Cat's Cove Communications
1865 Rogers Road K7H 0B2 Perth, ON, Canada

It's mid-week. It's easy to feel overwhelmed (we know we are!). But make no mistake, it is the little things that build the big things. Take 20 minutes right now. Move forward. Move forward with your website by adding a new product. Move forward with social media by taking a few photos for future content, or jotting down some ideas. Move forward by getting to know your audience through engagement or examining your insights. We all feel great when we make a goal and achieve it. Even if it's small.

Do you know? Do you know what to do with the information? What are your goals? Comment or send us a dm. Quick questions will get quick responses! If you need a bit more help, we are happy to discuss a plan that best suits your needs.

Starting off the month of February with a little small-business love! We know how hard you work, balancing work and family. We know how hard you work to be competitive.... We know how hard you have worked to get your business online and build your online presence. We also know that if some in our community needs help, you are the first ones there, doing everything you can. You ARE the community. You bring it together and treasure it above all. We want to give a huge THANK YOU for all that you do and all that you are. Tag a small business owner to thank them!

Well, as soon as he pleases to wake up, of course! In between business is business-as-usual. What do you do most in between business? Do you take breaks? Move around? ... We have to constantly remind ourselves to keep moving. It's easy to sit at the computer (or with your phone, on TikTok...) and not realize 3 hours have gone by. Kids are a great reminder to get up and focus on something else. Pepsi is a great reminder for Joy!

What's yours? Do you have one on your website? Make sure it is: 1. Targeted towards what your customers and clients want... 2. Strong and assertive 3. Not just a slogan, it must provide benefit to your audience Comment or message if you have any questions!

Do you remember the movie Miracle on 34th Street (the 1994 version), the scene when Cole’s began to advertise that if we don’t have it, we’ll find it for you? This spoke volumes to Joy when she was a kid. She thought it was the most ingenious idea (well, that and a talking doll that her siblings lost the batteries for). ... It gives the most warm and cozy feeling, to see one business giving another a boost. We just love it when we see businesses giving each other a shoutout, or combining their products and services in some way. Isn't it everything we want to feel around the holiday season? Peace and harmony and love? We all know that warm glow we get from giving. There are so many ways to be a community, but there is just something so special about businesses coming together and supporting each other.

We need something to celebrate. So, it's Wednesday! We're part-way through the week! Yay! What better way to celebrate than with a very strange video that makes it look like we can actually dance?! ... (Full disclosure: maybe Toby and Bonnie are amazing dancers. I have no idea. Maybe Toby can salsa and Bonnie can do that floss thing. Or breakdance. But I can't, so this is as close as I'll get!) Happy Wednesday! From our team to yours. We hope that if this made you cry, it's because you were laughing so hard.

What life lessons have you learned from your hobbies or skills? What have you learned this year in general? We all need the reminders. Let's help each other out.... Tag a friend who needs these reminders or save it so you can be reminded later!

It’s 1972. A young man puts on his best plaid sport jacket. His pants are ironed with precision pleats, his shoes shined, his tie is wide and geometric. He is dressed for success. And he needs every bit of sway and swagger he can muster, because he is preparing to make the sales pitch of his life. ... He is about to stand up in front of board-games giant, Parker Brothers, and bring his brilliant board-game idea to life. He enters the room and takes a deep breath. The pitch begins. His brilliant, unstoppable, sure-sell game? It’s all about plumbing. Cue: sound of record skipping. ... I know, I know. You are thinking there is no way that this could possibly be the beginning of an epic success story, right? Well... neither did I. Actually, I don’t actually know if this is how a board game about plumbing came to be. I made the pitch story up. But the board game is real, and it got me thinking about bringing strange ideas to life. I do know for sure that there is a commercially successful game all about plumbing that has been on store shelves since 1972. And no matter who pitched it, it couldn’t have been an easy sell. Imagine the person standing in front of their boss or the executives or whomever held the power, summoning the courage to ask for the permission to do something crazy. And then ask yourself: what idea do you have deep inside you that needs to be made, funded or amplified? What are you willing to stand up for and champion like it’s 1972 and everyone’s watching? Because if someone can find the nerve to ask, and the passion to convince board-game gatekeepers to pay for paper plumbing, just imagine what you can ask for. So stand tall, shine those shoes and sell it, kid. It’s yours for the taking. You’ve just got to ask.

