in your body, the strength and positivity you are feeling.

Get rid of good/bad food. FOOD IS FOOD. Every bite, mouthful you consume contains calories – our body’s fuel.  Change your mind-set and start to understand that fuel is what your body needs. So alleviate that Christmas guilt, you didn’t indulge in bad foods – you may have eaten more calories than you required but I bet you had a great time! To lose weight you just need to eat fewer calories than you are burning. Simple. Don’t starve yourself, don’t deny yourself – just become mindful of what volume of food you require – your optimum calorie intake.

4: The first steps to making sustainable change.

If you try to take on too much at once you will ultimately overwhelm yourself. Make one small change at a time and ensure it fits into your lifestyle in a sustainable way.  My recommendation is find an exercise regime that is bite sized to begin with. Something you get a quick win from and that makes you feel good. I run At Home HIIT, it live streams workouts to you everyday that last just twenty minutes but are extremely effective and challenging – get that win in early!

5: Set realistic goals and remember every workout is a win!

Whatever change you are making set your goal and be disciplined enough to complete it. That is your goal. Don’t focus on weight and numbers focus on how amazing your body is that it can support you everyday through exercise AND LIFE. Focus on how positive it makes you feel, the benefits to you mental health and well-being.  This is how you will succeed.

Don’t forget to make it fun, reflect of how brilliant you are everyday and use this to maintain that, ever important, discipline.

Have a great 2021.

Laura

Kirsty’s note

If you need support with your health and fitness goals you can find Laura online here or on Facebook where she runs an awesome community with workouts you can access online and do anywhere. (OK maybe not anywhere – you do have to get out of bed!)

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How you can use your blog to create more content

Create new content from your blog
Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels

Creating a blog can feel like a lot of hard work, especially if you spend hours on it and end up with something that feels a bit underwhelming. Paying someone else to do it for you can also seem like a lot of money for one piece of content a month. The good news is that your blog can go a lot further than that. Get into recycling and your blog could help you create a whole load of new marketing posts. Here’s how to get started.

Break it down

A good blog should have a few subheadings so you don’t end up with a chunk of text that your audience will struggle to read. Each subheading, or even each paragraph, could be a social media post on its’ own. You can post a section with an image or create a graphic with text on it. The copy might need editing a bit but it’s quicker than creating something from scratch. You can also add a link to your blog so more people find it.

This works really well if your blog is a series of tips (like this one). Write a blog with five tips and you’ve got five separate posts.

Create video content

I know that the idea of doing video causes a lot of you to have a wobble, but it doesn’t have to. There are ways to use video that don’t involve you being on screen. If you’ve already created images for individual paragraphs you can use them in a video. Just add some text if the image doesn’t already have it. I do this using Canva.com or try Ripl.com if you prefer a paid version.

If you’re up for doing a live or video with you in it, you can give a quick summary of your topic and send viewers to a link in the comments if they’d like to read more.

Use the theme as inspiration

Coming up with new things to say on social media can take up a ridiculous amount of time. Reusing your existing content will help, but you can also cut down on the thinking time by talking about your theme in different ways. You can share a motivational meme that’s relevant to your audience or choose a quote that gives a different perspective on the topic. Asking questions can be a great way to find out what your audience think, or what they struggle with. It can get people talking and give you insights that could help you to develop new products and services in the future.

Reuse your blog in your emails

You might think that your email subscribers will follow you on social media so will have seen all of your stuff already. Not necessarily. Nobody will see everything you post. Your subscribers have signed up because they’re interested in what you have to say so there’s nothing wrong with sending them something you think they’ll find useful. Just make sure you write something that’s just for them too. It’s also worth remembering that subscribers are more likely to buy from you than anyone else. Showing them content that shows them why a particular product or service is helpful means they’re more likely to become a customer.

Do you need help creating your blog or coming up with ways to reuse it to create more content? Book your discovery call now and we can have a chat. Alternatively, sign up to my email list for blogging and marketing tips straight to your inbox every month.

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How to create your New Year marketing plan

Blank page to create a New Year marketing plan
Photo by Tatiana Syrikova via Pexels

If you’re starting the year with a marketing plan in place and content ready to go, hurrah! This blog will help you with new ideas if you need them. It’ll also act as a handy checklist if things aren’t working as you’d like them to. If, on the other hand, you decided to think about your New Year marketing plan once you actually got to the New Year and are now panicking because you have New Year brain fog, you can stop. Here are my essential steps towards creating a plan that works.

Know your customer

You’re probably sick of hearing me talk about this but it bears repeating. Even though anyone could buy from you, there are some people who are more likely to. If you talk to them in your marketing you’ll build trust and grow your audience. Think about who your ideal customers are, what’s important to them and where you’ll find them. That way you can create marketing that makes people say ‘yes! This person understands me and I need what they’re offering.’

If you’d like more on that, read this.

Check what worked before

Knowing your numbers is just as important as understanding your customer. You’re a small business owner which means you haven’t got time to waste on marketing that doesn’t work. Check your analytics and see which blogs got visitors and which didn’t. Find out what social media posts got likes and comments and what got tumbleweed.

This isn’t a hard and fast rule. Some posts will get noticed but won’t get any feedback. All the same, knowing your numbers is always a useful place to start.

Choose your platforms

Choosing the right platform takes in knowing your audience, your numbers and working out what works best for your business. When you’ve got beautiful product photos, Instagram is probably a no brainer. If you want to work with business clients head to LinkedIn. Think about what works for you and where your customers are going to spend time. Pretty much everyone is on Facebook and you can share different types of content.

If you’re creating a New Year marketing plan it could be time to take a fresh approach.

Think about benefits

I know that you love your products and services and want to tell everyone how great they are. That’s wonderful. Trouble is, your customers don’t care. They only want to know what’s in it for them. In practice, that means that whenever you talk about your products and services you need to put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Does it save them time, help them solve a problem or make gift buying easy?

Take the things that are wonderful about your services and show your customers how it benefits them.

Write a blog

You knew this was coming, didn’t you? When you’re creating a New Year marketing plan, think about including a blog. It’s a great way to talk to your customers and offer them something useful. You can share your expertise and build trust with your audience. But you know all this. What you might not know is that you can reuse it in all sorts of different ways. Writing one blog (or getting someone to write it for you) can save you time because you can recycle it. More on that next week…

If this has left you feeling that you need some help, book your free discovery call now and let’s have a chat. Alternatively, sign up to my mailing list for blogging and marketing tips straight to your inbox every month.