by Karen Petrauskas | Oct 25, 2023
Email marketing – are you using email to reach your customers, audience, potential clients and everyone in between and beyond?
- Email is an amazing tool if used correctly.
- Email is a fantastic way to interact with a set of people.
- Email is a great way to communicate with value.
As you’ve probably heard before, “it’s all in the list” – “you grow a business through the email list” – and that’s great if you’ve got a list, but how do you get to that in the first place?
The most important question you need to ask before starting this is who is your email list for? Establishing who you want to be communicating with and how you can relate to them is the foundation of a growing list, and then offering a product or service that will benefit their needs.
Think about how you can attract those exact people to your list. You need to make it easy, you need to make it straight forward and most of all, you need them to want to sign up.
The best place to start is your website. A simple sign up box on your website allows a reader to subscribe to your list – but what would make them want to join?
Can you offer something of value in return? – For example, we particularly like our social media awareness days calendar as it contains 12 months’ worth of usable content, plus a monthly email to remind you about each one nearer to the time. The best thing – it’s all FREE!
Tip: Create a HOOK which will attract your ideal customer to connect with you.
When someone signs up to receive an email, they are giving you valuable information – their email address – which they are trusting you with.
This is not a time to start spamming them with lots of junk messages or selling at every opportunity. They have trusted you with their personal details, so respect them and gain their respect in return. Give them something that will help their pain point or will benefit them in some form.
How else can you get started:
Create Valuable Content
Produce high-quality content, such as blog posts or articles, ebooks, webinars, and offer them as incentives for people to subscribe to your email list. Always ensure that the content is relevant and addresses the interests of your ideal target audience.
Offer Exclusive Discounts or Promotions
Provide special offers, discounts, or early access to subscribers. People are more likely to subscribe if they perceive something to be a benefit.
Run a Contest or Giveaway
Have you thought about hosting contests or giveaways on social media or your website, where a reader enters with their email addresses? Ensure that the prizes are relevant to your niche to attract genuinely interested subscribers – or your email list will be populated with people are not interested in your business at all – they just want the freebie!
Utilise Social Media
Promote your list on all your social media profiles. Share snippets of your content and mention that subscribers get exclusive access to more of they join.
Regularly Email Your List
Keep your existing subscribers engaged and interested by sending them valuable content on a consistent schedule. Engaged subscribers are more likely to refer others and will organically help you to grow your list!
Online marketing can be a minefield and I totally get that, it’s not always easy to navigate what’s essential, what’s necessary and what can wait. But growing an email list will definitely make a difference to the results that you see in terms of business growth. Attract the right audience, gain the right results.
If you’ve not yet started to create an email list, or need help incorporating one into your marketing strategy, why not get in touch and let’s chat – it all starts with a conversation, so simply hit the CONTACT button and let’s arrange a [virtual] coffee!
by Karen Petrauskas | Jun 14, 2023
If you’re not seeing the results you need through your social media content to grow and scale your small business, what could be the problem?
Social media marketing should be fun – it’s there to attract and engage an audience. Can you say this sums up your social media content? Are you optimising your efforts to achieve the best possible results?
If not…
Step into your client’s shoes.
- What would you want to see or hear regarding that product or service?
- What would attract you?
- What would make you stop scrolling and read the caption?
- What benefits would make you want to look further?
Once you’ve answered all these questions, think how you can turn it all into content.
Video Content
Could you do create some videos which describe what you’re offering, giving a concept for people new to your brand.
Videos are great for story telling, so you can showcase what you’re doing and why, what you do behind the scenes, a typical day in the life of…
Videos are powerful.
Informational Content
But also informational content which asks and answers some of the most common questions your ideal client will be asking, either before they buy or even before they know they want to buy.
What pain points do your audience face, what struggles do they go through, how could your product or service help, and what benefit it is to them?
Information carousels are great forms of posts on social media, they talk directly into what a customer is already thinking about and feeds their need for more information. Without physically speaking to them, you are inserting your knowledge and expertise into their minds which relaxes them and lets them know that you have an insight into what they’re facing.
Utilise this to create impactful content which answers the deep questions people may not even know they’re thinking about until they see your posts. Break down each question with relevant and bitesize responses that people can take away and digest.
