DIY Marketing School with Melanie Dyann Howe

When it comes to building an effective content strategy, it's important to recognize the various options for video. Video is one of the most impactful formats you can create in modern day marketing. But, each format has a specific purpose. In this episode I explain how I feel about short form and viral video, pre-recorded video, and live video. I break it down and also explain why I believe so strongly that everyone marketing themselves should be including live video in their content strategy. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Join the DIY Marketing With Melanie Facebook Group Subscribe to my YouTube Channel More Episodes about Live Video Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

A common thread in business owners and online entrepreneurs is how often we can get stuck due to the sneaky voices in our head. Whether it be due to perfectionisms, fear of rejection, overwhelm, or overthinking - it happens to us all. I got inspiration to record this episode after talking things through with one of my great friends and amazing entrepreneurs who was feeling stuck. 95% of being stuck is in your head...your mindset. I've dealt with these challenges my entire time being self-employed and I'm grateful to be in a place where I can share some tips to help you get unstuck too. Links Mentioned in This Episode James Hicks's YouTube Channel B-Minus Work Episode on Amy Porterfield's Podcast My episode about Sucking First Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Let's be honest here, growing an audience on social media, especially YouTube can take a lot of effort and time. You can potentially speed the process up with paid advertising but if you're on a tight budget, you might not be ready for that. I'm sharing 3 strategies that are proven to help you grow your audience organically. I've used these exact strategies to reach the coveted first major YouTube milestone of 1000 subscribers. These strategies all revolve around the concept of collaborations and virtual networking through interviews. You'll find new followers, but you'll also create a snowball effect for your virtual networking journey. Enjoy this Topic? Other Episodes You May Like: Episode 43: Seven Ways to Show Up Online Episode 46: Five Ways to Get Bigger Results With Online Networking Episode 41: How to Make it Easier To Create More Live Videos Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

It's easy to get caught up in the number of followers, the number of likes and comments, the number of downloads, the number of video views, how much revenue got deposited into your bank account, etc. The list goes on. These are in fact some of the ways we can measure our progress and success, but there are more ways we need to be fueling our journey to move forward as entrepreneurs. In this episode, I'm going to share five new ways for you to measure your success. Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Creating content on social media should have some strategy behind it. This is something we talk about a lot. One of the things you've probably tried to focus on is creating content the social media algorithms favor. I believe when we start putting the algorithms first, we're missing out on the most important piece of the puzzle...our audience. In all honesty, if you focus on creating great content that serves your audience, you shouldn't need to worry about the algorithms. If you need to get up to speed on what we're even talking about check out this previous episode about social media algorithms. https://www.melaniedyann.com/blog/episode-4-what-the-heck-is-the-social-media-algorithm Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

It's possible that creating a digital course has never even crossed your mind. But, here me loud and clear when I say, every business should consider adding a digital course to their revenue plan. We all have something to teach, and when you use an online course (e-learning) to help people learn new skills or work through a process you can make a greater impact without having to spend extra time in your business. Digital Courses make it possible for you to help more people than you can when you're trading time for dollars or only able to serve people in your local community through in-person services. In this very special episode, I interview the one and only, Amy Porterfield to talk about how you can start creating a digital course. You'll learn how to come up with a course topic, how to discover your next steps in creating a course, and you'll hear Amy's advice on how to overcome the fears you may have inside of you. About Amy Porterfield: Amy Porterfield is an online marketing expert and the host of the top-ranked podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy. Before building a multi-million dollar digital course business, Amy worked with mega-brands like Harley-Davidson and Peak Performance Coach, Tony Robbins, where she oversaw the content team and collaborated on ground-breaking online marketing campaigns. Through her bestselling courses and popular podcast, Amy’s action-by-action approach proves that even the newest online entrepreneurs can bypass the overwhelm, and instead generate exciting momentum as they build a business they love. Links Mentioned in This Episode: Discover Your Personal Path to Creating an Online Course (Quiz)Get Inspired By These Amazing Course Creator TestimonialsSign Up For Amy's Free Masterclass (available for a limited time) "Five Little Known Mistakes "Most" Course Creators Make and How To Avoid ThemMore of my favorite things from AmySupport the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

