Morgan Ratcliffe’s Post

Me: "Consistency in your marketing efforts is the most important thing!" Also me: *Disappears from social media for a month* 🙈🙈🙈 I never meant to be the "Do as I say, not as I do" person. But life really got in the way this past month, so my own social media presence took a backseat. I know this is a common struggle for small business owners. As an entrepreneur, you might also be your business' bookkeeper, human resources rep, head of operations, salesperson, and so many other roles. Your marketing and promotion probably get put on the back burner a lot, too. Even though I deprioritized my own marketing, I should be clear that my client work did not fall by the wayside. Here's why: 1. Starting with the obvious: they are paying clients. I am contracted to provide these services. I keep those written commitments and my word. 2. I batch create content for my social media clients. This typically looks like planning out posts for the month, getting their approval, and then scheduling out all that content. 3. The clients who hire me for social media marketing services also hire me for social media management. This requires me to check in on their social accounts every day for new comments, messages, and mentions, as well as to spend time scrolling through their feeds and engaging with other accounts on their behalf. This daily check-in is, of course, a reminder that the accounts exist and that they need constant maintenance and attention. 4. I also provide monthly analytics reports to my social media clients. Without consistent posts and engagement, I certainly can't expect to have good numbers to show them. And if I can't prove that their content is performing or their presence is growing, I can't expect them to keep hiring me, renewing contracts, or referring me. If I had treated my own business like a client this past month, I never would have put posting on pause. My goal moving forward is to treat Evergreen Marketing just as I would any other client. 😬 Hold me accountable! Do you struggle to stay consistent with your marketing? Let's talk! #digitalmarketing #consistentmarketing #postingschedule #scheduledpost #socialmediamarketing #socialmediamanagement #evergreenmarketing #evergreenmarketingma #smallbusinessmarketing #entrepreneurlife #busybusinessowner #practicewhatyoupreach #contentbatching #socialmediaengagement

On this day 3 years ago, I was sat in a college dorm room contemplating starting a company with my brother. We were young, naive, with no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Yet that naivety allowed us to build the multi-six-figure marketing agency we run today. But it also caused us to overlook many things. If I was starting again today, here are 4 things I’d do differently: 1️⃣ Ask for help sooner Up until 9 months ago, we’d taken virtually 0 advice from anyone. Today, we have 3-4 people we seek advice from weekly. If we had that from the start, life would have been much easier. 2️⃣ Pay Less Attention To Trends Many times, we’ve fallen into the trap of adjusting our approach based on what others were doing. Today, we have our approach and we stick to it. 3️⃣ Map Out Employee Onboarding Our first few hires got thrown in the deep end. It was… - Here’s what we do. - Here’s how we want you to do it. - Here’s the clients you’ll be working with. Thankfully, they learned quick. But it could have cost us. 4️⃣ Build A Results Page There is no better marketing than just showing your results. It took us 12+ months to have a results page. I’d hate to know how much business we lost out on because of that delay. —— Honestly, if I could go back I wouldn’t change a thing. Every error led to a major lesson. But boy do I wish I’d realised these 4 things sooner! Hope this can help someone else learn from our mistakes :)

Who am I to tell a CMO with 20 years experience - they can do better? Yo, 20 years ago I lived for the weekends.  Friday and Saturdays for dancing Sundays sobering up only to be planning what to wear the next night out - on Monday. (it had to be something I didn't wear at least 5 weekends) What do I know when it comes to marketing 20 years ago? Back then, half my paychecks went on shoes  (every pair - a different color) and the other half on who knows what… What could I possibly advise a CMO who was working their a$$ off while I was shaking mine all over town? The answer is - PLENTY. My marketing game started 7 years ago, by accident. I wanted to write for others.  Started with +1500 blog pieces for 29 clients. Studied copywriting, by rewriting sales copy that resonated the most.  (in my notebook, yo, I ain’t no thief) Practiced, failed, tried again, failed, tried again hired help, practiced again …no results come from stagnating. That was the last thing I wanted to do - stagnate. And those 20 years experience CMOs did just that. Stayed in the times they were most successful holding onto their methods like a life-raft missing the marketing evolution. And now I show them and their teams an easier way. Not because I had it easy or because I figured out a way to make everyone happy and sh*t ton of money. But because I witnessed marketing evolution  being right in the middle of it as it happened. My business suffered from: - crappy website - like horrible - no agenda, no aim, no attention - lack of focus due to dopamine rush - inconsistency and unclarity - susceptibility and survived against all odds. Last week was 3 years I became a solo biz person and if there’s anything I’m certain about,  is I’m not letting this thing go. If you’re not figuring Linkedin out it’s the outdated marketing tactics you’re using And getting business attention online was never easier.  By content alone. So, DM me before you quit and let’s work on your offer/service the way it was meant to be. In real time. *** Stella Šakić from 15 years ago picking up her favorite table at her favorite club

