If there’s one thing I absolutely LOVE, it’s sharing my opinions. Things I like, things I hate, things I think you should try. This weekly blog post is a summary of the things I found this week that I wanted to share with you. Hopefully at least one item on the list makes your world a little better! We made it through the week! I hope your weekend is amazing! ​

Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure! With videos like "Rat House of Horrors" we can see how @crimescenecleaning on TikTok has 4.2 million followers. It's morbid and gross and I'll admit, entirely entertaining!  Watch the interview on Vice and find out why people are so obsessed. 

Pinterest is helping creators turn clicks into cash! Learn more from TechCrunch.

The Hoth has created a wonderful visual that breaks down the perfect sales page that will help you convert leads and boost site traffic. Click on the image above to see the full visual. 

What would you say if you only had 2 minutes to introduce yourself and explain why you're amazing??? Coming up blank? That's totally normal! Use these tips to make sure you're ready next time. 

Your social handle is your username on social media. You want these to match as closely as possible. Ideally they will match your business name, but if it's taken by someone else then find something as close as possible and make sure they all match. 

Visit each of your social accounts and look them with the fresh eyes of a stranger. Is everything on-brand? Do your colors, fonts, and photos have a similar look and feel? If you're using a headshot, is it professional? Does your cover photo have a call to action or a benefit statement? Does it help tell your story? Make updates accordingly! 

If someone goes to your social profile, will they quickly find a way to contact you? This could be a link to your website, to a scheduling platform for your calendar, or your phone number. Don't make your audience work hard to contact you! 

Why would someone want your products and services? Quickly state the benefit of doing business with you. This is a bit harder because you usually have to stay within a certain character limit, but it's totally worth the work and edits! This will set you apart from your competition. 

Emojis are great for visual story telling! Look through emojipedia.org to find the best ones for your business and include them in your social bio. They are attention grabbing and will help tell your story! 

Hashtags are like keywords for your bio, plus they also stand out visually which is great for those just scanning your bio. 

Download the PDF so you can start checking these updates off your list!

​If there’s one thing I absolutely LOVE, it’s sharing my opinions. Things I like, things I hate, things I think you should try. This weekly blog post is a summary of the things I found this week that I wanted to share with you. Hopefully at least one item on the list makes your world a little better! We made it through the week! I hope your weekend is amazing! 

Use them on social media AND in email subject lines. Inc.com explains why if you want to learn more about the power of emojis. 

"The vast majority of emoji users (90%) believe the modern-day hieroglyphs make it easier for them to express themselves. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said emojis simplify communicating across language barriers. And 67% said they think people who use emojis are friendlier, funnier and cooler than those who don't." - read more from CNN.com 

Well, this is genius marketing. For a limited time, Oreo is disguising their cookie packages as something else so parents can hide their sweets in plain view without little munchkins begging for them nonstop in a whiny voice. Nice for parents. GREAT for the other brands which are now prominently displayed in  households!

The pandemic has changed - and is continuing to change - the way people shop. If you're not taking these factors into the account then you will be left behind. Guaranteed. 

"People count on convenience more than ever. Global searches for “along my route” (+1,000%) and “curbside pickup” (+3,000%) both soared year over year. Convenience became a key differentiator for retailers who were able to quickly pivot. This is likely to create a new post-pandemic shopping norm."

Plants reduce stress levels, boost your productivity, improve indoor air quality, and more. Learn more about their benefits from Healthline.com, then go support a local nursery or garden center to grab your own. 

If you're a plant lover, and your sense of humor is warped, you might find "Planty Hoes" on Instagram kinda funny. 

​Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation and realized it took an ugly turn toward a mean bad-mouthing session? Gossiping can be hard to avoid - especially with certain people - but for your own sanity, you should totally try to avoid it. Use these tips from YogaJournal.com. Also, check out these tips for being less negative in general (your mental, emotion, and physical health will thank you). 

First, decide what you want your audience to do. What's going to make your business successful? At the end of the day, what’s going to bring in money? Do they need to buy a specific service or product? Feel free to print off this blog post and fill those answers in here: 

​Next, focus on how you’re going to help your customers take those steps.  Will they need to visit your website and fill out a form? Order online? Do they need to call into your office/store? Would you prefer they stop in during shopping hours? Fill in your answers here:

Your business goals are under the first exercise. Your business goals are going to help you increase revenue. Next, attach a quantifiable goal to them. You want to make x number of sales or you want to increase your sales by x% this year. Then finally, break it down further. How many sales do you need to make each month to meet your goal? 