I think just about every entrepreneur, content creator, or self-employed person deals with some level of perfectionism. Some more than others. We strive to be great, even the best, at what we do. When it comes to marketing ourselves it requires us to stretch our skills and even develop new ones. Whether it be learning to write copy, design social media posts, record podcast episodes, create videos, design a website, we have to push through the feelings of "I suck at this" and publish it anyway. Start giving yourself the grace to start out a bit sucky. The sooner you get into action, the better you'll get at creating more content and doing more to support your growth. Another episode you might be interested in: It's not a pivot, more of a realignment Check out the book, Mindset written by Carol S. Dweck PhD https://amzn.to/3DWuoU8 (Amazon affiliate link) Check out the book, The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins https://amzn.to/38S4u5Q (Amazon affiliate link) Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Showing up online either in your social media, on your podcast, in your blog, your videos, your emails should become a "way of life" in your business. But it's easy to let other things take priority. For example, you're super busy creating your course, or writing your book, or getting your new store ready...you don't have time to create content or show up online. Right? But, when we let other things put our online content on the bottom of our list, we're missing out. If you're waiting until you have something to promote to create online content, you're missing out on more customers, more sales, a bigger audience. Use your content to create a relationship with your audience so that when it comes time to promote something, they already trust you and are ready to BUY. Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

The rules of social media continue to change and evolve as each of the platforms evolve. But, one rule never changes. You're in control and in charge of what you post. There are no cookie-cutter rules around whether you should share details about your personal life in your professional content. You get to decide whether you share personal info, how much, and how often. Determine your own boundaries but keep in mind there are some things to consider when you decide to open up your personal life to your audience. Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Everyone goes through pitfalls, ruts, or even depression in their life and with their work. It's never as perfect as we wish or dream, but that's part of what makes you stronger. We hear these types of things throughout books, motivational speeches, inspiring podcasts, and everywhere else people are sharing entrepreneurial advice. This episode doesn't include a five-step formula to getting out of a rut, but it does include a piece of my own story, and hopefully, a little inspiration to help you if you're in that segment of your journey right now. Links Mentioned in this Episode: https://www.amyporterfield.com/2018/06/217/ Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Networking isn't a new concept to growing your business. But today networking involves connecting with people offline and online. When you network effectively you'll not only see growth in your audience but also your business as a whole. Effective networking creates opportunities for collaborations, partnerships, referrals, and of course new leads. In this episode, I'll share five areas you need to enhance to get the most out of your online networking so you can start to see the results you need. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Episode 16: Eleven Ways to Improve Your Profile Picture Episode 43: Seven Ways You Need to Show up in 2021 Mel's Instagram: @MelanieDyann Mel's YouTube The DIY Marketing School Facebook Group Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

When you have a bucket of content ideas, it empowers you to create more content. But, not just that, it will empower you to have more confidence that you can create content on a more regular and consistent basis. In this episode I'm sharing with you a simple yet effective strategy that will help you come up with 30 content ideas in just 30 minutes. That's 30 blog posts, 30 podcast episodes, or 30 videos. So, grab a notebook or your favorite note taking app and buckle up. Links and Apps mentioned in this episode: DIY Marketing With Melanie Facebook Group Descript Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

