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GreenMellen
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Small Biz Flash
5-12-25 - How To Get Your Customers To Search for YOU
FEATUREMarketing is changing. Your company is being discovered in ways that were not the case just a few years ago. Research oftentimes no longer starts on a search engine, but they often end there. So, figure out where your prospects are and go be with them on those spaces.Resources mentioned:SparkTorohttps://sparktoro.com/Today’s guest is Mickey Mellen, of GreenMellen:Mickey’s email: mickey@greenmellenmedia.comMickey’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickmel/GreenMellen web page: https://www.greenmellenmedia.com/ ...
2025-05-12
14 min
Social Pulse Podcast: Agency Edition
Oops, I'm an Agency Owner! Turning Unintentional Beginnings into Unstoppable Success
Have you found yourself running a business you never expected—or even intended—to start? Maybe you were providing freelance services and things simply grew beyond what you planned, or perhaps an opportunity unexpectedly fell into your lap, and you ran with it. Suddenly, you're not merely an entrepreneur; you're an agency owner facing a set of challenges and expectations you hadn't anticipated.Stepping into the role of an accidental agency owner comes with its unique difficulties. There's no strategic runway, no meticulously drawn blueprint, often just a realization of “Oops, I own an agency...
2025-04-01
26 min
Social Pulse Podcast: B2B Edition
Create Compelling B2B Stories That Actually Convert
Have you ever stared at your company's social media feed and thought, 'How can I possibly make commercial construction interesting?' Maybe you're wrestling with making logistics, financial planning, or another complex B2B industry engaging on social media. You're not alone. Every day, marketers face the challenge of turning technical specifications and industry jargon into content that not only catches attention but actually drives business results. The struggle is real - trying to balance compliance requirements, NDAs, and industry regulations while still creating content that doesn't put your audience to sleep. But what if there was a way...
2025-03-24
45 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Data Privacy with Sanjay Parekh
In this episode, our guest Sanjay Parekh discusses the importance of privacy and security in our digital lives. We discuss the balance between convenience and security, the necessity of using strong passwords and unique email addresses, and the tools available to enhance online safety, including password managers and two-factor authentication. Sanjay emphasizes the need for individuals and small business owners to take proactive steps to protect their information and offers practical advice for implementing better security practices. Takeaways Privacy and security are essential for everyone, not just celebrities. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound o...
2025-02-06
29 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Ranking the Top 30 Web Technology Innovations of All Time
What are the most impactful web technologies of all time? We were inspired by another podcast to create our very own unscientific list. What tech made the cut? Show Notes Original Hard Fork podcast episode Our Top 30 Technologies List HTML (1993) Google (1998) AOL (& AIM) (early 90’s) iPhone (2007) WordPress (2003) Wikipedia (2001) Cable modems (late 90’s) Facebook (2004) / MySpace (2003) RSS (1999) Gmail (2004) Netscape (1994) Chrome (2008) ChatGPT (2022) SSL (1995) Dropbox (2008) YouTube (2005) Twitter (2006) Dreamweaver (1997)/Photoshop (1990) Reddit (2005) Github (2008) Constant Contact (1995) → Mailchimp (2001) Google Analytics (2005) eBay (1995) → Craigslist (1995) CSS (1996) Salesforce (1999) → Hubspot (2006) Blackberry (late 90’s) Geocities (1994) BBS (late 70’s) MapQuest (1996) → Google Maps (2005) Archie (1990) → Yahoo (1994) / WebCrawler (1994) → Lycos, Altavista, Hotbot (mid-90’s) Linux (1991) Honorable Mentions Go...
2025-01-23
48 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Predicting 10 Big Technology Trends For 2025
It’s 2025! At the end of 2024, we recorded our reactions to an article predicting some of the biggest trends and ideas for the new year. Which of these will come true and which will flop? Only time will tell. Original article from LinkedIn: 25 Big Ideas that will change our world in 2025 Here are the items from the list that we discussed in depth: #1: AI will lead to a more productive and shorter (four-day) workweek #3: Big brands will start inhouse corporate influencers #12: Streaming services (like Hulu and Netflix) will start to offer more bundled services #13: So...