Your implementation goals will come from the second exercise. This is your "to-do list" to make sure your  target audience and customers can easily buy your products and services. The less steps they need to take the better. Take a good long look at your communication strategy and your website to make sure the experience is tailored around your customer and not around you.

This exercise is from my TOTALLY FREE workbook to help you get started in digital marketing. Download your own copy today! 

​If there’s one thing I absolutely LOVE, it’s sharing my opinions. Things I like, things I hate, things I think you should try. This weekly blog post is a summary of the things I found this week that I wanted to share with you. Hopefully at least one item on the list makes your world a little better! We made it through the week! I hope your weekend is amazing!  

​Google Ads & Insights Briefing: America is opening up after the pandemic and everyone is ready to start living again! Searches for outdoor entertainment, wedding planning, concerts and more have spiked. How does this affect your business? Read their report. 

​Canva.com has a ton of story templates. One of the things I absolutely love about these is that you can download them to your phone and use them on Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter Stories, LinkedIn Stories, and Facebook Stories. Take a look and see how you can repurpose them for your business. View story templates. 

​So I heard that Weightless by Marconi Union is good for your body and mind. According to an article from Inc.com, the music is a “collaboration with sound therapists. Its carefully arranged harmonies, rhythms, and bass lines help slow a listener's heart rate, reduce blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.” I gave it a try and fell in love. Try it for yourself via YouTube or Spotify.

​I work outside on my patio a lot right now, trying to soak in as much summer as I can. Now, I don’t drink while working … unless it’s after 4pm. So after 4pm, I totally recommend these White Wine Ginger Beer Sangrias! 

​Incase you haven’t heard me tell you a million times yet, I wrote a free digital marketing workbook. It’s designed to help small business owners and entrepreneurs get up and running and bring in sales as quickly as possible. Download it today. 

What if I told you I used digital marketing to help businesses recover from the financial hits they took during the pandemic … and then just walked away? Would you wonder how you can take advantage of the same services? Maybe even wonder why I didn’t tell you how to contact me so we could get started?
​
That’s why a call to action is so important. A call to action (CTA) is a statement or blurb that tells your audience how to take advantage of all the benefits you've been touting about your business. It’s kind of like the final instructions they need to get their hands on what you're selling. 

In the example above, after telling you I've helped businesses recover from the pandemic I'd follow it with something like "Start your ads next week! Contact me at www.digitalrush.com/contact for a free 30 minute consultation." 

​Your CTA is the desired action you want them to take and moves your customers through your sales funnel. A call to action directly impacts your goals. For example, those goals could be …  

• Increase subscriptions
• Boost sales
• Increase foot traffic
• Increase appointments
• Increase orders

Think through your goals so your call to action can work hard for you. 

Your call to action MUST include action words (verbs) and sound SUPER EASY. No one wants to work hard to give you money.  A few ideas to help start your call to action include …

• Order now
• Sign Up
• Subscribe
• Register
• Buy
• Download
• Follow
• Share
• Book Now

Add more details to finish those final instructions. For example …

• Book your next adventure
• Order these superhero cake pops
• Follow our journey on Instagram
• Subscribe for tips and tricks
• Click here for all of our favorite yoga pants
• Register today for 10% off

​Adding a “push” to your call to action means you’re adding a sense of urgency. Us humans like to put things off … especially when it comes to spending money. Your job is to sell your products/services, make sure your audience can’t live without it, and then tell them how to get it. Adding a sense of urgency ensures you’ll have more people taking advantage of your products and services.   

A hard push is when you give a specific deadline. For example ...

• Hurry! Offer expires on December 15th
• Register by April 5th to keep this intro price
• Order by July 1st and get a free gift!

A soft push is when you give your call to action a sense of urgency, but it’s not tied to specific date. For example ...

• Hurry! Sign up today.
• Limited time offer
• Order now before supplies run out
• Request an appointment today!

Those newer to marketing are going to feel uncomfortable about this at first … but your call to action should be EVERYWHERE. On social media, in emails, in ads, on business cards, on brochures, EVERYWHERE. You might feel like you're over-doing it, but you're not. If you don't tell people what to do and how to do it, then they won't. One of the fastest ways to increase sales is to add a call to action everywhere!