Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Author: Bridget Willard

  • Self-Talk Matters In Business

    The reason why self-talk is so insidious is because it changes how we behave. Self-talk determines how we approach life: business, relationships, opportunities. Everything. It’s an important behavior to address and reprogram.

    What is self-talk?

    Self-talk is our internal programming. It is the voice in our head. It’s the rule of thumb by which we judge ourselves and sometimes others.

    Well, the thing is, the reason why negative self-talk is so insidious — insidious, horrible, evil, damaging — is because it changes how we behave. It changes the things that we choose in our lives. Do we make friends easily or do we figure they’re going to use us anyway? Do we try for better jobs?

    “Cheerful and supportive or negative and self-defeating, this internal chatter is referred to as self-talk. This inner voice combines conscious thoughts with unconscious beliefs and biases. It’s an effective way for the brain to interpret and process daily experiences.” Psychology Today

    Why does self-talk matter?

    The short answer is that it affects our business decisions. It affects our website copy. It affects our collections, pricing, billing. It affects our boundaries and we allow scope creep.

    I’ve been rewriting bios, about pages, and home pages for many of my WordPress freelancer and agency peers. The amount of apologetic and deprecating copy is alarming.

    If self-talk were a hate crime, we’d be guilty in WordPress. Read that again.

    [bctt tweet=”If self-talk were a hate crime, we’d be guilty in WordPress.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    Watch the video from Las Vegas.

    Do we make self-deprecating jokes?

    I used to make fun of my weight singing “Here she comes, North America.” It’s terrible. We put ourselves down before anyone else has the opportunity.

    Do we try to have better jobs and better clients or do we figure that we’re not good enough?

    Think about this. When is the last time you went after a client? List the clients and jobs you didn’t go after. Why didn’t you?

    Do we self-isolate?

    Do we decide nobody wants us to be around? Nobody cares if I go to the pool party tonight. Nobody will know if I’m not there because it’s just easier than going there and having someone say something mean to your or, you know, you’re not going to get accepted.

    Are we brave in our relationships?

    And when I mean “brave,” I mean, are you willing to trust somebody? Are you willing to go down a little bit of credit in the trust bank? You know, even people who goes through bankruptcy get a secured credit card. You start over, you know. You can’t have any kind of relationship at any level to andy degree without trust and somebody has to be the one who you said. And that is terrifying.

    Are we vulnerable to somebody?

    Not everybody. You don’t want to be like me and talk about how ridiculous is to date in 2019 on Twitter. But somebody — you should trust somebody with your soul. It can be somebody you pay like a therapist, but you should trust somebody.

    Change Your Self Talk

    So you’ve got to make breaking changes. You know? This is super important. Sometimes it means pausing or completely disconnecting your relationship you have with somebody who is “toxic” I think is the word du jour.

    So we have to find the bugs; they’re not features. So find somebody that you trust to talk about what’s going on. with you and start to recognize the patterns and your word choice.

    Practice self-awareness. Journal, I’m not a journaling person; it doesn’t work for me. It makes me feel even stupider so that’s fine. But you know these things or these things are important, right?

    Self Talk Challenge

    So what I would like you to do for a few minutes is to think of some of the things that you are. Write them down. It matters. Hide it. Look at it later.

    “Last week was one of THOSE weeks for me. All sorts of horrible website snafus and an email migration from Hell. Yesterday I was feeling kind of bummed out and then I saw “the note” I wrote to myself during your WCLV presentation. 😍Lots of great “I am… ” which is JUST what I needed to suck it up and let the bad crap go. So, thanks for doing that exercise with the group. Just wanted to let you know that it mattered to me.” Attendee

    Slides

  • My Favorite Things

    April Wensel encouraged us to write a list of our one hundred favorite things. Okay. I’m in.

    Though I couldn’t come up with a full one hundred at the time, I’m updating this until I get to that.