We cut a client's advertising CPL by 82%. How? We tested a new LinkedIn ad format. There's no secret sauce. For our clients, we.. 1. Stay alert on platform updates. 2. Build the case. 3. Deploy and watch. 4. Learn and share. Sounds easy, right? Not quite. It takes alignment, capacity, and consistency. When you do, it can become the compound interest of marketing wins. If you're not collecting those learns, you get stuck in the "should've" zone, while your competitors are collecting "we've achieved" badges. Now, if you're a marketing leader, you're probably thinking, "I don't have time for this." You're swamped with strategy, hiring, management, and the endless dance of office politics. But you've got two plays 1. Got a star player? Give them the reins. 2. No internal fits? Hire from the outside. If you've got the right person, promoting internally or hiring in-house could be your move. They can lead the charge or mentor others. Not ready to go all in? An external hire like a consultant or an agency like ours might be your best bet. Plus, consider an audit. It's like a turbocharge for your strategy without the full-time commitment. Sound like you? Click the link below. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gCSrNagk

As an overthinker, I have overthought this post and whether or not to post it. As you can see, I posted it, although I will undoubtedly overthink that decision too. Since going out on my own, I've used LinkedIn as a way to share things of value, and I will continue with that now. I'm not one to talk about myself, but as I tell clients, it is tough to sell a secret, so I will apply that to myself and my available time. Someone told me last week, "You've picked a terrible time to leave a well-paying job and go out on your own." We can all agree that it is tough out there for businesses, marketers, agencies, and freelancers right now. These more challenging times are what swayed me to share this post. My available time shouldn't be a secret, as I'd love to fill it up working with good people who value good thinking and want to do bloody good work together. In good times and challenging times, it pays to think soundly and apply the best understanding, knowledge, and wisdom to create an actionable strategy focused on effectiveness. I've been part of Cannes Lion-winning campaigns, Effies, Effies Grand Prix, Effies Sustained Success-winning campaigns, and Axis and Beacon-winning campaigns. I have taught marketing and strategy for the Comms Council and UC Business School and taught courses for clients' marketing teams. I have a full-day Marketing Masterclass course ready to go, too, for those marketing teams that would benefit from it. The course promises a sound understanding of what makes for effective marketing and how to apply it to your business and marketing team. I fully appreciate that given the old Ehrenberg-Bass 95/5 rule; most of you who read this won't need me right now, but if you do, let me know. Since I started on my own, many people have told me that you must use your network to find opportunities, so here goes. If you need help with brand, marketing, campaign strategy or team training and development, I'm here to help. Whether for a few hours, a day, a few days, a week, or a month, I'm ready to lend my passion and expertise. I have some time. Thank you.

Holding my hands up… March was a slow month for me. I had 2 sales calls, 1 which converted - but a lot less calls than usual. My profile and content views were down and so were my warm leads. And I knew exactly why. I hadn’t been practising what I preach and put my own marketing on the back burner. As long as all clients are looked after, it’s easy to put your own projects on tomorrow’s to do list… but tomorrow's list never ends up being tomorrow 😂 And that’s the NUMBER ONE thing I always say to clients and potential on-boarders – you need to make sure you don’t neglect your own marketing. I slacked on: > Brainstorming new ideas > Executing our proven process > Planning and structuring posts for each week > Turning ideas into well written engaging content But since getting back into it this month, I’ve had 4 qualified inbound leads. Four recruitment owners wanting to jump on calls to discuss how I can help their agency. There’s a direct link between my activity online and how it affects my monthly results. When I’m posting 3 - 5 times a week (consistently) the difference is huge. And there would be for you too, because our process is backed by psychology. So, if like me, you know that you need to do more for your marketing (but you just don’t have the time or expertise!) then just shoot me a message :) Each month without marketing is costing you new clients. 🙏🏼

