Building Success Stories with Ann Donnelly

In this episode of Building Success Stories, Ann Donnelly interviews culinary power couple Jenny and Chris Dore, who have recently taken over the Peppermill Family Restaurant in South Glens Falls. They discuss their backgrounds, the legacy of the restaurant, their vision for the future, and the importance of community engagement. Chris shares his culinary journey and the thoughtful process behind transitioning ownership, while Jenny emphasizes the significance of maintaining the restaurant's family-friendly atmosphere. The couple highlights their commitment to evolving the menu based on customer feedback and building trust with their staff and the community.

In recent tourism news, Alaska raised cruise tourism limits as residents’ concerns about over-tourism grew. Over-tourism is an increasing issue in trendy tourism destinations, and one solution that will keep revenue flowing is to focus more on bringing in visitors outside the regular busy season. Unless downtime is needed for maintenance or other recovery, selling year-round is a goal of most businesses that commonly experience seasonality. In this episode of Building Success Stories, Seth and I discuss How to Extend Your Selling Season. Listen to common ways to extend your selling season and some great examples I've seen in my career working with businesses like this. Click here to read more about How to Extend Your Selling Season on our website.

This week's topic is aimed at those who may not listen to podcasts, but you may have a relative or friend who could use this advice, so please spread the word! With nearly three-quarters of the US population using social media regularly, it’s a given that digital marketing is the best way to generate leads and get more customers in almost any type of business. Yet, a few people still feel that word of mouth or small ads in the local paper are the only ways to get business. In this episode of Building Success Stories, Ann and Seth discuss why some small business owners are reluctant to use digital marketing, some answers to their issues, and how they can get started, even on a small scale, to get more leads and new clients.

It’s time to review your goals and targets from earlier this year. Ideally, you’ve been reviewing these weekly or at least monthly, but so many people don’t, which is why this mid-year assessment is critical.  It’s so easy to lose track of time this time of year. Schools are out, vacations and holidays happen, and we get out of our routine. Hopefully, you are having fun and enjoying the fruits of your labor from the first half of the year. In this episode of Building Success Stories, Ann and Seth discuss: - Why a Mid-Year Assessment is important. - What to look at during the assessment. - How to get back on track to reaching your annual goals. - Can you do even better than you originally planned? - Assessing progress in all areas of your life and why that's important. You want to do everything but can only do one thing at a time. If you prioritize and plan, you can focus and start ticking off those “one things” that will lead you to achieve your goals in all “circles” of your life. Visit our article for this episode to get Action Steps and more info: https://anndonnellysuccessstories.com/mid-year-assessment/

In this episode of Building Success Stories, discuss how to build a successful relationship with your digital marketing agency, the audio from a video presentation I've recently recorded. Throughout my years in digital marketing, I've met many business owners who did not have a good relationship with their digital marketing agency. Often, they were unsure if the agency was providing the services they paid for, were intimidated to ask for clarification on technical terms, had no idea what to ask for, etc. Tips for selecting a digital marketing agency.The elements needed to build a strong relationship with your marketing agency.How to communicate well with your digital marketing agency.Signs of possible issues. To have an ongoing, Long-Term Relationship – Partnership! Even if you don’t outsource regular work to the agency, you will need their assistance over the years to help with technical issues or revamp the website every 3-5 years.They are involved with your key communication and sales tools – the outside world’s view of your business.To ensure that your time and money are well spent. Your marketing spend will likely be a huge chunk of your overall business budget! During the presentation, I discussed my Digital Marketing / Website Development Action Plan Template, which I developed while working for Tourism Northern Ireland. I provided digital marketing audits and coaching for tourism-related businesses in that region. This template provides a detailed list of what to ask for when requesting quotations and giving instructions to providers.   Click here to view this content as a video presentation and request a download of the Digital Marketing / Website Development Action Plan discussed. After this episode, you will know: Why it is important to have a good relationship with your digital marketing agency:

In this week's episode of Building Success Stories, Seth and I welcome Kate Austin into the studio. Kate is the Founder, Owner, and CEO of Advokate, LLC. Advokate empowers startups, small businesses, nonprofits, and artists with the marketing tools they need to be successful. Born and raised in Killington, Vermont, Kate resides in Glens Falls, New York, with her dog Sasha and her three kiddos, Henry, Daniel, and Elizabeth. She currently serves on the boards of the Glens Falls Business Improvement District (BID), the Jackson Heights Elementary School PTA, and is on the advisory council of the World Awareness Children’s Museum, the A-GFTC Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and the WSWHE-BOCES Early College Career Academy (ECCA) Advisory Committee.  In addition to her stellar marketing work, Kate is known in Glens Falls for her creative advocacy and event promotion. She is the founder of GlensFallsVegan.com. This summer, she is running the Glens Falls Vegan Festival, which will take place on August 10, 2024, and is involved in the first Glens Falls Mermaid Festival, which will take place on June 22, 2024. We discussed her career, projects and passions, and life in Glens Falls, "Hometown U.S.A." She also announced her upcoming book, a collection of articles on parenting that she had written for her column in the Glens Falls Chronicle. You will be inspired when you hear how Kate blends her personal passions with her professional skills to make such an impact on her clients and our community.