2025-01-09
24 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Team Building with Laura Beth Daws
In this episode of the Brighter Web Podcast, we talk to Laura Beth Daws about the critical role of communication in team building. They explore the challenges of hybrid work environments, the importance of self-awareness, and the need for psychological safety within teams. Laura emphasizes that effective communication is not just about conveying messages but about fostering connections and understanding individual roles within a team. She also highlights the significance of listening as a leadership skill and the value of external perspectives in improving team dynamics. Links LBD Communications LBD Communications on LinkedIn Laura Beth Daws o...
2024-12-12
21 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Diversity in Marketing with Daniela Cintron
Diversity is an often discussed but just as frequently misunderstood topic—including in marketing. What does being inclusive in digital marketing mean, and why is it important? We invited a marketer with experience dealing with these questions to join us on the podcast. Let’s learn from Daniela Cintron how we can all be more diverse in our representation to reach wider audiences and connect with them more deeply and authentically.
2024-10-17
20 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
YouTube with Kendrick Disch
YouTube is the second-largest search engine online and the largest video platform. Video is becoming an increasingly powerful way to reach people online; however, producing and sharing meaningful video content is a challenge. In this episode, we talk to video production professional Kendrich Disch about the basics of growing your following on YouTube. Links verticalriver.co - video production agency in Atlanta tubeworks.co - Done for your YouTube channel management growthlab.tubeworks.co - DIY resources (courses, templates, downloads, community, etc) Rode mics: https://rode.com/en-us/microphones/wireless/wireless-me
2024-10-03
23 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Social Media with Liz Bachmann
Every small business owner understands that social media is meant to be part of your online presence. But which platforms should you be active on? How often should you post? What’s the goal with social media? Do you need to pay for ads? Liz Bachmann manages organic social media and more for small businesses and joins us on the podcast to answer these questions and more. Show Notes Wildflower Social Media website Wildflower Social on Instagram Wildflower Social on YouTube Liz Bachmann on LinkedIn MetriCool Social Media tool
2024-09-19
19 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
WordPress Websites with April Wier
Over 40% of websites are built using WordPress—the popular open-sourced content management system. But do you need to be a web developer to build an effective website using WordPress. To break this down, we invited our friend and WordPress web creator, April Wier, to the podcast. Links WordPress CMS April Wier’s website April on Facebook Sugar Five Design Woodstock WordPress Meetup
2024-09-05
21 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Copywriting with Jessica Fralin
Communicating clearly is a cornerstone of effective marketing. But how do you maintain a consistent message across various digital platforms? It begins with great marketing copywriting. To unpack this underappreciated art, we invited freelance copywriter Jessica Fralin on the podcast. Links Jessica’s website Sparked studio Jessica on Instagram Jessica on LinkedIn
2024-08-08
19 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Digital Ads with Mike Scott
Despite what you might think, effective digital marketing isn’t free. It takes time and knowledge, and it can often require paid advertising to reach new audiences. The digital ad landscape can be overwhelming, so we invited our friend Mike Scott from Manticore Marketing to walk us through how any small business can get started with ads. Links Manticore Marketing’s website Mike Scott on LinkedIn Manticore Marketing on Instagram
2024-07-25
19 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Public Relations with Cindy Miller
Your company’s brand is built on how you’re perceived by the general public. Therefore, managing your reputation among consumers using public relations is a valuable practice in branding. Cindy Miller is a PR expert with years of experience and the CEO of Cindy Miller Communications. She spoke with Mickey about the value of public relations and how you can get started with PR at your small business. Links Cindy Miller Communications website Cindy Miller on LinkedIn Cindy Miller Communications on Instagram
2024-07-11
19 min
SowGrow Marketing Council
Writing project estimates, avoiding the SPAM folder, evaluating media coverage and more.