Eye-Catching Content
Is your content eye-catching? Would your posts make you stop if you were reading it on someone else’s feed? You could have the best information out there but if people aren’t stopping to read, what’s the point?
Bold colours, fonts that stand out, captions which entice a response.
If content is hard to read, in small or scripted fonts, too much information all in one place – it’s not eye-catching enough against other social media feeds to warrant someone to stop scrolling.
Make your posts as eye-catching as possible to the reader – not just to you. What you like might not be the same as your audience – do some research, visit other pages and profiles to see what type of content is gaining the most views and interactions.
Plan your Social Media Content
A big tip we’re giving you is to plan your content. We see many small businesses creating their social media posts off the cuff. And that’s fine if you’re regular, on the ball and can think on the top of your head. But there may come a point when you’re stuck for ideas and you get fed up with posting every day… you’ll burn out! It’s not sustainable to keep that going long-term.
Invest in a social media scheduling tool, there are plenty out there and it comes down to budget and preference. But take advantage of free trials and give them all a go and then choose the one that works for you.
We’ve tried all sorts, from Social Pilot, Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, Tailwind, Social Sprout, Tweekdeck – and there are many more out there. We personally love Social Pilot as it has so many great features that it’s perfect for scaling small businesses.
Create a content marketing plan around the above ideas and get to work creating content that actually speaks to your audience.
Hire a Content Marketer!
If you’re not a creative person, you don’t have the time to create batches of posts, or you simply know that marketing isn’t your thing – that’s ok! We can help and would love to get to know you and your business in order to create a content plan for you, and help you implement. Just get in touch today and let’s talk. It all starts with a conversation.
Plus if you become a KJP client from this post, we’re offering a MASSIVE 20% off your first THREE months bill!
*Mention this post when you speak to us to qualify.
We look forward to hearing from you but in the meantime, why not subscribe to our KJP community newsletter – tips and advice sent to your inbox every Friday (plus many freebies too!)
Speak soon 🙂
by Karen Petrauskas | Apr 4, 2023
Motivational / Inspirational
We all like a good inspirational quote to keep us going or to pluck us up in the morning. As a small business owner, especially if working solo, it can be hard to know how to motivate yourself or where to find the right advice.
Here at KJP Creative, we love motivational and inspirational quotes to give anyone a nudge, a spice of courage and the push you need to get to work, create great results and feel good about yourself.
In our latest Yearly Social Media Planners, which are a great resource to plan and create a workable social media strategy and action plan throughout the year, you’ll find one of our motivation quotes at the start of every month! Available now on Amazon for just £5.99, with free P&P!
But in the meantime, here’s 24 quotes to inspire you – that’s almost one a fortnight. Bookmark this page and come back and refer to them often. We hope you’ll enjoy reading them, feel free to use them in your social media calendars as well.
“Be confident to start afresh with a clear vision and mission. New year, new goals” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Every opportunity and moment is a chance to see business growth. Grab hold and take action.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“You are your brand. Everything comes together to form your tone, your voice, your passion.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Be joyful of the things that come across your path. Everything happens for a reason.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Give good reason for your audience to love and trust your brand.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Growth comes from consistency – keep pushing – you’ll discover breakthrough if you keep going.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Social media should be enjoyed! Find your sweet sport to grow your brand online.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Trust your instincts. When it feel right, keep going and don’t look back.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Every new day allows you to make new decisions. Follow your heart and be happy with your choices.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Step into the shoes of who you are marketing to, what do you want to see and hear?” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Stand up and stand out, don’t be afraid to be set apart in order to get noticed.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Use the gifts and talents you have to make a difference.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Every opportunity is a chance to grow your business. Allow the doors to open.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Get creative with your marketing, always be authentic, passionate and desirable.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Pursue your passions and create a brand which represents your values.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Your visions will become reality when you focus, believe and take action.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Strive for what you want. Persistence will create results.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Crazy ideas often create the u-turn to success.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Inspiration comes when you’re not looking for it.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Imagine a world where everything felt good.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Know your calling. Listen to your heart. Be there for those who need you.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Passion and drive enable you to flourish and get results. Pursue.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Work backwards. Discover your end game and find the solution to get there.” – Karen J Petrauskas
“Turn your dreams into a new year reality.” – Karen J Petrauskas
If you’ve got a motivational quote to add to the above, we’d love to hear. Perhaps we’ll include it in our next round of social media planners!
