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Riding the Collective 140 to Overnight Success
Feb 28th
Riding the Collective 140 to Overnight Success
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
The other day someone once again swore to me that you couldn’t sell using Twitter – those 140 characters just aren’t enough to get your message across.
The fact is I’ve sold tens of thousands of dollars worth of books, courses, consulting and speaking via Twitter and he’s right, 140 characters aren’t enough.
Image Fathzer via Flickr CC
The secret to selling on Twitter, and in any setting really, is the collective 140 or the sum total of useful content that you put out there every day. Please note the word useful in that last sentence. Unless some group of potential customers finds what you’re sharing useful, it qualifies as good noise and little else.
Marketers have been selling using 140 characters or less for years. Go back and dig up some old issues of magazines like Popular Mechanics and flip back to the classified ads and you’ll find some great examples of tiny little ads selling access to what somebody thought was useful information. Many of those ads ran for years, meaning somebody was making money.
Some people have wondered over the last few years how I’ve turned the Duct Tape Marketing brand into such a success in such a short time. (Note that success and time are both relative terms.)
Well, here’s how and, there’s no real magic, anyone can stumble to success in the same manner.
- I have produced and sent 572 weekly newsletters
- I have written 2,709 blog posts
- I have written 3 books containing 213,549 words
- I have produced 121 “how to” workbooks
- I have written 11 eBooks
- I have conducted 173 online seminars
- I have presented 156 live workshops and speeches
- I have recorded 315 podcast episodes (thanks Jared Dees for reminding me of this one)
- I have crafted 11,491 tweets
And somewhere along the line someone found some of it useful.
So, yes, you too can be a 25-year overnight success by riding your collective 140 into the sunset.
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Looking for Success In Franchises (And Other Small Business Opportunities)
Feb 11th
Looking for the best small business opportunity for you can be a challenge. Franchises are one, but certainly not the only, option. Here are some ideas no matter what small business you are considering.
Franchise Basics
How to pick a winner. Are you thinking about getting into franchising? No business opportunity is perfect, but franchises have created some incredible small business opportunities in the past. The key is knowing what to look for in a franchise that will perform to expectations. WSJ
Should you incorporate? Once you’ve picked that winning opportunity, does it make sense to incorporate? Franchise consultant Joel Libava shares this great interview with incorporation specialist Nellie Akalp to learn more. The Franchise King
Human Resources 101
Do you have geniuses on your team? There may be potential in your small business that you didn’t even realize. Those resources could help you drive huge innovation if only you know how to tap them. Your resources are, of course, your existing team. Here’s how to get started. Open Forum
Helicopter parents (and other human resource problems). Here’s a discussion about unusual hiring and staffing management practices with an important point about what you should really be looking for in employees. bizCompare
Tech Tips
Apps that will save you money. Revolutionary technologies have created apps that can help small business owners compete with the big boys. You don’t need to be a technology company to take advantage of these. Bloomberg Businessweek
Social Media
Choosing your words carefully. Everyone knows about the incredible networking power of LinkedIn. But did you know the words you choose for your profile can make a gigantic difference. An important infographic shows you more. Resonance
What Facebook can teach you. Core values can pilot a company to success. When a company fails to follow those values, it can mean a failure to reach that ultimate potential. Here are some lessons about core values from one of the world’s most successful companies. BusinessTips.ph
Small Business Leadership
What makes a person an entrepreneur. It’s a fascinating question defying easy answers, but here’s a look at how one small business person came to realize what he was best at and how to build a business around it. BizSugar Blog
Don’t skimp on this stuff. Operating a small business requires intelligent use of resources. But that doesn’t mean cutting corners when it comes to making sure you have the tools you need for success. There are some things no small business can be without. Small Business Trends
What rain forests teach you about growing a business. Marketing consultant Robert Brady took a trip to Caribbean rain forest and came back with some unique perspectives on growth. It doesn’t matter whether you’re growing a PPC ad campaign or a business in the F2F world. Here are some insights you may want to consider. Righteous Marketing
Looking for Success In Franchises (And Other Small Business Opportunities)
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
The Complete Guide To Affiliate Marketing Success
Feb 9th
You Will Learn Everything You Ever Needed To Know About Selling Products From CB And Other Affiliate Networks In Absolute Detail Complete With Screenshots And Links To Tools. Http://affiliate-marketing-success-info.com/affili ates.html
The Complete Guide To Affiliate Marketing Success
Small Business Success Still Relies On Communication
Jan 27th
If you’re in small business, be prepared to communicate. It’s an important part of what small businesses do. The same thing goes for those who lead them. Here are some tips and tools to help you better master communication for your small business.