A few weeks ago, I came across a very insightful episode of the Ed Mylett Show on a four-hour drive from my daughter's college. I couldn’t wait to get home, listen again, take notes, and share the episode with everyone! Mylett’s guest was Leila Hormozi, and the topic was Transform FEAR into FUEL. Mylett had recently had dinner with Hormozi and her husband, Alex, who are highly successful entrepreneurs, investors, and philanthropists. Hormozi’s self-awareness level at dinner blew Mylett away, thus her appearance in this episode of his podcast. Because much of Hormozi’s work involves helping entrepreneurs build their businesses, much of the talk is about the traits of successful entrepreneurs, but the points discussed and the advice Hormozi and Mylett provide are relevant to anyone looking to reach their highest potential, whether it is in the professional or personal areas of their life. Listen to this episode to hear my insights into the discussion between Mylett and Hormozi. Topics included: The traits of a Failing Entrepreneur, according to Leila HormoziWhen Entrepreneurs Get Complacent Too EarlyLeila Respecting Herself with the Choices She MakesConquer Your FearsGenerating Real ConfidenceAvoiding Emotions Does Not Help Your Mental HealthUse Obsession as a SuperpowerGreat Leaders are Like ChameleonsMoney is Just a Tool Click here to watch the podcast episode with Ed Mylett and Leili Hormozi on YouTube. Read about The One Thing method of productivity and goal setting and Core Values: Find Purpose and Productivity with Your Core Values.

This week, I bring you a very special episode of Building Success Stories—an interview with Megh and David Howard of Erbessd Instruments, a global leader in machine health monitoring.    The company has customers in nearly every country and works with 145 distributors and partners worldwide. It has approximately 140 employees working between Glens Falls, two locations in Mexico, a European office in the United Kingdom, and a facility in India added last year.   We discussed what being based in Glens Falls means for the company and the area, how innovation and agility are at the core of the company’s success, and how marketing is not only used to reach potential customers and partners but also to educate and connect with potential future customers and employees at all stages of their careers.   There is a lot of information and inspiration in this episode which is a REAL Building Success Story.   (I apologize for the poor audio quality of this episode. My usual audio recorder failed on me!)

We all know what it’s like to go into a shop to browse when an aggressive salesperson approaches as soon as you enter the door and offers to “assist.” It makes you want to run out of the shop. That’s a salesperson who doesn’t understand the Buyer’s Journey.    In this episode of Building Success Stories, producer Seth Cooper and I discuss the Buyer's Journey and the stages a person goes through before, during, and after deciding to purchase.   Considering these stages in all aspects of your digital marketing makes you more likely to engage the person, turn them into a solid lead, and then a loyal customer.   Listen to this episode to learn more about the Buyer's Journey, each stage, the content useful at each stage, how to use the stages in your digital marketing, and the risks you face if you don't consider the stages in your digital marketing.   Click here to read more about The Buyer's Journey - Understand the Stages & Use Them to Win Customers

If you can only focus on one aspect of marketing your business, it should be increasing Domain Authority because this brings more relevant traffic to your website while boosting brand awareness and authority. In this episode of Building Success Stories, producer Seth Cooper and I discuss Domain Authority, a metric used by digital marketers to give an idea of the value Google and other search engines give to the pages in their index to determine the ranking of search results. Other terms used are Page Rank, Page Authority, and Site Authority. Listen to this episode to learn the benefits of increasing Domain Authority, the steps needed to increase it, what should be involved in an Authority Building Strategy, and the risks you face if you don't increase Domain Authority. Click here to read more about Domain Authority.

In Episodes 26 and 27 of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), a process for maximizing the traffic to your website, social media profiles, and any online “properties” you have from organic (not paid) search engine results. In Episode 26, Part 1, we defined SEO,  discussed how it increases traffic to your website, and how to research and select the "keyphrases" to target on your digital marketing channels. Listen to Episode 27 for Part 2 of this discussion and learn how to use these keyphrases to optimize your website and other digital channels. Read more about this topic at https://anndonnellysuccessstories.com/ep27/.