On a separate note, if you’re a small business owner who struggles with finding the inspiration they need to create engaging social media content, we’d love to have a chat. We can discuss your needs and goals and help put a strategy and plan together. Use our contact page to start a conversation.
by Karen Petrauskas | Jun 26, 2021
Do you have a blog on your website?
- Why should you have a blog?
- Not enough time to blog?
- What’s the point of blogging?
- I can’t write blog posts
Which question are you asking right now?
Some small business owners struggle with keeping up with a blog on top of everything else they have to [usually] solely manage.
And larger organisations don’t always use the resources they have to create a blog as their teams are busy doing other things.
BUT having a blog on your website is extremely beneficial for these reasons…
- A blog drives traffic to your website
- Traffic turns into leads
- Provide knowledge and expertise and create authority
- Help solve problems, whilst building trust
- Build relationships with fellow readers
- Boost social media efforts
- Blogging is an amazing way to drive traffic to your website and increase your SEO
Here at KJP Creative we use our blog to help answer questions that people are asking, in order to give them value and help them in their online marketing journey. It ticks more than one box when it comes to engaging with an audience, answering the common questions that customers have, and providing content that can help other business owners in topics that they may be contemplating within their business.
Blogging also helps us to keep up to date with relevant news and trends, and keeps us on our toes in terms on knowledge and expertise. We also love to be able to share how-to’s, advice and tips with our audience, which is a great way to engage with people who are searching for solutions.
Blogging is a must for SEO
Absolutely, search engine optimisation helps to create fresh and exciting new content on a regular basis and will do wonders for Google! It will help to raise your profile, get you appearing in more search results, and help to improve that search listing. Want to be on page 1 of Google… get blogging!
Create fresh blogs / content
When we say ‘fresh’ content, that’s what we mean, not just updating a few lines on a page or swapping out an image, we mean creating regular new pages with lots of juicy content that the search engines can use when people are searching online for your products or services.
Use keywords in your blog posts
Ensure that you’re using keywords within your content and that it is all relevant to what you are writing about, however, the last thing you want to do is create top heavy keywords throughout the whole post, without relevance to the specific content. It will not work! Research your topic, understand the audience and what they might be looking for and typing into Google when they’re searching for a topic. Use free keyword tools to generate ideas to help you incorporate these into your posts.
Always use good blog titles and headlines
Again, a must when it comes to blogs and articles on your website. You want the post to be found and by creating a title that is directly what someone maybe searching for, gives you more of a chance to be found. This is also said for the meta data that goes with title. What people see and read on their search feed will determine whether or not they will click through.
What will entice them, what will make them click, what urgency or interest can you serve them in order for them to choose your post over another?
Having a blog on your website and utilising specific keywords gives so much more opportunity for your business to be discovered and also when it is, providing information-rich content will go a long way in establishing trust and reputation for your brand.
Not sure what to blog about?
If you’d like to blog but not sure where to start, why not make a list of all the questions that people ask you within your business. These questions can be turned into full blown answers, which can be written, structured to incorporate other links and helpful advice, and put onto your website.
If you’ve not got the time to blog, that’s ok. Many businesses don’t create the content themselves but instead they use people have. This is a perfectly normal practice for business owners of all sizes. Content creators are experienced in researching a given topic and finding the best way of putting this down in writing for others to read and act upon. Perhaps you’ve got lots of topic ideas but simply don’t have the time to put it into action – outsourcing your blog is definitely a solution.
There’s always a way if you want to make blogging happen and to give your business the extra credibility it deserves -, and with the added bonus that blogging is such a great way to boost SEO and search result listing, you’d be mad not to take advantage 😆
Get in touch if you’d like to find out more out blog and content marketing services.
In the meantime, why not download our free social media checklist to help ensure you’re ticking all the boxes when it comes to your social media marketing… enjoy!
by Karen Petrauskas | Nov 13, 2020
*This post contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links.
Instagram Inspiration
Not getting the results you hoped for on Instagram? Perhaps the answer could lie in the look of your grid.
One of the first things we do when we view a profile on Instagram, is to read their bio, check out the number of followers and then see what the grid looks like. Not everyone has a creative eye, but the look and feel of your posts should create a good first impression to any reader. This process takes about 5 seconds – and can be the difference between someone following your account, to them disregarding you completely.
