Category Archives: Small Business Marketing

Head-to-head with Caz, from Kaztique Fashion Accessories

A while ago, I hosted a social media marketing challenge on Facebook. From those that joined the challenge, I picked a winner at random to win a coaching session – that winner was Caz from Kaztique Fashion Accessories, and Caz has kindly agreed to answer some questions about the session to show you what can be achieved in just one session. I asked Caz several questions and here are her answers…

Q. How did you feel when you heard you’d won the coaching session – were you nervous or not sure what to ask for?

A. I was really excited to have won and wasn’t really sure exactly what I needed, I just knew I needed to do something different.

Q. What did you think you needed to change, if anything, when we first spoke?

A. I was nervous and honestly thought you would get me to change everything!

Q. I wouldn’t do that! I looked at your social media pages, and gave them an audit. From experience, I know what works well and what doesn’t – what little tweaks can be made, which make a huge difference, and I came up with some suggestions that we could discuss. What were the main things we decided you should try?

A. To change the colours of my logo – to update my profile and cover photo. Link my Facebook to my Instagram to make it easier when posting and to do some reels. You also suggested I change the format of my morning posts to make them more engaging.

Q. So far, and I know it’s a work in progress, what have you changed?

A. I’ve changed my profile picture, my morning posts. I’m doing more reels and I’m asking questions, such as the video I did showing my outfit for going out for coffee with a friend and asking – ‘Which bag should I take for coffee and which accessories to match my outfit?’. This went down very well!

Q. What surprised you most about the response to those changes?

A. I was surprised to see significant improved engagement and an increase in sales – and the best bit was that they were so easy to implement!

Q. Can you tell me a bit more about the posts you created as a result of our session and how your audience reacted?

A. Yes, I created a few posts. In one, I showed 3 photos of bags and asked which one would they take for a coffee. In another, I wore an outfit and showed different accessories and asked which ones they’d choose for me to wear.

I did a reel of me with my travel pouch, showing how I used it for things I take on holiday and took things out one at a time to show what I take.

The audience really interacted with me on all these posts and I was surprised how many sales I made, especially the travel pouch – I sold 6 within 10 minutes of the video being shown!

Q. That’s amazing, Caz. How long did it take you to make the videos?

A. I’d say planning the video – 5-10 minutes and less that 5 minutes to film as I did them in one take!

Q. What would you say to another business who feels they don’t have enough time to make videos?

A. That the time is definitely worth it due to the increase in engagement and sales. Also, if you plan ahead, the videos do not actually take long to do. The more you do, the easier it becomes.

Q. What difference have you noticed from your overall engagement since our session?

A. Lots more comments, answering my questions and buying items!

Q. Overall, has the coaching helped you to improve your social media and get more sales?

A. Yes, it has, July ( the month following our session) was amazing and August has been good, which I’m pleased about as it’s always a hard month as children in the school holidays etc. Definitely the coaching has helped!

Q. Did you find the coaching relaxed and easy to understand?

A. Really relaxed. You were so friendly and helpful. It was all easy to understand and I felt confident to ask questions if I was unsure.

Q. That’s great to know, thank you. What did you like most about the session?

A. Finding out new ways to improve my social media presence, that weren’t too hard to implement.

Q. What would you say to another creative business who was considering coaching – and is there anything else you’d like to share?

A. I would definitely encourage other businesses to try coaching as it gives you ideas you may not have thought of.

I’d add that it has made me think out of the box and try other ideas I wouldn’t necessarily thought of. Also, not to worry if you can’t do everything at once, as long as you try to do something each month. There are still things in the action plan I have not done, but they are not forgotten and I will complete them, as the coaching has been so beneficial. Thank you Cindy for all your help. It’s much appreciated

I’d like to thank Caz for agreeing to answer some questions about coaching and hope it has helped you see the benefits. And thank you Caz, for your kind words!

If coaching is something you’ve been thinking about, or would like to consider, feel free to contact me for a free consultation and we can talk about how I may be able to help you and your business.  

Content Buckets: More Ways to Plan Your Content

Person reviewing analytics beside text: Which metric is the most IMPORTANT? Reach vs. Impressions – Does it matter? Stop stressing over Vanities! Am I looking at the right numbers? Engagement Rate: A key indicator? Followers are just numbers? How to prove ROI? Which one REAL success? Is CTR important? Save time: Track only vital stats Data overwhelm! Likes are vanities! Traffic to Followers are just numbers? Stop stressing over Vanities! Can I ignore SHARES?

In my previous post, I explained what content buckets are and how they can help you organise your social media and content marketing. The idea is simple – choose the types of content you want to use, then put different topics and ideas underneath each one. This gives you a bank of ideas to work from instead of having to think of something completely new every time you post.

In this post, I’m going to look at some more content buckets and then show you how you can use them to plan your autumn and Christmas marketing.

Conversational content

Conversational content is very similar to engaging content, but it’s more about encouraging two-way communication. Social media is about posting content for your audience, but also listening to them and interacting with them.

You could:

  • Ask questions and respond to the answers
  • Comment on other small businesses’ posts and start conversations
  • Host a live Q&A
  • Ask questions during a live session
  • Follow up on the results of a poll with another post

For example, if you ask your audience which Christmas product they’d like to see you create, don’t let the conversation end with that post – or poll, however you decide to do that. Use the results.

Talk about what people chose, ask another question and perhaps explain what you’re going to do with their suggestions. One piece of content can then lead to several more.

User-generated content

User-generated content is content created by your customers and shared on social media or other channels. It can be incredibly valuable because your customers are helping you promote your business.

It could include:

  • Testimonials
  • Reviews
  • Customer photographs
  • Social media comments
  • Customer posts
  • Customer stories

For example, if a customer sends you a photograph of one of your handmade products in their home, ask if you can share it. You could tell the story behind their purchase or simply use the photograph to show your product being used in real life.

The great thing about user-generated content is that your customer has done the creating for you! Just remember to ask permission before using someone’s content for your own marketing.

Listicles

A listicle is simply content presented in a list format.

You see these all the time and I’m a fan of using these in my content…

  • 5 ways to…
  • 10 tips for…
  • 7 things you need to know…
  • My top 5…
  • 3 mistakes to avoid…

They’re popular because they’re easy to read and give people useful information in a format that’s easy on the eye!

Listicles are really useful for seasonal marketing too.

Think about:

  • 5 Halloween products your customers will love
  • 10 Christmas gift ideas
  • 7 things to do before your Black Friday promotion
  • 5 stocking fillers
  • 3 last-minute Christmas gift ideas

Success stories

Success stories show how your product or service has helped a real customer. A customer story focuses on their experience with you and your business, while a case study tends to look more closely at the situation, the solution and the results.

