I've been giving a lot of thought lately to how important it is to spend my money in a way that feels good to me. I truly believe that we have power as consumers, especially collectively, though right now I just want to talk about our power as an individual consumer. As we move out of the pandemic and are transitioning into a new phase of existence it feels like a good time to give thought to how we're going to behave in our post-pandemic life.
I definitely don't want to buy from businesses that aren't aligned with my beliefs, but I feel like focusing on where I want to spend my money keeps me in a more positive space. If you've heard me rant about Amazon, then you know this is definitely for the best. 🤔😜🙄 I've developed a ⭐️ rating system for purchases. It gives me a framework from which I can decide if I should make a purchase or continue looking for something that aligns with my beliefs even more. I find just giving it more thought has made me feel better about how I'm contributing to our future and honestly it makes me feel a bit more powerful, possibly a little holier than thou (sorry about that). Here are some of the things that I think about when spending money: ⭐️Quality product ⭐️Local ⭐️Small business ⭐️Sustainable ⭐️Woman-owned & operated ⭐️BIPOC & LGBTQ2S+ owned business ⭐️LGBTQ2S+ & BIPOC friendly ⭐️Socially conscious ⭐️Price ⭐️Convenience Here's how it works, if I was going to buy some Lemon Aide dish soap at Canary and Fox it would score all 10 stars! It's definitely not the cheapest dish soap on the market but it's well priced, quality product, so I'm going to give it those stars. One business is woman owned & operated, the other is BIPOC owned & operated and I'm just going to assume that they are both LGBTQ2S+ & BIPOC friendly (I feel like I'm familiar enough with both the businesses to make that leap). They are both small local businesses, & socially conscious. Both businesses are local & sustainable. Not everything I buy scores all 10 stars, and somethings I purchase might be starless (full disclosure, I bought a book from Amazon this year, it was out of print and I don't have a membership, & after some research I couldn't find it anywhere else). PRO TIP: Do your research, you can often find something on Amazon & then buy it directly from the company website. Alternately finding out that a big brand is supporting beliefs that you are uncomfortable with can give you the opportunity to do some research and find a similar product that is more aligned with who you are and what you want the world to look like. Remember that how we spend our money today has a direct impact on what our future and the futures of kids and grandkids will look like.
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As businesses are reopening it’s important to make sure that all your online information is up-to-date and accurate. I’ve posted about auditing your website, if you haven’t done that in a while, there is no time like the present.
Next step, go through your social media channels, all of them. Make sure you include your Google Business profile in this. Make a list of all your accounts so you don’t miss any. Instagram, Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, YouTube, Tik Tok, SnapChat... PRO TIP: If you’re not using one anymore, one last post directing people to the social media channels you are actually sharing on could help keep that person as a follower. Check for broken links: I can’t tell you how many times I stumble across broken links on profile pages & in Linktrees. It’s actually what inspired me to write this post. Make sure they’re all going where you want. 🔗Do you have links to specific page on your site? 🔗Schedule? 🔗Menu? 🔗Call to Action? Make sure your information is up-to-date: 🤔Are your hours of operation still the same? 🤔Is your email address & phone number up-to-date? 🤔Has your address changed? Are you working out out of multiple locations now? ROCK STAR behaviour ⭐️ While you’re there you might want to think about updating the page banner & your profile picture. ⭐️ Think about having a look at the insights section of your page. It might give you an idea of which posts are doing well so that you can give your followers more of what they want. Now that your website, social media channels and your Google Business profile are up-to-date there's no stopping you! As always if you want some help give me a shout! Create a Google Business account. I’ll talk to you about social media and a website later. 😜 Here’s the thing, Google owns 97% of the search market on the internet, if you’re not showing up in a Google search, you are not showing up! A Google Business account is almost like a junior website. It gives you an online presence where you can tell potential customers a little bit about yourself. You show up on Google searches, on maps and can receive and respond to reviews. It’s the first step as far as I’m concerned. If you’ve got an Instagram account and/or a website already, good for you, now make sure your next step is to create a Google Business account. IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW
⭐️A Google Business account is a FREE business profile. ⭐️It’s easy to create one. ⭐️While you’re deciding whether or not you are going to need a website, create your Google Business account, you can add the website later. ⭐️If you work from home you don’t have to share your address online either. I know this is huge for many people who are artists, makers, consultants... You do have to verify your address with Google and then you can just create a “service area” that is shared in your profile. Did I mention that I think you should create a Google Business account? |
AuthourHi, I'm Shirley. This blog is all about providing you with tips & tricks that will help you make your social media platforms, website & newsletters the best that they can be. Archives
December 2022
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