Paul & Paula private

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Paul & Paula private is the place where we share a little bit about our international life.

Four kids, many languages, regular moves and travels. A little peak behind the scenes…

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Collaborate with Paul & Paula

work with paul & Paula

Hi everyone!

Today I want to talk about my own business, digital marketing, for a bit instead of promoting and sharing what other amazing people are making and doing.

Paul & Paul will soon turn 12, and over all these years I have worked with various companies, created and managed content, oversaw websites and editorial teams, helped set up new businesses, designed interiors and products, seen the world of children and family lifestyle from all angles, and consulted on digital marketing.

By working for various online shops, trade shows, magazines, designers, and agencies, I accumulated a lot of experience and skills that I would like to make use of and help even more companies grow and thrive.

Let me share my specific digital marketing skills and experience with you. And I would love to collaborate with you and your dream next:

Social Media Marketing & Management

Content Creation & Marketing

Digital Marketing Analysis

Newsletter Marketing

SEO

User Experience

Consult on starting a business for women and mothers

Event Organisation

 

digital marketing paul paula

Social Media Marketing & Management

Social Media Marketing (SMM) allows you to get your brand in front of as many people as possible in a short period of time. Create tailored content for each social media platform to achieve your goals.

This involves publishing great content on your social media profiles, listening to and engaging with your followers, running social media advertisements, and analysing your results.

1. Before anything, we will discuss, as a team, your social media strategy.

2. Once we know our strategy, we will plan your Social Media content ahead of time. Because we want to publish great content that your audience likes at the right timing and frequency.

3. We will manage the community that we have built, in a proactive two-way communication, because content alone just won’t cut it.

4. We will dig into the numbers for insights and to help us create something for the future. Because we want to achieve business results through Social Media Marketing.

 

Content Creation & Marketing

The goal is to drive potential customers or readers to your website or blog. This can be done by creating content that inspires or educates the target audience.

A content strategy will help to grow the audience and reach out to potential new customers or readers who may not know about the products or services you provide.

I have written articles and managed content for various well known magazines and websites. And I love to write. Storytelling, engaging the reader by also promoting your brand, highlighting news in a fun way, editing and updating old content, and delivering articles that are searchable as well as reader friendly are my special skills. Your brand needs to publish relevant, authoritative content to be seen by search engines.

Furthermore, I have basic technical knowledge of HTML and web publishing, knowledge of SEO (see below), and web traffic metrics.

Great articles are so important for your organic reach!

 

Digital Marketing Analysis

This assessment is a comprehensive and systematic examination of the state of your business, its environment, and current marketing efforts.

Your business, inside out. We will go through all your channels, analyse, dig, and pick. What is going well and what needs improvement? How many visitors actually turn into customers or not, and why? Is your website generating leads and are your newsletter subscribers excited to get mail from you? Nothing will be left untouched. And a full report packed with improvement ideas and strategies will be presented to you.

You will have a better understanding of your business, be able to make insightful decisions, take your Digital Marketing to the next level, and thereby grow your business!

Based on the information from the assessment, a marketing strategy with actionable steps customised to your business will be created.

 

Newsletter Marketing

Email newsletters are one of the most powerful digital marketing tools available to market your business. They allow you to communicate in a personal way with your customers. And deliver the right message at the right time.

The goal is to retain existing customers or readers and to keep your subscribers engaged with your brand. Next, convert subscribers into customers, and then deepen brand loyalty.

Newsletters are no longer general, blanket statements of information – at least, the good ones aren’t. They can be a dialogue between you and your readers, providing them with niche content relevant to their interests and encouraging conversation. Effective newsletters focus on personalisation (segments), because customers are looking to be treated like people, not just another contact.

Don’t have a newsletter yet? I can also help you set up a newsletter and promote subscriptions with exciting incentives.

Altogether, newsletters have evolved to be a crucial tactic in a successful marketing strategy. And when executed well, they can boost your sales and continue to grow your digital audience.

 

SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimisation. Therefore, SEO is the process of taking steps to help your website or piece of content rank higher on Google. You want to get traffic from free, organic, editorial, or natural search results in search engines. With SEO we can improve your website’s position in search results pages.
I will create an SEO strategy to improve your website’s search engine rankings in order to capture more organic traffic. It will include technical SEO (site speed & structure, mobile experience, page definitions, keywords), content strategy (see above), and on & off page SEO.