I hope your 2021 is off to a great start. It's been a busy one for me. This episode is dedicated to my subscribers and loyal listeners. I appreciate you. I'm not going anywhere but wanted to just share how I've been approaching my own marketing with the hopes that it helps you too. Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Have you ever been called "unprofessional?" What does that even mean these days? Our culture is always shifting. Gone are the days when women have to look and act a certain way in order to be taken seriously in the workplace...or are they? In this episode, I'm giving you a quick pep talk. If you've ever felt pressure to act or dress a certain way because you wanted to be considered "professional" take a listen. Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Welcome to 2021! Another opportunity to look ahead and think, "what am I going to do differently to finally make the strides I want to make?" Well, sister, you're going to show UP! Don't sit around waiting for things to happen. No more waiting for the courage to arrive magically so you can finally take action. Your actions will create more courage. In this episode, I'm going to share 7 ways I want you to show up this year. I'm passionate about every single one of them and they are very many things you can start doing TODAY. So, do it. Pick one, or all seven, take action and let me know about it on Instagram @melaniedyann Let's GO! Links Mentioned in this Episode: My Instagram Profile Episode 16: Eleven Tips for a Better Profile Picture Fifty Ideas for Live Videos DIY Marketing With Melanie Facebook Group Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Sometimes we just need a break. Either after a big launch, during the holiday season, or in the summer when things are supposed to be more chill (unless your business is boat rentals). All businesses are different and have different seasons of being busy and not busy. I believe in the power of taking a break or reserving time for yourself. Maybe for vacation, time with family, annual planning, or just simply breathing. But I don't believe in you taking a break in your digital marketing. I've done this, and it's not good. I want to share with you how to plan for the breaks and what to do so you don't lose momentum in your marketing. Links Mentioned in this Episode: DIY Marketing With Melanie Facebook Group Episode 4 about the Algorithm Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Live video is powerful. Simple as that. But it's even more powerful if you do it on a regular basis! So why don't more entrepreneurs use live video more regularly? In my experience in helping people implement a live strategy, the reasons fall into two buckets. The first reason is that they run out of content ideas. Sound familiar? I give you some tips on getting over the limiting belief that you can't talk about the same topics more than once. But also, go grab my super helpful list of fifty live video ideas. The second reason is that the process of going live is because the set-up process hasn't been streamlined. I suggest ways you can create a dedicated space or process for going live so you don't avoid it. The goal is to make it so easy and simple that you can schedule your live video, or go live spontaneously. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Mel's List of Fifty Facebook Live Ideas Episode: Eleven Tips for a Better Profile Picture DIY Marketing With Melanie Facebook Group Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Have you ever feared that the market already has enough of what you offer? Do you sometimes look around and think, "There are SO many people teaching what I teach." Here's the deal. I don't believe in market saturation. I call it market awareness. If you were the only one offering what you offer, then it would be highly likely that you'd have to spend a lot of time educating and convincing people why what you offer is even needed. Instead, consider that because you're not the only one...there must be a need for it (this is a very good thing) and that people are looking for it (also a good thing). So, how do you go about making sure they buy from you? Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

There are many reasons I hear from people who aren't using live video. But bottom line, most of the time the reason people are using video in their business is fear. Fear of what others will think, fear of how they look, fear of making a mistake and looking foolish. Fear of technology. In this episode I'm using audio from a live Q&A I did inside of my Facebook Community. I wanted to share it here because I know so many people still have not embraced video in their business. Join the DIY Marketing with Melanie community. It's an open Facebook community for anyone in small business or entrepreneurship who is doing their own marketing DIY style. We'd love to see you in there. If you're looking for ideas for live videos, I have you covered in this free PDF that includes 50 ideas to help you get started. Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube

Marketing 101 tells you that one of the key elements of any brand is the "voice." It's an huge part actually. Well, in the case where YOU are the brand your voice is even more important. If you're still trying to "find your voice," look no further because you already found it. It's not something you figure out or find. It's already part of you. You just have to decide how you'll let it out. I want to encourage you to let it out loud. The more you put yourself out there, the more you'll connect with your ideal customer. The more feedback you'll get which will in turn help you know what they need and want from you. When we stay quiet, we're leaving it up to the guessing game. Don't let your gifts go ungiven. Get out there. Support the Show. Get a 14-Day Free Trial of StreamYard with My Partner Link Learn more from me on YouTube