[TRANSCRIPT]

0:00:00 - (SAM): Hello. Hello. And I'm back. I'm here with another episode of the More Than Mom podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Cook and we are breaking down the three tools I can't live without. Because you know, I don't like to gatekeep, I like to share the things that work well for me. And so we're gonna jump right in. If you're wondering what drives my business, well, here you go, you're about to find it out. These are the tools that help me the most. Like, don't get me wrong, this isn't the exhaustive list, but these are the main three that I use the most often to make the magic happen.

0:00:37 - (SAM): I know that's cliche, but whatever, it's okay. So the first one I use is HoneyBook, this is my CRM. So this is a customer relationship management software. So if you don't have one of those, you should have some form of CRM to help you keep in contact with your clients, things like that, so you can keep them within your sales cycle. This platform has helped me create an automated onboarding system. So once somebody books an inquiry with me, I have a call with them and then I can just literally place them into queue of like, oh, this is what they need.

0:01:19 - (SAM): And then all I have to do is let the emails run, let them sign their contract, let them pay their fees however they're going to pay it. And then also fill out their intake form. So that gives me the exhaustive materials of everything that I need for their website and a place to book two weeks out so we can have a mid check in call so that way they can see what I've been working on. And that way if we need to fine tune anything, we can move in that direction.

0:01:49 - (SAM): But basically this just helps me because then I don't have to remember, oh, I need to send that email. Oh, I need to do this, oh, I need to do that. This breaks it all down for me and it's all automated. This was one of my first investments because this is always a big one for me, is like the automation process. If I can get things automated, I'm going to do it. That's just how it works. I'm going to automate those things and so I definitely try to make sure that that is the best way that I can continue to retain customers.

0:02:26 - (SAM): Because once they moved out of the working stage, like I'm finished with their website, then they get put in like a post follow up. They continue to get emails from me, drips check ins tips, things like that to help grow their business opportunities for new things, new freebies, anything like that. So that way I can continue to be on their mind because what's the one thing that is super helpful is like not only do we want to get more customers, but we want to retain more customers.

0:02:59 - (SAM): It's never a one and done thing with people. It's like we want to continue to be on their mind. We want them to continue to refer business to us. So just know that it's not about making just the sale. It's about making them a lifetime customer and a customer that stays, that pays, and that refers, and that is how you grow your business. Okay? So, number two, my next tool I can't live without is Canva.

0:03:29 - (SAM): Because Canva is fantastic. You do not have to be a graphic designer because it has changed so much. I've been using Canva since 2016 when it first came out. And guys, I pay for the pro version of Canva. It's like $14 a month after tax or whatever. It's like 1299 or something. So it comes out to like $14 anyways. It's 100% worth it. I will always, for the rest of my life pay for Canva just because of how great it is. And so this is one of my most used platforms. That's how I make all my freebies, that's how I make all my graphics, all my carousels, things like that. Canva is the winner of taking care of me and that type of thing.

0:04:13 - (SAM): I also use it to make my paid content, too, because it does look so nice and professional. So you can use it to make freebies, you can make it to use paid content. So, definitely a great platform, especially for newbies. It is always going to help you. It has lots of you can set up your brand kit. I know I do. That is where I can just plug and play my colors, my fonts, my images, my logos. I don't have to think so hard about it. All I have to usually do is go in, just make it look a little more, just fine tune a few things. Because I'm not just like a template kind of gal. I need to fine tune a little things.

0:04:54 - (SAM): So I usually just have to go in, change the words, and take care of that stuff. But that's literally usually the worst of it. Saves me so much time. But number three is WordPress. Yes, it is. Good old WordPress is my favorite platform for websites. I'm not saying that you can't use things like wix and squarespace and stuff like that, but I am definitely a WordPress lady and I will hold on to that till the day I die. Just because it just has so many integrations, plugin options, all that kind of stuff.

