Marketing with Purpose

Well, we're almost 2 years into our 4-day experiment now. Which probably makes it more of a permanent fixture than an experiment. There's not really a manual though, so...things ebb and flow and we're navigating the bumps as they come. When we started sharing about our four-day work week adventure, we quickly realized not everyone wanted a four-day week. Some people were downright opposed - one even asked us if we were trying to retire! But EVERYONE wants to figure out how to get more work done in less time. People all over are looking for ways to feel less overwhelmed, scoot out of work earlier, or get more done without losing their minds. So much so that Stacy and Monica were even invited to give a talk about how we ventured into our four-day workweek to a national association. As content recyclers, we looked at that beautiful talk slide deck and thought, "Geez, I bet other people would want to hear this too." Hence, the birth of this new podcast/blog post combo. In this episode Stacy and Monica will give you an update on the current challenges we're trying to fix to maintain our four-day week and, from our recent presentation, we'll share: The 4 game-changing questions that helped us identify what to cut, automate, or lean into That one simple automation that saves Monica 20 minutes EVERY time she creates a podcast (and how you can do something similar) How tracking the right metrics completely changed our marketing strategy (and saved Monica hours of blog writing) Our actual list of productivity tools that made this all possible (we're not sponsored, we just love 'em!) The biggest mindset shifts that had to happen before any of this worked Whether you're dreaming of a shorter work week, trying to leave the office in time for your kid's soccer game, or just want to stop feeling like your hair's on fire every day - there's something in here for you. Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/4-day-work-week-update/ Small changes, big results. That's been our secret sauce. You can do it too.

After years of wandering trade show aisles like a couple of booth anthropologists, Stacy and Monica may have cracked the code on standing out without emptying your wallet.   We just dropped a new podcast episode that's basically our brain dump of every budget-friendly trade show hack we've discovered. Because let's be honest—those giant fancy booths with their LED walls and custom furniture? Yeah, most of us don't have that kind of cash lying around.   In our latest episode, we're sharing all our secrets on: Our "pattern-breaking" trick that makes people notice your booth first The $40 floor hack that literally everyone comments on Why you should never (ever!) sit behind your table like a receptionist The giveaways people actually keep vs. the expensive ones still sitting in our office closet (oops) How Canva + an old laptop = movement magic in your booth   As self-described "coupon clippers and thrift store shoppers," we've gotten pretty good at making our booth look impressive while keeping our accountant happy. Give it a listen!   Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: [MayeCreate.com]

Just like the other remaining humans on planet earth, us MayeCreaters survived this last year. And we like to think we’re humans who learn from the past and can use it with a heap of diligence and sprinkle old fashioned grit to chart our way forward to better things.  Fortunately, and unfortunately, last year was a little itchy so we learned a lot.  Like how to make stuff load faster and look prettier at the same time.  How hackers like to hack things and ways to keep stuff away from those derelicts.  And how AI is shaping the way we work, from streamlining processes so we can skip work on Fridays, to offering us another choice on how we use the internet on a daily basis. Now, not everyone eats, sleeps, lives, and breathes the internet. So, we organized our thoughts, predictions, and lessons learned into this week’s podcast/blog post combo as a present for all non-net-dwellers. We’re documenting our itchy lessons learned in the hopes of helping you craft your own path forward. Because, let’s be real, you can’t afford to ignore the darn beast. And it’s a big ‘un. Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: [link to episode on MayeCreate.com]

The number one rule of good website navigation is: don’t make people think.   Which sounds pretty straightforward but somehow people still keep messing it up! And that is why we are publishing this recent public service announcement all about navigation.   Monica’s husband, Mike, sends her angry emails about sites with crappy navigation on the regular. He says he’s sending her “leads” …she thinks maybe he just needs to vent.    But either way - what he’s experiencing is exactly what we DON’T want people to feel when they’re on your site. You want them to feel welcome, in control and confident about working with your organization. Not rage clicking and sending emails to their wife!   Navigation is more than just the buttons on the top of your site, it’s also your opportunity to guide people through the site seamlessly. In this podcast/blog post combo Stacy and Monica break down: ✅ Best practices to make your main navigation simple & intuitive. ✅ Using internal navigation (breadcrumbs, callouts, search) like a GPS to guide visitors through your site ✅ The often-overlooked magic of well-organized footers ✅ Easy ways to gather data to tell is your navigation is busted   All to keep Mike happy and your website off his “leads list!   Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: [link to episode on MayeCreate.com]

