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The Marketing Mix
Read, watch and listen to the latest insights from Marketing Mentor & friends
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Top 5 Podcasts of 2017
Listening is the new reading! And if you listen well, you can learn a lot. So in case you missed some of the Marketing Mentor podcast episodes in 2017, here are...
[Podcast] #335 Andy Brenits on Confidence as an...
In the next installment of the Experienced Newbie series of interviews, I talked with Andy Brenits of Brenits Creative. He's a designer who has gone back and forth over the years between self employment and working...
Should you design your own website?
We live in a culture where the do-it-yourself mindset is prevalent. Just take a glance at Etsy, Pinterest and HGTV. I’m not knocking them—they are some of my faves—but they...
Join me this Wed. Dec. 20 online or in Seattle ...
Here's a special invitation for Wednesday, Dec. 20 from 9 am - 12 pm Pacific (that's 12-3 Ppm Eastern). I will be in Seattle shooting (and streaming live) my new course...
7 Worst Negotiating Mistakes
Can you commit to stop making these negotiating mistakes in 2018? In this new talk I gave at the Titanides Live event in Delray Beach, I described 7 of the...
I had to remind myself…
I spent all last week toiling with a small project. I felt like it was SO HARD. But the real truth is: I was making it painful. I was allowing...
[Podcast] #334 How to Break Down Your Services ...
Here's the thing -- when you do what you do, whether design or copywriting or any other creative service, you do it so naturally that you aren't fully aware of...
Do you have an SSL certificate?
Today’s post is more of a public service announcement. If you haven’t already, it’s time to get an SSL certificate for your website. Do not wait. The time is now....
100 Best Business Blogs (according to QuickBooks)
I'm thrilled to report that this blog, the Marketing Mix Blog, is #58 on the list of 100 Best Business Blogs recently published by Intuit's QuickBooks Resource Center (Find us...
What to say (and do) when...the client wants th...
It happens to everyone at some point, usually early in your self employed career, but sometimes later on too... You deliver what you promised to a client who showed no...
[Podcast] #333 How to Do Tiered Pricing with Ed...
Today's episode is a special treat -- my friend and colleague, Ed Gandia, recently interviewed me about tiered pricing and this conversation spawned a brand new product: The Tiered Pricing Kit: How to...
Do you know the right people?
Whether you call yourself "solopreneur," "freelancer" or small business owner, you can't run a business all by your lonesome. To be successful (not to mention prevent burnout), there are certain...
How to Present Tiered Pricing QTMM 11/15/17
Are you offering tiered pricing? It's the most profitable pricing strategy I've been using and advising my clients on lately. And sure enough, we're earning more with better projects. ...
Highlights from Get Better Clients Bootcamp #2 ...
One of the best parts of the Get Better Clients Bootcamp is hearing directly from one of those "better clients" - the ones who value your services and can pay...
[Podcast] #332 Networking tips for creative pro...
Why are people so reluctant to connect with strangers? I’ve been presenting quite a bit the past couple months at HOW Design Live (see the short clip above), Revolve, PhotoPlus Expo,...
Being a teacher feels awesome
I didn’t expect to be “a teacher.” And I didn’t expect to be so impressed with the process of putting together a Skillshare class—but they made it so easy. Because...
[Podcast] How a postage stamp turned into a $14...
In my recent podcast interview with Carl Smith, of Bureau of Digital and host of the Bureau Briefing podcast (he interviewed me), we got into the nitty gritty of direct outreach...
What “working smarter” means to me
Sometimes I wish I never worked in a conventional job in Corporate America. Then I wouldn’t have all these comparisons and pre-conceived ideas in my head that I’m always battling...
In case you missed The Revolve Conference...
This is me last week trying something totally new as an intro to my talk, "Cracking the Code: The Art of Making Meaningful Connections." I decided I needed a...
Skip the impostor syndrome
Yes, I have a WordPress web design business I love. I have amazing clients. I feel confident in my abilities and knowledge. I know my ideal clients. My pricing. My...
[Podcast] #331 Cheryl Smithem on What is PR The...
In the 4th episode of Season 2 of the special Revolve Conference edition of the Marketing Mentor Podcast, I spoke with Cheryl Smithem of Charleston PR, a firm that specializes...
[Podcast] #330 Thomas Heath on Personal Brandin...
In the third episode of Season 2 of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” Ilise Benun, of Marketing-Mentor.com, interviews Business Coach and Brand Strategist, Thomas Heath, whose topic is Increase...
Experienced Newbie? These are for you!
I'm in Delray Beach this week at the AWAI Bootcamp and just gave a brand new talk about mistakes women (and sometimes men) make when negotiating at Titanides Live, the...
What to do when work dries up [QTMM 10/12/17]
Do you know what to do when things get slow? Being self employed can feel like a roller coaster sometimes. I know that from experience -- my own and that of...
