Consider a Reach Out and Connect
October 23, 2010 by Mary Ellen · 3 Comments
Twenty-three days ago when I began the Ultimate Blog Challenge, I only knew that I had 31 days of posting in front of me. I was so inundated with my own anxieties I didn’t even think of the positive possibilities that could come of my work.
Since that time, I’ve met my goal of posting daily. My Google analytics show that readership of my posts is up. In addition, I’ve developed new commentary for a Smart Marketing Class with UNM Continuing Education. As a bonus benefit, I’ve met new friends online.
Yesterday’s post, “Bye, Bye Boring Bio!” resonated with Nancy Juetten, author of the book by the same name and the Main Street Media Savvy Blog. She called me, in part to discover why I used her title.
Bye Bye Boring Bio, available on Amazon.com, includes worksheets questions and exercises designed to assist solopreneurs in communicating. Prior to the call, I’d not heard about this book.
I found myself analyzing the Saturday interruption, thinking about what I liked:
Nancy sounded approachable, knowledgeable and interested in why I wrote a post by the same title as her book. She put me at ease.
Our conversation introduced me to an affiliate program that could potentially be of interest to me and my target audience.
While she could have been nasty, accusing and mean, Nancy created an opportunity for me to recommend and refer to her. Her easy style caused me to want to know more about her business.
I’ll used this story (and recommend Nancy’s book in the process) when I talk about Google alerts, networking on the Internet, and responding to potential copyright problems.
If ever I have a conflicting post online, I’ll consider responding in similar fashion as a result of this experience. Thanks, Nancy for being a positive role model.
“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Carl Buechner
What I didn’t like:
My impatience. Had I googled this post’s title prior to posting, I probably wouldn’t have “gone there.”
How does this square with your experience?
Need a different approach to your marketing? Today’s topic is day twenty-three of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now to maximize your time and return on time invested. As a result, you’ll be in an entirely new position this time next year.
Bye, Bye Boring Bio!
October 22, 2010 by Mary Ellen · 4 Comments
The simple bio is one of the most necessary and difficult pieces of collateral to create.
I labored over several versions, all less-than-stellar.
My friend and marketing troubleshooter Mary Schmidt advised me, “Write like you’re talking with me over cocktails.”
“Thanks, Mary. Good advice, but I don’t have a clue what that means.” More failures. Then another call.
Mary encouraged me. She questioned, she suggested (Although I begged, she didn’t write the darn thing!). She eventually coached me to a finish far stronger than my beginning.
Thanks to Mary, I experienced the difference between a story and a stiff recitation of achievements.
Instead of a glorified resume, I developed a piece that resonated with my small business customer.
I understand the agonizing effort it takes for most entrepreneurs to write about themselves. Funny, starting made all the difference.
If you’re upgrading your bio or working on your first one, my advice is to find a friend. Let your friend coach with questions like these:
How did you discover your passion?
Is there a funny story in your past that put you on your path?
What words do your clients use to describe you?
Why do you do what you do?
Or, assign yourself homework such as:
List five key phrases you’d use to tell a reporter about yourself.
Conduct an interview with yourself – who, what, when, why and how.
Imagine you’re reporting on your life-to-date. Tell us about three big defining decisions.
Write a story about one book, movie, mentor or quote to impact your life.
Once you begin to work, write a biographical sketch of 600-700 words. Refine it by reading aloud…first to yourself and then to a good friend or partner.
See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?
Need a different approach to your marketing? Today’s topic is day twenty-two of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now to maximize your time and return on time invested. As a result, you’ll be in an entirely new position this time next year.
Google Reader Manages RSS Your Way
October 21, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Google reader, a system that stores and sorts web syndication, lets me monitor an ever-increasing reading list.
Of course, there are other feed readers to choose from, but Google reader is simple, powerful and free.
I frequently recommend Google reader to seminar participants. It’s a surprise when someone asks, “What is an RSS feed?”
Rebecca Greenfield, who writes for and produces The Atlantic’s National channel, wrote a helpful post: Google Reader 101: RSS Aggregation for Beginners
If you already use Google reader and want to take your experience up a notch, consider shortcuts. This hongkiat.com post offered 28 Google reader shortcuts. I’m slowly working my way through the list.
Tired of reading? Consider watching an e-How video series about google reader.
Learn more about Google reader trends or learn to use Google reader on your cell phone.
How do you use Google reader?
Need a different approach to your marketing? Today’s topic is day twenty-one of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now to maximize your time and return on time invested. As a result, you’ll be in an entirely new position this time next year.
