Launch With Words Bridget Willard

Matt Levenhagen of Unified Web Design works with businesses to translate their visions into code. He's been working on the web for 20 years and his business just passed its five-year mark.
https://www.thebuilders.fm/https://www.unifiedwebdesign.com/https://twitter.com/mattlevenhagen
This episode focuses on why custom WordPress websites allow you to scale your business, how maintenance allows you to make "quick changes," and ends with five quick takes you'll want to hear.
"Once you have that website, especially on WordPress, the beautiful thing is that it can grow with your business." Matt Levenhagen
Did you miss my last appearance on his podcast (July 2022)? Watch it on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbmexJxfu6E
Listen to more episodes of the Launch With Words Podcast on your favorite podcast player or on the landing page for the podcast, hosted on Castos.
https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

Sherry Holub of JV Media Design is "Your trusted partner for worry-free custom websites + design." She is the Creative Director at JVM Design with over 25 years of experience designing custom WordPress sites. When she's not helping support nonprofit and LGBTQIA+ businesses, she's taste-testing cupcakes and fostering cats.
https://jvmediadesign.com/
This episode focuses on why it's important to hire a professional, how custom sites help small businesses, and what you should look out for in security and marketing scams out there.
"You may be the expert in your business, but you're not the expert in everything." Sherry Holub
(Did you miss our first conversation? Watch it on YouTube.)
https://www.youtube.com/live/-RyoY1QTGbc?si=0OBv2nxwTCAMMWVS
Listen to more episodes of the Launch With Words Podcast on your favorite podcast player or on the landing page for the podcast, hosted on Castos.
https://launch-with-words.castos.com/

It's 2023 and the Launch With Words Podcast is back. If you haven't listened to episodes before, feel free to start at Season 1. I don't put my episodes behind a paywall.
 
This season is going to be all about WebDevs. I'll be interviewing people who build websites to help you, the small business owner, understand the process and participation that goes into website launches. 
 
WebDevs: I just released the Launch With Words SEO Mini-Pack and that is available here.
 
https://bit.ly/LWWSEO
 
September 2023 will include an eCommerce Mini-Pack. And I'll also be taking requests for topics. 

Do you just post like a robot, schedule everything, and never respond? When's the last time you took a look at your target audience? Who are they -- really? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by writer and developer Hashim Warren for an insightful conversation on the importance of humanity in marketing.
"So the way that I've grown is understanding that not all of their business has to transact through the website. So I used to oversell the website as a part of the sales process now I'd say your website is your recommendation tool -- even when you have great word of mouth. That person who's receiving that referral is going to look you up online. You want your story to be the first thing there." Hashim Warren
Follow Hashim on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hashim_warren
Justice Year Newsletter
https://justiceyear.com/
More Episodes
https://launch-with-words.castos.com/
Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress
https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/
Premium Packs Are Available Here
http://bit.ly/LWWPremium

Do you just post like a robot, schedule everything, and never respond? When's the last time you took a look at your target audience? Who are they -- really? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by writer and social media manager, Carol Stephen, for an insightful conversation on the importance of empathy in our marketing.
"I think empathy is more important than ever. And if somebody's bullying somebody else, for example, that doesn't go over. You know? People are quick to jump in and help that person. I think that's become more evident over the last couple of years" Carol Stephen
Follow Carol on Twitter
https://twitter.com/carol_stephen
Carol Stephen's Blog
https://yoursocialmediaworks.com/blog
 