 

User Experience

What does your site look like from a design and user experience (UX) perspective? Is it intuitive to interact with and does it reflect your brand’s guidelines?

I will also evaluate your website against your primary conversion objectives like newsletter sign-ups, completed orders, new customer leads, and so on. Do you have clear call to actions? What does the customer journey look like? Are users inspired to browse and discover?

We want to focus on improving the quality of the user experience to keep them on your website for longer and make them come back again.

 

Consult on starting a business for women and mothers

I started my own business in 2010. From scratch. With my experience and knowledge as a founder and entrepreneur, I will help you develop yourself and your business or professional career. As a founder and mother, I can empathise with your situation because I have experienced it myself. Women start up differently. And mothers are different in their approach and thinking too. Together, we work on your individual challenges and find a way to better reconcile your private life, your family, and your independence.

 

Event Organisation

Whether you want to organise a Press Day, launch a new collection, arrange a gathering during a trade show, or have a lunch with selected guests, I can organise that for you, including a range of ideas on how to make your event stand out! I absolutely love to organise and events come with the great combination of creativity, coordination, personalisation, and marketing.

 

Deep understanding and knowledge of:
Google Suite
Microsoft Package
Wordpress
Shopify
Affiliate Marketing

 

Your schedule is packed, and I am here to help. Get in touch and we can start working on that strategy, grow your visibility, strengthen your branding and/or connect you with your existing as well as new customers.
I work in a very forward-thinking, organised, and detail-oriented way. I love to get to know people, listen to and understand their background, and fully support their wishes and goals.

 

Get in touch: peggy@pauletpaula.com
Clients include: Family Circle – Etsy – Loja Dada – Smallable – Yaya Lala – Lunamag.com – Pitti Bimbo – CIFF – Naturino and many more…

Genuine Friday: My 3 favourite podcasts I listen to while running

top 3 podcasts for running

Very often we hear that we need to look after ourselves. Self Care!
That I should be careful not to lose myself – in between children, work, school, husband, and life. And that we should create moments that are just for us.

I am very aware that it is difficult to find these moments, and especially to have them on our agendas. Because instead of sitting down with a cup of tea we sort through the mail, check homework or need to find a costume for a school assembly. You know what I am talking about.

My personal self-care program is running. I picked it up a few years ago because I realised that I wanted (needed) to move more and that I wanted needed my body to move more. I looked at a couple of options (swimming for example) and came to the conclusion that running works best for me. Especially in terms of flexibility.

Back then I started with a running app and a beginner’s plan. Slowly! Long story short: Running keeps me balanced.
It is ‘me time’, it feels great afterward, and definitely shows on your body. I even signed up for a 10k to push me a bit further and did it. Plus, I booked another one coming up in November (4 weeks I was reminded yesterday!!!).
And I will tell you – I am not loving it, but it is a great feeling to know that you can run 10k. (for example)

However, the thing I love most whilst running – is listening to podcasts!

When I started I went for music, like most people, but found that a bit boring after a while. The running app I use (adidas) includes a few podcasts and I gave it a try. Unfortunately, they were not really what I was hoping for and way too dull for my taste.
So I started to look around. Research, asking friends, searching on the podcast app, etc… there was a lot of trial and error involved.

What I wanted: Inspiring podcasts with fire (I am running after all, not walking or trying to fall asleep)
I love to listen to other people’s stories, I want start up and entrepreneur knowledge, and I want facts.
For example, I started to listen to a few ‘strong women’, ‘women in leadership’ kind of podcasts and man was I disappointed. There was way too much ‘bla’, a lot of ‘me me me’, and just too much dragging out a story for very little input. No thank you. Not interested, and again: I need ‘action’ when I am running. The story, or talk, needs to keep me going.

