How to use your energy for change when change is challenging

by Yo | Oct 26, 2022 | Content, Facebook™, Instagram™, Marketing, Mindset, Podcast, Social Media, Strategy, Sustainable Business, Video

I know how challenging it is to grow your business.

The thing is: you can make it easier or harder for yourself.

What are you willing to do?

What do you want?

What do you like?

The magic trick is to give these things your energy instead of the opposite.

You can do this!

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“I pay my respects and acknowledge the people of the Yuin Nation, traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I also pay respect to all Elders — past, present and future.”

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Spam comments on your WordPress website: what to do and why I don’t get them

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Should I start a YouTube channel in 2022?

by Natasha Berta | Jun 13, 2022 | Content, Marketing, Strategy, Time saving, Video

YouTube has become a large platform where some people seem to make a tonne of money making videos and doing affiliate and referral marketing. Most people say: it’s never too late to start a YouTube channel and I agree. This is as true in 2023 as it was in 2021!

However, I would like to make a distinction now.

There are 2 kinds of YouTube channels:

The channel is the primary business

The channel is for marketing to the primary business

One type of YouTube channel is where creating the content is the main offering and you focus on having affiliate relationships and sponsorship deals to generate your income. Some people also like to create Merch merchandise to supplement their income.

If you are a service based entrepreneur, you don’t need to have a YouTube channel at all…you aren’t looking at being famous like Mr Beast. You want to serve more people doing what you love. Right?

This will be a YouTube channel that is an add-on to your current business – it’s not going to be the main focus of your business.

It’s a part of your marketing.

The great thing about a YouTube channel is that it can:

increase your discoverability on a non social media platform
allow people to get to know you while you are off doing other things like feeding your family or relaxing on the beach.

The kind of account we would create is an addition to the biz rather than the main focus. It would be a marketing channel for us and a way to share our expertise with our potential clients.

So for people like us the focus is a bit different and what is required it’s a bit less.

Whenever you are considering a new platform for your business I would encourage you to make a 3 months commitment.

In a 3 month period you can start sharing content and trialing tags, headlines and playlists. After that period of time you will have some results to look at and decide whether it is worth continuing with the platform.

Before you start your experiment it is good to be clear on what you want to get out of it and what kind of results you want to see.

For example, I don’t really have a massive number of subscribers and most of my content has very few views, however most people who jump on a free chat with me and eventually become clients have all watched YouTube videos of me before they book the free chat.

This tells me that the videos are working to meet my goal: to get people ready to book that free chat with me which is how I like to intake my clients.

For you: it will be helpful to decide what is the step that you like clients to take first.

Is it to sign up for your newsletter list?

Is it to purchase a small ticket item (inexpensive product) from you?

If you can create a flow for clients to start to connect with you that is clearly a YouTube stream, you can measure how many people came to you from YouTube. Then you’ll have a clear picture about whether YouTube has meaning for your business or not.

If you get to this point of the blog and you have decided you want to go ahead with YouTube I’m going to give you a quick list of tips for the first steps of setting up your YouTube.

Create account
Create channel art
Create a thumbnail template
Upload a video
Choose some tags
Create a playlist
Create a welcome video

Some of these actions already have instructions on my other blogs and videos. Would you like more? Ask me in the comments and I’ll make a video for you 🙂

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“I pay my respects and acknowledge the people of the Yuin Nation, traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I also pay respect to all Elders — past, present and future.”

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Video content

by Natasha Berta | Nov 2, 2021 | Canva, Facebook™, Instagram™, Marketing, Mindset, Podcast, Productivity, Social Media, Strategy, Video, Video & YouTube, Website

Video is a great way for people to get to know you while you do other things like laze on the beach or make dinner for your kids or even sleep.

But maybe you don’t feel like getting dressed up, doing your face and getting yourself onto video. Can you still use video for your business?

I don’t want to spend ages convincing you a video is a good idea.

If you are here you clearly want to start making videos for the marketing of your business.

If you do not want to show your face don’t stop reading now because it is entirely possible for you to create videos in lots of different ways.

