The Monthly Statement: Exciting Updates and Trends for Q3!

Hello Bankers! Welcome to another edition of "The Monthly Statement." Your month end ACCOUNTability newsletter/blog post. I first must say this practice of showing up for myself is just that practice; HARD practice.

Yes! We talkin' about PRACTICE! IN the name of change I've decided that I'm re-training myself this summer. Amongst this training I started the 12 week year on 6/7/2024 and here is a RECAP! I named 5 goals for the next 12 weeks well now we're down to 9 weeks time flys. Today I wanted to scrap it all and start over because I realized my lack of scheduling the past 2 weeks really messed up the week 1 rhythm. However because we are talking about accountability and practice... I will NOT be giving into the pressure of restarting, it feels too much like quitting. You’ll see the irony in my goal list below…

Goal 1 : Stick to my goals.- Holding on by the hem

Goal 2 : Lose 30 lbs ( 5lbs down/25 to go) you can call this a ssttttrrreeeeeeeeetch goal- there is still time

Goal 3: Help 30 business owners streamline their business processes online. (2 down/28 to go) Are you or any friends looking for new systems to make your business life more efficient?

Goal 4: Create a $10k stream of revenue.(I’ve made$197/10000-still waiting on the deposit)

Goal 5: Growing in spiritual maturity and authority.(I’ve been studying rather than reading -game changer, also 3 weeks into a weekly Bible study with a friend)

Yes they are color coded so that when I'm making my daily schedule I recognize easily what actions and behaviors are moving to or away from my goals. I easily noticed I was avoidant of my pretty in pink health goals as well as taking the baby steps in business rather than the bold moves I desire. So here we are practicing new things like learning how to communicate via writing blog posts about flaws we try so hard to hide. Here I am sharing a personal venture of my pursuit of belief, business building, better behaviors, brains and body. (How is that for an alliteration) Anyways I spent most of June hiding coming up with plans and strategies to execute during the second half of the year. What I learned was the only way to get better at something is to first acknowledge where you are...where you want to be and then practice. Practice = Preparation.

I don't have a legit segway so let's jump into June findings on our focus topics. Starting with The MyBrand Ecosystem (The SaaS company I partner with to make all our lives easier).

Reminder : The MyBrand is equivalent to an online toolbox full of amazing gadgets to help run your business smoothly. Everything you need right from your browser or any browser. Say this with me:

Automating my Business is Self Care.

Here are 3 functions in myBrand I used this month to I automate my business.

1. I had no process for how to start my work day. I would open my system and whoever yelled "Fire!" first via WhatsApp became priority leaving me little time to focus on the goals of my business. Since I've been re-introduced to the Dashboards my days have been more organized. The revamped segment of the system is even more intuitive. Completely customizable and you can also make multiple dashboards for your multiple hats. Now all the essential data is front and center at a glance, making it easier to make informed decisions quickly. What's the first thing you do when you sit to work? Do you check tasks? Analytics? Prospects to follow up on? Missed calls/messages? What's on your dashboard?

2. I had No Leads or prospects: If you're feeling a little down about how you can't get anyone to take you up on that fancy book a call button on your website, you are NOT alone. My comfort zone isn’t making me money so it’s time to be the one to start making the calls or sending emails. I've only ever tried prospecting one other time in my business life and I'm still a bit nervous however for this new skill I am undertaking I've found the Opportunities segment is best. It has allowed me to create pipelines tailored to my process so I can cultivate how I want clients to experience my business. I can track what step they are in the journey to becoming a client. I also use this function for clients who purchased my services and are now working through tasks to finish the project. How do you track new client or opportunities?

3. You guessed it! Automations: I have set up Workflow Automations for a few moving parts of my business. For instance if you'd like to me to run your ad management once you've purchased you're immediately taken to a form to collect information regarding your ad history. Then a welcome email goes out to inform you further about the process and provide an invitation to set up a meeting. Once the meeting is set your account is moved to the next step in the pipeline contact and contract. The list goes on until project completion. Some automations are simple like sending out a welcome email while others are a bit more complex moving them through my process. Is your business automated? Do you want it to be and don’t know where to start?

OTW to Mastering SEO

SEO (my summer study obsession), when building a website it can be frustrating to find your voice and even more frustrating when you realize no one is listening. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is THE secret weapon to make your website more visible on Google. The better SEO, the higher your website ranks in search results, making it easier for potential customers to find you. Here are the three steps I took in June to step up my SEO.

Simple SEO Actionable Plan for Beginners

1. Studied my Competition : Being completely new to this I needed to understand what it looked like to be successful in SEO. So I researched the following: What is their ranking and how long have they been in business? What words do they use in their copy, what does their content look like, how did you find them? Where are they lacking that I can execute within my business?

2. Found & Optimized my Keywords: This is where the words they use come in handy. I used tools like Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush to research keyword performance on my competition's websites. This helped me to determine how hard or easy it is going to be to rank for different keywords. Then I thought about the words and phrases my target audience uses when searching for products or services like mine. These keywords should be used throughout your website and in your content.

   **Bonus** I used these tools Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush to figure out what initial issues my site had with the technical SEO. Then I corrected as many as possible before I got overwhelmed and repeat the process whenever they send me a report. All services have a free and paid offer.

Creative Strategy Insights

Creative Strategy (where I play with branding based on data) is about using your unique voice and ideas to make your business stand out. Taking data from previous attempts at growing to tweak and change what works and what doesn't work for the brand.

Creative Tips

1. Ask & Answer : As owners we are here to establish authority in our field of choice. As a form of engagement in July I want us not be afraid to ask questions in the comments of posts and media that speaks to us. Double Down by answering questions. Sharing your knowledge with others not only shows your understanding but opens the door for further discussion about how you can help them through your business. Don't forget authenticity is key. Let your personality shine through in everything. This helps build trust and loyalty. What's this for? Engagement, be the engagement you're hoping to receive online.

2. Create a Content Plan: Considering SEO is Google's ability to crawl your website keeping it fresh and engaging by adding new content regularly is advisable. This could be done via blog posts, product updates, or customer testimonials. In addition social media platforms are becoming SEO friendly meaning captions are even more capable of leading people to your content. I have no interest in posting 5x a day on 5 platforms. I found a simple plan that works for me as I begin to find out where my people hang out.

Q3 FOREVER TRENDING TOPICS.....

Let's talk trends. People want substance aka Longer videos that teach, AI is still flooding the timelines so using it to enhance the expression of your creative genius is the best way to stand out. People are shopping on social more. DM chivalry is not dead, the 90s & Y2K are back baby! Storytelling and sustainability are here to stay.

Final Thoughts

With the right tools and strategies, you can streamline your processes, grow your impact, and make a meaningful difference in your community. Stay creative and keep learning.

That’s it for this month’s edition of The Monthly Statement. Keep dreaming big and working hard, and you'll achieve amazing things!

Until next time,

The Bank on Marie Team

PS Let us know what you're doing in Q3, any special content strategies you're executing?