Brandmerry Blog Archives
4 Must-Haves for a High-Converting Landing Page
4 Must-Haves for a High-Converting Landing Page
11/1/18
Freebie.
Free Offer.
Lead Magnet.
It doesn’t matter what you call it, there is ONE thing they all have...a landing page where you collect their information. The reality is a well-structured landing page can make or break your free offer. After all, we can’t see all the amazingness of your gift if we don’t opt in.
Typically you want to try and have a landing page convert at 32%, although I frequently work with my clients to convert in the 50-70% range. There are four key pieces that are going to increase your conversions and taking the time to map out your landing page and getting as specific as possible with the content you’re presenting is key in doing just that.
To support you here are the four key pieces!
#1 BUILD TRUST
When someone lands on your landing page it is from an outside promotion and nothing hurts conversions more than breaking trust. Whether you are organically promoting your free offer on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest or running ads it’s important to keep the following pieces the same:
Photo
General esthetics
Title of your free offer
Keeping these key pieces consistent will help in the overall conversions and increase the likelihood that someone will follow through with signing up.
#2 SPECIFIC TITLE
The first thing someone will see when landing on your page will be your title. I highly suggest keeping it at the top of your page, followed by an option to opt-in, gives all those people ready to take action an opportunity to do just that.
Don’t be afraid of a long title, sometimes those are the best because they really tell your audience what they are going to get with your free offer. That’s the key with a title that converts, spelling it out for your clients so there is no guessing.
#3 BULLETS WITH BENEFIT
Following your title, your bullets are the second most important piece of your landing page. If someone doesn’t opt in from the very beginning what else do they need to know in order to say YES? Exactly what they will be learning.
Don’t deny the power of a simple, “With this training, you will learn:” It’s one of the easiest ways to draw attention to what your audience is looking for. Create bullets that are very descriptive and outline the benefit for your audience.
#4 CLEAR CALL TO ACTION
You should have ONE, I repeat one, call to action on your landing page. Do not include a link to book a call, join your Facebook group or follow you on Instagram; all of that comes later. We want your audience to come to the page and complete the one action we brought them there for.
Be sure your buttons are clear, contrasting in color so they stand out and have a clear call to action; including “Sign up here!” “Grab your free gift!” “Yes, I want in!”
BONUS TIP: Have at least two calls to actions on your landing page to give people an opportunity at the top and bottom to opt in.
Want to see a high-converting landing page in action? And hey while you’re there sign up for my upcoming FREE challenge Uncover and Own Your Story for a Bold, Captivating and Money-Making Brand. Sign up here: brandmerry.com/storychallenge
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!
3 Questions to Ask When You Have So Many Business Ideas
3 Questions to Ask When You Have So Many Business Ideas
10/25/18
What do you do when you have all these amazing ideas in your business? This is something all of my clients have been struggling with this week. They have so many ideas, and because of that, they aren’t taking action on any of them. I see this a lot in the online space and something I believe I’m really good at is action taking. How to take action and when.
There are 3 main questions I want you to ask yourself when you’re having a lot of ideas. These questions will help you navigate through your ideas and decide which will benefit you the most at which time. The reality is if we’re trying to implement all of them at once, they won’t be as good.
1. How does this idea actually feel?
Ask yourself where this idea came from and is it coming from a place of inspiration or a place of “oh I have to do that to be successful.” Is this something you are doing because someone else is doing it, and if so, how does that feel? Find out if it’s something you really want to do or if it’s something you feel obligated to do. Is this coming from a place inspiration or a place of desperation?
2. Will this move the needle forward?
We have to constantly be doing things that are going to keep expanding our business. We have to constantly be thinking about that end result. What are you going towards? Is what you’re doing now helping you get to that end result? Or is it just going to take up time and energy? If this is just adding more to your plate, and it’s not going to move the needle forward and help you get to that end goal, it’s not something you need to focus on right now.
The biggest block I see is that people are afraid if they don’t do it now, they won’t ever have the opportunity to do it. But you can decide at any moment what you want to do. Your ideas can happen at anytime. Just because we don’t take action on something right here, right now, doesn’t mean we can’t come back to it when the time is right.
3. What needs to happen to make this idea come to life?
This is a big thing. We sometime forget to direct what needs to go into our ideas. I believe there is value in putting energy and love and attention towards something, giving it our all, to make sure it works. So you need to ask yourself “what does my time look like?” Do you have the time to be doing it right now? What are the things that need to happen and can you make space for that to happen right now?