In this episode of the SowGrow Marketing Council, experts discuss writing a project estimate, enhancing email deliverability, assessing media hit values, being an empathetic marketer, personal branding and more. Experts include Stephanie Richards, SowGrow PR; Kriston Sellier, id8; Mickey Mellen, GreenMellen; and Virginia Nava Hieger, Transformative Power; Daniel Bennett, Video For Entrepreneurs; Sarah Stewart, SowGrow PR; and J. Ryan Williams, websuasion. Learn more about the SGMC at www.sowgrowpr.com/marketing-council.
2024-07-09
49 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Project Management with Brooke Desmond
Even if it’s not in your job title or description, you’re likely somewhat familiar with project management. However, it’s not a responsibility everyone fully understands or embraces. This makes project management one of the most underrated and underappreciated parts of business and marketing. We invited GreenMellen’s project manager, Brooke Desmond, on to discuss how we can all improve our project management. Brooke Desmond on the GreenMellen website Brooke Desmond on LinkedIn
2024-05-23
18 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Marketing Agencies with Ali Green
What is it like to start and run a marketing agency? Our co-host Mickey Mellen invites his co-founder Ali Green to the show to discuss building GreenMellen together. This is a peek behind the curtain of how a digital marketing agency works and what it takes to operate smoothly. Ali Green on GreenMellen's Website Ali Green on LinkedIn The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
2024-05-09
22 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Search Engine Optimization with Bobby Kircher
Is SEO still relevant to marketers, especially with recent changes with technology? The short answer is yes, and we invited search expert Bobby Kircher to discuss why. Let’s make search optimization practical and achievable for small businesses like yours. Links Bobby’s website: https://bobbykircher.com/ Papaya Search: https://papayasearch.com/ Bobby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbykircher/
2024-04-25
19 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Content Marketing with Adam Walker
Is your small business struggling with content marketing? In this episode, we invited on our friend Adam Walker to talk about repurposing content for different platforms. These simple tips will help you scale your marketing strategy to reach a wider audience and save time. Links Adam’s Website: https://adamjwalker.com/ Tech Talk Ya’ll on Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/techtalkyall/ Together Letters: https://www.togetherletters.com/ Edgewise Media: https://edgewise.media/ Adam’s Newsletter on Substack: https://adamjwalker.substack.com/ Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjwalker/
2024-04-11
22 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Special Announcement: A New Podcast Format
After 60 episodes of the Brighter Web podcast, we're changing things up. Starting in 2024, we're bringing guests to the show and talk about digital marketing topics. We'll be back in a few months with some new, slightly different-sounding episodes.
2023-12-21
01 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Optimizing Website Conversions to Grow Your Business
There’s no shortage of digital metrics to measure, but conversions are perhaps the most important. These are the actions that actually help your business to grow. But how do you measure and improve your conversions online? What are website conversions? Form fill Download a file Watch a video Purchase Donate What is conversion optimization? Making adjustments to your website to get people to take a desired action It’s an ongoing process that you must test and adjust Rand Fishkin (Sparktoro) - Precise attribution is hard to measure. Share our Blumer story. Less attribution, more refinement of opti...
2023-12-07
13 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
10 Ways to Monetize Your Digital Marketing Content
The internet is about far more than just making money—but that’s certainly something you can do. Content creators have found plenty of ways to earn income from the digital stuff they make. This list is far from comprehensive, but here are 10 big buckets of ways to make money from the content you create online. Selling a service (like GreenMellen)Website development Coaching or consulting Graphic design Freelance writing Selling a physical product onlineE-commerce Swag Books Selling a digital productEbooks and resources WordPress themes WordPress plugins Document templates Selling an online courseTeachable Skillshare Kajabi Create a pr...