You could:

  • Create a success stories page on your website
  • Write a blog post about a customer story
  • Create a case study
  • Share testimonials
  • Share customer photographs
  • Use video testimonials

This type of content helps potential customers see what it’s actually like to buy from you or work with you. And it can be particularly effective during a sales period.

Instead of simply saying, ‘Our Christmas gift boxes are now available!’, you could tell the story of a previous customer who bought one as a gift and explain why they chose it.

You’re still selling, but you’re doing it through a story.

Promotional content

Of course, promotional content is important. At the end of the day, your business needs sales. There’s nothing wrong with telling people what you sell, showing your products and letting people know about your offers.

It only becomes a problem when almost all of your posts are promotional or selling. If someone follows you and constantly sees ‘Buy this’, ‘Sale ends today’ and ‘Last chance’, they may eventually stop paying attention.

Your promotional content works much better when it’s surrounded by content that provides value, builds trust and helps people get to know your business.

I’ve always advocated the 80/20 rule – 80% engagement and only 20% selling, but you don’t need to follow a rigid rule like this and I’ve changed my tack a bit over the past year. I’d say that now it’s much more important to think about the following questions…

  • Are you helping people?
  • Are you entertaining them?
  • Are you starting conversations?
  • Are you showing them who you are?
  • Are you demonstrating your expertise?
  • And, of course, are you also giving them opportunities to buy?

Product content

Product content is the text, images, videos and other information that tells your audience about what you sell. Whether you sell a handmade product or a service, your content should help potential customers understand:

  • What is it?
  • Who is it for?
  • What problem does it solve?
  • What are the benefits?
  • Why might someone choose it?
  • How can they buy it?

When creating product content, make sure you:

  • Speak directly to your target audience
  • Focus on the benefits as well as the features
  • Use good-quality photographs or images
  • Show the product being used where possible
  • Give people the information they need before buying
  • Make it easy to find out more or make a purchase

Now let’s make this seasonal

This is where I think content buckets become particularly useful.

We’re heading into one of the busiest marketing periods of the year, with Halloween, Black Friday and Christmas all coming up. It can be tempting to think you need completely different content for each occasion. Actually, you don’t!

Your content buckets can stay the same. You simply change the topic and message to fit the season.

For example, your Halloween content could include:

  • An entertaining Halloween post
  • A behind-the-scenes post showing what you’re making
  • A poll asking your audience to choose their favourite design
  • An educational post relating to your product
  • A customer story
  • A product showcase
  • A fun Halloween question

Then, as you move towards Black Friday, you can start talking more about your offers, products and services while continuing to provide useful and interesting content.

Christmas gives you another opportunity to use those same buckets with new topics — gift guides, customer stories, product demonstrations, behind-the-scenes content, Christmas tips and, of course, your seasonal offers.

The framework stays the same – it’s the topics that change. That’s what makes content buckets so useful.

One idea can become several posts

You also don’t need to create completely different content for every marketing channel. You can easily repurpose different posts for other marketing tactics. For example…

  • A blog post can become several social media posts.
  • A customer story can become a newsletter.
  • A product photograph can become an engaging post.
  • A question from your audience can become a future blog post.
  • A Christmas gift guide could become a blog, several social posts and an email to your subscribers.

You’re taking one useful idea and making it work harder for your business. Your content buckets are your starting point.

If you’re struggling with what to post, try this.

  • Write down 5–10 content buckets that suit your business.
  • Underneath each bucket, write down as many ideas as you can – the topics.

Don’t worry about creating the actual posts yet. You’re simply building your content bank. Then you can start mixing them up across your social media and other marketing.

And when Halloween, Black Friday and Christmas come around, you can look at those same buckets and decide how you can use that type of content to talk about the season you’re working on

That is much easier than starting from a completely blank page. Your content buckets give you the structure. Your seasonal marketing gives you the topics. And that means you can create a marketing strategy that is varied, interesting and, importantly, still gives you plenty of opportunities to sell your products or services.

If you’d like some 1:1 coaching around content marketing for your specific business or would like help with your wider strategic marketing planning, please feel free to email me or message me on social media.

Featured image generated with the help of AI.

The Curious Case of Gladys the Chicken

Gladys was our only remaining chicken – a Light Sussex breed, who sadly we had to say goodbye to last week. I wasn’t going to mention it but decided she needed her own story! And I hope you enjoy the story of a very special chicken!

We took on her and her ‘sister,’ Muriel about three years ago after her owners returned to the UK. Despite my hubby making them a lovely coop off the ground with a ladder and ventilation with wire to keep predators away, all fenced in, Gladys was not happy. After several escapes and screaming when we shut her in at night, attacking me when I let her out in the morning, we decided to just let them do their own thing.

Muriel died last summer – she was a very old lady, and Gladys wasn’t far behind – neither had laid eggs for a while, although Gladys gave us the odd one! She was a bit lost for a while without Muriel but soon got used to life on her own – and she had the cat to torment! He hated her but was scared of her pecking!

Gladys adapted; she was happy, she wandered around and didn’t stray too far from the courtyard, but in autumn of 2025, she started wandering a bit further down to our field and foraging for insects, fruit, and vegetation that she liked. She was a fairly quiet chicken, 🐓 and her breed are very good at avoiding predators and we never clipped her wings, so she could fly into a tree if she needed to – and she liked to! She was a happy, retired hen – aged about 6 then, which is a good age in itself !.  

Living in rural France, she had acres of land to roam on, but she was always at the door in the morning for her food, much to our cat Jax’s annoyance as she pushed in front of him for food and pinched his if she got the chance.

So now, we get into the curious part of the story.

At the beginning of this summer, it was very hot here, and Gladys disappeared. We looked everywhere for her, just as we had with Muriel when she disappeared, but we couldn’t find her anywhere. We searched barns, under bushes, down the field, around the trees and outbuildings – nothing! We didn’t think she’d be taken by anything, as no piles of feathers or signs of struggle, which from experience is normal if a chicken has been taken by a fox – and if taken by a pine marten, you usually find headless bodies as they only seem to want the head!

After a couple of days, we were resigned to the fact that she’d probably been taken or just gone somewhere to die and we wouldn’t find her. Then, after being missing for 4 days, I opened the door to the cat in the morning and there was Gladys – happy as you like, wanting food! She wasn’t particularly hungry but ate and immediately disappeared again.

We knew she wasn’t broody, or sitting on eggs anywhere as she hasn’t laid eggs in ages. The next time she disappeared for 9 days – and again, wasn’t particularly hungry, as she wasn’t interested in the chicken feed when she returned, she wanted some of Jax’s cat food, so I gave her some.

