Gwen Montoya

Gwen Montoya 🔥360 Marketing System for service businesses growing beyond DIY

SEO 🪩 Social Media 🪩 Email Marketing

07/31/2026

Was it scary? Yes!

But I realized lots of folks on my email list weren’t connecting with what I was sharing - so I was showing up to people who weren’t a good fit for what I wanted to talk about.

I’m desperately tired of dude bros & affiliate marketers making things harder than they need to be.If you want to start ...
07/29/2026

I’m desperately tired of dude bros & affiliate marketers making things harder than they need to be.

If you want to start a podcast (or any new venture), start small, start where you are…just start.

07/28/2026

A lot of the work I do is fixing gaps in marketing strategy and connecting disjointed marketing built over time.

But I also create marketing plans from scratch because sometimes that’s where my client is starting.
- Marketing for Small Biz

07/25/2026

What do I think is worth paying for as a marketing strategist?

These are my top five!

About Squarespace raising prices…First, I have nothing to sell here and no angle to push. I’ve worked with lots of diffe...
07/22/2026

About Squarespace raising prices…

First, I have nothing to sell here and no angle to push. I’ve worked with lots of different platforms. I care about what works best for my clients.

There’s no perfect tool for every business.

Squarespace is one of several tools biz owners use that have raised their prices recently.

Do I think a lot of these price increases are tied to the endless AI they are shoving in every nook & cranny? Entirely possible.

Is it worth staying with Squarespace or jumping to something else?

It depends.

Budget is (obviously) always an issue.

So it time and bandwidth.

Changing platforms will most likely be a rebuild from scratch (as least design wise). You can copy/paste words and upload images easily, but every site builder has different templates.

And speaking of site builders - if you’re not going custom, you’re going to end up on another drag & drop platform - test them out before you commit.

If you move your site, you need to keep the URLs exactly the same (when I’ve migrated sites, I use a spreadsheet for project management and checklists) because you don’t want to mess that up.

If you move your site from Squarespace - what is the time and cost involved (and is it a better option than staying?)

Some red flags to be aware of:

Wordpress is awesome - but there’s a learning curve and it can be ongoing. Want to do something interesting? It is probably going to involve a plugin (that will need to be updated and may break in the future).

For lots of biz owners, drag & drop (like Wix and Squarespace) are the easiest, simplest options.

If you hate touching your site or something goes sideways every time - you won’t want to update it (which means your site’s not doing its job).

I’m not going to say running a business costs money and you need to suck it up and hand over your credit card (that would be rude), but you have to decide where it is worth investing and where it isn’t.

Also - don’t use GoDaddy. Ever. The worst.

07/13/2026

As a marketing strategist, I start with the data - that gives us a solid foundation to start with.

But I’m also looking at your content, your messaging, your perspective, and your voice - because that is a huge factor in whether someone swipes away or wants to learn more.

Once I’ve done my research, we start planning your next steps, fixing what isn’t working, and making your marketing (and sales) stronger.

07/08/2026

You probably don’t need a huge marketing overhaul, a rebrand, a new website, or to burn it all down and start over (although that can be tempting!)

Instead, look at what’s working, what’s not and where the gaps are across ALL of your marketing.

When I do marketing audits, that’s what I’m looking for! How do we improve what’s working in your marketing and fix what’s not?

07/02/2026

Posting is the easy part.

When it comes to creating marketing content that actually works, think about what your specific buyer is looking for - what do they need to hear (or see!) from you to know that you are the exact person who can help them?

I saw “protein chips” at the grocery store and started thinking about how protein has been having a moment, and now fibe...
07/01/2026

I saw “protein chips” at the grocery store and started thinking about how protein has been having a moment, and now fiber is everywhere too.

Which made me think of that old plate graphic - the one meant to show you how much of each food group you’re supposed to eat. (I think it might be out of favor now, but the idea is still so clear that I can picture what the graphic looked like!)

Which, obviously, made me think about marketing.

Ideally, your marketing is like that plate: a mix of different options. Stacking it with only one thing isn’t a good idea. But not every business thrives on the same mix, and part of running a business is figuring out the right one for yours.

Ok, so stay with me. (Full post on Substack)

When it comes to marketing, the plate is the end part. Getting there is more like a buffet.

You can add whatever strikes your fancy - YouTube, ads, whatever’s trending this week - and just like at an actual buffet, trying new stuff is interesting.

But unlike food, when you load your plate with stuff you don’t understand, it doesn’t just sit there uneaten. It costs you time, money, and focus that could’ve gone toward what’s working.

So, as a marketing strategist, I’m not building your plate around one food group. I know you need balance.

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Portland, OR
97086-97299

Opening Hours

Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 9am - 6pm

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