Opening Up
Why you must spend time face to face. Technology is great. It connects us in ways never possible before. But there are limitations to what technology can do when building important business relationships. Here’s why. Jennifer Warawa
It’s lonely at the top. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are 10 ways many business leaders avoid loneliness and isolation. As a small business owner you may sometimes feel isolated too. How do you work to avoid those feelings. Startup Professionals Musings
The State of Business
Big companies want to handle your IT. There was a time when IT services for small businesses and startups were handled by smaller firms as well. No longer. Here is why big business wants a piece in serving your IT needs. WSJ
What Washington is telling small business. Small businesses and entrepreneurs did feature in the President’s State of the Union Address. But what is big government really telling small businesses about where they fit in? Entrepreneur
Blogging & Engagement
Why blogging is your business. No better paradigm of business communications exists today than the small business blog. Personal and focused, it is at the same time representative of your brand. But it may turn out your blog is even a bigger part of your business than you thought. Noobpreneur
The importance of engagement. Is your small business engaging with customers, clients and the public in the way that it should? What tools and approaches can you use to reach the necessary engagement with your customers? Famous Bloggers
Marketing & Sales
The problems with converting leads. Your marketing is a form of communication, but what is really important to consider, when deciding if that communication is effective, is to look at whether your audience is turning into customers. Dawn Westerberg Consulting
Tech Basics
Best gear for podcasting. Podcaster Ileane Smith shows you her personal choice for equipment to use in your own efforts and explains a bit more about why podcasting is so critical to communication in small business today. Basic Blog Tips
Making Connections
It’s still about the people. No matter how small business communications is done, it’s still a very human interaction. Technology and techniques aside, what will really make you better at marketing and selling is to better understand your customer? B2B Marketing Smarts
Do you know your audience? No, it’s not a silly question! Do you? Because all of the above won’t help you much if you don’t. Here’s why you’ll need to consider the people you’re addressing first before finding success. Respectfully Disobedient
Small Business Success Still Relies On Communication
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
The Single Greatest Factor of Success in Business
Jan 2nd
The Single Greatest Factor of Success in Business
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing
There are so many important ideas and concepts in business. Things like strategy, purpose, and passion are integral to success, but none of it really matters without one ingredient – and that’s clarity.
Image Derek Keats via Flickr CC
Clarity is that strong and unwavering sense that our daily choices are grounded in an authentic sense of purpose. Clarity is how we create a sketch of something worth asking others to complete. Clarity forces us to form the right questions.
Without clarity everything we do is either an attempt to gain it or a stab at the hope that we are moving in the right direction.
Almost every business I’ve ever worked with, including my own, struggles with this idea. But, until we are really clear and inspired by why we do what we do, whom we do it for and how to do it with complete and utter honesty – little else matters.
Clarity does not emerge by simply switching on some beacon in hopes of throwing a clear and guiding light. No, it comes when we discover a rusted but sturdy lamp in the basement of an old house. Then, only through careful tinkering and polishing this lamp begins to cast a flicker of light.
And, as we continue to polish and tinker, something truly brilliant begins to evolve.
With clarity comes control. With clarity comes grace. With clarity comes joy.
Finding and keeping clarity takes work. It takes an unbending willingness to see things for what they really are. To filter decisions based on what might be best for others. To understand how to create the products and services our customers really need.
Clarity is both a feeling and a direction. It can be experienced and seen. It is at the same time perfect simplicity and obvious complexity. Clarity inspires us and those around us.
But what is it exactly?
- Clarity is turning purpose to profit
- Clarity is leading with stories
- Clarity is using $50 instead of $49.99
- Clarity is asking what to leave out
- Clarity is meeting the whole person
- Clarity is amplifying without hype
- Clarity is doing more with less
- Clarity is embracing the truth
- Clarity is anticipating needs
- Clarity is measuring one perfect thing
- Clarity is forming decisions out of beliefs
- Clarity is a potent brand promise
Clarity is the most important idea in any business.
View full post on Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Her Success is Frightening
Jan 1st
How can a talent for applying horror film makeup be transformed into a multi-million dollar business? Read this roundup and discover more about how special and creative talents and abilities can be transformed into the most unique businesses as well as how to operate those businesses once created.
