Archive for Blog
Use Your Business Card to Market Your Website
Posted by: | CommentsWhile a Web presence is part of any good marketing plan, most entrepreneurs forget that they also need a plan for getting people to their Website. Your business card gives you as many as three opportunities to do just that.
1) Put your Web address on the front of your card
2) Make sure you email address is you@yourwebsiteURL and put that on the front of your card
3) Post something of value on your Website or blog (an article, white paper, tips sheet, audio, etc.) that folks can download in exchange for their name and email address. Then include a bit of promo copy and Web URL that goes directly to your giveaway item on the back of your card
Cold, Hard Truths about Social Networking
Posted by: | CommentsMy hubby just returned from a big industry conference down in San Diego that was packed with speakers on social networking and Internet marketing. One of them made the statement that social networking is a terrific and powerful way to market a business, but it’s not something you do once or twice and forget about.
Instead, he said it’s more like getting a puppy…You have to make a commitment to feed it, and play with it, and take it out for walks every day. And I couldn’t agree more.
Social networking is not at all like placing an ad then sitting back and waiting for the phone to ring or people to walk in the door. It’s about creating conversations, establishing deeper relationships, and building a community of like-minded folks.
Yet every time you turn around it seems someone is shouting about all the wonders of social networking and how easy it is to use it market your business…Especially if you pay them hundreds or thousands of dollars to show you how.
On the flip side, a quick online search will turn up plenty of articles wondering how, or if, you can actually make any money from Twitter or Facebook.
I know for a fact that you can grow your business using social networking because I’ve done it with mine. But it takes time and a well-thought out strategy to get great results.
If you’ve already started using social networking to market your small business, or are even just thinking about it, here are a few things you really ought to know.
1) All the marketing basics still apply.
If you don’t know your target market, you can’t define your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), and you don’t have an offer they can’t refuse and a way to build your list, all your social networking efforts won’t do you any good.
2) Nobody makes money off of Twitter alone.
You have to use it, and most other social networking tools, as part of a bigger strategy. Think of all these social networking tools as your front porch. They’re a place where you can step outside and invite others in. But then you need somewhere to invite them to, and a reason for them to stick around. This is where your Website or blog comes into play.
3) It’s not about what happens now, it’s about what happens next.
Most people are not going to whip out their credit card just because you sent them a message about your latest product, service or event. So stop worrying about whether each specific action you take generates a sale or client and instead worry about driving traffic to your site.
4) You gotta build your list.
People have been saying “The money is in the list” since long before the Internet existed. Yet most small business owners ignore this truth completely, both online and off. The thing is, once someone arrives on your site they may still not be ready to buy. So offer them something useful in exchange for their name and email address. Then stay in touch regularly via email so they can get to know, like and trust you.
5) An e-newsletter is key.
Once you get their contact info you have to stay in touch. That means sending regular e-newsletters. These can be long or short. You can write them yourself, have them written, or use other people’s articles for content. But you absolutely have to send them out a minimum of once a month. Bi-weekly is better. Weekly is best.
6) You’ve got to participate actively and regularly.
Even if you have all the various backend pieces in place, social networking won’t work if you don’t work at it. Much like in-person networking, you need to show up regularly, reach out to others, and offer value (whatever you do, don’t just sell). Back to the earlier dog analogy, you’ve got to play with it and feed it regularly…At least a few times a week at a minimum.
7) Most social networking experts, aren’t.
While there are some very good people out there, a lot of the so-called experts are just folks who know how to set up and use the tools. They aren’t marketers and don’t know how to develop a large marketing strategy. So if you want to hire one, ask about specific results (like increased Website traffic, leads or sales) and check references.
Keep these seven truths in mind, and you’re likely to find social networking is one of the best, and least expensive, small business marketing options out there today!
7 Simple Ways to Generate Content for Your Blog
Posted by: | CommentsHave you been thinking about starting a blog, but stopped because you couldn’t imagine writing all that content?
Or maybe you even started a blog, but couldn’t find the time to write regular posts.
If so, believe me, you are not alone. Given that you need to write at least 2 posts a week—at a minimum—to make a blog effective, generating enough content can seem like a herculean task.
Yet having an active blog is a terrific way to get the word out about your business. So if you don’t already have one, or you haven’t been updating yours, you’re missing out.