First up is Toby: Our fearless leader, quoter of The Simpsons, plan-developer extraordinaire, can get to the core of what your business needs faster than you can say, "d'oh" (this is the only Simpsons reference I could come up with. Sorry Toby). Next is Bonnie: ... Sharer of the best memes, incredible photographer, and serial problem-solver (seriously anything you need help with she probably has the answer or will find it because what she does have is a very particular set of skills..). Also a website wizard who can have your website created and looking stunning in no time. Last is the new kid on the block: Joy ("joy joy joy down in my heart"), occasional one-liner wonder, spends a lot of time using Canva, social media savvy and especially loves writing the captions, unless it involves writing in third person about herself. Then it's "oy with the poodles already." Gilmore Girls references come much easier to her than The Simpsons. Find out more on our website: https://www.catscovecommunications.com/our-team

TikToks. Reels. Which one have you tried? What have you learned? What questions do you have? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and share the ones you can't stop watching.

(Joy here) #reallife Books: I spent a year and a half buying books. Real, live books. I have a library with a bed and a closet inside it. ... I spent more time buying books than I have reading them, and I haven’t even picked one up in about 4 or 5 months. I've been so busy and so distracted, and maybe a little scared to slow down and face everything going on in quiet moments. Maybe you're not a reader (which is fine! Apparently I'm not either!) What’s something you used to put time and money into that you haven’t had time for? Is it something you’ve grown away from, or is it worth making some time for again? How do you escape the world for a little while? I’m sure you’re busy, just like me, but maybe try to schedule in some you time. I will if you will. I’m thinking November is a great month to cozy up with a blanket and a book. And who knows, maybe I'll even open it! Do you have any recommendations? Preferably one that’s already on one of my three bookcases.

Tell us: What's your favourite thing about technology? It has had quite an impact on this year we've had. Whether you're an old pro when it comes to technology, or just figuring things out for the first time, our hats off to you! ... It isn't always easy and you're doing a great job. Take time today to appreciate how far you've come this year. Take the opportunity to think about what goals you might have in terms of learning new technology. Happy World Techies Day!

Are you using TikTok? Why, or why not? TikTok has continued to attract more users, despite a looming ban in the US due to privacy concerns. Or is it perhaps BECAUSE of the possible ban?... IF TikTok is banned in the US, anyone who has already downloaded it can continue using it. Those who haven't downloaded it will not be able to. If such a ban were to be proposed in Canada, would you experience FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and download it? (assuming you're not already addicted to at least watching TikToks)

Want to direct traffic without having to wear the reflective vest or actually standing in traffic? Watch this short video to learn about Backlinking and how it can help you direct more traffic to your website and improve your SEO.

If you're seeing red right now as the COVID-19 pandemic plays a large role in your business' revenues, well, we hear you. While you likely want to go radio silent as you navigate through your next steps, this could be a chance for you to step up your game and find a way to add value to your customers. If you're losing foot traffic or reservations or orders, then you could get creative in ensuring they know they still need to have whatever it is you're offering (even if you ca...n't currently offer it). Ask yourself: how can I add value to my product or service and make it easy for my customers to purchase? So, how do you add value for your customers? 1. Be timely with a valuable offering Cat and Toby pulled back from getting Disney+. But then they announced that they planned to release Frozen II in April. That means a big win for their five-year-old, Elsa-loving daughter. They went for the free trial. While you may not be Disney, ask yourself: how can I be timely? Release the e-book for free that you've been working on for months. 2. Think of your customers' current pain points and objections Our biggest pain point is working from home and not leaving home. So, help us solve those issues. If you're a restaurant and decided to offer take-out only, that's great: but make me an offer that hits on all my pain points and eliminates objection. For instance: "we're offering $25 family meals which includes (x,y,z). The best part? If you live in town, we'll drop it off to your doorstep for 5:30 p.m. Call us or DM and we'll set it up." You made it easy for me to buy from an economical standpoint as well as bringing it to my door, so I don't have to take risks going out. I'm sold. And I can still support you. 3. Make me a fan for life Jesse Swain is a local RMT and she went live to Facebook this week offering free workouts. She instantly brought credibility to her business as she poured her expertise back to her community in a meaningful way. The plus side? She got great engagement and offered us great value (and six-pack abs!) as consumers. 4. Ask for support It is okay to be vulnerable, and ask for help. Outline your plan and outline how people can support your business. If you're closed, it is okay to ask for help, even if it's in an indirect way, such as asking for a Google Review. We know: shit could change in the next 20 minutes. But we hope this gives you some ideas on mobilizing during a tough time.

