Sterling McKinley

Sterling McKinley is a windowpane-suit-wearing, international keynote speaker, and digital marketing and brand strategist.

Through his firm, McKinley Media, Sterling has provided digital marketing, social media, and branding strategies. Simple, Relatable & Proven Online Marketing Advice
Our workshops are a great place to start your digital marketing training. It gives you a complete overview of the digital marketing landscape including all the essential tools, how they fit together and how to find what’s right for your strategy for your business.

12/16/2025

Lately, I’ve been teaching my two young boys about the power of positive thinking—specifically, the importance of speaking the right things into their lives. 🗣️

The other night, my son shared his vision for the future: "When you turn 70, I’m going to come to the house, help you down the steps, and take you for a ride in my yellow Lamborghini." 🏎️💛

It was a proud moment for me. It’s not just about the car; it’s about the fact that he’s learning to plan his future with confidence.

I’ve moved away from traditional mood boards. Instead, I treat these future goals as "down payments" on reality and use to visualize them. Turning a child’s dream into a image makes the goal feel real and achievable. 🖼️🤖

How are you visualizing your 10-year plan today?

12/15/2025

That’s a wrap on my 2025 workshop season! 🎬

Last night, I finished my final workshop of the year. While I’m definitely ready for a break, I know that I made a difference in people's lives.

This year, I had the privilege of traveling across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia to train thousands of business owners. We dove deep into digital skills and AI, but for me, the technical training is just the vehicle.

At the end of the day, these workshops aren't just about revenue. They are about helping people:

❤️ Support their families and loved ones.

❤️ Make a real impact in their local communities.

❤️ Realize the dreams they’ve worked so hard for.

There is truly no greater honor than playing a small part in someone else's goal.

I’ll never forget 2025 and the amazing entrepreneurs I met across the region. I’m taking a few weeks off to recharge, and then I’m right back on the road speaking in Orlando on January 5th!

Time to rest up. See you all in the new year. ✌️

12/11/2025

In my latest workshop, I challenged small business owners to ditch the self-promotion and embrace customer-centric content.

Video, in particular, offers a massive opportunity to connect and solve problems directly.

What are YOUR go-to strategies for standing out online and connecting with your ideal customer?

12/10/2025

I'm excited to invite you to a special in-store event at the Store Georgetown!

If you're looking to Grow Your Business, this free workshop is for you! I'll be walking you through the latest Google tools and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to help you build your online presence and engage more customers. Come learn how Google Search works and how people can find your business online.

👉 When: Sunday, December 14, from 11 am to 12 pm

👉 Where: Google Store Georgetown, 3235 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007

👉 Admission: Free Entry

Click the link below to register for the workshop! 👇

https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/nso-gwg-dc-12142025

See you Sunday!

12/09/2025

🧠 Mindset First: The Real, Unspoken Secret to Small Business Growth 💡

As someone who has the privilege of speaking to thousands of small business owners every single year, I get asked for growth tips constantly.

I hear the same questions: What website tactics should I use? How can I master social media? Which AI tool is the best?

I give the advice—I talk about websites, social media, and AI—but if I’m honest, here is the real, unspoken truth: To make any of those tools and tactics work long-term, you must first get your mind right. 🚀

👉 The Foundation of Sustainable Success:

I believe that once you have your mindset solid and your emotions checked, things start to flow. You know what to do, and you know where to move. While I know you can still achieve success with a "foggy" mindset, achieving long-term success and finding that much-needed sense of balance and calmness in your life requires foundational work.

You need to examine your internal state and make sure that you are acting in a way that is truly beneficial to your business.

👉 My Personal Game-Changer:

I can personally attest to this. In the last few years, once I spent dedicated time changing my mindset, focus, and my self-talk, everything shifted. The biggest change was paying attention to the way I internally talk to myself.

I find that those internal thoughts and ideas are the single biggest influence on the way that you behave externally.

👉 You Must Control Your Mind: Remember that your mind is a tool. Your mind does not control you; you control it. Use it intentionally to drive your business forward.

👉 Control Your Tongue: What you say and speak—to others, and especially to yourself—is so important. Your words shape your reality and your business trajectory.

Stop chasing the next great tactic until you've mastered the greatest tool you possess: your mind. Start speaking success into your life and business today! ✨

Ask yourself honestly: What are the thoughts and ideas I am constantly telling myself?

12/08/2025

🤯 Seriously, We Are All Too Distracted

The older I get, the more I realize one huge thing holding me (and probably you) back: distractions.

