Top online marketing predictions for micro business owners in 2024

A little update from me about the podcast! I’m expecting our second baby boy in just a couple of weeks time, at the time of recording this podcast (he is due mid to late July), and I’ve decided this time round to take a break from the podcast.I’m intending to take the first six to 12 months of baby-to-be’s life a little slower with work than I did with our first-born son (who is now almost 22 months old).One of the tasks that felt most stressful and hardest during that first year of my first-born son’s life was finding both the time and creativity to produce weekly longer form content - which is this podcast.So this time round, I’m giving myself permission to take a break from the podcast! I haven’t decided when I will start it back up with new episodes, but of course, you’ll be the first to know.I’ll still be supporting solopreneurs and small business owners via my online course and resources, which you can explore at emilyosmond.com/programs and I’ll be staying active on my Instagram at @emilyosmond, along with continuing to speak at and host events.So for now, it’s “see you later” to the podcast - and until we speak next, stay well, stay happy and remember: connection over perfection, you’ve got this and we’ll speak soon!CONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite  |  Instagram  |  LinkedInGet Emily’s free online marketing resources at emilyosmond.com/freeCreate and launch your first online course in 30 Days with 30 Day Course Launch at www.emilyosmond.com/launch-course Explore all of Emily’s online courses and resources at www.emilyosmond.com/programs

In this episode, I speak with Christine Davies: a Masters-qualified holistic psychotherapist who supports women to be well in their body, mind and soul, and who is based in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.We discuss the evolution of her business - Woven Holistic Counselling, which Christine started inspired by her own mental health journey and subsequent personal growth through the use of holistic modalities.Christine and I explore the marketing strategies that have supported her, specifically bringing herself into her marketing through video, even when it felt like an incredibly scary and uncomfortable thing to do at the start (which perhaps you can relate to), along with the power of building real-life connections to attract clients.We also discuss how Christine continues to intentionally structure her business to support her own well-being.I have had the absolute pleasure of working with Christine through my membership The Modern Marketing Collective and a couple of my Elevate business retreats and it has been so rewarding for me personally to see someone who has such drive and commitment to their work, as is as gifted as Christine, to continue to expand her marketing skills and confidence and evolve her business.CONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite  |  Instagram  |  LinkedInGet Emily’s free online marketing resources at emilyosmond.com/freeCreate and launch your first online course in 30 Days with 30 Day Course Launch at www.emilyosmond.com/launch-course Explore all of Emily’s online courses and resources at www.emilyosmond.com/programs CONNECT WITH CHRISTINEWebsite  |  Instagram  |  Facebook

If you're like most entrepreneurs then there are loads of things that you could teach and that you could help people with, which means that when it comes to creating our first online course, you could create an all encompassing course or even a membership that covers all the bases and all aspects of our area of expertise.However, in today’s episode, I want to share with you why starting your online course journey with a smaller, lower priced, and more specific course can be a really smart way to go, with five key elements to consider.Timestamps:00:00: Starting with a Smaller, More Specific Course04:36: Selling on Evergreen09:19: More Satisfied Customers and Increased Word-of-Mouth13:28: Strategic Approach to Course CreationTakeaways:Creating a smaller, more specific course allows for quicker creation and learning about course creation, marketing, selling, and delivery.Smaller, more specific courses have a shorter decision-making process for the audience, making it easier for them to buy.These courses are easier to sell on Evergreen, allowing for consistent sales without relying on big launch events.Shorter courses enable quicker feedback gathering and improvement, leading to more satisfied customers and increased word-of-mouth.Starting with a smaller course doesn't limit future expansion and the opportunity to offer upsells, cross-sells, and additional courses.