2023-11-23
17 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Creating an Effective Marketing Budget
Effecitve marketing requires an investment. For a business, this means creating and spending a marketing budget. But how much should you spend on marketing, and what return should you expect? There’s no one answer, so let’s examine the right approach. Where do I start with my marketing budget? Figure out what you’ve spent to this point. Create a document to track everything and work with your accounting team. Develop an ideal budget for what you’d like to spend. Think big and work backward to what is realistic. How much should I be spending on marketin...
2023-11-09
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Capitalizing on Networking Events for Marketing Growth
Digital marketing is useless without personal connections and word-of-mouth referrals. But is networking played out or ripe for you to take advantage of? It all depends on your approach. How does networking help my marketing? Get to know people in a more casual setting. Face and name recognition can be as important as brand recognition. Build a relationship with people before you begin selling. You might also meet people who can help your business. What kind of events can I network at? Conferences Tradeshows Panel discussions Volunteer opportunities Business happy hours Lunch & learns What are some networking best p...
2023-10-26
13 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Our 6 Least Favorite Marketing Channels
There are plenty of great and effective digital marketing channels, but there are just as many bad ones. Or at least good channels that tend to be used poorly by lazy marketers. These are our six least favorite marketing channels. Robert’s 3 least favorite Direct mail: because it’s usually useless and hard to track. Billboards: because no one looks at them while they’re driving. Twitter: because it’s been officially run into the ground. Mickey’s 3 least favorite Spam email: Email marketing can be great, but it too often isn’t. Bogus LinkedIn connections: Don’t connect with m...
2023-10-12
13 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Building Your Business Marketing Stack
Technology can make marketing easier for your business. The various software tools your company uses for marketing combine to make a marketing stack. But what tools should you use and how do you build the right marketing stack? What is a marketing stack? The set of tools and technologies that you use to plan, execute, and measure your marketing efforts. What are the different categories to consider? Website content management system (CMS) Domain name registrar, DNS, and Website host Customer relationship manager (CRM) database Email marketing platform Social media management Survey & feedback tool Graphic design software ...
2023-09-28
14 min
Small Biz Flash
9-26-23 - How To Get Your Small Business Found on Google
FEATURERanking high in search engines results, especially on Google, is a concern of most small businesses. There are a few basic things you can do to help your site be found, like consistently creating good content (but you don’t have to write a blog post every day or even every week) and fully utilizing Google Business Profile.ChatGPT can help you create content, but don’t depend on it to get you 100% of the way there.We also discuss:* How to account for the numerous updates to Google’s algorithm each ye...
2023-09-26
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
The 7 Top Skills Every Marketer Must Have
We’ve talked about several skills marketers need in previous podcast episodes. Now, let’s bring it all together and give an overview of the seven most important skills we all need to hone. Which ones do you need to work on? Planning: Just going out and “doing it” will likely end poorly. Get a strategy. Writing: It’s the key to great communication and creating great content. Consistency: Pushing hard on social media for a week won’t do much. Keep it up. Learning: Marketing is always changing, so you must stay infinitely curious. Testing: Some things work well, a...
2023-09-14
13 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
How Guest Contributions Can Extend Your Marketing Reach
Creating your own marketing channels is a valuable practice. However, you can reach new audiences and gain extra credibility by sharing your content on other people’s platforms. These guest contributions have their own pros and cons, which we’ll discuss here. What do we mean by guest contributions? Sharing content on a platform that you don’t own. It’s like public relations (earned media), but it’s with other content creators. What kind of content or platforms can you contribute to? Blogs Podcasts YouTube channels Social accounts What are the benefits to contributing as a guest? You don’t...
2023-08-31
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
B2B vs B2C: Why They’re More Similar Than You Think
Marketing has no shortage of acronyms, and B2B and B2C are two of the most important. These represent two large business categories, however, they’re not as different as you might think. Listen in as we compare and contrast these two types of companies (plus a few more). What are the biggest differences between B2B & B2C marketing? In case of acronym confusion, “business to business” and “business to consumer”. B2B would be the company trying to sell cups to Starbucks. B2C is Starbucks marketing to consumers. Why is it helpful to distinguish between th...
