2025 was the year of some major shifts in my business. I’ve been running my marketing business full-time since 2019, and I haven’t looked back. But alongside that, I’ve always had side projects. Things that fed my creativity in different ways. Dates in the States started as one of those […]
The Blog
69 posts
Growing a YouTube channel doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or like a full-time job. In fact, some of the most successful creators didn’t grow by doing more; they grew by doing the right things consistently. If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or personal brand trying to grow your visibility without burning […]
Hey there! I’m Crystal – your content marketing strategist and travel author. I say “travel author” now because I don’t just blog about my travels anymore, I have actual books about my adventures! I’m the creator of Dates in the States, a travel-inspired date night guidebook series for those […]
As a content marketing strategist and a travel blogger myself (datesinthestates.com), I understand how overwhelming social media can feel. You want to share your experiences, grow your audience, and drive traffic to your blog, but creating content for multiple platforms can feel like an endless task. This quarter, I’ve had […]
Hey there, I’m Crystal — a content marketing strategist, travel blogger, and self-published author who lives for helping small biz owners get their content game together so they can be seen, grow their audience, and make more sales. Today I’m going to show you my sales process from start to […]
In the last blog post, I shared how I self-published my book and what that journey looked like from idea to printed page. Today, I want to take it a step further. I’m going to show you how I got my book into bookstores and gift shops. Whether you’re a […]
Hey there! I’m Crystal, a content marketing strategist and travel blogger. I’m also the creator of the Dates in the States’ Mystery Date Books, a series of fun city-themed travel adventure guides for couples. When I first decided to publish my books, I had no idea where to start. It […]
You may have seen the exciting new business I launched this year: Dates in the States Mystery Date Books. Let me take you behind the scenes and share how it all started and where we are now! For the past 5 years, I’ve run a successful full-time business as a […]
Launching a business is an exhilarating journey—but it can also be overwhelming, especially when you’re in charge of everything. I’m talking about the marketing, the planning, the content creation—it’s a lot. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be that way. As entrepreneurs, we often face the challenge of […]
I probably should not be telling you this… Because the less people who follow these tips, the more visibility I’ll have due to less competition! But I’m a nice person, so here is Why You Should Start Creating YouTube Videos NOW! While blogging was once the golden child of content […]