Becoming an entrepreneur is exciting. Most new entrepreneurs and small business people have big dreams and big ideas. This enthusiasm is important when it comes to having the drive and determination to get things off the ground, but it’s also important to keep the fundamentals in mind. Avery Swartz is the author of the best-selling book See You on the Internet: Building Your Small Business with Digital Marketing.
Avery is a digital marketing expert, and her book is all about starting with the fundamentals and using a framework to plan and execute a successful digital marketing strategy for small and large businesses. She’s here today to talk about how her proven framework along with iteration can lead to a successful digital marketing plan before and after launching your small business.
The information in Avery's book is especially relevant for small business owners. We work through the steps in her framework beginning with the first thing you need to do before anything else. Then we talk about the individual metric that will help indicate whether your business is moving in the right direction. We talk about when to measure, when to leap, and the importance of learning. We also touch on important digital essentials that sometimes get overlooked.
Avery Swartz is an entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She is the founder and CEO of Camp Tech, a tech workshop for non-technical people. She’s the resident tech expert on CTV Your Morning. She was ranked number 5 on Search Engine Journal's Top 50 Women in Marketing list. She writes about tech topics for Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, and The Globe and Mail. She loves tech and small business, and it’s great to have her here today.
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Avery Swartz thank you so much for being here!
Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself.
Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.
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Highlights –
[02:36] Avery has been so busy that the number one thing that she is excited about is rest. It's an essential part of the creative process that allows her mind to regenerate.
[04:21] The information in Avery's book scales for different sized businesses, but it's especially relevant for small business owners and people who try to do almost everything themselves.
[06:39] There is often a disconnect between the big picture and granular concepts. This is why Avery created a framework that includes the basics.
[07:09] Set your goal. Know what you are working towards before diving in. Your goal can define your strategy and become your North Star.
[11:34] Choose your KPI or key performance indicator. This is a metric that indicates your individual business performance. It will differ depending on what your business is and what your goals are. You choose your KPI depending on where your business is at.
[15:40] Pick no more than three KPI indicators that are right for your business and put blinders on and only look at that data. We have way too much data and not enough analysis.
[19:33] Measure before. You've established your goal and determined your individual KPI, now take a measurement before you get started. Knowing where you're at when you start allows you to see how far you've come when you succeed.
[21:49] Leap! Jump into the unknown even if you don't have the perfect plan. You can make the most informed decision that you can at the time, but eventually you have to jump in and learn as you go.
[23:05] Measure after. You're allowed to admit you chose the wrong KPI, but you're not allowed to switch it at this point. Are you sure you didn't make a mistake at the leap/execution stage? You may need to go through the entire framework again and tweak certain aspects.
[25:46] Look for a signal in the noise or something that gives you a sense that you're onto something before giving up.
[26:36] Often the number one goal of doing something new is to learn.
[28:32] The Self-Employed Business School is launching later this year. This is a result of taking a leap and noticing that there was an indicator of need for this information.
[29:50] The framework is iterative and can be repeated.
[31:30] Domains are essential. Things to look at include which extension to use and how many similar domains should be registered.
[35:16] Digital hygiene or making safety and security on the Internet a regular practice. A password manager is essential. Have a strong unique password for every log in. Avery recommends LastPass.
[42:33] Having a VPN or virtual private network is a great way to protect yourself when logging into networks. It's an extra layer of protection.
[44:17] Choosing a CRM or customer relationship management software can be difficult. Be realistic about where your business is and where you would like it to go. Think about the functionality and integrations that you'll need.
[47:29] Big CRMs like Hubspot and Salesforce can sometimes be overkill. Avery recommends checking out trying something smaller like Insightly or Nimble.
[52:30] Learn a little bit about what drives Avery's success in the Rapid Round.
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Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.