Home Wealth Project
Extensive Research On How To Build Wealth From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.
Read The End of Business as Usual for Social Media Insights, Research and Trends
Dec 31st
At the end of each year and into the beginning of the next, we take stock of where we’ve been and where we are about to go. TV shows and magazines look back on the significant events of the year, and then prognosticators predict what’s yet to come.
One of the best prognosticators out there (although he may not take to being called that) is Brian Solis (@briansolis). In 2010 he wrote the book Engage, which leads you through the specific steps you need to take to conceptualize, implement, manage and measure a social media program.
I had the privilege of interviewing Brian Solis for an article I wrote for Personal Branding Magazine. In some ways, he reminded me of Matthew Broderick’s character Ferris Bueller; fun, smart and super-savvy about the ways of the social media environment and how to play it. Solis knows how to navigate, pull the technological strings and use these tools to business advantage.
But wait, there’s more
And new for 2012, Solis has released The End of Business as Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution. This book takes you to the next level, taking social media away from the context of tool and into the context of strategy. Let me put it another way: We don’t write about telephones or microwaves or stoves as revolutionary tools for communication or cooking. We’ve integrated these items into our lives. Business as Usual does the same thing for us in terms of social media. Solis is taking the tools and technologies we’ve been enamored with and pushing us into accepting them as tangible, real and unimportant as tools, but vitally important in terms of what we do with them.
The End of Business as Usual is a bellwether
If you like Groundswell, then you will love this. This is a business book, a social media book and a trend book all in one. It’s 20 chapters and 300 pages of lesson after lesson, insight after insight, and terrific charts and graphics that give you a perspective on what Solis is talking about.
There are so many facts and figures in this book relating to what’s going on in social media that you could probably tweet out a stat every day and have enough to last you a couple of years. I’m not sure if I’m exaggerating, but I think I’m pretty close.
Here are just a few chapter names that will give you some idea of what to expect:
Chapter 3: The medium is no longer the message. This is the core message of the book. People are spending more time on social networks, TV shows are live tweeted, news comes from Twitter online video networks – in other words, social is as integrated into our lives as phones and appliances.
Chapter 4: Attention deficit crises and information scarcity: This chapter addresses one of the key reasons I admire Brian Solis: “If you don’t have anything interesting or productive to say – then don’t say it.” While Solis is a social media expert and evangelist, I respect his integrity in terms of using social media as a valuable communication channel rather than a vehicle for pabulum.
Chapter 7: Your audience is now an audience of audiences with audiences: This chapter has terrific visuals and charts to show you exactly how communication and information functions in the social media world. This chapter is worth reading and rereading.
Chapter 11: The rise of connected commerce: You’ve already heard the phrase “blurring the line between personal and business. This chapter gives you the background on how and why this is happening. Mobile devices, constant connection and communication will force business to look and feel more personal.
Chapter 14: Reinventing the brand and sales cycle for a new genre of connecter commerce: The message in this chapter is to plug into decision making. We’ve never had better access to data about our customers’ behavior. Businesses will have to become masters at managing their brand promises.
Who should read this book?
To say that anyone who intends to be in business over the next three to five years should read this book is an understatement. Business owners will see data and research that will help them create a context for the world that they and their customers are participating in.
Sales and marketing professionals will get insights and be able to develop much more powerful marketing strategies that get to the heart of what’s important to their customers.
Social media practitioners will have evidence and resources to share with their clients that will show exactly why the strategies they are proposing will work.
At the risk of sounding over the top, The End of Business as Usual is a book you absolutely, positively must read to succeed in 2012 and beyond.
Read The End of Business as Usual for Social Media Insights, Research and Trends
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Starting a Home Business? Read Barefoot Executive
Nov 12th
Carrie Wilkerson, also known as the Barefoot Executive, didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur or small business owner. She was a high school teacher. Changes in her life circumstances “forced” her into starting a business.
This is the backdrop for her new book, “The Barefoot Executive: The ULTIMATE MANUAL For Being Your Own Boss & Achieving Financial Freedom.”