    You might also like to read 100 Things About Me.

    https://twitter.com/aprilwensel/status/1162355926025867264

    Here are my favorite things in no particular order:

        1. Hydrangeas
        2. Sweat Peas
        3. Filet Mignon
        4. Butter melting on bread
        5. Ginger ale
        6. Casamigos Tequila
        7. Angels Envy Whiskey
        8. Big Sur
        9. The smell of pine trees in the morning
        10. The way light filters down through trees in the late afternoon
        11. The sun on my face
        12. Salt air filling my lungs
        13. Watching the sunset
        14. Kaymak
        15. Everything Bagels
        16. Candy Kiss Perfume by Prada
        17. Crater Lake
        18. Feeling understood
        19. Singing ballads
        20. Watching jazz live
        21. Olukai flip flops
        22. 400 count cotton sheets
        23. Sleeping in on a Sunday morning
        24. The way sloths smile
        25. Playing Gin Rummy
        26. Laughing with others
        27. Inside jokes
        28. Shared glances
        29. A secret
        30. Kit Kats
        31. Red Vines
        32. Lemon meringue pie
        33. Citrus scents
        34. A long, hot bath
        35. Time alone
        36. The sound of children laughing
        37. The smell of bread baking
        38. The way a kitten’s paw feels
        39. Giving dogs belly rubs
        40. Feeling safe
        41. Paisleys
        42. Argyle
        43. Penny Loafers
        44. The feeling off hot coffee down the back of my throat
        45. The intimacy of your hair being washed
        46. The sound boats make as they bounce up and down at the harbor
        47. A lightning show in Fort Worth
        48. Poems that make you feel alive
        49. Songs that bring you back in time
        50. Friends who see you
        51. Giggling for no reason

  • Email the Right People — Don’t Just Build a List

    When it comes to email marketing, it’s tempting to have a large list. A large list doesn’t help you. The right list does. Let’s face it. Bigger is not better.

    As people, we like to be able to brag about the size of our lists.Do you want to be able to say that you have a list of 10,000 people or 72?

    Email Marketing — Bigger is Not Better

    You’ve most likely read at least ten articles on how to build your email subscriber list. If you’ve been on Twitter today, maybe you read 25. But bigger isn’t better. You want to email the right people, not just whomever.

    Reach Your Audience Where They Are

    Some would say that since I have over 16,000 Twitter followers, my list should be larger. To that I say, no. It’s okay that people prefer to read this article in their email client or when I post it to social media.

    Email Marketing Audiences

    If you are reading this in your email, it’s because you subscribed to this blog. That means you want to read my posts. It’s being delivered by Postmatic, my favorite service and client. That’s fine. You want to read my articles. Otherwise, you’d unsubscribe.

    Right now, I have 107 subscribers to this website’s blog though Postmatic. That’s good. It’s healthy.

    The Right Tools for the Right Audience

    For my blog, Postmatic is perfect. I still need to communicate with my existing clients and sales leads. This is why I started using Mailchimp again.

    I exported my clients from FreshBooks. Then I created an audience in Mailchimp with those folks alone. My friend Amy Hall is a Mailchimp Expert if you need help doing this for your own business. (I don’t offer that as a service.)

    Email Marketing to Clients

    I sent them special promotions that I was running. Most likely, since I manage many Twitter accounts, they won’t see my tweets. Honestly, most people like receiving emails — especially if they are GenX or Boomers.

    I sent two simple campaigns with clearly-defined offers.

    What are my open rates?

    For the last two campaigns I had over 65% and 50% open rates. I had 3 unsubscribes. I love unsubscribes. You know they’re not interested.

    My open rates are way above industry standards. Why? It’s simple. I’m only emailing those people who are interested.

    What were the results?

    Yes, I know. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” I sent the second email August 7 and by August 8 had $100 worth of extra work. It helps me and it helps my client.

    Was it worth it? Yes. Even those who haven’t responded are now aware that I have an offer this month. Furthermore, they can expect similar offers in the future.

    Much better than a random coupon, I’m reminding my clients about me, my services, and my brand.

    What’s the lesson?

    Do something. Send it to the people that matter. Don’t worry about numbers. Worry about quality.

  • Which new platforms should businesses be on?

    I asked my audience what they’d like me to address sometime back and this question was posed: “Which new platforms should businesses be on?” I’m not sure people will like my answer, but let’s go for it anyway. My quick answer is stop chasing new. Be consistent on what you have.

    Further, I was asked where to best spend your time since things change awfully fast.

    Human Behavior Doesn’t Change.

    Here’s the thing. Tech changes. Human behavior does not.

    [bctt tweet=”Technology changes; human behavior does not. ” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    As humans, we are social. We need to feel love and belonging. Loyalty matters. As we go about our day, we engage in small talk which builds and maintains relationships. Small talk can be about the weather at the bus stop, in an elevator, on or Twitter. We share our day with the next-door neighbor standing in the driveway or by posting a photo of our lunch on Instagram.