Then off she went again, this time for 10 days, and turned up and knocked on the door for food.

Glady, the nomad?

So, we had questions…

  • Where did she go?
  • What did she eat?
  • How did she look after herself?

We came to the conclusion that we had raised a nomadic chicken! After doing some research, it seems there are a few options…

  • She’d found herself a secret chicken paradise. Chickens are surprisingly capable of becoming semi-independent when they have the opportunity.
  • She may have established a second home. 🌳 As she is capable of flying into trees, she may have found a good roosting tree away from the house, and a chicken that sleeps high in a tree is mainly safe from foxes and ground predators.
  • She could be following seasonal food. 🍓 Rural France can apparently provide a great chicken buffet! Insects, seeds, fallen fruit and berried, (we have several fruit trees and berry bushes in the fields), vegetation, worms etc. And as she’s not desperately hungry when she returns, she’s obviously foraging.
  • She’s gone completely feral! Some chickens can become remarkably independent if they’re allowed to free range over a large area. If Gladys has spent years learning the territory, avoiding predators, and foraging for food, she could have developed her own territory!

I still wanted to know where she went when she disappeared!

This is the funniest part – we had watched her to see which direction she took when she left, so we could solve the mystery. But NO! Gladys was a clever chicken! Every time I tried to follow her, she sat down and didn’t move, allowing me to stroke her. She purposely waited until I’d gone back inside and then disappeared! We spent ages looking around our land for her – looking up, looking down, looking in and under hedges, in outbuildings and barns – NO SIGN OF HER! If she were there, there would be evidence – chicken poo for a start – and a lot of it! And feathers! But nothing!

Queen Gladys I

After she disappeared for the fourth time, it struck me that she could be in the ruined chateau in our grounds – it has several underground tunnels, there are trees growing out of it and dense foliage, which is damp – so it would be a perfect place to avoid predators, forage for insects and berries and fly up high at night. It’s not somewhere we could fully investigate as it’s unsafe!

In the end, we came to the conclusion that Gladys was retired – she had acres of French countryside to explore, a guaranteed food source by foraging, excellent predator avoidance skills and the ability to roost in trees – she simply didn’t want us to know where she was. When she got bored or wanted a more gourmet style meal, she simply strolled home, knocked the door, and got room service! She was living her best life – she no longer lived with us – we lived in her territory!

Chickens clearly aren’t as stupid as their reputation suggests. They have surprisingly good memories, can learn routines, recognise individuals, and learn from experience. Gladys had clearly worked out she could have the best of both worlds.

  • Free accommodation at Le Chateau
  • Free range food during the day
  • And catered room service by knocking on our door when she wanted it!

Our chateau was built in 1129 and has been a feudal castle, a place for the French resistance and loads in between – I think it finally found its rightful owner…

👑🐔 Her Majesty Gladys I, Queen of the Château, Defender of the Hedges, Mistress of the Tunnels, and occasional visitor to the kitchen door to supervise the staff!

I think there was something very special about Gladys. She was an old hen who had nothing useful to do anymore. She wasn’t producing eggs, so she didn’t need to raise chicks, she wasn’t part of a flock hierarchy – she’d basically just reached retirement and decided to spend it exploring her kingdom! She knew she could forage for food – there are fruit bushes and trees, an abundance of insects and we always put plenty of water out for her. And she could get gourmet food when she fancied a change!

She wasn’t lost. She wasn’t confused. She wasn’t desperately trying to get home. She was just perfectly capable of looking after herself and what a character she was!  

Last week, and aged about 7, she collapsed outside our door and was very disorientated and couldn’t stand. She was very weak – no sign of injuries. From previous experience, we knew it was just that she was old and it was time to let her go.

We will miss the old girl, she gave us plenty of laughs, lovely eggs and finally decided for herself that she would be Queen of all she surveyed during her last months.

I hope you enjoyed the curious case of our Gladys. I just couldn’t let her go without telling her story!

Long live Queen Gladys I – we won’t ever forget you – and nor will we ever know for sure where you actually went when you disappeared!  

The Metrics that matter – and what you can ignore!

Person reviewing analytics beside text: Which metric is the most IMPORTANT? Reach vs. Impressions – Does it matter? Stop stressing over Vanities! Am I looking at the right numbers? Engagement Rate: A key indicator? Followers are just numbers? How to prove ROI? Which one REAL success? Is CTR important? Save time: Track only vital stats Data overwhelm! Likes are vanities! Traffic to Followers are just numbers? Stop stressing over Vanities! Can I ignore SHARES?

One of the biggest problems with Facebook and Instagram insights is that there are so many numbers to look at. When you’re run off your feet, running your small business, there’s just not enough time in the day to look at every single one – and the good news is that you don’t have to!

You don’t have to be a social media data analyst as well as everything else! You simply need to understand enough about the numbers so you can make better marketing decisions.

There is no single most important figure!

There really isn’t – it all depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your social media posts.

  • If you’re trying to grow your audience, follower growth and reach may be useful.
  • If you’re trying to build engagement and community, comments, shares and saves become more important.
  • If you’re trying to drive people to your website, link clicks matter.
  • If you’re trying to generate enquiries, messages and website visits will be more important than likes.

So, the first question to ask yourself is ‘What am I trying to achieve?’ Then you know where to start.

Metric 1 – Reach

Reach is worth looking at as it tells you how many people your content was shown to. But don’t think that just because you have a higher reach, that it’s a better post. That’s not necessarily true. A post can reach thousands of people and generate absolutely no meaningful response.

A different post might reach a much smaller audience, but result in comments, shares, website visits or enquiries.

Reach tells you about visibility – it doesn’t tell you about value. 

Metric 2 – Shares  

For most businesses, shares are one of the most interesting things to keep an eye on, because they mean that someone has thought that your post is worth passing on to their followers.

Why might it be shared? It could be that it’s funny, inspirational, useful, relatable or because they think it might help their followers. Whatever the reason, the point is that it’s been shared – they didn’t just scroll past.

So, if you get shares, look at the post and see why – what made people want to share it? Then you can think of ways to create similar content with the same qualities.  

Metric 3 – Saves

Saves are another useful metric – it again shows that you stopped the scroll long enough for someone to read your post and think it’s worth saving for later. Saves are often the result of educational or inspirational content.

If you get a save on your posts, it’s worth looking at it and finding out why – again, you can then create similar posts in future.

Metric 4 – Comments

Comments – this is my favourite metric! It shows that your content has started a conversation, or someone might be asking a question or sharing their opinion of what you’ve written.

Comments give you useful information about what matters to your audience. Look at the type of comments you get…It’s inevitable, you’ll get the odd ‘love this’, ‘cute’, or just ‘have a good day’. But you’ll also get comments such as ‘I’ve been struggling with exactly this’, or you may get a question asking for more information or giving you an example of their experience.

