O C TO B E R 2 017
BRAND & BLOSSOM
KIMRA
T H E S TAC E Y
BEE
R AC H E L
LUNA
HARRIS
FELLS
MOFFETT
freedom hacker
social media + membership
authentic branding
growing your blog
editor’s note Welcome to the second edition of Brand & Blossom. I’m super STOKED for this issue. We have had a lot of amazing guests on the podcast. I’m SO EXCITED to have Kimra Luna of Freedom Hackers and Be True, Brand You. Her amazing story of welfare to millionaire is inspiring. We also have The Stacey Harris, an up-to-date social media strategist who keeps you in the loop with the ever-changing landscape of social media. Then there’s Bee Fells, the Branding Bestie who talks about creating your brand story. And last but not least, Rachel of Define Your Hustle who shares some tips and tricks on running a successful blog. I also talk about changing course with my former online program, and converting it into a membership site. As well as realigning my entire personal brand. I hope you enjoy this issue. Until next time,
xo Stacy
table of contents CHA NGING COURSE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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BR A N D ALIGNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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T H E STACEY HARRIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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BE E FELLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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R A CHEL MOFFETT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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KIM R A LUNA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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BON US: LEVEL UP YOUR LEA D M AG N ET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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FR E E BIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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INDICATES L IN K TO ITU N ES
course C H A N G I N G
After spending months developing DIY Design Academy, I made the unusual decision of changing it into a membership site.
While it makes absolute perfect sense as an online course (I mean, even the name is awesome, right?), the idea of turning it into a membership site just had more and more benefits as I continued to think about it.
Here’s why I decided to change course...
W H Y A ME MBE R SH IP S ITE MADE MORE SENSE 1. The month-to-month topics were better for learning concepts, rather than a rapid pace, week-to-week course. 2. The course was limited to what it could include, without overwhelming students. 3. The low monthly payment allows more students to afford access to the content. 4. It was more in line with my mission of helping entrepreneurs use “free or inexpensive” tools to create their graphics. HO W TH E ME MBE R S H IP MOD E L REA LLY W ORKS IN TA NDEM W IT H T HE P OD C A S T The podcast would serve as a “conversation starter” and the membership site would deep dive into the content inside the podcast. There would be times when I’d want to deep dive into a topic, but because of time constraints, I wanted there to be a place to go in-depth with a topic without the limitations of a 30 minute audio or a lengthy blog post. A F TE R D E S IG N TOPICS, WH AT C O NT ENT W ILL BE ADDED The core of the membership site is branding and graphic design. Beyond that, topics will include online marketing related concepts such as podcasts and membership sites - but with the added twist of tutorials on how to create the graphics for them!
W H AT E X AC T LY I S I N S I D E T H E M E M B E RS H I P S I T E The membership site launches at the end of October. If you’d love to join, I have two modules in at the time of publication, three when the doors open. Bundles will include Design Essentials, Visual Branding, and Designing Lead Magnets (and Social Media Graphics in November, if you want to go that far out). There will also be premade templates, stock photography, bonus tech training, and more. If you’d like to join, visit garden.brandandblossom.com - Can’t wait to see you in there!
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B R A N D
realignment I took a moment to sit back and figure out how exactly to streamline my personal brand with all my digital offerings. When I decided to change my signature online program from a course to a membership site, so many things became clear.
Here’s my story on my journey to realign everything in my brand.
W HAT IS BR AND R E ALI GNMENT Taking all of the disparate parts of your brand and lining them all up so that they fit together seamlessly. W HY R E ALIGNME N T IS IMP O R TA NT Realignment helps reinforce the main brand. All my offerings, both free and paid, were not as seamless as I wanted it to be. I needed everything to be a natural next step in the sales funnel. So, instead of “free group here, online course here, podcast there, magazine here”, it became: podcast --> magazine --> membership site --> 1:1 services H O W R E ALIGNME N T HELP S 1. It keeps everything under one umbrella. 1. It prevents confusion for the potential client/customer. 2. It provides a natural progression from free to paid offerings.
B R A N D AN D BLOSS OM C HA NGES “DIY Design Dolls”, the free community that led to the paid program, is now “Brand and Blossom Community” “DIY Design Academy” is now “Garden by Brand and Blossom” The podcast and magazine are still titled “Brand and Blossom” TH E POD CAS T IS H E R E T O STAY The podcast is not going anywhere! It is, in fact, the cornerstone to all content. The podcast is the first floor, the magazine and community are on the second, and the membership is the beautiful penthouse suite.