Success Stories
Unexpected opportunities turn to thriving business. This entrepreneur didn’t begin her career as a makeup artist with the knowledge she would be building a multi-million business from her efforts. But a new career led to unexpected opportunities. Shine
Creating a business from writing talents. Stephanie Chandler built a business based on her passion for marketing and her ability for writing, translating her talent and interests into a business featuring non-fiction business books for entrepreneurs. BizSugar Blog
Operations
Why you should launch more often. Some people argue that introducing products too often will mess up positioning and message in a highly competitive field, but serial entrepreneur Prasad Thammineni argues just the opposite. Small Business Trends
What are the benefits of a deadline? Deadlines are a part of life whether you own and operate your own business or work for a traditional employer, but facing one has its positive aspects. Here’s how to make the deadline work for you. Main Street Chamber
Marketing
Mistreating your customers? You may not realize it, but if you treat your best customers poorly, even unknowingly, the result could hurt your reputation and your brand. Focus on seeing your business the way others might and do the best you can for customers. Jonathan Fields
Analytics boosts small business. It doesn’t matter how small your business may be. Analytics can provide an edge that will transform everything. Understanding the benefits of analytics for your small business is the key to moving into a whole new world of competitiveness. Zimana Blog
Startups
Does your small business need a staff? In some cases staff may be necessary to attract investment, something many startups may need to consider these days in the current economic environment even though it may run counter to the idea of keeping your operations lean. WSJ
What can we learn from failure. This recent post focused on five small businesses that failed this year. But let’s not focus on the negative. Behind each of these failures is a lesson to be learned about what could be done better next time. You’re the Boss
Tips & Trends
There is such a thing as bad publicity. Here John Sternal talks about the overall impact of bad PR on your business or company and also what to do to improve matters for you and your brand. Understanding Marketing
Automating SEO for E-commerce. If the importance of e-commerce to today’s small business market does not need to be stressed, perhaps the need for SEO as a method of enhancing e-commerce performance does. Here are some thoughts. Capture Commerce
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
How Do You Define Success?
Dec 14th
How do you define success? A new study from The Hartford set out to discover what constitutes success in the eyes of small business owners. Here’s what the Small Business Success Study of 2,000 small business owners found:
Overall, business owners are feeling good. One in five (22.9 percent) say their businesses are very or extremely successful. Nearly half (46.8 percent) say their businesses are moderately successful. Just 30.3 percent say their businesses were “slightly” or “not at all” successful. Asked to project forward for the next two years, only 6 percent feel they won’t achieve success in that time frame.
The survey also asked small business owners to choose their top answer from among various definitions of success. The top three responses were:
- Make enough money to have a comfortable lifestyle: 24 percent
- Do something I enjoy or feel passionate about: 23 percent
- Increase the profitability of the business year to year: 18 percent
Other possible answers, including “have the free time to do whatever I wish,” “expand to new markets,” and “sell the business for a substantial profit,” were far below the top three, only garnering single-digit responses.
Based on how small business owners themselves define success, what type of small business owner is the most successful? The Hartford found that the entrepreneurs who feel most successful are those who have 10 to 20 employees and have been in business for more than 20 years.
This group was more likely than average to say their businesses are currently successful. They were also more confident about the future. And they were significantly more likely to admit they’re closer to “complete” success.
What’s enabled them to succeed? The study found two key steps these businesses took: they used professional advisers to prepare for future growth, and they realized that paying employees well attracts better workers and leads to greater success.
Of course, simply having stayed in business for 20-plus years was surely a contributing factor to feeling successful. But it seems to me that entrepreneurs who enjoy the greatest success have a realistic attitude toward their business. They don’t expect miracles, but they do have goals and plans. They’re optimistic and they enjoy what they’re doing. Sounds like most of the small business owners I know!
How do you define success?
Success Photo via Shutterstock
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
The Success Principle – Appeals To Everyone!
Dec 13th
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The Success Principle – Appeals To Everyone!
Orison Swett Marden’s Key Success Principles
Dec 12th
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Orison Swett Marden’s Key Success Principles
Mindscanpro Success Assessment
Dec 8th
Earn $147.75 For Each Sale Of Our Online Success Assessment. That’s A 75% Commission! Our Video Sales Letter Will Real Them In And With Our Bonus Personal Coaching Session Refunds Almost Never Happen. Check Out Our Spotlight Page & Start Making Money.
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