Content Creation Marketing to Build Your Business

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Content Creation MarketingWhen I came online in 2006 I had no idea that I would need to become a content creation marketing machine in order to be successful as an online entrepreneur. I was not a writer, and the very thought of writing a two hundred fifty word article to submit to the article directories terrified me. As a former classroom teacher I thought that I would be judged by what I published on the Internet. But I was determined to succeed and began writing an article every single day to get into the habit of writing. I even challenged myself to write one hundred articles in one hundred days…and accomplished my goal within seventy-eight days!

Recently I was reading a post by Pam and Dexter Montgomery. Their post, Create Content That Clients Value! made some excellent points.

“Content Should Be Easy To Understand

Whether your content is a blog post, information product, or podcast it should be easy to understand. If your product is in writing, it should also be easy to read.  A few key ways of making your writing easy to read and understand are to:

  • Use one main theme per content piece
  • Use subheadings to break up your points
  • Use simple formatting like bullet points, numbers, and short paragraph

Content Should Be Conversational

When you are creating your content, remember to use your personal and unique voice. Write content as if you were talking to a trusted client with whom you have developed a deep relationship. Write and talk like you are having a conversation with a peer or a really good friend. To accomplish this goal, that means you will not be using industry jargon.  You will also clearly explain any new concepts that you introduce.”

I especially like what they say about remembering to use your personal and unique voice. People have told me that when they read my daily email messages they sound like me. I take this as a great compliment in that I always want people to find me approachable, even if that is virtually. Content creation marketing is your opportunity to allow your community to hear your voice and receive your message through your content.

Be sure to check out my training course on Really Simple Content Marketing if you would like to pursue content creation to build your business.

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Some Excellent Reasons to Publish a Book

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Reasons to Publish a BookReasons to Publish a Book

When I published my first book in 2010 my business changed completely. But that wasn’t the only of many reason to publish a book that came soon after my book was available. My confidence was renewed and I was perceived in a different way.

I’d like to share an excerpt from a post by copywriter and content marketing strategist KeriLynn Engel on the 5 Reasons Bloggers Should Self-Publish a Book…

“Establish Yourself As An Expert

The publishing industry is in upheaval thanks to the self-publishing boom. That’s great news for bloggers who want to write a book!

Even just 5 or 10 years ago, self-publishing was still looked upon as “vanity” publishing; the last resort of a talentless writer sick of rejection letters. For a long time, authors couldn’t be taken seriously if they didn’t have the backing of a big publishing company.

Successful self-published authors like Amanda Hocking changed the industry forever.

Successful self-published authors like Amanda Hocking changed the industry forever.

But thanks to some highly publicized success stories, the public is now more aware of the possibilities of self-publishing:

  • Amanda Hocking famously earned millions of dollars from her paranormal romance novels before being approached by the publisher St. Martin’s Press.
  • John Locke was the first self-published author to sell over 1 million e-books on Amazon.

And now, even established professional authors have begun to experiment with a mix of traditional and self-publishing, such as famous New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who blogs about the industry at KrisWrites.com.

Today, self-publishing is respected, even admired and applauded.

By authoring and self-publishing a book on your niche topic, you can position yourself to be recognized as an expert on that topic. When you’re a top author in your niche, that’s a huge differentiator so you can stand out from other bloggers.

This is not only a nice ego-boost, but it’ll also help you to grow your blog’s audience and power your other monetization efforts, such as if you sell products or services from your blog. Being seen as the expert in your niche can enable you to set higher prices for those product and services, and be more in demand.

There’s a reason for the idiom “wrote the book on it” – it means you’re the go-to expert on the topic: Positioning yourself as an expert can also lead to other opportunities such as speaking engagements, interviews, media appearances and more.”

KeriLynn makes some excellent points here and encourages us to self-publish a book. In her post she also shares how we can grow our list, generate passive income, and publicize our blogs by becoming a published author. I have done this more than a dozen times now, and my Hunter’s Moon Publishing company has helped many entrepreneurs to get their message out to the world in the form of a book.