Blogs are designed to be incredibly well optimized for the search engines. That means the search engines notice you, and you’ll tend to rank higher for your keywords than you would with a traditional Website. Plus there a boatload of cool plug-ins and widgets that let you link your blog with your social networking sites, Website and more.
Thanks to my blog, my content is now syndicated by two companies and republished around the world! That means WAY more people are getting a taste of my marketing wisdom. And ideally, they’re finding their way back to my Website, getting on my email list and becoming more successful entrepreneurs as a result. Plus I’m getting loads of back links from all this syndication so my sites rank even higher in the search engines.
So if you’ve coming up with loads of content has been your stopping block, take heart. Below are 7 easy ways around this problem.
1) Repurpose your other articles
If you’re already writing a regular newsletter, or have written a book, then you have a source of content at your fingertips. There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t reuse that same content on your blog—either with or without editing.
If you do public speaking, record your talks on a simple digital recorder then have them transcribed. Edit the transcripts into a series of articles (or have someone do it for you) and you’ve got reams of content.
2) Online article submission sites
These days you can find reams of content on almost any topic under the sun, ripe and ready for the picking, on article submission sites like ideamarketers.com and ezinearticles.com (though there are hundreds more). Typically, all you have to do is include the author’s byline and links and you can post their content anywhere you want.
3) BloggerLinkUp
Another, similar option to HARO is BloggerLinkUp. But this email service is strictly devoted to people who need blog content or would like to provide blog content. Sign up for their no-cost email subscription at bloggerlinkup.com
5) Subscribe to other newsletters that let you repost
Oftentimes, people will let you repost the articles from their email newsletters. And it never hurts to read what other folks are saying anyway. So subscribe to a few newsletters from other experts in your field with complimentary specialties. Then look at the bottom of their emails to see if they have a blurb giving permission to repost their article. Again, typically they just ask that you keep their name, byline and links at the end of the article.
6) Write a short intro with a link to another post
Anytime you run across a blog post on someone else’s blog you enjoy and feel would be of value or interest to your community, simply write a short blurb about it then include the link back to the original. Your intro can be as short as a 100 words, or longer. And it can include an excerpt from the original post, or not. As long as you don’t repost their article in its entirety without permission, and you include the link back, it’s fair game.
7) Trade with others
Know other small business owners who write great articles? Talk to them and see if they’d like to set up a regular article trade. You can write one a month for their blog and vice versa. This can be a nice way to establish new relationships while getting your blog content written for you.
Your Social Networking Questions Answered
Posted by: | CommentsSocial Networking is all the rage these days. And it seems everyone wants to know how to use it to grow their businesses. Or heck, how to use it at all without going batty.
More than 130 people registered for last month’s teleseminar interview on the subject “Social Networking -A REALLY Good Marketing Strategy or a Huge Waste of Time?” http://www.success-stream.com/teleseminar-12.htm! Even though we covered a ton of terrific info on the call, it left folks wanting more. So today I’m going to answer all the questions subscribers have been emailing me about how this whole Social Networking thing works.
++ Question #1 from subscriber Rose de Dan of reikishamanic.com ++
Regarding Twitter: “Currently I am only following people who I think are in some way related to what my audience might be interested in. What is the purpose of following 2000 people? Does that get you any more exposure? What is the purpose of following someone back unless you are really interested in what they are doing? How could I possibly wade through 2000 or more tweets a day? Why is that a good idea?”
**Answer – What’s it worth to you to be able to communicate regularly with 2000 people at no cost?
I think it’s worth quite a bit, because if they like you, then they’re likely to forward your info on to other people. Your list grows, connections are made, and you have a larger pool of potential customers for your business. What’s not to like about that?
If you’re following 2000 people, then it’s likely most of those people are following you back. Also, it’s considered polite and good form to follow people back who choose to follow you. You can use a program like TweetLater to automate this.
That doesn’t mean you need to read or respond to every Tweet. Find the ones you enjoy and interact with those folks. Reply to their Tweets or ReTweet them if you think others might be interested.
++ Question #2 from subscriber Richard Esmann of pvmdataservices.com ++
“What should you put on your (Social Networking) profile? Can you share a few do’s and don’ts?”
**Answer – There are no hard and fast answers here, but I can give you some helpful guidelines…
1) Don’t put anything up there that you wouldn’t want the whole world to see. Nothing ever goes away on the Internet.