There is no denying how good it is if you can bring yourself to do videos of your own face especially if you are service-based. But if you can’t do that for whatever reason I do not want you to navigate away and not make a video for your business because it seems too hard.

There are loads of ways to get around not showing your face and all the ways of creating video give you some benefits.

I know that people always like to hear what I do personally so I will start with that and then I will also share a couple of other ways that I think you can create video if you want.

My current 2 favourite video processes are:

60-second (or less)

10-minute or so videos

I like to create short videos and publish them on Instagram. I try to make these 60 seconds long or less.

I create these on my phone and record them directly so they go onto my camera roll. Then I pop onto Instagram and share them in my feed with a small caption.

I love this method because I can experiment with ideas without investing too much energy in the process. I also find that people like to see me and they like to hear from me. These feel light yet intimate.

They are the quickest and easiest way for me to create video and they also feed into my entire content creation strategy. I have another blog post about that which you can check out over here.

Basically I test the water with new ideas in my 60 second videos so if they are well received they may get turned into a longer blog or video. I usually don’t overthink these and I get important feedback from my people when they do well.

The other way I love to make videos is using Zoom. I begin a Zoom meeting with myself, click record then I just chat away to the screen in my own meeting with myself.

When I click “end meeting”, the recording gets downloaded onto my computer. I am then able to share it directly to YouTube which I also embed onto my blog.

The fun thing about these Zoom videos is that I can often use the audio download to create a podcast as well. I just love it when one piece of content can be used in lots of different places.

I also like to use this video on IGTV (if it is not a how-to demonstration style vid).

One other cool thing about these podcast episodes is that I can create a video from the episode using Headliner App really easily. I have another post about how to use Headliner App over here.

If you don’t want your face in the video.

If you don’t want your face to be in the video for whatever reason you can still use the Zoom methods and just don’t worry about how you look on video.

You can then use the audio component of the zoom recording and turn it into a podcast.

The podcast episode can be turned into a video using Headliner app. This means that people can experience your energy through your voice without you having to even get out of bed.

Literally some of my podcast episodes I made late at night in bed or early in the morning in bed. That’s how easy it is to use Anchor. I then turn those podcasts into a video without having to show my face at all.

If you don’t want to deal with a podcast and Headliner App you can also use Canva to create videos with an audio recording you have created.

These audio recordings can be created on the voice memo app on an iPhone or a similar voice recording app on an Android phone. You can then upload those to canva and add a couple of little animations and a nice stock image and then you have basically the same thing as the Headliner app video without having to create a podcast and without having to show your face.

There is a part of me that does want to kick in and start telling you how important video including your face is so I do just want to touch on that lightly.

A lot of people who come to me for a free 30 minute chat have already ”met me” through watching my videos.

People often tell me how nice it is to finally meet me in person and that I am exactly like my videos and how comforting that is for them. Usually they watch my videos while I am on the beach, making dinner, sleeping or doing other things in my business.

I find this duplication of myself really great.

It means that people who are referring their clients or friends to work with me have somewhere they can send those people to figure out whether they want to work with me or not.

The other thing that is good about video is: if you’re posting them on social media the algorithm which decides who sees what content will slightly favour a video over other kinds of posts.

That is the end of my convincing you about why video is good.

There are just so many places and ways you can share video.

Here’s a hard and fast list:

YouTube video
YouTube short
YouTube live
Instagram Reel
Instagram feed video (60s max)
IGTV (15 minute max)
Instagram Story
Instagram live
Facebook live
Facebook feed Facebook Story
LinkedIn
On your blog
Twitter
Tik Tok
Slideshow with you talking over the top
Plus all the ways I mentioned in this blog

I think if you are not doing video you are missing a really potent opportunity so if you’re not ready to get your face on I would recommend trying one of these other methods for creating video content for your business.

If you found this helpful and you like, you can make a small donation.

Learn more about Online Marketing and Business that doesn’t require you to sellout on your soul.

“I pay my respects and acknowledge the people of the Yuin Nation, traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I also pay respect to all Elders — past, present and future.”