2023-08-17
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Maximize Customer Testimonials and Case Studies For Your Business
Customer testimonials and case studies are everywhere within marketing. But what’s the difference between these two things, and how can your business use them? Let’s unpack how to maximize your customer stories. What’s the difference between testimonials and case studies? Testimonials are direct quotes from your customers, clients, or vendors. Case studies are more in-depth examinations of a specific project with a client. Testimonials are better to be short; case studies can be longer. Why are both important in marketing? People trust others more than what businesses say about themselves. Keep in mind, that even testim...
2023-08-03
11 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
A Special 50th Podcast Episode!
We did it—we made 50 episodes of the podcast! Since most podcasts never make it past episode 3, we figured this was a time to reflect back on what we’ve learned so far and how we made it this far. Thank you for being a listener of the Brighter Web Podcast! Most listened-to episodes Getting Found Online with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Keeping Up With Key Business Metrics Keeping Your Email Marketing Legit 5 Parts of a Clear Business Messaging Strategy 10 Things You Need to Do Before Launching a Website Some of our favorite episodes Why we never send cold...
2023-07-20
15 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
A Deep Discussion about Dealing with Digital Distractions
Buzz, buzz, buzz. No, it’s not a bee, but it’s equally as distracting—it’s another digital notification that’s pulling you away from your other priorities. Dealing with digital distractions is a daily dedication, but one we all must definitely deal with. What are digital distractions? Pings Rings Beeps Buzzes The constant stream of notifications that break our concentration What are some examples? Email notifications Slack pings Text messages Phone calls Status updates Social media notifications App badges News alerts Amber alerts Why are these problematic? They break our focus and keep us in shallow work Peopl...
2023-07-06
14 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Make Your Marketing More Sustainable with Evergreen Content
Constantly cranking out new marketing content gets exhausting quickly. Using evergreen content that can be recycled makes the content marketing rat race a little more sustainable. Here’s some approaches for how to create and use evergreen content in your business. What is evergreen content? Topics that you can talk about at any point during the year Different from timely content that’s only relevant for a short period Evergreen content might change over time, but has a long shelf life Why is this beneficial? It saves you from having to constantly generate new content It reinforces the most...
2023-06-22
08 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Taking Control of Your Online Business Reviews
Online reviews are often trusted more than other forms of marketing because they come from neutral third-party sources. You can’t fully control your brand’s reputation, but you can respond to negative reviews and encourage positive feedback. Why are online reviews helpful? People trust objective parties more than your brand People use online reviews before they make a purchase These online sites make you more discoverable online How can you get started taking control of your reviews? Search for your brand name online Claim all of the online review sites you can find Audit the information to ensu...
2023-06-08
15 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Connecting Digital and Traditional Marketing Channels
Believe it or not, there’s more to marketing than digital media. Websites can coexist with billboards, and email doesn’t replace direct mail. The best marketers learn how to leverage both of these types of marketing to work together. Why should people care about non-digital channels? Because some can be effective. Not everything can (or should) be digital. You should have a balance of offline, too. While we’re a digital marketing firm, our main goal is to do whatever is best for our clients. If that means using offline methods, so be it. What are examples of offline...
2023-05-25
09 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Creating Effective Video Content For Your Business
If you’ve ever been on the internet, you’ve probably seen some video content—it’s everywhere. Some platforms—like YouTube and TikTok—are completely video based. There’s a reason why video content is so effective, but it’s not that easy or cheap for every business to create quality videos. This episode is your guide to understanding video and where to get started. Why is video so popular with digital content? Video is dynamic. It’s easy to consume (but difficult to create). Video creation is exploding which means there’s a plethora to consume. Video feels more per...