These comments can help give you more ideas for future content and spark a two-way conversation – or both. Your audience is telling you what they like, dislike or what they could really use help with.

Metric 5 – Link clicks and website visits

If you want to achieve driving more traffic to your website, this is the metric to look at. You might post something that gets 50 likes – you might post something that only gets 10. But if the second post generates 8 website clicks and the first doesn’t generate any, which one is more useful to your business?

This is another reason why likes shouldn’t automatically be your measure of success.

Metric 6 – Profile visits

This tends to be more linked to Instagram – profile visits can tell you that your post has sparked curiosity. Someone saw it and thought that they need to check out your business – so they go to your profile to find out more.

BUT, if lots of people are visiting your profile, but very few are following you or contacting you, look at your profile.

Is it clear? Does it clearly explain who you are, what you do/sell, or what you help people with? Does your personality shine through. Is there a clear reason why someone should want to click on your website to find out more?

Sometimes your insights don’t just tell you what’s working – they also help you find out where you need to improve things.  

Metric 7 – Follower growth

Ok, so I know that I have said before that you don’t need to become obsessed with follower growth – and you don’t, but it does matter.

It matters in that it’s useful if your growing audience are potential customers. But 2,000 random followers aren’t necessarily better than 500, if those 500 genuinely like your business and want what you sell or offer.

Remember too, that net follower growth gives you a more realistic picture that simply looking at how many new followers you’ve gained. Look at this metric more as a trend than a daily score. Are you gradually attracting the right people?

Now – what can you ignore?

OK, maybe not so much ignore, but more you can stop being obsessed about!

Likes – they’re not meaningless as they are a useful indication that someone enjoyed your content. But they don’t tell you everything – and there are people who scroll through Facebook and Instagram and just stick a like by every post.  

Don’t be disappointed if your post doesn’t get lots of likes, it might still generate website visits, profile visits, enquiries or sales – and even shares and saves. You need to look at the bigger picture.

Impressions – This is a number that can be useful, but if you’re already thinking the analytics you already know about are a lot, you could discard this one. Impressions are useful if you’re trying to understand how often content is being shown. It only tracks visibility – let me give you an example. Your post shows it reached 100 people, but impressions say 300. Your reach is the actual number of people who were shown it – impressions are the number of times it was looked at, so could be multiple times from one person. It could be that on one particular day; your post appears in the same person’s feed every time they go into it. This will count as 1 reach, but multiple impressions. So, not really an accurate number.  

Don’t worry about…

  • The fact your engagement rate went from 4.2% to 3.9%. It will fluctuate every day.
  • Don’t worry if your reach dropped slightly from one week to the next.

Your audience behaves differently every day and from week to week. You know that there will be some weeks that you see businesses you follow in your feed – other times, you won’t see any that you know or follow. This all affects your numbers.

  • The algorithm changes
  • People go on holiday
  • School holidays happen
  • The weather changes
  • Life happens

All these things affect the numbers…surprisingly! My advice is to look for patterns, not tiny fluctuations. 

Don’t worry about your follower count from yesterday. You may have gained three followers; you may have lost six. Your follower count isn’t going to tell you much about how your marketing is performing.

This is one statement I always remember from some training I did early on about social media…

You’re building a business, not taking part in a popularity contest.

This is so true! I see businesses posting that they got an award from Facebook for starting conversations or for putting out engaging content. I’m going to share something now – I HAVE NEVER EVER had any of these in the whole 14 years I’ve been in business – NOT ONCE!

It used to really bother me – now it doesn’t – I’m happy for those of you who do, but I’m happy that my content is liked because my audience say so and react! That’s not to take away from those who do get these recognitions – I’m pleased that small businesses get noticed – and Facebook absolutely should do that!  But if, like me, you don’t get those accolades, don’t let it worry you!

Finally, here is a summary of what you should track… 

  • If your goal is visibility – look at Reach
  • If you goal is engagement – look at comments, shares and saves
  • If your goal is website traffic – look at link clicks and website visits and check you have those links in your profile or bio.
  • If you goal is audience growth – look at follower growth and net follower growth.
  • If your goal is enquiries – look at messages, profile visits and website clicks

Finally, if your goal is sales – you need to look beyond the metrics and look at your marketing and how it actually contributes to sales. For sales, marketing is the most important metric of all – your strategy, your content, and how it all fits together.

Remember – your aim isn’t to create one lucky post, it’s to understand your audience well enough to create more of the content they actually want to see – and that’s where your metrics help. 

If your goal is more sales, I can help you look at your marketing strategy and help you build a workable one, along with a content strategy and your customer journey – all in easy to follow, step by step instructions.

Message me if you want to get your marketing on track for more sales.

Marketing Made Simple. 

Don’t be fooled by viral Facebook posts – how to spot a social media hoax!

Man fact-checking alien hoax story on laptop in home office

Over the past few weeks, I’ve started to see similar Facebook posts popping up again. The post claims that Meta has changed its rules and that you need to copy and paste a statement onto your timeline to protect your photos and personal information.

This same post sometimes worded slightly differently appears every year or so and the good news is – it’s not true! It’s a hoax.

Why it’s not true.

When you create a Facebook account, you agree to Meta’s Terms of Service. Those terms explain how your content can be used to provide the service. A disclaimer on your timeline does not change the contract you’ve agreed to.

The post usually starts with something dramatic – designed specifically to get your attention and to make you panic about your personal data. Something like:

  • Big day tomorrow…
  • A lawyer has advised everyone to post this…
  • This was on TV…

The posts I’ve seen start with ‘Don’t forget that tomorrow marks the start of the new Facebook rule, which allows them to use your photos….’ Here are a few more excerpts from the post…

  • The violation of privacy can be punished by law.
  • Every member must post a note like this.
  • If you do not publish a statement at least once, it will be technically understood that you are allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status.
  • I HEREBY DECLARE THAT I DO NOT GIVE MY PERMISSION FOR FACEBOOK OR META TO USE ANY OF MY PERSONAL DATA.

OK, let’s deal with this:

  1. Posting a disclaimer doesn’t override Facebook’s Terms of Service
  2. Real policy changes are announced through official channels, not randomly given to people to post with no evidence!
  3. The post contains several red flags.

People often share these posts, not because they’re being gullible, but because they are genuinely worried for themselves and their friends. The post deliberately creates fear and urgency, so many just think, ‘well, it can’t hurt – I’ll post it just in case.’ I’ve done it myself in the past. Unfortunately, the more people post, the quicker the hoax spreads.

