Life. Outside the Square.

Having crepes for . We are so very proud of you ❤️

Best night ever watching . Started with meeting this absolute sweetheart . Seeing Lu's idol so happy warms my heart. These amazing swimmers are great role models for my daughter, their hard work and dedication is inspiring but I ashtrays remind Lu that most importantly they deserve to be happy.

Making pre business trip prep on a Sunday fun!

Lucy's version of best day ever!! First meet as a "senior" (ie 12 years old). While a 6 second PB in 100m free should've been the highlight, it was seeing her faves . Not only seeing them but warming up and down in the lane next to them. Watching the kindness, comradery and friendship between these amazing athletes is so important. Thank you so much for being amazing role models both in and out of the pool. As a mother of a daughter I'm so glad her "heroes" are such strong, complex and kind women.

Another brush with her idols. Oh how she has been waiting to meet for ever, well so she says!

What an introduction to our new home: meeting some of her favourite people in the world and getting some tips to take to her new squad! Thank you so much from a very excited Lu!

People in a digital marketing group I'm in are getting a lot of enquiries on how to grow their store. There is a lot of info out there and we all have different areas of expertise. Another post I read was from an influence who had been locked out of their account. These two posts really reminded me how important it is for businesses to own their audience, not rent it.
Having a simple messenger ecosystem for your business means you can grow your audience (the one you own) through your regular posts, stories and promotions.
In messenger you can collect your audience's email with a simple click of a button therefore growing an audience that can't be taken away from you with crazy algorithm changes or hackers locking your account.

In a year like no other I was thinking about what I learnt about myself and my life through 2020.
Personally I learnt how much I loved spending time with my small human, even if learning from home was sometimes a nightmare! That the 9 to 5 isn't secure like we are lead to believe as well as mine being exhausting and detrimental to my brain injury.
In business I've seen how adapting to the new normal was the way businesses survive. Pivoting so you had an online arm really increased your chance of surviving and thriving during the uncertainty of lock downs.
Now we are slowly returning to some form of normality, what happens if there are more lock downs?
Is your business prepared?
While you might not want an online store arm to your brick and mortar store a great way to be prepared in case an online pivot is required is to build your audience.
I don't just mean likes and followers on social media. I mean a proper list that you can target to directly with your fabulous products.
Now is the time to set yourself up with a personalised messenger ecosystem. In this ecosystem you can not only collect email but also nurture and reward your customers. The beauty of a messenger ecosystem is you can connect with your customers who enter your store physically online by simply encouraging them to scan a QR code to enter your messenger ecosystem. A perfect solution to reward those who shop in your store!
Are you prepared?

One present only on Xmas eve and she chose to open the one with books!

I love getting parcels! Today my new sandals arrived! Aren't they gorgeous!?! 😍😍😍😍
Being the ecom/marketing nerd I am I couldn't help checking out the packaging and boy was the shoe box a cutie, a fabulous customer experience.
But what about the benefit for the store? Well obviously you want to follow them on socials but you have to physically look them up. The store could add a QR code to their packaging which leads the customer directly to their socials. So much easier to scan a code!
To take it up a notch you could have that QR code take your customer to a messenger sequence. Here you could make them feel thanked by giving them a discount code on their next purchase, showcasing some of your favourite products, direct them to your socials and subscribe them to your messenger and email lists!

Swim mum life. Waiting, waiting, waiting!
☀️ 💦

With everything that has happened this year this is one of my favourite quotes. The instability of the traditional 9 to 5 during this year has really highlighted the need for multiple income streams.💰
The same can be said about your traffic source in your business. Having a social media presence along with your store is key to keeping in front of your audience. While there is a small percentage of the audience that are ready to buy your product immediately, there is a large percentage of your audience who aren't ready yet but will be in the near future. This is the audience you need to keep in contact with. 💫
Having a social media plan to connect and engage with your ideal customers will increase your brand recognition. Complete your plan with a marketing ecosystem to gain your audiences details will guard against any algorithm changes that may affect your flow of traffic. 🚗
Own your business, don't rent it!💯