Writing

Relaunch Your Catholic Small Business: The Proven Strategy to Reconnect with Customers and Revive Your Business After a Tough Year

/ chicoinematt

Are you struggling to relaunch your business after a challenging year? Here’s the proven strategy I used to reconnect with my customers and successfully get my business thriving again.

Use this strategy ⤵️

The What:

📬 Send them personalized postcards— in a digital world, paper will stand out

💬 Send personalized DMs to check in with them (don’t sell anything off the bat…that’s spammy/salesy)

Post consistently on social media about your products/services:

🔶 Be valuable (educational/entertaining depending on your brand voice) about it at least 80%.

🔷 The other 20% you can mention th products/services you offer but frame it from the problem you solve

✍️Publish regularly on your blog to help provide insights about your industry for your audience.

The When:

Reach out to your customers (works for prospects too) at natural checkpoints.

Holidays, weekends, end of the week, liturgical feast days (my clients are Catholic small business owners 🙂).

For example:

“Hi (insert first name)! Hope you are having a blessed Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.”

OR

“Hope you had a blessed Feast of the Most Holy Trinity (insert first name)! Here’s a funny meme I made for the occasion and thought you might like it”

At around 90 days before your relaunch start to be more overt in your messaging about the products/services you provide (thank you Stacked Marketer Holiday Marketing Guide for this tip!.

If you try to promote your work any sooner from a cold hiatus then your customers are going to notice and be turned off by the experience.

—–

Rebuild relationships first. Sell later. 👍

#customers#smallbusiness#relationships

Thank you for sharing!

How to Activate Your Small Catholic Business’s Uniqueness

/ chicoinematt

Do you want your business to stand out in the sea of Internet-noise?

Be like John the Baptist. Do something different.

Eat locusts with a dab of honey. Record yourself chomping on these crunchy bugs. 😋

Don’t worry, I said you can have honey on it.

Now, if aren’t near a grassy field you can order dried locusts online (link in the comments).

😳

🦗

🙄

You might be reading this thinking, “Surely, you must be kidding!?”

I’m only half-kidding— about the locusts.

*Reader breathes a sigh of relief*

But I was serious about being LIKE John the Baptist.

Do something different.

I mean with your blogging strategy on your website.

“But we post once a month.”

We live in a fast-paced world. And it’s weird.

Heck, people video record themselves eating things much stranger than locusts (and in a much greater volume than John the Baptist did with those bugs)

Posting once a month isn’t enough to distinguish your business from every other one.

Going back to weirdness…

Last month, the priest at my local parish talked about how we need to keep the weirdness in Catholicism. This was in the context of our Corpus Christi procession.

Being weird isn’t bad.

It captures people’s attention.

John was weird with his Nazarite vows and yelling “Repent” or “Behold, the Lamb of God”.

And if you have a small Catholic business, we are compelled to preach the oddness of the Gospel.

This doesn’t mean making up new doctrines or stretching the truth.

But it does mean being different.

And if you don’t have a current blog on your website the first step to being different is starting one.

I provide blog writing services for small Catholic businesses.

Reach out to me if you want your business to stand out and attract new customers. More details by clicking on: https://thesimplecatholic.blog/writing-services/

And the best part?

I won’t ask you to eat locusts…unless you want with them with honey. 🍯

Thank you for sharing!

3 Tips to Write with Ease

/ chicoinematt
writing-bad.gif


Editor’s Note: Post originally publiched on February 20, 2019.

British author J.K. Rowling declared, “The wonderful thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting. The terrifying thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting.” Writers since the beginning of time faced the double-edged sword the joy of creation from words and the fear of writer’s block. Some days it seems that words cannot be typed quick enough as phrases, sentences, and paragraphs already exist in your mind. Other times crafting a mere word or phrase is as painful as getting a tooth pulled at the dentist!

ouch-that-hurt-meme

Whether you currently are in a state of inspiration or at a standstill in your writing here are three tips to enhance the ability to write more naturally and effortlessly.

Read, Read, Read— Feed Your Mind

The great American author William Faulkner advocated for the importance of reading, “Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out.”