As a marketing coach, it’s a great marketing ploy showing why emotion drives people to share something!

  • Fear – your photos will be used without your permission.
  • Urgency – the deadline is today.
  • Social proof – you see your friends and family posting it.
  • Authority – a lawyer said – it was on TV etc.
  • Simple to comply – just copy and paste.

These are all legitimate marketing principles, but in this case they’re being used to spread misinformation, rather than help people.  

Why do these posts keep appearing?

The simple answer is because they work!

Not because they’re true, but because they’re designed to make people react before they stop and think.

How to fact-check before sharing

  • Look for official announcements on the ‘Meta Newsroom’ or ‘Meta for business news’ pages.
  • Search whether independent fact checking organisations have covered it. You can do this on ‘Google Fact Check Explorer.’
  • ALWAYS be cautious of anything that asks you to copy and paste instructions.
  • Read it and ask whether it makes sense – often it’s very repetitive and really doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

Why does this matter for small businesses?

As small business owners, it’s especially important to be careful about what we share. Sharing inaccurate information can affect your credibility – it’s better to say ‘I’ve seen this, (describe the post) and I’m not convinced it’s true, so I’m checking before I share. Or alert me and I’ll check for you!

Every post contributes to the trust we build with our audience, so taking a minute to check whether something is genuine is always worthwhile.

So, if you see one of these….PAUSE – THINK IF IT FEELS TRUE – VERIFY –

It’s worth remembering that protecting your privacy starts with your account settings – if you want more control over your data, the things that actually help are:

  • Review your Facebook privacy settings.
  • Limit who can see your posts and photos.
  • Remove content you no longer want on the platform.
  • Check your ad preferences and data settings.
  • If you’re in the UK or EU, you have additional rights under data protection laws, such as requesting access to or deletion of certain personal data.

Remember – Social media is full of advice, opinions, rumours, and headlines competing for our attention. Some of it’s helpful. Some of it isn’t.

These posts aren’t shared because people are naïve. They’re shared because they appeal to our instinct to protect ourselves and the people we care about. The best thing we can do is pause, check the facts, and only share information we’re confident is accurate.

Have you seen this Facebook privacy post appearing in your feed? I’d love to know whether you’ve spotted any other social media myths or scams recently. Let me know in the comments.

Is your business suffering from the summer slump?

Collage of a young person in various poses showing frustration and contemplation with sketches, coffee cups, and polaroid photos reflecting a creative and emotional summer.

Summer is a season many of us look forward to – longer days, holidays, BBQs and, hopefully, plenty of sunshine. But while it’s great for relaxing, it can be a challenging time for many small businesses.

If you’ve noticed enquiries slowing down, engagement on social media dipping, or sales becoming quieter than usual, you’re certainly not alone. For many businesses, the “summer slump” is a familiar seasonal pattern.

During the summer months, people’s priorities naturally shift. Families are juggling school holidays, many people are travelling, spending more time outdoors, or simply taking a break from their usual routines. That often means they’re spending less time scrolling social media, checking emails, or making non-essential purchases.

Rather than seeing this quieter period as a setback, try to view it as an opportunity. While business may slow temporarily, there are plenty of productive ways to prepare for a stronger second half of the year.

Stay Visible

It can be tempting to stop posting on social media when engagement drops, but consistency is still important. Keep showing up for your audience, even if your numbers aren’t quite where you’d like them to be.

You don’t have to create brand-new content every day either. Refresh and repurpose older posts, update popular blogs, turn articles into short videos or carousels, or revisit topics that performed well previously.

The same applies to email marketing. Even during the summer, people continue to check their inboxes, often more consistently than social media. A helpful newsletter can keep you and your business on their radar until they’re ready to buy.

Refresh Your Marketing

Use quieter weeks to tackle those jobs you’ve been putting off.

You could:

  • Update your website.
  • Refresh your branding or social media graphics.
  • Review your pricing and service pages.
  • Update case studies and testimonials.
  • Improve your welcome emails or customer journey.
  • Organise your content calendar for autumn and Christmas.
  • Review your SEO and make sure your website is easy to find on Google.

These tasks often get pushed aside during busy periods, so now is the perfect opportunity to get ahead.

Review Your Content Strategy

Social media changes constantly, so it’s worth reviewing what’s working rather than posting out of habit.

Think about creating content that:

  • answers your customers’ most common questions
  • demonstrates your expertise
  • shares behind-the-scenes moments
  • showcases customer success stories
  • offers practical tips and advice

Short-form video continues to perform well, but don’t feel you have to dance on camera! Simple, authentic videos explaining your products or services are often far more effective.

If you use AI tools to help with content creation, remember to add your own voice and personality. Your audience wants to hear from you, not just read generic marketing copy.

Host a Live Session

Going live on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn can be a great way to reconnect with your audience.

You could:

  • answer frequently asked questions
  • demonstrate a product
  • share customer success stories
  • introduce a new service
  • give a behind-the-scenes tour of your business

People enjoy interacting in real time, and live content helps build trust.

Focus on Existing Customers

Sometimes the easiest sale is to someone who already knows and trusts you.

Reach out to existing customers and ask:

  • How are they getting on?
  • Are they making the most of your product or service?
  • Is there anything else they need?
  • Is there something you could improve?

Their feedback is incredibly valuable and may even inspire your next product or service.

Ask for Reviews and Referrals

Happy customers are usually willing to recommend you—they just need reminding.

Now is a great time to ask for:

  • Google reviews
  • Facebook recommendations
  • LinkedIn recommendations
  • Testimonials for your website
  • Referrals to friends or colleagues

You could even reward referrals with a small thank-you gift or discount where appropriate.

Build New Connections

Networking remains one of the best ways to grow a small business.

Join conversations in relevant online communities, comment thoughtfully on other businesses’ content, and support businesses you genuinely admire.

If there are local networking events during the summer, take advantage of the quieter season to attend. Face-to-face conversations often lead to opportunities that social media simply can’t replicate.

Let Customers Know Your Availability

If you’re taking time off over the summer, tell your customers well in advance.

Share your holiday dates across your website, email, and social media, and encourage customers to book early if they need your products or services before you go.

Equally, if you know you’ll be launching autumn or Christmas products, start creating interest now. Early planning helps your customers—and helps spread your workload too.

Invest in Yourself

A quieter diary gives you the chance to work on your business, not just in it.

Consider:

  • attending webinars
  • taking an online course
  • Learning a new marketing skill
  • improving your photography or video content
  • exploring AI tools that can save you time.
  • working with a coach or mentor

Even a few hours invested now can make a noticeable difference later in the year.

There are plenty of affordable online learning platforms available, including Udemy, LinkedIn Learning and Coursera…and of course, you could always look at the handbooks specifically aimed at creative businesses that I’ve produced recently – contact me to find out more!

