The Scratching Post

Stories, insights and tips about marketing, sales and networking, with a little added wit and sass.

Five Reasons Email Is Your Secret Marketing Weapon

By Nicole Gallant / March 18, 2023

Email marketing, if done right, is your secret marketing weapon. As small business owners, we want to make the most of every marketing opportunity. So why do so many business owners brush it aside? I’m guessing it’s a combo of things. Time is one. What to write is second. Even if you know it’s the…

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7 Ways to test your product or service in the market to avoid failure

By Nicole Gallant / February 23, 2023

All too often I see entrepreneurs get excited when products and services are still in the “ideas” phase. Basically, these are concepts and brainstormed ideas that have yet to be created. At this point, the resounding belief is that customers are going to love this new product or new service offer and the money will roll…

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What I’ve learned being a marketer at a brand video and photo shoot

By Nicole Gallant / January 30, 2023

Relevant brand imagery plays a role in the effectiveness of your marketing in websites, social media and promotional items. As an entrepreneur, you’re always learning. As the lead marketing strategist at SmartCat Marketing, I help you with websites, emails and sales funnels. As a long-time sales professional I also help you get more client yesses.…

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4 Ways to attract clients from your network

By Nicole Gallant / January 2, 2023

Getting clients from your network starts by building their confidence in what you deliver Have you found yourself scratching your head trying to figure out how to attract more referrals/clients from your network? You’re not alone. Business owners and those responsible for promoting products and services sign up for networking events all the time to…

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#1 advice website converting visitors to clients

The best way to turn visitors into clients on your service-based website

By Nicole Gallant / May 23, 2022

Get your message right if you want your website to turn visitors into clients It is incredibly frustrating to own a website that doesn’t do the heavy lifting for you. As a female-led business, what you really want is a website that helps with conversion –  attracting potential clients that navigate through your page and…

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What’s the best way to grow your service-based business as a female founder?

By Nicole Gallant / May 3, 2022

Networking tips for female founders who want quality connections As a female founder, networking is one way to grow your service-based business via the connections made. Naturally, this is so others know what we do. But what is the best way to network, so you get the most out of your time you put into…

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What is StoryBrand and how does it benefit your service-based business?

By Nicole Gallant / April 20, 2022

StoryBrand is a framework that helps you create clear brand messaging that resonates with your target audience. Your potential clients are bombarded with information every single day. And it’s happening to such a degree that they simply are tuning out to a lot of it to avoid overwhelm. You want to get their attention. The…

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How do you know your marketing message is working?

By Nicole Gallant / March 17, 2022

As female founders, it’s our job to communicate our brand and story in a way that is heard and truly understood by our target audience.

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SmartCat Marketing| The Right Marketing Message

Quality client research is your golden ticket to success

By Nicole Gallant / March 10, 2022

Don’t assume what your clients want It is common to see service-based businesses start working with clients before they’ve done any market or client research. The reason can be the thought that research is a big costly thing. It can be. It also can be the alternative. Quality client research comes from asking people, directly,…

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Crating Offeres | Nicole Gallant | SmartCat Marketing

Creating offers and figuring out how to package them so they sell

By Nicole Gallant / February 14, 2022

Understanding basic buying psychology will help set the right price It’s time to get a little frank. I’ve been getting lots of questions about how to package offers. I’ve been hearing how exhausted everyone is  trying to figure out this all out. Lead magnets, bite-sized offers, low level offers. It goes on and on. You’ve…

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