2) Just like with any type of marketing, you want to first consider what information would be of interest to your prospects. If you put stuff up that no one cares about or is interested in, people aren’t going to read it or want to learn more.
3) Second you need to consider your own goals. For example, if you’re trying to land speaking gigs, you want to include info that makes you look like an amazing and experienced speaker with a wealth of knowledge to share.
4) Do write with a personality and voice. This is no place to sound like a textbook.
5) It’s absolutely fine to include some personal details in all your Social Networking profiles. That’s part of how people decide they like you. However, some sites are definitely more geared towards businesses and professionals (Biznik and LinkedIn are two of the biggies) while others are designed more for friends and family (Facebook, MySpace). But the lines are definitely blurred.
My best advice here is to spend a bit of time on sites you think might be a good fit for you before you complete your entire profile. Look at other people’s profiles and see what you like and don’t like. Find folks with lots of followers and try to figure out what they’ve done. Visit competitor’s profiles so you can find a way to be different. Then start creating your own.
Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be perfect right out of the gate. Done is far more important and you can always change it later.
++ Question #3 from subscriber Bradley Bogue ++
“How do I get the “friends” attention?”
**Answer – This question is a little vague as he doesn’t address a specific type of Social Media, but I’ll do my best to provide a few helpful tips.
1) If you want to get a “friends” attention, first off, offer to connect with or “friend” them. Every site has a way to do this. And some even have programs that let you search for particular types of individuals. I like search.twitter.com for finding other small business owners and marketers to follow.
2) If you really want to get, and keep, friends and followers you need to actively post interesting content. Social Networking is all about building relationships. It is not about directly making sales. If all you do is constantly promote yourself or sell, sell, sell you aren’t going to be happy with the results.
Search for ways to make connections and be helpful first and the sales will come. For example, a good rule of thumb is to make just 20% of your Twitter posts (or blog posts) promotional. The rest should be personal or helpful.
## Got more questions about Social Networking (or marketing, or copywriting, or growing your small biz)? I’m happy to help! Email me at stacy@success-stream.com and I’ll put them in the cue to be answered in a future edition of Bright Ideas. ##
Thoughts, ideas or suggestions on this topic? Please do share by leaving a comment below!
Want more helpful articles like this one sent to your Inbox each week? Sign up for a subscription to Bright Ideas weekly e-newsletter along with a copy of my Free Report “The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins…Are You Guilty?” at http://www.7deadliestsins.com.
Can You Build Your Own, Highly Successful Small Business Blog?
Posted by: | CommentsIf you don’t have a blog yet, there’s no time like the present to get one started. Blogs are simple to build using customizable templates and search engines love them. Plus they’re a terrific way to get more prospects for your business.
I’ve had my own blog for a while now, and just love it. It’s a perfect place to post my articles and audios, announce upcoming events and teleseminars, and get feedback from my readers.
I’ve also had the good fortune of having my blog syndicated by two different organizations. Plus I regularly submit posts to blog carnivals. That helps spread my gospel, creates links back to my site, and drives targeted Web traffic my way.
Can you say killer marketing?!?
Nowadays, thanks to the myriad blog templates it’s not too hard to get your own blog up and running (if you’ve got the time and desire). Of course getting your own blog off the ground can be frustrating and overwhelming…Until you know a few insider tips and tricks.
I can tell you from experience a little bit of professional blog building advice goes a long, long way to helping you create a professional-looking blog that gets you noticed.
Lucky for you, you don’t have to waste time fumbling around with creating your blog, or trying to make it effective.
Discover everything you need to know to:
- Create your own great-looking blog…
- Get tons of readers…
- And grow your business…
On this month’s teleseminar when I (Stacy Karacostas) interview business blogging expert Mark McLaren of McBuzz.com.
Mark has promised to share the specifics, tips and tricks you need to know to create a killer blog… Even if you’ve never built a blog before in your life!
Here’s just a sampling of what he’s promised to cover:
- Why is blogging so important?
- How to use blogging to grow your business
- Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress…Which hosting platform is right for your business?
- What widgets, plugins and other tools that every successful business blog should have.
