Nonprofit Marketing with Purpose: Recent Episodes

MayeCreate Design

Join host Monica Pitts, founder of MayeCreate, and her team as they guide you through the maze of digital marketing for nonprofits. Listen, laugh, roll your eyes, and leave each episode with another nugget on how to make your marketing less stressful and more successful. You're on the path to marketing with purpose!

I hear alot about nonprofit boards.

(Sometimes as web designers we get mistaken for marketing therapists…aaaaand tech support…)

But while we work with boards to build websites…I don’t have to manage one. My advice in that area is limited at best. I do, however, see first hand how an engaged board could make marketing your nonprofit a WHOLE lot easier.

I sure do wish I had a magic board motivating fairy godmother I could loan out to you. A lovely little winged creature to pixie dust your board right on into shape.

But alas, my access to board managing fairy godmothers is limited…actually it’s pretty negligible.

So today I’m bringing the next best thing…

11 inspiring nonprofit leaders — sharing their actionable advice on the best ways to get your board involved with your marketing efforts.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/nonprofit-board-marketing-engagement-strategies/

Featured Resource: Year End Campaign Planning Checklist

https://mayecreate.com/resource/year-end-campaign-planning-checklist/

Choosing the colors for your brand is a combo of art, psychology and science.

Aaaaand unfortunately there aren’t hard and fast rules to follow. There are, however, quite a few things to consider before putting the final stamp of approval on your logo and brand colors. And that’s what this episode is all about.

Monica talks you through choosing the right logo and brand color combo to:

Reflect your brand personality
Provide reliable design options
Allow you to set yourself apart from the competition

Read the fully formatted blog post AND watch a quick tutorial on planning your brand pallet in Canva at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/good-logo-colors-best-combinations/

Happy coloring!

P.S. If you want to know more about color theory - how colors work together, affect your emotions and how you perceive things - check out our previous episode/blog post combo!

Featured Resource: Marketing on a Shoestring

https://youmayecreate.com/marketing-on-a-shoestring/?utm_source=mayecreate_CTA

Have you ever stopped to think about why red dominates fast food chain brands while banks gravitate towards green?

It’s because colors impact everything from our mood to our appetite. And those branding pros know color is just one more tool in their marketing tool box. Between 62% and 90% of a product’s first impressions are determined by its colors.

If you've ever wondered why your logo's color matters or what they mean, this episode is just for you!

MayeCreate’s co-art directors, Monica and Tyler, teamed up to plan this long anticipated and totally dorky chat explaining the basics of color theory and how different colors make people feel.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/color-theory-for-brands/

P.S. Stay tuned for our next episode too! We’re putting all this color theory into action explaining how to choose good logo and brand colors with a tutorial to do it yourself!

If you have a really small marketing department, (like maybe just a quarter of a person ) this episode is for you.

MayeCreate's own marketing team waivers between a half and full person (and at least one dog) depending on the day, so when Sarah said she had tips to get it done faster, we were all ears.

In this interview Sarah shares her 4 C framework to get organized, get results and most of all…get it done:

Core Content: Think of it like the bread and butter of your content strategy - stuff like regular podcasts, blog posts, or live streams. It's what keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more.
Campaign Content: This is all about promoting your latest offers or products. Content tailored to support your marketing campaigns and grab your audience's attention.
Collab Content: Where you team up with others, like doing guest spots on podcasts or co-creating content with industry experts. It broadens your audience, builds relationships, and taps into the expertise of others.
Curated Content: All about sharing existing content that your audience will love. It could be compiling podcasts, articles, or videos from different sources into handy lists or guides. It saves you time and provides value to your audience at the same time.

Dig into each of the 4 C’s with Sarah and I, PLUS get the skinny on the tools she loves that keep her marketing running.

Get the full transcription and show notes for this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/4c-content-marketing-method-sarah-block/

Tyler and Rebecca, MayeCreate’s lead developers, are super, mega smart.

Everyday we find new reasons to be thankful to have them on our team.

And in today’s episode you get to meet them as they lift the hood to peer inside the websites at MayeCreate and document the WordPress plugins they deem good enough to make the cut.

They explain:

Using plugins responsibly.
Must have plugins to make your site show up on Google and load quickly.
The best compliance and security plugins.
Plus plugins that solve problems and put websites to work.

Monica shares her favorites as well and jumps in from time to time and translate their tech awesomeness for our less techy listeners

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode with links to all these awesome plugins at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/mayecreates-favorite-wordpress-plugins/

A pretty website is one thing. One that sells is quite another.

And writing copy that sells is not easy! It’s a marriage of education and psychology, both an art and a science.

In this episode, our favorite sales copywriter tells just how she does it, workshop style!

Tiff Carey digs deep into levers we can pull for major conversions including:

How to use sexy bullets to entice window shoppers to become long-time buyers
Using social proof/testimonials to carry prospects through the sales conversation
When to replace emotional appeals with data/factoids to gain reader trust
Using buttons - how many is too many and how many isn't enough

Transform your copy from pretty to profitable with Tiff's advice!

Get the full transcript and links to Tiff’s contact info on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/creating-a-sales-page-that-sells/

We promised you in Podcasting 101 Part 1 that Monica would flip on her tech switch and now she's here to deliver.

She geeked out (and loved EVERY minute of it ) explaining the ins and outs of:

Hardware: We start with the basics - microphones. Then dig into essential accessories to enhance your recording setup and minimize background noise.
Software: Navigating recording and editing software can be daunting, but fear not. We outline options for beginners along with tips for remote interviews to maintain audio quality.
Podcast Hosting: Hosting service comparison complete with checklist to help you pick the one that’s right for you.
Podcast Website: The best ways to share your podcast on your site from simple to SEO boosting.
Production Management: Tips to save time and streamline your podcasting workflow plus our favorite tools.

Join Monica in this Podcasting 101 Part 2 episode to put your podcast startup tech worries to rest!

Read the fully formatted blog post and download the PDF guide to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcasting-101-podcast-startup-tech-talk/

Make sure to hop back over to part 1 of this series for our podcast start up checklist to guide you through 3 strategic pre-recording decisions: Your human resources (for set up and production), publishing schedule, and show details.

We’ve fielded a lot of questions about starting podcasts lately. Enough questions we started to think the universe was telling us we should do a few podcasts about starting a podcast.

Luckily, with over 200 episodes under our belt, we're getting this whole podcast thing figured out.

We cataloged our misadventures and advice into two podcast focused episodes starting right here with:

Podcasting 101 Part 1: Getting Started Checklist

A practical checklist to guide you through the essential 3 pre-recording decisions: your show's human resources, frequency, and brand details.

Read the fully formatted blog post and download the PDF guide accompanying this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcasting-101-getting-started-checklist/

Stay tuned for Podcasting 101 Part 2: Tech Talk

(This publishes in a few weeks but you can listen now on our website!)

In this episode we go full tech geek on you and explain the ins and outs of choosing the right equipment, technical aspects of recording, editing, podcast website set up, podcast host comparisons, and production management tips.

Monica is a website builder by trade…you’ve probably figured that out by now.

But a website that can’t be found is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

Which makes her a student of SEO…FOREVER. Because it changes faster than a Nascar pit crew.

And it’s not one dimensional either, Search Engine Optimizations (SEO) is mutli-faceted. The MayeCreate team’s responsibility is to build a website Google can be friends with. Which is a huge part of the SEO pie. But what about all the other things?

That’s where Nina Gibson comes in. She’s done SEO for some big brands…Yankee Candle, Caboodles, Orvis, National Geographic to name a few.

Monica got to pick her brain in this episode and ask questions like:

How does SEO work?
What common mistakes do we need to avoid?
What changes is Google making right now that we need to know about?
How is AI affecting SEO?

She took a lot of notes from this episode…so grab a pen and paper (or just download the transcript) and let’s get to some SEO business!

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/seo-fundamentals-2024-forecast-with-guest-nina-gibson/

Domain

Hosting

Website

Sooooo intangible…yet so important for your business. We talk about these things everyday but for normal humans they’re a question factory…

What even is a domain?
How do you get one?
How do you connect it to everything?
And what the heck is hosting?
Do you need it?
How do you know which one you need?

So if you’re up to your neck in questions, this episode is for you.

Together we'll unravel the role of domain name and domain registrars then move on to decode hosting for you—shared, VPS, dedicated—so you can know which is right for you.

Let's get to business!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-domain-hosting-and-website/

The latest episode of Marketing with Purpose, features none other than Chris West, President of West Contracting. ️

Chris and his team spent the past year in a cycle of change, reevaluating their internal structure, figuring out what works and what doesn't, and charting their course for the future.

As part of their marketing team, it's been awesome to be a part of the journey!

Today we’ll dig into:

How they are continuing to strengthen company culture through recent changes but keeping what works, including their employees, who have an average tenure of over 10 years!
What it's like working in a family business (Chris is the 3rd generation to manage West Contracting) and how they transitioned from each generation to keep the company strong.
Tap into Chris's never-give-up attitude. Even if you're a steadfast procrastinator like him, he's got some wisdom to share on how to still get things done and find success.

We've been lucky enough to get to work with Chris for many years now and are proud to share his story through the West Contracting marketing. Now, we're excited to get to share it with you in this episode!

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/paving-the-way-insights-from-three-generations-of-success-with-guest-chris-west/

In this week’s Marketing with Purpose episode we're tackling a topic that hits close to home for many of us - quite literally.

Working from home with your spouse and managing to:

Not go nuts
Get your work done
AND stay married

Tyler and Christi Ernst have been remote working from the same ROOM for the past 4 years…and they still like each other!

So we had to know their secret.

Tyler is our lead developer and co-art director at MayeCreate, and luckily he and his wife, Christi, share an office - because we regularly consult Christi for a second opinion!

In this episode Tyler and Christi delve into:

The communication patterns that allow them to harmoniously work and live in the same space
Challenges to expect when working from home with your spouse and how they overcame them
Their secret test to tell if a couple can work the same space

And, of course, like any other normal episode, we discussed powerlifting and sourdough baking ️ !

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-work-from-home-with-your-spouse-and-not-go-nuts-with-guests-tyler-christi-ernst/

You know how Monica LOVES to geek out about podcasting? OK, not quite as much as she loves geeking out about websites…but close !

And recently, on the Marketing with Purpose podcast, Monica had the pleasure of geeking out WITH another podcasting veteran with over 300 episodes under his belt, Khalil Benalioulhaj.

He likes podcasting so much he started a business to help people run their podcasts. Now, that’s taking it to a whole new level…

Here's a sneak peek of what they covered in the episode:

Remote recording benefits and production efficiency
Understanding podcast analytics and measuring success
Leveraging podcasts as a sales and marketing tool
Plus, expert tech solutions to make your life easier!

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: http://mayecreate.com/blog/podcasting-lessons-from-khalil-compelling-content-guest-tips-roi-more/

When MayeCreate opened the new Camdenton office, Stacy and Monica needed a spot to meet up in between. They lucked into a relatively new co-working space, Jefferson and High that rekindled Monica’s belief that customer service is your number one marketing tool as a small business.

So Monica invited owner, Chris Galloway, to give us a rundown of the seamless tech integrations, onboarding process and snacks that keep his customers coming back time and time again.

If you’re craving customer service inspiration, there’s a thing or two to learn about this growing co-working space. (Warning…this episode may result in a craving for Cheetos .)

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website: http://mayecreate.com/blog/how-one-co-working-space-markets-through-great-customer-service-with-owner-chris-galloway/

How are you at saying, “No”?

Monica always says, "it took birthing two kids and attempting to run a business at the same time" for her to get her head on straight and master her ‘no’ game.

See, ‘yes’ can be a dangerous game for a busy human. Each yes has to align with your priorities.

‘Yes’ is about putting your energy where it matters most.

‘No’ is about protecting that energy for the next opportunity to say ‘yes’.

So really…No is it’s buddy Yes’s superhero!

In this episode, Stacy, a self-proclaimed yes-gal, and Monica turn the tables on the guilt of ‘no’. Talking through their internal dialogue, and how they reason their way to the answer that uses their energy where it counts. Giving tips on:

The consequences of yes
The art of saying no nicely
Strategies for feeling OK about saying no
Dealing with negative feedback from your decision to say no

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/saying-no-in-a-nice-way-and-feeling-ok-about-it/

Over the past 18 years change is the one of the only things that has remained constant as in our business.

And some people love it…other people…not so much.

That’s why we talk about it so much on the Marketing with Purpose podcast. Because to make marketing and business decisions with purpose we have to be able to embrace the idea that things WILL change and then figure out WHAT the heck needs to change and make a plan to pull it all together.

In our latest episode, Monica sat down with Paden Squires, CPA & CFP at WR Tax Planners, who while helping our company evolve…has changed his company just as much.

They covered everything from:

Paden quitting a cushy job to do taxes in his living room.
How Paden’s the only tax accountant we know who wears a hoodie in his website photos.
The importance of self-awareness in business.
Struggles with delegation and perfectionism.
And our favorite…transitioning from the warrior to king stages of success.

Get the episode highlights and full transcript at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-power-of-persistence-from-tax-consulting-to-triumph-with-guest-paden-squires/

If you’ve been following along this last year, you know that MayeCreate is on a full on journey to operate in a way that meets our values, both as a team and as individuals. We transitioned to a four day workweek after testing it out in May and that amazing feat was years in the making. To work less and not get paid less meant we had to reevaluate nearly everything we did.

We started by streamlining all our administrative tasks.

Then moved on to revamp the way our designers and developers build websites.

We changed how we bill, schedule and estimate work…

But we were still stuck in the office 5 days a week.

So we took a step back to the one thing we held onto like a lifeline though it all. Something we had nursed like a baby and developed through 18 years of hard work.

Our account service process.

I remember sitting in my office and looking at Stacy and shaking my head saying, “It’s the only thing left, so it has to be wrong, I don’t know how to fix it but we can’t leave it like it is. It just doesn’t work.”

And after many discussions we birthed a whole new brainchild that’s even better than the last, one that creates better websites, faster, with less mistakes, that meets our current version of success…

And that, friend is what this episode is all about - knowing when to let go and celebrating the courage it took on the other side. Come join the party!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/we-totally-revamped-our-18-year-process-and-it-rocks/

My 9 year old daughter, Aveleen, decided she wants to be a Chamber of Commerce director when she grows up, after meeting K.C. Cloke, our local Chamber director and guest for this week’s episode.

I think that Aveleen will make an amazing Chamber director one day. That girl’s got what it takes to make stuff happen and a sunshine spirit to back it up…and she’s going to need it!

I’ve been part of large Chambers of Commerce and small.

Been on committees - ones that just act important and those that really are important. Gotten business and gotten squat.

And from experience I can say:

They’re all different.
Your involvement drives your outcomes.
It’s more of a marathon than a sprint.

So if you’re on the fence about joining your local Chamber or just want to know what a Chamber does, this episode is for you!

Join K.C. and I as she fields questions and explains all things Chamber of Commerce. Her enthusiasm for business and candid can-do attitude will win you over…just ask Aveleen!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/what-does-the-chamber-of-commerce-do-and-why-join-with-guest-k-c-cloke/

In the third and final episode of our small business tech stack series, Travis, Stacy, and I geek out about the thrilling world of business management tools.

Brace yourself for the drama because, truth be told, we're so attached to these tools that they're pretty much our besties.

We all agree…

If we won a big, fancy business award – our heartfelt shoutouts go to our…

…CRM,

…Project Management, and (drum roll please!) our

…Financial Management tools

Our ride-or-die companions. Couldn't have done it without them.

Alright, enough drama.

Let’s get to business…business management tools!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/small-business-tech-stack-3-business-management-tools/

Remember when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and we used to go to computer labs to write papers ️?

And you had to bring a floppy disk that wasn’t actually floppy to save your work.

(It didn’t just auto save itself to the cloud, you actually had to press SAVE.)

And what about that time when you forgot your disk in the lab.

Couldn’t find it and had to start allllll over again…

…only to have one of our classmates turn in your paper as their own .

Wait, that wasn’t you. That was Travis!

(My brother and co-owner of Tranquility Internet Services)

And the fuel for his mission to keep businesses safe from hackers.

Pair that fuel with the spark Stacy and I have to market with purpose and that’s all you need to know this 2nd installment of the small business tech stack series will be just inspiration (or kick in the pants) you need to get going on tech-ifying your business.

Join my two favorite geeks ❤️❤️ and I as we dive into our favorite:

Online Marketing Tools
The tools we love to save time and streamline marketing.
Analytics and Data Insights
Free solutions to track website performance and make data-driven decisions.
Cyber Security and Data Protection
What you need to protect against hackers and keep your data safe.

Let’s tech-ify!

P.S. Need more small business tech?

Check out episode 1 of this series dedicated to communication and efficiency tools and stay tuned for episode 3 about business management solutions.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/small-business-tech-stack-2-online-marketing-cyber-security-tools/

Tech is NOT the enemy.

It’s more than just a subscription service. It’s a member of your team. Allowing you to more efficiently and effectively deliver on our clients expectations AND create time for ourselves.

Let’s rephrase that - The right tech makes people happy, makes money and gives you the ability to walk away from your business and back into your life.

Hang out with our host, Monica, Stacy Brockmeier, MayeCreate’s chief wearer of many hats, and Travis Schumacher, co-owner of Tranquility Internet Services, as they team up in a three part series outlining the essential small business tech stack.

This episode outlines:

Where to start (how to know what you need…)
Communication and collaboration tools
⏰ Efficiency tools

Stay tuned over the next two weeks for two more small business tech stack episodes:

Episode 2: Marketing and Cybersecurity
Episode 3: Business Management Tools

Can't wait to share the tech love with you!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at:https://mayecreate.com/blog/small-business-tech-stack-1-communication-efficiency-tools/

You know, freshening up your website is a lot like renovating a house.

Sometimes, a fresh coat of paint is all you need, but other times, you've got to rip out a wall and burn all the furniture.

