Marketing Mentor Blog
The Marketing Mix
Read, watch and listen to the latest insights from Marketing Mentor & friends
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NEW: Creative Freelance Summit July 20-21, 2021
How do you find good clients? You know, the ones who value your expertise enough to pay you what you’re worth? That’s the question we’ll answer in this new virtual...
A simple idea to grow your email list
Podcast #419 is a conversation with Tim Huelskamp, CEO of 1440 Media, about a simple strategy his company used to grow their email newsletter list from very small at the beginning...
5 Simple Campaigns to Get Your Ideal Client's A...
Of the 3 marketing tools in the Simplest Marketing Plan (strategic networking, high quality content marketing and targeted outreach), that last one -- targeted outreach -- seems to be the...
The 2 Questions That Trigger All the Fears at O...
Podcast #418 with Terri Trespicio digs into the 2 questions that trigger all the fears at once. If you panic or freak out when a prospect or client asks you...
Natural ebb & flow vs. nasty feast or famine?
If, when things slow down, you think, "Oh my God, this is the beginning of the end," this video is for you. Ilise Benun shares a few simple thoughts about...
Creating passive income: Easy or not?
Guest post by Jill Anderson: Dream of making money while you sleep? Want to create a product that generates passive income? This all sounds delightful … until you actually...
How to Handle "The Feast" with Danielle Hughes
Podcast #417 is my second conversation with Danielle Hughes of More Than Words Copy about what to do when your marketing is working so well that you’re getting more good work from...
So you want to be a guest blogger...
As I hope you know by now, content marketing (creating useful content that speaks to the needs of your ideal clients) and targeted outreach (introducing yourself in a hyper-personalized way to tell...
Where does your content come from? (Free Summit...
Here's how to think about "what to write about" + sign up for the free blogging summit that starts May 3 with 15+ top experts increasing your traffic, supercharging your brand...
Blogging For Your Business Summit (May 2021)
If you’re seriously ready to rock your blog, work your social media, or kill it with your email marketing, then don’t you wish you could be a fly on the...
Improve Your Money Mindset
I loved my recent conversation with Laura Gale and Rachel Mazza on the Business of Writing Podcast about the "money mindset" needed to be successfully self employed, from busting through mental...
Do You "Think Like a Breadwinner?"
In Episode #416, I talked with Jennifer Barrett, a financial expert and author of the new book, "Think Like a Breadwinner," about the role of confidence in making money and...
To all the things we can (and can't) control
The truth is, a lot of what works when it comes to marketing is a result of timing and serendipity -- in other words, things we can't control. However, there are things we...
Why you should never tell a prospect your hourl...
This post is a two-fer: a rant about why you should never give your hourly rate to a prospect and Podcast #415, in which I chatted with Corina Ludwig, President...
10 tips to get your creative business off the g...
Guest post by Deidre Rienzo: I’ve been doing a lot of yapping lately about how I need to work less, charge more, and say no. Ten years ago, I read...
A Virtual Event for Creative Freelancers in April
Thursday, April 22 at 10:45 AM ETfor Freelance Business Week (#FBW2021) Show Me The Money On behalf of the Freelance Exchange of Kansas City, I'll be presenting my popular, "Show Me...
Marketing Yourself with Heart & Soul -- yes, it...
Podcast #414 is a conversation with Andy Didorosi, Head of Marketing for Basecamp, who shares his ideas about how to bring your heart and soul into your own marketing, and...
Follow up = Desperate?
You have lots of reasons for not following up, even when it's an outstanding proposal for a project you really want. But what actually gets communicated when you don't follow up is...
No, I can’t do that.
Guest post by Deidre Rienzo: While I was pregnant, a few women told me, “Oh, you can work while the baby sleeps!” Some also told me I wouldn’t want to...
Creating in Uncertain Times
On the "Getting Work to Work" podcast, the host, Chris Martin, asked me, "How can creative entrepreneurs and creative professionals plan, create and connect in uncertain times?" Here's what I said:"You know,...
How to build confidence by marketing yourself!
In Podcast #413, you'll learn how content begets confidence with Helen Conway, a former lawyer and judge who now coaches lawyers on wellness issues.
What kind of accountability works best?
When it comes to marketing your creative services, we all need accountability. I offer something for everyone. But sometimes, none of it is enough! However, there is one kind of accountability that...
Out of the blue? Really?
Marketing is not a mystery. And it works when you do it. So why then do so many of my clients (and maybe you) continue to feel like projects come...
Popular niches for 2021 with Pam Foster
Podcast #412 with Pam Foster is for you if you’re struggling to find your niche. It may help you find yours, it may help you simply relax about the whole...
What I’m replacing, and what I’m embracing.
Guest post by Jill Anderson: Are you tired of piling things on your plate — without taking anything off? Me too. We all do it. And maybe 2021 is the...
What makes a subject line effective?