2023-05-11
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
The WordPress Magic Checkbox
There aren’t many magic bullets or quick fixes in digital marketing—but there are a few. One of them is this surprisingly powerful and sneaky checkbox in the backend of every WordPress site. Here’s how that Magic Checkbox works and why you should probably avoid it. Today on the Brighter Web Podcast, we’re talking about the WordPress magic checkbox. We did an episode on the Magic Email, and this is another magical episode. We call it that because it’s a surprisingly simple fix that can generate nearly instant results. What is the magic chec...
2023-04-27
06 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Why We Never Send Cold Emails
Does anyone like being interrupted by unsolicited promotional emails in their inbox? Because that’s what cold emails are—and they’re not the only form of cold marketing. Let’s talk about why we don’t like cold emails and discuss some better alternatives. Why we don’t like cold emails They’re an interruption in a place you don’t want to be interrupted. They feel like an invasion of privacy. They don’t stop even after being ignored. It’s frowned upon by email service providers. Why do people send cold emails? Because it sometimes works (at a large sc...
2023-04-13
10 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Writing Perfect Marketing Headlines
We won’t bury the headline for this episode—because that’s how important headlines are. Unfortunately, they’re often overlooked and underrated in digital marketing. We’ll help you craft more effective headlines with a few ideas and suggestions. We don’t want to bury the headline, so that’s exactly what we’re talking about. Whether its a website or an email, we spend ages on design and body copy—only to mail in the headline at the last minute. But often, that should be the first thing we think about and refine. Headlines are underrated. Pe...
2023-03-30
10 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
The Future of AI and Digital Marketing
Are the robots coming for our jobs? Artificial intelligence is nothing new, but new innovations are pushing AI to the forefront of digital marketing. Businesses will need to adapt to how new machine-learning tools are changing how we do online promotions. Welcome to the future of marketing. Why are people so excited about AI? It makes hard tasks quick and easy. There are some amazing use cases, for example: “write 500 words about the Civil War at a second grade reading level in the style of The Rock.” It’s fun! How does AI impact marketing? It can generate conten...
2023-03-16
11 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
How to Write a Book For Marketers
Most people say that they’d like to write a book one day, but few ever do. Book publishing is a challenging but rewarding process that too few get to experience. Luckily, one of our co-hosts has firsthand experience to share with any marketer or business leader looking to write a book. Our co-host Robert Carnes has written three books, including his latest book The Story Cycle, all about storytelling for businesses. He shares his insights on the process of writing a book and how it’s more achievable than you might imagine. Writing the book Choo...
2023-03-02
11 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Getting the Most out of Marketing Conferences
Speakers. Sponsors. And swag. Who doesn’t love getting to go to a good conference? But with so many events to choose from, how do you pick the right ones and make the most of the experience? Let’s do a deep dive into the wide world of marketing conferences. This is related to a recent episode we did about continuing education for marketers. We wanted to take a deeper look at learning from conferences & events. Choosing Which Conferences to Go to Cost: charging people actually helps more people show up Location: can you afford to trav...
2023-02-16
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Marketing Basics for Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofits are unique organizations for many reasons, including how they approach marketing. This can be both a benefit and a challenge for the professionals marketing for nonprofits. Let’s take a look at what makes charities different and how they can make the most of their digital marketing. What makes nonprofit marketing different? Your organization has a mission Closely tied with fundraising. Sometimes slower to adapt to technology Organizations more willing to share with each other. Less competitive. What challenges do nonprofit marketers face? Limited budget & resources. Marketing is viewed as overhead. Limited staff. Even large nonprofits tend to...
2023-02-02
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
10 WordPress Plugins Every Website Needs
When it comes to WordPress plugins, less is more. You don’t want to bog down your site with too many plugins, but you also need a few to help with your site’s functionality. Here are 10 of our favorite plugins to help your WordPress site operate smoothly. Security and Spam Content wins, and just producing solid content and keeping your site safe is the key. Akismet: filter for spam comments BlogVault: site backups ManageWP: a single dashboard for handling multiple sites Search Engine Optimization You can’t depend on these exclusively for SEO, but they c...