We’ve all had those moments at the end of a long weekend with the kids cooped up inside, when we look around our house and think “it would honestly be easier to burn this thing down than to clean it.”

Aaaand we end up cleaning it because somehow it seems more fun than going to jail for arson…

Arson and kid tornadoes aside, when it comes to your website sometimes starting over is the best option.

But how do you KNOW which path to take?!?

In this episode, my chief wearer of many hats, Stacy and I will guide you through the decision making process so you know if you need to update, re-template or just start over fresh.

In today's episode, we're diving deep into the age-old question, "Should I refresh my website or completely redo it?"

You know, it's a lot like renovating a house. Sometimes, a fresh coat of paint is all you need, but other times, you've got to rip out a wall and burn all the furniture.

We’ve all had those moments at the end of a long weekend with the kids cooped up inside, when we look around our house and think “it would honestly be easier to burn this thing down than to clean it.”

And because we don’t want to go to jail for arson we clean it…

Good news is though rebuilding your website is not nearly as hard as building a new house. And sometimes starting over is the best option.

In this episode, I’ve paired up with my chief wearer of many hats, Stacy. We'll be your digital contractors, guiding you through the decision making process.

We’ll explore the signs that tell you it's time for an update and when you need a full-blown overhaul. We'll discuss everything from how to handle small cosmetic fixes, like rearranging the furniture in your online home, to the telltale signs that your website might have sprung a few leaks or even time-traveled from the '90s.

Let's get to business!

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/website-refresh-vs-redesign-when-to-walk-away-from-your-website/

People make a lot of mistakes in web design.

Some are tiny. Others blow up your whole site.

We’ve fought a lot of web fires over the past 18 years.

From accidentally deleting your admin user to expired domain names captured by pirates.

Some we’ve learned the hard way…others we just had to fix.

Sometimes your secret to success is knowing what you don’t know.

And that’s what this episode is ALL about!

I invited my wearer of many hats, Stacy, to reminisce about some of simple and creative ways we’ve seen people nuke their sites so you can learn from the mistakes of others and can keep your website not just running but thriving.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/mistakes-in-web-design-11-sure-fire-ways-to-break-your-site/

I LOVE WORDPRESS (in case you didn’t know).

Like as in want to marry it, did marry it, and won’t cheat on it…

I don’t build sites in anything else.

But there are A LOT of choices out there. And I don’t always advise people to use WordPress…so how do YOU know if WordPress is right for you?

In this episode I called in Stacy, my chief wearer of many hats, to help figure it out.

We've got a checklist to help you decide. Starting with your goals and tech ability all the way down to automating your business practices.

Should you use wordpress? **Let's find out!

Read the lovely formatted blog post accompanying this episode on our website:**https://mayecreate.com/blog/who-should-use-wordpress/

My kids 12 and 9 don’t have phones…yet.

And to get them to stop watching so much TV this summer…I switched our Netfilx account to Spanish ONLY.

OK, so I’m a bit unconventional. But I think we’re all feeling the push and pull of digital wellness. I feel like we’re all grappling with the delicate dance between the tug of technology and the importance of maintaining our digital well-being.

So this week, I’m excited to invite back Teah Hopper, a Social Media Expert who's on a mission to help us find that perfect balance.

Inspired by her own journey during maternity leave, she's become a digital wellness advocate, offering invaluable insights into managing technology use for business while preserving our sanity.

In this episode, Teah and I dive deep into the realm of digital wellness. We explore:

the impact of social media on our lives,
share tips for maintaining a healthy relationship with our phones, and
discuss strategies for managing social media addiction.
tackle the challenges of balancing screen time for our children
offer practical advice for decluttering our digital lives

Let’s open this discussion about the importance of digital health, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy online-offline balance. Grab your headphones and get ready to discover the secrets to digital wellness and social media management with Teah Hopper!

Read the shownotes and full transcription for this episode at:https://mayecreate.com/blog/digital-wellness-balance-mindful-tech-usage-with-guest-teah-hopper/

After publishing our episode, Virtual Assistants – A Unicorn Solution for Marketing Tasks, I got an email from our client Sarah.

I know from experience she is super, mega organized and smart. And as it turns out she works with virtual assistants on the regular. Sarah offered to share how to streamline the hiring, onboarding and management process for a Virtual Assistant.

And I thought, “Who wouldn’t want to hear that!?!”

Hear Sarah’s tips on:

Reliable hiring sources, how she structures pay and lessons learned along the way.
Tasks her VA’s commonly handle plus how she uses her virtual assistant as a task "closer" and integral part of her workflow.
Streamlining communication and how she uses a project management onboard her employees and keep it all straight.

Get the full transcript and epsidode summary on our website:
https://mayecreate.com/blog/advice-on-hiring-a-virtual-assistant-with-guest-sarah-luebbert/

P.S. If you’re hiring you might also like our Two Weird Yet Must Ask Interview Questions Episode!

Shout out to Liz for asking me to tackle this subject…she asked me to breakdown how mindset shapes our messaging (and how to improve your mindset in messaging).

Like, do you feel like you’re writing to friends and fans or like your messages are an intrusion?

I’d like to say I’m always a glass-half-full girl but let's be real, this whole marketing thing can feel like a rollercoaster of doubts and challenges.

And when my mindset starts falling it seeps into everything I do.

See, there’s an intricate connection between mindset and marketing magic. Every design, social post or email is colored by mindset and it’s not easy to be “on” all the time.

So how do I keep my glass full and keep from excessively apologizing to people about bothering them?

I love my purpose
Do my homework
I consider you, my audience, a friend
Show up as a problem solver
Trash the negative tapes
And consider communication an expectation

And I’m breaking down each of those in this week’s episode - join me for a mental leg up!

Get the episode highlights and full transcript at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-mindset-in-marketing/

I had the pleasure of chatting with the incredible Kimber Zatkovich on my latest podcast episode. We dived deep into the world of business coaching, what it is, what to expect…who needs it

Ever felt like you're spinning your wheels, trying to balance work, life, and the unexpected challenges that pop up?

Yeah, been there too.

(And a big thank you to the lovely consultants, coaches and trainers who have helped me out of those situations!)

Kimber shares some golden nuggets on how a business coach can be the secret sauce to make everything click.

Join Kimber and I as we break it all down!

Get the full transcript and eposide summary on our website:
https://mayecreate.com/blog/business-coaching-what-is-it-and-why-you-need-it-with-guest-kimber-zatkovich/

Full disclaimer...it's fantastic, but not without its challenges.

MayeCreate made the shift to an experimental four day work week this summer.

Spoiler alert - we love it!

A four day work week is fantastic, but it's not without its challenges.

We all feel a renewed sense of energy and creativity, which is good because we have to enhance efficiency in a whole new way now. Evaluating even our oldest processes because we don’t have the bandwidth to do them the same way anymore.

We have been pushed outside of our comfort zone during this transition in ways we needed to be pushed a long time ago. Now we have the motivation to get uncomfortable to get comfortable and make this transition work!

In this episode you can hear alllll about it and maybe learn a thing or two along the way .

Ok back to work I go!

P.S. If you’re wondering why we did this little experiment we also documented our reasoning for the decision in another blog/podcast.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/working-smarter-not-longer-an-update-on-our-4-day-work-week-experiment/

Unravel the importance of 'knowing your own worth’ and hear the stories of how Monica and Jon found theirs. Walk away with actionable insights for overcoming imposter syndrome in this transformative episode.

Knowing your own worth is a game-changer in business and marketing. It allows you to:

Confidently charge what you deserve for your services
Discuss money without flinching
Hold firm when people question your competitive advantages
Take risks that will help you rise to your full potential

And that’s what this episode is all about.

Join Jon Micheal Perry and I as we get candid about the challenges, the triumphs, and how understanding your worth can be the key to unlocking your full potential.

Get the episode outline and full transcript on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/knowing-your-own-worth-with-guest-jon-michael-perry/

Discover the challenges and rewards of my one-month work and travel holiday in Costa Rica. Gain insights into balancing work and life, the power of adaptability, and the valuable lessons learned during this unique journey.

That's right! This summer my family and I went on an epic one-month work/travel journey through Costa Rica.

I wanted to share all the nitty-gritty details, funny stories, and life-changing insights I gained during my time in this tropical (and sometimes very hot) paradise.

From work challenges to embracing the Pura Vida way of life, we had quite an adventure.

I can’t wait to share it with you!

Get the full blog post and see some fun photos too on our website:
https://mayecreate.com/blog/embracing-pura-vida-lessons-from-my-costa-rica-work-and-travel-holiday/

Also here's that link to my family's podcast documenting our journey:
https://pitts-family-travels.castos.com/

Stand out in small business marketing with guerrilla tactics! Join Monica Pitts and guest Jay Smith to gather unique ideas to boost your brand's visibility through guerrilla marketing strategies and more in this exciting episode.

In this guerilla marketing brainstorming session Jay and I considered using everything from sidewalk chalk, to powerwashing, even BAD REVIEWS turned upside down to stand out in a crowded industry. The ideas were zooming, I’m sure you’ll take away a few!

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Guerrilla marketing techniques brainstorm sess
The importance of authenticity and creativity in standing out in marketing.
Leveraging existing resources for marketing opportunities.
The power of timing when capturing customer reviews.

Come be a fly on the wall of two creatives doing what they do…being creative

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website:|
https://mayecreate.com/blog/guerrilla-marketing-tactics-for-small-business-owners-with-guest-jay-smith/

I wanted to drop you a quick note about our latest podcast episode featuring none other than James Goalder from Bloomerang.

Oh yeah, you heard me right. I got an actual, real, live, human guest from Bloomerang!

And he’s not just a human, he’s a nonprofit loving geek, like me!

Here's a sneak peek of what you can expect from my interview with James:

Data Credibility Matters: Learn why data credibility is the secret sauce to winning your donors' trust and support.
Transparency Tips and Tricks: We share practical strategies to enhance nonprofit transparency, including clear communication, credible statistics, and more.
Practical Ideas for Messaging and Fundraising: Discover how to leverage transparency in your messaging and fundraising, especially for year-end giving campaigns.
Personalized Donor Engagement: Explore why personalized touches can make a world of difference.
Donor Management Systems Unraveled: James simplifies the world of donor management systems, making it easier for you to choose the right fit for your organization.

Thank you for your dedication to making the world a better place through your nonprofit work. James and I can't wait to help you shine even brighter!

Get the full transcript and the episode summary on our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/practical-tips-for-nonprofit-transparency-with-bloomerangs-james-goalder/

How do you engage younger donors?How do you get donors involved and raise funds on your behalf?If you find yourself scratching your head (or maybe banging it against a wall) over those quarreling quandaries, I want to introduce you to Mike Myers.

Mike mulled those questions over too and found just the right tune to keep the music playing for the long haul for his nonprofit, Band of Angels.In this podcast, he’ll:

Dive into how they've rocked and rolled for 13 years, even through the wild ride of COVID-19.
How they've turned fundraising on its head and made it fun and engaging.
Offer up tricks for getting the younger crowd involved.
Share the secret success of his long term donor engagement strategy through emails.

Buckle up for a lively chat about peer-to-peer fundraising, the importance of treating everyone like a rockstar, and how to speak to donors in a way that hits all the right notes.

Tune in for a dose of inspiration from this success story of Band of Angels!

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/peer-to-peer-marketing-brings-instruments-joy-celebrating-band-of-angels/

Unlock the secrets to social media success - Strategies for finding joy and growing your business while maintaining digital wellness. Learn to prioritize your efforts, harness AI, and stay in control of your digital life!

On a personal note...a crazy fun fact that you may not know about me…I’m not a big social media fan.

And when I say, “not a fan,” I really mean I like it about as much as that girl who pulled my pigtails all 7th grade.

BUT

And that’s a bit BUTTTT. I also know it’s an important tool to yield in my business growth tool box. Luckily, I have a secret weapon to keep me from all out social media revolt.

Her name is Teah Hopper.

Somehow, despite being a social media expert, SHE GETS IT. And regularly talks me off the ledge helping me find a modocrom of joy in my social media instead of just falling into a pit of distraction.

Teah has a knack for discovering that sweet spot—the 90%—where your social media efforts yield maximum joy and growth for your business. In this episode, Teah and I discuss:

Uncovering your 90% in social media—what works best for you
Crafting a strategy and plan to define your brand's identity
The magic of consistency in marketing and how it fuels your success
Choosing the right social media platform and harnessing its power effectively
Leveraging AI and ChatGPT to enhance your social media content
Selling to different demographics and understanding the nuances of platforms like Instagram
Staying digitally well by using social media purposefully

Let’s squish that mean pigtail pulling bully and light up some joy in our social media to harness its full potential with Teah Hopper!

Get the full transcript and episode summary on our website:
https://mayecreate.com/blog/finding-more-joy-in-your-social-media-aka-not-hate-it-with-guest-teah-hopper/

Do you ever find yourself stuck in the never-ending spiral of non-decision-making? ‍♂️ Then you, my friend, might be dealing with what we at the MayeCreate office affectionately call "paralysis by analysis" – and trust me, you're not alone!

One of my favorite examples is my brother and his fence; he looked at so many options to build a fence around his yard that he got overwhelmed and he ended up with no fence at all!

I pride myself on being a decision maker but I haven't always had the guts to pull the plug when I needed to either.

When I first started my business, my #1 goal was to everyone happy, so when I had to make decisions that I thought might make people mad I'd procrastinate BIG TIME and end up with an even bigger mess on my hands.

Over time, I realized that being a good leader meant making those decisions confidently with everyone's best interests at heart.

So in this episode, I'll share:

Self-talk techniques and strategies that help me navigate decision-making without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. ️
My mom's #1 decision making hack.
Why taking action is often the best action to take.

Tune in, and let's conquer paralysis by analysis together so you can take those baby steps and make decisions more effectively in your own life and business! ️

Get the full transcript and more: https://mayecreate.com/blog/paralysis-by-analysis/

SEO

WTF

Ok no really, you know what SEO is, right? It stands for search engine optimization. Which really means showing up on Google when people search for you.

And it’s a fickle, illusive, mythical creature that everyone wants to tame but have no idea where to find in the dark forest.

Until you meet the amazing Rachel Lindteigen, founder of etched marketing and etched Marketing Academy. (Rachel teaches small business owners how to get more organic traffic to their websites and blogs by working with Google.)

She just waves her magic smart lady wand and brings it all into perspective for us muggles.

In this episode Rachel shares her:

Expert tips on how to select the right keywords,
Common SEO mistakes to avoid,
Tools to find your keywords, and…
Her process for creating SEO-worthy content.

Rachel brings SEO down to earth for us in this episode plus we had so much fun geeking out over SEO, you'd think we were swapping beach vacation stories. (Ya we’re dorks but hey the world needs peoples like us too!) Give it a listen.

P.S. A big part of SEO is having a great website (which is my specialty, BTW ). Hit me up if you need one - I’ll get you started off on the right foot to SEO magic!

Episode transcript and more on our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-seo-can-build-your-business-with-guest-rachel-lindteigen/

If you’re thinking about starting an ecommerce site, this episode is for you.

Before you take even one more step in that direction we need to talk.

We need to talk about what to know AND do before you start to set yourself up for success. I’m not exaggerating when I say this information could save you thousands of dollars and even more heartache.

Soo..let’s have this chat and get you off on the right foot for your ecommerce adventure!

Get the lovely formatted blog post to accompany this episode on our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/before-you-set-up-your-ecommerce-site-do-this/

The other day someone asked me if I had a ✨magical email segmentation fairy they could borrow.

My first thought was, no…but I really wish it did…then a light bulb went off because there are actually tons of ways to segment your emails that don't take you forever.

And that feels pretty magical.

The most magical solutions involve segmenting on intake. Of course, I have a few tricks to retrofit as well.

In this episode I’ll dig into:

What email segmentation is
Benefits of segmenting your lists
Common segmenting techniques
Tricks for segmenting on intake (this is magic!)
Ways to retrofit and segment your existing list

I know, wowzers , that's a lot of awesome in one podcast. And, because I love ALL learning styles, if you need to READ all this awesome, I’ve got you covered with a written blog post as well!

So grab a pen and paper and let's supercharge your email marketing with some segmentation magic!

Get a lovely formatted blog post to accompany this episode on our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/email-segmentation-hacks/

To send someone an email you have to first get their email. So the first big step (and really never ending part) of email marketing is building your list. But who has time to test out everything and see what sticks? You want tricks that work! So today we're going to talk about how to grow your email list with a few really simple tricks you could put into play right away. Things that don't take a lot of extra time, but really will result in people signing up for your email list.

One of my favorite programs to gush over is Canva, an online graphic design platform. I make some serious magic happen in that program. It’s really my go-to, even though I have the entire Adobe Suite.

One of my biggest frustrations with Canva is: I can’t freakin’ find anything!

So when I saw Brenda Cadman, one of 44 certified Canva experts, was creating a course on Canva organization, I had to hear her take.

Breaking Stereotypes and Restoring Dignity One Period Kit at a Time I sent out an email a few months ago, you may have gotten it, asking if you had a story to tell.

And I got this exact response:

“A 50 year old guy starts a nonprofit tackling period poverty, and in four years operates in three states and handed out almost 2 million products. Could there be something there? Hope to talk to you soon.”

That was the email.

And I thought, oh yeah, I gotta hear this story.

Meet Geoff Davis. This former Airforce dad of five girls is creating change about how we view and talk about menstrual cycles.

Hear how Geoff took the idea of period kits, and fearlessly ran it like a business, overcoming stereotypes to provide dignity to people in different states, communities and walks of life.

And the crazy thing is, I'm giving him this credit (because he deserves it), and if he’s reading this he’s shaking his head.

Because he says,

“That's not what it's all about. It's about people helping other people. And that's it. The end.

Tell these people that the tampon fairy dropped off these kits for all I care as long as people get the products that they need to be healthy and proud of their own bodies.”

If you're a positive person.