More Episodes
https://launch-with-words.castos.com/
Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress
https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/
Episode Transcript
00:22.64Bridget WillardHey hey! Welcome to another episode of Launch With Words. This is season 2, episode 8 with my very good friend Carol Stephen. Carol, how are you doing today?
00:33.77Carol StephenBut I'm doing great today. It's a wonderful day. We just had a big rainstorm and we're in the middle of a drought. So we're very happy. Oh yeah, everybody just loves going outside after the rain.
00:41.50Bridget WillardYeah, that's good and I love the way it smells after the rain. It's just, it just feels, it smells so fresh and clean and it's just wonderful. Gets all the pollen out of the air.
00:59.35Bridget WillardSo, when it comes to like you're small. I mean I know like you have roots in technical writing and you've worked with a lot of startups in the Silicon Valley area of the Bay Area of California but you also work with small businesses. So a lot of times you're doing the writing but I imagine sometimes people are like where do I even start? I mean what is your advice to small businesses who know they need to be blogging like we've said it enough like how do they even start.
01:32.74Carol StephenOh my gosh. Well I think the number 1 thing is they have to find their audience. So they need to know who their audience is. Like who is that person in the middle of their target? And I think for some people, that's probably changed since they started their business and they might not have revisited who their audience is. So if it's been two or three years I'd really recommend that people revisit figuring out who their target audience is. Now you don't necessarily have to pay somebody to help you do this but you you know you could find somebody who's just outside your business and someone who'll be honest with you to give you some advice.
02:14.35Bridget WillardYeah, that's really important. Rhonda with Fat Dog Creatives and I are doing a presentation at our small business chamber in a couple weeks. And we're like your website has to talk to your customer. It's not about you and then we both said that to each other and then we both went and looked up our own websites really quick.
02:35.25Carol StephenAh, well, that's right because I was thinking about my own business and it's changed so much. So I mean this is something that I'm telling myself as much as I'm telling the person listening to this that um that person that you were targeting is not the same person. And that that goes for everybody. So a refresh is good even if it is the same audience is it's a good reminder to do this exercise to figure out who that person

Is blogging bad or a waste of time? Do home remodelers and design-builders have to blog? In this episode of the second season of the Launch With Words Podcast, Bridget is joined by SEO Writer, Tess Wittler, for an insightful conversation on why small businesses should care about publishing regularly on their websites.
"Your website is your Number 1 piece of digital real estate." Tess Wittler
Follow Tess on Twitter
https://twitter.com/TessWittler
Tess Wittler's Website
https://tesswittler.com/
Are you ready for the Done For You Newsletter?
https://bit.ly/DoneForYouTess
More Episodes
https://launch-with-words.castos.com/
Get the Launch With Words Plugin for free on WordPress
https://wordpress.org/plugins/launch-with-words/
Episode Transcript
00:19.11Bridget WillardHey, hey! Thanks for joining me again on another episode this time with my longtime friend Tess Whitler. She is a remodeler and custom home builder marketing solutions person. She is that Marketing Department that you want. She has a Done For You Newsletter Program. She is amazing. She is smart. Tess, welcome to the show. So I know that you have been writing in the service industry for contractors for
00:40.92Tess WittlerOh it's great to be here. Bridget thank you.
00:52.41Bridget Willarda very long time enough to have a MBA if if we were just handing them out. How do we get people who are small business owners, how do we get plumbers and yoga teachers and manicurists to care about having a blog on their website?
01:12.79Tess WittlerWow so you know that's kind of like the million-dollar question but it really boils down to a couple of things, right? So it. It boils down to um Google likes fresh websites and fresh content. So what better way to do that than to have a blog? But more importantly than that, I think that 1 thing that a lot of small businesses sometimes forget is as we're feeding that Google Monster, you know, common, everyday customers -- they check you out before they ever pick up the phone to call you. You know they go to your Facebook page and they go to your Instagram and they go to your Google My Business or Google Business Profile as it's called now. And they definitely go to your website to learn more about you to see if.
01:54.94Bridget WillardHm.Bridget Willard
02:07.76Tess Wittlernumber 1 you offer the services that they're looking for and number 2 if you are the right solution. So I think even more important than, than SEO which is definitely my geek zone and I love that space. But I think even more importantly than that, it's just to be able to be there to help your potential customers understand what you do and get to know you better.
02:28.41Bridget WillardOh for sure. I mean yeah, if Marcy told me to go to Alamo City Plumbing because my bidet is leaking, Ah, I'm gonna go look and see if they even talk about bidets. I'm gonna look and see if they have reviews I'm gonna check out their, you know, Facebook Page. Are they still even in business? Do they have Instagram? What is going on with this place? And I think that most people have overly obsessed on what's being found ah on a Google Search Engine Result or the SERPs. Um as opposed to "plumber near me."
02:49.93Tess WittlerYep.
03:06.77Bridget WillardAh, "manicurist near me." I mean how many of us are doing those searches?
03:10.77Tess WittlerAll the time every single day.
03:14.10Bridget Willa