Marketing Happy Hour Podcast

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A lime green carpet shouldn’t be the reason you walk away from a dream. Shelby takes us inside the leap to open Little Rock Creative—a new photography studio and hybrid office built to raise the bar for content creators in west Little Rock—while celebrating ten years of The Marketing Broker and nearly fourteen years in entrepreneurship. This is a candid, behind-the-scenes look at why standards matter, how to spot the rig...

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Ice on the roads turned into clarity on the plan. After six days at home with my five‑year‑old and a full notebook, I’m sharing a practical visibility blueprint for small businesses that want more than likes—they want bookings. We start with the foundation most people skip: crisp clarity. If a stranger can’t describe what you do in one sentence, the algorithm won’t either. I walk through how to define your core servic...

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Ready to grow a new business without draining your wallet? We break down five free, high-impact moves that build a clear brand, boost visibility, and turn real-world connections into steady referrals. Shelby McFarland, the marketing broker behind Marketing Happy Hour, lays out a lean playbook you can execute right now and refine as you scale.

We start by building a brand foundation that actually guides decisi...

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Ready for a hot take that might change how you grow? We unpack why competition—not vague “collabs”—is the engine that sharpens your craft, speeds up decisions, and wins better clients. From a fast start to 2026 with a new office and a rentable photo studio in Little Rock, we dig into the systems that turn momentum into measurable wins and the partnerships that actually add value.

You’ll hear how a competitive...

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Stuck in that “blah” headspace but still need to ship content that moves the needle? We’ve been there—staring at a blank calendar, juggling client work, family, and admin, while the algorithm and your sales pipeline quietly drift. Today we share the exact system we use to market consistently even when inspiration doesn’t show up, and why it led to a 25% lift in sales after just thirty days of steady posting.

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You expect a few weeks of posts to move the needle. We’ve been there—and we’ve watched that expectation wreck good strategies and strong partnerships. This conversation resets how to think about social media ROI, not as instant sales magic, but as the credibility layer that turns referrals into real revenue and keeps your brand top of mind when buyers do their homework.

We walk through the journey from Yellow...

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A prospect looks you in the eye and asks, “Why should I choose you over someone else?” Your mind races, your pitch speeds up, and the urge to compare kicks in. We slow that moment down and turn it into a clear, confident answer rooted in discovery, principles, and proof.

We start with the questions that actually matter: revenue targets, sales goals, and the outcomes a client would recognize as success. From t...

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Tired of hearing “marketing doesn’t work for me”? We dig into why that belief keeps businesses stuck and show how simple shifts—clear goals, consistent execution, and real tracking—turn scattered efforts into steady sales. From community sponsorships and billboards to social media and your website, we break each channel down to what it should do, how to measure it, and how to iterate without wasting time or money.

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We challenge the belief that “marketing doesn’t work” and show how goals, tracking, and consistency turn scattered efforts into sales. From billboards and sponsorships to social media and websites, we share how to test, tweak, and align marketing with sales.

• marketing and sales as one system
• defining goals for each channel
• measuring ROI and attribution
• balancing branding with response
...

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We trade the myth of work-life balance for work-life harmony and share how to build habits that fit real seasons, not social media scripts. We also get honest about the mental toll of entrepreneurship and how to decompress without guilt.

• replacing balance with harmony as a guiding mindset
• shifting percentages between work and family based on need
• releasing guilt when priorities change across the...

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We explore how consistency sets a promise, reduces buyer risk, and turns casual scrollers into confident customers. Through a restaurant cautionary tale, a coffee shop case study, and a simple checklist, we show how to align your brand, content, and operations.

• defining consistency as a brand promise 
• why predictability builds trust and reduces risk 
• coffee shop case study using three-post rhyth...

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We share how choosing the right people changed our results, from guarded solo work to open collaboration that drives sales and calmer launches. We talk about picking a small circle, learning from others’ mistakes, and why competitors can become partners.

• defining community as the circle that shapes decisions
• lessons from isolating as a young founder and woman in business
• shifting from competitio...

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We share how one salesperson turned a weak Google profile into a trust engine by asking happy clients for reviews. We show why sales and marketing work best as one team and how simple tools and steady asks move rankings, clicks, and deals.

• review-driven trust as the first impression
• fast rating recovery through targeted asks
• sales and marketing alignment on proof and messaging
• national bra...

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Strategy beats shortcuts as we map a simple, repeatable system to keep your marketing fresh, measurable, and effective. We set clear goals per channel, define ROI by context, and build a 30‑day review cycle that reallocates budget toward what works.

• hair-wash analogy applied to consistency and planning
• setting specific goals per channel and asset
• defining ROI for booths, leads groups, and ads

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We trade noisy, constant posting for a clean, strategic feed that educates, engages, and sells. Stories become the place for busyness while the feed stays focused so people actually hear the message and take action.

• three-pillar content plan across educate, engage, sell
• why overposting lowers reach and causes unfollows
• using Stories for rapid updates and interaction
• setting a sustainable c...

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We share three blunt lessons from 13 years of entrepreneurship: hire financial pros early, stop assuming every prospect is a yes, and set boundaries on volunteering so your time fuels growth. Expect candid stories, hard numbers, and practical steps you can use now.

• hiring a CPA and bookkeeper to fix messy books and guide tax strategy
• moving from DIY finances to quarterly reviews and profit focus
•...

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We don't need perfect balance between business and motherhood – we need harmony. After having my daughter during COVID, I learned that some days my personal life takes 80% of my energy, while other days my business needs more, and that's okay.

• As entrepreneurs, we're drawn to flexibility but struggle with the reality of juggling responsibilities
• Having a baby completely changed my prior...

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We're tackling unprofessional marketing mistakes that could be hurting your business credibility. Shelby shares her personal experience with these common errors and provides simple, actionable solutions to fix them immediately.

• Inconsistent branding across platforms weakens recognition—put your logo on everything and maintain consistent fonts and colors
• Poor photo quality and overuse of generic s...

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Avoid these marketing pitfalls if you want your new business to thrive! Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your approach, these ten marketing mistakes could be silently sabotaging your growth.

The temptation to take shortcuts is real – buying followers seems like a quick win until you realize those fake accounts never convert to sales. Running ads without proper funnels? That's just ...