Don’t Panic

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that a seasonal slowdown doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with your business.

Many businesses experience quieter periods during the summer, and activity often picks up again as September arrives. People return from holidays, children go back to school, routines resume, and businesses begin planning for autumn, Black Friday and Christmas.

Instead of worrying about what isn’t happening today, use this time to strengthen your marketing, improve your systems, and prepare for what’s next.

Conclusion

The summer slump can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be wasted time. By staying visible, improving your marketing, nurturing customer relationships, and investing in your business, you’ll be in a much stronger position when things become busier again.

Enjoy the summer, take a well-earned break if you can, and remember that every season in business has its purpose. Use this one wisely, and your future self will thank you.

If you have any questions, or would like to speak to me about any of the coaching, courses or handbooks I offer, you can contact me using the contact form or email me direct at cindymobey@outlook.com

World Social Media Day: being visible, not viral!

Jewelry maker with apron using smartphone at a wooden workbench

Launched by Mashable (a technology news site), in 2010, World Social Media Day is celebrated every year on 30 June. This special day reminds us just how much social media has made a global impact, changing the way we connect, shop, and build businesses.

For creative business owners, it’s very easy to have a love-hate relationship with it.

One day you’re excited to share your newest creation. The next you’re wondering if anyone even saw your post. You compare yourself to accounts with thousands of followers and start questioning whether social media is really worth the effort.

Well, is it worth it?

Let’s address the elephant in the room. I am seeing this more and more on social media posts, especially on Facebook.

“I’m doing everything right….I’m posting consistently. My photos are good. I know my audience. But my engagement is low – I don’t even feel like my posts are reaching anyone – they’re certainly not reaching my followers. Is Facebook even worth it anymore?”

To be honest, this is a fair comment…and I feel the pain of every business when I read a similar questions or comments like this.

What is the truth?

The truth is – Facebook and Instagram have changed dramatically over the last few years. Your feed is probably full of people you don’t follow, suggested content, videos from creators you’ve never heard of and more adverts than you can shake a stick at. Let’s not pull any punches!

This does mean that your posts getting seen organically (that is, without paying for ads), is harder than it used to be. But….harder doesn’t mean impossible!

Harder doesn’t mean impossible

Social media platforms are not longer the only place your customers discover you. Instead, it’s one of several places they check before deciding whether to buy.

  1. Someone might first see or hear about you at a craft fair
  2. You might be recommended by a friend or customer
  3. They might find your website on a search engine

What do many of those people do next? They search to see if you’re on Facebook or Instagram. I know that I’ve done this myself.

They want to know:

  • What are you like?
  • Are you still in business?
  • What do you post about and how often?
  • Are real people buying from you (they’ll look at your reviews or recommendations)
  • What does your work actually look like?
  • Does your business feel trustworthy?

In this way, your social media account has become your shop window and your proof that your business is active.

Of course, I’m not going to lie to you – this doesn’t always create the sale. But it often is that reassuring factor that gives someone just enough of that extra information to convince them to buy.

Most people don’t buy the first time they see you – it can take several times, which could translate into several weeks or months. They need to know that they can trust you enough to click that buy button.

That’s why it’s so important to stay consistent – I can hear you groaning! But hear me out…

Most people don’t purchase the first time they see a business.

They need to see you several times before they trust you enough to click “Buy.”

That’s why consistency matters far more than perfection.

Low engagement doesn’t mean nobody is buying

I have seen businesses with only a few likes on each post and no comments sell their products.

I’ve also seen businesses whose posts attract a lot of engagement, loads of comments and likes – yet they’ve not had any sales at all.

It doesn’t seem to make sense.  

Research tells me that people who buy handmade products are often quiet followers. They watch, they might save your posts. They visit your website, they quietly look at your reviews.

Then weeks, or even months later, they place an order. Success isn’t measured by how many likes or followers you have, it’s whether the people who’ve seen your products or services remember you when they’re ready to buy.    

I think the biggest tip I can give, which I see people talk about and blame all the time, is…..

Stop chasing the algorithm    

Algorithms change all the time and will continue to do so.

Trends come and go – what works today might not work next week.

But…..one thing ALWAYS remains the same…

People buy from businesses they know, like and trust. You build that trust by showing your face, sharing your story, demonstrating your products or services, celebrating customer wins, and reminding your audience that you and your business are still here – still creating beautiful things.

  • You don’t need to post three times a day
  • You don’t need professional photography
  • You don’t need to dance on camera unless you genuinely want to

You simply need a plan that helps you keep showing up.

World Social Media Day isn’t about celebrating algorithms – it’s about celebrating connections. Because no matter how much technology is thrown our way, no matter how many times AI is thrust in our faces:

  • They still want to know who the person behind the business is
  • They love seeing a work in progress
  • We’re all naturally nosy – we want to see what your workspace looks like – and I’m sure a lot of us would breathe a sigh of relief if it’s messy, just like ours!
  • They want to see you making something, showing a process.
  • They love seeing you ‘go live’ even if you mess it up a bit – it doesn’t matter, because it shows you’re human!

And finally – people still value handmade over mass-produced every day of the week.

Facebook and Instagram have changed

Facebook and Instagram may not be the same as they were five or ten years ago, but they are still the place that relationships are made, where potential customers are nurtured and genuinely valued. It’s all of these things together that sell handmade products.

The businesses that you see in your feed that you don’t know – you might find one of those has just what you’ve been looking for. Their products might catch your eye. Whilst it feels irritating that you’re not always seeing all your followers – remember, your posts are being pushed somewhere out there to people who haven’t seen you or your business before – and that’s not a bad thing!

So, for all of these reasons, I remain confident that consistency still matters

Not because all your posts will go viral, but because every single post is another opportunity for someone to find you and your business – and when the time is right for them – remember you and choose to buy from you when they’re ready.

A challenge for you for World Social Media Day

Today, instead of worrying about likes, followers, whether you’re being seen, whether your feed is full of businesses you don’t know, try one simple thing…

Share something that helps people connect with you – the person behind the business.

Remember – people don’t just buy handmade products – they buy the story, the passion and the person behind it.

If this has given you food for thought, keep your eyes peeled for something new coming on Thursday!

Christmas in July: Why creative businesses should start thinking about Christmas now!

Santa Claus in red suit relaxing on beach chair with tropical drink near decorated palm tree

I know what you’re thinking…Christmas? In July? However, I know that a lot of my followers who have small businesses DO get involved in this, so I thought I’d offer a helping hand for a Christmas in July campaign.

