Commerversations is a series of interviews with marketers and communicators which started during Melbourne lockdowns during the COVID pandemic in 2020. 

Health communications writer Elissa Hill interviewed Lana Weal about marketing, working styles and advice for new business owners.

Read the full interview below which originally appeared on LinkedIn.

Lana runs Market Mindfully, which supports optimistic and purpose-driven businesses to share their stories and make more impact. She's on a mission to make the world a better place by doing good business.

Elissa: “How would you describe what you do in one sentence?”

I provide digital marketing services (mainly SEO and content strategy) to optimistic and purpose-driven business owners. 

“Why have you chosen to focus on services for these clients specifically?”

I believe businesses have significant influence and power in the world, and therefore, ideally, business owners are focused on having a positive impact on the world. There are many businesses and industries that are dedicated to making a positive difference, and there is a range of models for how businesses can give back to their communities through profits, pro bono, awareness, or advocacy. The more I can support these types of businesses, the better I feel about the world.

Good businesses and inspired founders give me hope for the future. Especially in areas I'm passionate about—reducing climate change and improving our physical and mental health.

“What tools or platforms make your life easier at work?”

• Calendar for scheduling and time blocking for specific tasks

• Slack and email are for communicating with clarity.

• Social media to see what other people are talking about and sharing.

• Zoom, Skype, and video calling are used to connect with others. 

• Google Docs and Sheets for Planning ALL THE THINGS.

• Airtable for manipulating data. You can talk to two Google Sheets at once, and you can also integrate forms. It’s like all the Google Docs in one! 

• Moz is the number one resource I use for SEO. They do a whiteboard session every Friday on different areas of SEO, and they’ve got lots of different tools you can use for SEO: Screaming Frog, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console. 

“Given that we're in the middle of a global pandemic, what are some things that businesses can do right now to improve their marketing?”

1. Check out your own website. Stay calm, keep it simple, be transparent, and communicate clearly how you can help others. Your website is the core of digital marketing. Visit your website and take the time to read what you’ve got on there already. It is obvious what you’re offering. Can potential customers buy what you’re offering or book in to work with you in as few clicks as possible? How do you describe what you offer? Is there more information you can include on your website that could convince your audience to work with you?

2. Google it. Search for your own product or service online. Then, look at the suggested questions (at the top of the search results) and related searches (at the bottom of the first page of the search results). What are people searching for in relation to your product and services? Do you use the same terminology as what people are searching for? What other useful information can you share with your audience? Consider adding FAQs, sub-pages, or blogs to your website with this information to increase your chances of being found online.  

3. Partner up. Rather than trying to create a unique, informative, engaging (and time-consuming) content campaign or social media campaign, think about where your customers are already and how you could reach your audience through a partnership. Perhaps there's a local business network you can add value to. Perhaps there's an industry body that you could connect with and create a partnership offer for. Your audience is most likely already a part of other communities you can provide value to as well. 

“What advice do you have for someone looking to take the leap from a communications or marketing employee to running their own business?”

1. Start talking about what you're doing. Often, people will want to help you and your business venture, especially if you're starting something new and are providing value to others. Often, the best clients you can get are from word of mouth, so try generating interest in your work and experiment with how you describe it until it comes naturally and is easily understood.

2. Know your budget. Understand and run estimates of your expenses, revenue, and profit for the future. How much money do you need to survive? How much do you need to thrive? What does that mean in terms of your work and your hours? What would happen if an invoice didn't get paid for a month? Map out the worst-case scenarios in case you don't get any work in the short term. That way, you won't be surprised if a project doesn't go through, and you won't be stressed about finding work in exchange for urgently needed money.

3. Find mentors and accountability buddies. Schedule regular check-ins with people who are tackling similar things or who can encourage you to keep going. These could be work friends or previous colleagues, people you've met at industry events, or friends from a virtual group you're in. If you don't know someone in person you can talk to, be your own accountability buddy! Regularly check in with yourself and see what else you can do to stay aligned with your goals.

4. Know how you like to work. When you become entirely in charge of your time and output, it's beneficial to understand your strengths and weaknesses deeply. At what times are you at your best? What environment is ideal for you to perform in? What equipment do you need?

Elissa’s Post about the interview:

“Everyone is dealing with COVID19 in their own way. For me, I've found it helpful to distract myself with creative side projects (and I completely recognize the privileged position I'm in to be able to say that). Please enjoy one such project, 'Commversations' – an interview series with people who work in #communications and #marketing (I never could let a pun go to waste!).

Thank you, Lana Weal, for so enthusiastically agreeing to be my first interviewee. Please check out the article if you're looking for some COVID-friendly actions you can take right now to improve your online presence, tools to make your work life easier, advice to make the leap from employee to business owner, and tailored marketing advice.”

If you'd like to be interviewed for this series or need freelance communications support, feel free to contact Elisa on LinkedIn or via her website.