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.

01/09/2026

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.

01/01/2026

I have a confession to make. As a marketer, I see the "behind-the-scenes" of how we are taught to view our lives. And the truth is? Most of the standards we’re trying to live up to are fake. We are constantly sold a version of "success" that feels like a race we can never win:

💍 Married by 25.

🏡 Owning a home by 35.

🏎️ Driving the newest car.

👜 Choosing luxury labels just to feel "worthy."

We’ve been marketed to believe that our value is tied to these milestones. Even holidays are often manufactured to make us feel like we need to buy something to prove our love or happiness.

The Truth About 2026

In 2026, let’s stop chasing the "next big thing" and start realizing that the best things in life aren't things. The timeline you’re "supposed" to follow? It’s made up. The pressure to have a mansion instead of a cozy home? It's marketing.

Here is a new way to live this year:

👉 Every day is a holiday. You don’t need a calendar to tell you when to be grateful.

👉 Every day is your birthday. Celebrate the gift of being alive right now.

👉 Every day is New Year’s. You can start over, pivot, or grow at any moment.

Focus on the "Real" Wins ✨

Let’s be content with the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, and the roofs over our heads. When you strip away the ads and the noise, only three things truly matter:

❤️ Your Health: Without it, nothing else works.

👪 Your Family: The people who love you for who you are, not what you own.

🙌 Your Relationship with God: The foundation that gives everything else meaning.

Stop playing the game marketing wants you to play. This year, find your rhythm, find your peace, and celebrate the life you already have.

12/31/2025

Last week, I had a great time at the new Google Store in Georgetown! 📍 I hosted an AI workshop for small business owners along with Techsgiving, and it was such a fun session.

Even though it was a small class, the energy was huge. ⚡ Every business owner there was so hungry for knowledge and ready to see how these tools can actually help them run their businesses better.

Here is what we covered:

Better Prompting: How to write simple, clear instructions so the AI gives you exactly what you need. ✍️

🤖 Using Gemini: How to use it as a helpful partner for your daily work tasks.

🔍 NotebookLM: A really cool tool to help you look at your own notes to understand your customers better.

🗣️ Gemini Live: We practiced having back-and-forth conversations with AI to brainstorm ideas out loud.

My big hope is that these owners take this new knowledge and use it to accelerate their business growth in 2026! 🚀 AI is such a powerful way to save time and dream bigger for the coming year. 📈

12/30/2025

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.

12/29/2025

I’m headed to Orlando ☀️🌴!

I’ll be taking the stage at ASI Show Orlando to discuss a topic I’m speaking about: Using AI to Get More Clients.

I see AI as the Ultimate Sales Assistant. It’s the tool that helps you stop guessing and start actually connecting with people. 🤝

In my session, I’m skipping the "tech-talk" and getting straight to the good stuff. I’ll show you the exact steps to grow your business, including:

🎯 Finding your perfect customer:

I’ll show you how to use AI to figure out exactly who your buyers are and what’s keepng them up at night, so your message hits home every time. 🧐💡

📩 Google Gemini:

Stop sending those "copy-and-paste" messages that everyone ignores. 🙅‍♂️ We’re going to use Gemini to write super-personalized emails and ads that people actually want to read.

📂 NotebookLM:

This is a total game-changer. 📑 I’ll show you how to let AI look at your old emails, PDFs, and invoices to help you figure out exactly what services you should offer next. It’s like having a superpower for your data!

If you’re ready to work smarter and grow faster, you won't want to miss this! I can’t wait to hang out, network, and learn with all of you in the Florida sun. ☀️🌴🤝

🔥 Register here to grab your spot: https://xpressreg.net/register/asio0126/landing.asp?iq=&vip=&sc=MEMBERSSITE

Will I see you in Orlando? Let me know in the comments if you’re coming or if there’s an AI tool you’re dying to learn more about! 👇

12/18/2025

Stop listening to the AI scare tactics. ✋🛑

Every time I turn on the news lately, everyone is saying the same thing: "AI is going to destroy the world" or "Human beings aren't needed anymore." I don't believe that for a second. That’s just the media trying to sell papers. 📰🗞️

We need to slow down and think. 🧠

Do you remember midnight of 1999? They said the sky was falling and things would catch on fire. But guess what? At 12:01 a.m. on January 1st, 2000, nothing happened. Everything was fine. 🕛✨

Every time there is a big advancement, there is fear. We saw it with:

🎡 The wheel

🚗 The car

📖 The phone book

🌐The internet

Technology is a disruptor. It changes the market. But at the end of the day, advancements create more jobs and more opportunities. 📈

Think about the car. People in the horse and buggy industry thought the world was over. Yes, things changed—but horses are still here! And the car created endless new industries, from car repairs to car washes. 🧼🚿

AI is going to help us be MORE human, not replace us. 🤝

It’s going to help us catch details in our lives and our marketing that we might have missed. It’s not replacing you; it’s enhancing you and making you better at your job. 🛠️💪

Now, this isn't to say that AI doesn't need regulations and guardrails.

I believe it does. Just like any other technology, we need rules in place to prevent it from causing harm. There will always be bad actors with bad intentions. A car is a great tool, but someone can still get drunk and hit somebody. We have laws for the car, and we will have them for AI. 🛑⚖️

Don’t let them put fear in your heart. Don't miss the good in technology. Harness the power of it to make life better. 🌟

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! 👇

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