It's not usually the big stuff. It’s those constant little things: the app that rings, the short video you watch on YouTube, the quick scroll through Instagram. Those tiny distractions add up. We spend hours every day just responding to notifications and alarms instead of working on the important stuff that will actually move us forward and give us the best results. 😫

My New Focus Challenge: What I Cut Out

I recently committed to a drastic challenge to reduce these time-sinks. The result has been incredibly refreshing:

🔇 Muted Everything: I killed virtually all phone notifications, keeping only essential emails and direct text messages from key clients.

🖱️ Stopped the Scroll: I broke the habit of falling down social media "rabbit holes" that spiral into hours of aimless scrolling.

📺 Less Binge-Watching: I’ve found myself less inclined to sit down for a three-hour game or mindlessly binge-watch Netflix. I’ve even noticed I'm less likely to just sit down and watch a long football game or binge-watch something on Netflix. These are all subtle ways our minds get distracted and keep us from hitting our goals.

By maintaining a sharper focus on pressing priorities, I'm getting significantly more done. Taking back control of my focus has been a powerful game-changer for my productivity and mental clarity.

These time-sinks are subtle, powerful distractions that ultimately prevent us from achieving our most ambitious goals.

What is one distraction you plan to eliminate this week to unlock more productive time? Share your strategy below! 👇

12/07/2025

In today's fast-paced world, the volume of data in your business can be overwhelming. 🤯

But what if you could use that data to revolutionize your company's operations and supercharge your marketing efforts?

🚀 That's where AI comes in!

AI's incredible ability to analyze vast data at speed and scale far beyond humans is a game-changer.

🤔 Imagine:

🌱 Optimized Operations:

AI can quickly identify inefficiencies, predict trends, and streamline workflows, saving you valuable time and resources.

❤️ Hyper-Personalized Marketing

AI dives deep into customer data, uncovering insights into their preferences, needs, and wants.

AI doesn't just surface trends; it extracts granular details you can leverage to build stronger, more meaningful connections with your customers. 🤝

It's about building loyalty and driving engagement through understanding.

Ready to unlock the power of AI for your business?

Type: AI in the comments to join our newsletter to learn how AI can benefit you! 💡

12/06/2025

Rewind 🗓️ 7 years ago! I published a book outlining exactly how Artificial Intelligence would fundamentally revolutionize marketing. The core idea? Making brand communication laser-focused on what you, the customer, genuinely want and need. Even then, the potential was so clear it was almost blinding.

It's truly wild to realize that even today, years later, the full scope of AI's impact still feels like a 'future' concept to many.

To share this vision, I went on a speaking tour across the US, and I'll admit—I saw my fair share of puzzled faces 🤔 when I talked about this technology transforming customer experience.

That's why I wrote the book: to demystify AI. It offered simple, relatable examples and actionable steps for businesses to start integrating it right away. It was meant to be a friendly, accessible guide to a rapidly unfolding new world.

Fast forward to today, and the transformation is undeniable. AI isn't a distant sci-fi fantasy; it's actively shaping how every business connects with its audience.

So, it got me thinking... How are you experiencing the impact of AI in your daily life or in your business today?

Let's hear your stories and predictions in the comments! 👇

12/05/2025

Headline: isn’t a microwave. You can’t just press a button and walk away. 🍿

I’m seeing headline after headline of companies laying off thousands of people to "replace" them with AI. Honestly? I think this is a massive overreach. 🛑

In our personal lives, we love automation. We throw clothes in the washer or put food in the microwave, press a button, and leave. We trust the machine to do the job perfectly.

But business leaders are falling into a trap thinking AI works the same way.

It doesn’t.

AI is still learning. It hallucinates. It gets facts wrong. It needs a human being to guide it, fact-check it, and make sure the output is actually useful. 🤖

I believe an AI backlash is coming. It won’t be like the Dot-com bubble, but it will be a moment where companies realize: Human intelligence is still superior. 🧠

AI shouldn't replace your team; it should make them faster. It’s a power tool, not the carpenter. 🛠️

Let’s stop trying to replace humans and start empowering them instead.

12/04/2025

🧠 AI: The Secret Weapon to Being More Human (And Closing More Deals) 🤝

I disagree with the headlines. We hear constantly that AI is coming to replace us, automate us, and strip the human element from business. I believe the opposite is true. 🚀

AI's greatest value is its ability to highlight precisely what pain points our customers have, allowing us to craft sales tactics and content that speak directly to their needs. This frees us up to be better listeners, better problem-solvers, and ultimately, more human.

