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6 things you can do to get ready for Christmas RIGHT NOW

 

6 things you can do for Christmas RIGHT NOWChristmas really is coming. We’re probably just days away from hearing Mariah or Slade on the radio… and yet some brands are very badly prepared for Christmas. But don’t worry, I’m here to help!

6 things you can do to get ready for Christmas RIGHT NOW

Christmas is a big time of year for many retailers with profit made over the next few months carrying them over into Winter, and yet, there’s the tenancy to be a bit last minute about it all, isn’t there?

On this episode of the podcast I share six things you can do right now to help your business grow and thrive during the festive season. I hope you find it useful… it’s a good one!

Some of these are time consuming, some not so much, but all are free at an entry level, so there’s no excuse not to get cracking!

  1. Make a plan. Whether you like to make plans on paper or the computer, make a plan. I’m a fan on planning with pen and paper, but you do you! You can use a smart and snazzy planner, or you can head over to Google and print off a month to view. Think of the key dates for you. Things like Black Friday, last order dates, last postage dates, write them all down. This will then help you to see what you’re aiming for and when and it can help you to plan your content to let people know what’s happening and when too. If you’re a brand ambassador, reach out to your brands. If you want to be a good brand ambassador (and who wants to be any other type, right?), make sure you reach out to the brands you work with and ask them what they’re up to and how you can help them achieve their goals.
  2. Get the dates.  If you’re working with magazines and websites, reach out to them and find out when their deadline are. And please, please, comply with the guidelines any magazine or website details. If someone asks for 50 words, supply them with 50 words. There are NO prizes for sending 1000 words. Actually, quite the opposite, you probably won’t be picked…
  3. Strategic gifting. Think who you may like to gift products to on the run up to Christmas. These might be influencers or even customers. However, do the work now. Make sure you’ve identified who you might like to work with, do the research, then reach out and start to get people ‘booked’ in so you can start to formulate a plan.
  4. Grow your mailing list. If you haven’t got a mailing list- NOW IS THE TIME TO START. If you have a mailing list, then put some time into building this and really thinking about the value that you can offer to people, to help incentivise more sign ups. Also plan when you’ll be emailing your people, and what you’ll be contacting them about.
  5. Collateral. Start working on your images, videos. graphics and the other marketing collateral that you can create ahead of time. This means that when things get really busy on the run up to the big day, you’ll have all your imagery ready to go, which will be SO useful for you. Trust me on this.
  6. Your own content. Make sure you’ve spent some time on your own content. Your own blogs, gift guides, etc etc. It’s important we take part in the guides of others, but it’s also vital we make our own content too.

Are you ready?

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

 

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Safety and equestrian standards with Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA

Claire Williams BETA

The second Summer of Safety podcast with the British Equestrian Trade Association is here, and today we’re chatting all about safety (obviously!), standards, fitting and lots more too.

Safety and equestrian standards with Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA

On this episode, I caught up with Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA, to chat all about the standards that apply to riding hats and body protectors. We also chat about the importance of a good fit and why buying online can make hat and body protector fitting a challenge.

To find out more about the British Equestrian Trade Association, see the website here, or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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Really easy Reels

Reels have been in the social media news a lot of late, and whilst many people like watching them, creating them can be a bit of a time consuming chore.

Really easy Reels


And yet, if you try and shun these short-form video snippets, the chances are that you’ll be losing out on reach and getting your message and content out to the people you really want to see it.

So what can you do? On today’s podcast, I talk you through some really simple, fast Reels ideas that anyone can do in moments. I promise.

Are they going to be as good as the incredibly timed masterpieces we see on the accounts of influencers whose job it is to create content? They’ll be different to these, and that’s fine too. But through using the tools inside the app and changing your thoughts from ‘no, I don’t want to’ to ‘how can I make this work for me?’, you have a much (much) greater chance of Reel success and Instagram growth.

How to create Reels in next to no time…

  • Check out Templates on Reels. Templates allow you to take your Reels to the next level without spending hours and hours trying to get every single transition in the right place in time with the music.
  • Gather content during your day to show a process. Set up your phone and get it to film something during the day or during a process. You can then speed it up for Reels.
  • Reels don’t have to be videos! An easy way of doing Reels is to use images, or use an image and then add timed text for that dynamic element.
  • Find trending sounds and use these over relevant videos. Really easy and very effective.

 

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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#ad #spon #aff … let’s talk labels and influencer marketing

Oh, this is one of the most requested podcasts, so I am delighted to be able to bring you a podcast all about labelling your sponsored/gifted/affiliate linked content. This is a MUST listen for anyone who is or would like to be an influencer. It’s really important…

#ad #spon #aff … let’s talk labels and influencer marketing

This is a subject that is a constant point of annoyance for me, which makes being able to share more about it so important. Be clear- I know that everyone makes mistakes and everyone needs to learn- but when I see repeat ‘offenders’ who really should know better at the same time as seeing others really scared to do the wrong thing, well, it just doesn’t sit well me me at all. So hopefully, this podcast- the information within it and the addition resources available mentioned- should really help those who want to do the right thing.