My Write.Publish.Prosper. training course takes you step by step through the process of outlining and writing your book, and I will also provide you wish an ISBN number from my publishing house when you are ready to publish.

What other questions do you have on this topic?

 

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Content Curation Marketing to Grow Your Online Business

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Content Curation MarketingContent Curation Marketing

I first heard about content curation from my good friend and colleague Marlon Sanders back in 2010. He was sharing his results from a course he was promoting on this topic, and frankly, I didn’t get it. It was my mistake not to spend some time discussing this with him to learn what he knew that I did not. Eventually I understood the concept and now content curation marketing is a regular part of my online business strategies.

Recently I was reading an excellent post from Steven Rosenbaum is the CEO of Magnify.net, a real-time video curation engine for publishers, brands, and websites. He’s also the author of Curation Nation. His post, 5 Tips for Great Content Curation, really got me thinking about this important topic. In in he shares his five best practices for content curation marketing:

“If you’re a curator looking for some boundaries in what feels like the Wild West, here are five best practices to consider.

1. Be Part of the Content Ecosystem

Be part of the content ecosystem, not just a re-packager of it. Often, people think of themselves as either creators or curators as if these two things are mutually exclusive. What a curator really should do is embrace content as both a maker and an organizer. The most successful curators include sites like The Huffington Post, that embrace the three-legged-stool philosophy of creating some content, inviting visitors to contribute some content, and gathering links and articles from the web. Created, contributed, and collected — the three ‘c’s is a strong content mix that has a measurable impact. Why? Because your visitors don’t want to hunt around the web for related material. Once they find a quality, curated collection, they’ll stay for related offerings.

2. Follow a Schedule

Audiences expect some regularity, and they’ll reward you for it. It doesn’t need to be a schedule that you can’t keep up with. If you want to curate three new links a day, and write one big post a week, that’s a schedule. Make sure to post at the same time each week. This is so readers know when to expect new material from you. Consistency and regularity will also bring you new users, and help you grow a loyal base of members who appreciate your work. A good example of someone who gets why a schedule makes a difference is Jason Hirschhorn via his MediaReDEF newsletter. He never misses a publish date.

3. Embrace Multiple Platforms

It used to be that your audience came to you. Not anymore. Today content consumers get their information on the platform of their choosing. That means you should consider posting short bursts on Tumblr, images on Pinterest, video on YouTube, and community conversations on Facebook. And don’t leave out established sites and publishers. If your audience hangs out on a blog, you may want to offer that publication some guest posts or even a regular column. Essentially, you have to bring your content contributions to wherever your readers may be.

4. Engage and Participate

Having a voice as a curator means more than creating and curating your own work. Make sure you’re giving back by reading others and commenting on their posts. A re-tweet is one of the easiest ways to help build relationships with fellow bloggers and curators. And your followers will appreciate that you’ve pointed them to good content. One word here, I never hit an RT without clicking through to read what I’m recommending. You can also lose followers if you don’t put in the effort to recommend material that you really think merits their attention.

5. Share. Don’t Steal.

Take the time to give attribution, links back, and credit. The sharing economy works because we’re each sharing our audiences, and providing the value of our endorsements. If you pick up someone’s work and put it on your blog, or mention a fact without crediting the source, you’re not building shared credibility. You’re just abusing someone else’s effort.”

The first and second of these “best practices” resonate with me the most; think of yourself as more of a publisher of content and then it doesn’t matter who wrote it originally, as long as you give proper and due credit when it was someone else’s idea. Also, sticking to a content curation marketing schedule will ensure your readership never goes more than a week or so without receiving additional content from you.

When I began teaching my Really Simple Content Marketing training course I made sure to spend enough time on content curation marketing so that my students would be able to get their content up and published with ease on a regular basis. Once you get into the flow of curation you’ll never want for content and people will think of you as an authority on your topic. Also, an added bonus is that they will tell you they see you “everywhere” on the Internet.

