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The Marketing Mix
Read, watch and listen to the latest insights from Marketing Mentor & friends
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[Podcast] #376 To Do List Too Long? Here's a so...
What would happen if you threw away your "to do" list? Andy Brenits of Brenits Creative shares his strategy for getting things done (and identifying what doesn't need to be...
[Event] Want to hang with your freelance peeps?...
I’m super excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at #FREECON19! This action packed, 3-day conference is happening October 27-29th in sunny Austin, TX -- and guess what?! You’re...
[Podcast] #375 Learning to love the money conve...
If you are like most creative professionals I work with, you hate talking money. Whose responsibility is it, anyway? Yours, if you want to be perceived as a professional, that...
How to get testimonials
Like it or not, what others say about you is more credible than what you say about yourself. That’s why testimonials are so important. But what’s the best way...
Simplest Marketing Plan: August Extras (2019.8)
On August 1, 2019 I released the 8th installment of the brand new Simplest Marketing Plan for 2019. This planner represents my best effort yet to: simplify marketing so you'll actually do it help you...
[Podcast] #374 How to Write Ridiculously Good E...
If you’ve been following me lately, it would be hard to miss my ranting about email newsletters, sharing some excellent examples and my latest about why you should never say, "Can...
When you add someone to your email list, say th...
Heads up, this is a bit of a rant. (If you prefer, listen to it here.) I need to get something off my chest. I know I've been harping on...
How to put more "you" in your marketing. Watch ...
Out of sight, out of mind -- that's more and more the reality these days. So if you do nothing else, please use an email newsletter to stay top of...
[Podcast] #373 Asking for Help = Business Growt...
Last month, I got this message from Danielle Z. Hughes, a strategic copywriter I've been coaching: I was talking to a friend yesterday who is very stuck. She has analysis paralysis...
When is a 1-page estimate enough?
A designer in one of my small coaching groups was working on a proposal for a big project recently and a question came up about how long the proposal should be. Fellow group...
[Podcast] #372 Tom Ross of DesignCuts.com on Le...
If you’re not sure how to bring your creativity into your marketing, today’s episode with Tom Ross is for you. Tom is host of 2 podcasts, including the Honest Designers podcast...
Simplest Marketing Plan: July Extras (2019.7)
On July 1, 2019 I released the 7th installment of the brand new Simplest Marketing Plan for 2019. This planner represents my best effort yet to: simplify marketing so you'll actually do it help...
Why I loved dance class
I love to dance. Legend has it that I was born dancing, although that’s not exactly true. But it is true that I spent almost all of my spare time...
Follow Up Without Giving Up [QTMM 6/21/19]
Here's what a new client wrote to me this week: "Thanks for your patient prodding." It wasn't the first time. Not long ago someone else thanked me for my "patient persistence."...
[Podcast] #371 How (Exactly) to Use Generosity ...
Do you give strategy away? Many creative professionals do, probably because you don't see yourself as a "strategist." But that's not what I mean by generosity. If you’ve watched any of my recent...
Negotiation = Confrontation?
If you are like most creative professionals, you hate talking money with clients. The thought of negotiating makes you sweat. You may even believe there’s something wrong with negotiating,...
[Podcast] #370 Podcasting as the Ultimate Marke...
Here’s what I love about having a podcast... It’s the ultimate nexus of the 3 most effective marketing tools -- the ones I’ve been teaching this year with my Simplest Marketing...
Reclusive and loving it
I decided to look into a co-working space. I found one in an industrial complex attached to a law firm. Very corporate. I took a tour and the cubicles and...
How to avoid re-negotiating when the scope creeps?
I love attending WordCamp Atlanta because every year, I learn something new. I have new experiences and consistently find things to think about in a different way. Plus, I get...
Simplest Marketing Plan: June Extras (2019.6)
On June 1, 2019 I released the 6th installment of the brand new Simplest Marketing Plan for 2019. This planner represents my best effort yet to: simplify marketing so you'll actually do it help...
[Podcast] #369 Should you do Facebook ads?
Last week, I got an email message from a young guy offering himself up as a guest on the MarketingMentorPodcast.com Now, I get a lot of these and I don’t reply...
How to "Connect with Pain Point Content"
One of the ideas I've been developing lately is how to use "pain point" content to connect with your ideal clients. That's what my new talk for the Creative Freelancer Track...
HOW Design Live 2019 Highlights and Recaps
WOW, what a great event (again) in Chicago this year. One of the themes of HOW Design Live was "HOW design can change the world." All of the speakers were...
5 Takeaways From The Creative Freelancer Track ...
With permission, I am reposting this from Julie Cortes of juliecortes.com I’ve always wanted to go to the HOW Design Conference … probably since I was a young pup right...
Best Email Newsletters = Less "News" and More "...
Last week at the AWAI Bootcamp, I had a bit of a revelation during Ann Handley's Opening Keynote. She said something I wish I had thought of! So I...
