Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

Publish the process: Field Offices

By |

field offices, change scenery,

In the early days of the blog, I’d often share a look behind the scenes at my working day. It’s something I call publishing the process and today it’s back!

Just as before, I’ll share ideas I’m working on, the tools I’m using, useful new resources, the way I collect ideas… as well as things like sources of inspiration, etc.

Let’s kick things off with: Field offices

Lots of readers have asked me about how and why I use field offices. It’s something I’ve mentioned in passing in recent blog posts and newsletter articles. But never in any detail.

It’s a relevant topic to start with, as I sit in a field office right now; sipping espresso, with my MacBook Air finally connected to the coffee shop’s WiFi.

“[…] We get into ruts at work by following strict routines. That’s the problem! […]”

Dr. Todd Dewett

How many times have you had a great idea or flash of insight, when you’re in the shower, or when you’re at the gym or stuck in traffic?

It happens to all of us and it happens a lot.

One reason for this is that the change of scenery disrupts your routine and provides you with multiple, different inputs. Fresh sources of stimulation. And each of these influences how we think and feel, to a lesser or greater degree.

Like thousands of others, I’ve found that the same thing happens when I deliberately choose to break the routine of working from a non-traditional working environment.

Field offices offer 2 major benefits

  1. Field offices provide you with the same valuable, fresh / different ideas and insights, that often come randomly in the shower. However, by deciding to deliberately kick-start the process, you have far greater control over when it happens.
  2. Because you’re equipped with the tools you work with, for me it’s a laptop or a notebook and pen, you can capture the idea or insight and instantly get to work on it.

I also find it helps to use multiple different locations and settings. Here are the ones I’ve used recently.

  • A bench on the Chesterfield Canal.
  • A coffee shop (in the above photo).
  • The grounds of Lincoln Castle and also Conisbrough Castle.
  • My garden.
  • Sherwood Forest.

As with anything like this, some people will find it extremely useful, others will find it a lot less useful. I strongly recommend you, at least, to give it a try. See it it helps and how it helps.

How it helps?

Yes.

Field offices work in different ways for different people.

I find that they’re of most use to me when I’m stuck with an idea. Other people I know, find field offices most useful when writing reports. Whilst others, still, use them exclusively when they’ve spent too many days at a desk, and feel they ‘just need’ a change of scenery.

I hope you found this look at field offices useful. Moreover, I hope it inspires you to give it a try the next time you’re looking for a creativity boost.

You’re doing great. But compared to what?

By |

marketing comparisons, sales strategies

My eyes squinted earlier, when I switched on my 2012 MacBook Pro. The screen resolution is bloody terrible.

I absolutely couldn’t use it for work today. Certainly, not for more than a few minutes. At the most.

Except, that’s totally incorrect

I wrote over a thousand blog posts using that laptop. I was happy using it, too. And the screen hasn’t changed in any way since then.

But my expectations have!

These days, I’m used to working with crystal clear text and amazing colour accuracy.

The screen on that old MacBook is only low quality… in comparison.

There’s an important business lesson here

If I’d carried on using that same machine, I’d be blissfully unaware of the improvements that come from a spectacularly better screen.

Is it possible that you’ve carried on using a marketing strategy, only because you’re blissfully unaware of what you could achieve, with a spectacularly better strategy?

Most people won’t answer that question, until they have something to compare their current results with.

And when it happens, it will hit them like a ton of bricks.

A ton of bricks… really?

Absolutely. This is one of the most powerful breakthroughs in business. It’s a really big deal. There’s a lot to process.

Here’s what I often see when this happens with new clients.

  • First the elation of knowing they’re making massively more money than ever before. It feels great.
  • Then the frustration that they missed out on years of making massively more money than ever before. For some this moment can be devastating. Especially if they missed out over a prolonged period of time, did some calculations and figured out how much it has cost them.

The smartest business owners don’t wait for the comparison to interrupt them.

The smartest business owners go hunting for the comparison with a club!

The Million Dollar question. And answer!