OR

If you need a positive perspective to turn your day around…

You need to meet Lisa Kentner, a fellow Marketing with Purpose listener with a story to tell. (Like the ‘I wrote a book’ kinda story.)

I came away from this podcast interview lit up like a Christmas tree.

Who doesn’t like that kind of energy?

Lisa lives by the law of attraction. Turns out I do too even though I hadn’t even heard of it.

In this episode she’ll explain to us:

What the law of attraction is and how it shaped her life.
Examples of using the law of attraction to grow your business or nonprofit.
One small step you could take right now to put the law of attraction into motion.

Come hang out with Lisa, myself and her Million Little Miracles.

P.S. Seriously, if you don’t like being happy don’t listen to this episode…I wouldn't want to screw up your bad mood .

Hiring is hard. Because humans are weird. Yup. That’s my diagnosis.

In the past 18 years I’ve hired some amazing humans and some who shall not be named…ever…again…

When you're meeting a stranger for the first time, it's hard to gauge their true work ethic and culture.

So, I’ve had to dream up a few tried and true questions to pull back the curtain and get a glimpse of the real person behind the interview facade. (Aaaand I have Stacy stalk them on Facebook.)

What are these weird and must-ask interview questions, you ask?

Well, I won't spoil the surprise, but let's just say they involve a little surprise and a lot of honesty and a bit of a back story to translate the answers.

Next time you hire, give these weird, must-ask interview questions a whirl. And who knows, you might just find your next superstar employee.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/two-weird-but-must-ask-interview-questions/

Hey hey, it's your pal ChatGPT!

No really, it's just me.

Up until this podcast with Andrea, ChatGPT was just a thing that I kept hearing people talk about. I heard it as cool but…I had no idea how to use it. I went to the website. It was ugly. I thought, “I must be in the wrong place.” So I left. Let me just call myself out and say - that was stupid. Because after talking with Andrea and getting a bit of advice on how the system actually works it turns out that ChatGPT may usurp GTMetics as my new digital boyfriend.

It’s seriously freakin’ cool.

And I have Andrea Thomas to thank for introducing me to this awesomesauce ❤️❤️❤️.

Andrea is a tech expert who has been working in the digital world for 15 years. She’s built everything from websites to apps and has spent months interacting with chat GPT and figuring out how to talk to it to get the desired results. Andrea is going to explain how entrepreneurs can use ChatGPT to save time in their business and marketing including tips on how to use it for:

Generating blog ideas
Creating outlines
Finding keywords
Crafting SEO-rich titles

AND!!!! She made a downloadable PDF workbook for you, so you’ll have a shortcut and have to spend months dating this system before you get to first base. Give it a listen, you won’t regret it.

P.S. Yes. I did use ChatGPT to help me write the rough draft of this intro…I’m in love

We are doing something crazy at MayeCreate…we are transitioning to a four-day workweek.

We’re test running it until October.

As I’ve shared this decision with friends and clients I’ve had a pretty wide range of responses.

Some people think it’s totally righteous (I’m firmly in that category).

Other’s seriously doubt it can possibly work.

One person told me I sounded like I was heading into retirement (mid-life crisis yes, retirement no. I wish!)

So in this week’s episode I’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look at our journey to a four-day workweek:

The motivation behind the change: What started because of a play-dough jealousy issue grew into a cultural shift for our company.
Stepping out of the traditional mold: Our pattern of questioning our expectations of ourselves and our roles as employees and professionals.
Overcoming challenges: How we blew up and realized that maybe the latest curveball compliments of the universe was actually an amazing opportunity.

Step behind the curtain with me!

So let's just say I’m a VA newbie.

I had a lot of questions about these fabulous folks. Like…

What can they do?
How many hours of work do I need to offer to hire one?
Can they REALLY take on some of my least favorite tasks so I can focus on what I do best?
How much will it cost?

And then I found Emily Regan, the founder of the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School. With a business name like that I KNEW she was going to be nothing short of awesome.

In this episode, Emily shares her expertise on what tasks a virtual assistant can do, how to communicate with them, and even tips on interviewing and finding the right fit.

So if you’re looking for a part time hire, and a VA is on the table, join me to learn from this awesome unicorn.

There’s so much buzz about AI right now but it's crazy how much we already rely on it and don't even realize it. And my kids, the consumers of the future, think it’s NORMAL.

Alexa is part of the kitchen help at the Pitts household. She sets timers, finds recipes, acts as a non biased officiant of arguments and even solves math problems. (I keep forgetting how many tbsp are in a cup.)

It got me thinking…

What do I need to know about using AI in my business to better serve our clients and work smarter not harder?

So I asked Paul.

He's an entrepreneur with years of experience building successful businesses in real estate, photography, and online ventures. He's also an early adopter of AI technology and part of a group exploring how it can be used in business to save time and boost efficiency.

Now, I realize it's not all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to AI.

I also posed some ethical questions, like who owns the content generated by AI, and Paul offered some insightful answers for us to mull over as AI becomes more and more integrated into our lives and businesses.

So, if you want to learn more about how AI can help your business, or just want to have some fun with the topic, tune in to our conversation! Trust me, it's a good one.

Overwhelm. Dang if I had a quarter for everytime I heard that word from small businesses and nonprofits I’d be rich.

So friend, if you’re in that spot you are in good company. Past Monica has totally been known to hide under her desk from the overwhelm monster. Working on closing that chapter again right stinking now to be honest.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this chapter of business ownership and motherhood in my life it’s that if I’m feeling overwhelmed, it's time to make a change.

With all the marketing Talking Heads out there telling you that a podcast is the “new blog” I'm sure you're asking yourself, “Should I have a podcast?”

(Right alongside should I do Tiktok, start a YouTube channel or just go old school and start that cotton pickin’ blog).

Well, in this article/podcast episode my goal is to help make that decision - is podcasting the right marketing tool for you?

Because let's face it you can't do them all. You need to do the one that fits inside your strengths zone, effectively tells your story and connects with your audience.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, https://mayecreate.com/blog/is-a-podcast-right-for-your-organization

Creating a logo is an important aspect of marketing your company and developing your brand. It's difficult to develop a brand around no graphics and a logo gives you some graphics to solidify the way that your brand looks.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit

Whether you're someplace in the middle, or you're barely treading water, I just want to take a moment and get you some much needed breathing room by sharing a few spots I’ve been working on cutting the clutter.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/you-are-right-where-you-need-to-be/

I'm sharing some of my best logo secrets that will help you get an awesome logo for your organization without breaking the bank.

There's an option for those who want to be more hands-on, and an option for those of you who are not a designer or are working with a whole committee of people.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-best-least-expensive-way-weve-found-to-get-a-great-logo/

I'm guessing if you’re here, you know what ADA compliance is for a website. But that would be assuming, and we all know where that gets us so first let’s take a moment and define what it means for a site to be ADA Compliant.

To get you to that point where you feel super comfortable and in control, I'm going to review 10 categories I feel you should discuss with your potential web developers.

Within each of these categories, I’ll also give you specific questions to ask, so you know exactly what web lingo to use, and you can understand what you might be getting from this relationship.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/web-design-company-interview-guide/

Are you in the market for a new computer? Then this episode is for you. We sit down with Jamie Cote from Personalized Computers in Columbia, MO and ask all the questions you need answers to when searching for the perfect computer.

TimestampsIntroducing Jamie Cote and Personalized Computers - 0:32
What is the CPU and what does it do? - 4:30
Which processor should you pick? - 8:42
What is RAM? - 14:38
How to reduce the amount of memory you are using - 15:42
What size of RAM do you need? - 19:01
What else can affect how your computer runs? - 22:06
What to look for in storage - 25:15
What is the SSD? - 26:11
What size of SSD do you need? - 31:18
What is the GPU? - 34:07
Do you need a desktop or a laptop? - 37:49
Should you get Windows 10 or Windows 11? - 43:17
How to reach Jamie and Personalized Computers - 44:39

For a full transcription, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/picking-the-right-computer-for-your-marketing-with-guest-jamie-cote/

We welcome our first international guest to the podcast, Marc Muehlberger, with Content Creation Studio Academy.

We discuss how to get the best marketing photos using just the phone you already have in your pocket. Learn how to spot a good shot, why more photos are always better than less and what you can do with those photos to make your designer’s life a little bit easier.

TimestampsIntroduction of Marc Muehlberger - 1:18
Pros and Cons of using your iPhone for marketing photos - 3:50
Finding the best light for your photos - 7:32
Paying attention to what is around you in photos - 10:48
Editing photos on your phone - 13:57
Using the right lens setting - 16:43
Tips for those in front of the camera - 19:57
Posing for photos - 22:21
Taking more photos than you think you need - 26:54
Image format suggestions - 34:12
Naming your photos - 39:29
Practicing really does make perfect - 42:49
Where to find Marc Muehlberger - 45:31
Creating an FAQ video - 47:42

Check out the full transcript for this episode on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/getting-great-marketing-photos-using-your-phone/

Google can do so much more for you than just Gmail.In this episode, Monica is joined by Travis Schumacher, Google Partner (and Monica’s brother) to talk about all things Google Workspace. This paid version of Google provides your company or organization with powerful tools to keep your business running efficiently, so you can focus less on how to send a document back and forth and more on the important stuff.

Timestamps

Introducing Travis, Tranquility Internet and Google Workspace - 1:17

What is Google Workspace? What can you do with it? - 3:19

What is the difference between free Gmail and Google Workspace? - 6:30

Is there a discount for nonprofits to use Google Workspace? - 12:13

How do you transfer your existing things to Google Workspace? - 15:43

Can you migrate information to Google Workspace, or should you hire someone? - 21:51

How do you find someone to help with Google Workspace? - 24:29

What is the role of a Google Partner? - 25:54

How much does hiring a Google Partner cost? - 28:38

What else should you know about Google Workspace? - 32:10

How do you contact Travis? - 34:16

For a full transcript, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/all-about-google-workspace-with-guest-travis-schumacher/

I am going to tell you guys what has happened to me in the past when I've let my website go for too long without refreshing it. But first, I want to get an honest take from a couple of young web users, Ellis and Aveleen, my daughters who are 12 and 8, about how they feel about websites.

For a fully-formatted article version of this post, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/what-really-happens-when-you-dont-refresh-that-dinosaur-of-a-website/

We recently hosted a Live Website Planning Workshop, and as our little gift to you, we're now making it available on-demand for a limited time!

Be sure to listen to this episode before it disappears on February 17th, and check out our upcoming Better Than DIY Website Program if you'd like additional support for planning and launching your website.

We have a free downloadable offering on the MayeCreate website. It's called What to Put on Your Website. And on the success page for that download, we asked people what else do you need to know in their web planning journey. Many people said they wanted to learn about writing for their website. They are stuck trying to figure out the writing.

I’m here to say we heard you! I even dedicated an entire learning sequence about writing for your website in our upcoming Better Than DIY Website program.

So, thank you so much for your feedback, everyone. It really does help me help you on your journey to getting an awesome website that's going to grow your business.

With that in mind, let's figure out this writing thing.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-dos-and-donts-of-writing-for-your-website/

There are all kinds of ways you can, through a supported system, build your website. But do you have what it takes to build your website? Let's walk through it together.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-build-your-own-website

Unlike some other products or services, websites have a lot of moving parts that allow them to be seen and work, and they require upkeep. These moving parts also have associated costs, but many people don't know that.

Some web providers put additional costs in a package and just charge you a monthly lump sum. It’s hard to know what is all covered by your monthly payment, it just falls under the category of “WEBSITE”. You might think it's for them to update your site. And it might be! But it also probably includes things like the cost of your domain name, hosting, or other hidden costs.

To view a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-hidden-and-recurring-costs-of-building-a-website

You’ve decided it’s time to update your website. Or, maybe you don’t have a website yet, but you’re ready to take that step.

Let me be your guide today as we go through my tips and tricks to help you get through the design process as quickly as possible. I want you to get through this process without belly-flopping in the middle.

For a fully-formatted blog post of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/time-saving-tips-for-a-website-redo

I’m going to help you figure out which site builder is right for you. If you're doing a complete overhaul on your website, then you're asking yourself a lot of questions. What type of website should I even have? Should it be on Wix? On WordPress? Somewhere else? Where should I build this thing?

My goal is to help you get a big picture view of the differences between these systems and their features. Hopefully, this overview will jumpstart your decision making process, so you can pick the right type of site that will ultimately help you grow.

For a fully-formatted blog post of this episode, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/wix-weebly-squarespace-wordpress-whats-the-difference

I'm a little nervous and still excited to announce we are going to simplify the name of our Nonprofit Marketing with Purpose podcast back to just 'Marketing with Purpose'.

Marketing with Purpose is marketing with a heart of service.
It's about making educated decisions.
It's about connection with people with like missions and values.
And helping our audience solve their problems.

My goal is to create a community of marketers with a heart of service.

My hope is that by changing the title I can attract even more people with a service driven heart and help guide them to marketing solutions too.

Read more on our site: https://mayecreate.com/blog/rebranding-nonprofit-marketing-with-purpose-announcement

A theme can make or break your website.It controls how it looks, functions and limits (or expands) your ability as a web administrator to expand and build your site. In this post, we'll cover Themes VS Templates, What Themes Do, Free vs. Paid Themes, and The Evolution of the MayeCreate Theme.

We'll also provide you with your very own Theme Selection Checklist.

For a fully-formatted article version of this content, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/picking-the-right-wordpress-theme/

I know it's an undertaking, but without a good website, growing your business is hard.Your website should be a bridge between an Internet user and your business. It's the first face of your business they see. If your website’s not good, it's a roadblock to growing your business.

If you believe these myths, you’re building roadblocks, not bridges.

For a fully-formetted article version of this episode, visit our website at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/7-website-myths-that-are-total-crap/

How to take donations online is a challenge we solve for clients every day so it’s high time I share that knowledge with you! I will be your guide today and go through ways to take donations on your website.

Using a form.
Using a simple button connecting to PayPal, Stripe or Square.
Using a widget.

To view this content as a video or a full-formatted article, visit our website at https://mayecreate.com/blog/ways-to-take-donations-on-your-website

The first step to building an awesome website is creating an awesome plan. The first step to planning your website isn’t creating a pinterest board of million dollar kitchens to inspire your peanut butter and jelly budget project.

You need to make some foundational decisions first. Decisions that will ultimately make it easier to plan and build your new site to meet your needs AND stay in your budget.

As an added bonus the answers to these questions will allow you evaluate potential web designers and enter conversations about your site with confidence (even if that designer ends up being yourself).

Five decisions to make before building your new website:

What is going to be on your site?
What does your site need to do?
What are your future plans for your organization?
Who is going to build it?
How is it going to be built?

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit our website at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/5-decisions-you-need-to-make-before-you-build-your-new-website

Here at MayeCreate, being web designers and all, we kinda think almost everyone should have a website. But notice I said “almost everyone” not “absolutely”. But someone recently asked me, “Do businesses even need websites anymore?” (After which I almost fainted in shock.) But it prompted my wheels turning.

Maybe we need to take a teensy step back. And instead of all this constant talk about what to put on your site and how to build it and what features it should have we need to first address those of you who don’t even know if you need the stinking thing.

So we made a quiz! So we put together a simple quiz to help you decide if you’re one of the special exceptions who actually don’t need a website. Keep track of your responses; by the end, you’ll have your answer!

For a fully-formatted article version of this content, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/quiz-do-you-even-need-a-website

Writing about your organization can be scary. And asking for money can be even scarier. So it’s not a wonder we develop an unrelenting case of writer's block when it comes time to craft our fundraising asks. They combine both into the perfect cocktail of yuck. In this episode, Kasey Hammock, storyteller and conspirator for good, explains what story-based content is and how to keep it ethical and organized. She shares how she gathers stories and gives us a recipe to use when writing our fundraising asks.

Timestamps

Introducing Kasey Hammock, Local Conspirator for Good - 0:58
What is story-based content? - 3:18
What is ethical storytelling and how is it used? - 5:10
How to use storytelling to meet your goal - 11:42
How to find and gather story ideas - 14:48
Tools to use for storytelling and testimonials - 19:35
How to craft your story - 21:54
How to recycle content for multiple platforms - 27:30
Ask for help with storytelling - 30:56

To read a fully-formatted article version of this content, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/mastering-story-based-content-with-guest-kasey-hammock/

Around here, we love Halloween, and what’s Spooky Season without a few scary stories? In my over 23 years of website development, I’ve collected several stories that will make your skin crawl. From sites that just won’t die to havoc-wreaking hackers, we’ve seen just about everything. Let’s explore some of the scariest.

To view this content as a fully-formatted blog post, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/11-true-tales-from-the-crypt-website-horror-stories/

If there's one thing we love to do, it is brainstorming. We love to come up with ideas. We don't always love to make them happen, but we love the joy of considering them. I listen to podcasts and read emails, newsletters and blog posts just for the ideas to get my creative juices flowing.

So today, we're gonna get your creative juices flowing and talk about creative ways to promote GivingTuesday.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/creative-ways-to-promote-givingtuesday/

Nick Black isn’t who you would expect to start a nonprofit, or a tech company. Until you talk to him, and all the pieces come together.

After serving in the Army in Pakistan, Nick was faced with a problem he knew he had to do something to solve. So he started a nonprofit. Through that, he discovered the giving experience wasn’t the same for all donors, and he knew he had to solve that problem too. Now he’s on the podcast, sharing how you can capitalize on the ways you already interact with donors to make their experience better and raise more than ever before.

Timestamps

Introduction of Nick Black, Stop Soldier Suicide and GoodUnited - 1:47
Finding your donors - 4:05
Defining social giving - 6:49
Figuring out where to start - 12:47
Utilizing available resources on LinkedIn - 15:18
Cultivating support in channel through messaging - 18:19
Navigating social giving - 21:52
Integrating GoodUnited with other systems - 24:44
Transitioning from the military to nonprofits to tech - 25:13

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, visit our blog at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/democratizing-fundraising-through-social-giving-with-guest-nick-black/

Don’t let your domain name suck. Your domain name is the navigator for your business's digital footprint. It's important to get a good one, because we've all dealt with bad ones, spelling them on repeat on the phone, giving up and sending an email with a link instead. If you’re currently stuck doing this, it is a sign your domain name sucks. Let’s change that.

