"Look at this," I said to my husband, showing him the stack of ads we'd gotten in the mail.

You know the kind, the ones that come in an envelope of offers from local businesses, 90% of which are home improvement-focused.

Most normal people look through the stack, pull out any they want, and then recycle the rest.

I, however, am not normal.

Instead, I save them for my husband to rant about all of the marketing errors I see in them.

(It's one of the perks of being married to me, I'm sure he'd tell you.)

"Look at this!" I repeat, smacking the back of my hand against the ad. "They're not using the heading to highlight a pain point. You literally can't see that text with the color contrast. And there's no call to action! I have no idea what they want me to do with this!!!"

You don't need to go to school for a marketing degree or spend hours reading marketing books to know what good (and bad) marketing is.

It's estimated that we see 10,000 advertisements PER DAY. You are surrounded by marketing all the time, good and bad.

The best marketing education you'll ever receive? Just paying attention to what's around you.

So when you encounter marketing that actually makes you stop, ask yourself:

• What was it about this that caught my attention? (Design, images, text and why — were they relatable or funny, was it something you were already thinking about, was it really different, etc.)
• Do I know enough from this, or am I confused about what it is they're even offering to me?
• Can I figure out what they want me to do next? Am I intrigued enough to take that action?

Then, if it's digital, create a note in a notes app or document on your computer, and just save the link to it so you can return to it the next time you're working on your own marketing.

Not so you can copy it, but so you have a file of good (or what not to do!) marketing to inspire you instead of starting from scratch.

Because otherwise, we're tempted to fall into the "what versus why" trap of marketing, where we create marketing from a place of what we need to share versus what our audience needs to hear.

And spoiler: The marketing that's based on what our audience needs to hear is 99.99% more effective than "what"-focused promotion.

Now, seeing good marketing is one thing, knowing how to implement those strategies is another. If you need help putting these practices into your own marketing, now's the time to sign up for a 1:1 Catholic marketing consult with me!​

During a 1:1 consult, we focus in on you and how to take all of the crazy marketing advice out there and figure out what YOU need. We can figure out your target audience, clarify marketing messaging, talk about platforms to use to reach your people, come up with a plan for a specific promotion, etc.

My job is to give you a clear, solid plan you can take and run with so marketing doesn't feel quite so painful and actually works.

All with a Jesus-spin, of course.

I have limited spaces available as I prepare for maternity leave soon, so think ahead to the busy next couple of months, and if you need help coming up with a plan, let's talk soon! You can book a consult call here.​

For His greater glory,

Emily