5 Must-Read Books for 2021

5 Must-Read Books for 2021

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

I feel like every year I make it a goal to read a little bit more.

Truth be told, slowing down is not easy for me, so picking up a book nightly sometimes feels like a chore. However, years ago I discovered that educational books and motivating books are my jam (who’s surprised truly?)! 

I can easily lose myself in a book that helps me live a more aligned and intentional life.

So you’ll see a trend here in my top reads for 2021 and I hope they motivate you if you find that reading romance novels, murder mystery and fantasy just aren’t your jam. BTW no shame there sometimes I wish I could dive into them, but alas after more than 33 years on this earth I know what I like.

Are you similar? Then this list is for you!

5 MUST-READ BOOKS FOR 2021

These are some of my favorite books I’ve read over the past few years, but one I’m looking forward to most in 2021 (more on that later). Happy Reading!

1. ATOMIC HABITS BY JAMES CLEAR

I’m a BIG fan of James Clear and his work and teaching on habits. In fact, this book changed my life and I’m not exaggerating. I shared more about my journey with habits and how this book shaped my 2020 and beyond on this podcast episode of The Beautiful Climb Podcast.

James has an amazing way of presenting the data and stories around building habits and how the work of habits sets you up for success. I’ve pretty much recommended this book to everyone I know and my clients, it’s that good! 

If you haven’t read it and you’re a human, it’s time to order it!

2. RICH AS F*CK: MORE MONEY THAN YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH BY AMANDA FRANCIS

As an entrepreneur, I’ve been following Amanda Francis’ work for quite some time. Although, I understand there are a lot of mentors and leaders around money mindset, I’ve found her work and way of teaching just resonates most with me. I’ve invested in her programs and found this book to provide the same exceptional value (although not a substitute for her courses).

I read this book in just 14 days, which might be a record for me. It shares her story and her teachings around money mindset in a non-bull shit way while being super motivating.

It’s a must-read for anyone in 2021 if this is the year you get your money story focused on abundance rather than lack.

I’ve had quite the journey with money as a woman, and talk about it in detail on this podcast episode.

3. I’M STILL HERE: BLACK DIGNITY IN A WORLD MADE FOR WHITENESS BY AUSTIN CHANNING BROWN

Like many of you, the events of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 brought a lot of my upbringing and pre-programmed beliefs to the surface. While I’ve always tried to be an advocate for black lives and persons of color, I recognized that I was also lacking so much education on what it really meant to be an ally.

I found Austin Channing Brown’s work as I researched more ways to try and understand more about the Black Lives Matter movement and what it’s like as a black person in America and while I’ll never truly understand as a white woman, I found this book to be beautiful, heartbreaking and eye opening all at the same time.

I truly believe we don’t know what we don’t know, but when we know we have to do better. This book is an excellent example of great storytelling in general, but through Brown’s stories, you also develop a deeper understanding of what’s truly happening in our country.

Once again I recommend this book to everyone and love all the information Brown provides on social media and beyond.

4. UNTAMED BY GLENNON DOYLE

If there’s ever been a book that made me gasp, cry, shake my head vigorously and stop every 5 minutes to read a line to my husband it is Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

Seriously, THIS BOOK! It might be one of my favorite non-fiction books to date because of the impact it has had on me as a woman and mother. It’s a beautiful and honest reminder of what living a life of alignment and freedom really means and how it’s different for each of us.

This book almost gave me a level of permission I had been seeking. To strip away old generation stories around what makes a woman a woman and how to be a “good” person. If you’re a womxn it’s time for you to get your hands on this book.

5. WE SHOULD ALL BE MILLIONAIRES BY RACHEL RODGERS

Ok, so technically at the time of writing this blog post this book hasn’t been released yet, but that won’t stop me! 

I’m most looking forward to the first book by Rachel Rodgers in 2021 for so many reasons. Not only is Rachel a mentor of mine through her membership community, but one of my favorite discoveries to come out of 2020. Her book, mission and work is so inspiring and needed because like her I also believe we should all be millionaires.

