Managing money is something Min McKay is very good at – both her own and other peoples’. With a background in banking Min decided to take her passion for teaching people how to make the most of their hard-earned money, into her own business – You Change. She tapped into Business Mentors NZ for help in digital marketing to increase her online presence and attract more customers.
“I have seen both in my own life and from clients’ experiences, there is huge value and security in getting control of your money,” says Min. “Working in the bank’s lending department I would often see people who earned good money but were not any better off for it and just couldn’t get ahead.”
You Change specialises in financial coaching and planning. Min helps people get their finances in better order through creating a customised plan, helping them implement it and holding them accountable to reaching goals.
Her clients are mainly working professionals, ranging in age and stage of life, wanting to do better with the money they’re earning and improve finances.
Being a digitally based operation, Min needed guidance in reaching her customers better. “Having a mentor that specialised in the digital space has helped me to better understand the digital platforms, fine tune the website and tap into more effective SEO returns on the website,” says Min.
Business Mentors NZ matched Min with Ellen-Marie Varoy who is an award winning digital marketing specialist. Having previously worked at Venture Taranaki which runs the local business mentoring programme she became involved in helping local businesses with digital marketing. Volunteering for Business Mentors NZ was the logical next step.
“Working with Ellen has meant I have a better online presence and a good understanding of what’s available to me and how to use it. It’s one thing to know they’re there but when you go to actually do it, it can be a minefield,” says Min. “If I had tried to do it on my own I would have wasted so much time and money.”
Ellen’s knowledge actually helped Min save money as she was able to capitalise on free or low cost activity such as google rankings and searches.
Ellen says Min came to her with the goal of growing her customer base so she first looked at the initiatives that were quick and easy to implement so as not to miss out on any low hanging fruit.
“I wanted to ensure her activity was supporting her business in the best way. We improved her website’s search engine optimisation, looked at what content would be most valuable to her audience based on keyword research, identified blog topics to share on social and set up a supporting email marketing strategy,” says Ellen. “It was a matter of looking at what she was already doing and how she could generate further marketing value out of those activities.”
With Ellen’s help, Min focused on building a community on social and appearing in front of the right people on Google while ensuring all channels were in sync to maximise value out of the content she was sharing.
“Across my website and social media platforms Ellen’s knowledge has helped me be very deliberate in what I’m doing and reach the right customers. Understanding how algorithms work and how google likes to rank you delivered new customers within a week or so.”
Min says getting in front of people that are seeking help with their financial situation will continue to drive her. “This is what fills me up and exactly what I want to be doing. I’m on a mission to rid the world of consumer debt!”
Min’s advice for start ups:
- Do your homework, test your idea and trial it for free if you can to get specific feedback.
- Build your networks and connections well in advance of starting. Networks and connections are key in business and will help you when you are employed too!
- Tap into resources available to you whenever and wherever possible. You never know what information you might come across that could be really helpful. You may also stumble across some funding or mentoring that could be just what you need for your business.