By now, I have a few shows in my library and I want to share my 3 favourites. I am sure that you would love to listen to them as well, be it during a run, on your commute, waiting for a plane or…

The 3 favourite podcasts I listen to while running:

1. Marie Forleo was my AHA moment. The moment I found her I was super intrigued by the topics that cover a lot about entrepreneurship and creative passions. It is very American in a way that you will hear lots of ‘awesome’, ‘you are the best’, ‘we love you’ and so on, but it is very engaging and fun. Marie is very outspoken, a true storyteller and the kind of woman that I believe can help the whole ‘the future is female’ movement. Some podcasts are call-in shows where people can share their challenges and Marie will come up with different ways on how to tackle the problem. And especially how to look at it from different angles. Many times I came back from my run and had to scribble something down I did not want to forget. This woman is full of passion, drive, and power.

Marie Forleo

 

2. How I built this is satisfying my curiosity to hear other people’s stories. I love life stories and to understand people a bit better once you know a bit about their past. Guy Raz gets you the intel behind some of the world’s biggest and most interesting brands. Innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists. It is super interesting to hear how they started out, the hurdles, the first success and what kept them going. I especially like it because you can discover people and stories that have not been covered a dozen (or even more) times before. Some of the podcasts are live shows which are quite fun too. The last one was with Christina Tosi from Milk Bar and she was so quirky, eclectic, and fun. So good!

How I built this

 

3. The Tony Robbins Podcasts come with this mission: “Why live an ordinary life when you can live an extraordinary one?”
These podcasts want to help you take your business to the next level. And Tony is sharing a lot of his knowledge, experience, and strategies. Inviting very powerful business people to his podcast to have very deep conversations about tactics, achievements, and why failure is a good thing!

Tony Robbins Podcast

 

Listening to a captivating podcasts really helps me to forget a bit about the kms still ahead of me!

 

By the way, I always listen to the podcasts on a 1 1/2 playback speed. This means that they will play a bit faster and are more in flow with my run.

Other Genuine Friday topics we covered:

Raising a big family

Partnership after having children

Daily family life incl struggles with four children

And I also shared my top 5 Netflix series!

 

 

Photo: Photo by Malte Wingen on Unsplash

top 3 podcasts for running

How to add colour to your kitchen in an instant!

beija flor
Hello and happy hump day! Today I will show you how we managed to add some fun, charm, and especially colour into our kitchen.

Some of you spotted our new and very beautiful new mat instantly over on Instagram, especially in my stories. And lots asked where it is from… because… yes… it really changed the whole atmosphere.

You may remember the cute little mat we had in our Malmo apartment and that also added such a lovely accent to the place.

Therefore we worked with Beija Flor again, because they really have the best designs, colours and choice.

Have a look for yourself…

 

beija flor

beija flor

beija flor

The mat I chose is called ‘Electic‘ and the tile design is a combination of far away places, cultures and styles composed together into a vivid celebration of colours and patterns.

I had a very hard time to select a design because there are just so many I like. In the end I went for this colourful one, because I liked the idea of having a big dose of colour in our kitchen. And it is really very lovely, especially when…

 

beija flor

…the sun shines in!

The print is of such good quality and the colours very vibrant. Vinyl mats are super easy to clean and they last for a very long time. This soft flooring version is laying in our kitchen now as well. Because the kids rooms have carpet (the joy of a London home) now. So you see, very versatile and easy.

 

beija flor

All over, the mat really enhances our kitchen and makes me happy every morning when I start making breakfast. Easy, quick and practical!

Beija Flor gifted us the selected mat. All words are my own and I selected the design. All images: Paul & Paula

My top 5 TV series I binge watched the last weeks!

This Is Us

Since I am always on the lookout for a new great series and love to see what others are watching (and why!) I thought that I may share my recent favourites with you.

Because maybe you are the same. And because I do love to watch a good TV series. More than movies these days and I cannot even imagine how things were before Apple TV.  Can you? With all the commercials and being ‘on time’ on your sofa and all that stuff.

And, it is rather relaxing to end the day with a good show. To make sure we are not getting lost with all the stuff (Netflix produces a new show every hour it seems), twice a week we do a ‘talk talk‘ evening session with my husband. To discuss anything on our minds and things that need to be done.

