Welcome to episode one of the new Re-imagining Online Business podcast! Join Brooke Monaghan and Tristan Katz in this initial conversation as they explore the complicated landscape of online business in 2024.

Topics discussed:

The vulnerable truth that running a business right now is often hard and scary

What’s changed in the last 4+ years and where are we now, particularly when it comes to service-based online business

What kind of online business trends can we expect in 2024, or what are some things to know about growing your online business in 2024

Challenging “magical thinking” and “you can do it, too!'“ narratives

What does it mean for a business to truly “work”

The misleading nature of Instagram, and the fact that what we see online isn’t necessarily the full story

The question of interrupting business as usual while also supporting ourselves through our work

Maintaining creative energy even when the world is particularly distressing and disturbing

Learn more about Brooke and Tristan on their websites: brooke-monaghan.com and katz-creative.com

Episode Transcript

What stops the scroll in 2024? And how do we actually make our lives easier when it comes to our business and marketing when the landscape keeps shifting, our brains are literally being changed by smartphones, the internet, and social media, and attention and engagement are at an all-time low?

As two business consultants and coaches obsessed with content marketing, we are in regular inquiry and real-life client study about how to reach people when, in general, the people we’re trying to reach are overstimulated and overwhelmed by the amount of content they could be consuming at this point in the human existence. If we’re all on our devices filtering out what we want to read and doing it at lightning speed, how do we actually land with our audience? Hint: there’s value in making it easy.

Topics discussed in episode 2:

Creating an engaging content strategy with scroll stopping content that actually orients to the current digital moment

Making less work for our audience, our clients, and ourselves—rather than making more, how can we make it easier

The new online era in which graphics don’t need to be fancy. and short, concise, and minimal “wins”

The value of sharing your voices more than your aesthetic

Developing a strategy that is human-centered rather than internet-centered

Creators mentioned: Raudhah Rahman @raudhah.rahman and Casey Tanner @queersextherapy

Learn more about Brooke and Tristan on their websites: brooke-monaghan.com and katz-creative.com

Episode Transcript

At this point most online service-based businesses know that engagement is down across all forms of marketing—all apps and all types of content. People are overwhelmed by choices more than ever before, and we have less tolerance for content that doesn’t feel human. So how do we retain clients and keep people sticking around?

In this episode, we review some interesting and compelling research about marketing strategy in 2024 and what’s “working.”

Here’s what we’ve found (aka topics discussed in episode 3):

- Consumers are looking for authenticity and values. People want to connect with people, not brands.

- Running an effective Instagram account is not equitable to running a sustainable business. So many of us have become focused on content marketing, and Instagram in particular, and we need to start measuring effectiveness differently.

- It’s not bad business to talk about genocide. In fact, quite the opposite—it’s bad business to try to be apolitical at this point.

Takeaways:

- stop mimicking other entrepreneurs

- be clear about your values

- focus on relationships, retention, and trust over traffic/reach

- make your work potent and easy to digest

Creators mentioned: Abigail Rose Clark @abigail.rose.clarke and Casey Tanner @queersextherapy

Resources mentioned: Re-imagining Marketing FREE workshop on the Fruition platform

Learn more about Brooke and Tristan on their websites: brooke-monaghan.com and katz-creative.com

Episode Transcript

It seems like every online business or marketing coach is talking about ethical pricing and sales these days. Wtf does it mean to be “ethical” when it comes to marketing and sales? And how do we actually price our work effectively? Hint: it’s not a matter of simply raising or lowering rates!

Here’s what we’ve found (aka topics discussed in episode 4):

- We are witnessing a shift in sales planning for online service based business owners—we’re moving out of an era of talking about how to “get the sale” and into an era of “how can we create businesses that attract the right people into the right containers”

- Part of being values-aligned is making things accessible for a client base and sustainable for the service-based business owner

- There’s really only one “rule” to pricing and it’s probably not what you think it is

Other (important) topics discussed:

- Love on the Spectrum and Ru Paul’s Drag Race

- Love Island as a bougie terrarium

- Manipulation vs trust in marketing and branding

- Sales and consent

Interested in learning more? Join us for SUMMER BIZ CAMP! This is an 8-week experience during the slowest time of the year to get back to basics, gain foundational business knowledge, receive coaching to apply it to your business, and ultimately gain the information you need to create your own business strategy and be ready for the fall.