There is no doubt in my mind that this book will be one of those life-changing reads that we come back to time and time again. If you’re looking to feel empowered around making more money in business, this book is going to be a must for you as it is for me.

P.S. Have you tuned in to The Beautiful Climb podcast? I release new episodes every other Friday on topics around productivity, motherhood, habits, goals and going after the life of your dreams! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at thebeautifulclimb.com

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

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START HERE ↠

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs

3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

I’ve been an online entrepreneur for over four years and my biggest challenge has not been the strategies, marketing or selling, but letting go of old beliefs.

That first year of business was hard because at the end of the day it was all up to me. There was no team to turn too and decisions were made by yours truly.

This is the case for so many solopreneurs and entrepreneurs running a small team. You’re it boo and your mindset and beliefs will make or break your business.

Now, I’m not a mindset mentor, but I have done my own in-depth work and worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years who carry three core beliefs that are keeping them stuck.

Today, on the blog I want to share those 3 beliefs and mindset shifts to make if you’re experiencing the same thing as a new entrepreneur.

If you prefer to watch the live video recording, you can scroll down and do that now!

Ok, let’s get into it.

BELIEF #1
“Everyone is already doing it and the market is saturated!”

This could be a belief you hold on to if you're constantly questioning why...

...Why would anyone listen to me?
...So and so has 10k followers and I have no one!
...I’m not an expert like Suzie!

But the reality is the digital learning industry is projected to be $325 Billion in 2025 and my guess is that’s even higher now with everything happening in the world.

THERE IS PLENTY OF SPACE FOR YOU!

By holding back on your voice, expertise and gifts...you’re doing your ideal community (and future community) a disservice.

That’s why running a business has to be about more than you!

If you’re experiencing this belief and it’s keeping you stuck we need to make the focus more mission-driven.

SHIFTING THIS BELIEF

Your business and brand needs to be mission-driven. 

I spent years working in the nonprofit sector and understand the power of having a clear mission statement. Without a mission, a nonprofit won’t be approved by the government and will struggle to receive funding.

We need to treat your businesses the same way, but many entrepreneurs instead start with themselves and their goals.

If you don’t identify your mission, in the beginning, you’ll always be trapped in comparisonitis and feel as if there is no space for you inside your industry.

When you take the time to choose your mission, then you’ll also know WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, who you’re showing up for and how your business will impact others.

ACTION STEP: What is the mission of your business?

BELIEF #2
SOS - Shiny Object Syndrome and An Inability To Focus

So many people are jumping around and doing things that aren’t contributing to your growth as an entrepreneur.

Maybe you see someone doing it and think if it worked for them, then it will work for me, I should do that now.

Maybe you’re playing small and trying to learn all the things. You’re focused on Instagram and a new Youtube video comes out with a new strategy, even though you haven’t implemented the last one, and you spend your time consuming.

Maybe you are working on so many things at once that there’s no clear growth overall because you’re only able to dedicate 10% to each thing, rather than a full 100%.

So what should you be focused on in your business?

This is the 5-Part Roadmap for a Thriving Online Business that I teach inside my program Roadmap to Freedom.

1. Brand Foundation

2. Build Community

3. Market Your Mission and Message

4. Sell With Confidence

5. Scale Your Systems

It has to happen in THIS order! What it looks like inside each phase will be different for each of you, but the roadmap is the same.

When you follow this structure and build one on top of the other your focus will be streamlined and running a business will be effective and results-driven.

If you want to learn more about Roadmap to Freedom you can learn more here.

BELIEF #3
I don’t have enough time

The reality is we all have the same hours in a day.

What’s really happening is that you lack clarity on what’s most important to move your business forward.

Now you know and it’s about making your business a top priority, and shifting this limiting belief.

The process of looking at time differently can only be done by you. No strategy or planner can help if you don’t understand how to believe in and manage your time.

To support you in making time work for you, I’m sharing my top 4 tips below.

4 TIPS TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR TIME IN BUSINESS

TIP 1: DO A TIME AUDIT

You have to know where your time is going in order to make changes, but the majority of people have no idea where they are spending their time most. For the next 72 hours conduct a simple time audit of everything. Write down everything you do and how much time you spend on it.

