What to do with your content after you post it

So, you have just written this great content piece for your blog, or an article for your website. You’ve posted it on your website…now what? Well, with the major growth of “Social Networking” sites, here are a few ways to promote your content (and your company).

  1. Is it newsworthy? Try writing and distributing a press release around it.
  2. Comment about it on related blogs (note, your comment should be on topic with the blog post you are commenting about…don’t spam)
  3. Book mark it – using tools like Del.icio.us , Stumble , Digg etc…
  4. Tweet it – Use Twitter to “micro-blog” about your content and be sure to include a link
  5. Share it – use it in your newsletters, distribute it within your network on Linked In or Facebook
  6. Create a Squidoo Lens around it

All of the above are wonderful tools to get your content listed and linked on other websites. Want the greatest tip? Write killer content that people want to link to, talk about, and pass around.

Apr 27, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Three Great Tips to Build Business in a Reduced Economy

As a sales and networking trainer, I get asked all the time about selling in today’s economy. Interestingly enough, the skills that will help you thrive in a down economy are the same skills that will allow you to grow in a busy one. Yes, Alberta has been busy for the last ten years, but even a turkey can fly in a hurricane! To be profitable now, you must be able to build your client base without spending too much time on prospects that are less than ideal.

Here are 3 great tips that will help you survive and thrive in any economy.

1. Always be developing your skills – invest in yourself
Most people don’t yet know how to distinguish profitable from poor prospects until it is too late, and the same people that put off training in a busy economy also refrain from training in a reduced one. They say “I don’t want to do any training now because I am too busy and don’t need to”. When the downturn comes, the same people say “I don’t want to do any training now. I am going to wait until it gets busier”. As a professional business person, you need to continually renew and upgrade your skills so that you can be at the top of your game. You may want to attend a professional networking course, or join a networking organization such as BNI (Business Networking International) to start.

2. Know what type of client you want, and ask for it.
A good/ bad example of this comes from the legal industry. Many lawyers when introducing themselves include the fact that they offer real estate services. The vast majority of lawyers do not need to include this when they network because they will receive that type of work anyway (could be spin off work from other client projects, such as Wills & Estates or Corporate). They may not want real estate business due to lower profit margins, or possibly they are not as efficient at it because they don’t do it very often. So why ask for it? If you know what type of client you want, be specific and you will see better results referred to you.

3. Focus your attention on you’re A-grade clients
This is an extremely important concept. If you are able to define what you like about a client, you can put together a marketing strategy to attract those types of clients. This may mean that you need to disqualify a few prospects as well, and weed out the ones that you don’t want to talk to. Now that doesn’t mean that you have to go around saying no to business opportunities all the time. The fact is, most people are not comfortable saying no to a business opportunity, even if it is just a little bit of business. AND If you are over 45, you have likely experienced lean times and may not be comfortable saying no. No problem. What you can do is be on the lookout for and in front of people that you DO want as customers. The only way you can do that is to have a list of what your top 5 clients look like, walk like, sound like, talk like. For example, if I am an accountant and I say to you that I am looking for people that are buliding their business, you can look out your office and see 1000’s of people that fit that profile…but if I say to you that I am looking for a business owner who wants to purchase their competition, or a business owner that wants to expand their business and they don’t know how to arrange financing or put these kinds of deals together…those are more specific.

There is no one particular perfect client, but if you have 5 focussed client profiles that have simple explanations of what these clients look like and who they really are, you can train other people to look for them. You will also have the ability to recognize them better yourself when you are out networking and meeting people. If they don’t fit one of your profiles, you don’t need to waste time pursuing them.

Apr 27, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Copywriters to the Rescue

Let’s face it: copywriters get a bum rap. The people who hire them don’t want to pay them what they’re worth. The people who read their work wonder “how do they come up with this stuff?” and the clients who use them never quite see “the vision.” But the copywriters grit their teeth and keep churning out, day after day, copy that ultimately sells the product.

That’s why we need copywriters, right? Most marketing professionals will tell you they can do their job and the copywriter’s job – no problem. But the reality is, copywriters are a necessity if you’re trying to move a product or communicate a message. They are somewhat unsung heroes in the world of marketing, and a main cog in the think-tank that is the marketing team.

Why? Because they do one thing, and they do it well: communicate. Writing, like painting, sculpting, dancing, etc. is an art form. Sure, most copywriters may not be on their way to writing a novel (I swear I’ll finish mine someday) and many are better than others at their jobs, but the fact remains that copywriters are master communicators – it’s what they do.

Effective communication is the key to any marketing plan. Creating the message and making sure that the message is captivating or clever enough to capture the attention of your key demographics. The message, after all, is the first and possibly only impression you may get to make. Why then, when setting a marketing budget, the first that gets left out, forgotten or even laughed at is the budget for copy. Effective writing and communicating instills a feeling of trust in a reader. Potential customers should want to know more about the product when they see your web site. They should want to buy your product after they read your sales page. Good copywriters can write and deliver a message chock full of keywords without disturbing the flow of writing and keep your audience entertained, captivated and constantly thinking. Copy is your business’s 2-D sales person; the tool that is the last line of persuasion in your sale if you can’t be face to face. Copywriters know how to communicate with target audiences and give them the information they need to turn an online shopping expedition into a sale.

Copy includes writing for all types of marketing materials:

  • Web content (enhance existing or create new)
  • Newsletters
  • Slogans / branding
  • Blogs
  • Articles
  • Sales Pages
  • Social Media updates and notes
  • Ads – radio, print, television
  • Scripts

Copywriters are simply indispensible. Yet most marketing companies don’t have one on staff.

I may be biased, in fact I know I am, so don’t take my word for it. Read this blog and then make up your own mind. Before you do – ask yourself this: Are you still reading this blog?

Or, ask yourself this:

  • Do You Deserve A Break Today?
  • Pardon Me, Do You Have Any Grey Poupon?

Copywriters have created some of the most famous slogans in the world. Not every slogan, ad or brochure is going to go global, but a writer is just as effective on a smaller scale to effectively communicate your company’s main message in a way that leaves your audience wanting more.
Marketing plans require a kaleidoscope of efforts, not just one. But copywriting is an essential part of the big picture. Now make sure you hire a copywriter. Just Do It.

“Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.”
William Bernbach

Apr 27, 2011 | 0 comments View Post