For most creative businesses, Christmas isn’t just another season, it’s the biggest sales opportunity of the year. And while December might feel a long way off, your customers are often planning much earlier than you think, especially in these times of economic hardship. The need to spread the cost over several months has become more urgent.

People start creating gift lists early and look out for special offers well before the festive rush begins.

That’s where a Christmas in July campaign comes in.

It’s not about putting up a tree and pretending it’s December – although I know my daughters would love that! It’s about creating excitement, building anticipation, and giving your audience a reason to start thinking about gifts before the Christmas season officially begins.

Better still, it’s a fantastic way to boost engagement during a quieter period, generate sales, and get your Christmas marketing plans moving before the last-minute panic kicks in.

Why run a Christmas in July campaign?

A Christmas in July promotion can help you:

  • Generate sales during a slower season
  • Clear older stock before Christmas collections launch
  • Build excitement around upcoming products
  • Grow your email list
  • Encourage early gift shopping
  • Test Christmas offers before the festive season
  • Increase visibility and engagement on social media

Most people love Christmas and love any excuse to celebrate. I know I do!

Creative Christmas in July promotion ideas

Give slow-moving stock a festive makeover

Do you have products that haven’t had as much attention as you hoped they would – or have a few products left over from a previous campaign? Bundle them together and offer them as a ‘Christmas in July Special’ or create themed gift sets at a special price.

Sometimes all a product needs is a fresh story and a new angle.

Offer Christmas pre-orders

If you already know what products you’ll be launching for Christmas, give your audience an exclusive first look.

Share sneaky peeks, behind-the-scenes photos, or early product samples and invite customers to join a VIP waitlist or pre-order before anyone else.

Create an early bird bonus

Reward customers who shop early.

For example:

  • Free gift wrapping
  • Bonus mini product
  • Exclusive Christmas design
  • Early access to limited editions
  • Free shipping over a certain spend

People love feeling special – don’t we all?

Launch Gift Vouchers

Gift vouchers are one of the easiest ways to generate revenue early.

Position them as:

‘Future Christmas shopping made easy.’

Customers can buy now and decide on the perfect gift later.

Run a festive giveaway

Everyone loves a giveaway.

Ask followers to:

  • Comment with their favourite Christmas movie
  • Tag a friend they’d shop with
  • Share your post to stories
  • Join your email list

The prize could be a Christmas product, a gift bundle, or a shopping voucher.

Host a Christmas in July live event

Go live on Instagram or Facebook and highlight:

  • Bestselling products
  • Christmas previews
  • Gift ideas for different recipients
  • Behind-the-scenes festive preparations

Live video helps customers visualise your products and ask questions in real time. I know a couple of people who do this regularly and it is highly successful for them.

Create stocking filler gift guides

One of the biggest challenges customers face is knowing what to buy.

Create content around:

  • Gifts under £10
  • Gifts for teachers
  • Gifts for colleagues
  • Secret Santa ideas
  • Luxury stocking fillers

The easier you make gift buying, the more likely customers are to purchase.

Don’t forget your email list

Your email subscribers should always get the VIP treatment.

Consider offering:

  • Early access to promotions
  • First look at Christmas collections
  • Exclusive discount codes
  • Waitlist access
  • Subscriber-only giveaways

A Christmas in July campaign is a great excuse to grow your email list before the festive season arrives.

Social Media Tips

Christmas in July works best when it’s fun.

Think tropical Christmas vibes rather than traditional December marketing.

Mix festive elements with summer imagery:

  • Santa in sunglasses on a beach, sipping a cocktail!
  • Christmas cocktails
  • Beach towels and baubles
  • Palm trees with fairy lights
  • Festive backgrounds but in bright summer colours

The contrast is eye-catching and instantly stops people scrolling.

Most importantly, focus on creating conversations rather than constantly selling.

Ask questions, run polls, share behind-the-scenes content, and invite your audience to help choose products, packaging, or Christmas designs.

The goal isn’t just Christmas sales.

The goal is building excitement, gathering future customers, and making sure your business is top of their minds when holiday shopping begins.

Conclusion

Christmas in July isn’t about rushing the festive season.

It’s about giving your audience a reason to engage, shop, and plan ahead.

Whether you’re launching pre-orders, building a waiting list, clearing stock, or simply having some fun on social media, a Christmas in July campaign can help you create momentum long before the Christmas rush begins.

And when December arrives, you’ll be glad you started early.

If you need help with building your Christmas campaign from now onwards, get in touch and we can start preparing an action plan with post ideas and content.

Contact me for a free, no-obligation chat.

CONTACT ME

Why small businesses still need humans in the age of AI

Bookseller handing a book to a customer with AI inventory tablet on desk

Over the last year, I’ve seen so many businesses switching to AI to create images and posts and, more recently, I’ve seen a flood of promises on social media about “AI clones” and how they can fully automate businesses.

We are told AI can:

  • write all your content
  • create your ads
  • make your videos
  • build your courses
  • answer your customers
  • practically run your business while you sleep

For many of us creative business owners, this messaging feels unsettling. So, I thought I’d investigate this and find out more.

If AI can supposedly do everything, where does that leave creativity? Personality? Connection? The human element that makes small businesses special?

As someone who uses AI within my marketing business for research, and to sometimes get something straight in my head, I want to offer a more balanced perspective…because while AI is an incredibly useful tool, there is a real danger in relying on it too heavily.

And ironically, the businesses that will stand out most in the future are likely to be the ones that remain deeply human, as posts and images start to look very similar.

AI is a tool – it’s not a personality!

Let’s be honest – AI can save time.

It can help brainstorm ideas, organise thoughts, repurpose content, improve workflows, and support productivity in ways many small businesses could only dream of a few years ago.

Used properly, AI can be a fantastic assistant. And to me, this is the most important word – assistant!

But an assistant is not the same thing as a business owner, artist, maker, or creative thinker.

AI does not:

  • understand your customers on a personal level
  • know the story behind your products
  • feel passion for your craft
  • build genuine relationships
  • or care about the people it serves

It predicts language based on patterns.

That is very different from human creativity, experience, intuition, and emotional connection.

The risk of overusing AI

The biggest risk right now is not that AI will take over every small business.

The real risk is that businesses begin to sound exactly the same.

We are already seeing:

  • generic captions
  • repetitive blog posts
  • videos with a similar format
  • emotionless websites
  • and content that feels polished but empty

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware when something feels mass-produced or inauthentic.

And for creative businesses especially, authenticity matters.

People do not buy handmade products simply because they need an object.

They buy because:

  • they value the artistic craftsmanship
  • they connect with the maker
  • they appreciate the story
  • they want something personal
  • and they want to support real people

That human connection cannot be automated.

Human-led businesses do still matter

In many ways, the rise of AI is making human-led brands even more valuable.