A few months ago I quit my job to start a marketing agency, but I built the wrong business. I focused on providing fractional growth services. It seemed like a brilliant idea - I was catching a trendy wave and my experiences gave me an unfair advantage. I took on 2 fractional director of marketing roles, 1 fractional CMO role, 1 fractional growth marketing manager role, and a paid proposal to become a fractional head of digital marketing. Business seemed to be booming. But I began working so hard I actually started to miss the hours from my full-time consulting job. Not to mention, most of my work couldn't be delegated. If something could be, it wasn't worth delegating because no client required the same two things. I hit my ceiling. I couldn't take on any more clients and I saw fractional work for what it was: A good way to make a living, but a terrible business model. So, over the past couple of months, I scaled down my fractional clients and have been focusing on building processes to scale up as a true growth marketing agency. January marks my first month taking on clients with a scalable process. I'm still leading client work and have no intentions of leaving that side - I love marketing and feel strongly about ensuring clients work with A-players. However, I finally have SOPs and clearly defined scopes for the clients I am taking on. These processes make me confident that I'm setting myself up better to scale not just my business, but also my clients'. P.S. I don't think this will be my last pivot.

Running an agency can feel like a constant uphill battle. If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. I recently took some time off social media to refresh my mind and focus on the realities of agency life. Here’s what I learned. Lead Generation is Tough Finding the right clients isn’t easy. It takes persistence and a solid strategy. Just recently, we signed on three new clients, but it took weeks—sometimes even a month—for them to commit. Patience really pays off. Building the Right Team is Challenging It’s tough to find people who share your vision and work ethic. But when you do, it makes all the difference. A strong team can take your business to new heights. Creating Unique Marketing Strategies is Hard Work Standing out in a crowded market requires creativity and constant learning. I also realized we need to offer more than just digital marketing to truly serve our clients. Networking Matters Attending networking events has been a game changer for me. Connecting with others helps spark new ideas and opens doors you might not expect. Here’s the bottom line: challenges are part of the journey. They push you to grow and improve. Each obstacle prepares you for what’s next, making you better at what you do. So, if you're facing difficulties, remember they’re not just setbacks—they're stepping stones. Take time to refresh your mind, embrace the challenges, and keep moving forward. And stay tuned! We have huge plans both within QVM Digital Marketing and beyond in the coming weeks and months. Exciting things are on the horizon!

It's time to embrace the, "WHO NOT HOW" mindset. 1. Instead of figuring out how to manage social media, handle accounting, run paid ads on your own, etc, focus on WHO can do it for you. 🤯 Let experts handle these essential tasks so you can concentrate on growing your business. It's not an expense, it's an investment! 2. Are there any services you're providing to your clients that you can hire out for? It may be time to increase your service charge and contract out. By doing this, you can take on more clients and work with a third-party to get the job done. Your time is something that can not be replaced. Ensure you are using it in your business in areas where other people can not be of help. Ready to take the leap? Reach out. 🌟 #SocialOpt #BusinessGrowth #WhoNotHow #Branding #SocialMediaManagement #YYCnow #SupportLocal

Why I’m Focusing on Broad Marketing Expertise, Not Just One Thing A month ago, I left my 9-5 job to start something new. My goal has been to find my unique selling proposition (USP) and ideal client. It hasn’t been easy, especially after years of doing “everything” in marketing. Through this process, I’ve uncovered a common challenge for many entrepreneurs and business owners. For example, I worked with a client who was juggling various marketing efforts—social media ads, web development, and design—without a clear strategic direction. Their efforts were scattered, leading to a lack of cohesion and minimal impact on their business goals. Many of my clients face similar issues. They often work with freelancers who excel at specific tasks, but when everything is pieced together, it results in a collection of separate activities with no unified strategy. This lack of direction often leads to stress, wasted time, and poor results. A common problem is that many small and medium-sized businesses can’t afford a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or don’t need one regularly. Without strategic guidance, they can drift away from their goals and sometimes even lose sight of their original objectives. My role is to ensure that all marketing efforts are aligned with the business’s strategic goals, helping clients stay on track and avoid disjointed efforts. While many coaches suggest focusing on one thing, I believe that my ability to integrate and manage multiple aspects of marketing with a strategic perspective is what truly sets me apart. If you’re looking to gain strategic insight and keep your business on the right path without needing a full-time CMO, let’s connect.