Do you outsource web development, maintenance, social media management, etc.? Understanding basic SEO will help you know what you are paying for and determine whether the provider has implemented the agreed-upon services. You can also confidently develop and deliver optimized content to your website and other channels. In Episodes 26 and 27 of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), a process for maximizing the traffic to your website, social media profiles, and any online “properties” you have from organic (not paid) search engine results. Listen to this episode to learn what SEO is, how it increases traffic to your website, and how SEO has and hasn't changed since the days of digital marketing in the late 1990s. You will also learn about "keyphrases" and how to research and select the keyphrases to target on your digital marketing channels. In Episode 27, we will discuss how to use these keyphrases to optimize your website and other digital channels. Read more about this topic at https://anndonnellysuccessstories.com/ep26/.

This episode of Building Success Stories has two parts. In Part 1, Producer Seth and I discuss how digital marketing can be used for more than marketing and selling. You invest money, time, and other resources in your digital marketing channels, so consider what you can do with those channels beyond marketing and selling. In Part 2, I discuss The Power of Partnership. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that it is important to work together to create opportunities for your industry and your region. Read more about this topic at https://anndonnellysuccessstories.com/ep25/.

In this episode of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss how to keep your marketing going during your busy season and maximize the benefits of the increased exposure it brings. Whenever your busy season is, it is essential to plan and prepare to use your digital marketing channels to get the most out of opportunities that arise. You also need to plan to keep your marketing and sales going throughout the times when you probably feel you don’t have time to! Listen to this episode to learn how to: Prepare your existing channels for heavy traffic.Set up a “lead funnel” to maximize lead capture opportunities. Benefit from organizing, participating in, or attending a big event. Read more about this topic at https://anndonnellysuccessstories.com/ep24/.

In this episode of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss the various contact methods you can offer on your digital marketing channels and how to determine which to use. On your digital marketing channels, you must offer convenient ways to contact you that suit your audience’s preferences but are also manageable for you. Too many contact options can confuse you and your audience, especially if they are not easy for you to monitor and reply to promptly. Providing the right contact options is crucial for a positive user experience. Which options depend mainly on the type of business, your industry, what you offer, how you offer it, etc. Here are a few things to consider when deciding what methods to offer. Read more about this topic at https://anndonnellysuccessstories.com/ep23/.

In this episode of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss several strategies to overcome perfectionism and procrastination with your content creation. So many people are afraid to write articles, marketing emails, or social media posts because they think they are not good enough. Lack of confidence is usually due to a lack of experience—not in what they do professionally but in creating marketing content. If you don’t get started, you don’t build the experience. Or, you may get started, see little response, think it wasn’t good enough, not working, and give up. Listen to this episode to learn more about overcoming perfectionism and procrastination with your content creation. Read more about this topic at https://anndonnellysuccessstories.com/ep22/.

In this episode of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss the classifications and labels used for generations, age groups, etc., and how they are relevant or not to a business. You see many articles about marketing to a specific generation or age group, but are these labels relevant to your business? Listen to this episode to learn more about the generations and how you can use the information to develop more business. Read More: The Generation Game - Baby Boomers, Gen Z, etc. - How They Matter (or Don't) to Your Business (Episode 21)

In this episode of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss approximately 50 ways to be more engaging on social media. Engaging readers is important to convert them from curious to customers. The list includes mostly free and easy things you can start today to get more likes, comments, and shares and connect more fully with your followers.

In this episode of Building Success Stories, Producer Seth and I discuss several easy, mostly free, ways to attract more local business. Have you claimed your Google Business Listing and kept it up to date? Do you regularly post content relevant and valuable to your target audience on your social media channels? Is your customer service so outstanding that people can't help but talk about your business? Listen to this episode to hear more about these tips and get many more you can start with today! More info: My article Google Business Profile Optimization

This episode of Building Success Stories is an interview with Joan Tarantino, Executive Director of The Conkling Center in Glens Falls, NY, which offers senior-directed programs and services for community members 55+, and is preparing for its 125th-anniversary celebrations in 2024, We talk about how the center started as The Glens Falls Home. a residential facility for older women, and when another more suitable residential facility was developed, there was a name change, and the Conkling Center became a provider of programs and services for older adults in the community. "Our mission is to enhance the quality of life of seniors in the community directly and indirectly by providing services, programs, and opportunities to meet their ever-changing needs," says Tarantino. Click here to learn more about The Conkling Center. Click here to read Ann Donnelly's article about LARAC in the Glens Falls Business Journal.