Carrie writes:
“When I started working at home in 1998, it was because we had adopted two toddlers and overnight, literally, I had become a mom. We had twenty-four to thirty-six hours to prepare. I was teaching high school at the time and really loved it, but this adoption adjusted my priorities instantly.
I did not start my business beacause I had a big passion for what I was doing, because I was chasing a big idea, or because I wanted to make big money. I started my business because I refused to leave my children in the care of someone else. I didn’t want them to question who their mom was and, frankly, I still needed a paycheck. Period.”
Those two paragraphs give you a vivid preview for who this book will appeal to, and the author’s approach to giving advice for those starting a new business. This is NOT a book for high tech entrepreneurs dreaming of venture capital money and becoming the next Facebook.
This is a book for those whose goals are grounded in the realities of living, i.e., those who wish to start a business to help make a better life for their family, and to have more control over their workday. It’s a book for those who may have lost a job or fear losing a job, and turn to entrepreneurship as a better fit for the next stage of their career. It’s a book for those who wish to work at home … and may never want to grow their businesses beyond a certain comfortable point.
Working to Live, Not Living to Work
I had the pleasure of meeting Carrie Wilkerson (@barefoot_exec on Twitter) last year, when we worked together on a project for Google’s Get your Business Online initiative. Carrie is a warm, kind and giving person, who sent me a small gift of hand lotion afterwards. It didn’t have her brand plastered all over it as a marketing ploy — it was simply hand lotion with a handwritten note. How many people do that these days? That kind humanness of her personality comes through very well in the book.
This is a very personal book. It’s a business book written in the first person (“I”). You get quick snapshots of Carrie’s life and business sprinkled throughout. She illustrates her advice by using personal examples drawn from her own experiences. Life and business are interwoven, often in the same sentence or paragraph. You realize that for someone like Carrie it’s impossible to separate her personal life from her business, or her business from her personal life. Business and life are well integrated in her universe — just as they were centuries ago before the Industrial Revolution forced us to separate the two each day.
What emerges is a rich tapestry of a purpose-driven life and purpose-driven business. This is about working to live, not living to work.
What Barefoot Executive is About
The Barefoot Executive book is part motivational book, part “how to” for business, part workbook, and part self-help. You will find advice, mistakes to avoid, case studies, short exercises for you to complete, links to videos for you to watch.
I purchased a Kindle version of this book. The electronic version is ideal for clicking through the links to watch the videos Carrie has created for readers. But the URLs are short enough that you can type from them in from the hard-cover version of the print book, if you prefer to read it that way.
Above all, you will get Carrie’s warm brand of confidence-building inspiration.
You get inspired with frequent quotes from famous people offered to reinforce key points — people such as Leonardo DaVinci and super-entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash. But I get tired of reading about famous over-achievers all the time. They can make you feel inadequate.
To combat that, Carrie includes numerous case studies of successful small business owners many of whom you probably never have heard of. Many of the case studies relate how they overcame great odds: serious health issues, heavy debt, bankruptcy, lack of confidence, lack of education. Or how they started from humble beginnings or with a modest business idea. These case studies are all the more inspiring because they are “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” The reader can’t help but think, “if they could do it so can I.” For most people it’s far more realistic and rewarding to measure success in the context of earning a comfortable income for your family — you don’t need to become a billionaire to be successful. The case studies prove it.
Who This Book is For
The motivational and self-help portions of the book apply to any entrepreneur — anyone can get value from them. In fact, I consider motivation and inspiration to be where this book shines.
Beyond that, the practical business advice is definitely focused towards home-based businesses, and especially: online businesses, marketers and relationship-based businesses, solo entrepreneurs such as authors, and professional services businesses.
But what if you’re not sure what business you could start? There’s also a very good section how how to identify a market and a business to start. The chapter “Who Wants What You Have?” is one of the most practical discourses I’ve seen in a business book about how to identify a startup opportunity.
This is not a book for an experienced, established business owner with employees and a schooled business background. Rather, it’s for startup newbies and those who are pretty much solo operators working from home. If this describes you, you will get value out of this book.
I highly recommend the Barefoot Executive if you are thinking about starting a home-based business, or recently went out on your own and need a boost of inspiration and focused coaching to get to the next level. It’s especially appropriate if your goals for starting a business are primarily to earn a comfortable living for your family, and live a good life.