2023-01-19
15 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Finding the Best Note-Taking Techniques
We encounter so much information daily—it’s easy to get lost or confused. One of the best ways to combat this is to have a good note-taking approach. But how do you take effective notes and keep them organized enough to be useful? Why is it valuable to take notes? Our brains are quite fallible. We work hard to keep it strong, and you can still forget things. Notes are a great way to know what was said, and what that meant to you at the time. What can you take notes for? The two big ones are...
2023-01-05
13 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Professional Development Made Simple For Digital Marketers
The best marketers are constant learners. We must keep up with plenty of trends to remain relevant. To help with that, let’s take a look at the six most popular ways to stay on top of digital marketing professional development. Why is learning important for marketers? It’s always changing. There are no experts. It keeps you sharp and curious. You can be more well-rounded. 1. Books Books are undervalued. Expand your definition of reading: audiobooks count, too. A few reading suggestions:This is Marketing by Seth Godin How to Write Copy that Sells by Ray Edwards Marketing Made...
2022-12-22
17 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Building a Robust Business Website Strategy
Did you create a strategy before building your business website? Perhaps you skipped this step to save time or because you weren’t sure why it was needed. However, creating a website without a strategy can leave it aimless and ineffective. Let’s talk about why you need a website strategy and what it should look like. Why is it important to have a strategy before building a website? So you build the website for the right reasons. A common way to spot strategy-less sites were clearly built for the business, not their customers. Think about what information your...
2022-12-08
11 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Setting Achievable Marketing Goals in the New Year
What are your business goals in the new year? You don’t have to wait until January to set new goals—but you should take the time to make sure these goals are effective. Join us as we examine the best way to set goals for your marketing this year. Why is proving ROI in marketing so difficult? It can be hard to follow multiple visits all the way down to your bottom line. Increasing likes and followers is nice, but how does that help you? There are any number of marketing touches that can lead to new busi...
2022-11-24
11 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Why Email is the Most Underrated Marketing Channel
Why is email underrated? People take email for granted. It’s kind of boring and reliable. It’s been around forever and most people have it. There are plenty of people who do email poorly. We talked about spammy email in a previous episode. Why is email so valuable? You own your list. Not the platform it’s on. Deliverability is high. Assuming you do email the right way. Open rates are much higher than social reach rates. It’s media rich—meaning you can include links and visuals. Automation is much easier to accomplish—also talked about this in another epis...
2022-11-10
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
The Magic Email
What is the magic email? It’s a way to get people’s attention in their inbox, but it’s kind of a last resort. I (Mickey) heard about it from Blair Enns (2Bobs podcast). The email is simply this: “Since I have not heard from you on this, I have to assume your priorities have changed.” When do you use it? When all else has failed. This is your Hail Mary. After you’ve tried connecting with the person multiple times. For example, Mickey reached out to a person five times with no response before sending the...
2022-10-27
08 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
How Do I Identify My Business’ Audience?
Why is it important to know your audience? Why waste time communicating with someone else? Talk to people who you’re relevant to Every business exists to serve people; even if you’re B2B What are mistakes businesses make with their audience? Thinking everyone is their audience; the more focused, the better Not fully understanding their audience; don’t make dumb assumptions Not staying focused on the audience; it’s not about you, it’s about them How can we figure out who our audience is? Think about the people you serve? Who are your best customers? Figure out what they...
2022-10-13
11 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Is Twitter Worth My Business’ Time?
Quick—describe Twitter in less than 140 characters. It’s not easy to be succinct, but that brevity is one of the major advantages of Tweeting. Twitter might be great for influencers or debating politics, but does it have a place in business marketing? #GoodQuestion How is Twitter different from other social platforms? It’s more short form, micro posts with limited characters It’s more focused on trending news content Visual content still performs well, but it’s not entirely focused on that Twitter is simpler because it has less of the added features of Facebook How can Twitter wo...