The key is this: Don't ask AI to write your content from scratch. Ask it to help you understand what content truly resonates with your audience and refine your tone!

💡 For Real Business Growth, Prioritize the Human Element:
👂 Train the AI with Your Voice: Feed the AI 3-5 samples of your best, most popular, authentically-written emails or social posts. This helps it mimic your specific style.

📝 Refine the Details: Use the AI to check its own work. Prompt it to add contractions (I'm, you're), rhetorical questions, and personal anecdotes based on your input.

✍️ Deliver Customized Value: Craft a proposal that shows you truly heard them.

Your personalized approach is the one thing AI can't fully replicate. Use technology as a secondary support to gain clarity on your content strategy.

✨ Prompt 1: Tone Analysis & Humanization
Use this to ensure your draft sounds like YOU:

"Here is a draft of a social media post I wrote: [Paste your text]. My target audience is [e.g., busy small business owners]. Rewrite this to sound more conversational, like a trusted friend is giving advice. Add at least two contractions and one short, personal story as an example (I will provide the story: [e.g., I once stayed up all night planning an event and the client loved it!])."

✨ Prompt 2: Story-Driven Content Ideas
Use this to brainstorm engaging narrative ideas:

"I am a service provider in the [Your Industry]. My philosophy is that building relationships first is critical. Generate 5 short-form content ideas that demonstrate the value of active listening and a personalized approach, which AI cannot replicate. For each idea, suggest a strong, human-focused hook."

Use the AI to get the blueprint and polish the delivery, but remember to deliver the final content using your unique voice. Build relationships first! 🤝🌟

12/03/2025

The era of guessing in business is over.

We all love a good founder’s intuition. Trusting your gut is part of the entrepreneurial DNA. 🧬 But in 2025, if you are relying only on your gut, you are leaving money on the table. 💸

Stop guessing. Start knowing. 🛑

Most business owners sit on a goldmine of data but never mine it. We are talking about the files currently collecting digital dust on your hard drive:

Spreadsheets 📉

Customer feedback PDFs 📄

Meeting recordings 🎥

Here is the truth: You don't need a data scientist to find the patterns hidden in that pile. You just need better tools. 🛠️

I’ve been using Google’s NotebookLM to stop searching and start finding. It acts as a dedicated researcher that digests the info you already have and spits out the strategy you need.

Here are three specific ways you can upload your existing files to NotebookLM right now to extract actionable insights:

💼 Analyze Customer Sentiment & Pain Points 🗣️ Upload your customer support transcripts, survey results (PDFs), or email logs. Ask NotebookLM: "Based on these documents, what are the top 3 complaints customers have, and what feature are they requesting most often?"

💼 Repurpose Video Content & Meetings 🎬 Upload the transcripts or video files from your past webinars, Zoom team meetings, or sales calls. Ask NotebookLM: "Extract the most engaging topics discussed in these videos and outline 5 social media posts based on these themes."

💼 Identify Sales Patterns in Spreadsheets 📊 Upload your past sales spreadsheets or revenue reports. Ask NotebookLM: "Look at the sales data from the last two years. Which specific services performed best during Q4, and which services had the highest client retention?"

Every business owner already has the answers they need. AI is just the tool that helps you uncover those answers and put them into practice. 🚀

12/02/2025

The secret to isn't magic... it's just good instruction. 🪄✨

I believe the absolute key to unlocking the power of tools like Gemini is mastering the skill of prompting. 🔑

It sounds simple to many people, but this skill is foundational when using generative AI. At its core, a prompt is just the set of instructions you give the AI to get an end result.

The formula is straightforward: The better your input, the better your output. 📉📈

If you describe your task in vague terms, you will get a vague answer. If you describe it with detail and precision, you get results. 🎯

Here is a framework to ensure you build effective prompts every time. Try to include these 5 elements:

🎭 Persona: Who is the AI acting as? (e.g., "Act as a Project Manager")

📝 Task: What specific thing do you need done?

🌍 Context: Why are we doing this? What is the background?

📋 Format: Do you want an email? A table? A bulleted list?

📚 References: Are there documents or examples the AI should look at?

One final tip: If you don't get the correct output on the first try, don't give up. Iterate.

Go back, edit your instructions, and clarify what you need. That means tweaking the prompt to make sure it produces exactly what you want. The better you describe your tasks in detail, the better the output will be.

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