Smart Online Marketing with Kaity Griffin

"It's a very anxious time and you wanna get things right from the very start. And rifling through bags at 2AM in the morning, telling your birth support partner that you need a black singlet or a maternity bra, and they go through the whole bag and chuck everything out - it just adds to that tension." In today's episode we have Sally Branson, who is an ecommerce business owner. In 2019 she launched a brand called The Suite Set. Their mission is to help mothers make the transition to motherhood as seamless and streamlined as possible. Sally had two boys, nineteen months apart, and she understands the desire to be super organised and have everything ready before the baby comes. After all, mothers and families feel a lot of pressure to be as best prepared as possible. And there's so much preparation! That's why they created The Suite Set, mindfully made packing bags for everything you might need to take to the hospital to welcome your baby. Each reusable set comes with labeled packing bags and detailed, colour coordinated instructions on how, what and why to pack. In this episode, we will be talking about how to organically grow your business, how to deal with career grief after becoming a mom, Sally will give some self-care tips for moms during stressful times and much more. Let's jump in! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •Sally's background •How Sally recognised that there's a niche in the market for her product and how she build the business around it •Was the information side of Sally's business evolved organically or was it planned from the beginning •How she gets revenue from what she does •How Sally organically marketed her product •How to process career grief when after becoming a mom •How moms can take care of themselves pre and post COVID-19 RESOURCES: •Sally's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sally-branson-63b087a8 •The Suite Set website: https://www.thesuiteset.com/ •The Suite Set on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesuiteset/ •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Kaity Griffin Website

"If you're just starting out in the first few years, choose one to two areas that you think are gonna work or you know it's gonna work and just focus on them without taking the next approach. You don't have to be everywhere, you don't have to be all things and chase every shiny tactic." When you start an ecommerce business, it's really easy to get overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done. It might be writing blog posts, planning your email marketing, social media strategies... It can be a lot at times! That's why it can be very beneficial to have someone from the outside to bring some structure into your business and have all the processes streamlined and simplified. This can really help to grow your business faster and bring peace of mind at the same time. Today's guests Lisa Byrne, who helps women entrepreneurs grow their ecommerce businesses by strengthening their marketing foundations and by streamlining their marketing. Her coaching style is very unique in that it's 1:1 and personalised, and women have unlimited access to her and they can thrive knowing that they are really supported. In this episode, we will be talking about how Lisa transitioned from corporate to coaching, why she pivoted and went down the ecommerce path, what are the common things that a lot of business owners have that are keeping them stuck and much more. Let's jump in! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •Lisa's background and what she does •Did Lisa have difficulties maintaining her job and also spending enough quality time with her kids •How Lisa developed the love of ecommerce •What are the things people really need to think about when starting their business •What is the resistance for people to do the tasks related to their business •What are some key elements that lead to a successful ecommerce brand •How Lisa works with her clients and for how long •Do people get results quicker when getting support from the outside? •Does Lisa only work with startups in their initial starting phase? •What are some of the non-negotiable marketing tactics when it comes to an ecommerce business •Don't business owners focus on their websites as much as they should be? •Lisa's tips on email marketing RESOURCES: •Lisa's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisabyrnemarketing/ •Lisa's website: https://www.lisabyrne.com.au/ •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Masterclass: www.sundaydigital.com.au/masterclass •Kaity Griffin Website