By |

million dollar question, $999999 question

I spent a little time this weekend, speaking with a guy who made a multi-million dollar fortune, from scratch, when he was in his 30’s. Now in his 50’s, Bernard’s enjoying a much quieter life in the countryside.

He shared an idea with me, about what he called his secret to making money, especially when times are challenging.

Now I’m going to share it with you.

Bernard’s advice for making lots of money

He started by talking about how little attention is given to the figure of $999,999.

Yes, I know that sounds a little weird, but please bear with me.

Here’s what he said.

  • You never hear anyone say that want to live the $999,999 lifestyle.
  • You never see a TV show called who wants to be the owner of $999,999.
  • You never hear anyone talking about “a cool $999,999”.
  • And no one has ever told anyone that they look like $999,999.

His point is that it’s the cool million dollars that gets all the focus and attention.

Early, sustained motivation is the key

Here’s the core of Bernard’s idea, which I think gets his point across beautifully:

Ten by ten by ten is a thousand. Do that another three times and you get a million. Those who manage to make a million are the ones who can get motivated when it’s just $10 – – and then stay motivated when it’s only $1000, or $10,000.

Because the jump from $10,000 to $100,000 isn’t that hard. And from $100,000 to $Million it’s even easier.

Whether it’s building a business, building a fortune or building a subscriber base, there is a common thread.

The work at the beginning is disproportionately hard and unrewarding.

And the way we choose to navigate that difficult period will determine whether we reach the breakthrough, where it becomes easier and the rewards massively greater.

If you’re going through that hard, unrewarding period in any area right now, check your strategy and if it remains sound, keep going!

It really does seem this is the point where results are determined. It’s certainly where most people lose heart.

Like achieving anything of value, Bernard’s advice falls into the ‘easier said than done’ category.

But in fairness, no one suggests making a ton of money is easy.

That’s the very reason we’re advised to overcome the initial difficulties and persist.

Build your business with mutually beneficial relationships

By |

mutually beneficial relationships, beneficiaries, marketing

I’d like to introduce you to one of the most powerful ideas in marketing. It’s an absolute marketing essential, known as mutually beneficial relationships.

Here’s how it works, starting with a relatively simple question.

Who already serves your prospective clients, with a service (or product) that doesn’t conflict with your own service?

This is why that question is worth so much to you. Those non-conflicting providers already have the attention and trust of your prospects.

An introduction to your prospects, from one of those providers, someone they already trust, can make you a fortune.

A literal fortune.

Mutually beneficial relationships

Mutually beneficial relationships are a cornerstone of success. The effectiveness of the strategy is behind the explosive growth of many of the world’s fastest growing businesses.

In my own experience, many of my biggest wins have come from mutually beneficial relationships. And some of these relationships have been producing high profit income for well over a decade.

That’s because once you’ve built the relationships, they carry on working for you.

With one very important caveat…

mutually beneficial relationships, beneficiary,

Mutually means mutually!

Mutually beneficial relationships need to be exactly that.. mutually beneficial.

They have to benefit the other person in a meaningful way. Just like any relationship, for it to work both parties need to feel valued.

So determine what you can offer these non-conflicting providers, which will motivate them to help you.

How do you get the motivation right?

You need to fully understand the risk you’re asking a potential partner to take.

That person or company will be concerned that they risk damaging their relationship with their clients, if you fail to deliver. Remember, they don’t know you yet.

However, so long as the relationship you propose is beneficial enough for them, and you can convince them of your reputation, you’ll massively lower their perceived risk and increase the odds that they’ll want to proceed.

The potential for you and your business is huge.

How huge?

This huge!

When I help my clients build mutually beneficial relationships, I can usually find a couple of dozen industries that are non-conflicting with theirs, yet serve the same people / companies.

And each of these industries can have dozens, hundreds or thousands of potential, mutually beneficial partners.

And each of these partners can have dozens, hundreds or thousands of clients.

That’s thousands times thousands of potential new clients, for you to be recommended to. Just think about that for a moment and let it sink in.

