Joe Garrison

Owner

Moonflower Marketing

North Shadeland Alliance

Co-Founder

Clear Church Communications

Helping small churches communicate clearly so they can reach more people and change more lives.

Garrison Law Firm, LLC

Web and Social Media Manager and Legal Assistant

Castleton United Methodist Church

I serve as Assistant Director of a Phao a Student Ministries a ministry for. 5th-12th graders in central Indiana

Asst. Director of Student Ministries

I organize and oversee music for the contemporary services at the Castleton campus right now.

Contemporary Worship Director

Legal Assistant in collections department and Personal Injury Investigator

Legal Assistant/Investigator

The money and time you put into marketing your business should grow your business. Plain and simple. The problem is that too many business owners hire marketing agencies that create beautiful brands and gorgeous websites that fail to bring in new clients and make money.

There is nothing more frustrating as a business owner than wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work. Money burned in the fire of social media marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and more.

If you don’t have the right words, nothing else you do will matter.

At Moonflower Marketing, we know the foundation of everything you do to market your business is in the words you use to talk about your business. If you don’t have the right words, nothing else you do will matter. We help you find the right words to land the right clients. Then, we build the rest of your marketing on that firm foundation.

This is the lie too many people believe when using StoryBrand to create their websites. 😬





👉  If you build it...they will come. 👈

StoryBrand isn't a classic movie about a guy who builds a baseball diamond in the middle of a cornfield to watch ghosts play ball.

Though, it uses some of the same storytelling principles. 💡

StoryBrand is a messaging framework that helps you invite your customers into a story and move them to action (hiring you!). 

Using it to write the copy for your website and landing pages can crank up your conversion rates and result in loads more business.

I've had clients who had to hire additional staff to keep up with the increase in business after I StoryBranded their website.

Yet, some people use StoryBrand to write their websites and landing pages and see no meaningful difference. Why?

Because they don't have a plan to drive traffic to those pages! 

If people never see the landing pages written using the StoryBrand framework, it doesn't matter how great your messaging is. 

It's pointless.

You HAVE to pair StoryBrand with a strategy to drive traffic to those landing pages.

That might be with

✅  SEO
✅  PPC
✅  Social Media
✅  Speaking Engagements
✅  Legacy Advertising
✅  Smoke Signals 

Whatever your game is, you need a plan to drive traffic to those pages for StoryBrand to work its magic.

When you pair a StoryBranded website with a strategy to drive the right traffic to it, the results can be incredible.

Signed,
Certified StoryBrand Guide who wants to see you WIN THE DAY!

#storybrand #storybrandguide #brandmessaging #ppc #seo #marketing #advertising #networking 

Joe Garrison 📚

I help your small business grow using the StoryBrand framework. StoryBrand Certified. Small business champion. Indy advocate.

Joe sitting at a desk in the Business Made Simple and StoryBrand studio. Behind him are green book shelves loaded with books.

God bless clients who pay immediately. ⚡️💵



That is all. Happy Friday! 🤘

Joe in front of a book shelf, wearing a gray t-shirt and Belay Solutions hat, holding up the rock fist.

This customer will self-destruct in 5…4…3…2…1… 💣

	
What is the first thing customers do when they click on your website?

It’s the same thing that happens when you open a book, start a new show, or sit down for a movie.

“...the instant a reader opens your book, his cognitive unconscious is hunting for a way to make life a little easier, see things a little clearer, understand people a little better.” ~ Lisa Cron, Wired for Story.

When someone clicks on your website, they are looking for a way to make life better.

If you don’t clearly state how you do that for them in your header, they’re out.

And they’re not coming back. 

When I write homepages for clients, I make sure the header answers these four questions in five seconds or less.

1️⃣  Who are you?
2️⃣  What do you do?
3️⃣  How does it make my life better?
4️⃣  How do I buy it?

These are simple questions to answer, but questions too many websites fail to immediately answer. 

Here’s how to answer them quickly.

1️⃣  Your logo in the top left corner of the page
2️⃣  Your H1 Title center screen
3️⃣  A short aspirational or success-focused statement below the H1 as an H2 on the page.
4️⃣  Your Call-to-action button top right and center page under your H2.

See the deck below for examples.

Answering these four questions in five seconds or less fulfills the primal need your customers have when they land on your website.

They need to know if what you do helps them win the day in the story they’re living that day.

Tell them immediately.

If you don’t, your leads will self-destruct quicker than Tom Cruise on Oprah. 



