I first used a bluetooth headset during a long business trip—Oklahoma City to Tulsa in 2004.
To keep myself awake I cranked the rental car stereo up, rolled the windows down and sang along to my new Kelly Clarkson CD at the top of my lungs. After a particularly pitchy version of “Since U Been Gone,” as the music faded away, I heard laughter and applause in my ear. My headset auto-answered and a client (with a good sense of humor) put my performance on speaker phone and gathered the entire office together for my show.
Thanks for reading.
Kindness and Joy,
Jacque
Originally submitted to Reader's Digest, Your True Stories in 100 Words
Why You Need a Marketing Strategy Partner—Now More Than Ever
One of the most profound moments for me, as a feisty young entrepreneur, was reading “The eMyth” by Michael E. Gerber.
Gerber tells it better, but the gist of it is that we become entrepreneurs because we have a passion for what we do. So much passion, in fact, that we want to do it for a living. That part is awesome. We’re super excited, we know we’re good at this - and surely people are going to pay us for it. So, we take the plunge. We go all-in and start our very own business. And then… what?
Gerber says that where we fall short, and why most businesses fail, is that we build our companies around our own strengths and abilities. Seems only natural, right? But, the thing is that being really great at what you do, let’s say it’s accounting, doesn’t make you equally great at all of the other things required to make your business successful. Arguably, the most important of those things is marketing - and in our new and suddenly digital-first world it’s more crucial than ever to get it right. If you don’t know how to reach your audience, no one will know about your amazing skills. If no one knows, they don't count.
For whatever reason, many business owners try to take on their marketing themselves, like a DIY project. Reasoning that I’m good at being an accountant, so therefore I can market myself and my business well too. If only that were true. Marketing is a specialized field, like so many others, that’s equal parts art and science and requires full-time attention. While we’re busy running our business it’s far too easy to let the strategic part of our marketing slip away. It becomes an afterthought, lacking any cohesion, that is doomed to fail.
Think of your marketing as an umbrella with many critical functions of your business under it. Marketing is the keystone. It’s the most important piece that holds the rest together - and to be effective it has to connect with and support the whole company. You need strong content development, graphic collateral, website design and functionality, social media, PR/publicity, advertising, events, relationship building with influencers and strategic partners… but first, you need solid market research and a cohesive strategy. Without those as a foundation the other pieces flail about aimlessly and incongruously, unable to achieve measurable KPIs that support the overall company goals and ultimately diluting the quality of your brand and message.
Many business owners figure this out when it’s already too late - because the hardest thing about a solid marketing strategy is that it takes time to show results. We owners often lack the patience to see detailed implementation through. We want to shift and pivot too soon, not having seen immediate growth. But I’m here to tell you, there’s no magic bullet for it, no switch we can flip to see sudden and profound change. It’s an investment that delivers a measurable return over time. Building a good marketing strategy is like constructing a skyscraper - the beginning is often filled with foundation work that can seem dull and uninspiring. But it’s that foundation that supports the finished structure after six months or a year of building on it. And from there, there’s no stopping it. Your marketing builds on itself, layer by layer, growing stronger all the time. And then one day, you realize that all that patience paid off. You’re doing what you love and even making money in your sleep.
You need a marketing partner that can support this critical piece of your business in the brave new world we’ve found ourselves in. A partner that’s got this covered - so that you can get back to doing what your own passion calls you to do. Big Bold Thinkers is just that partner - we have you covered. Let us do what we’re good at. This is where our passion lies. We can help you remember why you started this business. You can get your head back in the game and find that joy again. We will handle the marketing so you can live your best and brightest life. Let's start right now.
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Ghost-written for the Big Bold Thinkers blog, 2020. Presented here for portfolio purposes.
Thanks for reading. All the love.
Kindness and joy,
Jacque
I can help you spread the good news. You're doing great things, right? Tell your tribe. Send press releases early and often.
Linked below are a few examples of press releases I've written over the years—gathered here for portfolio purposes. I do not represent these businesses.
New Freedom Family Medicine—New Location
Exit 11 Coffee—Grounds for Hounds Event
Camp Arcadia—Pre-prepared COVID19 Exposure Release
Grace's Place Annual Fund
Branding Bear New Hires & Promotions
MyDermRecruiter New Hires & Partnerships
Farm to You Market Dinner Event