Take some time to consider the value of mutually beneficial relationships and think about what you can do, to make it mutually rewarding. Decades of experience assures me that you’ll be very glad you did.

When you’ve run out of all possible options

By |

Get unstuck, problem solving

Image: Ian Schneider.

… you haven’t!

There’s always an answer. A way forward. A way to turn things around. A way to get the outcome you need.

  • Often, the answer you need is already within you, but you need to dig a little deeper in order to uncover it. Start by asking yourself a better version of the question you need answering; because better questions will always lead you to better answers. Try taking your challenge for a walk, something creative people have done for centuries, with great success, in order to find the answers they need.
  • Sometimes, another person already has the answer you need. So talk to people. Especially those with specific, expert experience in the relevant area you’re challenged with. Your answer could be literally, just one conversation away.
  • Other times, the answer you need is in a book, a blog post, an article or newsletter. Thousands, maybe millions of other people have already had and resolved, the same core challenge as you. Many of them have shared how they overcame it. So do the reading.

The key thing here, is that once you’ve accepted that there is an answer, you’re now free to focus 100% on finding it. And knowing this makes all the difference.

Think.

Talk.

Read.

You’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll find exactly what you need, my friend.

The right way to write. Is wrong!

By |

How to write wrong

Some general advice is extremely useful or at least broadly correct. It applies to the majority of people in the majority of cases. You know… like, brush your teeth regularly.

Other general advice is a lot less helpful. It may work for the majority of people, but not for the rest of us.

The general advice on the best way to write is absolutely in that latter category. And as I get asked about this a lot, I thought I’d share some ideas with you.

The right way to write

When I started writing commercially, the general advice at the time was to get into a routine. This routine then became your recipe for writing. It was one less thing to have on your mind, so you were free to focus on your writing. From memory, some of the advice included.

  • Having a set time to write each day.
  • Writing from a familiar location; your office desk for example.
  • Avoid distraction. This one was huge.
  • Use the same keyboard, pen, paper, notebook etc.

I lasted about 2 days.

My recipe for writing turned out to be almost the exact opposite. For me, the most creative way to work is to mix things up. Some examples of how I do this includes.

  • I write from lots (and lots) of different locations. What Andy Ihnatko calls field offices. These range from my studio, my local coffee shop and Sherwood Forest, to a bench in the grounds of Lincoln Castle and a table on the canal that goes through the village where I live
  • I write using different devices. These include an iMac in my studio, my phone, an iPad Pro, a really old MacBook Air (used for the very last time to write this post) and a MacBook Pro.
  • I write in the morning before the world wakes up (often). In fairness, that’s when around 60% of all my writing is done. However, I also write at lunchtime (here’s a recent example) and in the late afternoon.
  • I write best with background noise. This is why I do so much writing outdoors. Even when I’m in my studio, I have instrumental music playing. I find lyrics distracting.
  • I always have a pen with me and a notebook. However, the pen could be one of a dozen or more that I use regularly. The notebook depends on what’s on my production table in the studio, what’s in my back pocket, my bag or my car. I have notebooks everywhere.

My recipe for writing is also wrong

Rest assured: My recipe for writing is just as wrong (for you) as the advice I was given when I started out.

So what’s my point?

I’ve discovered that with any kind of creative work, we each need to find what works best for us. Our unique blend. Sometimes this means ignoring whatever the prevailing wisdom is. Just because something worked for one of those creative professionals selling online courses or books… it may not work for you or me.

If you have a set way to write (or do anything creative) and you’re keen to improve, here’s a suggestion. A general suggestion, which applies to almost as many people as, “brush your teeth”.

Try something new.

Mix it up (just a little).

This is especially the case if you’re struggling to create. It’s possible that a few minor revisions regarding the tools you use, the locations you create from and times of day you create, could improve things.

Good luck with discovering the right way FOR YOU to write. I Really hope you found this useful.

10 Important ways that successful business owners think differently

By |

Successful business owners think different

Image: Belinda Fewings.

Here are some very important ways that successful business owners think differently. I have also linked to additional resources, which you may find useful.