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Team Building for Entrepreneurs

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Team BuildingTeam Building for Entrepreneurs

When I began my online business back in 2006 I hadn’t a clue as to how to manage a team. Building the right group of people eluded me and the result was that I attempted to do everything myself. When I did bring an outside person aboard my skills as a team leader were weak and ineffective. Finally, I started outsourcing some of my tasks, specifically technical and clerical ones, to those who were more experienced in these areas than I would ever be. My time was better spent on the few activities I was good at, which included mentoring new online entrepreneurs, writing and publishing, teaching and training, and creating information products. Everything else would be accomplished by one or more of my team members.

Michael Hyatt has recently written a post called Camels vs. Stallions: Knowing the Difference Can Eliminate the Friction on Your Team where he addresses the issue of team members being either managerial or entrepreneurial and how to help make your business run more smoothly by utilizing everyone’s specific skills. In it he says…

The trick is making sure they’re both going the same direction. Success requires integrating their unique contributions.

How can we do that? Here are three steps that enable the manager-enterpreneur distinction to drive success instead of frustration:

  1. Recognize. It doesn’t take a zoologist to tell that camels and stallions are different. But organizations sometimes try to see managers and entrepreneurs through the same lens. The truth is they’re different—usually all the way down to basic temperament. Because they’re different, they both make contributions unique to them.
  2. Appreciate. Next, we need to value these unique contributions. Appreciation is a critical factor for team success. Without managers, entrepreneurs don’t have anyone to hold down the shop. Without entrepreneurs, managers don’t have business for the shop. Until each can appreciate the other’s contribution, they’ll work at cross purposes.
  3. Mobilize. Recognition and appreciation should lead to empowerment. It makes no sense to force stallions to carry freight or camels to race ahead on scouting missions. Success is only possible when teams mobilize members to do what they do best at least the majority of the time.

Managers and entrepreneurs are both prone to different mistakes. Managers may be tempted to see business as serving their rules. Entrepreneurs may be tempted to pursue business that ultimately hurts the organization.

I recommend that you read through Michael’s post and absorb the wisdom he shares there. I can speak from experience when I say that everything changed in my own business once I had my team building skills working for me. Currently I have fourteen people in half a dozen countries helping me to achieve my goals, and they each work to their strengths in the overall scheme of things.

What have been your experiences with team building as a small business owner or entrepreneur?

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Road Trips to Enhance Your Small Business Perspective

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Road TripMy small business perspective was recently enhanced. Earlier this summer I took a road trip across the country. Over the course of twenty-one days I covered six thousand three hundred miles and traveled through seventeen different states. What began as a convenient way to meet with clients located far and wide became a case study in how small businesses operate in different regions of our great country. I highly recommend that you do something similar, even if only on a small scale to get the benefit of interacting with business owners and customers in a variety of situations.

My first stop was at a Cracker Barrel restaurant located in Flagstaff, Arizona. It had been years since I had patronized this chain and I longed to see if it was as I remembered it from more than twenty years ago. When you first enter the building you find yourself in their country store, filled with items from the past. As you work your way towards the restaurant it’s apparent that everything has been strategically placed to make you feel right at home.

From the employees dressed in clothing from a hundred years ago to food that is both delicious and reasonably priced, Cracker Barrel bends over backwards to make customers feel like family. It made me question my own methods of doing business online and in person and made me think twice about my small business perspective. Do my own clients fell like family or more like paying customers?

My next stop was at a Motel 6 in Winslow, Arizona. I had not called ahead to make a reservation, nor had I gone online on my smart phone to see if they had a room available for that evening. I was met at the front counter by a woman who greeted me with a smile. She not only made me feel at home, but asked if I’d like an accessible room or one closer to the office.

Also, she offered to let me look at the room first before committing to it. This motel was located right next to the railroad tracks, as many Motel 6s are, and she assured me there would be no noise once I had closed the door to the room. She was correct. Considering my total bill was less than sixty dollars for that night’s stay, I was quite satisfied.