Once you’ve asked yourself these 3 questions, you can really decide if this is a business idea you should start right now, or if it’s time to take action right now. You have to be really honest with yourself. But the biggest thing is ripping off the bandaid and taking action. Once you’ve made the commitment, and you know what you need to do to implement your new idea, you need to TAKE ACTION.
And if you’re still struggling, do you know what your end goal really is? You have to be really clear and where you want to end up, so you can decide which pieces to focus on now.
Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/videos/462769990911822/
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!
Home Office Essentials to Keep You in a Great Headspace
Home Office Essentials to Keep You in a Great Headspace
October 18, 2018
I’m a big fan of batch scheduling and with that love comes my desire to basically schedule ALL my coaching calls on the same day. Since the beginning of my business, I’ve been coaching on Wednesday and Friday, which allows me to spend the rest of my time in my creative headspace (this is how I always come up with great content) and spending time with my family.
As my business has grown and I’ve taken on more clients, it’s REALLY important (stressing the really here) that I surrounded myself with things that keep me grounded.
Whether you are a service based entrepreneur or anyone that deals with a customer or client, it’s important to protect your energy. We give so much to our community and clients, that if we don’t have things in place to re-align ourselves, we take the risk of feeling depleted.
These tips and resources are easy additions to your home office and will make a big difference in your day to day when implemented.
Disclaimer: Some of this stuff is on the woo-woo side ;) what can I say I love it. Keep an open mind and take what you need from this blog post and leave the rest behind. Oh and some of the links are affiliates, if you buy it I might get a few bucks.
TOP HOME OFFICE ESSENTIALS
1. Diffuser and Oils:
I’m a big fan of essential oils when it comes to my family and nothing makes me feel more aligned than a nice lavender or sandalwood scent.
I have diffusers throughout my entire house, but love to use my office diffuser for long work days. The one I currently have is from DoTerra, but another favorite of mine is from Amazon.
2. Palo Santo (or Sage):
The benefits of Palo Santo are amazing, but for our office decor purposes I love Palo Santo to clear the energy. Nothing is more important before and after a call with my clients than to clear my own energy and the energy of the office. This allows me to head into my calls without carrying over something from a previous client.
3. Candle:
I’m a sucker for a good candle, can anyone say Pumpkin Spice?! Right now, that is my candle of choice, but honestly, any candle will do. I love lighting my candle to set the tone for the day. I love having the visual of a candle because it gives me a calm feeling, which is important for busy work days. Candles are supportive of a meditative state, decreasing stress and increasing self-awareness.
4. Crystals:
Yes, I’m a big fan of crystals, and although I’m not an expert there are three crystals I love to include on my desk during long work days. These crystals are easily accessible so you should have no trouble finding them locally or online.
A tip for choosing crystals is to position yourself in front of your options and pay attention to which one is pulling you in.
Bonus tip, because why the heck not, it’s important to cleanse/clean your crystals when you buy them; you can do this by smudging sage, putting them under a full moon or bathing them in a salt bath.
My favorite office crystals are:
Rose Quartz: This stone is great for self-love, removing anger and tension. It also opens your Heart Chakra making you more open to compassion.
Amethyst: Not only is amethyst one of my favorite stones to look at, it supports you in tapping into your intuition and brings tranquility and peace into your space. It’s great for opening your Crown Chakra.
Clear Quartz: When you think of a crystal this is probably the one that comes to mind. These basic white stones come in all shapes and sizes (I even carry one in the diaper bag). Quartz is great for removing negative feelings and welcoming in positive energy.
I also wear Citrine on a regular basis to protect my Solar Plexus which is connected to achieving goals, self-confidence and more importantly, for me anyway, to release my inner perfectionist.
5. Light:
I mean I feel like this is a no-brainer, but in no way do I want my office to resemble that of a cubicle. I welcome light into my space by facing my desk towards a big window and if working into the night I have a desk lamp for extra lighting. Natural light is your best friend here, so if you have the ability to face a window not only will your photos look better, but a better moot to boot.