What makes an awesome domain name? There are simple steps you can take to get a great domain name, perfect for your company or organization.

Choose the right domain name extension
Make sure your domain name makes sense and is as close to your organization name as possible
Keep your domain name short
If your company name is hard to spell, buy variations of your domain name
Make sure it can be read easily, and doesn’t say any bad things
Purchase general domain names available for your industry and location, but get your company name as well
Choose a registrar, and stay up to date with your payments

To read a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit our website at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-pick-a-domain-name-that-doesn39t-suck

For some of us, even if we’ve been doing it for years, asking people for money never gets easier.
In this episode of Nonprofit Marketing with Purpose, we interview Heather Stewart, Director of Development for the Voluntary Action Center (VAC), a pro at the year-end giving ask.
Following her advice, even those who are most wary about seeking donations can find a simple recipe for success.

Episode Highlights Introduction to Heather - 1:22
Components of a good year-end ask letter - 4:18
Importance of personal connection in Asks - 8:45
Recap of year-end ask process/donor process - 10:48
How to tie your ask and other marketing together - 14:37
Using your team effectively - 17:34
When and if to use fundraising themes - 20:41
Organizing and segmenting your donor list - 25:24
Should you recycle content - 30:00
Quick tips for creating a year-end ask - 33:27
Learn more about the Voluntary Action Center (VAC) - 36:04

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/creating-a-year-end-ask-that-sticks-with-guest-heather-stewart/

We love when our friend Jaime Friedrichs comes on the podcast and shares her fundraising wisdom with us! In this episode, she talks about when and how you can ask for donations for administrative costs or new hires. As a bonus, at the end of the episode, she walks us through a fundraising ask role play you can modify for your own needs.

Episode Highlights Introduction of Jaime Friedrichs - 1:12
What’s the right mindset for asking for donations? - 3:52
How do you ask for donations for administrative costs? - 5:55
Should you include data and numbers in your ask? - 11:46
What three things must be in your ask - 15:30
Should you theme your giving campaigns? - 18:23
Do you need additional materials to support your ask? - 21:17
Are there benefits of fundraising for a specific thing over general needs? - 28:56
What can you do to build and maintain donor relationships? - 33:33
Fundraising ask example and role play - 35:08

For a fully-formatted version of this interview, visit our website at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/asking-for-donations-to-add-a-new-staff-member-or-raise-money-for-admin-costs-with-guest-jaime-friedrichs/

When I interviewed Kimberly O’Donnell with Network for Good I thought I’d learn all about donor management software. But you know what? I learned waaaay more.

She shares inside knowledge about:

Current fundraising trends
How organizations can embrace text messaging to communicate with donors
Changes in the pipe for Network for Good
What Bonterra’s recent purchase of Network for Good means for the company
Ways to deepen relationships with donors by meeting them where they are

You’re sure to walk away with at least a nugget or two of goodness from this interview or at least enjoy geeking out with us!

Timestamps Introducing Kimberly O’Donnel and Network for Good - 0:41
Fundraising trends - 10:23
Should we text donors? - 18:36
Exploring ways to connect to encourage donations - 23:15
The importance of communicating authentically - 26:40
Finding time to do the work - 32:36
Listening to customers to improve Network for Good - 38:23
Resources available through Network for Good - 46:55
Becoming “anti-fragile” - 52:52
Where to find more about Network for Good - 54:34

For a fully-formatted blog post of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-future-of-fundraising-with-network-for-goods-kimberly-odonnell/

How did an all-volunteer organization raise $20,000 in one month? We sat down with Michelle Ribaudo and Laura Wakefield from MoDE Foundation to find out. They share things that worked, things they’d do differently, and why planning ahead and training made all the difference to their success.

Highlights Introductions of Michelle, Laura and MoDE Foundation - 2:13
Getting started with CoMoGives - 8:04
Using training and templates to raise $20,000 - 10:14
What would they change or keep for next year? - 15:28
Creating a mini-event within the campaign - 17:28
Utilizing targeted peer-to-peer giving - 21:42
Reaching donors through personalized thank you notes - 27:33
Advice for others participating in year-end giving campaigns - 32:10
Gaining momentum through cooperation with other organizations - 34:55
Learn more about MoDE Foundation - 41:00

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/year-end-giving-success-story-missouri-disability-empowerment-foundation/

We're talking about donor management systems again! In this episode, we welcome Wende Wagner, Director of Philanthropy for the Missouri Symphony, who discusses their system of choice, Bloomerang, how they chose it, and her favorite and not-so-favorite parts of the platform.

They converted over from Neon and really like the data management and integration tools Bloomerang offers. Join me as I interview Wende to learn why!

Highlights Introduction to the Missouri Symphony - 1:31

Donor Management before Bloomerang - 5:14

Functionality of Bloomerang - 11:14

Using Bloomerang for Events - 13:59

Fom building capabilities in Bloomerang - 15:40

Bloomerang integration with accounting software - 24:48

Reporting in Bloomerang - 29:39

Using Bloomerang for printed mailings - 35:37

What Bloomerang costs and advice - 39:00

How to contact Wende - 43:15

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/bloomerang-from-a-users-perspective-with-guest-wende-wagner/

We’ve been told Network for Good can be an expensive, but amazingly comprehensive donor management system. So, I reached out to one of our nonprofit friends who uses it to find out if it’s worth the cost.

Spoiler Alert - for Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, it totally is. From ticket sales to donor data management to text reminders, Network for Good helps them market with purpose.

Billy Polansky and his team at the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture had been using a cobbled together system revolving around Microsoft Access which was better than nothing but not what they needed. After reviewing 3 or 4 systems they decided on Network for Good. Hear how they use it and why they love it as I interview Billy in this episode!

Highlights Introduction to Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture - 1:49
Why invest in a donor management system? - 4:25
What does Network for Good do? - 6:40
How does Network for Good integrate ticket sales and giving? - 10:53
How easy is it to import existing data? - 15:08
How easy is it to learn and use Network for Good? - 17:17
How often does Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture use the communication features? - 22:00
What customization options are available? - 25:20
What is customer support like? - 27:04
Is Network for Good a good value for the cost? - 28:37
Where to learn more about Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture - 36:40

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/network-for-good-from-a-users-perspective-with-guest-billy-polansky/

Fundraising events are back in full swing. While everything is getting back to “normal,” I don't want you to forget the things you learned when you couldn't fundraise the same way you always had.

We shouldn’t leave the skills we developed out of necessity on the table.

Let’s review some tech-easy online fundraising event ideas we talked about way back in 2020. Those events, those activities, can fill in the gap for you. They can boost your fundraising.

Read the blog post at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/tech-easy-online-fundraising-event-ideas/

Download 14 Tech-Easy Online Event Ideas for Fundraising

Public Service Announcement – Google Analytics is Changing This is the first major change in over a decade. My frenemy Google keeps emailing me about how stuff is changing, and my greatest fear is all those emails get stuck in your junk mail.

Google is trying to create something that will be an equally awesome as the Universal Analtyics tracking system we've enjoyed for so long without making people use cookies to track user behavior on the websites.

Universal Analytics is going to stop processing data on July 1, 2023. Having a deadline is great and all but here’s the deal. We don’t know how long your current account is going to exist, and we don’t know how long you’re going to have access to it. We all need to get on board and make the switch ASAP. In this episode I'll tell you who need to worry about it, who doesn't and what to do to keep the data rolling in!

Read this episide in blog form at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/google-analytics-4-the-time-to-freak-out-is-nigh/

Organizations find all kinds of ways to manage donor data. Some use a subscription service. But Enola’s organization is an amazing example of working with what you have. Instead of paying additional fees for another system, Enola found out she could use Square, a point of sale program, as a customer relationship management tool. Let’s find out how she does that — because if you’re not ready to invest in a dedicated donor management program, this might be a great option for you!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/using-square-as-a-crm-with-guest-enola-white/

Hackers suck. They’re like the armpit of humanity. They just you feel victimized. It’s like having someone break into your house or your car and steal something. But it’s worse because you’re not just out these physical possessions, you have to figure out how to remedy this really, really yucky situation.

So let’s dig in and talk about the number one way that you can protect your website from hackers.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/1-way-to-protect-your-website-from-hackers/

Once, somebody broke into my house. We came back from vacation, and we walked into the house. My oldest daughter, who was two at the time, goes, “Mama, where TV go?” I look over, and sure enough, no TV there. You know what else was gone? All the beer in our fridge. Somebody stole our beer, our TV and my husband's Big 12 championship ring, which was a real stinking bummer. We felt gross, violated and a little unsafe. That's how you feel, with a gigantic dollop of irritation plopped on top, when somebody hacks your stinking website. Why are they doing it anyway? Why do hackers hack? I'm going to tell you. They hack for three main reasons.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/why-do-hackers-hack

We have had many, many interns over the last 17 years at MayeCreate. Some of them have been terrible, and others have been amazing. One of them still works for us to this day. They’re good, they’re bad, they’re everything in between… The only thing you can manage is how you manage them. So I’m going to give you 10 intern management tips from my former interns. Yep, that’s right – intern management tips from interns! They actually wrote all of these tips for me so I could share them with you.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/10-intern-management-tips-from-my-former-interns

All of us are trying to do our jobs on a budget and accomplish great things with our marketing.

There are always moments in your business where you think to yourself, “man, if I just had another set of hands, I could be much more successful.” This is why we hire interns.

I have hired a lot of interns in the 17 years I have operated my company, MayeCreate Design. Some of them have been amazing. Some of them have been not amazing.

I am going to talk you through the ins and outs of marketing interns, what they're really great at and what they're not so great at. For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/hiring-a-marketing-intern-what-theyre-good-for-and-where-to-find-them/

I’m pretty excited today because I have my social media guru Elizabeth with me. Today, Elizabeth is going to take us through the 10 social posts that every fundraiser and event needs.

This is coming directly out of an online offering that we have available online: https://mayecreate.com/10-social-posts-every-fundraiser-event-needs

We tell you what to put in these types of posts, some examples, and a template for you to copy and paste. It’s a pretty valuable resource, so I think you should hop over and download it. Stick around and we’ll tell you more about it!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/10-social-posts-every-fundraiser-or-event-needs

It’s the biggest change Facebook has made to a core functionality in a really long time, but we don’t need to panic yet.

These changes are a slow and random rollout eventually coming for all Pages. You can hold out for a little while longer, but this change is definitely coming, and it’s not going to be optional for long.

Here's what you need to know...

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/facebook-changed-pages-what-that-means-for-you

Today I have a very special guest with me, Carol Bennis. Carol participated in our Year-End Giving Training activity workshop thing last year. During our breakout sessions, we talked about campaign planning. She really wowed me with her tactics and how she managed her volunteers. So I invited her to share how she does this so you can learn a thing or two and maybe also run an awesome year-end giving campaign.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://www.mayecreate.com/blog/year-end-giving-prep-starting-now-volunteer-cultivation-with-guest-carol-bennis

In the beginning when people first contact MayeCreate, we have a lot of conversations about how they’re going to build their website. Some of these people have decided they’re going with a professional agency like ours, but there are lots of different types of website developers out there.

Each one comes with different things to consider, let's go through each option and define the decision-making factors. Then, you can decide which kind of designer is right for you.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-7-types-of-web-designers

We have been remodeling things in our office and homes for the last few years, and these experiences have made us acutely aware now of what is not included in a remodel bid.

We hadn’t remodeled anything before. No one gave us a checklist to follow…so imagine our surprise when we were presented with 1000s of dollars in “upgrades” that we thought were included in the original estimate.

Luckily website remodels tend to cost far less then home remodels. But still, no one likes being sent an extra invoice for work they thought was part of the original project plan.

Because just like we hadn’t ever gone through a home remodel before you don't build websites every day, so how can you possibly be expected to know what’s included and what’s not?

That’s what this post is all about. Uncovering the 10 most common things you might think are included. For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/whats-not-included-in-your-web-design

If your email marketing system isn’t doing what it needs to do for you and you’re considering switching to MailChimp or MailerLite – this review is for you.

I was a huge MailChimp fan…until I had to use it regularly myself. It has some very positive features. I’m not saying MailChimp isn’t right for you though, I support over 60 clients who use the system and love it.

Last year we switched from MailChimp to MailerLite but before making that decision I interviewed MANY email systems from SendInBlue to ConvertKit before settling into MailerLite. And you know what, it’s not perfect either. But it is better for me, sort of. At least I hate it less.

I’ve created new workarounds and I still have a stupid spreadsheet but at least now I don’t need google maps to find my way around. I’m going to give you my honest review after using MailerLite for the past year and a half and MailChimp for God knows how many so you can see which one might make you less pissed as you’re building your marketing emails. Here goes…

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/mailchimp-vs-mailerlite

Since you are here I could probably assume that you already understand why it's important that your website loads quickly. But, alas, a good teacher starts at the beginning--and we all know how great assumptions are--so let's take a quick second and talk about why it's so important to have a fast loading website.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/fast-loading-website-formula/

Join us to learn how the 2021 CoMoGives campaign was promoted, what worked, what didn't and how we'll adjust to make it even better next year. John Baker, director of Community Foundation of Central Missouri (the foundation that powers CoMoGives), will talk through the ins and outs of planning and supporting our community's $1.8M with MayeCreate's Monica Pitts and Stacy Brockmeier.

For a fully-formatted article version of this blog, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/learn-how-our-community-raise-1-8m-in-one-month-with-john-baker-stacy-brockmeier

Today we are going to talk about solving problems.

At MayeCreate, we love solving problems. One we solve day after day for our clients is helping their businesses run smoother by leveraging their website to take some of the day to day heavy lifting off of their staff.

We’re gonna go through six different challenges that we solve for people every day (with maybe some bonuses thrown in for fun).

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/cool-website-integrations-that-save-you-time-which-saves-you-money/

I'm super excited to have Cheryl Unterschutz on this podcast. Cheryl is the public relations manager and the marketing manager for Central Missouri Community Action. Between those two roles, she wears numerous hats and handles more responsibilities for her organization than I even dare to think about – yet she does them all well. This team of one is here to tell us all about her marketing journey and how she put together her marketing plan. I know that you guys are going to learn a lot from her experience in the trenches as an everyday marketer for her nonprofit organization.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-one-woman-does-the-work-of-10-celebrating-central-missouri-community-action

When it comes to marketing we all start where we are. And that’s OK. What’s not OK is when we do all the work to move forward and build marketing assets but don’t use them because we never took the next step. Then those hard earned assets are about as useful for growing your business as the change sitting under your couch cushions is for buying Starbucks. I have personally forgotten every single one of the items on this checklist at least once. Let’s take a look at my list of misadventures so you can learn from my mistakes instead of making them yourself.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/np-marketing-inventory-checklist

When it comes to marketing we all start where we are. And that’s OK. What’s not OK is when we do all the work to move forward and build marketing assets but don’t use them because we never took the next step. Then those hard earned assets are about as useful for growing your business as the change sitting under your couch cushions is for buying Starbucks. I have personally forgotten every single one of the items on this checklist at least once. Let’s take a look at my list of misadventures so you can learn from my mistakes instead of making them yourself.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/np-marketing-inventory-checklist

This is for those of you marketers who have to design – and even for you marketers who love to design. Because maybe you get stuck. Maybe it takes longer than you want it to. If you're designing things from scratch, it’s time consuming. At MayeCreate, we design things from scratch so we're always looking for ways to speed up the process, but still create beautiful, functional Websites. These are just six of our absolute favorite tools and libraries we use to get organized and get the creative juices flowing. Hopefully you can use some of them to rock out your own designs as well.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/6-design-tools-libraries-to-get-your-creative-on/

Whether you’re looking to start a new venture or grow an existing one to the next level, it all starts with an idea. From there, a decision must be made and actions must be taken. If you’re an ideas person, you LOVE to come up with ideas… but too many ideas can make it hard to take action. You’re excited by ideas and you want to be a success, so picking an idea can feel very limiting. It’s kind of like analysis paralysis and option overload had a baby together. And your great ideas just whihter on the vine.

So if you’re one of those people, how do you get past the ideas stage? Let's talk through it... For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/if-youre-new-have-tons-of-ideas-and-dont-know-where-to-focus-start-here

Marketers are always pressed for time (especially because you’re either selling your time OR you’re wearing multiple hats). While I’m not always the fastest draw in the west, I like to think I have a solid process to produce quality work with a reliable turnaround time. Finding ways to improve processes without sacrificing quality is etched into our company culture. The team is always slacking about some awesome new find or another. Don’t even get me started on my new tablet. It’s AMAZING.

Here are our favorite tools to keep creativity flowing and crush lag time.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/9-free-and-cheap-marketing-tools

The most common way to suck at your marketing is to just straight up not do your marketing. And I hear all the excuses. Heck I’ve made those same excuses myself. So one of the easiest ways to start succeeding in your marketing is to actually GET IT DONE consistently. But back to those excuses again, right? Seems like all revolve around the big bad four letter “T” word…time. Well let's blow up the “T” word. And put some ideas on the table to get work done faster so we call go back to working on all the other stuff we’re responsible for!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/8-tips-to-save-time-boost-marketing-productivity

Who really knows what they’re doing with their social media, really?

I’ll tell you who. Those amazing data loving people who follow their social data like they’re stalking a junior high crush. (Oh common you know you hid in the bushes and watched those cuties play ball every now and again! No?

