Rocky Mountain Marketing- Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurs

In this week's episode, we talked with Jenn Herman of Jenn's Trends. She is an Instagram Expert, Consultant, Author, and Trainer. She started her blog, Jenn's Trends, last 2013. She publishes one blog, more of a case study, about the latest social media trends.We've covered the following in this episode,1. Different businesses need different Instagram Strategy2. B2B VS B2C VS Influencer. What works for one may not work for the other.3. Defined and explained the importance of each channel to your business - Instagram Feed, Instagram Stories, TikTok, Instagram Reels4. Best Instagram Strategy for Reels5. Instagram New Update - 3 Separate Feeds6. How Instagram Algorithm Works7. Content SEO8. Hashtag HeadacheJoin us in this week's episode and understand the Instagram Algorithm for Business.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Jenn's website: https://www.jennstrends.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenns_trends/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennherman/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jenns_trendsLearn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Everyone is competing to get your attention but no one's competing to give them attention."In this week's episode, we have Casey Cheshire. Casey is the Founder, CEO & Podcast Architect of Ringmaster Conversational Marketing. They empower business owners to explore the world of podcasting and how it can greatly benefit their business.We've covered several topics in this episode such as:1. What is the best contributor to his success?2. How Ringmaster Conversational Marketing helps B2B start podcasts and drive growth and revenue3. How can you tell the best podcast topic for you?4. How does podcasting make you stand out?5. Best advice to anyone who wants to start podcasting6. What can you do today to make this happen?Tune in to this week's episode and discover the power of podcasting.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Casey's website: https://caseycheshire.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseycheshire/Podfest Expo 2022by Cutting Edge EventsEnjoy 20% discount by using this code: RMMBook your tickets here. www.eventbrite.com/e/200937217627/?discount=RMMLearn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In celebration of Mother's Day, the Business Besties are dedicating their fifth episode to all working moms around the globe. We honor both the struggles and wins of every mompreneur, including us, in growing their businesses while managing their homes.In this episode, we covered:1. What is a mompreneur?2. Gender stereotypes3. How mothers manage everything at the same time4. Mompreneurs most common challenges while growing their business.5. Importance of knowing how long one task takes you6. Time blocking7. Separation of work and home8. Setting boundaries between your personal life and business9. Tools that they use to help manage their timeIf you're a mom and you want to start a business, make sure to listen to this week's episode as the Business Besties share their ups and downs in their entrepreneurial journey.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Kendra's website: https://girlmeansbusiness.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlmeansbusiness/Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Sales is intimidating. No one wants to do sales."In this week's episode, Aleasha Bahr who is a Custom Sales Strategist defies the traditional sales training for entrepreneurs or small business owners. She strongly believes that sales is just like any other normal conversation. It doesn't have to be complicated. According to her, listening is a vital part of closing a sale. Most of the time, people just want to be heard. They do not need to know every little detail. Aleasha suggests a framework that will serve as your guide as you weave your pitches through the conversation. You don't have to have a script to follow word for word because there aren't any similar conversations. You have to make sure that you choose the right words that best suit you and the person you are talking to. She first established a marketing agency but later on realized that there was a need to focus more on the sales training process. Aleasha noticed that entrepreneurs are good at sales it's just that they don't realize it. As a sales strategist, she provides her clients with the words that they are most comfortable with. There are so many ways to say one thing. You can always find a way to better say it. Listen to this week's episode and learn the secret art of subtle selling.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Aleasha's website: https://aleashabahr.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleashabahr/Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/salesisnotadirtywordLearn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, our guest, Kami, shared her thoughts about how important self-care (or however you would want to call it) in our lives is. The goal is to find a job that you love and avoid the feeling of getting burned out. Each of us has different kind of self-care. Some find gym sessions fulfilling, others would prefer meditation. What works for one person, might not work for the other. Kami believes that there are many forms of self-care and thatAs an educator for 30 years, Kami Guarino found her passion in helping people shift their focus to resiliency, self-care and sustainability. She noticed that many educators, healthcare professionals, and even business owners roll their eyes when they hear the word self-care. It triggers them. It's something that they want but can't give a portion of their time off.While businesses are slowly going back to normal, Kami suggested to take baby steps as you adjust to connecting to other people face-to-face. It's a huge adjustment from working-from-home but there's certainly a way to bring back connecting in person. She even suggested that starting and ending your day with intention and reflection can make a huge difference in your life.When asked about what she thinks business owners usually get wrong, she said that it's listing a lot of To-dos without including time for self-care. Her three guiding words are listen, relate and celebrate.Learn more about the many ways you can do self-care with Kami Guarino.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Kami's website: https://www.theexcellenceteam.net/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamiguarino/#experienceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/igniteashift/Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the fuss about hashtags are now coming to an end!In this week's episode, Matthew Pierce of Hashtagslayer.com joined us and debunked the biggest misconception about hashtags. From just a spreadsheet of hashtag data from her wife, he was able to create Hashtagslayer.com and build it as a tool for businesses to optimize their hashtag strategy on Instagram.At the onset, Matthew clarified what hashtag really means so that we can all have a correct understanding of its use and relevance. He defines hashtag as a tool to create a system of organization within Instagram. The more relevant your hashtag is, the better it will be categorized by the algorithm.When asked about his say on the issue of only using 3 hashtags for best results, he started by saying where the update came from. First, he said that the update was from a creator's account. Second, this strategy is only applicable to accounts with very large following (100K to 500K) therefore not applicable to many users. For small businesses, 3 hashtags will barely help with its growth and reach.Relevance is huge whe using hashtags. The more long-tailed your hashtag is, the higher chances of it being relevant. Matthew shared his 3 pillars of hashtag strategy:1. hashtags that describe your business/industry2. hashtags that is specific to your content or traffic3. hashtags that describe your audience/locationFollowing these 3 tips and making sure that your content speaks directly to your audience are excellent steps in winning your hashtag strategy.Give yourself a thousand dollars worth of hashtag knowledge when you listen to this week's episode.