Starting a Home Business? Read Barefoot Executive
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
One of The First Business Books I Read
Oct 25th
One of The First Business Books I Read
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
Marketing podcast with Harvey Mackay (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes or subscribe via other RSS device (Google Listen)
One of the first business books I read (that wasn’t assigned to me) was Harvey MacKay’s Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive
For this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast I visited with business legend Harvey Mackay. It should come as no surprise to Mackay readers that before we began the interview he asked me some questions about my hometown and some of the people I know – the kind of informaiton that could have only been gleaned by doing a bit of research on his own – a great example of practicing what he preaches.
Mackay is back with another classic titled The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World
I think it’s telling that Mackay admits during our interview that even though he is ulimately the CEO of his large organization, his business card still reads salesman.
You can read and follow Mackay on his blog and download a free chapter of the new book.
Mackay ends each idea presented in the book with his trademark Mackay’s Maxims and reading those nuggets alone is worth the price of the book.
You can listen to the show by subscribing the feed in iTunes or a variety of other free services such as Google Listen (Use this RSS feed) or you can buy the Duct Tape Marketing iPhone app. (iTunes link – Cost is $2.99) or
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Are You Brandwashed? Read This Review of Martin Lindstrom’s Newest Book
Sep 24th
Martin Lindstrom (@MartinLindstrom) holds a special place in my heart. I reviewed Lindstrom’s book Buyology here on Small Business Trends and he was the first author to write and thank me for reviewing his book. He and I exchanged an email or two, but I hadn’t heard much from him until I received a review copy of his latest book, Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy.
Like Buyology, Brandwashed gives you a peek behind the scenes of brands and campaigns. It explains why we are so attracted and even addicted to brands.
Lindstrom Falls Off the Brand-Wagon
The book begins with Lindstrom’s personal experiment of going into “brand detox” where he vowed not to purchase any new brands for a year. He stopped buying gifts, books and a variety of other products for the better part of six months.
He might have been successful were it not for a lost suitcase in Cyprus when he was forced to give a keynote speech wearing an “I (heart) Cyprus” T-shirt. After that, Lindstrom says, he would have bought anything that had a label and a logo on it. Quite simply, Martin Lindstrom had been brandwashed.
Are We Addicted to Brands or Experiences or Both?
If you liked Buyology you’ll like Brandwashed. These two books go together and deal with the same intriguing topic: how our brains work and how marketers use what they know about human behavior and experience to influence our decisions.
Brandwashed will take you on a journey from your first experiences of brands to other behavior influencers like fear, celebrity, fame and nostalgia. Chapter by chapter Lindstrom shows us that brands are really nothing more than emotional triggers. As humans, we are wired to have experiences and attach meaning to them. The smells, sounds and tastes that we live in become triggers for emotions and preferences that marketers use to influence our purchasing decisions.
Early in the book Lindstrom talks about a shopping mall in Asia where owners noticed that expectant mothers spent a lot of time shopping. So they set the stage by infusing the stores with baby powder smells, the food areas with cherry smells and playing soft music throughout. Later, they received letters from many mothers who noticed that their babies calmed down every time they came to the shopping mall.
In another example, companies hired an organization called the Girls Intelligence Agency to recruit girls to give slumber parties where they share all kinds of brands as free gifts. Boys aren’t immune to the influence of brands; companies like Gillette create “Welcome to Adulthood” packs filled with products aimed at adolescents, and companies like Stinky Stink create products that smell like the boys’ favorite experiences such as snowboard wax or even a Playstation 3 video game machine!
Why you should read Brandwashed
In Brandwashed, Lindstrom continues to share backdoor branding habits, and that’s what makes it so much fun to read. Even though I’m aware that companies go to incredible lengths to influence our purchases, I was blown away by just how creative they got.
Marketers and business owners will benefit from the plethora of stories and secrets that Lindstrom shares. The challenge for most of us will be to create ways to use this information in a way that endears us to our customers, as well as alert us to the fact that most marketers are playing to our weakness.
