If you’re a business owner or are just starting out, then you cannot underestimate the power of good marketing. 

Marketing is now an essential part of running any business, and so no matter what the product or service, you should have a marketing strategy in place.

I assume you already have a site. If not, here’s a very detailed guide on starting an online store.

Read on for five ideas on how to market yourself and create the type of buzz around your business that you need.

Build an Email List

Assuming you have a website and blog, then building an email list will help you directly engage with your customers and specific target markets. 

Make sure you have an email sign-up form on your web page, and give readers an incentive to fill it in, such as a free ebook relevant to your industry. You can then send out direct messages, newsletters, or marketing emails to your list.

Optimize Your Website and Marketing Content

Optimization is key to achieving a positive place in the SERPS, so use basic SEO strategies to improve your visibility. 

You should research and use keywords that aren’t too competitive, build good quality backlinks by producing shareable well-written content and posting on guest blog sites, and track all your results to keep on top of bad links and identify your most successful strategies.

However, as the search engines have cracked down on poor quality content and SEOs who ‘game’ the system, be very very careful. You don’t want to be penalized. So always make sure your links are natural, don’t produce copy stuffed with keywords, and never post on sites that provide poor-quality content or where you have no control. If in doubt, engage an SEO specialist for help.

Good branding is more than just a logo – it tells customers about your business a lot more effectively than thousands of words ever could

Create Strong Branding

Good branding is more than just a logo – it tells customers about your business a lot more effective than thousands of words ever could.

Essentially, good branding gives your business a visual identity to differentiate it from competitors, creates an image that customers want to buy into, gives your business its own personality, demonstrates your values, and builds trust. Ultimately, whenever customers see your brand, it should create a powerful connection between your customers and your business – and therefore build sales.

Create an Editorial Calendar for Blog Posts

A blog is an excellent tool for marketing, but be careful not to just post up haphazard and random content when you think of it. Create a plan for your blogs so that each post is carefully thought out and published regularly. 

Ultimately, you’ll save time on head scratching and trying to come up with ideas when under pressure.

Diversify Your Content Marketing

The most successful marketing strategies employ a good mix of types of media and platforms for customers to engage with. Use videos, images, articles, infographics, or webinars, and distribute them across a wide number of platforms for best results.

Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay

The cruel fact of life is that nobody can have the entire cake and eat it. You’ll always have paperwork in your in-tray, the car will always need a wash and your kids will always need help with their homework. There will always be something that needs doing.

As demotivating as that may be, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have most of the cake and eat it too. The sooner you accept that you won’t ever get everything done when you’re a Mom and entrepreneur, the quicker you’ll get to the top, achieving true happiness.

As a Mom running your own business, you’ll be constantly juggling your priorities and tasks, trying to find a balance between family life, business commitments and a bit of time for yourself too. Unfortunately for some, the latter often gets neglected, but we’re going to give you some tips on how to find equilibrium, without being overwhelmed, and keep it…

Tip #1. Prioritize

Your first port of call should be to identify the tasks and activities that are essential. That might be making your kid’s packed lunches, answering your emails, spending a chunk of time on projects and taking the dog for a half hour walk. Keep them in mind, and schedule the rest of your day around those essentials that will make the biggest impact upon your life (or will cause the greatest problems if they’re left).

Tip #2. Use Free Services

Starting a mom business is an investment too and with kids and out of work, you are unlikely to have some extra money to spare. The good news is, there are lots of free or almost free services to use online, including Gmail, Trello, free images, and so many others. Also, if you search for discounts, you can find great deals to save. Here are a few great eCommerce website builders that are affordable and easy to use.

Tip #3. Divide Your Day

Instead of just tackling each workday as one large block of time, divide it into different types of work. Schedule a bit of time for phone calls, a bit of time for e-mails and a big chunk of time to get projects done.

Your day should be divided into three main categories:

Your Family
Your Work
Yourself.