This includes social media! When you identify where your time is going, you can then limit the areas where you’re not contributing to your overall growth (I’m looking at you Facebook!)

Take back the power and spend your time where it’s most valuable.

TIP 2: COMMIT TO YOUR BUSINESS...FULLY

If you’ve found in the past that you just don’t have time to build your business, then it’s time to reevaluate your priorities. Where does your business fall on the priority list and are you making time for it?

I suggest new business owners dedicate 3 hours a week to their business to start.
Is this three hours on an early Sunday morning?
Is this staying in on a Friday night to build your dreams?
Is this waking up one-hour earlier three days a week?

Make the decision and take action.

If you need a little priority pep talk watch this video.

TIP 3: CATCH YOURSELF WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF SAYING, “I DON’T HAVE TIME!”

I use to say this all the time. In fact, I said it so often that I actually believed it and guess what, I constantly ran out of time.

Switching your mindset is about you, we’ve already covered it, so it’s up to you to catch yourself.

The first step is always awareness, which you have now. So the next step is to switch your belief around time whenever you talk negatively about it.

The tiny switch I made that made the biggest difference was no longer saying, “I don’t have the time” and instead saying, “I’m choosing not to spend my time on that.”

It’s all about priorities, decide on yours!

TIP 4: PRIORITIZE TASKS INSIDE YOUR BUSINESS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR TIME

You now know the top 5 areas of focus for your business and you can make those a priority for yourself moving forward.

Each project you’re working on can be broken into smaller tactics and should be! If you’re not already working on Asana or Trello, or some task management system now is the time to start. It’s the easiest way to break down all of your projects into smaller tasks.

These smaller tasks will help with your overall productivity.

I love talking about Time Management in case you couldn’t tell and released an entire podcast episode on my Time Management Hacks over on The Beautiful Climb podcast, check it out here.

CONCLUSION

Running a business requires you to be at the top of your game and that means your mindset needs to be a top priority.

If you read this post and discovered you’re carrying some of these beliefs then start here. Start with these three and keep digging.

And as always get the support you deserve. Having someone who has done what you’re setting out to do and can offer insight, coaching, strategies and support will make your journey a little easier (hell a lot easier). 

If you’re interested in this level of support, then check out Roadmap to Freedom at brandmerry.com/freedom.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

7 Steps to Repurpose Your Weekly Content and Work Less

If you’d like to watch the full video, you can do that here.

When I started my business I had no other choice but to be efficient with my time.

I started my business while working at a 9 to 5, raising a new baby (my first by the way), commuting, taking care of my home and launching this business.

Despite having no idea what I was doing, which definitely took time, I also had a bunch of other things to do.

No team.
Just me.
Content to create.

That’s when I fell in love with repurposing and over the past 4 years, I’ve freaking mastered it!

Today, I’m excited to share with you what repurposing looks like in my 6-figure business and how you can apply a similar workflow to your own business.

Why Should Online Entrepreneurs Repurpose Their Content

As an online entrepreneur, you should be focused on 4 tasks daily.

1. Growing your email list

2. Nurturing your email list

3. Making a sale

4. Serving your existing clients and customers

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the majority of your time goes to creating some form of content. What if you could streamline your entire content creation process with the art of repurposing and save yourself so much time every single week?

Are you intrigued yet?

Let’s pretend you spend…
1 hour writing an email every week
30 minutes to write a single social media post with photo
1 hour to write a blog post
30 minutes to record a Facebook live or record a video

This means you’re spending 3 hours minimum, for many of you this might be a hell of a lot more, to create 4 pieces of content for the week.

If this is your current strategy, spending a few hours every day writing content then you need repurposing more than you know.

The idea of repurposing is that you create one core piece of content and then break it down into multiple pieces to support the larger piece, show up and spread your message.

This means the time you’re spending to create a piece of content isn’t in vain...that one hour you spend to write a blog becomes 7 days’ worth of content or possibly more.

Repurposing provides you with 3 incredible benefits:

1. Saves you time every single week and day

2. Extends the life of your content. I don’t know about you, but if I’m spending an hour writing a piece of content I want to make sure it lasts more and an hour on social media.