#brandmessaging #marketing #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #copywriting #storybrand

Simplify small business marketing with a powerful brand message. StoryBrand Certified. Small business champion. Indy advocate.

What impact does brand messaging have on customer engagement?

What do I need to know about copywriting?

How can small businesses improve website conversions?

The first thing your customers do on your website

Build something that makes your kids proud.



My oldest is fully in the “OMG! Dad, you’re so cringe” phase.

Yet, she’s crazy proud that I sponsored her softball team.

The Moonflower Marketing logo is stamped on her jersey next to the team logo.

Thursday was a bit chilly, so she wore her MFM hoodie over the jersey to the game. 

In basically every other part of life, I’m super cringe.

On the ball field, she wears Daddy’s brand with pride. 

She was even willing to twin with me. 🤯

I’ll take it. 

Happy Saturday!

How important is pride in professional life?

No alternative text description for this image

3D Entrepreneurial Success! 🎉 🤦‍♂️


There is a LOT of garbage advice for entrepreneurs on this app.

😬  “How to get 104 days of productivity back.” (work weekends)
😬  “Work-life balance is a MYTH!” 
😬  “If someone doesn’t serve you? Cut them out!”

*Most* of the people selling this advice are single or childless.

For real, go check.

Yes, many have achieved a high level of financial success.

They have worked a lot of weekends, chosen to let work take over their lives, and cut lots of people out.

Sure, it worked.

BUT what if you started your business AFTER you got married and had a litter of kiddos?

This advice might help you make money, but only at the loss of what you probably (hopefully) value more.

You CAN build a business AND be a good dad—in spite of what the HustleBros say on LinkedIn.

I started my business in 2016. I had two daughters under five, one of whom was barely one. 

I HAVE NOT

🚫  Worked most weekends
🚫  Compromised work/life balance
🚫  Cut out everyone who was…well…difficult.

I HAVE

👉  Started a nonprofit that reduced violence in my community and fed thousands of hungry neighbors.
👉  Served on two other nonprofit boards
👉  Attended almost every one of my girls’ sporting and school events.

All while building a mostly solo business over six figures for the last few years and is likely to exceed $250K this year.

Oh yeah, my wife also quit her full-time job, which was dragging her down, and has worked part-time for me for the last two years and starting to build her own business.

It's not been all roses, but that ain't bad, right?

Remember: The LinkedIn gods like Hormozi and others offer a lot of great advice. I love a lot of it. I do.

They ALSO post sh*t like the above to generate wild amounts of engagement and controversy to grow their businesses.

You don't have to believe it.

You CAN build a business AND be a great parent. 

I promise.

-----------

Disclaimer: No, I'm not working on Saturday. I wrote and scheduled this post on Thursday. Today, I'm helping my brother build a shed before heading to my daughter's softball game.

Should I post more working dad content on Saturdays? 

#worklifebalance #workingdad #workingmom #workingparent #familybusiness

What impact can entrepreneurship have on work-life balance?

What are the key strategies for maintaining work-life balance as an entrepreneur?

How can family business dynamics impact entrepreneurship?

Some things don’t go as planned. 

Commence Pivot.


I turned the keys in to our office last night.

We’re officially in our WFH Era.

The hope was to establish a local presence, and provide a meeting location for my work in our community.

18-months later I’ve hosted one client and a few small committee meetings for a board I was on.

Not worth the cost.

So, we’re back to operating lean and mean.

Just in time for the kids to get off school for the summer 😳.

I’m excited, though. It’s the right call for this season of life and work.

How does transitioning to a WFH Era impact work dynamics?

What are the benefits of operating 'lean and mean' in a business?

How does the summer break affect work-life balance?

Story is story, no matter where you take it.




I love being a StoryBrand Guide because it allows me to work with businesses and nonprofits in dozens of different industries.

Why?

Story.

Whether you're writing the next Marvel movie, high school play, or copy for a software developer's website, it works everywhere. 

Our brains are hardwired to respond to stories. 

Applying a story framework to your marketing captures your customer's attention much like a great movie does.

Story is a sense-maker. 

Story is a clarifier. 

Story is an attention-grabber. 

Filter your organization's message through the lens of story, and people will more quickly understand how you fit in their lives.

I  am often asked, "Have you done this with anyone in our industry?"

Sometimes, I respond, "Nope, but that doesn't matter."

The power isn't in the familiarity with your industry.

The power is in the application of the story framework.

Story is story, no matter where you take it.

I would love to show you how the StoryBrand framework can transform your marketing and grow your business or nonprofit. 

How can applying a story framework to marketing capture customers' attention?