But anyway, let’s get back to the point. I am writing these shows down in alphabetical order because there is no way I could give them a listing. I love them all… for various reasons as you will see:

(by the way, I wanted to get this article out earlier this week but it took longer than expected, and since it is not so much about kids, I think it fits quite well on a Friday – not a 100% Genuine Friday but it is quite personal actually because most of these series actually touched me very much)

Dead to me

dead-to-me-netflix
This show was only launched at the beginning of this month and I think I finished the first season in 2 days, 3 max! I love dark humor and there is plenty! And these two ladies, Christina Applegate stars with Linda Cardellini, are absolutely fabulous. The general story is: A widow is searching for the hit-and-run driver who mowed down her husband and befriends an eccentric optimist through shared grief. And everything is so real, natural, full of emotions that I can relate to, and touching!
Also the topics! There is a lot in the plot, but they are all very important: dealing with grief, mum guilt, being in your 40s, miscarriages, breast cancer, and friendship.
Be warned, there is a good amount of swearing and I know that this put some people off. But this is not a show for children and, to be very honest, I can kinda relate. Jen (CA) has so much on her plate. Her husband died, she has two teenagers and a business to run. And when listening to heavy metal (love that part, can relate to that too!) and swearing helps to navigate your life a bit better, then that is fine. It is all still very raw and new, it will not last forever! And yes, I would love to have a friendship like Jen and Judy (LC) share, because they both allow each other to feel what they need to feel.
By the way, the two seem to really enjoy each others company in general. Love it:


Image: Netflix

 

Dynasty

dynasty fashion outfits
This is the total opposite of Dead to me. And the only reason I actually watch and love it. This soap opera reboot based on the 80’s series is all about glitz, wealth, the corrupt world, and backroom deals. The storyline is totally over the top B U T the main character, Fallon Carrington, is sassy, outspoken, obnoxious and sports the sharpest eyeliner in history. Together with the best outfits! There you go, for me, it is all about the costumes, the styling, the fashion! It is just so good! Once a week I have my Dynasty moment and then I am glued to the TV waiting for a new outfit to pop up. And since the show is recorded at the moment, all the pieces are from current collections! And to top it all, you will see lots of Gucci, Louboutin, Prada, and co. But there is also space for some smaller brands and new designers. That is why each outfit is so interesting. And, yes another ‘and’, the men. They do dress the men in the coolest outfits too. Jeff Colby actually has such a bad a** wardrobe! To sum up: Bold, structured, feminine with a twist, modern, cheeky and always just so on point! Love it! You should try it too if you love fashion…
Also, you absolutely have to follow Meredith Markworth-Pollack on Instagram, the stylist of the show. A genius!

 

Killing Eve

Another show with two ladies as the main characters. And this one is just never dull, always well observed, made with great attention to detail, and most importantly so much fun.
Eve is a bored MI5 security officer whose desk job does not fulfill her fantasies of being a spy. Meanwhile, Villanelle is a fearsome assassin clinging to the luxuries her violent job affords her.
When Eve is tasked with tracking down Villanelle before she can strike again, the two women are thrown into a cat-and-mouse game that turns the traditional spy-thriller on its head. I love some good crime (also in terms of books) but this is another level. Sophisticated and fantastic acting! Season 2 aired in the US and I am impatiently waiting to get access here in the UK.

 

Patrick Melrose

patrick-melrose
This one is intense! And Benedict Cumberbatch is the show. To be honest, I am not sure I would have adored it as much if somebody else would have played that role. He is just such a great actor. The show is based on semi-autobiographical novels about Britain’s upper class by Edward St Aubyn. And about a man from a very privileged yet traumatic childhood in the 1980s. Patrick’s father was abusive, and Patrick’s mother put up with his behavior. He went into addiction and severe substance abuse in New York. The 1st episode is a very accurate description of what it means to be an addict. But the story quietens down and deepens after that, so please do not give up after that start.
The biggest message is that even so, you have given up substances/ drugs, your past will not automatically disappear too. So touching to see Patrick self-sabotaging and still believing that he is not a good person. His mum is played by Jennifer Jason-Leigh who is also extraordinary. Definitely a show that lingers in your memory long after.
Image: Sky Atlantic