What is content? And how to make more

by Natasha Berta | Jun 2, 2021 | Content, Facebook™, Instagram™, Marketing, Mindset, Productivity, Social Media, Strategy, Time saving, Video, Video & YouTube, Website

I often hear people say that they are “Content Strategists” or the explain how to “Create Content”.

And although I know what content is, it seems to me to be a weird and jargon-ey term that causes so much confusion.

I was thinking that we could just rename it to: “Sharing your brilliance”

Because that is all we really need to do. We all know so much and have so much brilliance to share. But to clarify: what is content? And how can you make more?

Content comes in so many different forms.

It can be:

Image based

Written

Video

Audio

I am sure there are more categories too that I’ve glazed over.

And then there’s the length. I’m calling them micro (or snippet), small and long.

Examples:

A reel on Instagram = I would say that is a micro-video.

An Instagram image post with a caption = is a written and image small piece of content.

A Facebook text only post around 2000 words = a long, written piece of content.

That same Facebook post on your blog with images as well = is a long, image and written piece of content.

A podcast of the same article would be = a long, audio piece of content.

Using Headliner to turn that podcast into a video makes a snippet of video content.

Transcribing that podcast into a written blog with images = is a long, written and image piece of content

But more important than the classifications and definitions is the purpose.

For a long time I found it really hard to create content and I did not enjoy creating content.

I spent a long time creating content with the idea in mind that I had to do it to reach clients and that content would help me sell my services. The only content I was able to make easily were “how-to” videos. I think these felt easy because they were of service to my clients with low expectations of reward. They were more of a selfless service.

In the yoga tradition I studied for many years, selfless service is called karma yoga. In karma yoga you work for others and try to release your expectations of reward.

Recently, I have been loving creating content. Short videos, long videos, short written posts, longer writing. All kinds. And I think what has changed is my frame for why I create content.

Now, I create content as a practice for myself. As more of an enquiry and creative expression. The things I think about it are more like:

“How can I say this in 60 seconds?”

“I wonder if anyone agrees with this?”

“How clearly and simply can I explain this in writing?”

“Can I explain those instructions in writing?”

“I wonder what my peeps think about this idea?”

And now I never really think:

“I need to create this so I can sell my offer/service”

If I want to offer my service I just do it. I create a separate post, or separate piece of writing that speaks directly to the offer.

Sometimes, while I’m developing offers, I do some research and get excited about that topic so I’ll naturally share about it, but since I separated my selling and my content, my content feels a lot cleaner and a lot free-er. I feel that I can experiment more and genuinely share with people who I care about.

This is my story around creating more content.

I wonder – what do you think about when you try to create content? Could those thoughts be hindering your ability to create content like mine were?

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A post shared by Natasha Berta (@connectedmarketingau)

“I pay my respects and acknowledge the people of the Yuin Nation, traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I also pay respect to all Elders — past, present and future.”

Learn more about Online Marketing and Business that doesn’t require you to sellout on your soul.

Do you just want to talk to me about your business and website?

I’d love to chat. You can book a free chat and we can discuss website set up and all of the other things I mentioned here. We can even set it all up of ryou and save you the headace.

Go ahead and book a free chat here:

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How to figure out what you should blog and write about

by Natasha Berta | May 24, 2021 | Content, Email Marketing, Facebook™, Instagram™, Marketing, Mindset, Productivity, Social Media, Strategy, Time saving, Video, Video & YouTube, Website

Great!

You’ve decided that it’s time. You are ready to start writing and sharing your brilliance with your audience and the world. Your next thought now might be: What you should write about?”.

In this blog I will share some ways to generate ideas for your writing so you can have a big list of inspiring topics to dip into whenever you sit down to write.

This information also applies to “what should you make videos about” if you are into making videos.

A couple of important things to consider are:

What topic/s do you want to write about?

and

What do your ideal clients seek information about?

1. Talk to your people

Current Clients

If you are doing sessions with your ideal clients, you are getting great ideas on tap. Every session can provide you with ideas for writing.
What was the client’s challenge?
What did you do to help them?

I’m sure you’ve had days like me where you seem to say the same thing to about 5 people in the one week. THIS is great information to share as a written blog or video.

