Brian Thompson chats with Lauren Tilden, host of the Making Good podcast and a marketing coach dedicated to helping creative small business owners who want to get out of their own way and start making an impact. After 8 years in corporate marketing, Lauren left her corporate career and began her winding journey to owning and supporting small businesses. She offers insights into defining one’s ideal customer, creating goal-oriented marketing plans, and staying consistent with your message.

Growing up, Lauren felt she had to choose between making a living and doing meaningful work. But once she entered the small business world, she realized she could achieve both purpose and profit by being intentional and putting her values first.

“I always sort of felt like I had to choose between making money ... and doing something I cared about," Lauren said. “It wasn’t really until I got into the small business space that I realized you can do both at the same time.”

Impactful marketing starts with a well-defined goal. Lauren advised small business owners to pinpoint what they need from their marketing efforts, such as increasing brand awareness, generating sales, or expanding a specific client base. Knowing your goal can help you create a campaign that helps you achieve it.

“The first place that most people overlook is to get really, really clear on what your goal is,” Lauren said. “Marketing can do so many different things for us. If I didn't know my goal, I could end up spending my time all wrong.”

Instead of solely focusing on servicing a niche, Lauren encouraged entrepreneurs to understand their ideal customer’s motivations, challenges, and values. By getting clear on these psychological details, business owners can create messaging that resonates with target customers on a deeper level.

“What unites the people that buy from me and that are part of my community are their psychographics and what they care about,” Lauren said. “I know my ideal customer super well.”

Small business owners are busy, which is why it’s especially important to realistically assess the time you have available to dedicate to marketing. Lauren advised entrepreneurs to create achievable marketing plans they can follow consistently, even if it means starting slow and with just one or two platforms.

“When you set yourself up for a plan you can’t actually stick to given your bandwidth, that is a recipe … for feeling bad about yourself and your ability to follow through,” Lauren said. “There is no upside to biting off more than you can chew, so create a marketing plan based on the time you have available each week.”

• Making Good Podcast with Lauren Tilden

• Lauren Tilden: Website, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn

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Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and Certified Financial Planner® who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.

On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian Thompson chats with nurse-turned-entrepreneur, Jumer Adalin. As a social media expert, Jumer helps fellow nurse entrepreneurs grow their businesses through social media to create both impact and income. On the episode, Jumer shares his journey from ICU nurse to social media superstar. He also offers valuable tips for Instagram marketing and creating content to grow and nurture your own online audience.

As a nurse-by-trade, Jumer likens a mission-driven business to a healthcare team whose common goal is to bring about positive patient outcomes. Similarly, a mission-driven business focuses on solving problems for a specific group of people. In Jumer’s case, that group of people is nurses using social media to grow a business.

“My mission in my business is to grow their online business without sacrificing their sanity, without burning out because I have been there,” Jumer said on the episode.

With the rise of content created by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, it’s more important than ever to show up as your authentic self online. Jumer encouraged entrepreneurs to share their values, opinions, and personal stories to build genuine connections with the audience.

“The value of a personal brand has never been higher,” Jumer said. “Authentic content creation comes down to showing your values and telling your audience what you stand for, what you stand against, and that you have an opinion in the online space.”

Offering a free, high-quality resource can provide immediate value to potential clients or customers, while also building your credibility with your audience, according to Jumer. He designed his free resource, the Instagram audit guide, to be an easily implementable checklist with quick wins to showcase his expertise and teaching style.

“Creating a really valuable education resource has been pivotal in growing my email list and really showcasing my experience,” he said.

Jumer emphasized the importance of consistently communicating with your audience on your platform of choice. While social media is a free, powerful tool to communicate with your audience, Jumer advised entrepreneurs to consider building their own email lists to reach their followers. Unlike social media, an email list is a direct line to your audience.

“You don’t own Instagram, but you do own your email list,” Jumer said. “Think about the power of directly getting into a person's inbox. That builds the connection right away, and you don’t have any other competition.”

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• Jumer Adalin: Website, Instagram

• Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast

• Follow Brian Thompson Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Forbes

Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.

On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.