Identify the essential tasks within those categories, and then spread out your other commitments/rewards between them. This will give you the balance you need to stay happy and on top of things.

Tip #4. Don’t Get Distracted

It’s far too easy to get swayed by things you want to do rather than things you need to do, or working late so that you can finish that project a day early. It seems like a good idea at the time, but you’ll end up mentally exhausted and unable to enjoy that special day off you worked so hard towards. It’s better to have an enjoyable evening off rather than a whole day when you’re tired and grumpy.

Tip #5. Make Lists

If you do find yourself getting distracted, you need to write down exactly what you should be doing in a list. Remember you are juggling three different priorities, so you’ll need three lists (one for work, one for family, and one for yourself).

Lists needn’t be long, but simply write down your essentials. Tick them off as you complete them, and you’ll find your stress levels fall considerably, and your confidence rises. It’s incredible how much of a boost just writing these things down can give you. Use whatever tools help you to get organized – flash cards, highlighters, a white board, whatever.

Tip #6. Honor Your Schedule

A white lie here and there isn’t going to do any harm. If you’ve planned a baking day with your kids, but a client wants you to work on something that day, tell them you’re already booked with another client instead. The same goes for the other way around – if your kids want you to take them out, when you’ve planned to go to the coffee shop with your friends, make it clear that Mommy needs time for herself too.

Take away all distractions possible when you’re in ‘work mode’ or ‘mommy mode’ too. I.e. turn off your work phone when you’re with the kids, and ban your kids from the office when you’re working.

Try to think of yourself as an office worker rather than someone who is self-employed. When you go out to work you don’t have your kids pestering you, so why should that be okay when you’re working at home? When you leave the office your clients don’t come home with you, so why should you be talking to them when you’re relaxing with your partner? Perspective is important.

Tip #7. Hold Onto Your Sense of Humor

Things are going to get hairy and you will run out of time occasionally. So, when it happens, don’t panic. Laugh it off and catch up – your schedule won’t crumble to pieces if you’re just one day behind!

Image source: justfunnies.com

Freelance and gig work is an ever-rising trend in the modern business world. Now, many workers around the world depend on side hustles to supplement or create their income, with over 57 million Americans working some kind of freelance job.

Most of these freelancers are working several jobs at a time — called “serial side hustlers”.

If you already have multiple side hustles or are interested in branching out, consider helpful serial side hustle tips on how to successfully manage multiple gigs.

1. Set a Goal

Creating a goal means that you aren’t working aimlessly for the sake of working.

Set up an idea of what your end game is. This goal can be anything: the amount of money you earn, the experience you gain, or the how much content you produce.

2. Create Time Blocks

Organization is key for any job, but when you are managing yourself, staying organized and managing your time effectively is crucial.

Organize your gigs into chunks of time. Block off time slots for each activity so that you have a clear and simple plan going forward, and don’t get bogged down by having to remember when to do what.

3. Add Some Variety

Burnout is very common among freelancers, particularly when work gets repetitive and stressful.

One way to avoid this is by pursuing new gigs in different industries to keep your work diverse and interesting.

4. Keep Your Professional and Personal Life Separate

If you start discussing professional life on your personal social media accounts, borders get fuzzy. If you use your personal email or phone number for business communication, you are always available and never have time off.

Never give away your personal info, only use your business phone number for your public profiles.

Guard your personal life carefully.

If you can, avoid working with your family members too.

5 Take Time Off

Make sure you are aware of the time commitment that freelancer work demands, especially if you are pursuing multiple side hustles.

Another way to avoid burnout is to allot time to relax and de-stress. Build this time into your schedule to force yourself to take a break occasionally.

6. Use Simple Life Hacks

Multiple gigs are a big time commitment, so simplifying your life and optimizing your time in other areas is a good way to maintain a comfortable schedule and not over-exert yourself.

Make your life easier with simple hacks like meal planning at the beginning of the week or time blocking during the day to focus on one task at a time.