Friends + Market research

Current clients are a reliable source of ideas but you may not have many or any of those yet!
Other people that are YOUR people are your trusted friends. You could also have market research conversations with people who would be perfect clients with no pressure for them to buy from you.

The sole purpose of those conversations is to find out what they type in the Google search bar when they look for solutions or what questions and challenges they have around your topic of expertise.
You can do this more informally by being a great listener at parties and gatherings.
People are a great source of ideas.

A side note about your own ideas

You may not have a problem thinking up great ideas on your own.
Yay!

Why are you reading this article?? LOL 🙂

Your own ideas are great, however I would make one loving caution about your own ideas.

You may find that when you write from your own well of ideas that your writing doesn’t do as well as you had thought. As in: it doesn’t seem to get a response from your audience.

If this is happening, I would suggest that you may be writing at a level too far ahead of your current client’s level of growth or understanding.

Sometimes I write articles that I think are gold and no-one gives any hoot about them. And other times, I create something that I think is throwaway and that everyone already knows and people go mad over it.

So, if you are experiencing this, I encourage you to have some conversations with friends who are like your ideal clients. Have those client or market research conversations to make sure you are speaking the right language for where your people are right now.

2. Use the Google search

Bring to mind a topic you want to write about. I used this method for MailChimp.

(i) Type the idea into the Google search bar and don’t click search.

Have a look at the drop down.

Do you see a bunch of suggested search ideas?

These are ideas for blog articles or videos.

(ii) Further down the page it might say “People also ask” with a bunch of questions and drop downs. The headings of these drop downs are also great titles for your blog.

How to figure out what to blog about: use Google

These two options give you ideas that the Google robot has noticed people asking a lot. So even if you don’t have conversations with people because you are clear on your topic, this method can help tease out a lot of ideas that a lot of people have definitely searched for in Google.

Creating articles that help you be found via Google search is a method of blogging that uses Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Google is a search engine, and you can focus on optimising your website and blogs to show up better in Google search.

If you are interested in how to grow your business with a blog, I have a course about that. I delivered it with the brilliant Melanie White. I also have an SEO course with the ONLY person I recommend for SEO, Karen Phillips. This one is called “How to get the right website visitors”. Both of those courses can help you with your SEO if this is important to you and your business.

3. Use the YouTube search

Similar to the Google method above, you can type your topic or vague idea into YouTube and see what other content exists on the topic. Simply type your idea into the YouTube search bar and look at the ideas that drop down.

Once you have mined those ideas, click “Search” and have a look at the kind of content other people are creating and the other titles being used. You can write an article with the exact same title if you like!

Now listen though: DON’T GET INTIMIDATED IN THIS STEP

Even though other people may have already created content that you want to create, no-one is quite like you. You have a particular configuration and lens to see life through that is of unique value to the world.

So PLEASE still go ahead and write that blog!

4. Use Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is a free tool you can add to your Chrome browser. It enables you to see more when you do a Google search, when you do a YouTube search and when you view YouTube videos. It actually does way more than I use it for. I am not a major ninja at it but this method of using it simply will definitely help you find writing ideas.

So, once you have installed Keywords Everywhere to your Chrome browser and you look at your results using the above Google and YouTube methods, you will see a bunch more info on the side:

How to figure out what to write and blog about: use Keywords Everywhere

These are just more things to, hopefully, spark inspiration for you. The beauty of these methods is, Google is such a large database. Millions (or billions) of people are using this every day. And it’s free for you to mine for ideas. Yay!

Have these ideas been helpful for you? Let me know how you go and tag me in your social media post if you used this method 🙂

“I pay my respects and acknowledge the people of the Yuin Nation, traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I also pay respect to all Elders — past, present and future.”

Learn more about Online Marketing and Business that doesn’t require you to sellout on your soul.

Do you just want to talk to me about your business and website?

I’d love to chat. You can book a free chat and we can discuss website set up and all of the other things I mentioned here. We can even set it all up of ryou and save you the headace.

Go ahead and book a free chat here:

BOOK HERE