  1. They surround themselves with motivated people. They know that you can’t build a successful company with pessimistic, fear-focussed team members.
  2. They have the courage to back themselves, rather than wait for the blind to see their vision. Steve Jobs launched the iPhone, despite senior voices telling him Apple wasn’t a phone company and the marketplace was saturated.
  3. They proactively look for interesting, valuable problems to solve. Successful business owners know that the bigger the problem you solve, the greater the potential of your business. You’ll have fewer competitors and command higher, more profitable fees.
  4. They create a story around their business that’s worth sharing. If no one is talking about your business, it’s because you’re doing nothing worth talking about. Successful people understand this and get creative. The average business owner looks for excuses and complains.
  5. They listen to their marketplace and build value around what they hear. Social media gives every business owner an insight into what people want and need. The most successful business owners get this. They listen. The average business owner uses social media just to broadcast marketing messages.
  6. They commit to go the extra mile. And then do it! Conversely, the average business is exactly that. Average. They charge average fees and work with average clients, on average projects. That’s not going the extra mile.
  7. They refuse to surrender their focus to the never-ending stream of interruptions. The most successful business owners understand that whatever has their attention, is influencing what they think. They only pick their phones up to use them, so the phone is working for them. The average business owner checks their phone notifications regularly throughout the day. So, their attention is continuously interrupted and their focus constantly off-balance.
  8. They invest more in their professional development than their competitors do. They know their business development cannot possibly surpass their own development.
  9. They are willing to make tough decisions. Opportunities are a little like groceries: they come with a use-by date! The business owner who waits for fear-focused colleagues to see the opportunity, before taking action, is already too late. They’ll find that the opportunity has either gone, or at best, that they were too slow to fully maximize the opportunity. A casual approach to leadership causes casualties.
  10. They use fear as their compass. Successful business owners know that meaningful progress is always preceded by fear. That same fear stops the average business owner in their tracks. Ouch!

I hope you find these ideas useful. More importantly though, I hope you do something useful with at least one of them.

Your clients just raised the bar. Here’s what you need to know

By |

get visitors, marketing, post pandemic

Image: Brooke Cagle.

Over the past 18-months, just about everyone has experienced online shopping or accessed online services. These include all the people who value customer service. And all the people who wouldn’t previously have trusted or valued an online commercial experience.

Whether your business offers products or services, this is a huge change an a very short time. A huge change, which is radically raised the bar on what it will now take, to motivate people to visit you in person.

With your current and future customers / clients now aware of the simplicity, ease, speed and quality of transacting online, they need a lot more motivation to visit you in person.

  • Why should a customer waste 45 minutes driving to (and the same time driving from) a store, endure the stress of traffic, the hassle of parking and possibly pay more, when that product can be delivered to them effortlessly at a time that suits them?
  • Why should that client waste 45 minutes driving to (and the same time driving from) a meeting, with all the above hassle, when they can work with a service provider comfortably and securely, online… and save 90 minutes?

No, not every business will be directly effected, but every business will be effected. And some vendors and service providers will be hit harder than others. The thing is, business has changed and the change is becoming more obvious, the more we see economies reopening from the pandemic. It’s also effecting a lot more industries than most of us could have imagined a year and a half ago.

An important question to ponder now, if you’re committed to doing business offline when you ‘could’ switch to online, is this: What compelling reason can I provide, to motivate people to come and visit me?

Business owners unable to offer a very compelling answer to that question, will find fewer and fewer people willing to make a special trip just to visit them.

Thankfully, coffee shops may have your answer

One place I strongly recommend you look for an answer, is coffee shops.

Yes, I know your business isn’t anything like a coffee shop.

But it doesn’t matter!

Coffee shops successfully solved this problem decades ago and pretty much every business can benefit from what they did. You’ll be pleased to know I wrote about it here: Has your business passed the coffee shop test?

That’s a useful place to start.

If you want something done, don’t ask a busy person

By |

want something done, ask busy person, sayings

Think for a moment about the following advice. If you want something done, ask a busy person. Like a lot of frequently shared quotes, that’s terrible advice. Provably, terrible advice in fact.