These experiences continued as I crossed the country over the next three weeks, and I came to expect the very best in customer service and amenities. I was disappointed at a Super 8 motel in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, outside of Tulsa and left a one star review on their website within the following twenty-four hours to share the details. In this day and age of social media and review sites businesses simply cannot afford to offer less than acceptable goods or services.

The Kroger grocery store I shopped in Knoxville, Tennessee also went out of its way to provide me with a superior experience. And when I was in need of a prescription in Memphis, it was the kind and helpful people at the Walgreen’s pharmacy who made my day one to remember. And the gas station in Charlottesville, Virginia had employees who washed my windshield and offered help with directions to my next destination. This was yet another reminder that we do business with people, not with companies or corporations and that these people can make or break the reputation of a business one transaction at a time.

This was such a valuable learning experience for me that I plan to take another road trip next summer. There is nothing like putting yourself out there to see exactly what it’s like to do business in unfamiliar locations and surroundings. When I came home I had a small notebook filled with ideas as to how I can improve my own business practices.

By now you can see that seeing the U.S.A., whether in a Chevrolet or another make of vehicle can be an excellent way to get an up close and personal view of how business really works. Make a plan to take to the open roads and observe your own experiences so that your own business will benefit when you return.

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Marketing Your Small Local Business

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Marketing Your Small Local BusinessMarketing Your Small, Local Business

I’ve been marketing for small, local businesses since 2007, and this actually got me started as an online marketer. Marketing your small, local business online is an excellent way to get more targeted prospects into your physical location and purchasing from you on the internet.

Neil Patel shares some excellent information on marketing a brick and mortar business here. In his well written and thought out post Neil breaks down the process into Days 1 through 10, Days 10 through 25, and Days 25 through 30. As expected, he emphasizes the importance of creating high quality content, and this is Step 2 of his 3 Step Basics plan. He states:

“One of the fallacies many entrepreneurs believe is that simply having a website with some on-page SEO is enough.

But that’s not how Google works, and that’s not how people work either.

If you want to attract new customers and build a loyal fan base, you need to place a premium on creating and curating high quality content.

Content is huge.

But how does this apply to marketing a brick-and-mortar business? Here’s how…

Let’s say you own a coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado.

You take the first 2-3 days and pay to create your website—design it to look great and navigate easily. Then you set up your Facebook page.

Now, it’s time to start populating your website and your social media with killer content.

Continuing with the coffee shop example, the next step would be to start writing articles or filming videos based on your niche.

You could write an article about the best locations for growing coffee or about 3 unconventional brewing methods you can try today, or you could film a video showing people how to do cappuccino art.

The list of things you can do is endless.

By creating this content you will improve your chances of ranking on Google, and you will also start providing free value to customers, which will increase their trust and their desire to give you their business.”

I agree with him completely on this point and this is why I created my Really Simple Content Marketing training course recently. If you are interested in marketing your small, local business you will want to make creating high quality content a top priority. The content you add to your website or blog will serve you for years to come. Think of this as a marathon and not a sprint and you will set yourself up for great success.

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Life As An Entrepreneur: Road Trip 2016

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Entrepreneur Road TripThe Entrepreneur Road Trip

Recently I spent three weeks driving across the United States and back to visit my clients and see the country. The result was quite satisfying, productive, and joyous and I thought I’d share the highlights of this trip with you.

My goal was to connect with as many people as possible along the way, and to work closely with them while I was in their home. Originally I had planned to fly to various cities and rent a car, but my decision to drive my own vehicle from California and back worked out much better. I covered just under six thousand miles in twenty-one days, visiting a dozen people and seventeen different states in the process.

Just as when you work on your online business from home, keeping a routine and being disciplined with your time is crucial to success. I’m used to writing and doing most of my other work in the morning, so whether I was staying in a hotel or with one of my clients this was simple and easy to accomplish. It’s been many years since I waited for inspiration to motivate my writing, so before I went to bed each evening I wrote down what I would be working on the following morning. I’d have to say I completed even more work than usual during this three week trip because I did not have many outside distractions to get in my way.

