The Digital Success For Business Podcast

Stop Wasting Money: Proven Marketing Strategies for Business Growth

In this episode, Leanne Cohens and Karen O'Connor discuss the common problem of wasted money in marketing. They share their personal experiences of spending money on courses and coaches that didn't deliver the expected results. Leanne emphasizes the importance of understanding marketing basics and having an awareness of what works before investing in expensive programs. They also discuss the value of being a "dupreneur" and having a job while building a business to avoid financial strain. Leanne and Karen stress the need for business owners to have a basic understanding of marketing to avoid wasting money and make informed decisions.
Key Takeaways:
Marketing is essential for business success, but it's important to avoid wasting money on ineffective strategies.
You don't need to be an expert in every aspect of marketing, but having a basic understanding is crucial.
Being a "dupreneur" and having a job while building a business can provide financial stability.
Invest in learning the basics of marketing rather than spending a significant amount on expensive courses.
Understand the return on investment when it comes to marketing expenses and focus on strategies that generate leads and revenue.
Quotes:
"Don't spend a vast amount of money trying to become an expert in the field. You're better off spending a few hundred dollars learning the basics." - Karen O'Connor
"You need to know enough to understand it, but you don't need to be an expert. You can't be an expert in everything these days." - Leanne Cohens
About The Host & Guest:
Leanne Cohens is the digital success coach and owner of the agency Marketing Lead. With over 25 years of experience in marketing and over 30 years as a business owner, Leanne focuses on helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses through effective marketing strategies.
Karen O'Connor is the owner of Speak Up Podcasting and host of the podcast "Menopause, Marriage and Motherhood." She has experience working with high-level business coaches and has learned valuable lessons about marketing and wasting money.
 

Creating Content That Resonates: Tips for Engaging Your Audience

In this episode, Leanne shares tips on how to create content that resonates with your audience by knowing your target audience and understanding their needs and wants. Creating generic content simply isn't going to work, business owners need to focus on solving their ideal client's problems. Leanne also explains the importance of authenticity in creating engaging content and how to utilise the power of storytelling in building a connection with your audience and increasing trust. 
Key Takeaways:
Know your target audience and create content that speaks directly to their specific issues, wants, and needs.
Use storytelling to create an emotional connection with your audience and build your brand engagement.
Focus on solving your ideal client's problems and providing resources that help them learn and find solutions.
Use visuals that align with your brand to make your content visually appealing and recognisable.
Be authentic and genuine in your content to build trust with your audience.
Timestamps0:01:36   Tips on creating content that resonates with your audience0:02:13   Know your target audience and create content that speaks directly to them0:03:43   Humanise your content and create an emotional connection0:05:26   Use storytelling to connect with your audience0:07:08   Educate and inform your audience by solving their problems0:08:34   Use visuals to make your content visually appealing0:09:47   Be authentic and genuine in your content 
About The Host:Leanne Cohens is a digital success coach and the owner of the agency Marketing Leap. With over 25 years of experience as a marketer and 30 years as a business owner, Leanne helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses through effective marketing strategies.

5 Effective Tools for Creating Viral YouTube Videos

In this episode, Leanne Cohens shares five effective tools for creating great YouTube videos. She emphasises the importance of marketing in business success and provides strategies to help entrepreneurs overcome the overwhelm of creating video content. Leanne discusses the following tools:
StreamYard: A web-based media studio that allows for live streaming and recording of videos across multiple social media platforms.
Adobe Premiere or Filmora: Video editing software that enables customisation and fine-tuning of videos.
Rev or Otter AI: Transcription tools for converting video content into written form, which can be used for creating social media posts and blogs.
TubeBuddy: A tool for optimising YouTube videos and improving search engine rankings.
Canva: A design tool for creating eye-catching thumbnails that attract viewers to watch YouTube videos.
Leanne also mentions her business growth with YouTube course, which provides a clear understanding of how to use YouTube and videos in marketing strategies. She offers structured mentoring, coaching packages, and a full-service digital agency for those who prefer professional assistance with their digital marketing efforts.
Key Takeaways:
Use StreamYard for live streaming and recording videos across multiple social media platforms.
Consider using Filmora as a more affordable alternative to Adobe Premiere for video editing.
Use Rev or Otter AI for accurate and efficient transcription of video content.
Optimise YouTube videos using TubeBuddy to improve search engine rankings.
Create eye-catching thumbnails with Canva to attract viewers to your YouTube videos.
Quotes:
"Marketing is the single most important element when it comes to business success."
"With the correct content production tools, you can make video production and planning really easy."
"TubeBuddy is one of the simplest and least expensive ways of growing a YouTube channel."
"Canva allows you to create some really great eye-catching YouTube thumbnails."
About The Host:
Leanne Cohens is a digital success coach and the owner of the agency Marketing Leap. With over 25 years of experience as a marketer and over 30 years as a business owner, Leanne is passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses through effective marketing strategies. She offers educational courses and training to demystify the online space and digital marketing for business owners.

The Top 5 Website Builders for Small Businesses: Which One is Right for You?