For example, in the “I Can’t Quit You” chapter, Lindstrom reveals that market executives at Coca Cola have a confidential model for how many bubbles they should feature in their print ads to generate a “craving” response. This may sound absurd to you, but mega brands whose profitability hinges on mere percentage points wouldn’t be studying this if it didn’t work. It made me realize that most of us don’t understand human motivation and how to apply those triggers to our own products and services.
You may not get any revolutionary ideas from Brandwashed. But you will get enough entertaining and educational tidbits to make you the life of any networking event or cocktail party.
Are You Brandwashed? Read This Review of Martin Lindstrom’s Newest Book
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Read “Onward” Over Your Favorite Cup of Starbucks
Jul 23rd
It’s a Saturday morning. And like many Saturday mornings during the school year, I’m sitting in a Starbucks working while my son is taking some classes. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never been a Starbucks lover. I find the coffee average, the prices extreme (and $10 for WiFi – really?) the music too loud, the space too small and ordering coffee in Starbucks language just too much to keep track of. There – I’ve got that off my chest.
But, dear reader, this article isn’t about me and how I feel about Starbucks. This is about you and giving you a fair and accurate assessment of Howard Schultz’s book Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul. I received a review copy. Although I’m not a Starbucks fan and probably wouldn’t pick up the book on my own, my marketing interest was piqued. After all, how I feel about Starbucks as a retail location doesn’t have anything to do with the brilliance of the branding and the success of the franchise. So let’s just dig into this book and see if it’s worth the $4 cup of coffee it will take me to review it.
About Howard Schultz
Onward was written by Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of Starbucks, and Joanne Gordon, a former Forbes writer who has spent more than a decade profiling companies. The book is written in first person with Howard telling the story. While this book is about Starbucks, you’ll also get a flavor for who Howard is and how he is as he works his way from working at the original Starbucks in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1982, to his trip to Italy where the “savoring a cup of coffee and how it connects people” idea took hold. As I go through page by page of the introduction, I’m starting to like Howard, his entrepreneurial spirit, vision and guts. I think you will, too.
What struck me about Howard that you might find inspiring as well is that he was a regular guy. He grew up in the projects of Brooklyn, paid his way through college, got married and took a marketing job for a coffee company in Seattle. It wasn’t until he had this epiphany about what a coffee experience could be that his passion was ignited. And you’ll have to read through the book to get to that. (Trust me, it’s good.)
How Starbucks Rose and Fell . . . and Rose Again
I like that the book starts in the middle – the day every Starbucks in the nation closed its stores and posted a note on 7,100 locked doors: “We’re taking time to perfect our espresso. Great espresso requires practice. That’s why we’re dedicating ourselves to honing our craft.” That’s just so Starbucks! I got to thinking that maybe the reason I didn’t care for Starbucks was the very reason they closed the stores that day. In all that fervent growth, expansion and brand building, the essence that Howard had strived to create had been lost.
The book is written in five parts, much like a play. Each chapter’s title is a lesson; the contents of that chapter give you the backstory and a sort of case study of how the lesson came to be. As you read through chapter by chapter, you might find yourself looking for opportunities to integrate Howard’s lessons into your own business and your life.
Part 1: Love – This section is about how love and powerful emotion expressed themselves, from Howard’s love of the coffee experience, to the memo leaked online that exposed the “Commoditization of Starbucks.” And finally, there’s a chapter on loyalty and the power of belief in getting to the core of your brand promise.
Part 2: Confidence – This series of chapters is all about the hard decisions and hard work it took for Howard and his team to re-brew Starbucks. One thing I noticed is the commitment to set their egos aside, really listen and then make corrections.
Part 3: Pain – Like any real-life story, this one gets worse before it gets better. These chapters will give anyone doing a turnaround the courage to keep going and to understand that it’s important to stay true to the process you’ve set out to do. The pain will eventually stop.
Part 4: Hope – In this series of chapters, you follow Howard and his management team to a massive conference where they re-ignite the passion behind the brand.
Part 5: Courage – The final chapters contain a wonderful full-color photo album of Starbucks memories. You’ll get more lessons, more insights and the thinking behind the Starbucks you see in your neighborhood today.