"A lot of people that don't do it, say that we just get paid for everything. I think that's definitely a big misconception. They think that every job we're posting, we're getting paid for, which is definitely not the case. Especially at the moment, and when the bushfires were happening as well. That was a time where a lot of brands were like, we don't want to do brand marketing. And currently a lot of brands don't have the budget to do marketing [...], which is why I'm doing a couple more unpaid jobs than I was, just because I know they are small businesses and it's nice to help them out." Influencer marketing is a popular way for businesses to attract new customers. However, when we talk about influencer marketing, we usually concentrate on the benefits the businesses get from it, and rarely talk about it from the influencer's perspective. Today's guest is Charis Uppal from Sydney, Australia. She is a fashion, travel and lifestyle influencer and also an eCommerce business owner. As an influencer she loves working with brands that have a message to share and fit with the aesthetics of her feed. She has worked with brands such as Sass and Bide, Revolve, Next AU, just to name a few. In this episode, we will be talking about how to pitch for an influencer as a brand and how to work with the influencers in a way that is authentic and doesn't feel like a spammy ad, what sort of things go in the background of creating content and what makes it a successful collaboration for both the brand and the influencer and so much more. Let's jump in! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •Brief introduction of Charis and what she does •Did Charis organically grow her following? •What's the best way to organically grow your following •What was the process of getting involved in starting to work in influencer partnerships •How Charis negotiated her first collaborations with brands •How does Charis decide is she wants to partner with a brand •Do brands need to approach Charis directly or through her manager •Do influencers get any insights or statistics from the brands on how the collaboration worked out •Should brands proactively provide feedback to the influencers? •Tips for new brands starting influencer marketing •Do influencers have freedom in creating their content or is it a more restrictive process •How Charis manages the ratio of paid and unpaid content on her feed •Does Charis get any negative comments and how she deals with them •Did Charis have any bad collaborations that she wouldn't do again •Do influencers need to sent the content to the brands for an approval •What are the biggest misconceptions about influencers? •What impact COVID-19 had on influencers •What pushed Charis on having her own fashion brand Silk Wolfe •How Charis finds balance between being an influencer and managing her own business •Does Charis use influencers to promote her brand? •What are the strategies on having engagement on paid content •What makes a great brand pitch to an influencer RESOURCES: •Charis's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charis-uppal-b4014a62 •Charis Pixie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charispixie/?hl=en •Silk Wolfe website: https://www.silkwolfe.com/ •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Masterclass:

"Coming back from the second child, I actually experienced, what I call, the maternal world bias happening in the corporate company that I worked for which is really not about my capacity as a mother (...) but they just felt that for some reason now that I have children, I'm not as capable as I was before." Imagine a world where women would have to sometimes choose their family over their career... Oh wait, we're living in this kind of world! Starting a family and also keeping your career going should be a compatible way of living, however, some companies don't see this issue women face and choose to ignore it. For women who find themselves not being as valued in their jobs after they start having kids, it's a breaking point where they decide to change something, and some of them even start their own businesses in order to create a life where family and work go hand in hand. Today's guests Jessica Osborn. She is a business coach and marketing consultant for female coaches, consultants, and service professionals who want to grow and scale their business while achieving the lifestyle they aspire to. As an active host of the 1,000-strong online business community My Tribe, Jessica shows her passion for supporting women to overcome limiting beliefs, command their worth and succeed in business. Over the last 10 years, Jessica has also founded two successful online businesses of her own. In this episode, we will be talking about how to develop that ideal customer avatar, how to pivot your messaging during this time of uncertainty, Jess will also give great advice on how to go easy on yourself when you don't feel as productive as you normally are and much more. Let's jump in! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •Who is Jessica Osborn and what she does •How Jess got into coaching other service based businesses •Are women still finding it difficult to come back to work after having kids •How to get around having young kids and building your business •How to separate home life and work life when working from home •Jess's advice on structuring your work day •Online tools recommendations for planning •The process behind figuring out who your ideal client is •Resources to help you build your ideal client avatar •Do businesses need to pivot their marketing messaging during the pandemic RESOURCES: •Website: https://jessicaosborn.com/ •Customer Avatar Worksheet Freebie: https://jessicaosborn.com/customer-avatar/ •Online Masterclass: https://jessicaosborn.com/define-your-ideal-customer-workshop/ •Facebook: https://facebook.com/jessicaosborn.bxcoach •Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessica.osborn/ •LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jessicaaosborn/ •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Kaity Griffin Website