- How to craft blog posts the search engines will love
- You’ve got a blog, now what? Steps for promoting your blog
- Want to create a full Website using your blog? We’ll cover how to create static pages for your blog/site
- Plus you’ll get the chance to have him answer your specific questions live!
If you’ve ever wanted to create a blog for your business but could never figure out how—or you’ve started a blog but don’t know what to do next—get the info you need to get started on this call.
Click the link below to reserve your spot on the call:
http://www.success-stream.com/teleseminar-15.htm
Do you have any specific questions about blogging you’d like Mark to answer? Leave your question as a comment below and I’ll make sure we cover it on the call.
[tags] Small Business, Blogging, Build, How to, marketing, Mark McLaren, expert [/tags]
How to Write Articles at Light Speed and Use Them to Market Your Small Business
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re looking for an easy and inexpensive way to market your business, you should consider article marketing. Articles are, hands down, one of the most powerful low-cost marketing tools out there. Partly because they let you share your expertise with lots of people and give them a taste of what you do…And partly because articles are super-versatile.
You can…
- Use them in email or print newsletters to stay in touch with clients…
- Post them on your Website and/or blog as new content…
- Submit them to online article databases to drive Website traffic …
- Hand them out at networking events and workshops as bonuses…
- Get ‘em published in newspapers or magazines for all the f*ree PR…
- Compile them and turn ‘em into ebooks or books…
- Turn them into white papers and offer them as free downloads to build your list
- Even use bits of them in marketing copy…
The best part is; a single article can be used multiple times. And with everything else on your plate, you need marketing materials that do double, triple or even quadruple duty. Right?
Now, you’re probably thinking… “Sounds great, but how am I going to find time to do all this article writing?”
Good question. And one I hear all the time. So I’m going to share a few tricks that make writing articles fast and painless.
6 Ways to Write Articles at Light Speed
1) Tips and How-to’s are Tops
The easiest articles to write are tips and how-to articles. Everyone loves to read them ‘cuz they are quick and easy. And you’ll love writing them for the same reason.
Just pick a topic you know a lot about. Then write down 5-10 key things about it. Or the sequence of steps to doing it. Simple as that.
2) Read to Write
If you want fresh ideas to come out of your head, you have to put fresh ideas in.
I subscribe to a monthly marketing newsletter with CD. Plus I read Entrepreneur and 5 or 6 weekly e-newsletters on marketing, copywriting, business and Websites.
Whenever I run across an interesting idea or fascinating tidbit, I add it to either my electronic or physical file. Then anytime I’m out of ideas, I just whip out my trusty file, pick one, and start writing about it.
You can quote info from an article. Debate it. Discuss it in greater depth. Or talk about how you’ve applied the same thing in your life or business. If it’s an online article, you can even link to it on your blog.
3) Step on Your Soapbox
I admit it. About half of my articles are the direct result of something that surprised, amazed, annoyed or frustrated me.
When I see someone making a good, bad or shortsighted business decision—or an interesting marketing choice—I can’t help but want to talk about it. So I write an article.
The key if you’re talking about something negative is to make sure you aren’t bitching or pointing fingers. Simply explain the mistake/problem and why it was a bad choice. Then give tips or examples for fixing it.
4) Be the Answer Man (or Woman)
A super-simple way to come up with article ideas is to ask “What are my most common client questions?” Or, “What problems are many of my clients struggling with?”
Make a list of every question or problem you can think of. Or do a quick client survey via email or surveymonkey.com and find out firsthand. Then write articles that answer these questions, or offer solutions to the problems. Voila!
5) Timing is Everything
You never know when the muse might strike. So always be prepared to jot down your ideas. I have a small pad in my purse, a larger one in my car, and one on my nightstand for midnight epiphanies. And I often leave myself voice mails when I have an idea.
If I’m in my office and an article idea strikes, I immediately open a Word doc and start writing it down. I don’t worry at all about how it sounds, editing it, or finishing it. I just write until the idea peters out. Then I save it in my newsletter file.
Whenever I need an article, I search through the file, find one that suits my fancy, and finish it off. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to do this than start from a blank page.
6) If You Can’t Write, Speak
Maybe you’re just not a writer. Don’t despair. Instead simply record your ideas on a digital recorder, or straight to your computer with a mic, then have them transcribed. Or use Dragon Naturally Speaking software. After that, a quick edit should be all you need to have your article ready to go.