I do understand that it can be really confusing, but I always refer people to the guide available on the ASA’s (Advertising Standards Authority) website that helps talk people through it all. So I reached out to the people over at the ASA and I’m really thrilled to say that they have listened to this podcast and have said they’re happy with the content. Why did I do this? Because it’s so important to me that everything is as accurate as it can be. I want you to listen, learn, check out all the free resources and no longer be confused about what to label your content (when you need to, of course).

This is a podcast for influencers- yes- but it’s a podcast for anyone who has ambitions to be an influencer, who receives free products or payments (but maybe doesn’t see themselves as an influencer), and also brands. Yes, brands, I’m talking to you. It’s really important you know how this works too.

We need to be doing a better job of labelling content correctly. I see so, so many examples of incorrect and misleading ads. We need to do better. And this podcast should help.

Some key points to remember about labels and influencer marketing

  • If you want your audience to trust you, label things correctly. People need to know when they’re being sold to.
  • There is a code that relates to influencer marketing. Get familiar with it but don’t fear it.
  • It’s against the law if an ad isn’t clearly identifiable.
  • Don’t promote something as unbiased and generic when you’ve been incentivised to do it. This could be because you’ve been paid to say it or even if the product has been gifted.
  • ‘Payment’ isn’t just money. Payment is also the loan of a product, a free trip, or a gifted item.
  • Any payment needs to be disclosed. Affiliate links also fall into this category.
  • Ads must be really easy to understand and clear. This means putting your ad label upfront- on social, the front of your caption. The first word.
  • You don’t have to use the word ‘ad’, but there’s more information in this guide about what words can be used, and some that you might want to avoid.
  • If the label isn’t easy to understand for a normal person, that’s not a good one to use.
  • If the label is hidden at the end of the caption, that’s not advised as it’s not clear.
  • You can get help if you’re stuck- check the guidelines PDF here, but you can also find info relating to the copy advice line and more.
  • Make it clear. Always. If you take nothing away from this podcast or blog, please let that be to make it clear. Read the guidelines here.

 

And remember, when we, as consumers, see people labelling ads as ads, can we support them? If it’s something that creator is passionate about, shouldn’t we be supporting them anyway? Don’t not react or engage because something is an ad!

 

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Bringing girl power to the equestrian space with Equitas

Equitas

Equitas is more than a brand, it’s a movement, created to empower, support and help women thrive and grow in the equine industry.

Bringing girl power to the equestrian space with Equitas


I was delighted to receive a message from Small & Supercharged Podcast veteran, Masterminder and all round good egg @sarahelebert_eventing about a movement she was the co founder of, @equitaseire. The whole idea behind Equitas is to empower and support women in the equestrian space… and how could I say no to that message coming on the podcast? Exactly. And Sarah, along with @shanemcsocial are guests on this episode.

Equitas is run by four fabulous people- Sarah Elebert, Sarah Campbell, Michael O’Flynn and Shane McCarthy. I had the pleasure of speaking to Shane and Sarah Elebert all about the idea behind Equitas, the vision for the future, and the HUGE amount of support this movement has had since it launched a few short weeks ago.

To support and empower, Equitas distributes amazing content from contributors from all over the UK and beyond. It’s a really exciting movement to follow. And here we find out all about it!

I was honoured (and then some) to be selected as the mentor of the month in a recent issue. It was great to be featured in such a great movement. I can’t wait to contribute to the publication in the future too! Make sure you find out more about them, sign up, and have a look at the latest issue over on the Equitas website.

P.S – If you want to listen to Sarah, you can see her interview here, you can also tune into a classic Podmas episode featuring Sarah.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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Are you a pinner? Pinning content on Instagram

Do you pin? You might pin on Facebook, but did you know that you can also pin on Instagram too?

Are you a pinner? Pinning content on Instagram


What’s a pin? This Instagram functionality means that content creators like you can pin three posts of their choice to the top of their Instagram grid.

Why is this a good thing? Is it useful? Is it the best thing since sliced bread? Or maybe not?! I’m on the fence at the time of recording, so I chat through the pros and cons of pinning on Instagram. What do you think?

Why is pinning on Instagram a good idea?

As I see it, pinning content to the top of your Instagram feed can be a good idea if there are really poignant posts that you’ve shared that you don’t want to get ‘lost’ as you add more content. Maybe it shows something you’ve achieved that you’re really proud of? Or explains why you do what you? From a business point of view maybe it’s your origin story or another form of content that helps to sell your business and ethos? Across the three pinned posts, you could share quite a lot. I’ve seen people pin all manner of content to the top of their feeds, but what’s common about everything I’ve seen is that it’s obviously really important to the creator.

Why is pinning on Instagram a bad idea?

I wouldn’t necessarily say pinning is ever a bad idea, but the main reason I think it’s something to properly consider is that this pinned content could become out of date quickly (if not regularly updated). It could also give people a false impression about how often you update social media if they head to these pinned posts rather than your most recent content.

Whether or not you decide to pin is, obviously, completely up to you. And luckily you can try and test different ideas to see what works the best for you. I’d love to know how you get on and what you decide to do! Let me know over on my @rheafreemanpr Instagram.