This time of year Monica always feels like marketing is like wrestling an octopus.  She sits at her desk, neck deep in spreadsheets attempting to befriend and calm the octopi - emails, social media, website updates… It’s a lot.  That’s why she’s always looking for ways to pin that marketing mollusk.  She went to Shelly Niehaus, her guest on this week’s podcast, for answers. Shelly is a business coach who works with entrepreneurs over 40, who sometimes feel like online marketing was designed by aliens. So her tips are practical, down-to-earth, and easy to implement.  Think less overwhelm, more “I’ve got this!” They talked about everything from repurposing content (because no one has time to start from scratch every week) to the magic of time-blocking. Here’s a quick preview of what you’ll get from this episode: Shelly shares how to simplify your marketing and focus on what works. Learn how to repurpose content and save yourself hours every month. Build an email list and stop relying on social media algorithms to get noticed. Time-blocking tips will make you feel like the boss you are. Shelly’s advice is just what you need to kick off this new year, take a deep breath, and tackle your marketing like the octopus conquering ninja you are! Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/simplifying-marketing-strategies-with-shelly-niehaus/

As the resident master of 2D spatial relationships at MayeCreate (aka print designer) these days, Monica is pretty strategic when selecting the program for a project.  Over the past 25 years she’s learned the hard way how choosing the right program to start: Saves time Makes future projects easier Produces a better design So if you’re tasked with designing for your organization AND you find yourself doing things on repeat, taking longer than you’d like or are unhappy with the look of your designs maybe this latest episode will help. Monica is breaking down how she picks the right software for a project so hopefully you can too! Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at:[MayeCreate.com]

Monica gets asked more and more frequently about how to get customers to leave reviews or make positive social posts for business. Which makes sense because marketing through user generated content is a powerful marketing tool. You don’t have to brag about your awesomeness because other folks do it for you Your raving fans create your marketing content for you PLUS Google and social algorithms LOVE it So why isn’t everyone doing it? To be fair, Monica feels like they just don’t know how. That’s why in this week’s podcast, Monica sat down with Lorraine Ball—entrepreneur, author, professional speaker, and host of More Than a Few Words. She’s been around the block (a few times) and leverages user generated content to market for her clients. They’re talking: How to get your customers to leave amazing social media reviews (no begging required). What to do when someone leaves a not-so-glowing review (hint: don’t panic). Using AI tools for marketing to save time without losing your personal touch. With multiple stories and examples to get your wheels turning. Trust us, it’s good stuff.  Tag along with Monica for this week’s episode all about user generated content!   Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: mayecreate.com

“I have a Chrome extension for that!” became Monica’s catchphrase at one point, or so Stacy swore.   The MayeCreate team isn’t far behind.   We’re bonafide Chrome extension junkies.  Some of us have collected so many we have to toggle them off and on so we don’t get overwhelmed! And we are forever recommending our favorite extensions to clients to save time and improve workflow.    Like anything else, some Chrome extensions are awesome, while others are just ho-hum. Some are well-maintained and evolve with the browser, while others become stagnant and age out. This episode is packed with a few of the extensions we use on a nearly daily basis that stand the test of time and allow us to do more, faster!   So if you’re a marketer or just a human working at a computer and pressed for time and looking for ways to:   Streamline your workflow Stop copying and pasting things into other applications Show someone revisions on a web based project,  Check your spelling and grammar OR even just be greeted by a super cute creature every time you fire up Chome…   Come hang out with us in this week’s episode as we gush about our favs and maybe find one or two Chrome extensions to try for yourself.   Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: mayecreate.com

At lunch the other day a group of business people were complaining about how annoying their Google Business Profile is to use.  Aaaaand they’re not wrong. But managing your profile is a necessary evil…like going to the dentist - you don’t have to love it but you do have to do it. You want to show up when people search for you on Google, right? Your Google Business Profile determines 9% of your organic search ranking.   Ever wondered how to get your business show up on the search results map? Your Google Business Profile determines 32% of the factors that get you on that map.   And just like everything else Google there’s a trick to getting your profile set up correctly so you can use it to it’s fullest potential. So in this episode Monica welcomes Marilyn Jenkins, CEO of MJ Media Group, to crack the code and teach us how to maximize our Google Business Profiles. Marilyn shares some super simple ways to: Get more real reviews without feeling like a pest (we’ve all been there, right? ) Show up in Google’s “Map Pack” (the top 3 spots that customers actually look at) Keep your profile updated so people trust you, click on you, and, oh yeah, buy from you And the best part? It's easier than you think, once you know the tricks. So, give it a listen! You’ll be glad you did.  Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: [link to episode]

If you’ve ever wondered, "How many emails should we send in our year-end campaign?" Turns out, you're not alone!  We get this question every year, and now, thanks to Jaime Freidrichs, a fundraising coach dedicated to helping small but mighty organizations succeed, and 71 nonprofit survey participants — we’ve got some real data to guide you. In our latest episode (and blog post), we dive into the findings of Jaime’s study on the 2023 year-end email strategies of 71 nonprofits running online campaigns to understand: How frequently successful nonprofits emailed their supporters. The sweet spot for sending emails (without overloading your supporters). Surprising stats on email volume vs. meeting fundraising goals. With this survey Jaime hopes to take at least SOME of the guesswork out of your year-end email strategy. Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: [link to episode on MayeCreate.com]