Once you’re writing articles regularly, you’ll find it gets easier each day. And you’ll have tons of terrific material for marketing your business that positions you as an expert. So don’t keep putting it off. Use these tips to unleash your inner writer and start growing your business today.
©2007 SuccessStream. All Rights Reserved. www.success-stream.com
[tags] How to, Write, writing, Article, Small Business, Marketing, blog, online [/tags]
14 Keys to Effective Online Marketing – Part I
Posted by: | CommentsHave you jumped on the Internet Marketing/Social Networking bandwagon yet? If not, it’s high time you did.
When I first started using Internet Marketing tools to grow my business a few years ago, I wasn’t sure all this Online Marketing stuff was destined to stick around. It could’ve just been the next great fad.
While the tools keep changing–and some do prove to be nothing more than a flash in the pan–it’s become clear that Internet Marketing and Social Networking are here to stay. In fact, the Web provides a boatload of highly effective and inexpensive ways to market your small business… Once you learn the basics and get a good plan in place that is.
Because, especially in the beginning, Online Marketing can be confusing and overwhelming to say the least. Between email marketing, online article submissions, Social Networking, blogging, Twitter, Social Bookmarking, Squidoo, and all the other options out there it’s easy to waste time, spin your wheels, or just get frustrated and quit.
So in the next 3 posts I’m going to cover the fundamentals of Online Marketing. And explain a bit more about how all these tools can work together to drive traffic to your Website and grow your business.
14 Keys to Effective Online Marketing
#1 – No single marketing tactic (online or off) is going to grow your business all by itself. Instead you want to use at least 3 or 4 together to accomplish your goals. This means creating a plan.
For example, I use a combination of article marketing, social networking, blogging (including audio and video), email marketing, social bookmarking and micro-blogging (IE Twitter) to drive traffic to my Website. Then email and direct mail to stay in touch.
#2 – You need an online hub you can drive prospects to who want more information. This can be a traditional Website or a blog site.
If you don’t already have a Website, get one. And consider having a blog site built instead of a traditional HTML site.
Basically, blog sites are built on a blog backend or platform (WordPress is the industry standard and leader currently). They may have static pages like a traditional Website, but they typically also include a blog you update regularly with new content.
The benefits of blog sites are:
> You get better search engine rankings because blog sites are automatically set up to be indexed
> You have a way to communicate new info to prospects and clients regularly
> They are typically cheaper and easier to build as most are at least started using a template even if that template gets customized.
If you already have a Website, keep it. You can always add a blog to it and get many of the same benefits.
#3 – You gotta stay in touch! While initially Online Marketing is all about pulling people in, not pushing them to buy, eventually you do need to take action. That means coming up with ways to keep contacting them and offering valuable information.
Typically that means offering a no-cost report or audio in exchange for their email addresses, then following up with email newsletters. I’ll go into more detail about this next week.
#4 – Social networking sites like LinkedIn, Biznik, FastPitch, FaceBook, YouTube, and more are terrific tools for getting your name out there and driving people back to your hub site. And each one is a bit different.
Different sites let you republish your blog content on your profile, submit articles to the site, participate in Q & A forums, or upload videos. The key is finding the sites your prospects are using. You can do this simply by Googling “social networking+your industry”.
Once you’ve found some sites that look promising, sign up for a free account and “lurk” for a bit to see what other people have posted and how folks are participating. When you feel good, jump in and play.
A few tips: You can put the same profile information on all your social networking sites if it makes sense. Most people are only going to connect with you on one or two sites anyway, and consistent messaging is a good thing.
Be sure to include links back to your main Website or blog.
Don’t sign up for more than 3-4 sites. To get the most from social networking, just like with live networking you need to show up regularly and participate. Join too many and you’ll be overwhelmed by the time suck.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marketing your small business online. Next week, I’ll cover even more specifics. Stay tuned…
Thoughts, ideas or suggestions on this topic? Please do share by leaving a comment below!
Want more helpful articles like this one sent to your Inbox each week? Sign up for a subscription to Bright Ideas weekly e-newsletter along with a copy of my Free Report “The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins…Are You Guilty?” at http://www.7deadliestsins.com.
[tags] Small Business, Marketing, online, social networking, Internet, stacy karacostas, tips, video, website, blog [/tags]
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