3. Reaches your audience. Remember the rule of 7 in marketing? Well, your audience is most likely NOT seeing your single piece of content, so why not create a few more pieces to make sure they actually see your hard work in action.
   
   

There are so many different ways to repurpose your content, but today I want to share with you the exact method we use inside of my business and give you a simple workflow to set yourself up for success.

I’ve got some bonus videos below if you prefer to watch.

The Repurpose Strategy of a Multi 6-Figure Entrepreneur

I’ve always been a fan of repurposing content because, in the beginning, I didn’t really have a choice. I was working a 9 to 5, building my business and had a newborn baby strapped to my back, on my hip, on my boob...you get the picture.

I needed a way to maximize my time and my content in order to grow my business from the ground up.

In the beginning, I started simple. I would write a blog and send it to my list and then I’d share it on social media, but I was still writing more emails every week and scheduling social media felt exhausting.

If we’re being honest social media hasn’t always been my favorite way to attract new leads, I much prefer SEO, Pinterest and video for that and teach this inside of my membership Brandmerry Academy.

But, year after year I would fine-tune my process. I’d remove things that weren’t yielding results and I’d amplify the stuff that was.

In 2020, I was determined to create a workflow that would once again allow me to show up live for my audience, post on IGTV, show up on social media, improve my SEO and attract quality leads through Pinterest.

It’s been 4+ months of this strategy and I’m SO IN LOVE. 

Seriously, content is so flipping easy now, and I know that at the bare minimum I’m showing up and delivering quality content for my audience every single week.

Want a look inside of my workflow?

Here is my 2020 Content Workflow featuring my dear friend repurposing.

Step 1: Determine a topic for my weekly show Mondays With Michelle

Step 2: Email my community on Monday about my live stream topic and how to watch

Step 3: Write my script for the live video

Step 4: Share the live video on social media (Facebook and Instagram)

Step 5: Deliver the live video

**This all usually happens on Monday, the topics are outlined about 3 months in advance**

Step 6: Take the script or transcript (either works depending on your preference) and format it for a blog, this includes SEO research.

Step 7: Turn the video content into a blog (hint: this blog started the exact same way)

Step 8: Pull quotes and information from the script to create graphics (typically 2-3)

Step 9: Schedule the graphics for Facebook and Instagram

Step 10: Publish the blog post and share on Pinterest

Step 11: Turn the video (sometimes broken down into multiple pieces) into a video for IGTV

Step 12: Share on IGTV

Repeat every freaking week!

It looks a little something like this.

This might look like a lot, but the majority of these steps are just formatting and scheduling, which I now have a freaking amazing team to support me, but I did it myself for years.

The idea here is that I really only need to show up once to create the content, which I do on live video, and I’m set for the entire week!

7 Steps to Repurpose Your Blog, Video and Social Media Content

I don’t want you to mimic my workflow unless it works for you and the vision of your brand, but I do want to give you 7 steps to follow to create your own workflow. Follow these steps and you’ll find content creation becomes a freaking breeze.

I teach this entire strategy, plus how to utilize advanced marketing platforms inside my program Brandmerry Academy.

Step 1: DETERMINE YOUR PLATFORMS
You can’t design this unless you know exactly where you want to be showing up. As you saw from my example above I’m showing up on:

• Facebook and Instagram Live

• Facebook and Instagram Stories

• Facebook and Instagram Feed

• IGTV

• My blog

• Pinterest

• and Email

You can expand on this or shorten it down even further depending on your needs.

Step 2: DECIDE ON YOUR LONG-FORM CONTENT
Here is where so many entrepreneurs get it wrong! You want to make your life easier and start with the longest piece of content first. That will most likely be your blog or a video.

I highly recommend you have a blog for your website in order to improve your SEO and to give you the tools to grow on Pinterest, my favorite platform to be on (seriously, we’ve got 1 million viewers on there are you one of them?)