    Today, the strawberry plants I grew from seeds are flowering. I texted this to my mom and put it on Instagram.

    We are created to share experiences and tell stories. That will never change. Where we tell our stories  (technology) may evolve over time, but gaining trust and loyalty (behavior) is always down to engagement (conversation).

    New Social Media Platforms in 2019

    I honestly don’t know any new social media platforms that a business might use. What I do know is that platforms will always arise and the good ones will stay — like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

    “I often get asked what the next big app or social media platform will look like. The truth is, I don’t predict. I’m a counterpuncher—I react.” Gary Vaynerchuk, 2016

    Mark Whitehurst from Marketo says you should pay attention to Vero, Musical.ly, and Steemit. Search Engine Journal talks about the 7 biggest platforms and names existing ones. Truthfully, it can be anyone’s guess.

    The downfall of looking for the newest, shiniest tool is that the audiences continually grow. So, in 2011 Snapchat came on the scene and a number of their audience migrated from Instagram. Instagram was no longer the “young people’s platform,” whatever that means, it was Snapchat. Gen Y and Z have increasingly made their conversations one-to-one or one-to-many in private group chats.

    How does a business get in on private conversations?

    Businesses saw the opportunity with Snapchat and their filters. Everyone copied Snapchat including Instagram and Facebook and there are frames and branded filters everywhere. It’s the same as sports stadiums. They used to be named after heroes. Jack Murphy Stadium became Qualcomm Stadium. I believe Wrigley Field was one of the first to brand a stadium. But I digress.

    The point is this: brand awareness campaigns can happen on the new tech. But engagement campaigns are more difficult.

    [bctt tweet=”Businesses can always spend money on brand awareness campaigns; engagement is more difficult. ” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    Experiment but Stick with the Standards

    It’s good to experiment and keep aware of your marketing channel options. Radio and TV ads are not dead. Neither are billboards, movie reels, or signs on grocery carts.

    You know what works? Whatever tool you use. Go with it. If you want to spend your advertising budget on a community event, do it. If you are publishing on your website, keep doing that. The biggest problem I see is people starting but not continuing with the effort or channel.

    Twitter: The Caveat You Knew Was Coming

    If you’re reading this article, there is a 50% chance (according to Google Analytics) that you saw it on Twitter. It’s no wonder that is my bias and I’ve explained the reasons why Twitter is the best platform for business to business before. That said, I spend my time on Twitter — every day. Several times a day. It’s where I’m campaigning.

    Is Twitter the best for the local carwash? No. They use fliers, spend money with ValuPak, and attend the chamber of commerce.

    Go with the Blue-Chip Platforms

    If you are starting your social media marketing now, my recommendation is to go with blue-chip platforms. What do I mean?

    When you are new to investing in the stock market, you’re advised to go with blue-chip stocks. Those are the tried and true investments. Low risk, certain reward.

    “A blue-chip stock is the stock of a large, well-established and financially sound company that has operated for many years. A blue-chip stock typically has a market capitalization in the billions, is generally the market leader or among the top three companies in its sector, and is more often than not a household name. Some examples of blue-chip stocks are IBM Corp., Coca-Cola Co. and Boeing Co.” Investopedia

    Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are the blue-chip social media platforms. Those, in that order, are the best places for a business to spend their time and marketing budget.

    Be Intentional with Your Marketing

    In order to be successful in social media marketing in 2019 or 2009 you need to be intentional. Choose a platform and use it daily or weekly. Publish articles on your website on a regular basis. If you don’t have the time or want to become an expert, outsource your social media.

    There is no hack. You just have to do the work.

  • Shallow – The Unfinished Song

    The song Shallow in the recent remake of A Star is Born is simply an unfinished song. As a former songwriter and musician, here’s my analysis.

    Why am I writing about songwriting?

    I’m normally more vocal about marketing and copywriting. It’s true. But Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradly Cooper is really just two unfinished songs (at worst) and one (at best).

    I realize you all love this song and you love it because of the emotion of the movie and Lady Gaga’s voice and how handsome Bradly Cooper is. Heck, I’ve been swooning over him since he was in Alias. But the song is what it is, a narrative vehicle for a musical. But it’s not finished.

    The character in the movie drags her on stage after hearing part of the song in a parking lot. Barbara Streisand’s song from the previous movie was finished. This one is not. Here’s why. (more…)