Rocky Mountain Marketing- Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurs

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.

In this Business Besties episode, Kendra and I talked about the time we are spending on our social media. As digital entrepreneurs, it's a given fact that we spend more than the average time online. Managing our own accounts and our clients' is not an easy task as these platforms are designed to be addictive, and not to mention, associated with mental health issues.It is very important that we draw the line between mindlessly scrolling versus creating content and engaging for your business. There are a lot of times, especially when we don't have a system, that we don't realize we're spending too much time on social media. It's a two-edged sword that can make or break your business. So we recommend you assess the impact of social media to your business. How does this platform impacts your business? Does it give you clients? Does it pave the way for sales? Make an honest assessment and create your system from there.When we are aware of the impact of social media on our business, we can then become intentional with your business goals. With your intention/s in mind, you'll know what to prioritize. It will be easier for you to avoid FOMO or Fear Of Missing Out. Learn more about our strategies in managing our time with social media. 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.

I still can't believe it!! It's our 100th episode today!! Rocky Mountain Marketing started April 2020 with my passion for radio, entrepreneurship, and social media. It is a perfect place for me to share my expertise, my story, get other people's stories in front of many people, and inspire them to take the same path that allowed others to succeed. In this episode, I will share with you my 5 tried-and-tested tips on how podcasting can help you and your business grow.1. Utilize social media to grow your network. Make connections.2. Batch your content.3. Repurpose your podcast episodes.4. Be consistent.5. Reviews help you be seen.Learn more about these 5 main points by tuning in to today's episode.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyLearn 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 have the pleasure to interview Lara Buelow. Lara is a certified professional coach since 2017. She focuses on helping people with their career transition journey by allowing them to redesign their lives and pursue their true passion. Her younger self was exactly the kind of people she helps today. When she was about 14 years old, she was already working a couple of jobs mostly in the service industry. However, none of these gave her joy.In school, her favorite parts of the library were the "Self-help" and "Business" sections. Her interest in truly guiding people in their lives grows stronger year after year. When she moved to Denver, she saw an opportunity to fulfill her passion by building a community that truly supports one another. She recognizes that people's relationships in life and business are all different. "I really want to meet them where they are and understand their own values and conscious with the decisions they are making," Lara said.Contrary to what most people think, Lara believes that entrepreneurship is not sexy. She strongly advocates for connecting with other entrepreneurs for help and support. "The world needs all kinds of people.", she added. As a professional accountability partner, she stresses the importance of the need for a fresh set of eyes and mind to help in making decisions for the business. Lara is also certified by the Design Your Life and Gottman methodologies. These are self-help institutions focusing on behavioral changes leading to better and more informed life decision-making. When asked about her advice for people who are not happy with their current jobs, her advice was "Don't resign, redesign.". She believed in negotiations and that it allows for us to create a lot of your own reality.Listen in and be inspired by what she has to say on everything business and transitions. Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Lara's website: https://larabuelow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larabuelow/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larabuelow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lara.bcoaching/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.

Our guest today is Rachel B Lee. She is the Co-Owner and CMO of StandOut Authority and help business owners and influencers create a strong personal brand, grow their influence and draw in amazing opportunities. Completing an MBA at The University of Texas at Austin led her to go corporate including a significant position in Microsoft. Here, her love for marketing grew more and more. Every single stage of her career eventually gives her the question, "What's Next?".In 2019, she and her husband Joshua Lee started StandOut Authority. Their focus is on helping 6-and-7-digit entrepreneurs to maximize LinkedIn as a social media platform and to grow their own personal branding. LinkedIn is such a generous place to build your personal brand's awareness. Not to mention, it is absolutely SEO-friendly. That means, as long as you are able to optimize your profile, you can grow your organic reach. According to research, LinkedIn posts are highly indexable in Google.Rachel is very passionate about helping business owners show their authentic selves as he believes that this will all for people to easily connect with them. People buy from people. People want to hear the stories behind the company. They want to know who is leading the company, who works for the company, and what these people have to say. She believes that the only way people can be authentic is through the human voice. Katie supported this idea by saying that the opportunity to hear someone speak can move relationships at lightning speed.She further discussed the pillars of personal branding. This includes communication, aspirational clients, differentiation, and passion.Learn more about LinkedIn and personal branding in today's episode.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Rachel's website: https://standoutauthority.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therachelblee/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therachelblee/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.