People of the internet. Let’s clear this nonsense up once and for all!

Okay, that’s never going to happen. So how about we dig a little deeper and examine why that quote makes no sense whatsoever.

Here’s the thing: The least efficient person, the least capable person, the least productive person, and the busiest person… is often the same person.

Really?

Yep!

Busy doesn’t equate to proficient or productive. It simply means active. And that includes a lot of active people who really wouldn’t want to help you or your business.

Allow me to explain why!

Don’t ask a busy person

Consider the busy people who put a massive amount of energy into doing the wrong things extremely well. And the busy people enthusiastically doing the right things extremely poorly. And let’s remember those busy people, who never seem to learn from their mistakes and continuously have to redo everything correctly, these people are really busy too.

Now consider… err… me.

I’m sitting here busily writing this post, whilst waiting for lunch at the coffee shop. It doesn’t mean the post will be any good, let’s face it, it’s pretty average up to this point, (*but I’m hoping to have a strong ending, so hang in there). It simply means I’m busy. And it gives no proof whatsoever that if you wanted something done, I’d be the best person for you to choose.

Clearly, a much wiser approach is required.

want something done, ask busy person, sayings

If you want something done

How about if you want something done, ask a competent person.

Someone who knows what to do and also has the time and willingness to do it.

An informed, motivated person is likely to be more useful than someone whose key attribute is that they’re always busy.

It’s not a snazzy quote.

It’s not a catchy quote, either.

It’s certainly never going to become a bumper sticker.

But when you need something done, it works a lot better, a lot more often, than simply asking a busy person.

* I had hoped for a much stronger ending, but lunch arrived.

Google’s thin content problem

By |

google thin content, thin content seo

Image: Yannick Pulver. 

Business owners and marketing professionals have lots of things in common.

Here’s one of them.

Your time and your focus are of great importance. So you need access to accurate, valuable, to-the-point information.

Google is determined to ensure you don’t find it.

How?

By making to-the-point information, invisible.

It’s a problem Google has created, by not indexing something they call thin content. According to Google’s guidelines, a key element of thin content is anything that doesn’t use enough words. SEO experts think it’s a minimum of around 500 words. But a few thousand words is much better. In short, Google rewards and strongly encourages over-long content.

Even that 500 word minimum excludes about 90% of my posts from Google search. That’s okay. I optimize for people first, not Google / Alphabet.This post is under 250 words, including the title.

Here’s how many of my fellow professionals locate the best answers, fast.

Think of the experts whose work you know and trust. Find their sites. Then bookmark them. Ensure they share information there, as some expert sites are just stores. And like me, you already own their products.

Then, whenever you need trusted information, which isn’t diluted with the anti thin content fluff that Google requires, use the search function on your expert sites to get your answers.

By bookmarking the leading experts, two things happen.

1. You get information you can trust.

2. You get that information, without the confusion caused by rambling content.

Win, win.

Content marketing: It’s all about pressing the publish button

By |

marketing

Image: Danielle MacInnes. 

Hannah just emailed me with a question. She wants to know what’s the secret to publishing content marketing more frequently. Here’s my reply.

There are lots of reasons for not publishing more of our ideas, to more people, more often.

  • I just can’t think of anything useful to say right now.
  • Maybe no one will bother reading it.
  • I know what I want to say, but I can’t figure out how I want to say it.
  • This needs to be really, really good and I’m not sure I can write something of that quality today.
  • I don’t have enough time.

Those are totally valid reasons. I know because I’ve experienced all of them more than once over the years. However, I don’t think they address the primary reason why so few people, regularly create and publish their own content marketing.

In my experience, as someone who has mentored hundreds of people on content creation and delivery, the main barrier is pressing the publish button. Moreover, their concern regarding the response they might face, after publication. The fallout, criticism and possible confrontation.

It’s certainly true that if we choose to publish nothing, we don’t need to worry about unleashing a wall of potentially hostile responses.

