The Kara Report | Online Marketing Tips and Candid Business Conversations

The word strategy feels overused these days but how do we know if we're just marketing by accident? And if we know that we're just kind of winging it, how do we stop? I've brought Tayler from Enji to talk all about what a REAL marketing strategy looks like, and how we as small businesses can actually use one to grow our businesses without losing our minds in the process. 🎙️ In This...

I know as entrepreneurs it can sometimes be so easy to fall off the bandwagon during the summer. That's why today, I'm sharing three pretty low effort, high impact things I want you to focus on this summer. And don't worry, I am practicing what I preach here, because I will be implementing these things in my own business as well! Let's all focus on creating a summer marketing p...

Are you stuck in a feast or famine marketing cycle where sometimes there’s too much work and other times it feels like your email must not be working? Today, I want to help you explore a new marketing strategy that will take you from feast or famine marketing to consistent , high-quality leads. Don't worry - you've got this! 🎙️ In This Episode: Why you're struggling to get out of fe...

As a small business owner, your success depends on your ability to attract customers and stand out from the competition. One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating headlines that actually grab the reader’s attention and entice them to explore your content further (whether that content is coming from a reel, blog, Youtube video, or podcast!). 🎙️ In This Episode: 6 Tips for writing bet...

 Today, I want to talk about something new that's happening on Pinterest. Pinterest is giving more and more accounts the ability to claim their Instagram (again - since we used to be able to do this in the past). But what do we do with it once it's claimed? Should we be auto-posting our Instagram posts to Pinterest? Should we be repurposing our content? We're going to cover all of t...

Trying very hard to come up with unique ways to say things so that you don't sound like everyone else in your industry? While I do think there is merit to that, the truth is that I made more money when I STOPPED trying to be a unique little snowflake and instead focused on exactly what my audience was looking for (and using THEIR words to write my content and copy). 🎙️ In This Episode: 2 Reas...

Have you been feeling frustrated with the 'Gram lately? I know every single one of you are probably raising your hand right now. That is EXACTLY why I brought Ashley Watkins onto the podcast today. If you've been following me for a while, you know, I have had a love/hate relationship with Instagram. Like I am sure everybody else has. Should we be doing what Meta recommends now? As an OG...

Do you ever wonder what people who have more successful businesses are doing? I know I always swipe through on carousels and listen to episodes like this, and often it's the same kind of things, like "they're consistent", "they charge their worth", kind of basic advice like that. This episode is not like that. Instead, I have gathered 11 things that I genuinely see pe...

Do inconsistent revenue months stress you out? If so, you are not alone. Most of us are dealing with inconsistent revenue months. And it can be stressful AF. Even in my own business (where a majority of my clients are on monthly retainers), I still deal with inconsistency in the number of VIP days booked, or in my wedding business during "busy season". That was one of the reasons I broug...

So you're trying to hit a specific word count on WordPress or on your blog. But how do you do it without adding in a ton of fluff? Today, we're going to talk about how to make blog posts longer without filling them with garbage. Make sure to listen to the end to hear my thoughts on (or shall I say rant on) "SEO being dead" and the new Google algorithm. Let's get into it. 🎙...

How do we go from keywords to conversions? That is the infamous question. How do we rank on Google in a way that will not only get us found, but also get us paid? You guys know I am passionate about this, but today on the podcast, I actually have brought on someone who might be even more passionate than I am to start breaking down SEO. I have brought you Mariah, an award-winning organic SEO consul...

Everybody is short on time, whether it's you writing the blog post or your ideal client reading the blog post, nobody wants anything to take any longer than it absolutely has to, right? So today, I'm going to share three blogging hacks that will make it easier for you to write your blog post (and make your posts more digestible for your ideal client to read it). Because let's be hon...