Even though I travel with my own Internet connection via a “hot spot” device, almost every hotel I stayed in had a decent connection, as did every one of the homes I stayed in with my clients. I had a laptop, iPad mini, and an iPhone with me throughout this trip.

What all of this has taught me is that we are even more capable of achieving our goals than we previously thought. If I was able to do more work than I had been doing at home while on this road trip, just imagine what I’ll be able to do from home going forward.

What is your business model? Are you working strictly from your home, or are you able to work from anywhere in the world where you have an internet connection? As you can see from my entrepreneur road trip, anything is possible.

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Natural Born Salesperson

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Natural Born SalespersonThe Natural Born Salesperson

So how are your selling skills? Have you ever heard the term “You’re a natural born sales person?” Someone born with a natural style of selling that isn’t annoying or pushy? But is being a likable salesperson something you are born with or is it something you can learn?

Personally, I believe it’s a mixture of both.

I started selling when I was in the fourth grade. My Mother walked me to school, while most of the other kids were driven. This allowed me to make a quick stop at the local convenience store to pick up some salty and sweet “supplies” for the school day. When someone wanted to buy one of the treats from me, my selling career was launched and I never looked back. Buying low and selling high, or buying at regular price and selling for a bit more became

It’s true that some people can naturally sell ice to a polar bear. But for most of us selling brings to mind the days of going to buy a used car and being pressed into buying a certain one by an annoying, pushy salesman.

Does selling make you feel dirty?

Does the idea of putting a smile on your face, pretending strangers are your best friends and sweet-talking them into spending money on your products or services make you want to hide?

So how can you sell your products or services or books then, without feeling like you have to become some else to do it? What does it take to develop your salesmanship skills so that people will like you?

Salesmanship is both an art and a science. It’s a human activity that involves human interaction. Although a natural affinity to selling is helpful, it can be learned.

Here are some surprising statistics:

  • 75% of buyers want marketers to curb the sales-speak in their content. (Source: DemandGen Report)
  • Only 2% of sales occur at a first meeting. (Source: Marketing Donut)  
  • Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group)
  • 63% of people requesting information today won’t buy for at least three months. (Source: Marketing Donut)
  • Companies that nurture leads make 50% more sales at a cost 33% less than non-nurtured leads. (Source: Forrester Research)

These statistics show that selling takes more than being pushy and aggressive. It takes time to build a relationship with your potential client and repeated exposure in a good way.

Let’s first decide what a natural born sales person actually is. You’ve no doubt said to someone they were a natural born salesman, often using it as a dig. It implies you either have it or you don’t, like being born left-handed or short or double-jointed.

In this instance, it means that selling is a talent the person doesn’t have to work at. But in reality, a good salesperson works very hard at being natural. They are constantly developing their ability to read people, their storytelling and conversational habits and how they interact with others.

A natural born salesperson isn’t pushy. They are confident and have a lot of enthusiasm but they aren’t aggressive when getting people to listen to them.

A skilled, natural born salesperson has traits that include:

  • Conscientiousness: Top salespeople carry a strong sense of duty, making them reliable and committed to the products they sell.
  • Humility: A humble salesperson gets the support of his team and other company members.
  • Confidence: Good salespeople don’t worry about what others think of them. They are confident and not easily embarrassed.
  • Curiosity: Willing to absorb information and having inquisitiveness improves the salesperson’s knowledge of the product and company they represent.

A salesperson that is likeable and naturally likes people is less likely to be pushy and aggressive to the people they are trying to convince to buy their product. They are confident with a natural curiosity that prevents them from being brash. Become a natural born salesperson and watch your business grow.

What do you think about this? I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and opinions on the topic of being a natural born salesperson.