[Podcast] This one's for my mom
I know my mom will love my recent interview for the podcast, Getting Work To Work. Chris Martin, who runs his own video production company, and I talked about the common...
5 Reasons You Should Do Case Studies
Note: I could not have produced my latest Case Study Bundle without the help of long time Marketing Mentor client, Tiffany Butler, of Whole Brain Creative. She also wrote a case study as...
[Podcast] #329 Katie Lane on the Negotiating Ch...
Do you have trouble asking for (and getting) what you need from clients? If so, you're not alone. In my latest podcast interview, I talked with Katie Lane of WorkMadeforHire.net about the many ways...
Do You Blurt Out Prices? [QTMM 9/27/17]
Have you ever blurted out a price and then instantly regretted it? Of course, we all have! It's easy to feel pressured by someone who wants you to give them...
“I don’t want to be that pushy salesperson.”
“I don’t want to be that pushy salesperson.” I hear this at least once a week from a client who has a hot prospect and needs help closing the deal....
[Podcast] #328 Dan Mall of Superfriend.ly
In the second episode of Season 2 of the “Revolve Conference Speaker Podcast Series,” I spoke with Dan Mall of Superfriend.ly, whose topic is “Should Designers…” at The Revolve Conference,...
3 More Excellent Examples of Email Marketing Ne...
September is for email marketing newsletters! Here are a few new email marketing newsletters from Marketing Mentor clients and followers. Please use them as models to stay in touch with...
Do you compare yourself to others? [QTMM 9/20/17]
"Why is he/she getting all the good projects?" I often hear that from clients when I give them the assignment of researching their competition. (BTW, if you've been thinking...
Who are you accountable to?
When it comes to your business, are you accountable to anyone except yourself? Because if you don’t have any accountability…it’s time to get some! The first time I ever thought...
[Podcast] #327 The Comparison Trap (Experienced...
Do you constantly compare yourself to other people and come up short? If so, you're not alone. In this latest podcast interview in the Experienced Newbie series, Lisa Mullis of Paraphrase Communications, and...
Letter to my Younger Self
In preparation for the for-women-only Titanides Women's Success Accelerator in Delray Beach on October 17, each speaker was asked to write a letter to her younger self, which will be...
I feel like a dinosaur
Things haven’t just changed in my personal life. They’re changing in my business life, too. And they’re the worst kind of changes—technical ones! Ugh. I feel like I’ve been resisting...
Should you or shouldn't you? [QTMM 8/30/17]
Should you blog, give free advice, follow your heart and pick a niche? Don't you hate "shoulds?" I know I do. That's why I'm self employed -- so I get...
[Video] What if you can't get "results" for a c...
When you're writing a case study about a project, I know it can be difficult to get actual results from your clients. What’s almost certain, however, is that you...
Use my contract as a model
I’ve been in business for ten years—and do you know how many people have helped me along the way? Too many to count! And I’m super-thankful. That’s why I love...
[Podcast] #325 Michael e. Stern on how to handl...
One of the things I love about being self employed, and therefore free to choose what I want to work on, is that all of my projects are interconnected and...
[Podcast] How to turn a speaking gig into content
If you sent out your email marketing newsletter and someone responded with an invitation to speak on that topic at an event, would you say yes? Well, that's what happened...
How real life affects business when you’re self...
Okay, it’s time to come clean. I have been blogging here since 2008 and you’ve heard about everything business-related and lots of personal stuff, too…from moving to Ireland and running...
Best advice I ever received + more from my "lig...
Here's the "lightening round" (a quick Q&A) from my recently published interview with Brent Weaver on the Digital Agency Show. Listen here and read below... Brent: What is the best...
Nervous about networking in person? [QTMM 8/16/17]
Today is the perfect day to start looking for Fall networking events, where you can meet your ideal prospects in person. That's the way to make the strongest possible impression...
Is your butt covered?
Creatives who don’t have contracts say things like: I work with great people. I won’t have to go to court. I wouldn’t be able to afford to sue them anyway....
Fall 2017 Speaking Calendar for Ilise Benun of ...
This summer I've stayed put. But the Fall will be busy, especially October, when I'll be speaking up and down the East Coast. So come see me for one (or more) of...
Summer Listening: 5 Revolve Conference Speaker ...
I'm getting ready to start a new round of podcast interviews with speakers from the upcoming Revolve Conference: Where Design and Creativity Meets Marketing and Strategy, which is happening in Charleston...
When a “competitor” sends your biggest project ...
I’ve been a web copywriter for 10 years. Mostly I partner with graphic designers. But I learned at the beginning (from Ilise!) that I shouldn’t be scared of the “competition”—...
Should you pick a niche? Yes! 4 Good Reasons to...
I know that most creative professionals shy away from specializing because it limits the scope of the work you could do, and that’s true. It does. But the alternative...
[Podcast] #324 Alan Seiden: From Awkward Techie...
One of the many things I love about getting older is that people come back into your life and we get a chance to look back together and laugh at...