HOW Highlight #1: Breakfast with "my people"
WOW, what a great event (again) in Chicago this year. HOW Design Live brings people together to learn and connect. And that's just what 10 Marketing Mentor clients did last...
How I think about offering guidance (on a Sunda...
On a Sunday morning, I think about the work I do as "helping creative people become autonomous and thrive. And that usually involves marketing." It is not exactly life and death,...
What would you call it?
Since 2012, I've been working closely with web designer, Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design (read the case study here), building her business, step by step, to the point where she's been "booked...
Simplest Marketing Plan: May Extras (2019.5)
On May 1, 2019 I released the 5th installment of the brand new Simplest Marketing Plan for 2019. This planner represents my best effort yet to: simplify marketing so you'll actually do it...
[Podcast] Puno Puno on Instagram & Making Frien...
I am fond of saying that, "questions are the answer to everything." But it wasn't until my recent interview with Puno Puno for the HOW Design Live Podcast that I...
Instagram for Freelancers with Puno Puno at HOW...
I am thrilled to announce that we have added a session on "Instagram for Freelancers" with Puno Puno, founder of ilovecreatives and the Instagram marketing tool, PeopleMap, to the roster of the...
[Podcast] #368 Nick Usborne on the Collision of...
One way to use generosity as a marketing tool is to treat your content marketing as a gift for your market. That’s just one of the ideas from my second...
Is my outreach working?
One of my goals for this year is to email 10 prospects each month. So far, I’ve introduced myself to 30 prospects. Today I thought it might be cool to...
How to keep the conversation going on LinkedIn
Wow, lots of people are sharing what's working on LinkedIn and adding it to their 30 minutes a day. In response to my Quick Tip last week, The Best New Way...
[Podcast] How to Increase Your Billable hours w...
Are you wasting time on the clients who are the least profitable? Should you be charging for travel time? How much time do you spend hunting for things? And what...
Best New Way to Find Your Best Prospects [QTMM ...
These days, I am guiding more and more creative professionals to begin their Strategic Networking online by connecting with prospects on LinkedIn.Why? Because it's a great way to get a...
Simplest Marketing Plan: April Extras (2019.4)
On April 1, 2019 I released the 4th installment of the brand new Simplest Marketing Plan for 2019. This planner represents my best effort yet to: simplify marketing so you'll actually do it help you carve...
How to Get Your Marketing Done Already!
If you're like most of the creative professionals I work with, your biggest pain point is not being able to carve out the time to do your own marketing, whether...
Creative Freelancers: Get 10% off with my promo...
Do you need to: Identify Your Ideal Clients and Their Pain Points? Stand Out From The Crowd? Position Yourself Through Thought Leadership & Content Marketing? Determine Whether or Not to...
[Podcast] How Do You Show Up? with Kevin Carroll
I had the surprise pleasure of meeting Kevin Carroll last month when he gave his PATH to Professional Presentations to an auditorium full of students at SCAD (Savannah College of...
LinkedIn Now: Best Practices for Getting Great ...
I gave a brand-spankin' new presentation about how to use LinkedIn last week through American Writers & Artists Inc and they have generously made it available on YouTube! They're...
[Podcast] Putting Yourself First in Business
If you feel like a slave to your business and to your clients, this podcast is for you. In my recent interview with Kennedy and Rob of 3 Marketers Walk into a...
Not making enough money? Cheer up.
How are you, today? Well, it really depends on how you think you are. Right? 2016, the year my marriage ended, was my best year EVER financially. Was this a...
[Podcast] Should You Become an Author? with Bri...
Sometimes it seems like everyone wants to be an author...why is that? And what does it mean to be an author if you’re a designer? Do you have to be...
Simplest Marketing Plan: March Extras (2019.3)
On March 1, 2019 I released the third installment of the brand new Simplest Marketing Plan for 2019. This planner represents my best effort yet to: simplify marketing so you'll actually do it help...
Am I Ignoring Her? [QTMM 1/31/19]
Here's a situation: I've received several email messages from a woman pitching herself to be a guest on the Marketing Mentor Podcast I am interested in her -- her ideas...
[Podcast] "The Beautiful Thing About Marketing ...
Marketing works. That is the beautiful thing about it. There is nothing magic about it. It just works if you do it. That's my favorite quote from my recent...
[Podcast] #364 How to Pitch Patiently & Strateg...
Here’s my latest (and 17th, I think) conversation with photographer and veteran self employed creative pro, Michael e. Stern. Today Michael (who is almost as fearless and he sounds) describes in detail how he...
Creative Freelancer is back at HOW Design Live
Yes, it’s true. After a brief hiatus, HOW Design Live is once again offering a program for creative freelancers, solopreneurs and agency owners. And if you register by today Feb. 15...
[Podcast] #362 How to Get Better Clients with B...
This week's episode is a little different -- it's not an interview with a creative professional practicing what I preach and showing that this marketing thing really does work. (You can find the...