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Matthew's website: https://www.hashtagslayerapp.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-pierce-1504293a/?originalSubdomain=caInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hashtagslayerapp/Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the biggest questions small business owners face is what should they have first - a website or a social media account?Katie said she started with a website but later on found her social media accounts can also serve as her mini websites. According to her, Facebook is one of the most indexed sites by Google. This means that if you have optimized your profile to include the best keywords to describe you, then you will still show up on Google. However, Kendra said she believes otherwise. She started with her website and gained clients from there. Her photography business grew as her website ranks on Google. Although Katie and Kendra found success in different platforms at the beginning, they certainly agree that websites and social media accounts are both important for businesses. Depending on the industry, one may be more effective than the other but as business owners, it is best to have more than one platform so you can reach more people. It is essential that one understands that YOU, the business owner, is the brand. People want to see the face behind the logo or business name. Both the website and your social media accounts have their pros and cons. Websites can be intimidating and pricey but it's something you can call your own. While social media accounts are free and easy to use, the connections you gain here are not really yours. When these social media platforms decide to shut down, everything you've invested there goes away. Learn more about this and get the strategy that might also work for you by tuning in to this week's episode of the Business Besties.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Kendra's website: https://girlmeansbusiness.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlmeansbusiness/Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The battle of who's going to be on the first page continues for all business owners. Just imagine how much reach and possible sales you'll get when your website shows up on the first page of a Google result. This is is absolutely possible but requires time and a lot of steps to achieve.In this week's episode, we are joined by Lois Wyant. Lois owns JFT Marketing which specializes in growing businesses through effective digital marketing. She stressed the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to increase businesses' visibility and potential sales. She mentioned 6 important tips that can improve SEO, and they are as follows:1. Make sure your websites are mobile-friendly based on Google's standards. This doesn't mean that your website should show on mobile. It should meet Google's standards for mobile websites.2. Your website loading time should be fast. Google will favor websites that can keep their users in Google. When your website loading time is high, then your viewers might get bored and use another browser to search.3. Duplicate content places you in a lower position by Google. Easily put, Google doesn't support plagiarism.4. Make sure to get reviews from your customers. According to Lois, Google wants to see 3 to 6 new reviews per month. There are several ways to gather reviews from your clients. 5. High website traffic. The more clicks your website gets per month means that your website is seen as valuable by many users. The more relevant your website becomes, the better ranking you'll get from Google. 6. Increase your backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. It can be from forums, social media platforms, or blogs. Lois said that it's good to have 3 to 4 more backlinks than your competitor.These can be overwhelming but you can certainly start slow. Making sure you have a mobile-friendly website and fast loading time can make a huge impact on your ranking.Listen to this episode of Rocky Mountain Marketing and learn more about the secrets of SEO for FREE! Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Lois' website: https://jftwebmarketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/local-business-marketing/Mobile friendly check: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendlyWebsite Speed test: https://pagespeed.web.dev/Speed plugin: http://vipercache.com/Site Pop: https://giantbuilders.krtra.com/t/n12kZC8cdOlFLearn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, we are joined by Amanda HarNess. Amanda is the Founder and Executive Operations Strategist of her company, Business Excelerated. She works as her client's Fractional COO who focuses on operational efficiencies as well as people's performance. Her 11-year experience in leadership and people management in the health care industry allowed her to experience both ends. She said that having a support system is integral for your business. Surrounding yourself with a group of people who always have your back is a huge help. With an accountability partner, for example, you have someone who will make sure you are doing what you are supposed to do. When helping a client, Amanda starts the conversation by redefining what does being a leader truly means. It's important that both sides are in alignment with their vision. According to her, a leader is someone who knows when to ask for help, knows when to be vulnerable, and lastly, know that a leader always doesn't always have to be right. In fact, she believes that the way to be really in control is to let go a bit of your business. She mentioned her three rules in life which she also applies in business.1. Don't panic.2. Be tenacious.3. Celebrate things and have fun!Being an entrepreneur requires a lot of effort but it doesn't have to s*ck.Tune in to learn more on how to scale your business the fun way!Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Amanda's website: https://businessexcelerated.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-harness-business-excelerated/Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, we had a very meaningful conversation with Kathy Mela about recovering from perfectionism and becoming a great leader. It is absolutely easier said than done. Many have been struggling with this for years, running in circles, and preventing growth.Perfectionism, according to Kathy, is striving for something that we know 100% in our subconscious that can never happen. Being a perfectionist heightens the wall around you. It gives you baggage. It stops your growth.Learning how to break perfectionism includes embracing change. When we embrace change, we allow ourselves to let go of what we cannot control. Kathy even mentioned that it takes more than knowing your WHys. It is going deeper and knowing yourself - both strengths and weaknesses. A great leader has clarity on who he/she is more than anything else because knowing who you really are allows you to focus on things that matter more. It gives you the confidence to decide strategically for you and your business.Tune in to this week's episode and go deep on smashing that perfectionism within you, and learn more about proven strategies that bring people on top of the ladder.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Kathy's website: https://freegiftfromkathy.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-mela-leadership-expert/Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/@kathymelaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathy.f.melaLearn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: clubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.