Marketing Crash Course Library
Quick and painless lessons to improve your marketing & design IQ.
What You Don’t See in Marketing: Understanding the Dark Funnel
The dark funnel refers to the unseen parts of your customer’s journey that analytics can’t track. For small businesses, understanding the dark funnel means focusing less on vanity metrics and more on authentic connections, trust-building content, and consistent visibility across multiple touch points.
SEO, AEO, and GEO: What Small Businesses Need to Know About the Future of Search
What’s the difference between SEO, AEO, and GEO? SEO helps your business rank on search engines like Google. AEO gets your content featured as direct answers in AI and voice searches. GEO ensures your brand appears in AI-generated summaries and recommendations. Together, they future-proof your visibility across every kind of search. Here’s what you need to know (and do) about it.
An Unforgettable Week in Wichita: Marketing, Stewardship, and a Whole New Perspective
What can a trip to a maximum-security prison teach you about marketing? During my visit to Wichita to meet my client Enterprise Stewardship, I toured Seat King — a manufacturing company employing inmates while holding 70% of the market share for zero-turn lawn mower seats. The experience was a powerful reminder that great marketing isn’t about algorithms or trends. It’s about alignment: between purpose, values, and the story your business tells.
How to Build Brand Awareness Without Relying on Social Media
Small businesses can grow visibility without relying on social media by showing up in their local community, forming partnerships with complementary businesses, building and engaging an email list, pursuing PR opportunities like podcasts or media features, activating word-of-mouth through referrals, and optimizing their website to attract and convert visitors. These strategies are timeless, practical, and put business owners back in control of their marketing.
How to Build a Buyer Persona That Actually Helps You Market Smarter
A buyer persona is a snapshot of your ideal customer that helps you market with clarity. To create one, answer questions about their demographics, professional context, motivations, media habits, communication preferences, and likely product/service interests. Use my free template to. make the process faster and confidently target the right audience.
Simple Marketing Systems That Save You Hours Every Month
Small business owners can save hours every month by setting up simple marketing systems like email drip campaigns, content repurposing, automated scheduling, metrics dashboards, lead capture and segmentation, client onboarding workflows, and SEO checklists. These systems streamline repetitive tasks, free up time, and make marketing more consistent and effective.
An Expert Guide to Creating and Sharing Engaging Content
Keeping up with content creation can feel like a full-time job, especially when you’re already wearing a dozen other hats as a small business owner. The good news? With the right systems and a few smart shortcuts, you can produce high-quality content consistently—without burning out. From planning ahead with a content calendar to batching your work, repurposing what you already have, and sharing it strategically, this guide walks you through exactly how to create content your audience will love and actually engage with.
How to Discover Content Topics Your Audience Will Love
To discover content topics your audience actually cares about, start by reviewing real customer questions, analyzing search intent, and using keyword tools like Google Autocomplete or AnswerThePublic. Pay attention to your analytics, social media comments, and competitor content gaps to uncover ideas that are relevant, timely, and valuable.
5 Ways to Boost Your Google Ranking
To improve your Google ranking, focus on optimizing for keywords, updating website content regularly, earning quality backlinks, improving page speed, and enhancing user experience. These five steps help small businesses boost visibility and attract more local traffic.
Market Research 101: Know Your Audience Like a Pro
To conduct market research for your small business, start by identifying your ideal customer, gathering insights through surveys, interviews, and online tools, and analyzing patterns in customer behavior. This helps you understand your audience’s needs, improve your messaging, and make smarter marketing decisions.
9 Marketing Tips for Small Businesses To Start Making an Impact Immediately
Marketing can be overwhelming. For busy business leaders, it’s hard to know where to begin. No worries, y’all. I’ve put together a list of pro tips that will help you make immediate impact.
Owned, Earned, & Paid Media
Crash Course on Owned, Earned, & Paid Media. What’s the difference and why do they matter? This is a quick and easy lesson on Marketing Outlets 101.
Choosing The Right Marketing Channels For Your Audience
Crash Course on Marketing Channels. How do you choose the right one for your audience? This is a quick and easy lesson on Marketing Channels 101.
How to Create an Editorial Calendar
Crash Course on Editorial Calendars. What are they and how do you create one? This is a quick and easy lesson on Editorial Calendars 101.
The Marketing Funnel
Crash Course on the Marketing Funnel. What is the marketing funnel and how does it work with a marketing strategy? This is a quick and easy lesson on the Marketing Funnel 101.
What is Marketing?
Crash Course on Marketing. What is marketing and why does it matter? This is a quick and easy lesson on Marketing 101.
A Freelancer’s Journey