6. Hydration:
Dehydration is no joke as an entrepreneur. It can lead to fogginess, decreased concentration, depressed mood and fatigue; none of which you want when working all day, especially with clients. One of the top tips I have for every entrepreneur is to drink more water, it’s so easy to forget but can make all the difference in feeling energized to take on all your projects. I’m a big fan of an old-fashioned mason jar, which is totally on brand by the way!
It’s really about creating the space around you that not only inspires you to show up and do your best work, but keeps you a positive headspace so you can show up as your best self and impact more lives.
Let me know in the comments your favorite tip above and if you have some essentials you love - I’m always looking to enhance my space.
I’m constantly sharing behind the scenes of my life and business over on IG Stories (my favorite place to hang out) are we connected on Instagram?
Head over to Instagram.com/brandmerrycoaching to follow me and DM your questions and favorite tips from this post. I personally respond to every single one!
Four Tips to Improve Productivity While Working From Home
Four Tips to Improve Productivity While Working From Home
October 11, 2018
When I was getting ready for my first week as a “full-time entrepreneur” I was freaking out! I turned to the power of the internet and reached out to other entrepreneurs asking, “What tips do you have for working from home?”
The response was overwhelming, ideas flooded in ranging from; don’t make a plan just go with it to only work 3 hours a day for better efficiency. However, there was a slight problem with these suggestions - no one who commented was a mother!
Now, whether you’re a mompreneur or not this post will still be super valuable to you, but it’s an important part of my productivity journey because I had no other option that to make it work. Over the past two years, I’ve freaking mastered productively working from home, even when some of the biggest distractions were injecting themselves into my day (thinking baby peeing on you during a live stream, mid-day screams and 💩)!
If you struggle with getting sht done while working from home, you’ve come to the right place. I’m sharing four of my top tips for Improving Your Productivity While Working From Home.
**Please note some of the links are affiliate links. I only recommend products I absolutely love, but I might receive a small commission from your engagement.
1. PLAN THE NIGHT BEFORE.
I can’t stress enough how important planning is for productivity - I mean thing about it when you fly by the seat of your pants you’re constantly bouncing from one thing to another. Did someone say squirrel?!
One of the best strategies I’ve used for productivity over the past 6 months has been to carve out 15 minutes to map out and structure my tasks for the following day.
The night before I hop into my Weekly Schedule on *Trello and sit with my schedule for the next day. Based on family plans and weather (I’m a big advocate for Zoo days) I’ll move things around on my board. I also like to rank my tasks in order of importance and put a time limit on some of them (i.e. things like writing this blog post).
This allows me to have a full picture of the next 24 hours before I even go to sleep, reducing the overwhelm, allowing me to feel on top of my sh*t and to get more things checked off.
Want to try Trello for your business? Grab a free account here: https://trello.com/michelleknight6/recommend
2. Set a timer
When I was a kid my mom used to set a timer in the morning, you know one of those old-school white timers for your counter? Every morning she’d set the timer and when that timer went off we knew it was time to leave for school. Ok, total disclaimer I was still late like 99% of the time, but just think how late I would’ve been if I didn’t have that timer.
This is such a great trick for increasing productivity in your business as well. When it’s time to dive into the black hole that is social media, set a timer for 15 or 30 minutes and when that timer goes off - GET OUT OF THERE!
I love to use the timer method in my business for:
• Social media engagement
• Writing my emails
• Writing my blog posts
• Answering emails
• Tech (SO important to set a timer with this one)
Think of the areas of your business that are major time sucks and set that timer!
3. Batch Scheduling
One of the hardest things to do when working from home is to jump from one project to another. My greatest strategy since day one has been batch scheduling. Rather than spreading out your writing over the course of 5 days, how would it feel to be in your creative zone for a longer chunk of time, rather than having to start over?
When I try to write a single email a day, over the course of a week, it takes me 2x longer for each than if I were to sit down for three hours and write all my emails and social posts. Batch scheduling will save your bootay if you are an online entrepreneur who has to write ANYTHING (so basically everyone)!
Get in the habit of scheduling your batch writing at least once a week, maybe twice, in the beginning, to start finding a rhythm and routine. Before you know it you’ll be writing 10-minute emails and blog post with ease.
4. USE YOUR TIME WISELY
Efficiency is all about looking for all the areas in which you can use up space. When my son was teething and needed to go on daily walks, I would bring my cell phone with me and create talk-to-text documents for my emails. If I didn’t have the time in the day to sit down, you better believe I was using this time to my advantage.