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T H E S TA C E Y H A R R I S HIT THE MIC
Stacey’s podcast, “Hit the Mic”, is one of the best podcast to listen to to stay up to date on social media. She gives you to you straight, she makes the updates relevant, and provides actionable advice. I got the rare chance to interview Stacey (she had been avoiding podcast interviews for some time but was happy to be part of Brand and Blossom). Here are some highlights from the show: W H E N S HOULD YOU OPE N A MEMBERSHIP SIT E When the subject or topic is always evolving. In Stacey’s case, Facebook’s Power Editor changes frequently, making it difficult to create a one-off course. H O W TO CR E ATE CON SIS TE NC Y IN BRANDING Use the same fonts and colors to keep the messaging the same from platform to platform. W H Y CO NS IS TE NCY IS K E Y TO MAKING SA LES Inconsistency creates a disconnect in your message. If your ad does not look the same as the landing page, it creates a pattern interrupt that causes the viewer to question the content. E A S Y WAY TO MAN AGE YOUR P ROJEC T S Stacey has a PER technique - plan, execute, review. For each project, she plans it out, executes it, and reviews to see what worked and what didn’t. This helps prevent time wasting activities for the next project. W H Y A DE D ICATE D OFF ICE SPAC E IS GREAT FOR P RODUC T IVIT Y A dedicated space allows you to “work at work” and “leave work at work”, creating a both a literal and figurative boundary between home and work.
CH E CK OUT STA C EY ’S FULL EP ISO DE HERE BR ANDAN D BLO SSOM.C OM/EP ISO DE11
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BEE FELLS BRANDING BESTIE
Bee helps entrepreneurs build their brand with consistency and confidence. She is full of energy and absolute delight to watch on Instagram. Her “stories” are real and inspiriational. I was excited for the opportunity to chat with her one-on-one about her take on branding as the “Branding Bestie”. Here are highlights from her episode: B E E ’ S JOU R N E Y FR OM 9-5 TO ENT REP RENEURSHIP Bee worked a regular 9-5 when she started picking up graphic design work including custom invitations and flyers. She eventually transitioned into branding. K N O W IN G WH E N IT’S TIME T O Q UIT She gave herself a year in her stable 9-5. But after two months, she had an emotional breakdown. After a talk with her husband, she left and began working on branding for female entrepreneurs. It completely turned her life around. H O W TO S TAR T BUILDING A BRA ND Start with your vision. You are selling cupcakes, but what are you *really* selling. What is it that you ultimately want to achieve. FA CIN G FE AR S OF V ID E O Bee recently started her YouTube channel. She was afraid of what people would say, but ultimately she decided her message was bigger than her fear. L E A R N ING TO CH E CK YOURSELF BEFO RE Y OU W REC K Y OURSELF Bee talks about the downward spiral that happens when we come up with an idea, and then start to tear it apart. When that happens, pause and ask yourself if it’s just fear talking. It’s also a good idea to talk with friends to help them talk you down the ladder.
CH E CK OU T BE E ’S F U LL EP ISO DE HERE, AVA ILABLE OC T O BER 17 BR ANDAN D BLO SSOM.C OM/EP ISO DE13
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RACHEL MOFFETT DEFINE YOUR HUSTLE
Rachel is a blogging coach who helps entreprenurs monetize their blogs. She talks about the right and wrong way to make money with blogs, and how to use social media to maximize your audience. Here are some highlights from her episode: H O W TO S E T U P YOUR BLOG T O GENERAT E LEA DS Create a “content upgrade” at the end of each blog post to collect emails. After you’ve provided valuable content, offer something extra (a checklist, worksheet) to go with the content that you’ve already posted. H O W TO U S E YOUR BLOG TO GENERAT E REVENUE Forget trying to use Google AdSense to generate revenue. Create your own online product or program that directly relates to your blog. Use your blog content to naturally lead into the sale. H O W TO PR OMOTE YOU R BL O G Post high quality graphics on social media. Pinterest is one of the best for blogs. Use a captivating title with a nice graphic and link to your blog post. TH E B I G GE ST MISTAK E S PE OP LE MA KE W HEN IT C OMES T O B L O G G ING Poor web design with a poor user experience, content that doesn’t resonate with its readers, and blogs with too many topics. TH E IMPOR TANCE OF U S ING VIDEO W IT H Y OUR BLO G Video is a great way to enhance your blog. People can see you and hear you, in a way that they can’t when reading text. Readers connect with you better.