Once you’ve decided on your long-form content you can map out your 30-day calendar for that piece. Inside, the Academy we focus on 90 days, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Step 3: DESIGN YOUR WORKFLOW
For this step, I suggest using Trello or Asana. I use Asana to easily assign deadlines and tasks to my team and I like it because we can see where each other is in the process.

Set up a sample card in Asana with your workflow. List out every step and use this as a template moving forward. You can just duplicate the task every week for new content.

Remember, the goal here is to list out where you’ll be posting the content and every task you have. See my sample below.

**The first 3 steps only need to be done once!

Step 4: MAP OUT AT LEAST 30 DAYS OF CONTENT
For my business, this is my weekly video on Monday. I have a spreadsheet inside of Google Sheets that list out my schedule and topic for each episode.

This allows me to see the big picture of my content and I can start brainstorming my ideas far in advance.

**You’ll repeat this step every 30 days

Step 5: CREATE YOUR LONG-FORM PIECE OF CONTENT
Either sit down and write your blog post, record your video or record your podcast. Get this final piece 100% complete before moving on, it’s going to save you a lot of time. Remember, everything in your workflow stems from this single piece of content.

Step 6: BREAK DOWN YOUR CONTENT
Here’s the fun part. 

Now go through your long-form content and pull out the pieces you need. Create your graphics (use a template in Canva to make this easy), write your emails, draft your social media posts, etc.

If you’re repurposing a video, I love VEED.io.

Whatever you need to write, do that now! You basically want to have everything ready to post without actually posting it.

Step 7: SCHEDULE IT
You know I love a good scheduling tool. If you’re repurposing and not taking the time to schedule it what are you even doing? It takes like 30 minutes once everything is ready to go and will save you hours in the long run!

Use a tool like Later to schedule your Instagram and Facebook posts.
Use Tailwind to schedule your Pinterest images.
You can even schedule your blog post in your web provider.
Upload your IGTV and save it as a draft (watch the video below for my secret on this).
Schedule your email for delivery.
Schedule your podcasts in LIbsyn.
Schedule your videos for Youtube.

EVERYTHING can be scheduled in advance, and if you take this chunk of time at the beginning of the week or even month to do it, you’ll find you’ve got more time every single week.

CONCLUSION

If you implement even just 3 of these steps you’re going to start to streamline your content which will save you so much time.

I can’t stress that enough. Remember you started this business to live a life of freedom and make an impact, you can’t do that if you’re spending hours every single day creating content.

Marketing is necessary to grow your business, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. I believe in a simplified and minimalist approach to marketing that works to consistently grow your brand and business. Learn more at BrandmerryAcademy.com

P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!

The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.

In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales

The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Every single day I am messaged or approached by someone who is concerned with their Brand Story.

And while understanding and framing your Brand Story in the best way IS important, it's not the only story you should be sharing online...

…and, dare I say, it's not even the one that's going to build the most trust or lead to the most sales.

It's the everyday stories you share on video, via email and on social media that make the biggest connection with your audience.

These stories make your content 22x more likely to be remembered and I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time and energy crafting content for my audience so I’d like for it to be remembered!

However, so many entrepreneurs struggle to figure out what stories to share, understand the core pieces of a great story and how to effectively write for social media.

And that’s because…

1. It doesn’t come naturally to many of us, myself included in the beginning.

2. So many people make storytelling so freaking complex when it doesn’t have to be.

But, I've spent the last 4 years studying, testing and getting results from sharing stories on social media.

In fact, everything I write in my business is centered around story and I’ve built a multi 6-figure business by sharing stories online #nojoke

So, let's just say I know a thing or two around this whole storytelling on social media thing.

What’s important to understand is:

• The importance of story in branding and how to use it to break free from the algorithm and social media chains currently keeping your brand from its full potential.

• What makes a GREAT story online and why it’s not really about you!

• How to start integrating storytelling into your content to build a deeper connection and trust with your audience.

And lucky for you, this blog is going to cover just that.

I’ve also got a video training below if video is more your thing!

MY JOURNEY WITH STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS

A little backstory on me. I started my business with just an idea, seriously I wanted to help women design their website and brand. I spent months building that business until I wasn’t seeing results.