I’m a stalker of lots of types of data, but when it comes to social media I also have to rely on a team of friends to keep me informed - employees, nonprofits I work with and other data geeks. And since 64% of nonprofits don’t have a digital marketing plan3...I felt like you might need a team of friends to hook you up as well.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/nonprofit-marketing-benchmarks-series-social/

The best marketing is informed marketing. And I wanted to give you the best possible advice to succeed in 2022. Over the next series of posts look at nonprofit marketing benchmarks for Email Marketing, Social Media and Websites. I’m going to break the benchmarks and my takeaways into the different digital marketing mediums, explain what I found and what it actually means to you, a nonprofit marketer. Starting with email!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/nonprofit-marketing-benchmarks-series-email/

Some sites are like mean girls.

There are some sites that totally stink, but many of them are quite lovely on the outside and a bit like mean girls on the inside. Basically they’re shallow. They lack the things they need to be compliant and well-rounded.

I'm going to tell you how to take that mean girl website and turn it into the girl the audience is rooting for...

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/8-hidden-things-every-website-needs-copy

A thermometer in the shape of CAL, social post templates for volunteers, pre-written & prescheduled newsletters, redefining success, and never losing sight of what matters most… These are some of the ways Kelsey Hammond organizes giving campaigns for Columbia Art League and grows them a little more each year. And she wants you to know; regardless of your organization’s cause, size or experience level, you can grow your giving campaign a little more every year just like she does - and it doesn’t have to be difficult!

Here this and other podcasts geared towards nonprofit marketing and fundraising on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/artfully-organized-and-growing/

How many emails do I send? How should I send them? How do I segment my recipient lists? For that matter, what does segmenting even mean??

If any of these are questions you've pondered when preparing for your year-end giving campaign, you're not alone! These are the email centric questions I hear most often.

So, I did a live Q&A session to answer these questions and any other questions the audience might have about those all-important year-end giving emails!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/year-end-giving-email-q-a/

MayeCreate Design experts Monica Pitts (Owner, Chief Creative Officer) and Elizabeth Alexander (Social Media expert, copywriter) throw down the gauntlet and dare a live Facebook audience to try and stump them with their deepest, darkest Facebook questions!*

*As it pertains to Year-End Giving...or just normal business stuff...not like dancing parrots or weird viral makeup videos...Monica and Elizabeth know nothing about that!

For a fully-formatted, article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/year-end-giving-social-media-q-a/

I interviewed two special guests recently: Jan Meese with the Columbia Audubon Society and Jacky Gingrich - treasurer of The Wardrobe. Both ladies did an amazing job of running year-end giving campaigns for their nonprofit organizations and reaching their goals through ComoGives. So I invited these two to share their stories about how they ran their campaigns. They don’t have huge organizations with armies of volunteers to raise money, but they still manage to do great things with the people they do have. So if your nonprofit organization is considering a year-end giving campaign, or you ran one last year and want some ideas, hopefully you’ll find some inspiration to make your year-end giving campaign even better.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/all-volunteer-and-all-awesome-celebrating-the-wardrobe-audubon-society-with-guest-jacky-gingrich-guests-jan-mees/

When we completed the 2020 donor survey for CoMoGives, we found that 35% of our respondants had NO IDEA what a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign is! So I've asked RagTag staffer and successful peer-to-peer fundraiser Stacie Pottinger to explain what it means and share what makes her peer-to-peer campaigns so successful: https://mayecreate.com/blog/multi-color-hair--personalizing-peer-to-peer-fundraising/

Those of you who have been hanging out with me for a while have probably met Jamie Freidrichs before. Because Jamie is a great resource of mine. She tells it how it is and I love that about her. She and I sometimes have slightly differing opinions because I'm a marketer, and she's a fundraiser… but at our core, we feel the same way about a lot of things. And so we felt like we would have a semi therapy / semi rant session today about busting a myth; the myth that you have to give something away (a.k.a. “premium”) to get a donation.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/myth-buster-embracing-no-premium-fundraising-with-expert-guest-jaime-freidrichs/

I started this business at 25 in a teeny-tiny apartment with no air conditioning with not much more than peanut butter and a computer to my name, so I know a thing or two about achieving big goals with limited resources! Today, I am going to give a part pep talk and some advice, all from the heart, about how you can do the same.

To view this podcast on our website, head on over here: https://mayecreate.com/blog/year-end-giving-achieving-big-results-with-limited-resources/

I interviewed two special guests recently: Jan Meese with the Columbia Audubon Society and Jacky Gingrich - treasurer of The Wardrobe. Both ladies did an amazing job of running year-end giving campaigns for their nonprofit organizations and reaching their goals through ComoGives. So I invited these two to share their stories about how they ran their campaigns. They don’t have huge organizations with armies of volunteers to raise money, but they still manage to do great things with the people they do have. So if your nonprofit organization is considering a year-end giving campaign, or you ran one last year and want some ideas, hopefully you’ll find some inspiration to make your year-end giving campaign even better.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/all-volunteer-and-all-awesome-celebrating-the-wardrobe-audubon-society-with-guest-jacky-gingrich-guests-jan-mees/

The wise and knowledgeable John Baker, Executive director of the Community Foundation of Central Missouri, joins me as we review the data collected from our 900+ participant yearly CoMoGives donor survey. We share what we learned from the survey and what keeps donors returning to support our community's annual year end giving campaign, CoMoGives.

For a fully-formatted version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/what-we-learned-from-our-900response-donor-survey---with-expert-guest-john-baker/

My special expert guest, Bruce bishop, is a professional drone videographer and owner of Big Muddy Motion. The suggestions he's going to share with you will apply to any type of video excursion, even if you're just shooting video with your iphone. Because remember folks - we all start where we are. You may not be able to have a professional videographer right now but that doesn't mean you don't need a video! And it doesn’t mean your video has to suck. I want you to adventure into new things to tell your story and with these tips from Bruce you'll be starting off on the right foot.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/setting-the-stage-for-great-video/

Building an events section can seem intimidating and well, it is and it isn’t. It’s not life or death, but if you get it wrong, small children may cry. (I’ll honor you with that story later.)

Anyway-

If you are revamping your event section, you don't like how it works right now, or you're updating your whole website, you’re in the right place. Because I’m going to dissect it for you today.

For a fully-formtted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/dos-and-donts-of-an-events-section-website-planning-series-part-4/

You used to be able to pop up a photo and a few words and you were good to go. Now social media is becoming a more integrated part of sales and marketing, forcing a good social media manager to wear a variety of hats. So, which traits are the most important ones for a good social media manager to have? Sit down - I'll tell you!

For a fully-formtted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/who-should-be-doing-your-social-media/

When I first started my business, I began as a designer/developer and it never occurred to me that I would have to sell anything until a year later when my business partner left.

I was not comfortable talking about money. It made me feel yucky. I hear those same words from nonprofit volunteers, executive directors and development professionals.

So I was really excited when Danielle Locke of Lock Step Partners agreed to share how to ask donors for multi figure donations. She calls it dating...

For a fully-formtted article version of this episode, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/dating-your-donors/

Google Ads Grants are not magic but they are still pretty stinking awesome. For those who don't already know what a Google Ad Grant is, this is your lucky day.

I’m here with Grant Hensel, CEO of Nonprofit Megaphone, who is going to tell you all about what a Google Grant is (yes, Grant is here to talk about grants… the irony is not lost on me).

He also explains who is a good candidate for a Google Grant, how much money and what results a nonprofit organization can expect, what the approval process is like and so much more!

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/google-ad-grants-with-grant-hensel

Dang, I wish everyone had Google Analytics installed on their websites; it lets you see how people are using your site - for free.

I install it on every site we build. Clients get reports. I’m filled with joy by sharing all this amazing data and you know what they say to me?

“That’s pretty Monica, but I have no clue what any of it means.”

So that, my friends, is what I’m unearthing today - how to tell what people are doing on your site using Google Analytics.

For a fully-formtted article version of this episode, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-tell-what-people-are-doing-on-your-website/

I was so excited when Annette with PedNet Coalition agreed to tell me all her secrets to success for their continually successful annual year end giving campaign. What I didn't know is how much I was going to learn about so many things beyond just how they plan and promote their year end giving.

She also shared how they switched to a paid membership and rolled that into their year end campaign, as well as what they do to promote the campaign during the entire month of December to keep supporters engaged and donations flowing!

For a fully-formtted article version of this episode, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/secrets-to-pednets-year-end-giving-success/

RJ Huebert runs 5K’s. But strapping on his running shoes is just part of his gig… he started his 5K races as a money making venture and now manages 3 race brands that bring in over a thousand participants every year.

With so many 5K fundraisers out there I wanted his opinion on how you could set your 5K apart from others and leverage it to raise more money for your organization. So I asked and he answered!

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/podcast/launching-a-successful-5k/

I won’t say the homepage is the most important page on a nonprofit’s website. I think it jockeys for importance with the Donate page, because that darn thing is pretty prime.

The home page is, however, almost always the most visited and viewed page on a website. It often ranks for more terms. It's usually shown more in search results. The only exception is a website with an active and well-trafficked blog.

Yeah, so your homepage is pretty darn important… and what we’re really talking about in this article is how to make a bang up first impression.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/what-to-put-on-your-home-page/

Join me and special expert guest Julia Campbell, speaker, nonprofit consultant and author of Storytelling in the Digital Age: A Guide for Nonprofits, as we talk about how you can turn Instagram into one of the more powerful tools in your social media arsenal.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/podcast/building-your-instagram-audience/

Website scams are actually quite common.

We were in our weekly meeting this morning and realized that more than one of us had clients who were dealing with fraudulent claims last week so we thought now would be as good of time as any to educate our listeners about common spam schemes and how to steer clear of them.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/podcast/3-common-website-scams-and-how-to-spot-them/

Building a website is like building a house; You draw up plans and review them before you ever start building--because it’s a lot easier to move the kitchen on paper than it is once the house is built!

But not everyone is an experienced architect. So, for those of you who are building your first website, or are thinking about redoing what you have, here's the Nonprofit Website Checklist... so you don't accidentally build the house before you're really sure about where the kitchen should go.

For a fully-formtted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/podcast/nonprofit-website-building-checklist-website-planning-series-part-2

We can all learn a thing or two from people with autism and their families. Each person sees the world differently. And by experiencing it from another's point of view you can better communicate and serve others.

In celebration of Autism Awareness Month, I talk with Myles Hinkel and Katie Lentz of The Thompson Foundation for Autism about how they help people with autism and their families to adapt and improve communication.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-understanding-autism-improves-communication

I always breathe a sigh of relief when I sign up a new consulting client and the first challenge they want to solve is their website, not some crazy marketing idea from la la land. Because if there’s one thing I love to talk about - it’s websites.

I don’t think I’ve been talking enough about the glory of web design lately. And since mediocre web design is a plague we can’t seem to shake on the world wide web I teamed up with Stacy, my COO, CFO, Lead Sales Person and Chief Wearer of Many Hats to go into full on website geek mode.

Over the next few months we’ll geek out over each part of a nonprofit site. So you can stop working around your website and put it to work growing your organization. Starting from the very beginning with these 10 questions to ask yourself before building that new website.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/podcast/questions-to-ask-yourself-before-building-a-new-website/

This article is not one of those “what you should be posting about on social media” bits. I am going to explain how I use social media as a business owner, a salesperson, and as a representative of my company to connect with people in a similar way to how I would be connecting with people at a fundraising event.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/podcast/connecting-outside-the-show-using-social-media-groups/

Are the tools you're using to fundraise for your organization actually helping or just holding you back? I interview Sara Mayer of Sara Mayer Consulting about how to patch the tools holding your organization together with duct tape and swap them out for the types of systems you need to boost productivity and make fundraising easier.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/fundraising-tools-to-make-raising-money-easy/

About a year and a half ago the Missouri United Methodist Foundation (MUMF) began hosting educational webinars to deepen their relationship with their audience. Today it's still going strong and growing. I interview David Atkins and Laura Murphy to learn how they do it and how it's working.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/using-educational-webinars-to-grow-your-nonprofits-audience/

In aerial, you can learn one technique, one move, one principle, and use it to create much more complicated, unique, and interesting moves, without having to learn anything new. One technique can produce endless variations.

We marketers often feel the pressure to work harder and keep doing new things in order to meet people. I’m here to tell you - You don’t have to do that.
You can recycle your existing content to produce many more variations and reach more people, without having to learn or produce anything brand-new.

Listen to learn about using the Reach and Recycle concept to help you plot out the ideal journey of how to turn your audience into donors and customers.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/podcast/7-tricks-to-save-time-perfect-performance/

If you have a blog, you know how much time you invest and that it can be a lot of work. You probably also know that if you're going to put that much work into something, it is absolutely imperative you know whether or not it's working. The last thing you want to do is pour hours and hours into making a blog you feel is going to connect with people, and then it just falls flat.

I go full data ninja in today's episode and blog post to take you through what I do to determine if a blog is working.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website: https://www.mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/how-to-tell-if-your-blog-is-working

Join me as I dig in and debrief the awesomeness and lessons learned from CoMoGives 2020, our community's $1.6M year-end online giving campaign with John Baker, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Central Missouri and Erika Payne, MayeCreate Project Manager.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/1-6m-online-giving-campaign-debrief-celebrating-comogives-2020/

When I get the chance to talk to Peggy I have to check my impulse to write down every word she says. Like, if she had a fan club, I’d join it. (That’s not creepy at all right?)

But if you need a straight answer about nonprofit anything Peggy has it. So when I asked, “how can you tell what donors need to know?” She rattled off three things likity split. Which makes sense because she has over 38 years of fundraising, storytelling and nonprofit management experience. After acting as director of the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri for 22 years she now heads up Gary Pinkel’s Foundation.

Join me as she gives me the lowdown on the three things all donors need to hear (no matter who they are).

https://mayecreate.com/blog/3-things-all-donors-need-to-know-with-peggy-kirpatrick/

Marketing is all about communication. Communicating with your audience and communicating with your team. One of my favorite tools to understand personal and audience behavioral and communication styles is DISC. When we hit a bumpy spot with a client or team member we go right to DISC. The results are incredible. Heck, my husband and I agree we're still married because we did DISC training when we started dating (no joke).

So when I met the Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities and learned about their mission to motivate cultural change by transforming communication one person at a time I was hooked. They teach DISC! And I knew I had to share this magic with anyone who would listen!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/disc-is-the-secret-sauce-to-improving-communication/

3 Reasons Why You Need to Know Why Your Donors Donate Cliff Notes * You can’t be effective unless you know why people give (their motivations) * Learn the motivations of your current donors by actually talking to them and asking them why they give to your organization * You can use what you learn to hone in what’s most attractive in your mission for future asks - Whether through direct mail, thank you letters, impact reports, social media, or your website * Making your asks tailored to your donor interests makes it so much easier for them to say ‘yes’ * This helps you know that the thing that you’re asking them to support your organization in doing, is exactly what they want you to be doing * It’s also nice to talk about what your donors like to talk about, rather than what you think they need to hear about * Understanding why your donors donate makes it more likely that they’ll donate again and increase their giving * If you understand why people love your organization, and some basic details about your existing donors, it makes it a lot easier to find other people who are like them * Use donor management software of even a spreadsheet to keep track of what you learn about your donors * Cultivating relationships with your donors and understanding why they give is the right thing to do because then you won’t treat them as just funders, money providers, or an ATM * A great way to learn from your donors is through a general donor satisfaction survey, and getting feedback from your event attendees * When getting donor feedback, ask them why they are interested in your organization * You can also do a thank you call, thank them for their gift, and ask them what inspired them to give today * If you feel like you don’t have enough time to make personal phone calls, carve out 30 minutes a week (or whatever chunk of time works for you) to do a batch of phone calls * Actually talking to your donors and hearing why you’re great will make you feel good too

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/myth-buster-embracing-no-premium-fundraising-with-expert-guest-jaime-freidrichs/

If your board is feeling a bit resistant to putting together a marketing calendar, then this is the story to share! Giving campaigns and ongoing marketing can feel hectic at the best of times. Then add in the holiday season and you have a recipe for total overwhelm.

Loretta saw the warning signs and took matters into her own hands, encouraging her board to participate in a pre-planned marketing calendar for the season. And you know what? They loved the experience so much, now they want to roll out a plan for the entire year.

Learn how Loretta did it, how the campaign went and how she plans to move forward in this episode!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/getting-your-board-on-board-with-a-marketing-calendar/

City of Refuge was one of the highest earning nonprofits who participated in the 2020 CoMoGives campaign. But $48,615 in donations didn’t happen by accident! How did they do it? Garrett and Andrea will explain the careful planning that lead to a huge day 1 and overall amazing end of year fundraising campaign for their organization.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-purposeful-planning-lead-to-record-fundraising-success/

My team and I have been rolling out marketing for the last 15 years. Take an inside look at how we develop processes at MayeCreate that help us get our work done. And then because I LOVE tools I geek out so hard explaining my favorite time saving low tech tools, design tools, and medium tech tools that you can use to supercharge your marketing efforts and get more stuff done in less time.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/time-saving-tips-zero-to-marketing-super-hero-part-3/

Join me to celebrate (and learn from) Unchained Melodies Dog Rescue’s creative peer-to-peer fundraising success. They exceeded their $25,000 year end fundraising goal on CoMoGives.com raising $33,705 and I want to know their secret! Don’t you?

Melody and a member of her Peer-to-Peer team, Kat, will introduce you to Charlie, one of their rescue dogs and explain how they decided what to do, the new things they tried and what they’ll do differently next time. Let’s celebrate their success together and learn a thing or two in the process.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/peer-to-peer-fundraising-success-celebrating-unchained-melodies-dog-rescue/

4 things you can do with low to medium tech experience to market your organization that are almost free, allow you to meet more people and save you time.

WHAT!?! Yeah I know it almost sounds too good to be true…but really if you asked me how to market on a dime this is what I’d say.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/marketing-on-a-dime-zero-to-marketing-super-hero-part-2/

Join us for Amy's story and tips to get the most of your volunteers, even those with low experience.