As the internet becomes saturated with AI-generated content, people are craving:

  • personality
  • honesty
  • behind-the-scenes insight
  • real expertise
  • and genuine interaction

This is where small creative businesses have an enormous advantage.

You already have what AI cannot replicate:

  • your perspective
  • your journey
  • your imperfections
  • your creative process
  • your voice
  • and your relationships with customers

No algorithm can truly duplicate that.

How I Use AI in my business

I use AI in my business every week.

But I do not use it to replace human connection.

I use it to support the parts of business that can otherwise become overwhelming or time-consuming.

AI helps me:

  • organise ideas
  • streamline admin
  • draft starting points
  • improve efficiency
  • and free up more time for strategy, creativity, and client relationships

But every important decision still involves human thinking. I might get the ideas or expand on my own ideas using AI, but the writing part – the part where I talk to my audience (in only the way I can as I know them), is down to me…and yes, it is still time consuming, but I prefer it that way.

Good marketing is not just about producing more content.

It is about:

  • understanding people
  • building trust
  • communicating clearly
  • and creating meaningful connection

Those things need the human element – the empathy, experience, judgment, and emotional intelligence.

So, is the future ‘Human vs AI’?

In my opinion, the future is not about humans competing against AI.

The strongest businesses will likely be the ones that combine:

  • smart systems
  • efficient tools
  • genuine, authentic human relationships

AI can absolutely enhance your creativity, BUT it should never replace it.

It should never turn your business into a faceless automation, producing endless generic content.

It should be to use technology wisely while protecting the heart of your brand. I can’t stress how important this is to small handmade and creative businesses, because people are not just buying your products or services.

They are buying:

  • meaning
  • identity
  • emotion
  • craftsmanship
  • and really importantly, that human connection

In fact, all these things are inherently human!  

Conclusion

If you are feeling anxious about the rise of AI, you are not alone. It’s very worrying to businesses like mine, where the people to whom I offer my services can simply go into AI and produce a post or image. But I maintain that those that use it constantly will soon start to see their audience pull back, because the content will look the same as everyone else’s who use AI.  

Remember – the value of your business and the value of having a real person posting, chatting and being imperfectly perfect doesn’t disappear just because new tools exist.

I believe that businesses who stay their ground, being absolutely authentic, show their genuine creativity and have those genuine human interactions are going to be much more important than AI in the months and years ahead.

So, my advice is – use AI where it helps without taking over your voice.

Save time where you can – that’s something we can all use help with.

But please…don’t lose the very thing that makes your business memorable in the first place…YOU!

As always, if you want to learn new marketing skills from a coach who understands creative businesses, drop me a message or email and we can have a chat.

Contact me for a free consultation

The benefits of a social media marketing challenge and how it’s good for your business

Woman working on laptop with social media icons and strategy notes floating around

We all know that social media can help us attract new customers, build brand awareness, and generate sales, but knowing where to start – or how to stay consistent – can feel overwhelming. How many times have you sat there staring at a blank screen or blank paper?

That’s why social media marketing challenges have become so popular. They provide structure, support, and accountability to help business owners take action and see real results.

Here are some of the biggest benefits of taking part in a social media marketing challenge.

Be clear on what to post

One of the biggest barriers to consistent marketing is not knowing what content to create.

A social media challenge helps remove the guesswork by giving you clear prompts, strategies, and tasks each day. Instead of spending hours wondering what to post, you’ll have a plan that helps you create content that connects with your audience and supports your business goals.

The result? Less stress and more confidence.

Increase your visibility

You can’t attract customers if they don’t know you exist.

Consistent posting helps your business stay visible to both existing followers and potential new customers. A challenge encourages you to show up regularly, increasing the chances of your ideal audience discovering your business.

The more visible you are, the more opportunities you create for conversations, enquiries, and sales.

Build better habits

Successful marketing isn’t about posting perfectly, it’s about showing up consistently.

A challenge helps you develop sustainable habits around content creation and marketing. Over the course of several days, you’ll see how to create content more efficiently and get new ideas on how to make content that will make it easier for you to incorporate it into your routine.

Over the course of the past few years, when I’ve hosted a few challenges, I’m told that it gives businesses a different perspective and helps them see that finding ideas for posts isn’t as difficult as they thought.

Learn what works

Social media trends come and go, but it’s actually the basics of marketing that helps create long-term success.

A challenge can help you create content that engages your audience, builds trust, and encourages action. You’ll see how to use different types of content strategically rather than posting randomly and hoping for the best.

This means you’ll spend less time on ineffective marketing activities and more time doing what delivers results.

Your confidence grows

Many business owners worry about being visible online. They question whether their content is good enough, whether people will engage with it, or whether they’re saying the right things…that old imposter syndrome chestnut!

Taking part in a challenge helps you overcome these doubts by encouraging you to take action every day. As you post, engage, and receive feedback, your confidence naturally grows.

The more you show up, the easier it becomes.

Connect with other businesses 

It can sometimes feel very isolating running a small business. You don’t have the luxury of being in an office where you can bounce ideas off other people. This is the bit I struggled with the most at the beginning.

One of the most valuable aspects of a social media challenge is the opportunity to connect with other business owners who are on a similar journey. Sharing wins, challenges, ideas, and encouragement can make a huge difference to your motivation and progress.

We all have our crowd, those who interact with us regularly. A challenge can help you make new connections, collaborations, and friendships as well as new marketing skills.

Generate leads and sales

Ultimately, marketing should help your business grow.

When you improve your visibility, create stronger content, and build trust with your audience, enquiries and sales often follow. While results vary from business to business, many challenge participants find they attract new followers, increase engagement, generate leads, and make sales during or shortly after the challenge.

The key is taking consistent action and implementing what you learn.

Creating a momentum

Sometimes all you need is a focused period of action to create momentum – I’m not saying this is what everyone needs, but it can help those who do struggle with regularly finding content without struggling.

A challenge gives you a reason to prioritise your marketing and make progress every day. Small actions quickly add up, helping you move from feeling stuck and overwhelmed to feeling motivated and in control of your marketing.

That momentum often continues long after the challenge has ended.

Are you ready?

If you’ve been struggling with your marketing, are fed up with staring at that blank page not sure what to post, or if you want more visibility, a social media marketing challenge could be exactly what you need.

In just a few days, you can gain clarity, confidence, consistency, and see how a planned content strategy can help your business get noticed.

Your audience is out there; they just need to find you! If you’d like to join the 10-day social media marketing challenge starting on 15 June, click on the link below and you’ll get a free PDF that takes you through all the suggested posts and how you can use them for your business for the full 10 days. I’d love to see you there.

Get the PDF now!