It’s also true that we miss out on all the opportunities that could come our way, if we were to press publish and share our ideas or observations.

But tragically, by failing to press the publish button regularly, we never learn how other people manage to publish regularly.

Here’s the thing. By repeatedly pressing the publish button, we become perfectly, totally comfortable, publishing our original content whenever we have something useful to share.

Here’s an example of what I mean.

  • My first blog post took several days to write, edit, re-edit, format, re-edit… then publish.
  • This post was written on my phone and published on WordPress in around 15-20 minutes.

What was the difference between the two posts?

The experience I gained, from pressing the publish button several thousand times.

Revealed: The most expensive mistake in marketing

By |

Follow the follower, marketing copy cats

Image: Charles Deluvio.

The road ahead is closed. Soon, a line of traffic builds up…

One driver does a U-turn, and confidently heads off at speed in the opposite direction, before turning down an adjacent street. Seeing how confident this driver seems, other drivers follow him, then other drivers follow them. The initial driver has no idea where they’re going. And now they’re all lost, wasting their time and running out of fuel!

Here’s why I’m telling you this. Following the marketing tactics of your competitors has the exact same effect.

Allow me to explain.

The most expensive mistake in marketing

You’ve no idea if the marketing your competitors use is working or if they’re running out of time and money. Following them is always a very risky tactic.

Here’s just one extremely common example of how the odds are stacked against you. It comes from the world of advertising.

Advertising providers give ads away to companies, knowing that when a company’s competitors see their advertisement, they’re also likely to advertise. These free ads are simply bait, to hook others in your industry.

Google and Facebook offer free advertising coupons all the time, knowing as soon as you use them, they win. They’ve done the numbers. They know a hefty subset of competitors will assume, the ads MUST work, if (whoever) is advertising there.

And yes, this follow-the-follower approach applies to every area of marketing, not just advertising.

If you’re not attracting enough new clients or making enough sales, stop following the followers. In short, quit dabbling. Your marketing needs to be meaningfully different. And it can’t be meaningfully different if it’s just like your competitors.

Google indexing scraped content from my blog: Part 2

By |

Image: Mitchell Luo

My recent problem with stolen content seems, for now, to have stopped. No, Google hasn’t stopped the crooks from scraping my blog, or the dozens of other sites these people attack daily. Google hasn’t even responded to my request for help. And the scraper’s sites are still packed with freshly stolen work.

Just not mine. For now, at least.

In case you missed the previous post, the reason these particular scrapers are such a problem, is they’re able to steal my work, AND get it submitted for indexing by Google in seconds.

Their scraped copy of my work was then selected by Google as canonical (the original version). My original work was regarded as a copy and wasn’t indexed. This means it can’t appear in Google Search Results.

Scraping my content by RSS feed

It’s a bit drastic, but I’ve had to remove my RSS feed, which the criminals use to steal my copyright protected posts, publish them on their sites and stuff them with ads (yes, Google Ads).

There’s a big downside though. Without an RSS feed, there’s no easy way for people to subscribe to this blog via feed reading services like Flipboard or Apple News.

I tried several less severe alternatives, but these people use very sophisticated software, which bypassed all the solutions the various experts I spoke with were able to suggest.

Google indexing scraped content is a huge issue, which very few victims (original content producers) are even aware of. They certainly see that they get way less organic search traffic from Google.

But most will have no idea why. They won’t know that none of the content they’ve written (since they were scraped using this ultra effective scraping software) can appear on Google Search.

Content scraping is easy money

Google pretty much owns search. So there’s little or no motivation on their part to finally start taking content scraping seriously. The problem has been here for over a decade.

Yes, Google asks people not to scrape sites. But Google do very, very little to proactively stop ranking the stolen work. The processes involved in reporting stolen / scraped content is, at best, arduous; especially when there’s a lot of content to report. And even if successful, Google will not ban the scraping site. You have to keep on filling in forms… which is why many victims simply give up.