Sign up for Your Google Alert Now
October 20, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Remember scrapbooks? Mom kept one for me and each of my six siblings. My book held 4
-H ribbons, report cards, and other memorabilia including articles from the local paper. The news clippings served me well in building my backgrounder: sourcing quotes, preparing a bio, building my resume.
Today, you can build a historical record far more easily. Call it real-time scrapbooking.
Sign up for Google alerts.
Capture mentions of your name or the name of your company in real time.
When a complaint about your business is lodged online, you’ll get an alert. If a blogger posts about an experience with your company, you’ll get an alert. News articles, video postings, forum discussions all generate an alert sent to your mailbox IF you subscribed.
Stay informed.
Super-easy” Google alerts let you look at information as it happens, once a day or once a week via email or RSS feeds.
What are you waiting for?
Need a different approach to your marketing? Today’s topic is day twenty of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now to maximize your time and return on time invested. As a result, you’ll be in an entirely new position this time next year.
Winking in the Dark?
October 19, 2010 by Mary Ellen · 1 Comment
Marketing without measuring is like winking in the dark. You know what you’re doing, but no one else does. And there’s no way of gauging success.
Do you close your eyes to the truth about your marketing? I’ve done it. What a non-productive way of doing business. In retrospect, I simply refused to look beyond the superficial.
- Ever sent out an email campaign without looking at statistics?
- Ever shortened a link and not reviewed click throughs?
- Ever placed an advertisement and not included a specific “hook?”
- Ever hired an expert with only a vague idea of what you wanted to achieve?
This is where clueless begins. It’s easier, frankly, to look the other way and refuse to be accountable. Then, you can blame the economy or politics or something else totally unrelated for your lack of success.
The lack of data is merely an excuse to make up the facts.
- How many unique visitors to your website have you had in the past month?
- Do you know where they come from?
- By which keywords did visitors search for you?
- How long did they spend on your site?
- Can you enhance their experience?
If you do NOT subscribe to Google Analytics, resolve now to get it activated on your website because it could help you answer most of these questions. And then, resolve to look at the detail monthly.
The service is free. Videos explain how it works. Dozens of posts walk you step by step through posting the code on your pages. (Even I can do it!)
Information is currency in today’s world. How much information do you have and use?
Need a different approach to your marketing? Today’s topic is day nineteen of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now to maximize your time and return on time invested. As a result, you’ll be in an entirely new position this time next year.
Brainstorm Pillar Articles to Strengthen Content Foundation
October 18, 2010 by Mary Ellen · 1 Comment
The term “pillar article” describes valuable content in the eyes of your target audience. This could be Information in the form of a list, a reference piece, an argument, a definition or a “how to.”
Information of this magnitude (supporting info, flagship material, etc.) carries big implications when you begin to plan. Imagine the responsibility of determining the most important piece of information. Or, consider the burden of knowing you need to get “pillar” content just perfect. For these reasons alone, each based in fear, many entrepreneurs shy away from tackling the effort. They fear failure when beginning is the main thing.
How do you go about beginning a pillar article project?
Discuss ideas for pillar articles with a trusted advisor, a strong vendor, or an experienced professional in your industry. You’re looking for perspectives to complement your own.
I find the synergy of talking with others brings up opportunities I might not otherwise consider. Stating thoughts aloud makes me focus, prompting my brain to review different angles or otherwise flesh out ideas.
Australian blogger and internet entrepreneur Yaro Starak, wrote about the pillar article in a guest post on Problogger in 2006. This excerpt from “How to Write Great Blog Content…The Pillar Article” highlights the importance of pillar articles:
Write at least five major “pillar” articles. A pillar article is usually a tutorial style article aimed to teach your audience something. Generally they are longer than 500 words and have lots of very practical tips or advice. This article you are currently reading could be considered a pillar article since it is very practical and a good “how-to” lesson. This style of article has long term appeal, stays current (it isn’t news or time dependent) and offers real value and insight. The more pillars you have on your blog the better.
List some of your pillar article potentials right now.
Need a different approach to your marketing? Today’s topic is day eighteen of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now to maximize your plan.
Plan Popular Topics into your Marketing Strategy
October 17, 2010 by Mary Ellen · 1 Comment
Keep your marketing fresh with new content. Note hot topics and hot websites.
Cruise on by Huffington Post which reached a whopping 24.4 million unique users in August, 2010 and now publishes sections on travel, religion, the arts and education. How can Huffington Post inspire your offerings?
Go to Hulu, the online video giant, and notice what’s downloaded. Select music from Vevo, which supplies music channels to YouTube.
Brainstorm the opportunities and explode your own list or let yourself be prompted by another’s list. During the Ultimate Blog Challenge, Michele Scism and Michelle Shaeffer publish a personal and business blog topic idea of the day.
