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Twitter in the Triangle

May 31, 2008 2 Comments

So Thursday night, I joined about 50 other people at the Triangle Tweetup 2.0—my first in-person Twitter event. It was great to see a few people I did know (including the fellow internet marketing masterminder who lured me into my Twitter addition—thanks a lot @justis!) and to meet a lot of the people I’d been following. All of whom looked just like their pictures. (Imagine that, people using a current photo in the internet world…)

If you’re not familiar with Twitter, it’s a micro-blogging site where you post the answer to “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less (which is called a “tweet”). I can understand if you’re thinking “Who cares?” because I used to think that too. But if you’re following the right people, you will care. Because they post about projects they’re working on, blog posts they’ve written, resources they’ve found helpful. I’m going to tell you the 10 reasons I like Twitter tomorrow, so I’ll move on for now.

Back to the Tweetup. Apparently the Triangle is quite a hotbed of social media start-ups, as several locals introduced the group to their applications—such as FlixPulse (aka Twitter Movie Reviews) and Seesmic (essentially a video Twitter)—before the actual socializing began. [Read more...]

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Websites That Sell

May 29, 2008 Leave a Comment

Your website should be the hub of your marketing efforts. Everything you put out—from business cards to flyers to the signature line in your email to even your voice mail recording—should be driving people to your website so they can find out more about you.

The good news is you DON’T need an expensive site with a lot of bells and whistles that some designers would try to talk you into. You just need a site that looks professional and has good copy. Here are a few guidelines to consider for creating a website that gets results:

Keep It Simple. Skip the flashy intro pages—take them straight to your website. Use fewer columns, and streamline your navigation tabs. Each page should have one goal—one action or decision you want the reader to make. Too many choices just confuses and distracts the reader, and there are already enough distractions to lure them away. [Read more...]

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Good Sales Copy Is Like an Episode of Law & Order

May 25, 2008 Leave a Comment

It all starts with a dead body.

If you’ve ever watched more than three episodes of Law & Order, you know the drill. Two people are going about their lives and stumble onto a dead body. The cops are called in and the opening scene ends with a wisecrack. (Though no one—on any series—pulls it off quite as well as Jerry Orbach did).

Like the opening scene, a headline should get attention the reader’s attention and give them a clue as to why they should keep reading. Like the dead body, it’s usually a problem to be solved. [Read more...]

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Found: A Good Free Workbook on Business Blogging

May 22, 2008 Leave a Comment

Remarkablogger is now giving away his free workbook How to Start a Business Blog without requiring an RSS or email subscription–not that you wouldn’t want those things, because the content I’ve seen so far is great, but I know sometimes we’re reluctant to add even just one more email subscription to the pile.

Anyway, the 70+page workbook has something for all the new and even not-so-new business bloggers out there. It’s terrific for people who are just now thinking about or putting together a blog. And if your blog is already up and running, it’s also got some good tips for content (Drafting the Initial Content and 10 Types of Freelance/Business Blog Posts) as well. Of course, it also wouldn’t hurt to revisit your goals for the blog and some of the initial set up topics he covers as well.

In short I think it offers a lot of great content for a price that can’t be beat!

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A Timely Reminder About Time

May 20, 2008 Leave a Comment

Ever notice how sometimes the right message appears just when you need to hear it? Sure, I’ve heard it before, “Everything you say yes to means you say no to something else.” Yeah, yeah. But who ever thinks about that when they’re saying yes? I just assume I can fit it in, somehow, without saying no to anything. But a post on The Million Dollar Business Success Blog was the right reminder at the perfect time.

I think it’s important to be really involved with the networking groups you join. You can really build relationships with other active members, demonstrate your “character and competence” which are so essential to networking, contribute to something bigger than your own business. But you do have to know your limits. [Read more...]

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3 Steps to Compelling Copy Interview Is Up

May 16, 2008 Leave a Comment

The interview I did with Elizabeth Potts Weinstein at The Wealth Spa Radio Show on 3 Steps to Compelling Copy That Speaks Your Client’s Language is now up at the show’s website, along with a link to the special offer I made at the end of the interview.

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Show Prices on Web Site? The Ongoing Debate

May 15, 2008 2 Comments

Should you reveal the rates for your services on your website? This is an ongoing debate I struggle with and I know I’m not alone.

At a recent workshop I attended, the speaker was deadset against putting prices on your website. She advocates talking about everything but and then getting them to call you to get the price so you can delve into the emotions around the decision for that particular person–and thereby convince them of your value at any price. Otherwise, she said, people see the prices, go into sticker shock, and don’t call when they may actually be able to afford your services if they realized how much value they were getting.

But I have three issues with that.

1. Her business, and many of the people attending, is coaching. And if you look at a bunch of coaching websites, you’ll find a few with prices so you have an idea of the price range to expect. But I still get people asking me to write 500-word articles for $75. If their expectations are that far out in la-la land, no amount of conversation will probably convince them to pay my rates. So frankly, I don’t want to waste my time on the phone with them. [Read more...]

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Do I Need a Web Site?

May 13, 2008 Leave a Comment

It surprises me every time but I still get asked this question by other business owners. Unless you’ve got more clients than you can handle (and even then it’s a good idea) YES YOU DO! And really, as cheap and easy as it is to get a web site up these days (less than $5 a month for some plans on Go Daddy’s Web Site Tonight–just make sure to hide their logo please) there is no reason not to.

At minimum, you need two pages, one about your services and one about your background and experience. And if you’ve got a retail location, your hours as well. Because no matter where or how people get your name, they like to visit your web site before contacting you. You become a little bit more of a known quantity to them.

Last year, a local educational organization was looking for a writer to work with on a pretty significant project and they had gotten six names from a variety of people. But only one had a web site–guess who got the project? The woman told me later that’s exactly why she called me, she felt the web site gave her a better idea of who I was and the kind of work I would do for them.

Of course, there are many other reasons to have a web site as well–and ideally you have a web site designed to sell people on your services instead of just a “brochure” website. But hey, first steps first. It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in, if you don’t have one, get one and get going!

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Networking That Works

May 12, 2008 1 Comment

Everyone knows that networking is one of the best ways to build relationships that can benefit your business. But it’s most effective when it strategically leverages your time and money.

Studies show that people usually have to meet you 6-8 times before they really know who you are and understand what you do enough to share it with others. In the meantime, they are assessing your character and competence, according to Lynne Waymon and Anne Baber in their book, Make Your Contacts Count. So how do you show them yours?

  • Choosy networkers choose…Narrow your memberships to groups that are truly useful to your goals – and go to their events regularly.
  • Bring good things to life…Take an active role in the group. It doesn’t even have to be anything related to your work — people automatically assume if you do a good job with one thing, you’ll do a good job with another.

    • [Read more...]

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Blogging, Video & Podcasting Around the World

May 9, 2008 Leave a Comment

Interesting data in a chart on the Groundswell blog about blogs, user-generated video and podcasts around the world. Japan and South Korea blow the U.S. out of the water when it comes to reading and commenting on blogs. The U.S. though leads the way when it comes to watching and creating user-generated video. Is it really because YouTube is mostly English, or because we’re just lazier and used to watching pictures on a screen? Listening to podcasts was highest in U.S., but at only 11%, the author points out they haven’t caught on much after years of availability. So is all the chatter about podcasting you see these days just hype–or evidence of a shift in popularity?

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