Whilst there’s little motivation for content producers to keep on reporting the criminals, the content thieves have huge motivation to carry on. They can set up a site, pack it with scraped content and Google Ads, and literally make money automatically. They don’t have to do anything once it’s set up, other than watch the advertising revenue flow into their bank accounts. Easy money is an understatement.

How to get your products, your services and your business noticed

By |

How to get noticed, be seen, stand out

Image: Rupert Britton

Take a moment and imagine that you’re in a huge stadium. There are 70,000 people there. And every single one of you is dressed in bright yellow clothing.

Then someone walks in who’s dressed from head to foot in bright red. Immediately, everyone notices them. They stand out because they’re not like all the others. They’re clearly different.

Here’s why this matters to your business: If you want to get noticed, you need to be willing to stand out. To be visibly, measurably and meaningfully different from your competitors.

That’s how you attract attention.

However, the typical small business unintentionally does the total opposite!

They offer the same kind of services as their competitors, to the same kind of people, for the same kind of fees. They have the same kind of website, the same kind of newsletter and the same kind of branding. And all because they use the same kind of general, generic marketing as their competitors.

It doesn’t work, because it can’t work

Why is that?

Simple: Every time you use a general or generic marketing tactic or marketing idea, by default you’re doing what the masses are doing. You become what Zig Ziglar used to call “a wandering generality”.

And in doing so, you actually make your business less visible.

Less visible?

How can marketing make you less visible?

Easy!

Instead of helping you attract the attention of your marketplace, generic marketing tactics and ideas act as camouflage. You become just like one of the 70,000 people in that stadium, dressed in yellow – – wondering why you’re not getting noticed or attracting attention.

You need a more effective approach to marketing than that. You need marketing that takes your business from the background and thrusts it into the foreground.

With this in mind, take a look at your marketing and consider how many things you’re currently doing, which are similar to your competitors. Then seek out creative alternatives. Alternatives that will get you noticed by your ideal profile of client or customer.

The huge Google problem, which they don’t give a rat’s ass about

By |

Goolge content theft, crooks

Image: Pawel Czerwinski  

This brief post is unlikely to be indexed by Google. Although it’s written for humans (like you), it’s value will be determined by Google’s famously incompetent bot. The bot needs a minimum of three hundred words in order to get a handle on what the topic is.

That’s why lots of blog posts and articles read so poorly. They’re deliberately written over-long. The author is playing the Google game. If they want search traffic, they have to add unnecessary fluff. They also need to keep repeating certain words and phrases, or Google’s bot won’t know what to rank them for.

Google’s stolen content problem

The Google game is like most games. The vast majority play by the rules. Others don’t.

My posts are stolen by criminals within minutes (sometimes seconds) of publication. They use software to publish them and submit them to Google’s index.

In many cases, their illegal copy of my copyright protected work is chosen by Google as the original ‘canonical’ version. My original is then seen as a copy. I could even be penalized by Google, for Google’s own mistake. There’s no workable recourse. The bad guy wins.

Google search is broken. And for the foreseeable future it will stay like that. They’ve trained writers how to write for their extremely limited Google bot. The bad guys know how to profit on autopilot. It costs Google nothing. So, there’s no motivation for them to put their house in order.

When an service is as huge as Google, it’s beyond reproach. Yes, if a major publication complains, Google takes immediate action. The rest of us need to live with it. We need to play the Google game and accept theft of our work. That really sucks, but they’re Google… so!

BTW: This was 299 words.

Here’s an update: Google indexing scraped content from my blog: Part 2

Does your business pass the Steve Jobs test?

By |

marketing, steve jobs

Photo: Shutterstock.

Every great business story begins with a dream. An inspiring, exciting and motivating dream. A dream that propelled the business owner AND those around them, to make amazing things happen.

Steve Jobs famously motivated top people to work for him, by sharing his dream with them. The most famous example was when he asked John Scully to leave Pepsi and join Apple.

Jobs said.

“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or do you want to come with me and change the world?”

It’s hard to reject an offer like that! That kind of compelling dream literally changes how people feel. Feelings are what precede actions. As such, it massively increases the chances of people wanting to take action and invest in you, hire you or buy from you.