I’ve found that reading a lot leads to effortless writing, without any strain. The mind needs a steady stream of information, like the body needs a balanced meal. Writing different genres is crucial for growth. I read comics for creativity and Catherine of Siena’s dialogues for spirituality and intellect.

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Reflection 

Another tip to develop more natural and effortless writing is to make time to reflection on the stuff you read. The Greek philosopher Aristotle purported, ““Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Without proper time to examine yourself and the ideas that you read about it gets difficult to organize them into coherent thoughts. Among the best times for reflecting on a post that I want to write about occurs in the car. Using the minutes between drives to work, the grocery store, or other errands I ponder how I want to organize the essential points of an article that I am working on. Even a few minutes of reflection helps me write at a quicker rate and with less resistance!

Passion and Purpose

After feeding your mind with plenty of information and reflecting on the material that you want to write about the third tip I use to make my writing more effortless includes a passion and clear objective. Why are you writing? Is it for an increased amount of exposure and social media fame or is your reason deeper?

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I created The Simple Catholic blog to find joy in life on my journey to Heaven. Flannery O’Connor said, “I write to discover what I know.” Through faith, I know that freedom from sin and death comes from following the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

pablo meaning.jpg

My secondary goal is to help people find joy in this life and the next. Jesus said loving God and neighbors are the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:34-40). Prioritizing God, others, and myself brings joy to all aspects of life. This joy is meant to be shared with readers and passed on to friends and family.

Summing Up

Filling my mind with a variety of ideas, taking time to analyze that information, and remembering my original mission for becoming a writing has all contributed to helping me write more naturally, more honestly, and more effortlessly. I hope that these tips help you in your writing endeavors as well. Please feel free to share these tips to your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

“All for one and one for all” —Alexander Dumas

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” —Anne Frank

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Thank you for sharing!

Unleash Your Unique Writing Voice: Engage and Stand Out!

/ chicoinematt

💡 When you find your voice in writing you will grab the attention of those you want to work with…

and repel those you don’t want to.

Bonus benefit for finding your voice in copywriting and crafting your message for your niche audience??

You sound like less of a generic-humorless robot.

Making is that much tougher for you to lose work due to #aicontent.

Here’s three simple things I did to form my unique voice for The Simple Catholic blog and my brand:

1️⃣ Write the way you talk

I love Catholic theology, comics, and The Office so it became natural for me to combine those ideas together in my writing and social media posts.

This combination inspired me to create several memes that conveyed information about the Catholic faith but with a humor-angle.

2️⃣ Pivot to your expertise

While I have a Masters Degree in Catholic theology, I have learned an immeasurable amount from my decade-plus years of experience as a Catholic dad.

My four kids (and even my unborn children who died via miscarriage) taught me so much— and they are awesome content-generators!

(on numerous occasions I have posted about my kids’ shenanigans at Mass including an incident on Palm Sunday about my three-year-old being concerned Peter chopping off Malchus’ ear).

I rebranded my blog sometime in 2017 from “Prayer, Recreation, and Organization” to “The Simple Catholic”.

I did this because I wanted to communicate the truths of our faith in a simple manner that allowed people to be more open to wanting to learn more.

Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

3️⃣ You become what you consume

The people you spend time with, the books you read and the activities you do on a frequent basis shape your habits.

This isn’t any earth-shattering news.

I have formed my unique voice for my brand through the time I spend learning from saints like Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, Philip Neri, and Louis de Montfort.

Some of the most unique and inspired content have come during Mass.

After the liturgy ends, I wrote notes to myself on my phone to remind myself to develop the thought-seeds further.

Plus, I have spent more time reading (and replying) to comments from my followers and I have discovered they enjoy my funny posts that teach the faith the most…so I have doubled down on Catholic-informative-funny posts.

Let’s Recap

When I have started away from this strategy my voice falters and it is easier to fall prey to writing generic content (i.e. the stuff that gets easy likes on LinkedIn).

