Ever had that eureka moment where you randomly have an idea for a promotion, product, email, or another business idea? Tell me, what’s usually your next thought? A. I have a great idea and need to buy the domain now. B. I have an idea and need to tell a friend. C. I have an idea and need a logo ASAP. I’m guilty of all three 🙋♀️ But this week, I’m here to share that the next best step is: you need to tell a prospective customer. Someone you think is a good fit for the solution to the problem...
26 days ago • 3 min read
The Brand Bloc is growing! And I couldn’t be more excited to have you here. Since our mini break, The Brand Bloc has grown by 30.6% 🤯 But how? Well, that’s the scoop I want to share with you this week... Business automation tools Summertime invites (arguably, tempts) us to make more time for play, leisure, and adventure. We aren’t as glued to our computers, offices, or workstations. Instead, we’re (ideally) checking email less and enjoying the outside more. But for us small business owners,...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
If you or your brand have a presence on the Web, then you should absolutely know (and optimize) what appears when you Google you or your brand. Are your brand name, tagline, and site description accurate and appealing? Someone should be enticed to click. Did a super fan write about you on Reddit or their blog? These queries and reviews can make or break you. Are competitors running ads against your brand terms and, perhaps, outranking you? You should counter that quickly. Is someone else with...
3 months ago • 2 min read
A round of applause for Coca-Cola this week. Its iconic logo and brand color are so recognizably strong that it’s crushing its logo in a global out-of-home campaign to inspire action. Here’s a condensed motion demo of Coca-Cola’s clever logo-crushing campaign: Credit: Coca-Cola® The campaign is first rolling out in Latin America, so the ads will have Portuguese and Spanish translations that ultimately read, “Recycle Me.” And if you think about Coca-Cola’s signature aluminum cans, the...
3 months ago • 1 min read
If you’re reading The Brand Bloc, then you’re probably a brand owner and a _________. a designer a baker a doctor a writer a mother, uncle, or auntie Being a multi-passionate and multi-talented multi-hyphenate is a gift. You’ve identified more than one thing that sparks joy or curiosity enough to build a career, brand, or business around your interests or expertise. But that gift can quickly become a nightmare without the right team, process, and expectations in place. You can fall victim to...
3 months ago • 1 min read
We skipped last week for the holiday (and survived Friday’s earthquake on the East Coast 😳), but The Brand Bloc is picking up where we left off from our previous edition— Getting Press 🗞️ Last time, we discussed: Knowing why you want press, What to do when you get it, and How to determine which channels can have the most impact. If you need a refresher, read the last edition before we dive into today’s email.I’m sharing the tactical ways I’ve secured press for my product-based business, epic...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Every brand or creator wants to be ‘seen in’ [insert dream magazine here]. But only a few know what to do with the press once it’s earned. As I started to write about my experience in getting my sensory candle brand, Spoken Flames, in most (not all—Vogue, call me) of our dream publications like Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, and SHAPE, I realized how layered this topic can be. So, this week’s email will be Parts I & II. Here are the things I wish I knew (and now know) about getting press,...
4 months ago • 3 min read
As of 2024, 2.64 billion people worldwide shop on the Internet. That figure makes up over 33% of the world’s population. Look at us. All at home with no pants on, tapping a few buttons on our screen, and voilà 🪄 Whatever we order shows up at our front door. That’s the magic of e-commerce—for the consumer. For the small e-commerce owner or operator? Well, it takes a village. Part people, part automation. After attending an event last week where I got to share a bit about my e-commerce brand...
5 months ago • 3 min read
These days, digital marketing involves a presence on some form of social media. Pick your platform. And at times, it feels like we all work unpaid and part-time for these fickle algorithms. Post a Story? That’s nice. It will be gone in 24 hours. Reel gone viral? That’s nice. Make lighting strike twice — and do it again. Taking a break? “Okay,” says the algorithm. “I will show your content to fewer people if you stop.” I believe there’s a word for this 🙃 Over the past two weeks, I’ve taken on...
5 months ago • 2 min read