2022-09-29
13 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Using Sitemaps and Wireframes For Better Websites
If you’ve ever built a website before, you’ve probably heard about sitemaps and wireframes. But perhaps you’re not familiar with either, or why they’re important for custom website development. Let’s unpack the role sitemaps and wireframes play in creating websites and why to consider using both. What is a sitemap? A sitemap is a flowchart depicting the pages that need to be created for your site. Essentially like mapping out the chapters of your book before you start outlining the content. Can you start building pages with a sitemap? Like a book or...
2022-09-15
08 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
How to Tell Stories in Your Business
Storytelling is a term plenty of business leaders use—but are they actually prepared to tell stories? Finding the right stories in your company is one of the biggest challenges. In this episode, we’ll discuss what business storytelling looks like and where you can begin. Why is storytelling worth it for businesses? Stories are far more captivating than data or information They create an emotionally-charged experience that people remember Effective businesses invite their audience to imagine themselves as part of the story What are the 4 things that every story has? Context: setting and platform Character: the perspective of t...
2022-09-01
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Using Personality Assessments at Your Business
Personality tests are more than just Buzzfeed time-wasters. They can be tools for understanding coworkers, building better teams, and becoming more self-aware. So which personality assessments are the most helpful and how do they apply to marketing? Show Notes What are some of the personality assessments out there? Myers Briggs: 16 personalities with 4 different categories Enneagram: 9 personalities DISC profile: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness Right Path: 16 blended profiles Strengths Finder: several different strengths ranked How does GreenMellen get into using personality assessments? We have always been a team of do-ers. We get things done, we are task-oriented. This was great...
2022-08-18
12 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Balancing Remote Work with In-Office Work
Remote work has been around for decades, but a global pandemic and booming technology have allowed for working from home to become more commonplace. But is this practice a fad or the future of work? How do businesses handle this changing landscape of work? Is this the desirable benefit some people think it is? Is it the future or a fad? Depends largely on the industry. Some businesses are able to get away with it more than others. It can also be individual. Some people are more productive at home than the office. How have we made this...
2022-08-04
13 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
What’s the Difference Between Inbound vs Outbound Marketing?
There are two basic approaches to business marketing: inbound and outbound. Outbound means going to your audience, while inbound refers to attracting your audience to your brand. There are pros and cons to each approach, but the best marketers use a blend of both. What’s the Difference Between Inbound vs Outbound Marketing? Outbound is essentially pushing marketing messages out to an audience. This means going to the channels where they are and broadcasting to a broad group. Inbound flips that by trying to attract people back to your marketing channels. It’s usually about crea...
2022-07-21
10 min
A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing
Preparing to Migrate to Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics is among the most useful free tools in digital marketing. But as of 2022, businesses must transition to the newest update—Google Analytics 4. Here’s how you can handle this change and make the most of it for your marketing. What is Google Analytics 4 and why do we need to move to it? 1995 - Urchin created 2005 - Purchased by Google, becoming Google Analytics. 2011 - New version 2012 - UA unveiled 2020 - GA4 How is it different from Universal Analytics—aka GA 3? It's hard to explain over audio, but there are two main things: Ins...
2022-07-07
12 min
Modern Church Leader
Why Storytelling Works in Church with Robert Carnes
Click here to view the full show notes and transcript for this episode.Church leaders have long known the power of storytelling to communicate biblical truths, engage people’s hearts, and invite them into a relationship with God. But what is it about storytelling that makes it so effective? The answer: stories don’t just communicate facts; they communicate truths.A fact can be disputed, but truth cannot. And since we all want to live in alignment with truth, we find ourselves drawn in by stories that reveal truths about our own lives and G...
2022-06-28
41 min