✍️ Write how you talk

💪 Lean into your strengths

🧠 Be cognizant of what you consume

Follow this basic three-step path to find your voice and create unboring and vibrant content that resonates with your audience.

How do you shape your unique voice that captures your audience’s attention?

Share in the comments section ⤵️

Thank you for sharing!

Boost Your Catholic Business: Professional Writing Services

/ chicoinematt
Small Catholic business in need of content creation help

Dear beloved small Catholic business owners and solopreneurs,

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always. We know that time is a precious resource that’s not renewable, and oftentimes it can feel like there’s only 24 minutes in a day instead of 24 hours. As you juggle the many responsibilities of running a small business, it can be challenging to find the time and energy to create compelling content that resonates with your audience.

But fear not, dear brothers and sisters, for help is at hand. As a professional writer and content creator, I offer my services to you with joy and enthusiasm. I understand the importance of creating high-quality blog posts and content that engages and inspires your customers. With my help, you can free up more time to focus on other important aspects of your business while still creating content that delights and informs your audience.

Whether you need help with blog writing, social media posts, email newsletters, or any other type of content creation, I am here to serve you. My services are specifically designed for small Catholic businesses like yours, and I am committed to helping you achieve your business goals with creativity and excellence.

So, dear friends, let us work together to build up the kingdom of God through our small businesses. May our content be a beacon of light in the darkness, a source of hope and inspiration for all who encounter it. And may the Holy Spirit guide us in all that we do, now and forevermore.

Email me today (at chicoine.matt@live.com) for engaging Catholic content!

Sincerely,

Your fellow servant in Christ

Thank you for sharing!

From Dream to Reality: My First Published Article in Saint Anthony Messenger

/ chicoinematt

It’s official! Received my three copies of the May 2023 Saint Anthony Messenger yesterday.

I remember distinctly as a 7-year-old I wanted to be a dad and a writer when I grew up. This article is a realization of that dream.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me during this process: my wife, my mom & dad, the editor of Franciscan Media, and to you my readers and supporters of The Simple Catholic blog!! You kept me going during the days and weeks I struggled with depression.

Finally, I’m grateful for God and all the graces He has granted me and opportunities to develop my writing over the years. 🙂

P.S. I’m not crying my eyes are leaking tears of joy.

P.P.S. Here’s a link to the article if you’re interested in reading:

Parenting Kids with Autism 
Thank you for sharing!

Laugh Out Loud: AI Brings Humor to the Gospel

/ chicoinematt

🤖 I had ChatGPT rewrite one of my blog posts with the twist making it more humorous.

Found it funny it added a Spider-Man reference (one of my favorite superheroes).😆

AI Writes about the Gospel

“Here’s an imagined conversation between Our Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary shortly after Peter’s Confession in Matthew 16:13-20.

Mary: Good Evening, Son. How did your preaching go today? Did those Pharisees change their attitude about you yet?

Jesus: Nope, still not a fan club. I asked the apostles who they thought I was, and they threw out some common guesses – Elijah, John the Baptist, a new prophet.

But then Simon, that bold and ambitious fisherman, came through with the right answer.

Mary: Ah, Simon Peter, always the show-off.

Jesus: Yeah, but I was feeling generous, so I changed his name to “Rock” and gave him some authority. Hopefully, it won’t go to his head.


Mary: Well, you know what they say—with great power comes great responsibility.

Jesus: Yeah, but sometimes it also comes with great rashness. Peter got a little too overprotective of me when I told them I had to suffer and die. I had to call him out on it.

Mary: Ah, the joys of discipleship.

Jesus: Yeah, it’s never a dull moment. But I’m glad you’re here to help. Can we start a fire and cook up some fish for dinner?

Mary: Sure thing. You know what they say – you catch ’em, I cook ’em.

Jesus: (laughs) You’re the best, Mom.”

Questions for Reflection:

What’s the funniest thing you seen AI write?

What’s the funniest thing you have read by a person named Al (short for Alan)?

P.S. Link to my original blog post ⤵️

Jesus and Mary Talk about the Role of Peter Before Dinner
Thank you for sharing!