When I use to drive to and from my 9 to 5, I would listen to podcasts which inspired the crap out of me and would record small ideas and notes in my phone, so I didn’t forget a single idea.
Look for every single opportunity you have to tap into your creative space. We all have the same hours in a day, it’s about HOW we use those hours that makes the biggest difference.
How are you currently using your time? Where are your biggest time sucks?
Some people call me the Get Sh*t Done Queen (ok, not a lot of people, but you get the idea) - I’m really great at streamlining and being the most effective with my time.
It’s because in the beginning of my business I had to be! I built this business from zero to multiple 6-figures in two years while working a 9 to 5 in the beginning and raising a baby. Productivity is my jam and that’s why it is one of the main pillars of my signature group program Roadmap to Freedom.
The doors are opening for Roadmap to Freedom for the third time this November!
If you are a new or aspiring female entrepreneur who is ready to launch an online business that allows her to make money on her own terms then this program is for YOU! When you join the waitlist before October 19 you’ll get first dibs on all the amazing bonuses + save some serious cash when you sign up during pre-enrollment.
Learn more and join the waitlist at brandmerry.com/freedom.
The Importance of Consistency and My Top Tricks for Remaining Consistent in Sharing Your Message
The Importance of Consistency and My Top Tricks for Remaining Consistent in Sharing Your Message
10/4/18
Consistency is one of the most important parts of running a business. One of the things I’m super proud of about myself is my ability to be consistent. Since day one, I’ve always shown up, gave value and remained consistent. So I’m really excited to share 5 tips that will help you remain consistent in your own business and why it’s so important.
It takes 7 times for someone to take action on your offer, so if you are wanting to sell something in one week, how many times should you be showing up? Every FREAKING day. That’s why I can’t stress enough the importance of consistency.
I’ve outlined all 5 steps in this blog, but if you want to skip ahead and watch the in-depth training, just scroll down!
1. Stay Inspired
The key to motivation is constantly being excited about what you’re doing, and I think the same goes for inspiration - constantly being excited about what you’re working on. One of the ways I stay excited is because I’m taking the time to get inspired. I give myself time to write and reconnect with my inspiration. It’s so important to come from a place of inspiration rather than desperation.
2. Ask, ask, ask!
Ask your community. Ask the online space. Seriously, if you’re at a loss, just ask your audience what they want! If you are unsure what to talk about when you show up - look around you and see what your audience is asking for!
Post in a group and ask them “What do you need right now?” “What are you currently working on"?” And if you don’t currently have a community of your own, look in other communities. What are people talking about? What are they excited about?
I promise you if you take 10 minutes to look around social media, you will find tons of content ideas to use in your business.
3. Know Your Story Matters
One of the things I hear the most from my clients is that they don’t believe what they have to share matters. They don’t think people will care about their story or what they have to say. They don’t feel worthy.
So you have to know and truly believe that your story matters. You have to be so clear about who your ideal client is and how much value you’re going to give them because that’s who you’re talking to. That’s who matters. I want you to create consistent content that converts, and one of the things that is going to help you is feeling really worthy of your story. You are worthy of people receiving that content from you.
4. Plan, Baby Plan
Please start planning. If consistency is a struggle for you, it’s probably because you’re flying by the seat of your pants. Start getting in the habit of planning out your content and planning out your launches. Planning is so important and it’s going to help you show up consistently because you won’t have to rush at the last minute to get something up and ultimately end up not posting.
My favorite way to plan is with Trello. I encourage my clients to map out launches and content at least 30 days in advance to make sure they are always ahead of the game.
5. Pre-Schedule/Bulk
I’m favorite trick in improving consistency is to bulk schedule my content. Giving yourself a specific time to focus on content and be in your creative zone and a specific time to focus on client work will allow you to remain in an inspired state. On the days you are taking the time to create your content, I also encourage you to take it a step further and schedule your content to post later that week on your social media platforms.
You should not be waking up every day and then deciding what to post that day, that only leads to overwhelm. Creating content the day of should be in addition to the pieces you already have planned so they come from a place of inspiration, rather than a place of “Oh sh*t, I need to post something!”
I promise you, scheduling will change the game when it comes to consistency.
Want more details about my tips around consistency? Watch the video training below!
Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/videos/247553189277991/
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!