How can applying a story framework to marketing transform businesses or nonprofits?

10 Industries Where I Have Applied StoryBrand

Do you really need to blow people's minds with your lead magnet?


If you're like me, you answered a very loud "Yes!"

In reality, what feels like basic information to you is brand-new information to your prospective customers.

This was a great takeaway from Josh Taylor, a veteran StoryBrand Guide on the latest Marketing Made Simple podcast with Dr. J.J. Peterson and April Sunshine Hawkins.

If you're like me, you spend weeks, or even months, building a lead magnet that you hope will blow prospects' minds. 🤯

This can lead to two problems.

1. You never actually launch the lead magnet because it's never as perfect as you want it to be (🙋‍♂️).

2. The lead magnet ends up being overwhelming for prospects because they're starting with a basement-level understanding of what you do, and you just gave them Ph.D.-level insight.

It's a lead magnet, not a graduate course. 

Figure out what level of knowledge your average prospect is operating with and give them the next step. 

Lead magnets are for your customers, not your peers.

You don't need to impress folks who do what you do. 

You need to gain the trust of folks who need your help.

I've said on here before that perfectionism is my disease. 

I currently have multiple lead magnets sitting in Google Drive, waiting to be perfected. 

I have one on my website that wasn't my first choice, but it was my "good enough" choice, and it has brought in several new clients.

This was a good reminder on this Monday morning to tuck that perfectionism in a drawer and start growing your business.

Link to the episode in the comments.

#storybrand #marketing #leadmagnet #leadgenerator #leadgeneration

How can good enough choices bring in new clients?

How can perfectionism hinder the launch of lead magnets?

Cover of the Marketing Made Simple podcast with Dr. J.J. Peterson, powered by StoryBrand on the HubSpot Podcast Network.

I believed a lie for too long. It almost cost me everything last year.




If you’ve ever started your own business, you know there is tons of advice to hear.

Most of it is garbage. Some of it is great. 

One lie that came early and often...

“To be ‘successful,’ you must build an agency with a big staff, a big office, and a gazillion clients.”

At least, that's the gist. 

10x EVERYTHING!

Sometimes, that notion was explicit. Often, implicit.

At least, that's what I got out of it.

I’ve told myself for a while that I wanted a staff, but why?

Last year, business tanked. 

My energy was wrapped up in leading a community advocacy group in Indianapolis.

Fighting hunger. Combatting violence. Connecting people.

All worthy efforts, but I neglected my business.

If I hadn’t allowed overhead to get away with a leased office and all its added costs, we’d have been fine.

Unfortunately, we came pretty close to the edge.

I wish ‘Company of One’ by Paul Jarvis was available when I started my business.

I read it a while back, and it helped put things into perspective.

I don’t HAVE to build an agency, but I CAN if I decide that’s best for me, my family, and my clients. 

I’m not ruling out having a staff eventually, but right now, it’s time to get lean and mean.

➡️ I just gave up my leased office space and moved back home.
➡️ My wife and I share one room as an office (she works for my business).
➡️ I’m focusing on a specific type of clientele.
➡️ I’m only offering the services I do well for them.
➡️ I’m charging what I’m worth for those services.

If you are considering starting a business, are a solopreneur, or even want to be more self-sufficient in your role in a business, check out Company of One.

I was intrigued after seeing Justin Welsh mention it on Twitter. I devoured it in three days.

It helped ground me in what I really want out of running my own business.

So, we're trimming down. 

Someday, maybe we'll scale back up.

For now, here’s to a good reset. 🍻

What’s your dream business? Big, small, solo, on staff for someone else?

#companyofone #solopreneur #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowners

How can a lean approach benefit a business?

What impact does community advocacy have on business success?

Joe in the bottom left corner wearing a gray hoodie and gray trucker hat with the "Belay" emblem on it. He has his chin in his hand and is looking up and to the right at the caption "Is this really the RIGHT way?" 

The Company of One book by Paul Jarvis is in the left corner. 

Are you a small business owner who ignores storytelling...you won’t be one for long.



Story is the most powerful tool to grow your small business.

Story is the tool the human brain has used for thousands of years to make sense of the world, understand each other, and stay alive.

If you know me, you know my jam is using story as a framework for marketing. 

I’ve been a certified StoryBrand Guide since 2019, and that framework transformed how I do marketing, write, and think.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities.

When small businesses grow, communities thrive.

So, here are 5 Books to help you master storytelling for small business.

Capture your customers’ attention and drive them to action (hire you and buy your stuff).