"Because Google is cleverer than that, they can spot related words. They'll scan your website and as long as you have clear language, they will be able to tell what you are providing there. " Promoting your business is hard work. The most popular way of bringing attention to your business and finding new customers is paid ads that can be used throughout various platforms, such as Google, Facebook or Instagram. But there's one more way that not many people understand or take the time to get to know, and it is SEO. SEO can bring organic growth to your business and it's not as hard to learn when you get the hang of it. Today's guest is Sophie Caldecott. Since getting her MA in magazine journalism at City University of London almost a decade ago, she's worked for companies like The Ethical Fashion Forum, Verily magazine, and Marie Forleo, and writes for publications like Harper's Bazaar, Brit + Co, and Darling, alongside her work teaching creatives and small business owners to grow their website traffic with her uniquely intuitive approach to SEO. Sophie believes in doing less but doing it well and is obsessed with SEO as a slow living-friendly growth strategy. In this episode, we will be talking about how to use SEO to grow your organic search traffic, Sophie will break down some strategies in using SEO as a long-term growth strategy and also how the pandemic has been affecting the way people are searching on Google and much more. Let's jump in! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •Who is Sophie Caldecott and what she does •Why Sophie loves SEO so much •Where do you start when it comes to SEO? •How to choose the pages you want to optimise? Which page has a priority? •How to choose keywords that people will actually use to find your website •Is SEO a quick fix or a long-term play •What are the best SEO practices •Tips on keeping the new website visitors on your website RESOURCES: •Website: www.sophiecaldecott.com •Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_by_sophie_ •Sophie's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-caldecott-95986b61 •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Free Masterclass: www.sundaydigital.com.au/masterclass •Kaity Griffin Website

"Other biggest questions that we ask and you need to answer are 'what problem are you solving?' or 'what pleasure are you bringing?'. So your business is built around an ideal customer and that person is a semi-fictitious individual. So you need to be building the whole business around a problem that you are solving for that ideal client profile." Starting a business is never easy. The most important question that needs to be asked is 'why?'. Why do you want to start your business? Why is your idea better than the products/services that already exist? There are also many things that need to be considered, such as your marketing, sales and scaling strategies, if you want your business to be profitable, and because every business is unique, it can't have a 'one size fits all' approach. Today's guests are Jacqui and Helen. Together they work as business experts who specialise in business planning and sales strategy. They work 1:1 with women in business helping them to grow their businesses and reach their profit goals. In this episode, we will be talking about the importance of developing your business vision, questions to ask yourself when starting a new business, and why competing on price is never a good idea and much more. Let's jump in! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •What is Two Girls and a Laptop •Is it necessary to develop a business plan when starting a business •Is there a difference between business plan and marketing strategy •What happens if you change your mind after writing your business plan? Do you need to write another one? •What is an ideal client and what goes into developing that ideal client •Do you need to write your 'why?' down so you would always have a clear reference to your vision •Does your 'why?' need to have aspects that aren't financially motivated •At what point people want to stop when developing their business plan •What other things you need to consider when developing a business plan •The importance of pricing for business growth •How to justify higher prices in a saturated market that has lower prices •When having an online business, do you need to work extra hard on your product branding in order to add a personal touch? •Providing free content to people can be beneficial to your business •What happens after you develop your business plan •Why having plenty of time for your business launch is crucial RESOURCES: •Website: https://www.twogirlsandalaptop.com.au/ •Resources: https://www.twogirlsandalaptop.com.au/resources •Instagram: http://instagram.com/twogirlsandalaptop •Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twogirlsandalaptop •LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/two-girls-and-a-laptop/ •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Kaity Griffin Website

"When I was having trouble with my dog who was barking excessively all day, I was really stuck about what to do, and we, by chance, met a neighbour who had a puppy who was also under 12 month old, and the two of us were able to team up and help one another out with taking the turns to do walking, morning and evening. And also letting the two dogs share the backyard and hang out. And that night we moved away after around 12 months of this great arrangement, and I was left thinking 'how would I get this to happen again', other than, like, knocking on people's door like a total weirdo." Having a pet dog is a big responsibility. They require a lot of time looking after them and they need constant exercise. And what if you have a busy work life that leaves a little amount of time to look after yourself, your family and your cuddly friends? Jess Janson came up with an answer to this problem. Her company Dog Share is Australia's first dog sharing website designed to connect busy dog owners and lovers with other like-minded people to share their responsibilities of walking and socialising dogs. This idea was born when she realised that her dog needed additional exercise and companionship while she was with her kids or working. In today's episode, Kaity will be talking with Jess about how she used PR to get a lot of new customers, her company's journey and the very expensive mistake she made early on in her career. Let's get started! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •What DogShare is about •What made Jess to decide to make her idea into a business •How many like-minded members Jess got in six months •What kind of technology Jess used for the matchmaking on her website •What mistake Jess done at the start of her business •Mistakes bring you to the point you are now •Did starting a new business hardened Jess's skills that she has now •How to choose a developer to come along on a journey with you •What marketing strategies Jess used to attract clients •How Jess got featured on TV •How long it took to see results after hiring a PR professional •How any new members Jess got after hiring a PR professional •How Jess monetizes her services •You have little control when using PR •You need to be smart and careful with the press •How do you control negative messages about your business on other channels •Would Jess start a new business if she knew what roadblocks are waiting for her along the way •Jess's advice for someone who's starting a business RESOURCES: •LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicajanson/ •DogShare website: https://www.dogshare.com.au/ •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Dogshare on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dog_share •Kaity Griffin Website