So I did an exercise, I looked at my story and my past to try and determine what I could build a business around that lit me up and made an impact. I had determined that not only was I not making money because my messaging and marketing was off, but because I didn’t actually want to do the things I was trying to sell.

I went deep into my story, performed my niching down exercise I shared last week and came out with the idea that I wanted to help women experience more time, financial and location freedom, but how?

I decided that I could do that by helping them build profitable brands, so I started showing up and sharing more of my own journey, my own experiences and sharing so much more of my story.

My community began to grow and I almost instantly started signing clients. I kept going and tapped more and more into my story to scale my business to multiple 6-figures.

Yes, my brand is the center of how I’ve created a successful business, but even further down it’s been the power of story.

Every single day I’m incorporating storytelling into everything I do and now I’m going to share with you how to do it too!

WHY STORYTELLING IS SO IMPORTANT AS AN ONLINE BUSINESS AND BRAND

I like to use the Ice Cream Sundae analogy when talking about your brand and storytelling.

Imagine for a second that your brand and story are the ice cream. The ice cream alone is delicious and something you can enjoy just as it is or you can enhance it to make it even better.

Now, let’s imagine the marketing, funnels, ads, social media platforms, etc are chocolate syrup, nuts and whipped cream. Mix those together and have them stand alone; it’s kind of just a mushy, nutty sweetness. Definitely not as good as it is with ice cream.

The point is your brand and story can stand alone and make you money. The marketing strategies can not. You need to have the entire package for those to even work.

You need the whole package.

WHY STORYTELLING WORKS IN ONLINE MARKETING

 
When you add storytelling to your messaging and content it is 22x more likely to be remembered

Not to mention it helps in the decision-making process. A report from Harvard University found that 90% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously and based on emotional connection. Emotional connection comes from trust and storytelling.

So you’re also more likely to convert your clients into a sale by using storytelling.

AND not to mention the average time someone spends on a website is 8-15 seconds. Yet, this is where all the information about your business is. So, how do you keep them captivated for longer? Storytelling and strong personal messaging.

That’s because storytelling makes your brand:

1. Captivating - pulls in your ideal customer

2. Memorable - at the front of their mind, even as they scroll

3. Trustworthy - builds an emotional connection to you and your brand

WHAT MAKES A STORY GREAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA (or anywhere)

The key to great storytelling isn’t you.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but great storytelling is about your audience.

This is a hard switch because when we first start tapping into our story for our business it often looks like our Brand Story and About Me Page.

And those pieces are important, but so many entrepreneurs stop there. 
They might be the only two ways a business owner incorporates story.

But, if someone decides to go further they tend to carry this framework over into our marketing is only going to hurt us.

And, that’s because what makes a great story memorable and captivating is that the person (your audience) can see themselves or relate to your story.

The key takeaway from all of this should be that great storytelling isn’t not about you, it’s about your audience.

THE 3 PHASES OF STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS

Phase 1: The Beginning

This is your niche, brand story and the overall direction for your business.

Remember, when I said I couldn’t determine what I wanted to do, until I tapped into my story? This is how we use storytelling in the beginning. We dive deep into our own personal journey to determine a great deal of our brand foundation.

Phase 2: Showing Up

This is when you start sharing your own experiences and story, as it relates to your niche and audience (more audience focus here) to showcase your expertise.

You’re building your momentum online and starting to incorporate story into your content (it no longer just lives on your website).

Phase 3: Messaging and Marketing

This is my favorite stage and the one you’ll hang out in for the majority of your business.

At this stage you’re getting to know your audience more and more and artfully framing stories around their need and desire. 

Phase 1 and Phase 2 should last no more than 30 days, it’s the business creation/foundation stage and something I walk you through in my program You! Branded youbrandedcourse.com, then you move into studying your audience and writing stories for them.

This is where sales really start to amp up.

3 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN SHARING STORY ONLINE

1. Know you and your stories

You need to feel good about the stories you are sharing online. Not every single story needs to be shared, even if it’s great for your audience. If you don’t feel good about sharing it you won’t want to share.

