Episode 211

full
Published on:

22nd May 2025

Marketing Mondays Will Transform Your Business Strategy with Melissa Arlena and Alison Bell

Are you managing your marketing tasks efficiently in your business? In this episode, I sat down with Melissa Arlena and Allison Bell, co-hosts of the Keep It Moving podcast, for a no-notes-required conversation about what it really takes to market your business, how to balance multiple brands, or just trying to figure out what’s working and what’s not.

We talk about Marketing Mondays, email strategies, and moving your business across the country (or the world). Plus listen in as we highlight why SEO is the key to your long-term marketing strategy and what happens when you get too comfortable with your rankings (spoiler: Google notices).

This episode is part pep talk, part strategy session, and a whole lot of real talk. If you’ve ever said, “I’m doing everything and still feel behind,” this one’s for you.

Find it Quickly:

01:13 - Marketing Monday: The Importance of Marketing in Creative Businesses

01:48 - Allison's Journey: Relocating a Photography Business

05:13 - Melissa's Story: From IT to Photography and SEO

07:35 - The Role of Email Marketing in Business Growth

10:38 - Strategies for Effective Marketing

15:47 - Utilizing AI for Content Creation and Marketing

26:31 - Marketing Mondays: Planning and Execution

28:53 - Marketing Monday Routines

31:07 - Content Creation Strategies

31:26 - Ideation and Content Hubs

32:33 - Podcast Planning and Execution

40:58 - Effective Marketing Activities

50:18 - Email List Management

Mentioned in this Episode:

This Can't Be That Hard

Riverside

Descript

ChatGPT

Loom

Airtable

Zapier

Kajabi

Stripe

Kit

Flodesk

MemberVault

ThriveCart

Google Tasks

Marco Polo

Trello

Shannon Vondy

Content Hub

Connect with Melissa and Alison:

Keep It Moving Podcast

instagram.com/keep.it.moving.podcast

instagram.com/alisonbellphotog

Show artwork for Business-First Creatives

About the Podcast

Business-First Creatives
A podcast about systems, workflows, and business advice for creative service providers.
Business-First Creatives is a podcast for photographers and creative service providers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business without drowning in admin work, client experience chaos, or systems that let you down.

This show delivers clear, actionable conversations around marketing, CRM workflows, client communication, Dubsado and Honeybook automation, Airtable systems, and workflow strategies, giving photographers and creative entrepreneurs the systems that scale, operational clarity, and strategic, human-first client experiences they need to build streamlined, referral-worthy business operations that don't require working 24/7.
If you're tired of babysitting your inbox, chasing down contracts, or watching your workflows break the moment you look away, this show will help you move beyond "figuring it out as you go" and toward a creative business that brings you joy and a paycheck.

This podcast provides answers to questions like:
How do I automate my client journey without losing the personal touch?
What CRM workflows do photographers and creative businesses need?
How can I use Dubsado or Honeybook to streamline my client experience?
What systems do photographers need to save time and deliver exceptional client experiences?
How do I reduce admin time in my creative service business?
Why do my workflows keep letting me down (and how do I fix them)?
How can I build a profitable creative business that brings me joy and a paycheck?
What's the best way to communicate with clients throughout their journey?
How do I create systems that work even when I'm not babysitting them?
How can I map my client journey to convert more inquiries into bookings?

Hosted by Colie James, a Dubsado Certified Specialist, Honeybook Educator, and Workflow and Automations Guru with 10+ years helping creatives systemize their businesses—this show delivers practical, no-BS guidance for photographers and creative entrepreneurs who are ready to streamline their client journey, automate their operations, and make money from their craft.

If you're done dropping balls and ready to build a business-first creative operation with systems that scale, you're in the right place.

Find out more about Systems in Session ➡️ https://coliejames.com/systems-in-session