Amy is a problem solver and master process maker. What she's best at making things work better. She runs two Facebook groups (@schoolfundraisingpro and @myparentingguru), is mom to 5 kiddos and heads up fundraising for their school. And right now, Amy is captaining a successful fundraising campaign with just 3 volunteers - how does she do it?

Amy’s Tips Overview:

Take Inventory
Provide training in small doses
Provide templates and cheat sheets
Don’t abdicate responsibility
Management

Bonus! Great places to find volunteers!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/5-tips-for-volunteer-management-with-guest-amy-choi-won/

For everyone out there, who doesn't know where to start with their marketing, who doesn't know where to start planning or doesn't know what to do - we're going to start at the very beginning. In this episode, I unpack the way that I look at marketing from a big picture perspective and share the principles I use to make marketing decisions.

This episode is the first installment of my Zero to Marketing Superhero series, Where to Start - The Basics.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/where-to-start-zero-to-marketing-superhero-part-1/

This podcast is all about what’s working on social media right now. Learn from the success of others. I went over the last year of social media data from the nonprofit clients that we serve at MayeCreate. I thought back on social media conversations and reviews I've done over the past year during consulting sessions, and I asked my gut - what should nonprofits be posting on social media in 2021? I’ll share the 5 types of posts that are doing well, give examples of each and explain how you can learn what will work best to connect with your followers.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/whats-working-on-social-media-right-now-for-nonprofits/

I had three, yes three nonprofits ask me how to do this in my consulting sessions today...how do you manage a Facebook page with multiple audiences? If you have donors and the people you serve all following the same page, do you need to divide them? Or can you talk to them all on the same page? Can you ask everyone for donations? Well, here's what I think about that.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/handling-social-media-for-multiple-audiences/

I invited a few non-traditional podcast guests on for today's episode. These little people are so amazing. See, I picked my kids up from school the other day and thought, "I wonder just how much they know about nonprofits and what we as individuals can do to support them." As much as I talk to them about my work and what I do I wasn't even sure if they had a clue.

Here's my question for you, how much do the people you love know about the amazing work you do?

As we take time to celebrate with our family and friends inbetween conversations, or even just in moments when you need to change the subject ask them what they know.

Our families and supporters love us (well hopefully they do anyway). Start at the beginning and learn what they know about your organization so you can fill in the gaps empowering them to build awareness for your organization in their next conversation.

See nonprofits from the perspective of 6 year old Aveleen and 9 year old Ellis and how they would change the world to make it a better place in this fun episode.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/i-interviewed-my-kids-about-nonprofits-youll-love-what-they-have-to-say/

I was reading a book about sharks to Aveleen, my 6 year old, last night and had a bit of an a-ha moment about sharing data to tell a story. It's like the book we were reading, Shark Bites, followed all my rules from episode 59! My biggest lesson learned...we often talk to our audience like they know all about what we do. Shark Bites talks to kids who know nothing about sharks and makes all the scientific data seem real and consumable, do you do that in your marketing?

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/what-shark-bites-can-teach-us-about-telling-a-story-through-statistics/

Sharing statistics usually accomplishes one of two things - proves your point or loses your audience. I LOVE using statistics to tell a story.

The goal is to make people think “wow”. Depending on the point you’re trying to make you want them to either think “wow that’s a lot” or “wow that’s not very much” or “wow that’s almost the same”.

How do you do that? (1) Keep the stats close together in the content.

(2) Try to make it as apples to apples as possible.

(3) Translate the stat into terms they can understand.

(4) Give them a visual. <---- That’s for extra credit!

Let’s take the next 10 min to talk through a few examples.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/5-tips-with-examples-for-using-statistics-to-tell-a-story/

In the conversations I've been having with participants from our recent Online Fundraising Events Bootcamp, I've been noticing a common mistake that’s being made as we work through event ideas and all the pieces that go into it.

In this podcast, I'll explain what the mistake I'm seeing is and how to keep it from happening, as well as share stories from these consulting sessions that will help give you ideas on how you might adjust your perspective for your nonprofit in order to avoid making this mistake.

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/dont-make-this-mistake-in-your-marketing-or-fundraising-events/

Timing isn't everything but it does help and we need every grain of goodness we can get in 2020.

Of all the emails I send to market CoMoGives (a local year end giving campaign that supports 142 nonprofits powered by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri):

GivingTuesday is the highest donation generating email, it brought in $25,715 in 2019.
But New Year’s Eve is consistently the highest converting email. In 2019 the people who clicked to visit the website from that email had a 28.11% of donating.

But it’s not all about the money is it? It’s about spreading the word. Building awareness. And you can’t do that with just two emails asking for donations. You need a cadence to start the conversations flowing…

Here's the schedule I'd suggest for sending year end gift emails based on the data I've seen over the past 7 years of sending emails on behalf of the CoMoGives organizations. And since I wasn't sure if you'd believe me or not I called in for backup and Kathleen Murphy Toms with GivingTuesday had a thing or two to say as well about when and how many emails to send in the month of December.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/when-to-send-your-year-end-giving-emails/

The human attention span is short. That you're reading this at all is actually a huge compliment to me. Or maybe an indicator that you're just really interested in the topic but either way I'm flattered!

You have a story to tell in your fudraising campaign. And it can take a hot minute to get to the point, right? So how long is too long?

Let’s take the next 17 min and talk it through.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/is-your-giving-ask-too-long-or-just-right-heres-how-to-tell/

GivingTuesday's Kathleen Murphy Toms talked to my local nonprofits about how to use email to promote their GivingTuesday campaigns. After the talk she fielded questions about all things nonprofit marketing including:

How many emails is too many emails?
What platform to use for personalizing emails.
Advice on segmenting your list.
How to get your head on straight and write an email that really connections with your audience.
Setting marketing goals and more!

Soak in all the awesomeness of Kathleen's advice in this quick Q&A session!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/marketing-qa-with-givingtuesdays-kathleen-murphy-toms/

Asking for donations because COVID put the kibosh on all your events? Not sure how to explain that to your supporters? I have a plan!

First, I want to tell you, COVID cancelled events or the need to hire more people are great reasons to need funding…

AND I also, in the same breath, need to explain that my gut tells me some donors may not respond to that need as well as they would respond to the reason WHY. And since it was my gut making conversation with me and not experience itself, I even got a few opinions from fundraising experts to make sure I was heading the right track!

So let's take a few minutes (16 to be exact) to talk about how to explain to your donors that your biggest challenges are you're short staffed or short on funding because COVID is one mean spirited little beastie.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/asking-for-donations-because-covid-cancelled-your-event/

After our Year End Peer to Peer and Email Fundraising Strategies Workshop we had a lot of questions about crafting your year end fundraising asks. So I held a challenge on my Facebook Group, Nonprofit Marketing With Purpose, with three short videos to watch with assignments to complete over 3 days. Now did that Oct. 1 so it's all over now but I thought I'd share the 3 part recipe and idea starters to get you moving in the right direction with your year end fundraising ask so you can use it too.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/a-3-part-recipe-to-craft-your-year-end-fundraising-ask/

I got my first year end giving letter this week from Alternative Community Training in Columbia, MO! Shout out to them for being on the ball with your year end fundraising efforts! For those of you who might be feeling a bit behind or overwhelmed I want to share this great example as a reminder of where to start with your year end activities. And break it down for you into 3 easy steps!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/where-to-start-with-marketing-your-year-end-fundraising/

Every year as you’re reviewing all the numbers in your business, you also need to review your website so you can see what’s working and what’s not. Give it an annual physical and make a checklist of what you can do to make it better. Which in some cases is updating it and in others is just trashing your current site and getting a new one…but how do you make this checklist, where do you look? What do you review?

This my friends is where I can help.

In this podcast, I'll go over the four different components we review when we do end-of-year website evaluations for our clients:

Aesthetics
Site Content
Infrastructure
Data

Find a fully-formatted blog post for this episode on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/end-of-year-website-reconnaissance-mission/

Get tips on where to start with your marketing and learn more on how to gear up for 2021 in this podcast episode!

Rick Briemann, Director of Business Development in St. Louis for the Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association, says the most important thing you can do to gear up for 2021 is to:

Focus on marketing and selling your solution to your potential customers’ problems.

In our latest podcast episode, Rick shares real-world examples and applications for marketing and selling solutions in the paving industry.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/marketing-or-selling-a-solution-with-guest-rick-biermann/

You probably already know this, but just in case you don’t, I’m going to say it anyway. The thing you need to focus on right now in your business to be ready for whatever 2021 brings is to go back to what made you successful in the first place: RELATIONSHIPS. After all, isn’t that what marketing (and sales) are all about? The building and maintaining of relationships?

But we have been separated from the opportunity to build relationships traditionally and we continue to be separated. How do we combat that from a marketing perspective?

By using this 3-part strategy: 1. Discovery - Focus on having conversations to re-learn about your prospects, customers and referral sources. 2. Gratitude - First, show gratitude for these people. Second, plan for how you will “support” them with the marketing efforts you’ll engage in during step 3. 3. Support - Ask yourself: What are the problems I could solve for them? What talents or skills do I have that I can use to support them and help them solve these problems?

In this episode, I'll offer actionable steps and specific examples for using this 3-part plan to take on 2021 with confidence.

Check out the fully-formatted blog post on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/what-to-focus-on-right-now-in-your-marketing-to-handle-whatever-2021-brings/

Is blogging a good activity for your organization? In order to answer that question for yourself, you'll have to consider a few things.

As with any big decision in life, it’s best to start with all of the information and then make a decision from there. I don't want you to think, “Monica says blogging is awesome, and it's clearly working for her and her clients. so I should be doing it.” There are a lot of things that factor in that decision, and I want to give you all the pieces you need to be able to make that decision for yourself.

In this episode, we're going to talk about:

What the heck a blog even is, because there are so many different ways that you can slice this pie.
Ways you can assess if blogging is right for you based on your audience, your skill set and your marketing goals.
How blogging works.
What type of time investment you would be making if you did indeed decide to start a blog.

You can find a fully formatted blog post version of this epsisode on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/should-your-nonprofit-be-blogging/

In this post, I’m talking to anyone who is thinking about getting any website. I want you to listen to these problems and think to yourself, “Is this the problem that I'm trying to solve with my website right now?” Because if you are, there's actually another solution to your problem. And a website may not be the first thing on your list, it might need to move down the line.

There are certain things that your website just can't fix. Let's get down to business.

A Disconnection between Development and Marketing
Lack of Vision
A Wishy-Washy Marketing Message
Poor Processes
An Inability to Change
Cultural Bankruptcy

Find a fully-formatted blog post for this podcast on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/6-problems-your-website-cant-fix/

This podcast/post is for all of you out there who are continually updating your websites as well as for the people who are remodeling or building a new website. Images are super important on a website — they’re a huge component in telling your story, so you want to make sure you have the right images for the job.

Check out the fully-laid out blog post on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/choosing-the-perfect-images-for-your-website/

In a recent conversation with my client Chris Campbell, Executive Director of the Boone County History & Culture Center, I learned he and his small staff raised over $40,000 in their 1-day fundraiser. I of course asked immediately, "How did you do that?!"

He told me a rock star board member came up with the idea to do a phone bank. With a mixed back of virtual vs. on-site callers to support this effort, Mary Ellen Lohmann, the Center's Administrative Services Manager, decided to follow her mother's advice when supporting your volunteers: make their job as easily as humanly possible. That's exactly what Mary Ellen did to make sure their people had everything they needed to make this day a huge success.

I knew right away I had to talk to Mary Ellen becuase I know so many of you have to do a lot of the leg work to ensure your campaign is a success.

Whether you're interested in a hosting a phone bank or considering a different avenue, you can use many of the strategies Mary Ellen shares in this episode to make yours a success as well.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website:

https://mayecreate.com/blog/behind-the-scenes-of-boone-historys-over-40000-1-day-peer-ask-fundraiser-with-mary-ellen-lohmann/

We've heard so many questions about peer-to-peer fundraising over the years, from "What is it?" to "Why would I do it?" to "How would I do it?" If you're not sure if peer-to-peer is right for you, or if you're looking for ways to make it more successful for your campaign, you're in the right place.

In this episode, we have an expert with us to provide the answers to those questions. Robin Peeples, National Director of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising at Wounded Warrior Project, joins us to share:

What peer-to-peer fundraising is
Whether or not your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign needs a theme
The role peer-to-peer fundraising plays in your overall giving campaign.
Advice on how to get started as a small organization.
How she works in her role to support her fundraisers.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/getting-started-supporting-peer-to-peer-fundraisers-with-robin-peeples/

This year while planning my year end fundraising training workshop, I had multiple people mention they wanted to learn more about steering their teams. they said they often feel they're on a team of one, meaning all by themselves trying to get it done.

I've managed a lot of people since starting my business in 2005, but they were all were paid employees, and for a reason: it's a lot easier to manage people who depend on you to make a living than board members or volunteers, who don't get paid for their services.

I called upon Debbie DiVirgilio for outside expertise. Debbie helps nonprofit organizations with broken boards patch them back together so they can be a cohesive unit that supports you once again.

In this episode, she explains to us:

The role your board members and volunteers should play in your year-end fundraiser.
How to reset their expectations to get the most out of your efforts.
Ways to deal with board members and volunteers who aren't comfortable asking for money.
How to avoid getting stuck in perpetual planning mode from the get-go, and how to get unstuck if you do find yourself there.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/managing-board-volunteers-for-a-successful-year-end-giving-campaign-with-debbie-divirgilio/

Jaime Freidrichs joins us again to share tips for what you can do to increase success for your year-end fundraising campaign as a small (but mighty) nonprofit.

Jaime is the facilitator of newfundraisingpros.com, an online community for fundraisers, and is a fundraising coach, not to mention she's been doing this for her entire career.

Here, she gives 6 awesome suggestions for your year-end campaign:

Get clear on your why.
Run a November appreciation push.
Hone in on Giving Tuesday.
Make it super easy for your peer-to-peer participants.
Re-energize mid campaign.
Incorporate the phone.

Watch the video or view the full transcript on our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/6-tips-for-running-your-year-end-fundraising-campaigns-for-small-but-mighty-nonprofits/

Testimonials are marketing treasure, they're something every marketer needs to have in their toolkit to pull out and use when you need someone else to talk about you. It stinks when you're constantly running around just talking about yourself — it sounds like you're selling, right? But when someone else talks about you, it means so much more. Their words can do so much for you: they help connect you to people who don't know you.

In this episode, I go over how we get the most out of testimonials by sharing the exact system we use to develop questions to get ideal testimonials for our clients and for ourselves. I’ll also share some of the reasoning behind our process so you can understand why it helps to ask the questions the way we do.

For a nicely formatted blog post covering this podcast, check out our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/our-system-for-getting-amazing-testimonials/

Heather Dimitt-Fletcher with Kolibri Associates has been with the nonprofit world for a really long time. She recently broke out on her own to consult with nonprofits and support them in all aspects of developing and growing their organizations.

A few months ago, I asked some groups on Facebook about good ideas for online fundraising events, and Heather replied immediately with, "Events are not a marketing plan." and I thought, "Well, of course not!" After hearing the same sentiment again and again from nonprofit consultants, I felt like maybe, just maybe, some nonprofits do think events are their marketing & development plan. So Heather is going to debunk this myth for us and give us her take on why we need a marketing plan to back up our events and fundraising efforts! Interview Outline & Takeaways Events have a time and purpose, but they shouldn’t be your only source of development and marketing.

Events are very time intensive for staff and volunteers - they cost $35-50 for every $1 you raise, and that doesn’t always include the staff and volunteer time.

Annual campaigns are often $35 or less and major gifts or capital campaigns can be even less.

Events are a great public facing piece — they may need to be part of your marketing plan, but they can’t be the only way your org is seen by the public.

All your plans should intercoordinate.

Others ways to raise money are:

Grant writing
Contract for services
Annual campaigns
Letter writing campaigns (end and mid year) research is showing a good time to sent out letters may actually be April or May right after people send out their taxes
Capitol campaigns
Major gifts

Choosing the right one for you depends on many factors:

If you’re a good writer
Who your board is connected with
How well your marketing is working
Your board, volunteers and other people in your community are all advocates and part of your marketing and will help you meet people who are willing to make an investment in your organization

You need to determine which events are for fundraising and which are there for marketing. Marketing events are more like “Friend raising events” and they’re all about communicating with people. 5Ks are often an example of this type events, some make good money but some don’t.

The difference between a fundraising plan and development plan:

Your development plan outlines where your funding will come from. It has a strategy for how you’ll do it and who will do it. <!--

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Here we’ll look at 7 must-haves for nonprofit websites. My goal is to provide you with a big picture overview, kind of like your own rubric to use when reviewing your own website or while planning your new one to make sure that you have everything you need to make it work for your organization.

Check out the episode and accompanying blog post at https://mayecreate.com/blog/7-must-haves-for-nonprofit-websites/

Erika Payne joins me again to talk marketing planning for CoMoGives month by month. In this episode, we explore what our process looks like for the entire year, from the end of last year's campaign to the end of the next year's. It's essentially a ton of documenting, testing, and celebrating, but with structure.