All sessions will meet on Wednesdays: June 26th - August 14th - 10-noon Pacific / 1-3 Eastern.

Registration is available according to three-tiered pricing with payment plans. LEARN MORE

And of course, you can also get more info about Brooke and Tristan on their websites: brooke-monaghan.com and katz-creative.com

Episode Transcript

At a time when people are spending less and less on non-essentials, how are service-based business owners considering offers design? What “worked” in 2020-2021, and even in 2022-2023, has shifted considerably. And we can’t simply change our prices in order to continue to meet and serve our clients—that won’t support us in creating sustainable work.

This episode starts with a very important update on the topic of Justin Timberlake and Tristan’s previous claim that he’s a “good guy.”

Additional topics discussed:

- The value of getting clear about what we actually do, and being as specific as possible about how we help clients cultivate results.

- The role of having a methodology or framework, and the importance of being willing to ditch it or for it to shift and evolve over time or with each client.

- Rethinking the value ladder, and getting creative with our offers in order to meet the unique moment we’re in financially and socio-politically.

- Centering sustainability while also centering equity and access in our pricing and how we structure our offers to meet clients’ needs and ours.

…and more.

Resources mentioned:

- Brooke’s Creating an Effective Sales Page on-demand webinar

- Kristy Fanton’s Social Proof Sidekick

Resources not mentioned that should’ve been:

BIZ CAMP!

We’re at it again—icymi, BIZ CAMP is an 8-session program to support service-based business owners in creating a foundation and strategy that will actually support you as the landscape of entrepreneurship continue to change. In Fall Biz Camp, we’ll explore topics like Positioning, Messaging, Offers & Business Models, Equitable Pricing, and so much more.

We start September 5th and meet Thursdays and Saturdays. Registration is offered on a sliding scale $650-$1850 USD; payment plans available for all tiers without incurring additional fees. Reach out if you have any questions.

And of course, you can also get more info about Brooke and Tristan on their websites: brooke-monaghan.com and katz-creative.com

+Episode Transcript

At this point most entrepreneurs and service-based business owners are familiar with the significance of content marketing, and yet many of might be wondering wtf is working as far as content marketing in 2024? (Seems to be an ongoing theme on the podcast, huh?!)

The truth is there are different types of content marketing, and the success of these different types of content should be evaluated according to different metrics. The other truth is, surprise, Instagram isn’t the Answer to all effective content marketing!

Topics discussed:

- The value of clarifying your business model, positioning, and messaging so you can create a content strategy that truly works.

- Understanding that the point of content marketing is to generate business income, and to go beyond simply selling—content marketing is most optimal when it provides evidence of the fact that you can actually do what you claim to do in your work!

- The importance of creating content that Introduces, Nurtures, and Converts, and then understanding which places to share which types of content (i.e. Instagram might not be the ideal conversion platform, but perhaps it’s great for nurturing your audience!).

- Rethinking marketing beyond social media and creating an aligned Marketing Ecosystem.

- Making content with more ease and the value of repurposing (with purpose), particularly in relationship to building trust and strengthening our “brands.”

…and more.

People & resources mentioned:

Marketing Ecosystem PDF

Michelle Cassandra Johnson

Meg Casebolt

Meg’s free SEO training on joinfruition.com

Tanya Geisler

Interested in learning more about the topics we’re exploring on the podcast? Join us for BIZ CAMP!

BIZ CAMP is a 4-week intensive program focusing on essential business concepts for entrepreneurs and service-based business owners so we can create strategies that will truly shift with the ever-evolving landscape of online business.

In Fall Biz Camp, we’ll talk: Positioning, Messaging, Offers & Business Models, Equitable Pricing, and so much more.

We start September 5th and meet Thursdays and Saturdays. Registration is offered on a sliding scale $650-$1850 USD; payment plans available for all tiers without incurring additional fees. Reach out if you have any questions.

And of course, you can also get more info about Brooke and Tristan on their websites: brooke-monaghan.com and katz-creative.com

+Episode Transcript