It’s tempting to want to share everything we know in our online course.We can also equate quantity of content with quality of course.But what is in fact more valuable than more information?Quicker results.People don’t want to buy a library of information.They want the fastest route to the course’s promised outcome.In this episode, we’re exploring how to decide how much to include in your course, and how doing this purposefully will accelerate your students’ results.I also step you through the actual step by step process I’ve mapped out for my new online course to teach my students and help them get results.Timestamps:00:00: Deciding How Much to Include in Your Online Course04:18: Removing the Noise: Focusing on Actions and Implementation09:00: Validating Your Course Idea Before Creating Extensive Content13:18: Taking Action in Designing and Launching Your CourseTakeaways:Focus on the fastest route to the course's promised outcome rather than overwhelming students with excessive information.Create a step-by-step process that organizes the course content and provides clarity for students.Think about the key steps that students need to take to go from their starting point (A) to the desired outcome (B).Remove unnecessary content and keep the course focused on actions and implementation.Give creative names to the steps in the course process.Iterate and tweak the course process based on feedback from students.Design the course to be practical and provide clear instructions for implementation.Consider using a platform like Kajabi for course setup and infrastructure.Validate the course idea before creating extensive content.Learn from students and iterate the course to create the best version that gets results.Take action in designing and launching the course.CONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite  |  Instagram  |  LinkedInGet Emily’s free online marketing resources at emilyosmond.com/freeCreate and launch your first online course in 30 Days with 30 Day Course Launch at www.emilyosmond.com/launch-course Want help growing your audience, email list, and sales for your online business? Join The Modern Marketing Collective at emilyosmond.com/collective

Today we’re exploring arguably the most important decision you will make when it comes to designing your online course.And this is becoming very clear and specific about the person, problem and solution of your online course.When I take a look at the students I have worked with to launch their own courses, those who have had the most success, and have been able to sell their courses the most easily and frequently, have had one thing in common:They target a specific person to solve a specific problem.It’s easy to think that the broader our course is, and the more people it is relevant to, then the more of it we will sell.But in fact, the opposite is true.And the case study in this episode will show you why.In this episode, I’ll step you through how to pinpoint the problem and solution that your course delivers on.So let’s get started!Timestamps:00:00: The Power of Targeting a Specific Problem and Solution05:04: Not a Lot of People Get Through Online Courses10:57: Creating an Entry Point with an Introductory OfferTakeaways:The success of online courses is often tied to targeting a specific type of person to solve a specific type of problem.Specificity sells, and vagueness doesn't. Being clear and specific about the problem and solution of an online course is crucial.Going deeper on one thing and focusing on a specific problem can lead to better results and higher course sales.Creating an entry point into a business through an introductory offer can help with marketing cut-through and guide customers to other offers.It's important to describe the problem that your course solves and the result it helps students achieve in a simple phrase.CONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite  |  Instagram  |  Facebook  | LinkedInGet Emily’s free online marketing resources at emilyosmond.com/freeJoin the waitlist for 30 Day Course Launch at www.emilyosmond.com/launch-course Want help growing your online business? Join The Modern Marketing Collective at emilyosmond.com/collective

In this week’s episode I'm joined by one of our members from The Modern Marketing Collective and an Elevate Business Retreat alumni, Renee Mariette. And Renee runs the business called Make Words Work. In this episode, we discuss Renee's move from corporate marketer to self -employed running her SEO copywriting business. She takes us through how when she started her business as per so many of us, myself included, she went from offering all the things. And then over time, using what she learned were the real pain points for her clients, plus the area that she really enjoyed the most, she then went and specialised. Renee also shares how she's built a network, and how she has learnt a lot from people who are a few steps ahead of her.She also discusses how she has teamed up with someone who offers complimentary services to create packages that are there to serve their clients that really tick all the boxes when it comes to SEO in their business, along with her biggest learning since starting her business.Renee is our guest expert inside The Modern Marketing Collective for the month of April and she's going to be sharing her expertise when it comes to SEO and the growing world of AI. Renee will share how we can really tangibly execute on this in our business. To access this SEO & AI Masterclass, join The Modern Marketing Collective today.Timestamps:03:23: What is SEO Copywriting and its Benefits07:06: Evolution of the Business09:29: Marketing Strategies and Networking14:45: Balancing Work and Life16:29: Surprising and Challenging Aspects of Business27:02: Current Focus and Future PlansCONNECT WITH RENEEWebsite  |  Instagram  |  Facebook  | LinkedInCONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite  |  Instagram  |  LinkedInGet Emily’s free online marketing resources at emilyosmond.com/freeCreate and launch your first online course in 30 Days: join the waitlist for 30 Day Course Launch at www.emilyosmond.com/launch-course Want help growing your audience, email list, and sales for your online business? Join The Modern Marketing Collective at emilyosmond.com/collective