If You Can’t Live Without Your Starbucks, This Book Is for You
If you’re a small business owner who loves your Starbucks, then don’t pass up Onward. If you’re a small business owner who loves company and brand biographies, this is a must read. And if you’re a small business book addict looking for a hot summer read, Onward will fit that bill perfectly.
As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the book for all the reasons above. It isn’t a novel, but it reads like a story. I wouldn’t be surprised if it got picked up as a movie just like “The Social Network.” And if you’re wondering whether the book make me a Starbucks lover – it didn’t. But I’ll never go into a Starbucks again without having a tremendous amount of respect for the love, confidence, pain, hope and courage that it took to create it.
Read “Onward” Over Your Favorite Cup of Starbucks
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Read Buy Now and Get Profit Making Tips From a Direct Response Marketing Master
Jul 2nd
Rick Cesari (@cesaridrtv) is a regular guy who did what every businessperson is supposed to do and talks about doing but rarely does. He spotted a trend, turned it into an opportunity and created millions in sales. And now, he’s sharing his stories, insights and experiences in his book, Buy Now: Creative Marketing That Gets Customers to Respond to You and Your Product.
I received a review copy from Rick’s team and also had the opportunity to chat with Rick and ask him a few behind the scenes questions. I found him to be extremely engaging and fun to talk to; he was full of ideas and stories that made it hard to hang up!
How Rick Cesari’s Story Changed Direct Marketing
Rick’s story begins like many of ours. He went to college and got a summer job as a lifeguard. One of the ways he could make extra cash as a lifeguard was to sell suntan lotion. This is where he learned to use a winning formula to make extra money: Present a problem, offer a solution and then explain how his product was better than anything else out on the market today. It wasn’t just a winning formula for selling suntan lotion, it was a winning formula for selling some of the most successful products of the last 30 years.
In the late 1970s, Cesari got involved with real estate. Rick produced real estate seminars that ended up making more money for the real estate gurus than their real estate strategies ever did. And when Ronald Reagan deregulated television in 1982, this changed everything. Before 1982 advertisers could only purchase 8 minutes of advertising an hour. But after deregulation, they could purchase an hour of advertising time! Cesari knew he was on to something. He would use the lessons he learned by selling suntan lotion and real estate to revolutionize direct response marketing.
Buy Now is a terrific combination of real life case studies and lessons in direct response marketing. Just because you have no intention of creating an infomercial doesn’t mean that you have nothing to learn from this book. In fact, the core principles behind each and every example such as SoniCare Toothbrushes or the OxyClean brand has something wonderful to offer for every entrepreneur, business owner or sales and marketing professional.
Take the Time to Test for Increased Profitability
Here is a terrific example from Chapter 14 titled, “The Offer Is King.” If you think that the price level drives the offer, you would be wrong. Selling product is more about the offer than the price. Rick recommends having a variety of different offers to test. “You will always be tempted to test an offer that makes YOU the most money upfront. That’s not smart and it’s not accurate.”
Cesari goes on to share a powerful story of a piece of exercise equipment that was in the $200 price range. Of course they had a payment plan. First they tried three payments of $79. They couldn’t break even. Then they tried six payments of $39 – that did even worse. Finally they did something completely different. They offered a trial payment of $14.95 for the first 30 days. They used the increased call volume to research other price points and actually settled on $700!
As it turned out, when the consumers saw the $200 price tag, they assumed the machine was low quality – and didn’t buy. But once they had it in their home, they were able to justify a much higher price.
Another of my favorite sections is the discussion about why everything is priced at $19.95 and $39.95. Would you believe that this isn’t true – it just seems that way!
After running many tests, Cesari found that consumers see product price in terms of $20 increments; $19.95, $39.95, $49.95 and $59.95. In fact, when tested, consumers see very little difference between $29.95 and $39.95. The same is true at the $49.95 and $59.95 price points. Consumers just didn’t see that much of a difference in price – but you bet your bottom line will. This section alone can change your profitability almost immediately!