0:05:31 - (SAM): So that way I don't have to worry about what's going to work with what as well as it is also a better decision for long term strategy and things like that, because it can be optimized with blogs for SEO. I know you can do blogs on other platforms, but it's a lot harder to do the SEO, which is search engine optimization, basically. So Google can crawl your website and see your keywords and things like that. So when people search for certain things, that you have a better chance of coming up.

0:06:07 - (SAM): And so for me, is like the options that I have with a WordPress website. I have a really great builder that makes it really easy for my clients to go back in and change the wording or change pictures or whatever. It makes it really easy for them to use, so that way they don't have to mess with all the other stuff. I would say WordPress is a total win for me because of the creative freedoms that I definitely enjoy price wise.

0:06:40 - (SAM): I believe it's like 300 for the year, so it's less than $30 a month for having that SEO, for having the place to store downloads. I can have as many landing pages as I want to on my website, so it's not really an issue with that. And it's built to see that kind of volume and that kind of platform that they are prepared for when large amounts of traffic come to your website. So that's definitely something that I highly recommend to my clients, so that way they can be set up for success in the long run.

0:07:20 - (SAM): I do keep my digital products in there so people can click here to download, and things like that integrates very well with MailChimp as well, which is a great option for emails, all that good jazz. But that is the top three things that I use that make a huge difference in my business. Like I said, it's not an exhaustive list, but those are the top three that make my business run. And so just let me know on Instagram, all that kind of stuff. Let me know which ones you think would benefit you, and if you have any questions when I talk about building your business in a box, like building your business for just, like, a set fee, these are things I look into.

0:08:08 - (SAM): I have a really great virtual assistant who set up my onboarding, and she's incredible. So if you need more information on how to set up your onboarding system and create that, she's definitely your gal, I can get you her information. She's wonderful. But these are my marketing tools. These are the customer retention things that I have put in place so that way I can build, scale, and grow. And should anyone ever want to take over, they can literally like, here you go, here's my stuff.

0:08:37 - (SAM): So that way it's also got an exit strategy to it, too. So I hope you guys found this really helpful. I know it was a little more technical episode, but sometimes we need the technicalities of things that we utilize so that way you can go out, be more successful. I'm not saying that anything you have is wrong currently. Like, if you don't use WordPress, I'm not holding anything against you. It's just something I prefer.

0:09:02 - (SAM): These platforms help me serve people in the best capacity for my personality, for my clients, for the things that I'm trying to accomplish. Maybe that's not the case with yours, and that's perfectly okay. We're all just trying to find what works best for us. I know there's multiple platforms. There's different things for different people, and I'm totally here for that. But if you're wanting to know what I use because you feel like I've got my stuff together, well then great, go ahead and go for it, because I definitely want to share. I don't want to gatekeep. I want to help more people do the things that they can.

0:09:40 - (SAM): I mean, guys, I'm a Google Sheets kind of gal, too. There's nothing crazy to what I'm doing here is I try to keep it simple. I try to do as many things in one place as possible because I don't need 42 different logins all over the place. I'm just trying to make this simple for Sam so that way she doesn't get distracted. And if you need it very all in one place, too, these are great options for you.

0:10:09 - (SAM): And just look around. Ask people ask people what they love about what they're using, and it's going to help you figure out what you want for your business. I have friends who use different things. They pay more for it. Maybe their business supports more. Maybe they're open to spending more on things. These work within my budget. They're what I'm willing to pay for what I need done. So hope you guys enjoyed this very technical episode.

0:10:34 - (SAM): If you have any questions, need any more information, DM me on Instagram at digital underscore, abundance underscore or build your brand with Sam. I will love to communicate with you, love to help you, love to answer questions. Like I said, if you want to get in on our more than moms group that I'm breaking down these technicalities, breaking down how to set up your email, marketing, all that kind of stuff, definitely that's the group you're going to want to be in. I'll link it in the comments so you can go get set up in there. And we cannot wait to see you next time. Bye.