Weekly newsletter brought to your inbox every Wednesday, by your friends at Elite Blog Academy®—full of valuable marketing tips, tricks and inspiration to help you keep pushing forward when the days get long. 

FEATURED READS

Affiliate Marketing 101

If you’ve been around for a while you should already know our favorite way to make money in online businesses is by selling your own products. But a close second is affiliate marketing. It’s a great way to recommend related products and services that align with your target audience’s interests—serving them with some great recommendations while making some money in return. 

So how do you do this? Today we’re sharing a post from the EBA® vault—Affiliate Marketing 101. We’ll cover what you need to know right now about affiliate marketing and share some great tips on how to become an amazing affiliate yourself.

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POWER MOVES

As an online business owner, having a presence online is crucial. 

EBA® founder, Ruth Soukup, recently shared on her Instagram what’s working for HER to get out there more online. She’s struggled in the past with posting consistently and was letting that resistance hold her back. She’s committed this year to posting at least once a day and has already seen the impact it’s had on her business in a lot of different ways!

If you too are struggling with resistance in this area, here are a few things she’s uncovered to help push through the resistance of posting consistently:

1. Don’t overthink it! Ruth’s only rule for posting is that it feels authentic to HER. Have fun with your posts and try different things to see what resonates.

2. Spend time on Instagram to gather ideas and inspiration. Ruth recommends scrolling through the reels tab once a day, saving lots of ideas and then making them your own.

3. Doing lots of “easy” posts. Not every post has to be you talking to the camera! Share what you’re doing with a still image or quick video. Again, don’t overthink it and let it be natural and simple.

Be sure to check out Ruth’s Instagram to see her social media experiment in action!

WE’VE GOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT

QEP blowout sale

The EBA® Quarterly Execution Playbook is the tool you need to ROCK this quarter. Use it to set your quarterly goals and then utilize it weekly to keep you on track to make them happen! Save $160 during our Blowout Sale and get yours for just $37. It’s the perfect tool you keep pushing forward on your blogging journey, even when the days get long.

Ruth’s newsletter is back!

This year our founder, Ruth Soukup, is bringing back her much-loved weekly personal newsletter—(t)Ruthbombs! You can expect inspiration, motivation, and definitely a few truth bombs along the way (hence the name!). You do need to request to be on the list to receive it, which you can do HERE or by clicking the button below!

MINDSET MATTERS

Are you constantly finding yourself putting off your work and falling victim to procrastination? It's time to break free from this productivity killer and get things done!

Here are some tips to help you overcome procrastination in your workday:

Connect your work to your goals: Understand how your tasks contribute to your business goals. This can provide a sense of purpose and motivation to tackle your work head-on!

Visualize your goals: Imagine the end result of completing your tasks. Visualize the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing your work, and let that drive you forward.

Break it down: Large projects can be overwhelming and lead to procrastination. Break them down into smaller, manageable tasks. This makes the workload seem less daunting and helps you focus on one step at a time.

Make a plan: Create a detailed plan or schedule for your work. Set specific deadlines and allocate time slots for each task. Having a structured plan keeps you accountable and helps you stay on track.

Deal with distractions: Identify and eliminate any distractions that hinder your productivity. Put your phone on silent, close unnecessary tabs on your computer and create a quiet workspace. Minimizing distractions allows you to concentrate fully on your work.

Be kind to yourself: Don't beat yourself up for past procrastination. Instead, practice self-compassion and forgiveness. Treat yourself with understanding and acknowledge that everyone struggles with procrastination at times.

Celebrate milestones: Break your work into smaller milestones and reward yourself when you achieve them. This positive reinforcement helps motivate you to keep going and complete your tasks.

Remember, overcoming procrastination takes time and effort. Implementing these tips consistently will gradually improve your productivity and help you conquer procrastination in your work. Start by implementing a few of these strategies today and let us know how it goes!

SHE MEANS BUSINESS

Tracey Albrecht started Soapbox Studio in 1997 to offer high-quality graphic design services in a physical studio in the suburbs of Chicago. In the past several years, however, there has been a drop in their local clients, and they have expanded the business to online services—no longer relying on word-of-mouth referrals as they had been previously. 

Their driving force is to work towards predictable income.

She started marketing online for Soapbox in January of 2021. She started with 0 subscribers and in 3 years time has gained 2000 new subscribers, a workshop mini-course, a logo design course and started implementing VIP Days. She has learned the importance of selling to their email list as well as building new packages of design services. She is most excited about their big launch and newest offering—a subscription retainer package. Coming in early 2024, it will be a game changer for their clients and for their business.

Tracey and her husband are foster parents—they have raised 4 boys who are now 17-23, and they adopted their daughter Chloe in 2020 through foster care, and they are about to go through another adoption with their current foster daughter. They are in a very different place than they were in 1997, before children. Predictable income is now their driving force and her favorite part about being an entrepreneur. She is the decision maker and whether she needs to take time off for family or make more money when there’s a need, she can.

One of the biggest takeaways from Ruth and the EBA community is that she had grown comfortable in her business. After all, she has been at it so long that she has created quite a comfortable place! But if she wants to push past the 250k yearly sales that she seems to be "stuck" at, she realizes she needs to get uncomfortable. By seeking the support, encouragement and resources she needs this year she is going to do just that. This year her focus is to pursue her goals, get unstuck and achieve the freedom and financial stability she wants for her family. 

When asked what she would tell anyone thinking about starting their own business, she had great advice: 

“You really need endurance as a business owner. Nothing is super quick, and I am a runner, I love long distance and don't care about time. Once I hit my stride I can run a long, long time and enjoy the trees, the ground, God... it shows in my business... I have been running it a long time now and enjoy it so much it's not like work to me. My advice is that if you are on the fence if you can make it or not, you need to think if you can run a long race. Because it's not easy... but with perseverance and a passion for what you are doing you can get there.”

We can’t wait to see the distance Tracey takes her business this year!

MARKETING FUN FACT

Emotional appeal is crucial in content marketing. Emotions play a significant role in influencing consumer behavior, and content marketers understand this well. Studies have found that advertisements with emotional appeal outperform those that solely focus on product features. In fact, content marketing campaigns with emotional messaging can drive up to twice as much profit compared to campaigns that solely focus on the rational aspects of a product or service.