Not everyone follows an account because of the way it ‘looks overall’ and it won’t necessarily get people to discover your page but it does go a long way in establishing people who are going to become loyal followers and potential customers – people who like what they see, stay interested for longer.
With an Instagram grid that is pleasing to the eye, with eye-catchy content and interesting posts, you are more likely to grow your following. The slight increase over time will or can results in hundreds, if not thousands, of new followers – which is great for business if it means more people are seeing your content.
The grid layout
You may spend most of your time swiping through your phone’s Instagram feed without actually visiting other profiles, and in that case you’d not be overly familiar with the layout of Instagram. But if you take a few moments to visit some profiles, you’ll see how they are laid out. This is called a grid.
Posts are displayed in rows of three, stacked on top of each other, each time pushing the previous post down the grid.
As it is always posted this way, it’s easy to create patterns or repeatable orders of three to keep the grid moving and to emphasise the things you want to highlight the most.
This could be represented by a brand colour, a quote, or something relevant to your profile.
When you’re deciding which looks best, it’s great to have a tool which can help you see the visual before you post. And also to have a scheduling tool that can help you plan ahead – we personally love Tailwind (actually for both Instagram and Pinterest!) as it takes the hard work out of posting. Have you tried it?
So, thinking about the different ideas of layouts, these could vary between:
- Random
- Diagonal
- Tiled
- Rows
- Line down the middle / on the side
- With boarders
- Mixed
Let’s look at these a little further – which grab your attention the most and how could you think to use these ideas in your own Instagram profile?
Random
We love this example of a random Instagram grid, it’s pleasing to the eye, fun-loving and inviting. It makes you feel happy and best of all, you want to keep scrolling. Depending on what your business is about, it can work for you too and is especially desired if you want Instagram to be easy. Try to still stay on brand though, keeping the same filters and colours, and making it eye-catchy to your trusted followers.
Diagonal
This is a popular choice for Instagrammers. It gives it an instant theme, easily branded by the choice of colours or filters and is a fairly easy grid to keep. To keep this going, you’ll need to post your chosen ‘diagonal’ every 4th post.
Tiled
This again is easy to follow, remembering to keep things alternate. This is good if you want to use a strong colour, or have lots to say, enjoy using quotes etc. It’s consistent and clean and your followers will know what to expect next for each post! Here at KJP Creative, we like the idea of both the diagonal and tiled look, so we’ve mixed them up a bit – here’s what ours looks like:
Rows
This layout is when you have images that you really want to show off – Instagram is the perfect place to highlight good photography and / or branded content. You could keep it to every row or three is one block, or you could mix it up a little and keep every third row as a block. Each row usually would tell a story or share a message
Vertical lines
This is just the opposite of the rows except you’re going in a vertical direction instead of horizontal. They look pretty, thought out and entices a reader to keep scrolling!
Without boarders
The majority of posts on Instagram are square, and they fill as much of the post as possible within the allocated space. But what if you could create a different effect but not using all the square space? Check out this example – it’s different and unique and extremely eye-catching.
Coloured blocks
This really is something that stands out if you get your colours right. Always stay true to your brand and identify with your audience through your colours. You can create some pretty eye-catching and inspirational content with the right choice of colours. And the same goes for a black and white theme, you can’t go wrong with that, especially if you’ve got some great photography behind it.
Puzzle theme
Have you ever thought that your posts don’t have to be stand alone? By getting creative, you can come up with very inspirational content. Not everyone will notice or realise the impact of these posts when looking at them individually, but take a look at the bigger picture and you discover a masterpiece!
Mixed
And at the end of this list, you couldn’t miss off the mixed up Instagram feeds! They are both creative and eye-catching and definitely worth exploring. Images roll into each other, two or three posts can become one gorgeous design. You don’t have be limited to the traditional border either – think outside the box!
Whatever style you decide to go with and whichever theme you settle on, remember to keep it branded, with your business tone of voice and ensure that you’ve got some great copy behind each post. Utilise hashtags, inspiring text and always giving value to your readers on every post.
If you’d like to chat about your social media marketing plan, and especially Instagram, we’d love to talk. Strategy and planning are key to an engaging and inspirational social profile. Raise your brand profile, grow your business and see results – all with the use of strategy.