"With the paid influencers we can automatically see the results immediately and that will be a combination. If we are promoting our app, we'll get a massive spike in downloads. Same with sales. And if we offer promo codes or discounts, we'll see how many times the codes have been used. We'll also see the amount of impressions we've got or the influencer will see the amount of impressions they received from their posts." Social media opens great opportunities for promoting small businesses. Influencers are on a rise and one of the best ways to get your product seen. However, starting working with them can feel intimidating at first, especially when there are so many unanswered questions like 'how much it will cost me?' and 'how will I keep track of these collaborations?'. Today's guest is Yuki. Yuki and her husband own Pocket Prints, a photo printing business based in Melbourne, Australia. They created an app that lets people get their photos, stored on their devices or social media sites, printed in high quality and delivered to their doorstep. Yuki's main business promotion tool is influencer outreach and she has a lot of insight on how to use this powerful tool. In this episode, we cover two influencer strategies, talk about do's and don'ts when it comes to influencer outreach, what to actually look for in influencer, how to measure your return investment and whether she had any success using third party influencer platforms and more. RESOURCES: •Pocket Prints website: https://app.pocketprints.com.au/ •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Kaity Griffin Website

Keeping track of your finances can be daunting. Especially when numbers are not your strongest suit or when you don't have a good finance records tracking system in place. That's why having someone who can direct you and advise you is very important. That's where Lauren comes into play. Lauren Thiel is a founder of boutique accountant firm, The Real Thiel. A Chartered Accountant, with a passion for the arts, Lauren is on a mission to educate, empower and motivate creative small business owners and help them manage their finances more effectively. Lauren has a double degree in Tourism and Event Management, and Commerce, with a major in accounting, and spent her early years in the industry with KPMG Adelaide. She founded her first Company, a dance school, at just 22, and today continues to contribute to the arts through her role as Treasurer, Board member and Festival Producer of the Cabaret Fringe Festival. Lauren may very well be the only accountant we know who can also do the entire "single ladies" dance routine. In this episode, we cover how to start healthy financial habits, what to look for in an accountant, and what to do if you're in financial trouble and much much more. The Real Thiel website: https://www.therealthiel.com/ You can find Lauren @therealthiel1 on IG

Having your own business can feel amazing. Even though it requires long working hours, it brings joy and flexibility in your daily life. On the other hand, managing your business AND having a family comes with a price. How can you juggle between the two and make sure that both get enough of your attention? How do you set healthy boundaries between working from home and spending time with your family? In today's episode Kaity will be talking with her husband Matt about what difficulties they face while Kaity runs her own business from home and Matt works long hours in his job and what healthy boundaries they try to introduce to separate work and family life, pros and cons of having one of the partners in the family running a business and so much more. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: •Kaity talks about her business journey and her family •Trying to get the business off the ground when having small kids •Finding a balance between having a family and running a business •Reasons why Kaity decided to start her own business •Different expectations of both partners when one of them decides to work from home •What Matt likes about Kaity running her own business •Downsides of having a boss lady at home •Having no clear distinction between home and office and what solution could solve this problem •Issues Kaity has when working from home •Do Kaity and Matt set time aside for each other •How to overcome differences when your partner is not in the same place professionally •Kaity's most annoying habit •How do Kaity and Matt provide feedback to each other and how they make decisions •Tips for setting boundaries between family time and work RESOURCES: •Kaity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitygriffin_/ •Kaity Griffin Website

Welcome to smart online marketing!