2. It’s not about you

Stop guessing when it comes to what types of stories your audience will appreciate and resonate with. Do the work, and by work I mean Market Research.

3. Incorporate Emotionally Charged language

Part of storytelling is incorporating emotion, that’s why it works so well after all. You can do this by tapping into the pain and pleasure of your ideal customer in your copy.

HOW TO FIND YOUR STORIES TO SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND BEYOND

The first thing I want you to remember is a story for your business is not a period in time, it’s a moment in time.

What does this mean? 

It means that when you’re choosing stories to share online to build trust and make sales, you’ll have much more luck and feel less overwhelmed when you’re focusing on a very specific moment.

For instance, I wouldn’t share a story on the birth of my son, I would share a story on how the birth of my son forced me to embrace vulnerability.

This is specific!

The second thing to keep in mind is that storytelling can, but doesn’t always have to be the entire piece of content. In fact, sometimes you will want to use a small sliver of story just to connect, but then go into teaching or selling your product or service.

Even a single line can be a great story.

EXAMPLE #1:
When I was sitting in a hotel conference room and heard the presenter share that story made content 22x more memorable, I knew I was on to something. I had spent 4 years sharing story to build a successful 6-figure business and knew I needed to teach other women to do the same.

Story part: A moment when I heard something, the stat I heard, how long I’d been in business, the success of my business and my ideal client and mission.

EXAMPLE #2:
Do you struggle to feel confident on social media?Does it feel as if the algorithm is always out to get you?You take so much time to create content, only to schedule it and watch it fall flat?

Today I want to share…

Story part: Highly relatable pain points my audience has expressed, painting a picture of what they are going through.

So not only should stories be very specific moments in time, but they can also be very short and used to enhance the content you’re creating.

Watch the video below for 6 types of stories to get you started. 

CONCLUSION

If you’re running an online business you need to make storytelling your top priority.Not only is it going to enhance the return on the content you’re creating, but it’s also going to help you increase sales and build your personal brand.

If you’re interested in building a personal brand, deeply rooted in storytelling then I’ve got a free gift for you.

Grab the Personal Roadmap below.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE

P.S. I know I didn’t talk about your Brand Story above, but it’s still a fun way to start. Read this blog on How to Identify Your Brand Story.

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

3 Time Management Strategies No One is Teaching

3 Time Management Strategies No One is Teaching

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Time Management is so important as an entrepreneur.

I’ve found throughout my journey that by not only planning better, scheduling my time, creating more time, but also changing my outlook around time, I’ve been able to do more.

Before I can give you all the strategies I’ve used, I want to talk about how your beliefs around time are actually limiting it.

The truth is it isn’t about the strategies, if it was the new planner every year, the new calendar and the use of a tool like Trello, would magically make your time management better, but that just isn’t the case.

If the strategies work for a little while, but then you fall off the wagon, it’s time to look deeper at the root cause.

If you feel like you’re running out of time…

If you feel like you never have enough time to start…

Or you feel you’re wasting time…

This is for you!

1. MAKING TIME A TOP PRIORITY

THE VALUE OF YOUR TIME

I firmly believe that time is our greatest value.

A very significant part of my story is that I lost my brother to childhood cancer at the age of 18. It didn’t happen right away, but over the months and the years I started to change my view around time.

I know we all recognize that life isn’t infinite, but is this knowledge translating into how you spend your time daily?

How are we spending our time on this earth and are we doing the things we truly want to do?

When we put more emphasis on time as our greatest asset, we enjoy life more and the other pieces, like money, success and strong relationships, fall into place.

The biggest mindset shift I want you to take with you today is how to make time your greatest priority.

Actionable Step: Answer this question

How do you value time? How are you spending 24 hours a day?

If it’s true that we can’t get our time back then why do we use it so poorly?

HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME

When I started my business, I had to figure out how to fit this whole business into my schedule.

I had to learn very quickly that how I was spending my time wasn’t conducive to the goals I had for myself.

And before you start to think you have to make sacrifices in to reach your goals and create more time, I encourage you to focus on the choices.

It is a choice.

Where do you want to be?
What are your dreams?
What are you working towards?