Our guest today is Sarah Madras. Sarah is a former mental health therapist, a certified Dare to Lead facilitator, Mindset Transformation Expert, and Leadership Development Coach. Hailing from North Carolina, Sarah answered her call to courage to help people with their relationships and mental health, communication, building self-confidence, and how to have hard conversations. She's been doing one-on-one with her clients for 20 years and she noticed a pattern among them. Most of them also wanted her help on how to communicate and deal with dysfunctions in their workplace. This was her hint to shift in teaching business owners who are having these challenges.As a leadership development coach, she identified a leader as not someone who does everything right. A leader is someone who sees the potential and has the courage to develop that potential. One of the greatest traits a leader can have is vulnerability. Being vulnerable is being human. It allows you to be relatable therefore many people will be able to connect with you. A work culture that allows vulnerability creates a closer team.Being a certified Dare to Lead facilitator, Sarah teaches the four courage skills. 1. Living into your values2. Developing and understanding trust 3. Vvulnerability4. Learning to rise from setbacks and failuresWhen asked about the common mistakes business owners make, she said it is breaking trust. She discussed how we are breaking trust in many different ways. Sometimes we are not even aware.Her greatest piece of advice is to be master awareness and curiosity. Tune in and learn everything leadership and mindset transformation with Sarah Madras.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyVisit Sarah's website: https://www.sarahmadras.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmadras/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmadrascoaching/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.

Have you ever imagined yourself on the other side of the fence?Are you dreaming of leaving your 9-5 to start your own business? Or are you wanting to get back to corporate life?No matter which side you are on, you have to listen to this episode of the Business Besties!Each side has its own pros and cons. There's no right or wrong. "No path was ever a mistake." Whatever suits your lifestyle and goals, that is where you should go. Katie calls her entrepreneurial journey an accidental one. If she wasn't laid off, she wouldn't have thought of starting her own business. It wasn't an easy task. All the distractions are there. The flexibility of working anywhere is two-faced and it's challenging for a mother of two to make her business grow. And as much as we hate the pandemic, this is when a whole new kind of running a business started. It forced every business owner with the possibilities of the internet. We found business partners in Zoom, accountability partners in online networking events, and so much more. It is so important we try and build or join an online community where we can share our entrepreneurial journey. As her final takeaway, Kendra mentioned that you really don't have to choose between having a corporate job and a business if you enjoy doing both. Whatever works for you is totally fine.Listen to today's episode and this might just be the conversation you've been meaning to have.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.

What better way to maximize your content than to repurpose your existing ones. Our guest today is Sheryl Plouffe. Sheryl is a video strategist and repurposing expert. Her career started out in broadcasting. She spent about 15 years in Ontario's Weather Network. She held several positions and in 2017, she decided to start her own business.She found video marketing as the best way to deliver one's message. According to her, producing a long-form video is a good way to start your content as you can always repurpose this into short-form videos. These short-form clips are seen to be very effective for the brand or person's positioning. This allows them to be seen as the authority in their niche. She specifically mentioned that if you're objective is brand awareness, a 2-minute or less video works best.She stresses the importance of showing up in front of the camera. She said people want to work with people. You can drive connection and build trust when people see who's beyond the logo. She shared an interesting story about why companies like Weather Network keep on getting people to report the weather news even though it's just data. Listen in and learn more about videos and how to repurpose them.Like the show? Keep Katie running and show her your support!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/katiebrinkleyEPISODE LINKSVisit Sheryl's website: https://www.sherylplouffe.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherylplouffe/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylplouffe/?originalSubdomain=caLearn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications: Clubhouse: joinclubhouse.com/@katiebrinkleyhttps://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comlinkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyhttps://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.