This is Us

Another one with deeply affecting emotional messages! About the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames.
And a whole lot of important topics as well: Mental health, loss, homosexuality, premature babies, adoption, addiction, and finding your path in life.
This family is surely not perfect and this is what makes it perfect after all. For me! It is so simple and yet so complicated, heartbreaking, sweet and also brutal.
They start to make you adore Jack, the father. The one that is perfect, loved and does everything and cheers everyone up. But episode after episode (especially in the last season)we see more about their lives, what they dealt with and slowly realise that it was actually Rebecca, the mum, who kept everything and everyone together. And it reminds us, that what you see (or want to see) is not always the reality. And that there is more to a story.
It is deep and especially the grieving part feels very close to me. Because losing a very close family member is not something that you eventually “get over”. But instead, that loss becomes an integrated part of your life going forward. And in ‘This is Us’ we can see how every character in this series is dealing with it in very different ways. I think we often believe that grief is temporary, and only allow expressions of it in that first few months or maybe a year. And yet there will always be moments of wishing that loved one was still around. To me, that show was/ is really some form of grief counseling.

What are you top TV series to binge watch? Have you seen one from my list? I would love to know…

Top Image: NBC / This is Us

Genuine Friday: Daily family life and struggles with 4 children

Daily family life and struggles with 4 children

Hi there! And welcome to another reality glimpse of our family life. I am happy to see that you guys like to read these and relate.

And I think that is actually the main message here: You are not alone and we are all doing the best we can!

One topic that comes up every so often is the daily life. The normal things, the boring stuff, and the struggles. Especially when there are more children than adults. Since my usual reply to the question: “How do you do it all?” is: “I just do!” I had to write down a few points and things over a short period. Like gathering our daily stuff in bullet points to get this article together. Because I do not have every day planned out to the last detail and since we are parenting for nearly 12 years now, our routines are so implemented that I do not notice them so much or strongly anymore.
I hope you know what I mean!?

Therefore, I want to start with this:
Multitasking
Making dinner and helping with homework while searching for a missing you and listening to my tween upstairs looking for her favourite earrings. This may make me seem like the ideal multitasking supermum! Like I am competently handling my life. But I can tell you, this is not how I feel. I really feel pulled in all directions, with a spinning head and especially may loose my patience when all four of them talk (to me) at the same time.

By the way, the children are 3 1/2, 6 1/2, 9 and my eldest will turn 12 this June.

Or how about sleep! Yes, they all sleep through the night B U T if they could they would all still sleep in our bed. This may have something to do with the rare alone time I think. (thoughts?) Bedtime stories usually happen in our (big) bed and then we have at least one person in there. Often two. And a sad face telling you that they also want to be in there and the mum telling you, again, that there is not enough space. Especially on weekends there is always a discussion about the bed situation.

And this: Because nothing is ever fair. And me going bananas when I have to hear for the zillion time that ‘It is not fair!’. Ahhh… the constant competition, checking on siblings and who does what. Of course we always try to give the same to everyone, but it is not seen this way through their eyes. And is it the general reply to anything they are not happy with. And it drives me crazy!

Oh and next to ‘not fair’, there is always an argument over something silly. Who got the biggest slice of pizza, who gets the shower first, or who gets the biggest apple.

And the moment you are an awesome parent for one kid means you are failing another one. Example: One child needs a big hug or my full attention to listen to something that has happened. So I do it. And I am the best mum to that child but also the worst to the other ones who think I am rejecting them.

Even when you win, you lose.

Party invitations or playdates. Except for my eldest (by now) everyone always wants to come along. I don’t know if they just inherited my curiosity but it can be awkward to pop up with a row of kids when actually only one of them was invited. Not to mention the extra time it takes to get there and to answer another million questions to where we are going, why and what and all the names.

Also, my 6 year old never got over the fact that she is not the baby in the family. She was meant to be and life decided differently. And to be honest, it is something I am often out of ideas on how to make this fact easier for her. (anyone?) It is not affecting our daily life and she is not bringing it up all the time. But it is there and every here and there she might say how she would like to be the baby in the family or why everyone is always saying that Josephine is so cute. Because that is something people do when they see a small child or baby but obviously that answer is not good enough for her.

To end with: There is no such thing as peace and quiet!

(except when finally everyone is in bed and sleeping, it may happen that I stay up longer than I should… just because I want to enjoy the peace a little longer!)

And yes, in the end it is all worth it. Like I said before in my big family life article – the hustle and bustle can be exhausting but I also love it!

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