You’re not going to get there if you don’t make the choice and yes sometimes the choice requires making hard decisions.

Actionable Step: Complete a time analysis

Spend the next 72 hours to track your time and how you’re spending it. This will give you a great overview of where the “time sucks” are happening. When you have this information you’ll be able to see just how much time you’re actually wasting.

Imagine if you spent 10 minutes less (minimum) on social media that’s over an hour. What could you do in an hour that will get you closer to your dreams.

If you’re not making the choice of where you’re spending your time, none of the strategies will matter.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR PRIORITIES

When is the last time you sat down and thought about your top priorities?

It’s not something that comes up in typical conversation, but it’s so important.

Actionable Step: Answer this question

You have 24 hours tomorrow to do whatever you want to reach your goals and dreams, what do you do?

We need to be asking ourselves this question because it’s so easy to get sucked into priorities with our jobs, children, spouses and more.

When you answer this question those are your values and priorities.

Maybe for you it’s:

• Going outside

• Exercising

• Snuggling your babies

• Traveling more

It’s not just about moving up the corporate ladder or having a $50k launch it’s about the things that bring you the most joy. 

Identifying your values is just one step, the next part, and the part that’s up to you is how often are you living those values daily.

Please remember that you get to choose how you spend your time.

Yes, I know many of you work a 9 to 5.
Yes, many of you have children.

Of course, there are things that are required of you, but how are you spending the other hours in a day.

You will prioritize in your schedule what you prioritize in your life!

When you decide the techniques, tools and strategies will work.

3. CREATING MORE TIME DAILY

Use your calendar. We have calendars everywhere, yet so many people are not using their calendar correctly.

If you struggle with time management and aren’t scheduling EVERYTHING in your calendar, then it’s time to start.

I used to schedule date nights with my husband at the beginning of my business.
I used to schedule friend time (I still do)
I would schedule my content, coaching time and my time with my son.

By doing this, we can make the things of value to us a top priority. They are on the calendar and everything else can fit in where it can.

Get as detailed as possible to get yourself into a routine.

If you are a modern woman you are busy, there is no shame in using your calendar to prioritize your values. Put those in first and fill in the rest.

Create Boundaries. If you need to create more time you need to be clear with others and yourself about your priorities.

Find your people that you can trust and open up to about your dreams to ask for support and help. Creating boundaries with yourself allows you to ask for support from others.

This support can look like exchanging babysitting, asking for kid-free time from your husband (try for the same time every single week), it could be moving money around to invest in an assistant 2 hours a week to grow your business.

Not only is it important for you to understand that you can’t do it all, it’s also important to understand you don’t have to.

Creating boundaries with others frees up more time in your schedule to focus on the things that matter most.

You sometimes have to say no to things, to do things that get you closer to your goals and dreams.

Again, it’s not a sacrifice! 

If you’d rather be doing something else, maybe it’s time to see how invested you are in your dreams.

TIME-SAVING HACKS: TOOLS I USE TO MANAGE MY TIME

Trello and Asana. Any task management platform will work, but these are my favorite.

I use them every single day for my business, but I also use them for our travels as well. You can use it while working your 9 to 5, with your weekly schedule, for project management and more.

Prepare for your week. Do yourself a favor and spend 20 minutes every single Sunday to plan out your life. I spend 20 minutes to see what my priorities are, where I’m dedicating my time, any deadlines and how I’m going have fun. This allows me to head into Monday prepared and not flying by the seat of my pants, which we all know leads to procrastination.

Have batch days. You can bulk write your content on a specific day, or meal prep on Sundays. In addition, I suggest choosing specific days that you do backend things in your business and different days to work with clients. When you batch your tasks together you will actually save yourself time.

CONCLUSION

Time is our greatest asset and it’s important to remind yourself how valuable it truly is. If you’re struggling with time management it’s time to go deeper than any strategy, it’s time to shift you’re thinking.

I promise you do have enough time, it’s all in how you use it.

If you want more tips on time management, creating boundaries and productivity be sure to subscribe to my new podcast, The Beautiful Climb on iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.