HOW IT ALL FLOWS DEC

Keep track of all the things that didn’t go right in a document

JAN-FEB

Review the document and all data after campaign, quickly so it’s not lost

a. Brainstorm how to improve in the pain point areas

Survey donors
Attend the member recap to hear what orgs think was good or bad
Reconcile the previous year’s numbers

MARCH-MAY

Really dig into marketing data so we can make a plan for next year based on what worked
Brainstorm ways to improve and market
Pitch those ideas to the client
Set new year campaign goal
Estimate and schedule ideas for the website
Create Participant Sign up form & Test

JUNE-JULY

Form a focus group of nonprofits
Plan marketing workshop

a. Plan training for nonprofits

Start updating website
Open up organization registration
Plan & schedule marketing activities

a. Schedule everything humanly possible for marketing

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER

Train nonprofits on how to use the website
Hold training workshop for nonprofits
Work in making improvements to the website
Design Marketing

a. Social media

b. Ads

c. Emails

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER

Review/Revise marketing materials
Continue making improvements to the website
Look at list of improvements, decided if there are any we need to hold off on until next year.
TEST TEST TEST everything on the website

a. Then test again

Adjust hosting capacity
Make sure the payment portal is setup and and ready to take payments

a. Then test yet again

DECEMBER

Turn on the Campaign!
Support nonprofits as campaign runs
Review all data daily and put into spreadsheet to see benchmarks
Adjust marketing as needed
Encourage nonprofits
Celebrate successes
Document stuff we want to change for next year
Celebrate the campaign end!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/behind-the-scenes-how-we-plan-the-marketing-to-our-local-million-dollar-fundraising-campaign/

Do you really know your donors? I know you’re thinking, Monica, of course, I do! But do you really know them, besides a few bits of geographical information you have stored in some database somewhere? I want to help you understand whether you really know your donors, why it matters that you understand them, what you need to know about them, and ways you can reconnect with them if, on the off chance, it turns out you really don't know him as well as you thought you did.

For a nicely formatted blog post covering this podcast, check out our website:https://mayecreate.com/blog/do-you-really-know-your-donors/

Your content has the potential to be awesome, we just need to talk about how to write content to make and maintain donor relationships. That's why we are going over the secret to writing content to make and maintain donors. It all starts with a few questions... What does that content look like? What is the purpose of it, and what can those topics revolve around to get you to the end goal of making and maintaining relationships with your audience.

For a nicely formatted blog post covering this podcast, check out our website:https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-secret-to-writing-content-to-make-and-maintain-donors/

So today, I'm going to give you all kinds of ideas for different types of content for your nonprofit! By content, I mean anything that you might make a social media post about, send in your newsletters, or publish on your blog; those things are all content. They all kind of fall into the same bucket. It doesn't matter if you're gonna do a video, article, photo, or an infographic. All of it has to start with an idea. It has to start with the concept of the content itself. I'm going to tell you all the ideas that I have for you to make your content.

For a nicely formatted blog post covering this podcast, check out our website:https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/nonprofit-content-ideas-for-your-blog-newsletters-and-social-media-np/

December will be our 8th year operating the CoMoGives.com online fundraising campaign. Last year our nonprofits raised over $950,000. What does the marketing process behind the event look like? Join us as we walk through our planning steps with the help of Project Manager Erika Payne who oversees the lot of it!

For a transcription of this podcast or to catch the video, go to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/aha-moments-from-bumpy-situations-managing-a-million-dollar-online-fundraiser-with-guest-erika-payne-np/

Today is all about communication! When I was thinking about my day and the various communication I had to do just before 2 p.m., it really got me thinking about these time-saving tips for communication. These tips will help you pack in as much as you can into your day and hopefully, allow extra time so you can communicate more.

Bring a translator
Use Video
Dictation
Canned responses
Calendly
Screenshot software - Qsnap/Lightshot (screenshot tool)
Voicemail to Email
Call

For a nicely formatted blog post covering this podcast, check out our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/8-time-saving-tips-for-communication-np

While I am not an event planner, I am a problem solver. I'm coming from the seat of a consultant who's trying to help people figure out how they're going to run their events. What I do is help people pick a system that will work for them, and will work with their other systems, and then help them promote their events. So today, I'm going to talk about how to choose the right online fundraising event platform so you can pick the perfect one for your organization’s event!

For a nicely formatted blog post covering this podcast, check out our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/podcast/how-to-choose-the-right-online-fundraising-event-platform-np/

Join us for a conversation with Laura Smith! Laura has well over a decade of marketing experience and has worked with many nonprofits. We will dive into how to ask for donations IN WRITING, her process and how she makes the ask via email and social media.

To view the full transcription and episode goodie bag, check out our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-ask-for-donations-in-writing-using-email-social-media-with-guest-laura-smith/

Now today, what I'm going to talk about is tips to run an online fundraiser on a super low budget. We help some of our clients run their online fundraisers and obviously they have a budget because they can hire somebody like us. And then there are others where we advise them and we help them put something together they can spin out quickly. Now some of these tricks are marketing tricks and others of them are just really inexpensive ways to get the functionality you need to run an online fundraiser. So I'm going to tell you some of the tricks we use to help them get that done without breaking the bank.

So my tips today fall into two buckets. The first bucket is cost-effective marketing tips. And then the second bucket is functionality tips. Cost-effective platforms are ways that you can run your event online. And really, all of these things make me really excited because if you know me, you know I love a deal. I love shopping at thrift stores, second-hand stores, garage sale, and finding the diamond in the rough. So in my business, I'm always trying to find these awesome services people are literally giving away for free so I can pass them along to my clients.

I'm going to start with marketing. I'm going to give you three marketing tips right now:

Lean Into Your Current Assets
Use Free Canva Templates for Your Creative Assets
Set up a free MailChimp account.
Bonus Tip: Use Facebook

Marketing Tip #1: Lean Into Your Current Assets We're going to start with the first one, which is to lean into your current assets. Marketing assets are any of the things you have access to within your organization that allow you to build reach. They allow you to connect with people and contact them and make friends, build relationships.

There are so many different assets we have that we don't even think about. When we are planning an event and we don't have a lot of money to put into it, we need to use the assets we already have. So for example, if you have a great Facebook following, a list of mailing addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses, those are things you would use in your marketing to promote your event. Building new assets takes time and time is money, so you're going to use the things you have.

Turn your assets into more assets! One of the things I really want to encourage you to do is think through how you could build those assets into more assets while you're doing this fundraiser. For example, let's say all you have are phone numbers of your donors. A phone number means you’re going to be calling people, now as you have these conversations with them about donating or your event, you can also ask them:

for their email address
to follow you on Facebook
for their mailing address

All those things can be cross-promoted from one to another.

I know you feel like becaus

Over the past few months, I've been talking a lot with my local nonprofit community, and I’ve noticed some of them are thriving in this new era of online marketing, or forced online marketing, I should say. Others, though, are having a hard time adjusting to this new technology need.

For those of you who are struggling, who are maybe at the very beginning of accepting online donations, or for those of you who are thinking about shifting and changing the way you accept donations online, this post is for you.

We’ll examine different ways you can collect donations online, whether through your website or through another platform. Hopefully one of the options we cover will seem extremely doable, and you can put it into action and start collecting donations online right away!

Ways to Collect Donations Online 1. Email Form 2. CRM Iframe 3. PayPal Button 4. WP Give Plugin 5. Social Networks 6. CRM/All-in-one Donation Marketing Solution 7. Stripe Donation Form

Pros & Cons: On Your Website vs. Not on Your Website Collecting Donations on Your Website There are pros and cons to collecting through your website, and there are also some pros and cons to collecting donations elsewhere.

Pros 1. When you collect donations on your website, you're driving people back to your marketing home, which gives you more opportunities and flexibility to share information about your organization. 2. You own your website space, so you have the ability to adjust it the way you need to on the fly without having to answer to anyone else or worry about anything changing without you knowing. 3. Collecting donations through your website offers the freedom to implement something more robust than what third-party platforms might provide. This can present a challenge, though, that I’ll address when we get to the cons. Which is… now….

Cons 1. If you’re trying to do something more robust through your website, the implementation process is not always super streamlined. You may have to do a little research and troubleshooting to get things set up the way you want them. 2. Unless you have thousands of visitors coming to your website each month (or day, if you’re killin’ it), you don't have a huge community built up waiting to give donations.

Collecting Donations Outside of Your Website Pros 1. Asking for and coll

People are more likely to participate in an online event than ever before! Let's look at one positive from COVID-19 and learn about how hosting an online fundraiser can be a major asset for the future. Adonica with A2D Events was at a conference in Las Vegas when COVID hit and saw the fallout among event planners but used this as an opportunity to pivot into something she has felt passionately about for a long time.

Transcription

For the full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/investing-in-an-online-fundraiser-right-now-is-investing-in-the-future-with-guest-adonica-coleman/

A big part of a lot of nonprofit websites is a robust online event signup solution. The challenge I'm trying to solve today is assisting you with selecting the best online event signup software for your website. And while I’m talking directly to our nonprofit listeners, what we’ll cover here applies to anyone running an online event, though our examples are going to be focused on the nonprofit community.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/online-event-sign-up-application-evaluation-checklist/

The wise and knowledgeable John Baker, Executive director of the Community Foundation of Central Missouri, shares the story of the past 7 years of the CoMoGives Online Fundraiser. In this interview, he discusses what to expect and how it has grown each year.

Transcription

For the full trascription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/what-to-expect-from-your-online-fundraiser-with-guest-john-baker/

Today I am going to be talking about technology because I really love technology, and we're going to talk about online event registration solutions from simple to robust. This is one of many nonprofit focused podcasts, but it can apply to anyone who's running an online event. So business listeners, don't abandon me yet because I will definitely be giving you some nuggets of goodness for your online event signups today. The examples I use, however, will be for my nonprofit friends, who are trying to pull everything together and switch all of their fundraising events online during this current season of social distancing.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/online-event-registration-solutions-from-simple-to-robust/

The fabulous Kari Hopkins with Coyote Hill will join us to discuss how they flipped their pancake breakfast into a virtual fundraiser and earned 3x more than they did las year. Tune in to hear how they shifted gears to accomplish this amazing feat!

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-one-nonprofit-shifted-gears-and-moved-their-fundraiser-online-earning-3x-more-than-they-did-the-previous-year/

Today we're going to talk about time-saving tips for promoting and running your online event. While this is our first nonprofit focused podcast, it really applies to anyone running an online event. So business listeners, don't just tune this out because there are definitely some great nuggets in here for you too. Today I'm going to go over five different tips that will help you save time while promoting and running your online event.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/time-saving-tips-for-promoting-running-your-online-event-np/

In our opinion, the most important aspect when it comes to email is actually sending the darn thing! But once you’ve done that a few times, now what? In this episode, we're talking about reviewing your email marketing data. We're gonna go through what to review, tools to make that review easier, how to interpret your metrics, and how often to review. If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed by the intangible information, take a deep breath and head to our website where we have a lovely episode goodie bag with a transcription, links to tools, and more!

https://mayecreate.com/blog/digging-into-data-part-3-reviewing-email-data/

It's our first TOOL TIP TUESDAY (TTT) podcast! We decided to do short podcasts to talk about our team's favorite tools that we use all the time and can't get enough of! For our first TTT we are covering the graphic design platform, Canva! We love it, Canva can be used for presentations, social media, posters, and so much more! Our social media managers here at MayecCreate swear by it—no more messing around in photoshop!

For the full transcription, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/tool-tip-tuesday-canva/

There’s nothing more irritating than clicking on a recipe and being greeted by a wall of text. The recipe is hidden at the bottom of the page under a wall of stories and kitschy photos of the dish. But as annoying as it is, recipe bloggers’ tactics work! There’s a reason we found that recipe. Wondering how they did it? We are covering the 6 things you can learn about SEO from a Recipe Blogger so you can understand how they are showing up in search results. And maybe the next time you end up on a recipe blog you can just give ‘em a nod for a job well done before scrolling to the bottom of the page to find what you want!

For the full transcription, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/6-things-you-can-learn-about-seo-from-a-recipe-blogger-2/

44.5% of getting traffic to your website is about website content and user behavior—is your site up to snuff? On this podcast, we are tackling nine website must haves. These are the things that you need on your site to leave a lasting impression and to get visitors to stick around and consider doing business with you. Turn up the volume and let’s make your website visitors happy!

For a full transcription, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/basic-website-must-haves-for-2020/

WHOA NOW. Are you ready for part 2 of our Digging into Data Series? We hope you’re enjoying this data deep dive as much as we are. In this podcast we are reviewing social media data! We’re covering what you should review, the tools you can use to make it easier, how to interpret those tricky social metrics, and how often you need to review it. Social media isn’t just for millennials, we should all understand if it’s working or not!

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/digging-into-data-part-2-reviewing-social-media-data/

This episode is not for the SEO experts, it's for SEO beginners. It's for the people who want to have a big picture understanding of how SEO works and those who want to do a survey of their own site and see how it meets up to Google's expectations. In this podcast, we are covering what SEO is, what it means, and if you need it, and then we break it down into five big components about how it works. Lastly, we will provide the tools so you can audit your own site and see how you stack up!

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-google-ranks-sites-1/

We want you to be able to not only access your website data but to actually understand what all those weird words and strange numbers mean. As businesses, we put so much time and effort into our websites, right? I mean it’s 2020, you have to have a web presence and you need to know if it's working. This podcast covers how to review your website data with these four steps: what you should be reviewing, what tools you need to make it easier, what those metrics actually mean, and how often you should be reviewing.

This podcast is the first of a three-part series about reviewing your marketing data. The next two in the series will cover how to review your social media data and email marketing.

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/digging-into-data-part-1-reviewing-website-data-2/

How much does a website cost? That is a great question. And I bet you’re having a very difficult time getting a straight answer—that’s because any salesperson worth their salt won’t tell you how much a website costs until you’re willing to sit down and listen to their sales pitch. In this podcast we break down the cost for you by explaining the different types of websites, the common ways sites are built, and how much each of those ways cost! Want an actual online quote on how much a website would cost you? We have a Website Price Calculator Tool free to use.

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-much-does-a-website-cost-2/

If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, this post is just for you.

We started from scratch when we decided to start a podcast, meaning we did our research online and spoke to people who have done it before, and with this knowledge, we plowed forward and learned from other people’s mistakes… and also learned the hard way.

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/what-weve-learned-so-far-about-podcasting/

Having an email with your company name is not only professional but also acts as insurance so you can keep it for however long you want too. When we say email with your company name, we mean yourname@yourcompany.com or monica@mayecreate.com for example. If your email name is tied to a provider instead of your domain name or company name, turn the volume up and get ready to learn how to get your new email name and how it can save you a lot of hassle in the future.

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-get-an-email-with-your-company-name/

Does anyone else get super overwhelmed in their work email and end up consumed for hours? We feel your pain. Without proper management, a work email just seems like an endless black hole. That’s why in this podcast we are talking about how to improve email efficiency so you guys can keep it under control and improve your lives. Less time in email means more time doing everything else.

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-organize-your-gmail-inbox-8-tips-for-managing-your-email-efficiently-2/

Websites are like cars - you can't drive them forever. You have to change the oil, you have to fill up the gas, you've got to rotate the tires. These are things that you're going to do with your website, and the frequency with which you do them will improve the shelf life of your website.

For a full transcription of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-extend-the-life-of-your-website/

We absolutely love working with construction companies because, like us, they have to take clients through a project from start to finish on a timeline, and they understand what it is to design and build something. They've been wonderful to work with, and from my experience, I'd like to share some advice about what needs to go into a great construction website.

I would also like to give a disclaimer that a lot of the things we're going to talk about in this podcast apply to more than just construction websites. If you offer any kind of service, if you want to show examples of your work, or if you're trying to hire people, these are great tips and best practices for all industries, you just have to apply it to your own.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/what-makes-a-good-construction-website/

The prospect of choosing the right marketing mix and actually finding the time to implement it can feel pretty daunting. Just last week I was planning out my own digital marketing campaign for MayeCreate, and even though I do it every single day, I felt totally overwhelmed. Here are a few of the concepts I used as ground rules to guide myself and the workshop attendees as we began to plan their digital marketing strategies; my favorite tried and true.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/digital-marketing-strategies-so-good-youll-want-seconds-2/

When you budget for a big project, like a website redesign, you might wonder, “How long until I have to budget for this again?”

Odds are good the cost of web development is more now than it was when you originally had your website built. That makes “How long does a website last?” a super valid question, and one that I hope I can shed some light on today.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-long-does-a-website-last-2/

If you're only in need of the big picture on this article, here it is: IF YOU STOP ALL YOUR MARKETING RIGHT NOW, YOU WON’T HAVE LEADS WHEN YOU NEED THEM. Want to know why I’m writing in all caps? Listen on!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-the-coronavirus-impacts-marketing/

Today, we thought we would talk about heartbreak, specifically, how to break up with your web designer. Sounds better than breaking up with your boyfriend, right? Which, of course, we're not encouraging you to do. We'll let that be your own decision.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-break-up-with-your-web-designer-2/

There is an art to sending emails. The first step to creating said art is following the three basic golden rules, which are: don’t spam, be a friend and automate your emails.

If you’re going to start implementing email marketing as part of your marketing mix, you probably also want to know all of the ins and outs about making emails – unfortunately they don’t just magically appear no matter how hard you stare at your computer screen. Let’s just say I know from experience.

Here, I’ll cover techniques and guidelines — six to be exact — for crafting better emails.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/6-tips-for-crafting-a-killer-email/

These seven steps are meant to guide you through formulating a marketing plan that's realistic and attainable, one that you can use to actually grow your business. This plan needs to be personalized to YOUR business. You don't have to do the same thing as everyone else!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-create-a-marketing-plan/

When I talk about blogging, I’m not referring to telling stories about your kids or debriefing your day. I’ll leave that special attention-seeking ridiculousness to fame-seeking lifestyle bloggers. Some of you might be thinking: “Wait, there’s more to blogging?” Yes, there is. 67% more leads for your business, specifically… but it's important that you know: it's not all rainbows and butterflies. How could an activity like blogging produce results like that? Let’s find out…

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/blogging-the-good-the-ok-and-the-ugly/

Listen now to debunk the "intrusion" philosophy that people have associated with emails. The truth is, it may feel like you're sending junk because… well.. you are. We can do better.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/why-email-marketing-is-important-2/

We are going to dive into COOKIES and no, not the chocolate chip kind! We are talking about internet or web cookies. We know you're wondering- what are all these cookie consent pop-up boxes for and why have they been under such scrutiny? We're answering all the cookie cutter questions and more!