C H E C K OU T R ACH E L’S F ULL EP ISODE HERE, AVA ILABLE OC T. 24 BR AN D AN D BLO SSOM.C OM/EP ISO DE14
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F R E E D O M
hacker
Kimra Luna is a personal branding and online business strategist. Her rags-toriches story has inspired many. On this episode, she talks about her amazing journey of how she went from welfare to millionare entrepreneur. Here are the highlights of her episode: E A R LY B EGINNINGS Kimra had a rough start in life. She had her first child at 23 and needed welfare to take care of her family. Eventually she gathered enough money to purchase an iMac, with which she began to grow her audience. H O W S H E WAS GR E W H E R A UDIENC E W IT H ZERO A D DO LLARS She learned to leverage Pinterest to get eyes on her blog. She created killer “shareable” content, which got repinned over and over again. H O W YOU CAN GR OW YOUR BUSINESS QUIC KLY A ND RA P IDLY W I TH O U T PAID AD V E R TIS ING Provide massive value. Create content so good that people can’t resist sharing it. H A N D L I NG H ATE R S WITH OUT GET T ING C AUGHT UP IN T HEIR C RA P Don’t take anything personally. Realize that haters are have unresolved issues. You still need to develop a thick skin, but just stay on your own path. continued...
CH E CK OUT KIMRA’S FULL EP ISODE HERE BR AN D AN D BLOSSOM.C OM/EP ISO DE12
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PHOTO BY SKYLER DAWNA
K N O W IN G WH E N IT’S TIME T O Q UIT; W HY SHE C LOSED HER 50,000 + FA CE B O OK G R OUP At the time of the recording, the Freedom Hackers group was closed. Essentially, the group was no longer serving her audience so she closed it down. The group was reopened, but posts must now be approved by admin’s. It has resulted in higher quality posts and healthier engagement. K N O W IN G WH AT AD V ICE TO TA KE A ND W HAT T O LEAVE While her coach encouraged her to do a video series launch method, Kimra felt it didn’t seem right. She followed her intuition to try something else. And it worked. Just because everyone else is raving about something doesn’t mean you have to jump on board too. TH E D E AL WITH FACE BOOK BOT S Kimra currently takes advantage of Facebook Bots, but she knows and recognizes that they can be annoying. She is “riding the wave” while it’s available, but her true focus is her email list. She’s more interested in increasing open rates for her emails than bots. TH E F U TUR E OF ON LIN E BU SINESS The number one thing will always be story telling. It doesn’t matter what type of technology is out there, people love stories. H O W TO MAK E MONE Y, NOW Talk to people. Connect with them. Build genuine relationships. The more people you talk to, the bigger your network is, and the more people you have the potential to sell to. Kimra is confident that she can walk into a Starbucks and, just by talking to everyone, she can find someone in there who needs her services.
CH E CK OUT KIMRA’S FULL EP ISODE HERE BR AN D AN D BLOSSOM.C OM/EP ISO DE12
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LEVEL UP YOUR
lead magnet Are your lead magnets not converting subscribers into buyers? Does it look like a 1st grader designed it in Microsoft paint? Want to create a stunning lead magnet, without sacrificing time and money on a designer? H AV E N O F E A R , T H E F R E E C H A L L E N G E I S H E R E ! During Level Up... you’ll finally be able to: Design your lead magnet to convert subscribers into buyers Use the exact methods professionals use to design high quality graphics Use only free or inexpensive tools to create stunning lead magnets BEGINS OCTOBER 16 Sign up now and get instant access to my free lead magnet templates.
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SUCCESS IS
liking YO U RS E L F
liking what you do and liking
how you do it - M AYA A N G E L O U -
freebies Here’s a roundup of all the featured freebies in this issue. LE V E L UP Y O UR LEAD MA GNET T H E F R E E 5 DAY C H A L L E N G E www.diyleadmagnet.com
STAC EY HA RRIS RU N FAC E B O O K A D S L I K E A P RO www.thestaceyharris.com
BEE FELLS 5 M I S TA K E S T H AT A R E S A B ATO G I N G YO U R B R A N D www.brandingbestie.com
R A C HEL MO FFAT T THE SUCCESSFUL BLOG CHECKLIST www.defineyourhustle.com
K IMR A LUNA’S ULT IMAT E FREEBIE LIBRARY includes H OW TO G ROW A L I S T O F R AV I N G FA N S | W E B I N A R L AU N C H PA D | C H A L L E N G E L AU N C H C H E C K L I S T | A N D M O R E !! www.freedomhackers.com 21
FINAL THOUGHTS I hope you enjoyed this October issue of Brand & Blossom. November is going to be focused on more step-by-step actionable episodes to help take your business and brand to the next level. If you haven’t alread, be sure to join us in the new Brand & Blossom Community on Facebook here.