One place to begin: think first about the questions your customers ask and answer them.
The secondary advantage of making your list ahead of time and staying on the lookout for fresh content is fewer blanks. Simply look at the “plan” and avoid the blank page blues.
What do you use for your thought starter planning?
Need a different approach to your marketing? Today’s topic is day seventeen of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now to maximize your plan.
Solidify Content with Keyword Searches
October 16, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
As you build your content plan, you will want to consider keywords, clues to relevant search terms for your website.
In classes and workshops I frequently hear, “How does this all work together?” One of the biggest frustrations for entrepreneurs is realizing just how many connections there are in the world of marketing and how quickly the parameters change.
Everything you do is marketing. Literally. It takes concentration and genuine effort, not to mention time and structure to put together a cohesive marketing plan.
Search engine optimization is the comprehensive term given to online marketing. One aspect of SEO, keywords, gives focus to your content and helps to drive traffic to your website.
Google offers a strong, free tool, Google Keyword Tool. Type in a phrase and get dozens of suggestions for your keywords.
Other free opportunities let you look at keywords: Free Keyword Niche Finder and Google Insights for Search . Each option lets you look at keywords from a different perspective.
Other popular and effective keyword tools exist for a small fee.
Wordtracker, one of the best known keyword subscription services, offers depth information, comparisons and anslysis.
Another option, Keyword Spy, offers a free trial version and lets you easily look at the competition.
Then, there’s Keyword Discovery, Market Samurai and dozens of other tools.
My suggestion: set a timer for your foray into keywords. You’ll be amazed at the depth of information and the knowledge you obtain as a result of your inquiries.
How’s that shotgun approach to marketing working for you? Today’s topic is day sixteen of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Focus. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, day by day, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now!
Find Your Competition
October 15, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Promote your content by aligning it with the language your audience uses. What phrases or words do people use when thinking about your topic?
How would you describe your business?
“There’s nothing like us in the City.”
“Our company is unique.”
Neither phrase translates well online. Your challenge is to get more specific. Keywords help you do that by describing content. They act as an information retrieval device.
A dog groomer, for example, may use phrases like “dog grooming, pet grooming, dog baths, pet baths.” Those words are the keywords describing content.
A gallery might use phrases such as “contemporary art, contemporary art and photography, contemporary metal wall art,” to name just a few. Again, the keywords can be tweaked to perfectly describe the content of the store.
Visit competitive websites. Evaluate the message of each competitor. What are they asking the audience to do? What keywords do they use to the message across?
Too bored with the detail? How’s that shotgun approach to marketing working for you? Today’s topic is day fifteen of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Focus. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now!
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Offer How Does Your List Grow?
October 14, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
In the internet game, one of your strategies may involve an offer that builds a list of prospective customers or sales leads.
The idea is to collect information such as email addresses from website visitors in order to get them into your sales funnel. But, what should you offer to get people to sign up for that list?
The simple answer is to create an offer that appeals to the person you’re trying to attract. Your research may offer clues.
There are numerous examples. Here are just a few ideas captured from the websites of participants in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
(Disclosure: In a late-September moment of personal weakness, I signed up for the challenge and am now posting 31 times in October. My subject matter is based on the 45-day marketing master plan e-book, so each day corresponds to the daily topic.)
The Happy Entrepreneur Celene Harrelson, a 50-something gal, features a special report: “Complete Resource Guide for Beginner Internet Marketers.”
Linette M. Daniels, The Youth Success Doctor, at Empowering Youth for Success offers a free 10-day e-course entitled, “Ten Actions Parents, Teachers & Youth-Serving Organizations Must Take For Kids To Succeed.”
While I didn’t visit the website of every challenge member, one participant, Ken Montville, of Just Another Rumor had no list incentive. He does offer subscriptions and RSS feeds for his blog.
A webinar provides a different list building offer. Congratulations to Helen Ratoplous for offering “Keep Moving Forward,” a free webinar, in addition to her report, “A Seven-Day Simple Start System to Take Action Now.”
Seven is one of those popular numbers. Martha Giffen, an online marketing maven invites you to sign up and receive her report, “Seven Simple Steps to Getting Your Business Online.”
ProfitMeister also touts an e-course, “Seven Ways to Keep Customers Coming Back for More.” I recently developed a Business Assessment, a short, 25-question analysis, that may potentially replace the course. Download the pdf here and give me your feedback.
I’d love your input on my “new” list-building offer.
Too bored with the detail? How’s that shotgun approach to marketing working for you? Today’s topic is day fourteen of a 45-day step-by-step marketing master plan. Focus. Choose to take your business to a new level topic by topic, with specific actions, based on clear worksheets. Act now!
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