How would you convince people to visit a luxury resort during the Great Recession? In this episode, I talked with Courtney Smith, an online entrepreneur, triathlete, and mother who does it all!
Courtney started law school in her 20s but never finished her education because she was already busy being the Marketing Director of a luxury resort in AZ, USA.
How did she get to that stage? Make sure you listen to the full episode (ps. use the episode chapters) !
Her story is beyond inspiring for women, parents, young people, and ambitious people who want to start a business.
Keep scrolling and discover some of the best stories from Courtney to aspiring CMOs, marketers, or entrepreneurs.
E-mail Marketing is Underrated
In Courtney’s episode, she’s tapped into the start of e-mail marketing to attract local visitors to the luxury resort since the 2008 financial crisis put a huge halt on international flights.
E-mail marketing is a great way for local businesses, including luxury resorts, to reach their target audience and promote their services.
You can always bring more promotions to their inbox, which costs close to nothing compared to PPC or billboards (which was the initial strategy to market the resort).
By sending regular newsletters and promotional e-mails, businesses can keep their customers informed about special offers, new amenities, and upcoming events.
Additionally, e-mail marketing allows businesses to track engagement and measure the success of their campaigns, making it a cost-effective and efficient marketing strategy.
What do you have to lose?
In our interview, Courtney emphasized that starting a business in your 20s is a smart move because you have less to lose.
Even if the business fails, you can always return to working for a company and gain more experience. She also noted that having a clear vision and mission (your WHY) is crucial for any successful business.
If you watch her short video pitch on her YouTube channel, you will see young Courtney’s second business idea, which she called a “sexy business” back in the day.
The business idea was loved by everyone and got amazing media coverage. However, she never got the revenue she’d expected.
Make your clients TRUST you
“Trust is the most important thing in a client relationship.” – Courtney Smith
Make your clients believe your words by giving them instant value. In the SEO world, we know that the process could take 6 months to a year to get any results.
So, Courtney found a way to generate instant revenue for their clients.
“These businesses don’t have the time and money to wait for that long. So we start with paid campaigns first, but we already have the website set up.”
Episode Chapters
2:30 Dropping Law School to Start Marketing
4:07 $350M Project in 2008 Financial Crisis – Case Study
7:40 Do ChatGPT make writers lose their jobs?
8:30 Preparing for the future, knowing AI is advancing
10:41 Starting an online business in 2009 😰
11:14 Courtney’s early days in business: fails & lessons
16:31 How to find clients?
18:09 People don’t know SEO 😇
19:50 How to deal with different clients?
23:50 The most important thing in a client relationship
24:12 SEO tips for local businesses
26:50 Marketing is expense and cost
28:31 Courtney’s reflection on growing OVER TIME.
29:58 ENTREPRENEUR LESSON 👉🏼 YOU 👈🏼NEED TO KNOW.
32:34 STOP comparing yourself.
33:30 Successful people DO THIS.