P.S- if you’re a business and you’re looking to do more with your Instagram and used paid for tools, do check out my #SheMeansBusiness podcast all about Instagram promotions in five steps. It’s a good one!

 

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Winning medals, OBEs and ableism with Natasha Baker OBE

Natasha Baker OBE

Image by Jo Hansford

Natasha Baker OBE is well known for her riding prowess, having brought home medals on her debut appearance at any Paralympics in London 2012, something added to at Rio and Tokyo. But do you know how Natasha started riding? How her attitude and focus allowed her to get to where she is today? Or why she wouldn’t hold Sir Lee Pearson’s medal(!)?

Winning medals, OBEs and ableism with Natasha Baker OBE

 

On this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, Natasha shares her journey from where her passion with horses started to going down the centre line in London. We also talk about sponsors and support, social media, ableism and disability, and Natasha shares some really great insight and tips around this, based on experiences she’s had.

This is an incredibly uplifting listen- Natasha’s bubbly personality and enthusiasm is infectious. Enjoy!

I’ve followed Natasha’s journey for a long time, and it was a complete joy to have her on the podcast talking all things horse. She’s a true inspiration and her honesty and passion for dressage and everything she does comes over so well on this podcast and on her social media and in other interviews she does. I would strong recommend you give Natasha a follow in all the places. I’ve added her website, Instagram and Facebook links below to make it easy for you to follow her and her journey. And if you want to look at Natasha’s stunning wedding pics (which we walked about on the podcast too), you can have a look at Natasha and Marc’s pics on Hello’s website!

Find out more about Natasha on…

Instagram

Facebook

On the Natasha Baker OBE website

Stunning image used with permission of Jo Hansford Photography.

P.S – If you want to find out more about why riders need to use social media, you might want to have a listen to this podcast here. Enjoy!

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How to pick the social media platforms for you

How to pick the social media platforms for you

Ever wondered how to pick the social media platforms for you and your business? It can be incredibly overwhelming to work out where you should be on social media. There’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Clubhouse and more emerging all the time. But where should you start? How can you decide? That’s what we’re talking about today.

How to pick the social media platforms for you


On this episode, I go through how to assess the platforms, think about your audience, work through content styles, and compare these elements and more to create an order for where you need to focus.

When you feel you should be everywhere (or maybe you are!), it can have a negative impact on you being able to make a real impression anywhere. It’s important to grow, look at new markets and grow your social media presence, but if you’re so overwhelmed you don’t know where to start and aren’t dedicating enough time to anywhere to give you the maximum chance of success, you need to revisit and realign your strategy. And this podcast should help.

All at sea with social media?

Fear not – if you’d like some extra help with social media, promoting your brand and growing your business in general, then make sure you check out the Small & Supercharged Mastermind Group. This amazing membership group brings together the most brilliant group of small business superstars dedicated to growing their business and thriving. Want to find out more? Find out all about Small & Supercharged Mastermind here.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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All about Bolesworth with Nina Barbour

nina barbour bolesworth

The Dodson & Horrell Bolesworth International Horse Show is just two weeks away, so what better time to catch up with Nina Barbour to talk about all things Bolesworth.

All about Bolesworth with Nina Barbour

Nina shares how Bolesworth came to be, from her grandfather’s passion for dairy farming through to the International showjumping spectacular that is fast approaching. Nina also talks about her passion for showjumping and how being a competitor herself helps her keep her finger on the pulse, the riders competing, the attractions available to ensure that Bolesworth provides something for all the family, and so much more.

We also chat about safety- something that is very close to Nina’s heart and a cause she’s passionate to champion to help keep grooms and riders a whole lot safer. We speak about how BETA’s Safety Hub is also part of this.

To find out more about Bolesworth and the Dodson & Horrell Bolesworth International Horse Show, see the website here. You can also keep up with what’s going on from the equestrian side of things at Bolesworth by following the dedicated equestrian Instagram and Facebook page.

 

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

 

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#SheMeansBusiness – Getting Creative: Build Your Brand

shemeansbusiness

As you may or may not know, I’m a #SheMeansBusiness Accredited Trainer. This is a programme run by Meta and powered by Enterprise Nation in the UK and Ireland, and I’m delighted to be able to share this training as a podcast to help you get more creative and build your brand through Facebook, Instagram… and beyond!

#SheMeansBusiness – Getting Creative: Build Your Brand

On this podcast, I’m going to share tips and tricks around building your brand through social media with lots of branding points to help your brand identity stay as cohesive online as it is offline. We’ll also look at your brand’s values, its purpose, and the connection between customer, creative and copy.

To round off, we’ll look at advertising vs. organic content alongside the mix of engaging, exciting and educational posts it’s good for a brand to share across its social media platforms.

For more information on #SheMeansBusiness campaign, see https://www.enterprisenation.com/campaigns/she-means-business/

If you want to find out more about Enterprise Nation and the free training available from #SheMeansBusiness and beyond, head over to the Enterprise Nation website here, and/or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

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