1. Building a StoryBrand - Donald Miller

Start with this book. No other book on the market more simply breaks down the framework of storytelling or explains how to apply it to your business. 

It will help you make sense of all the other books on story. 

2. Wired for Story - Lisa Cron

This isn’t a business book. It’s about storytelling. 

Get your head out of the business books sometimes. 

Story wasn’t invented for business. It was wired into people to help us survive, thrive, and be entertained. 

This book beautifully breaks down what makes a good story and how to craft one.

3. How to Tell a Story - The Moth

Again, not a business book. The Moth is a storytelling group that helps people tell great stories…standing up at a microphone in front of a live audience. 😬

For almost thirty years, they’ve helped average people tell masterful stories. 

They break down exactly how to do so in this book. It’s priceless.

4. Stories That Stick - Kindra Hall

Hall presents you with four powerful stories to tell as a business. 

The Value Story
The Founder Story
The Purpose Story
The Customer Story. 

Then, she helps you figure out how to find, craft, and tell those stories in a beautifully practical way. 

5. Storynomics - Robert McKee

Robert McKee is a legendary master of storytelling. Storynomics shows you how to move from a traditional “interrupt” advertising style to a story-based model. He draws on his experience helping brands like Samsung, Microsoft, and Nike do the same. 

In a world where people are distracted and skeptical of all marketing and advertising, storytelling is the only way to break through.

Story is how you capture their hearts, minds, (and wallets).

Read the books, then write.

Write a lot.

To master storytelling for your small business, move beyond information and put it into practice.

Use story to write/rewrite your 

👉  Website pages
👉  Social Media posts
👉  Blog posts
👉  Emails

...and anything else where you use words to communicate your message.

-----
Hey! I’m Joe Garrison 📚. I help small business owners like you leverage the power of story to create unforgettable marketing that grows your business.

 ♻ Find this post helpful? Be sure to share! 

What impact can mastering small business storytelling have on marketing success?

How can StoryBrand help small businesses with storytelling?

5 Books to Master Storytelling for Small Business

A simple way to deepen the connection with your customers and clients.



“We don’t value things; we value their meaning.” Rory Sutherland, Alchemy.

Here’s what he means. 

Quick Story…

Say you have two authentic Peyton Manning jerseys.

1️⃣ The first jersey you ordered from an online store. 

It's great. You love it. You look good in it. 

You almost feel like you could step out onto the turf and take a few snaps.

2️⃣ The second jersey Peyton Manning wore in a real game.

It even has a grass stain and a drop of blood from when Ray Lewis drove Peyton into the ground, making him wish he’d skipped the NFL and gone straight into sketch comedy.

Which one do you think is worth more?

The game-worn jersey. Obviously.

A seller can charge more for it for two reasons.

The first reason is obvious…it’s game-worn. The actual literal Hall-of-Famer, Peyton Manning, wore this jersey.

The second reason it is worth more is that it comes with a STORY.

You can probably go on YouTube and pull up the highlight reel of Ray Lewis driving Peyton Manning to the ground during a game and point out to your friends, “THAT is where the grass stains and blood come from!”

Technically, both jerseys are identical in every way...except for the stains and the story.

The second jersey has more MEANING.

How do you apply “meaning” to your product or services?

📌  Maybe it is telling the backstory and your company's “why.”
📌  Maybe meaning comes from a charitable aspect of your business.

For example, The "Haulstr" company in Indy delivers mulch. It’s a little more expensive than the other companies, but you can choose one of their local nonprofit partners to receive a donation when you order mulch.

📌  Maybe it’s inviting your customers into a story that makes them FEEL like they’re a part of something special. 

A movement. A tribe.

As Seth Godin puts it in his book, “This is Marketing”... 

“People like us do things like this.” 

How do you attach meaning to what you do or sell?

----

Want regular tips on how to cut through the noise and grow your small business? Follow Joe Garrison 📚

♻️ Find this post helpful? Share it with your network.

#marketing #brandmessaging #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowners #storybrand

What impact can storytelling have on product value?

Peyton Manning wearing a Super Bowl XLI edition Colts Jersey with his fists in the air. The caption above reads, "We don't value things, we value their meaning." 

We’re at Skiles Test Nature Park helping with the cleanup today.

I’m taking pictures for BRAG (Binford Redevelopment and Growth, Inc) and Courtney and the girls are on trash duty.

Good to see our local reps Nick Roberts, Daniel Boots, Fady Qaddoura, MS. MPA. PhD., Mayor Hogsett, and Steve Talley out here working hard as usual. 