Who Should Read This Book
Buy Now is an ideal book for sales and marketing people, business owners and inventors. This is a book you will want to read with pen and paper by your side. My copy already has plenty of dog-eared highlights and underlines. The Cesari Direct website contains a video with a quick introduction to the book by Rick himself.
Cesari’s focus on the basics of tripping customer emotions and focusing on benefits that resonate with customers will inspire you to look at your marketing a whole new way.
Read Buy Now and Get Profit Making Tips From a Direct Response Marketing Master
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Read the sales page. Enough Said.
Jun 20th
New Product… Excellent Sales Copy… Whopping 8.32% conversion… This Will the #1 Best Seller Within Weeks… Just Watch!
Read the sales page. Enough Said.
Okay, I’m Creating Content How Do I Get Someone to Read It 2
May 18th
Okay, I’m Creating Content How Do I Get Someone to Read It 2
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
This post is one in a series of five guest posts authored by the super star bloggers pictured below. As part of a celebration of National Small Business Week we are asking readers to match all five guests posts up with the contributing blogger to be entered for a chance to win an iPad2. Read all five posts in today’s series and come back each day this week for five new posts in this great educational series and another chance to win.
Okay, I’m Creating Content How Do I Get Someone to Read It 2
We say it all the time, if you don’t have something interesting to say or to sell, who the f is gonna read or buy it? For a blog, lots of comments means someone is reading and engaged; for an email, clicks means someone is interested. The more clicks and comments the better. So how do you get people engaged?
Make It Good
Here’s what makes great content:
- Humorous stuff
- Behind the scenes stories
- Controversial, political & religious
- New happenings
- Tips & tricks, hints, lists, how-tos
- Reviews
That’s the type of content that can draw readers in and engage them, especially if it’s relevant.
Plus, snappy headlines or email subject lines are a must! And don’t make your content too long, don’t use great big paragraphs, have easy to read fonts and bullets are key. Also, break up thoughts and subjects with subheads so your reader can scan. This goes for anything online!
Get People TO Your Content
If you’re writing a great email newsletter and you’ve lured them in with your snappy subject line, good for you! We’ve had success when we give a “taste” of the content in the newsletter, then drive them to a site or blog for the rest of the story. This way you potentially get them to look at other content you’ve written as well.
When you create your content whether it’s in an email, blog or website, let the world know! Publish it to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. And submit it to StumbleUpon and Digg at the very least.
One more thing, include the keywords that you optimize your site for. When potential readers are using search engines, you’re going to want your content as high in the rankings as possible.
Get Readers to Know YOU
The first thing I do when I get to a blog is research who the writer is. I want to know that the person behind the words has credibility and is passionate about what they write. So make sure you publish your bio somewhere on your site so your readers get to know you.
Another great way to get people to know you is to comment on other blogs. Not only will your comment and your information be displayed, but the blogger you’re commenting on may end up following and commenting on your blog too. And if you like something you see on Twitter follow them and retweet (RT) their content. If you find content on Facebook interesting, click the Like link.
Finally, write the way you speak. Your readers want to read what you have to say so just say it and let your personality shine through!
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Okay, I’m Creating Content How Do I Get Someone to Read It 1
May 18th
Okay, I’m Creating Content How Do I Get Someone to Read It 1
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
This post is one in a series of five guest posts authored by the super star bloggers pictured below. As part of a celebration of National Small Business Week we are asking readers to match all five guests posts up with the contributing blogger to be entered for a chance to win an iPad2. Read all five posts in today’s series and come back each day this week for five new posts in this great educational series and another chance to win.
Okay, I’m Creating Content How Do I Get Someone to Read It 1
Let’s take a step back. First and foremost, is this content you’re creating remarkable? Does it offer something valuable? The first step toward getting eyeballs to view your content is to appeal to your target audience’s wants and needs. Are you delivering your points in an interesting way that makes it enjoyable to read/watch/listen to? You can create content day-in and day-out, but if it’s no good, people won’t be coming back to you for more.
Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s take a second look at the content you’re creating. Is it optimized for search engines? Did you use the right keywords that will draw in the types of readers you’re hoping to attract? If someone conducted a search in Google using a keyword by which you want to get found, would that person come across your content? Remember: the key to making your content visible in search engines is optimizing it.