Have you ever felt like achieving the next revenue milestone or booking a certain number of projects would solve all your problems? I brought on Alane, who shares her experience of having her best year in business when she booked 93 weddings but still felt burned out. It’s crazy to think about 93 weddings, but I can really relate to the idea that more money, work, and clients don’t necessarily fix...

Even after seven years in business, I still sometimes think of branding as this intangible thing. We know we need it to stand out. Nobody is disputing that good design and strategic branding for service providers has a strong ROI. It's been proven over and over again, and yet it's still something that I feel a lot of business owners—who are not designers, have questions about. It's...

 Today I have a fun episode! I was recently planning my toddler's 2-year-old birthday and obviously the first place I went is Pinterest. I don't think that's a surprise to anyone, and I kind of was just really nerdily thinking about my buying decisions, what my natural user behaviors are, and that kind of stuff. So as I was planning and shopping, I gathered seven things we need to r...

Melissa brought REAL data and numbers in this episode, where she shared exactly what running ads in 2024 looks like, the buzzwords that aren't working anymore, and how we can better set realistic expectations when it comes to how fast things will work (and how much it will cost!). I absolutely loved this conversation and I can't wait to share it here today! 🎙️ In This Episode: What a goo...

I think I literally jumped for joy when Candice Coppola agreed to be a guest on the podcast. To know her is to love her, she's an author, podcast host , business coach, and entrepreneur who believes that you shouldn't have to do business (or happy hour) alone.  In this interview, we talked about her omni-channel marketing approach, what it is, how she views marketing differently, how she...

Have you ever had a difficult client? Have you ever got stuck in your head and spent more time thinking about the client and how you can make them happy than you did actually doing the work? Have you ever had a bad day that was caused by someone not absolutely loving what you created for them? Today's episode is for you. It's going to be, I want to say a little more vulnerable and a litt...

What's the point of blogging if you're not being found on Google? Okay, I am obviously a blogging stan, so I could go on and on about the benefits of blogging beyond SEO, but the truth is SEO is probably the biggest reason you're reading this right now. After all, you want to be found on Google. That's kind of the whole point. Today we're going to talk about blogging and u...

2024 is going to be all about the little tweaks we can make in our business that create a bigger impact. Don't you agree? I am so tired of the "burn it all down", of the create a course, then create a membership, then do this, then do that. Even though that has been great and has definitely served us for a season (let's ignore the fact that we're all burnt out and half of...

I'm in marketing, but I don't specialize in Instagram marketing strategy. Today, I wanted to bring you guys my biz bestie turned real life bestie, Laura Milroy Media to spill the dirt on what we should be doing and what we need to know about social media strategy in 2024. In this episode, she shares her 4Cs of conversion, what we should be doing with B-roll, how we can become better stor...

 Are you marketing like matcha or like coffee? Hear me out on this one. I've recently switched to matcha in the afternoons over coffee (and if you know me, I am a huge coffee drinker!) because I find that it helps me overcome the afternoon slump. And it had me thinking (don't judge me - I'm in marketing), but there is a big difference between matcha and coffee and in a lot of ways i...

If you've been looking to grow a strong personal brand as a service based business (or a multi-passionate entrepreneur), this interview is for YOU. Sarah Beau is a branding photographer based in Calgary in Canada. She's fabulous. She did my own branding photography a few years ago and over the past few years, I have become a loyal member of her "cult following" on Instagram. Sh...

We are ONE week into 2024, and I don't know about you, but it feels like everybody is ready just to start a mutiny against Instagram. Everyone is sharing their goals, their marketing efforts, what they're focusing on, what they're calling in, all of that fun stuff, and hustling on Instagram is NOT it. In this episode, we're going to be talking about PINTEREST marketing (because...

I'm an admittedly awkward person, which is funny because I work in marketing. If you're also an introvert who prefers not to show up on Instagram stories (or do a daily search for faceless Instagram reels ideas), this episode is for you. As a fellow introvert, I understand the struggle more than you know. Creating content and being social takes a lot of energy for me, which I don't...