Join marketing guru Leanne Cohens as she discusses the top website builders for small businesses, explaining the importance of having a user-friendly platform with excellent SEO capabilities and reasonable pricing options. Leanne explores five different website builders: WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, and Square Online (formerly Weebly) and highlights the pros and cons of each platform, including their ease of use, customization options, and e-commerce capabilities. 
Key Takeaways:
WordPress is a flexible platform with extensive customization options, but it has a learning curve for non-technical users.
Wix is easy to use and offers a drag-and-drop editor, making it ideal for beginners, but it may have limitations in terms of customisation.
Shopify is a popular choice for e-commerce businesses, providing comprehensive sales tools and integration with various payment gateways.
Squarespace offers beautiful templates and a sleek drag-and-drop editor, making it suitable for businesses that prioritise aesthetics.
Square Online (formerly Weebly) is a good option for service-based businesses, offering team management and a complete point-of-sale system.
Quotes:
"Marketing is the single most important element when it comes to business success."
"You need to have some control over your online presence." 
"WordPress is so flexible because if you can think of something, you can actually create it in WordPress."
"Wix has become one of the top website builders for small business because it's easy to use and has over 800 website themes."
"Shopify simplifies the complexity of e-commerce and offers great sales tools for small businesses." 
"Squarespace has some of the best templates of any website builder, and its drag-and-drop editor is excellent."
"Square Online is great for service-based businesses that need team management and a complete point-of-sale system."
About The Host:
Leanne Cohens is the digital success coach and owner of the agency Marketing Leap. With over 25 years of experience as a marketer and 30 years as a business owner, Leanne specialises in helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses through effective marketing strategies. She is passionate about demystifying digital marketing and providing practical solutions for business owners.

Digital marketing strategies for business growth in the online world

Leanne Cohens discusses the basics of digital marketing and how it can impact a business. She explains that digital marketing is simply marketing using digital tools to communicate value to customers. She identifies seven core categories of digital marketing, including search engine optimization, search engine marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, affiliate marketing, and email marketing. Leanne emphasizes the importance of understanding these tools and using them together to generate traffic, create awareness, and transform leads into loyal customers. She also offers courses and services to help business owners navigate the world of digital marketing.
Key Takeaways:
Digital marketing is marketing using digital tools to communicate value to customers.
The seven core categories of digital marketing include search engine optimization, search engine marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, affiliate marketing, and email marketing.
Email marketing has a high return on investment and is a valuable tool for staying in touch with customers.
Utilizing multiple digital marketing strategies together can help build brand awareness, attract ideal clients, and generate leads.
Understanding the basics of digital marketing is essential for business owners, even if they choose to outsource certain aspects.
Quotes:
"Digital marketing is basically marketing using digital tools." - Leanne Cohens
"The whole idea is making digital marketing and making your marketing actually work for your business." - Leanne Cohens
"Utilizing a couple of these digital marketing strategies to work together in cohesion is the best way to generate traffic and create awareness." - Leanne Cohens
About The Host:
Leanne Cohens is a Digital Success Catalyst and the owner of Marketing Leap, a digital marketing agency. With over 25 years of experience in marketing and over 30 years as a business owner, Leanne helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses through effective digital marketing strategies.

The Digital Success Checklist: Where to Show Up Online and Reach Your Ideal Client

In this episode, Leanne Cohens, online marketing expert, emphasizes the importance of understanding the digital space as a business owner. She believes that marketing is the key to business success and aims to help entrepreneurs overcome marketing overwhelm. Leanne advises business owners to have a clear understanding of their ideal client and focus on platforms where their target audience is present. She encourages entrepreneurs to avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO) and only invest in marketing strategies that align with their goals. Leanne shares a story of a client who wasted money on a premium LinkedIn package when her ideal clients were actually on YouTube. She emphasizes the need for consistency in messaging and branding to build trust with potential customers. Leanne provides a checklist and download to help business owners determine where they should be showing up online and how to identify their ideal client.
Key Takeaways:
Understand your ideal client and focus on platforms where they are present.
Avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO) and invest in marketing strategies that align with your goals.
Consistency in messaging and branding is crucial to build trust with potential customers.
Quotes:
"Marketing is the single most important element when it comes to business success."
"Having an understanding of where you're at and what it is that you should be doing is probably the first step to stopping this fear of missing out."
"If it's not part of your strategic plan, let it go."
"Your clients need consistency from you. They need you to show up on a regular basis with the same message and the same branding."
About The Host:
Leanne Cohens is the digital success coach and owner of the agency Marketing Leap. With over 25 years of experience as a marketer and 30 years as a business owner, Leanne helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses through effective marketing strategies.

How to Grow Your Business Online: The Power of Podcasting

Leanne and Karen discuss the benefits of podcasting for small businesses. They emphasise the importance of personal connection and expertise in attracting customers. They also highlight the challenges business owners face when starting a podcast, such as time and effort. However, they provide solutions and support services to make podcasting more accessible and manageable for entrepreneurs.
Key Takeaways:
Podcasting allows business owners to showcase their expertise and connect with their audience on a personal level.
Shorter podcast episodes, even as little as five minutes, can be effective in capturing listeners' attention.
Podcasting doesn't have to be complicated or require expensive equipment. Basic headphones and a smartphone can suffice.
Support services, such as editing, uploading, and show notes writing, can alleviate the time and effort required to maintain a podcast.
 
About The Host & Guest:
Leanne Cohens is the digital success coach and owner of the agency Marketing Lead. With over 25 years of experience as a marketer and 30 years as a business owner, Leanne focuses on helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses through effective marketing strategies.
Karen O'Connor is the founder of Speak Up Podcasting, a podcasting agency that helps business owners market their businesses through podcasts. With her expertise in podcasting and YouTube channels, Karen believes that personal connection is key in today's business landscape.
Quotes:
"People connect with people. They don't go to the Yellow Pages anymore." - Karen O'Connor
"Having a podcast is like doing your Facebook ads and having a website. It's almost becoming a necessity." - Karen O'Connor
"Your podcast does not need to be an hour long. If it's just you talking, 15 minutes tops." - Karen O'Connor