Cat, here. Nine years and 9 months ago, I did something I never thought I’d ever do: I launched a business. In January 2011, I opened Cat’s Cove and, over the years, it transformed into something unimaginable.... Whether it was writing website copy for a new business, coordinating Blue Rodeo’s performance at the Perth 200th Anniversary, strategizing political campaigns or crafting a new name for an organization, I’ve felt so fortunate that people have welcomed us into their lives in order to help bring their ideas to life. I’ve also had the opportunity to collaborate with so many talented people during that time. I’m proud to co-own a business when I have never in my life had any desire for entrepreneurship. But life offers opportunities to discover parts about yourself you never knew you had in you. And, yetthere are cycles that occur in every part of our lives. Including careers. Including my own. This is my last week with Cat’s Cove Communications, and I’ll be taking a full-time position with an organization that I’m over-the-moon excited about. This change is one I’ve been craving for a while now. While I’m grieving the end of a period, I’m also excited to see how I grow in new ways when presented with new opportunities. Change is okay. Even if it’s hard right now. Toby will continue to run Cat’s Cove Communications, and so if you need anything, Toby’s your guy. I’ll be hanging my hat this Thursday. And before I do so, I just want to say: thank you. Thank you for working together, thank you for the connection, thank you for the past nine years, thank you for.everything, really. *Cue the Sarah McLachlan music* *Cue the attempt to crack a joke when getting a little bit emotional* It’s been an honour to work with so many incredible people over the years while also connecting and collaborating with the community. Take care. throwback to 2013.

Now that you're likely having quieter moments, this is your opportunity to finally complete those marketing and/or client development initiatives you've been pushing off for so long. Here are six marketing projects you could complete in one day (one day each!) 1. Update your LinkedIn Profile: ... LinkedIn is the leading professional social media platform and it’s growing: two new users join every second! Taking a some time to update your profile will help you get found. Add a professional profile picture. Customize your headline. As a default, LinkedIn sets your most recent job title as your headline, but you can customize it with catchy, industry-specific keywords. Update your Summary to include who you are, who you help and how you help them. Upload a customized background photo. 2. Review your Facebook and Instagram Stats: You are posting to social media. Great! But how do you know if your posts are getting any traction? Take a deep dive into your insights. To start, focus on your engagement rates (the number of engagements divided by impressions or reach; a high engagement rate tells you that your audience found the post worthwhile), impressions and reach. Impressions and reach are often confused. Impressions are how many times the post showed up in someone's feed, whereas reach is a measure of how many unique viewers a post could have. Which posts are getting the most shares? 3. Update Your website: If you've been meaning to update even the content and the photos on your website, plan out a day to make it happen. If you don't know how to do this, reach out to your website developer with the exact copy and photos you want to update. The more specific you are, the more efficient your website developer's time will be (and thus less costly!). If you know how to update your backend, then book out a day to update the website. 4. Email past clients: Send a personalized email to past clients. Check in to see if you can do anything to help them. Sending these personalized emails will do so much for showing compassion during tough times. 5. Set up an E-Store or E-booking platform: Now's the time to figure out how to set up an e-commerce store or a booking platform for appointments. Whether you use your existing website's platform to do so, or explore third-party options, find out exactly how to do it and what's needed to post your items online. The customer service you can get from your website or third-party providers can be exceptional. Use their knowledge to help build your online store or booking system. 6. Do a client inventory: Do an annual review of all your clients and look for consistencies and gaps. For instance, if you're a hairstylist, review all your new clients from the past year. Are they referral based? Did they find you online? Do they like to book online? Do they DM you for appointments? Do they prefer to call? How can you use that information to create efficiencies in your business?

Do you obey this sign? This has nothing to do with traffic signals (except that this is one). We wanted to share a tip with you that we learned from a friend seeking help for mental health.... Remember last week when we talked about taking little moments for yourself throughout the day, but that we needed to be able to do more than that? Well, this is one way we’re going to try to do more. Here is what our friend learned: First, some background this friend was having a lot of difficulty with anxiety and depression, and was getting stuck in a loop of thinking about the same thing over and over, kind of like how, when you kill a spider, you whack it another 6 times to make sure it’s dead? When it comes to spiders, by all means beat it to death (sorry if there are any spider-lovers hereoops). When it comes to thoughts, it isn’t helpful or healthy. Now, maybe you’re thinking, ‘what does this have to do with me? I don’t have anxiety’ Great! BUT if you own a small business, work in one, or are a human being in 2020, maybe you don’t get stuck THINKING the same thing, but DOING the same thing. Beating your head against a wall trying to get everything done, going and going with no end in sight. That’s where we say STOP! This is the strategy our friend was given: give yourself time to worry. Thinking about things, working out problems is necessary. But give yourself a limit, say, 30 minutes. When the 30 minutes are up, picture a big red stop sign and force yourself to think something different, do something different. You can apply this in different ways in business as well: Maybe you’ve been working on the same task, and getting nowhere. Give yourself 30 minutes, an hour, whatever seems REASONABLE, and once that time is up, picture that big red stop sign, move on to something else and, if you need to, come back to it later. Maybe you’re avoiding trying something new, because you don’t know when it will end. Give yourself a reasonable time limit, and then stop. Maybe it’s Friday afternoon, you’ve worked all week and you already know what’s ahead of you on Monday. No one expects you to work 24/7. You shouldn’t expect that of yourself. Set your limit, say, 4pm on Friday. Picture that big red stop sign, and put work aside until Monday. And you know what? On Monday, you’re probably going to feel refreshed and maybe even inspired. By setting boundaries and time-limits for tasks, you may just train yourself to become better at time management (something that seems even harder in 2020 than before..). Try it. Stop.