When crafting the subject lines for your prospecting email messages, here are some guidelines to follow if you want to do it right (and now sound spammy, salesy or markety!
10 Minutes a Day on LinkedIn with Melanie the M...
In Podcast #411, Melanie Deardorff and I talked all about how you can integrate LinkedIn into your daily life to uncover opportunities you don’t even know are waiting there for you....
A simple way to stand out on LinkedIn!
If you want to stand out on LinkedIn, use the sound of your voice. Read on to learn how and, of course, see lots of excellent examples.
How to get out of a slump with Michael e. Stern
Podcast #410 is for you if you love learning. I talked with podcast fave, veteran creative professional and photographer, Michael e. Stern, about how he's been using new skills to...
Is your “welcome” packet unwelcoming?
Guest post by Jill Anderson: How to send files.The best way to get in touch. What color t-shirt to wear when you send files. :) These days, there can be...
Things I’m replacing in 2021
Guest post by Deidre Rienzo: First, let me say it’s hard to focus on work with everything that’s happening in the world. If you’re struggling to focus, or sleep or...
What “passive income” really means with Jill An...
Podcast #409 is a chat with Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design about the reality of what it took to develop her first product, The Client Onboarding Toolkit.
Ancient Wisdom to Start a New Year on the Right...
Despite the tumult of the first week of the year, I am feeling very reflective and quiet. Here's what I'm reading and listening to at the moment, including my favorite passages...
Fun Challenge: 21 Actions to Get More from Link...
In January 2020, with Ilise's encouragement, I decided to double down on LinkedIn. Though I had an account since 2007, I didn’t have a routine for checking in regularly and...
What money confidence sounds like with Terri Tr...
Podcast #408 kicks off 2021 with writer and speaker, Terri Trespicio, whose confidence about money is downright contagious! In our chat, she explains why she’s sworn off retainers (and why she...
How Terri Trespicio Took Control Over Her Busin...
Need some inspiration for 2021? Watch my interview with Terri Trespicio, whose message about becoming sovereign over her business and the decision to "let money flow" when everyone else was...
2020 by the numbers
As we wrap up the year, I keep seeing messages about what a $hit-storm this year was and how everybody wants it d-o-n-e. Speaking coach Jezra Kaye nailed it when...
What it takes to make "email newsletter magic"
Podcast #407 is a conversation with Sarah Pike, a laser cutting artist whose email newsletter, Adventures in Laser Cutting, is working! In this episode, Sarah shares not only her process...
How to attract "qualified" clients with content...
Podcast #406 Is a chat with Melanie “the Marketer” Deardorff about the technique I use (and teach) to attract your ideal clients with content marketing so you can stop wasting time...
What's the opposite of Feast or Famine?
Almost everyone I work with is trying to avoid or overcome feast or famine. But what is the opposite of feast or famine? And how do you achieve it? It's...
What You Can Do About "Impostor Syndrome"
Podcast Episode #404 What To Do About “Impostor Syndrome.” If you are among the 70% who struggle with Impostor Syndrome, today's episode is for you. Dr. Valerie Young, the world's leading expert on the...
Should Solopreneurs Have a LinkedIn Company Page?
Do solopreneurs and freelancers need a "company page" on LinkedIn in addition to a personal profile? It's quite a controversial topic -- and here are answers all along the spectrum,...
Should you become a book coach? A chat with Jen...
If you love words, this just may be your dream job. On Thursday, October 22 at 5 PM Pacific/8 PM Eastern, Jennie Nash and Ilise Benun will talk about what...
LinkedIn Hack: A Simple Way to Get People Comme...
How do you engage on LinkedIn without spending tons of time creating content? The truth is, all you need is an engaging question or idea -- and that takes thinking....
[Podcast] Experienced Newbies: Your Online Pres...
In my latest podcast interview, I kick off a new series called “Experienced Newbies.” We’ll be following communications professional, Lisa Mullis, as she goes through a mid-career makeover and navigates the...
[Experienced Newbies] How to Present Your Past
We are hereby kicking off a new series called Experienced Newbies, by and about creative professionals who are making mid-career transitions and building a new career on the foundation of their past experience and...
Why is Zoom So Exhausting? with Eleanor Handley
In Podcast #402, I chatted with communications coach, Eleanor Handley, about why spending all day on Zoom is so exhausting and much more.
LinkedIn 101 for New Copywriters
"Melanie the Marketer" Deardorff answers 10 questions asked by beginning copywriters about how to use LinkedIn effectively (and shares a few videos too).
I had a baby, secretly.
All the immediately-impacted people knew I was having a baby, of course. And my close clients. But most of you didn’t. I have been openly blogging here about my life...
On Integrity in Business with Michael e. Stern
Podcast #401 is a new conversation with a favorite guest, Michael e. Stern, on the role integrity has played in his 40 years in business as a creative professional and photographer.