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Transcription

Hello, this is Monica Pitts and welcome to Marketing with Purpose. I'm all by myself today. I don't have any of my friends. But I am talking about a really fun and very relevant topic. And that's cookies. And no, I'm not talking about those lovely baked sugary nuggets of goodness, I'm talking about internet or web cookies. You may have noticed a new addition to some of your favorite sites. The little box at the bottom that states, "this site uses cookies," prompting you to accept or decline. And if you don't know about cookies, the box can feel a little scary. You might feel like accepting cookies puts you at risk. Here's the deal. Most modern websites use cookies. They're just not telling you. If a site uses cookies, they are visible through your browser at any time. So they're not really a secret. They're just not obvious to you.

So let's start at the beginning. Like what is a cookie? And no, like I said, we're not talking about baked goods here. We're talking about internet or web cookies. This is the type of message that's given from a web browser to a web server. And it allows websites to store information on your machine. They were actually developed in 1994. Yes, like back in the dark ages, by Netscape to make shopping carts for e-commerce possible.

If you had a bottomless basket of cookies, for example, these will be persistent cookies. And those types stay valid until they reach an expiration date, like asking a site to remember your login information. But there's also session cookies. Now, these go away at the end of the session or visit on a website.

So why do they even exist? I mean, there's three big reasons for cookies. The first one as we started discussing already is creating a more convenient user experience because some cookies bring joy and

this way, they're a lot like their baked namesakes. They make websites better for users. They customize a web page to your preferences, they can adjust the layout or the regional information. They can enable e-commerce and allow you to keep items in your shopping cart even when you leave a site. Using cookies, you can save your login information on a specific computer so you don't have to re-enter it every single time that you visit.

Tracking user behavior using systems like Google Analytics allows the website owner to better understand how people use their website. And using this information they can learn how to improve the website for users to engage the success of their marketing endeavors.

Usually, these are all session cookies so they're not

going on forever. They're only active while you're on the site.

Those third party cookies that are generally also persistent, they stick around for a while, and they allow marketers to serve ads on other websites based on your interests. So for example, you could show an ad to people on Facebook because they visited your website. This style of targeting is different based on the ad platform. It's usually called remarketing or retargeting. And it can be a pretty effective way to drive traffic back to your site because you're talking to people who already found you on their own. I mean, it can be annoying, because advertisers can set it up to be extremely persistent and even a little aggressive feeling, but they can also back off and just show it every so often to people as well.

just a little bit.

Now, one thing I have people keep asking me is our cookies safe? And yes, I mean, cookies are pretty safe. They don't run code, they don't deliver viruses. The nature of a cookie isn't to access your personal information. They're limited to one website and one machine. So they're not available for consumption by others. For example, if you add things to your shopping cart on Old Navy, they don't just show up in your Amazon cart because they're separate. And if you log in to Facebook, on your laptop, you're not automatically logged in on your computer at work, right? Or on your mobile device. Again, like just to reiterate, cookies, don't share your personal information with the website. You make that decision. So Facebook knows who you are because you told it when you signed up. And the same goes for like Amazon and the other sites that you use all the time. That information is not stored in a cookie. It's stored in a database attached to the website.

Your login information may be stored in a cookie. But all the other stuff is not, that's in a database. So if they're so safe then like, what's the big deal already? Right? I mean this. So what's funny is this is not the first time cookies have been under scrutiny. And not by just dieticians, when they first came about, like all the browsers use cookies, but they didn't give people the opportunity to disable them. So a debate sprung up in 1996 that resulted in the Internet Engineering Task Force creating requirements for users to opt in to cookies. Now, unfortunately, not everyone followed those specifications, which is exactly why they are still being debated today.

European Union has the General Data Protection Regulation GDPR and E privacy regulation. And then California has their California Consumer Privacy Act, so which is ccpa. And all three of those classify web cookies as unique identifiers considered to be personal information. So while a cookie does not share your actual personal information doesn't share your name doesn't share your address. It does track how you use a website. And that helps marketers and business owners place users and groups and identify common behavior patterns.

While most cookies are only site specific, major ad platforms like double click, Google Search Network, and Facebook audience network have cookies on lots of websites. And because those websites are served, all of their ads are served all over the web on those websites. They can track user behaviors across lots of

sites. And as they combine those user patterns, they can develop very user rich profiles about visitors. So they're getting further and further away from this group of people act like this. And closer and closer to Monica Pitts acts like this. I mean, think about it. I told Facebook, my name, and Facebook then can place ads on other places. And then when I see those ads, Facebook could know that that's me. I don't know if they can, but they could. Right. So people are pretty creeped out about this. And, I mean, it feels kind of creepy to me, and I do it. So I believe this could be like the push like the big thing that is like pulling on these privacy initiatives.

marketers have been doing this forever, right? in one form or another. When you place an ad in a magazine or a newspaper, they're giving you access to their users. They are like selling you their user base, just like these ad platforms are doing to people. And when you buy a mailing list or an email list, I mean, like, where do you think they get that, right?

Now, oh my gosh, if you donate to a nonprofit that uses a call center, like good luck getting off that list, I donated $20 over a year ago and they call me like four times a day now. Like, what? I need to know like, is this a scam? Because if it is, I really need someone to tell me how to make it stop because I've just taken to never answering phone calls that I don't know the numbers for because they are always nonprofit telemarketers asking me for donations. It is wearing me out.

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So some of these traditional

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examples they feel okay. Right? I mean, like placing that ad in that magazine or that newspaper that feels okay. Just like some cookies feel okay. And then others feel disruptive and downright stalkerish. And that's the gray area that we're working in here. Like, do we know the terms of service for all the directory websites that our businesses are listed in? Do we even know what directory websites our businesses are listed in? I mean, there is a lot of them out there. And do we understand what those terms of service really say? Like down in the fine print of what they can do with our information just because they found it and listed it on their websites? We don't. I mean, at least I don't. And I managed hundreds of websites. So I could only imagine, like, how, like scary that could feel to somebody who just manages one website, like how do they expect people to know how will they be holding people accountable for this? Google did

Just recently say that they are going to start, like requiring websites to label use of third-party cookies, those ones that can be used on other sites, on websites, how they're going to hold us accountable how they're going to implement that. I don't I really don't know. I'm interested. I'm interested to know right now. So as a user, like, how do you manage your cookies? Huh, so some websites allow you to choose to opt-out of cookies, right? That's one obvious way to manage it. But it really doesn't solve the whole problem, because not everyone has adopted that type of technology on their sites. I mean, and to be clear, many people are just telling you, this site uses cookies. They're not actually giving you an option to opt-out. It's like it's a mandate. It's not a choice. They're saying we use it not. Is it okay, right? And the only choice you really have in that instance is to just leave the site if you don't want them to use cookies the way that they're using them. So then you have a second option though, you can choose your browser. Now a cookie is a conversation between your browser and a server right? Now you don't have control about where the websites are hosted. So you can't do that. But you can choose your own browser. Now whichever browser you choose, you need to make sure it's up to date because remember those older versions they don't offer the same level of cookie control. Apple, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge Yes, Microsoft edge, gag me with the spoon because I am like so scarred from developing websites for the 90s for Internet Explorer, may it rest in peace, that the very idea of using a Microsoft browser just makes me want to crawl underneath my desk and like wither away. Okay, but here's the deal. Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge all have third party cookie like disabled, right out of the box, right? So if you update to the latest versions of those, they are going to block third party cookies. And Mozilla Firefox says it even blocks Facebook trackers, and it'll let you save like your passwords and its special like service. So you wouldn't have to use cookies to remember passwords. Now. I love Chrome like I'm a chrome worshiper, I'm a Google worshiper. And so this whole thing with Google not being very progressive with privacy makes me very sad. I feel like I'm kind of on the rocks with my relationship, but I'm still going to continue loving them because they're amazing. And so to my eternal dismay, but not really surprised. Chrome is actually the least progressive browser. Now, I would like to preface that or I can't preface it, but I can say now that it does allow you to clear your cookies and not affect single domain cookies. So it'll preserve things like your loggings and your settings, you can choose how often it clears them. And you can also check a box to block third party cookies. It just doesn't happen by default. And as of right now, they announced that they're waiting on other major advertisers in the industry to come to an agreement on how things should change before they make any major changes. So you're either going to have to go in and manually change your browser settings, or you just have to make peace with the spammy ads if you're going to keep worshipping chrome like me. So if you decide to block cookies, right there's some things are going to happen. You're going to lose some of that goodness, the personalization, and convenience that we talked about earlier and on top of that, like some of the stuff on the websites are just not going to work. It just won't work right. It's not going to work the way you think it should. You would, however, stop some of this me feeling ads, which is awesome.

You would also not allow website owners to track your browsing data on their sites and that links breaks my heart because dang it do I love browsing data I mean, to make a pitch for allowing people to do this, it makes such a big difference to be able to understand how people use a website so that you can make good decisions about your marketing. These businesses are investing money and things that they don't even know if they're working or not, because it's really difficult to track and now you tie it to a website and it makes it so much easier. But if I have a website that doesn't have very much traffic, then I mean, that pretty much like wipes out my browsing data, if a third of the people don't actually allow me to track it or maybe half or three quarters. So it kind of hurts my heart a little bit. Things are changing, right. You also, I mean, I have to put this out there when you block cookies, you're limiting the ad revenue that some of these websites do depend on to run their businesses because they get paid with when you click on those ads on their website, and they get paid sometimes just by showing the ads on their websites, but if they don't have the cookies, and they won't be able to do it nearly as efficiently as they do now, and you also close the door for businesses to be able to advertise to you through third-party cookies, like if you wanted to reach out to your customers again, then you would not be able to do that they somebody disabled their third party cookies.

Alright, so if you have a website, do you need a cookie notification on your site? First off, you're going to need to figure out if your website uses cookies and there are definitely some telltale signs of if your site uses cookies. For example, if you have a WordPress site, which is like 35% of the web, or if your website was like professionally built in the last 10 years is probably on WordPress. And if you're not sure then go out to https://builtwith.com and it will tell you. It'll also tell you if your site uses Google Analytics to track visitor behavior. Those use cookies. If you do remarketing and have Google ads or Facebook tracking pixels installed, or display ads from other, like ad networks on your website, like if you serve ads if you allow people to save their login information, or if you have a shopping cart, or if you allow people to adjust the layout of your pages, like if you allow them to flip from a grid style layout to this style, layout, all of those things require cookies. That means you're probably using them, Huh. If you're still not sure if your site uses cookies, you can run a test. There are online tests. One that I found for free is cookie metrics that I ran my website through and it gives you a report that's pretty easy to follow. If you don't want to run a report, you can actually just go into your browser you open up an incognito window. You turn on developer tools. I had instructions for this in the show notes. So that way you can like follow along. And I also made a video about it so that way you don't have to just like be taking notes right now, you open up developer tools. And basically it tells you what cookies are on your site. It is on your website, it's showing up right there. It's not like I mean, anybody can find it, anybody can see it, you can look at it for any website that's out there. It is public information. If you go to developer tools and look at it. When you're reviewing this information in the domain column, if it's listed as your domain, that's a first-party cookie, if it's not your domain, that's a third-party cookie. And in the expires column that would let you know how long those cookies are in effect before they expire. So, yeah, your website probably uses cookies, right? All right. So now what do you do? Do you need to comply? I mean, if you're receiving traffic from Europe or California, you're supposed to be following their rules. It's not like if you're located there, it's like if you have traffic from there, and believe it or not, I mean, like I'm nestled in the Midwest, in USA, right? I'm in Missouri. And every single website I monitor has traffic from those locations. I don't think I have a single one that doesn't. So don't kid yourself by thinking that because you're located in like Iowa, you're all good,

right? The World Wide Web really is worldwide and people from all over find websites for like the darndest reasons. So pretty much everybody is supposed to be following the rules. Sorry. I mean, you do still have options. You could do nothing, I guess. Not really sure how long that will fly. But for right now, you could do nothing like you know, table it, pick it back up later. You wouldn't comply with anything, but maybe you don't care. And I mean, really, let's be honest with ourselves. We don't really know how long It's going to be before anybody starts penalizing people for not complying. I mean, heck, they could be doing it right now. And we just don't know about it. Or it could be years. I mean, they did start talking about this in 1996. Right. You could disregard all the cookie notifications and just block traffic from Europe and California because maybe you don't care about those folks. Anyway. I mean, like, I care about the Californians, but maybe you don't. Okay, or just an idea. I have to throw this one out there. What if you just actually tell people, but if you just do it, and you explain that you're using cookies in a way that anybody can understand and you're not using technobabble because that's really scary. And you just you know, to people, and you could mean you could post your privacy policy, which you're really supposed to have anyway. And well, it feels like this would cover all your bases, right? Because that's what a lot of people are doing. They're saying, here it is, we're doing this, you would think that would make you compliant but in actuality, it really doesn't. Because the key is that people get to choose if you track their information. So just telling people, hey, we're tracking you if you're on our site, and you agree to let us do it. That doesn't that's not choosing. That's not like you're saying, eat your veggies and you'll get ice cream, use the cookies and you'll get all this great stuff. No, no, you're saying like, eat your veggies or don't eat. And I'm not saying that I don't say that to my children. It's just that like to truly comply with these initiatives, you have to give people a choice. And that's why it's described as opt-in because people have an option, right? So you need to notify visitors of cookie usage, and then post your privacy policy and you want to delay cookie implementation until the visitors opt-in. I'm going to say it again, delay cookie implementation until after visitors opt-in you can't just fire the Cookies, and then be like, Oh, I mean, I guess you can stop them. That I mean, you're not really compliant, are you? That's like this is the true meaning as I have interpreted it. Okay, so then if they choose to use your site after opting out, then they are going to have it like, without cookies flaws, and all right. I feel like one of the things that I keep struggling with right now is like, I know that we should be telling people, but what is the exact right way to do it? And did you get them to let us still track their visitor data? Like, third party? Yep. Okay, I get it. But that first-party stuff is just so important to making marketing decisions that I really want to do it in a way that people will still let me track visitor behavior. So, I mean, there's a lot of ways that you can do it one way is like make sure that on your website, there is a way to opt-out. You might just not let them opt-out in your pop up. But that I don't think that's really compliant, do you? I mean, you're not your cookies are there, right? Until they opt-in. I know, but there No, the cookies are there already, they didn't opt-in. So I just don't see how that can be compliant. But that's what a lot of people are doing. I think that's a gray area like I said, you know, here's how we use cookies, learn more or opt-out by clicking here, you're making them take another step to opt-out. Which, you know, if you make them take another step, they're probably not going to do it.

And then there's other robust options that I've seen that are pretty amazing that I'm like, wow, this is a great, really robust, like user interface where, you know, the pop up comes up or the notification comes up and it's like, hey, necessary cookies. You could have preferences cookies, statistics cookies and marketing cookies, which one do you want to use and, and letting people check those boxes. And then, you know, clicking allow. I mean, the implementation is up to you, you can tell that I'm torn about how ethical it is, as far as how these notifications should be formatted. But I knew unfortunately, this decision isn't up to me, it's up to you. So I'm just here to give you ideas with which you can, you know, make an educated decision about what's right for you.

So, there are definitely services that you can pay to do some of this stuff for you. Now, if you choose an all in one solution, like a service, right, you'll still need to implement it. You can't just sign up and have it magically appear on your website because your site and that service have to talk to one another and someone has to make that happen. Those services are all things that you are to pay for they're billed monthly or annually and if you just have one site they're actually pretty affordable. If you have like hundreds of websites that don't seem so affordable anymore. That's kind of where I'm at. So I haven't used any of them. There are a couple that I found cookie bot cookie matrix and I Belinda, that seem they showed up over and over again. But I'm a DIY lady, right, unless I can't find another way. And so I also want to talk about the fact that you can do it yourself. WordPress has a number of plugins that you can use to serve these notices and also want cookies and keep till people opt-in. Like I said, there's all kinds of different ways that you can format the opt-in, you can do it when people scroll to a certain spot or when they go to more than one page or if they click accept or you know, and like and I do think that you need to think through these on your own and think, you know, does this actually, is this giving people a choice, because that's what you're trying to do. The one that we use is cookie notice for GDPR and CCPA by dfactory. I mean it has over a million installs and a five-star rating from over 2000 reviews. And it's a pretty robust plugin. There's others also that you can use and I'll link to those in the show notes. Now if you do a DIY method, do know that I mean you're going to have to be diligent and testing it because you can't just install it and then expect that it's working and that you're somewhat compliant right? You actually have to do it. So there you cookie metrics. Obviously, we talked about that one earlier, they'll run a report for you. And easy I GDPR is another one that I ran a report on that was pretty cool. So and those are free reports. They're free scans. That doesn't necessarily make them the end all be all like if you are in Europe, and you will really do have to comply, you know, this is or you know, maybe you just feel like ethically like pulled to do this thing. So people can have a choice, then you will need to make sure that you are compliant. And that may mean paying for a scan or for someone to, you know, give you the bill of approval.

All right. Yes. So that is it. That is like all I have about cookies, you got it. So, just to recap, cookies are secure ways for browsers and servers to talk back and forth. They're used to adjust your user experience, track user behaviors and target ads. And like any other baked treat a little bit of cookies super tasty, but too many cookies can make your tummy really hurt. But you don't have to be scared of the cookie notices anymore. I mean, the choices really in your hand quite literally with the click of a mouse you can choose to accept cookies, and go about your business as you always had. Or you can choose to decline them. You can change your browser settings and as a business, you can add the cookie notification and a number of different ways or you can just, you know, choose to go on and wait until somebody tells you Yeah, absolutely, have to do it. Alright, so that's all I have for you today. Thank you so much for your time. I know it's very valuable. So get back to all the things you have to do and grab a plate of chocolate chippers to celebrate.

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We are going to dive into COOKIES and no, not the chocolate chip kind! We are talking about internet or web cookies. We know you're wondering- what are all these cookie consent pop-up boxes for and why have they been under such scrutiny? We're answering all the cookie cutter questions and more!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/whats-all-this-cookie-business-exploring-cookies-cookie-privacy-and-cookie-consent-2/