Okay, so now you’ve got remarkable content that’s been well optimized to gain some traction in search engines. Are you promoting it? How are you promoting it? Be sure to share links to your content in social media. “But I don’t have any followers,” you say? Start building a following so your content has the potential to reach as many readers as possible. Add social media sharing buttons to your blog articles so people who read and like your content can easily share it with their followers. The great thing about social media is that your content is not only limited to the eyes of your followers, but can also reach the eyes of others’ followers.
Once you’ve got all that down, keep on creating! Regular content creation is the basis for any successful inbound marketing program. If you want to continue to get found online, you need to generate a constant flow of fresh, remarkable content. The good news is: inbound marketing success is relative to the size of your brain, not the size of your wallet, so the possibilities are endless!
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Read “Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organization”
May 1st
I always like to say that I’m on the “Get Rich Slow Plan” mainly because I need to feel good about the fact that I haven’t quite figured out how to make a million dollars in 30 days. Well, guess what? I’ve just found out that slowing down is a good thing!
At least, that’s what I’m reading in Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organization. I think I received this review copy because the publishing houses have somehow caught on to the fact that I’m an absolute sucker for any book written about brains, time, ideas and business. They must also know that I’m looking for any excuse to slow down. If this sounds like you, then you, too, might find Consider an interesting book.
Daniel Patrick Forrester (@DPForrester) has pulled together a really intriguing read that is bound to make you feel better about taking the time to stand there and do nothing. Overall, this is a book about NOT rushing in, NOT multi-tasking and giving yourself the permission to stop the merry-go-round and get off for a while. In fact, the more critical the situation, the more imperative it is to take the time to think about what’s actually going on, get clear on context, and develop a sense of understanding so that you can respond in the best possible manner.
Consider Shows That Acting Too Quickly Can Mean Disaster
In an introductory video on the Consider website Forrester explains how our hurried, always-on, always-in-action lifestyle doesn’t leave us enough time to actually think through all the possibilities. In fact, only 10 percent of our day is actually spent thinking! And when you consider that every time we are interrupted, it takes 11 minutes to get back to what we were doing, you can see how much productivity and time is wasted.
For some reason we seem to think that when situations get risky or tough, the best thing we can do is swing into action. In fact, the opposite is true. The higher the stakes in a situation, the more important it is to step back from the data and look for meaning.
Inside the Book
Daniel Forrester interviewed people who make a point of giving themselves uninterrupted thinking time before taking significant action. One of the more surprising interview subjects was Tio Hardiman. Tio’s story starts with gang violence in the South Side of Chicago and ends with the creation of a “new mental model for looking at violence.” Instead of reacting violently in violent situations, Hardiman got the idea of adding credible people to potentially violent situations so that they would interrupt the violence before it reached a tipping point.
I also love the example from the seemingly opposite side of the tracks – Wall Street. As it turns out, although Wall Street isn’t as physically violent, its stressful situations mimic the perceived risk level of violent streets. In either case, failure to take the time to think about the downside of your actions within the system can lead to destruction.
Forrester’s interviews show how much better your solutions and outcomes can be if you just take the time to process and problem-solve as well as get other people involved.
This is a super-current book because it actually references the BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill and how Thad Allen took the time to actually think through a problem instead of jumping to the first solution that came into his head. Forrester also interviewed General Petraeus and shows how he planned the Iraq surge strategy by gathering expert insights from a variety of experts that included Vietnam veterans and sociologists.
Consider Is a Must-Read for All Leaders
This is a relevant book for leaders in every facet of our lives: CEOs, politicians, parents and entrepreneurs. As a leader you need to hold yourself back from having to get results this minute. Remember the phrase “Fools rush in,” and give the people on your team the freedom to stop and get perspective before taking action.
Of course, you may not want to luxuriate with every circumstance; after all, the deadlines and demands on your time won’t go away. And this is exactly where Consider will come in handy–to help you prioritize and choose exactly where and when you will make and take the time to think and…consider.
To keep up with Daniel Forrester and read his latest articles, check out his blog, DanielForrester.
Read “Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organization”
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