Have you been thinking about creating and launching your first online course?   There can be a lot to get your head around from the sales pages, the checkout pages, emailing your list, promoting on social media, the course creation, picking a name and price and the launch strategy itself. But if you're like many of the course creators I work with, there can also feel like there's a huge pressure to have a 'big' launch and enrol the most number of students possible.. or else it's a 'fail'. In this episode, I'm explaining why the purpose of your first course launch isn’t about the money it makes. Instead: it is to create the course content with the input of your first intake of students.When you do this, you ensure your course gets results and happy students and testimonials to propel future sales of your course.Click play to find out how this approach will grow your future course sales more than anything else.Timestamps:00:00: Introduction and Latest Podcast Review01:14: The Purpose of the First Course Launch04:58: Focusing on Student Success (and why this will grow your future course sales)08:56: Introducing '30 Day Course Launch'.Join the waitlist for 30 Day Course Launch at www.emilyosmond.com/launch-course CONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedInGet Emily’s free online marketing resources at emilyosmond.com/freeWant help growing your online business? Join The Modern Marketing Collective at emilyosmond.com/collective

In this episode, I’m speaking with Kate Toon: an award-winning business mentor and digital marketing coach. She’s a down to earth human on a mission to demystify the realities of running a successful online business.Kate’s helped more than 20,000 other businesses demystify digital marketing, grapple the Google Beast, and find their own version of success. Kate is a renowned speaker, podcaster and the author of the newly released book: Six Figures in School Hours: How to run a successful business and still be a good parent (2023). In this episode, we discuss:Kate’s ‘why’ for being in business - and losing it and finding it againHer transparency around not always knowing what’s next and how sometimes it’s about letting things play out versus needing a big goal to work towardsHow creative genius is overestimated and why so much of the time, it’s really about just doing your work and persisting long enough for happy accidents to happenWhy Kate recently combined two of her online memberships into oneWhat you really want versus what your ego tells you that you wantPricing and delivery models - and Kate’s moral standing on it currentlyThe team and inputs required to run a million dollar revenue businessKate breaks down her marketing outputs and launchesKate has a teenage son and she breaks down what her business looked like at her son’s different ages, from newborn to toddler, primary school and now teenage years.You can order Kate’s book, Six Figures in School Hours, on Amazon or Booktopia or through Kate’s website - katetoon.comCONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite  |  Instagram  |  Facebook  | LinkedInFree marketing training, templates and resources at emilyosmond.com/freeJoin The Modern Marketing Collective at emilyosmond.com/collectiveCONNECT WITH KATE TOON Website | Instagram | Facebook

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Leah Selfe, who you may know as the Productivity Queen. Leah works with women who are passionate about impacting others through their teachings and knowledge.She’s the go to Automation Strategist for fine tuning processes, creating business systems that work and automating workflows for easier business operations. Or, in short, she’s the woman who helps others to be more productive in their business, kick goals and get the work done.After 15 years in the corporate world Leah was made redundant like many others due to Covid-19. Leah knew that this was her chance to take matters into her own hands and decided to start her own business.In this episode, Leah shares what productivity is - and isn’t; the traps so many of us can fall into in the quest to get more done in less time; and her personal productivity go-tos.You’ll find Leah online at theproductivityqueen.com.auCONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedInFree marketing training, templates and resources at emilyosmond.com/freeJoin The Modern Marketing Collective at emilyosmond.com/collectiveCONNECT WITH LEAH SELFEWebsite | Instagram | Facebook

In the rapidly evolving landscape of online marketing, exactly where should we be focussing for the year ahead? And what really matters for us as micro business owners among the many trends, platforms and opinions?Find out in this episode!CONNECT WITH EMILYWebsite  |  Instagram  |  Facebook  | LinkedInFree marketing training, templates and resources at emilyosmond.com/freeJoin The Modern Marketing Collective at emilyosmond.com/collective