How you respond matters. What's your go-to when responding to comments? What's your favourite response you've received? You can build and maintain your brand in the comment section, by making your responses uniquely you, and by responding to negative comments with grace.

With lots of talk surrounding privacy and the use of certain apps, we thought it was a good time to open up this conversation again. What are your thoughts?

What's one thing you'd like to learn how to do? Is there anything you'd like to learn to do better? As nice as it would be, no one reading (or writing) this is a dog. Let alone an old one. ... We can teach you new tricks. You can teach us new tricks. We can help, and you can help us learn and be better, too. Win-win. (Except that no one is telling us to, "go lie down" right now or offering us a treat for sitting so pretty....) Here are two ways we get business owners and executives to get over their own ageist hang-ups: Idea #1: You’re likely your own target audience (and likely already using the online platforms to connect to your audience). Summary: You don’t have to know everything, you just have to know where your audience is hanging out. Idea #2: What’s one thing you can do to learn how to use social media better for your business? Rather than worrying about posting daily to your Instagram stories, figuring out TikTok videos, and getting conversion through Facebook advertising, take a step back. And maybe even take a breath. Don’t feel the necessity to do all the things. That leads to paralysis (believe us, we know). Instead, ask yourself: what’s one thing I can do to learn more about the social media platform I’m using to promote my business? For instance, if you’re selling bridal wear and your target audience is on Instagram, then read one article about using Instagram hashtags to connect to your audience. Or, take two hours to play around with Instagram stories so you can ensure you’re getting into brides’ feeds. Summary: What is one thing you can commit to learning to help improve how you use your social media platform? IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT. Tell us: what’s stopping you from getting on social media more often?

We've always been fascinated by what drives people. And the people in our lives are a huge part of the decisions we make and, ultimately, the people we become. Who's that person for you? Is it more than one person?... Is it your dog? (he's such a good boy, after all) Who did you most want to be like when you grew up? Open up to your followers in the best way you know how. Great things happen when we share our stories and everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?

Do you want your business to be what pops up when someone says, "hold on, I'll Google it"? Here are some ways to make your business come up first when they're doing that search! Have questions? Comment below or send us a message!

The Who, What, When, Where and Why when it comes to you and your business. Write it in a blog or social media post. Take a video. Ask your kids to answer for you.... Whatever is most true to you, even if you're stepping out of your comfort zone a little.

If there is one thing that will increase your sales, it’s having an active social media community. We’ve done a lot of social media audits for clients lately and we have noticed a trend amongst the brands that have very active Facebook and Instagram communities. What is it? They reply to their followers' comments.... Replying to comments is the simple secret to turning mere followers into raving fans on social media. But why do you care if you have followers or raving fans? Followers are audience members who see your posts occasionally but feel little connection to your brand. Fans feel invested in your brand and want to be a part of it. Fans are: -More likely to like, share and comment on your posts. This increases your posts’ value in the algorithm and gets your posts seen by a wider audience. -Easier to convert into paid customers. They want a piece of you and they will happily invest in your products to get it. -Grow your audience further. People talk on and off social media. If they feel connected to your brand, you can be sure they will be telling their friends about you. And that grows your audience.

Free time. Does it still exist? I'm writing this on a Sunday. A day usually set aside for free time, and yet I find myself scrambling to get work done. And I know I'm not the only one.... Trying to complete 3 tasks at once while the coffee gets cold for the third time (is it even worth re-heating at this point??) But that's not okay. It's bad for mental health. It's bad for business. I've found it helpful even just taking small moments through the day. Step outside and take a deep breath. Stretch. Take a few minutes to enjoy a song you love when it comes on. Savour those first 3 sips of coffee before putting it down and forgetting about it. Take these little moments for yourself. Then we can work on disconnection for an afternoon/evening. Any tips appreciated.