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Marketing Tips From Boss Lady: Part 5 & 6
Apr 02, 2019
Biggest question I get from people about running a marketing agency - how can you focus?
Instead, you essentially become the system for checks and balances. While this sounds great in principle, it’s actually must harder to execute in the real world. Before you know it, your prime hours for getting work done are taken over by other tasks that take you away from the activities driving revenue.
No matter where you work, time management is critical. However, when you’re in charge, it becomes a matter of survival. What does it take to maintain focus in the midst of needing to take on every question or solve every problem?
In the latest edition of my “ Tips from Boss Lady” blog series, I’ll focus on ways to help you focus (sorry - just left the department of redundancy department!).
5. Find Project Management Software - And Use It!
Seriously - take advantage of the solutions that these products can bring to your team. And no, project management software
does not mean a shared spreadsheet on Google Drive. You need to invest in a universal platform that enables your team to track project status and collaborate on a regular basis.
For example, my team is able to view their individual tasks for a given period - while monitoring overall business activities that involve the entire team. Most importantly, these platforms consolidate all of your core responsibilities and regular outreach into one convenient location. When you’re the boss at a small business, you don’t have an admin to keep track of everything for you. Instead, you have to rely on software that keeps you on track.
Ultimately, project management software enables a new marketing agency to manage priorities and stay one step ahead. Take it from me - this will prevent the classic email inbox / Slack channel / voicemail overload that can overwhelm people on a daily basis.
6. Focus On The Revenue (Baby)!
Forgive me, but I need to pause and reference Jerry McGuire for a moment. Simply put, you should always be saying “SHOW ME THE MONEY” when it comes to what you’re working on. As a small business owner, you have to focus all of your energy on activities that are driving revenue.
As you know, I have a big heart - and sometimes we just want to work on projects or with people that we care about. However, the problem with this mindset is that you end up allocating precious time and resources to projects that aren’t putting money in your bank account.
From your largest clients to your “passion projects,” you have to establish clear parameters for service levels. Most importantly, you have to determine how much revenue needs to come in from these clients to make them worth your while. I realize that this may sound harsh and cut-throat. However, when your livelihood depends on how you’re spending every second of your day - you have to be very deliberate and precise in how you carve out your resources.
Over the past few months, I’ve definitely seen the benefits of applying these learning to how I run my marketing agency. Simply put, you’re going to be pulled in a million different directions over the course of your day-to-day. As a result, it’s critical to find ways to maintain focus and keep driving toward the ultimate goal. Cutting lemons can get tedious - but if you can find the right knife, it’s that much easier to keep cranking out lemonade.
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Google Updates Google Search Algorithm May 2020 Update Small businesses need to be on the lookout for impacts on their local SEO. Early data shows the update is ranking directories and aggregate listing sites higher while reducing search positions for pages with minimal content. BUT... as with any update... give it a few weeks to see how the algorithm learns and adjusts. Until then, you may see a fluctuation in search rankings. One thing to keep in mind is the continued focus on search intent with this update. If you haven't shifted your blog content to focusing on user intent keywords, then now is the time to do so! Google Surfaces - Product Listings Free For years it was only possible to have your products listed on Google Shopping through paid ads. Google announced they are allowing brands to feature their products through Google Surfaces for free. This is huge for small businesses! You can opt into Surfaces by creating a Google Merchant Center account. Google Local Inventory The next awesome release from Google is the ability for local retail businesses to list their local inventory on Google Surfaces for free. Buyers will be able to shop local inventory without having to visit the store.