The monsoon has passed and it’s a great morning for some community service! 

Moonflower Marketing

What is Binford Redevelopment and Growth, Inc known for?

No stakes. No story. No business.



Conflict is the lifeblood of a good story. 

Without conflict, 😴.

It’s that simple.

Imagine watching your favorite movie or TV show without conflict.

Examples:

👉  Love Actually: Mark shows up at Juliet’s door with his cue cards. She lovingly jumps into his arms. Peter walks out, “Thanks man. I didn’t like her anyway.”

👉  Taken: Liam Neeson loses his daughter. Suddenly, he hears, “Dad, I’m in the basement. Chill out!”

👉  Game of Thrones: Jon Snow confronts the Night King outside the wall. The Night King says, “Hey, man. I’m a big fan. Want to grab some coffee?”

A story NEEDS conflict to be interesting. 

No stakes. No story.

The same is true for your marketing.

If there are no consequences for not working with you, there is no reason to work with you.

Most small businesses want to avoid any negative language in their marketing.

“We’re a positive vibes only kind of place.” 

I get it. I do.

However, your customer’s brain craves story.

In fact, their brains rely on story.

Whether you tell a story or not, their brains will craft a story for how you fit into their life.

If they can’t see how you help them avoid something bad and achieve something good, they’re out.

😴  To them, you are boring. 😴

Don’t let your customers’ brains write the story for you.

Present them with stakes.

What could go wrong if they don’t hire you or buy your product? 

What bad thing do you help them avoid?

You don’t have to be heavy-handed about it, but you do need to paint a picture.

There ARE consequences for not hiring you to solve their problem.

Not talking about them creates consequences for you.

No stakes. No story. No business.



#marketing #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #storybrand #copywriting #brandmessaging #messaging

How does conflict contribute to a compelling story?

Why do stories need conflict to be interesting?

What is the importance of stakes in marketing?

Mark from the movie Love Actually standing outside Juliet's door with his cue cards. Card read's "To me, you are boring."

Welcome to Indiana, Caitlin Clark!


Clarkonomics about to hit Indianapolis. 👏

Are you creating an illusion or amplifying reality here?



This might be the clearest difference between building a brand and creating a cult.

Cultish, by Amanda Montell, looks at how language helped create actual cults and some cult-like phenomenon. 

From Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate to Scientology, SoulCycle, MLMs, and more, Montell shows the through-line of manipulative language that drew people in, and even led some to their deaths.

While reading this book, it wasn’t big jump to see how similar language is used to build brands and even followings here on linked in.

The line between marketing and cult-building is probably thinner than we’d like to admit.

Too many cross the line into creating an illusion with their message.

Instead, marketing should amplify reality.

Marketing should take what is true about a product or service and clarify it for a target market.

The same should go for audience-building on places like LinkedIn.

I think marketers should read books like this more often.

We should all have a clearer understanding of how our words impact others, positively or negatively. 

#marketing #messaging #audiencegrowth #linguistics #cultish

What are some examples of manipulative language in marketing?

What is the impact of cult-building on marketing?

Joe sitting on his patio with a backwards cap and glasses. He’s pointing up at an image of the Cultish book cover.

Does your website speak directly to your customers' problems and feelings? 



We just launched a new website for our client, Restoration Maintenance, in South Florida.

They came to us wanting to apply StoryBrand to their marketing to help them take their already successful mold and water damage remediation business to the next level. 

Their old website did what restoration companies do: focus on themselves, their awards, and ratings, and stuffing keywords to try to get noticed on Google. 

While leading them in a brand messaging session, I discovered that the most likely person to call them to inspect mold damage in a home is a mother with young kids.

Mom worries that potential mold in her home could harm her family. She either calls or pressures her spouse to call for help.

She doesn't need to be blasted with awards, badges, ratings, etc.

Mom wants to know that this company cares about what she cares about (her family) and will do the job right so she doesn't have to worry anymore. 

So, we gave them a messaging makeover, wrote a new homepage and service pages, created a lead magnet (to be added later), and built a brand new website.

The new messaging and website speak to the problems and feelings of their customers.

I can't wait to see how the new messaging and website help RestoMain take its business to the next level. 

Shoutout to Alex Pesak for her great work with custom website icons, additional colors for their color palette, and designing the lead magnet PDF. 

Want to speak to your ideal customers more clearly? Grab a free time on my calendar, and let's take the first step to transforming your marketing and your business.

https://lnkd.in/d2yw2Jfg 

What are some best practices for brand messaging?

Who do I know at Restoration Maintenance?

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