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Book Signing Tips: Before Your Book is Published

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Book Signing TipsBook Signing Tips

So you’ve written a book? Excellent! Now is when the real work begins. I’ve put together this post to give you some effective and doable book signing tips. And it all begins before your book is published.

Your new job – as you may have already discovered – is as book promoter. You’ll be coordinating interviews, writing guest blogs, and doing a host of other activities designed to get the word out about your new book.

And the best way to create a buzz and get people excited about your book? A good old-fashioned book signing. Imagine a crowd of eager fans all waiting for you to appear, read a bit from your latest bestseller, and answer questions. It’s the scene that’s filled many would-be authors’ daydreams, and now that you have a book, it can become your reality.

All it takes is a little planning and organization.

Here’s the thing: When your reader steps up to your table to buy a copy of your book, you want to ensure she has the absolute best first impression you can give her. That means top-quality writing, editing, and printing.

Sure, you can do it all yourself. Amazon and others make it easy and cost-effective to write and print a book, but will it portray the image you want? Or will it scream “amateur”?

So before you even think about scheduling your first signing event, let’s make sure your book is ready for the big leagues.

Book Signing Tips: Writing and Editing Your Book

You very likely already have your book completed, and as you may have discovered, it can be nearly impossible to edit your own work. You’re simply too close to it to be objective.

Instead, it’s a good idea to put your book to the test by:

  • Sending it out to a select list of beta-readers for feedback
  • Hiring a professional editor to suggest changes to content flow
  • Hiring a professional proofreader to edit for grammar and punctuation

Here’s a tip: no one person will be good at all three jobs. Creating a book worthy of a rock-star book signing is truly a group effort, and well worth the time and cost as well. Remember, your book will very often be the first impression someone has of you. If it’s riddled with spelling errors (or even one or two, for that matter) they will automatically think less of your expertise.

Make sure your book-signing event creates the very best impression you can by starting off with a professionally written and edited book. Then find your “Beta” readers.

Choose five to ten friends and colleagues to read through your book and offer constructive feedback. You want to avoid those who think everything you do is wonderful (so mom can’t be a beta reader) and instead ask those who you trust to offer real, actionable advice.

Next, find and interview editors and proofreaders.

While you’re waiting for your beta readers to respond with their thoughts, it’s time to begin looking for your editor and proofreader. The best way to find these people is to contact friends and colleagues whose books you’ve read and enjoyed, and ask them for referrals.

Book Signing Tips: You Can Judge a Book by Its Cover

It’s true. Sometimes the only chance you get to make the sale is in the three seconds a visitor takes to glance at your book’s cover. Make sure it gives the right impression with:

  • Easy-to-read fonts
  • Eye-catching (not headache-inducing) colors
  • Complementary graphics that don’t distract from the title

Keep in mind that bold colors and large fonts are a popular choice for better readability at any size from thumbnails on Amazon to poster-size event decorations.

For printed books, the cover is even more important. Remember, your readers will be holding this book in their hands for days, maybe even weeks. You want it to look as good as possible, because that’s what will make YOU look good.

Not only that, but your book’s cover needs to be easily reproduced in large format for posters, banners and other print materials you’ll use to decorate your signing table.

Don’t be afraid to outsource the things you are not good at, such as cover creation and sales copy, so that you can instead concentrate on writing the best book you can.

Now it’s time to research cover designs.

Before you hire a designer, it’s a good idea to know what you’re really looking for in a cover. Start by finding several books whose covers you like. These can be in any niche, so don’t be afraid to look on the fiction, self-help, and even reference shelves. The key is that they be eye catching and well-branded.

You’ll want to give this list to your designer, so he or she can see what appeals to you. Be as specific as possible, and include things like “I love the font, but the background image makes it difficult to read” or “The colors really make it stand out on the shelf.”

I certainly hope these book signing tips are helpful to you. You can see that the process begins long before your book is in print and ready for you to sign at your local library, book store, or other event. And if you’d like recommendations for people whom I have used for editing, proofreading, cover design, and formatting, please leave a comment below and I will reach out to you personally.

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