Just think about that for a moment.

The power of a compelling dream

In contrast, the ambition behind the typical small business is predictable. It’s pretty average. Here’s the thing: an average ambition won’t attract the best clients, customers, investors or partners. It won’t compel people to want to share a business’s vision or talk about them, either.

You end up working just as hard, but without the power of a compelling dream, the ceiling on your potential is unnecessarily limited.

This begs the question; how do you know if the dream behind your business is motivating enough? In my experience, there are 3 very good indicators.

  1. One way to know, is by how enthusiastic and driven you feel regarding your business. Compelling dreams bring energy and optimism. Average ambitions bring frustration and pessimism.
  2. Another powerful indicator is the way people react when you share your dream with them. If you’re on track, people will sit forward. Eyes wide open. Focusing on what you’re saying.
  3. And finally, you’ll find that other people pester you to become a part of your dream. They want to be on your team. Either as a customer, client, investor or advocate.

If your business isn’t energizing you, or isn’t attracting the people or attention it needs, check how compelling your dream is. Look at how motivating your plans are. Determine if you’re settling for less than you truly want.

Because it could be time to level up. It could be time to create a compelling dream that’s worthy of you, my friend.

Embrace the low risk and maximum potential mindset

By |

Eliminate risk, marketing mindset

Image: Harnoor Dhaliwal

It’s impossible to completely eliminate risk from your business. But you can have the best of both worlds, with low risk and maximum potential.

Let’s start by looking at risk and why you can’t (and shouldn’t) totally eliminate it from your business.

Think about it: Even if your results are fine right now, and you decide to just carry on with whatever you’re doing, you’re at enormous risk.

Really?

Yes, really!

You risk losing clients (or customers) to your agile competitors, who continuously seek to improve and target your client base with compelling offers. Sure, small and medium sized business are the most vulnerable, but even massive brands can be wiped out by the just carry on attitude. Remember; Blockbuster Video, Toys R Us, My Space, Palm Inc?

The question is, how do we get the best of both worlds; less risk and massively more potential?

I’m glad you asked.

Mastering the risk / potential balance

In seeking to eliminate risk, you also block yourself from every great opportunity. That’s because every genuine opportunity for your business comes with an element of risk.

So, no risk = no progress.

Therefore, rather than regard risk as something to avoid, consider the potential pluses as well as the potential minuses. Research the positives as well as the negatives.

And challenge your beliefs!

Challenging your beliefs is critically important, as one of the biggest barriers to your success are your inaccurate preconceptions. This is a perfect example. And I see equally damaging thinking with business owners all the time.

A well-balanced approach to risk and opportunity is behind every successful business. It reduces your exposure to risk, whilst simultaneously allowing you to fully benefit from the genuine opportunities your business must have, in order to grow.

I hope you found this useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with it.

How to be a successful, serial entrepreneur

By |

Wherever you are right now, whatever your past, you can be a successful entrepreneur or serial entrepreneur.

First, let’s get the serial entrepreneur myth out of the way

Look around any business network and it won’t be long before you find people, calling themselves serial entrepreneurs.

They’re everywhere. Or so it appears. However, as is often the case, all is not what it seems. In fact, 99.9% of the people I see calling themselves serial entrepreneurs… are not.

They aren’t even entrepreneurs.

They are serial starters!

Allow me to explain.

Serial entrepreneurs or serial starters?

Serial entrepreneurs: These rare people build a series of successful businesses and fully realise the potential of each business, before they move on. A well known example is serial entrepreneur Ev Williams. Ev founded Blogger and sold it to Google for millions, then he co-founded Twitter and then, the hugely successful Medium.

Serial starters: These are the people we see everywhere, who start a series of enterprises, yet never successfully finish developing any of them. They lack the commitment shown by entrepreneurs. So when the going gets tough, they get demotivated and quit. The vast majority of self-proclaimed serial entrepreneurs fit in this enormous group.

This begs the question.

Why are serial starters so common?

It’s extremely easy to start a new venture. It’s exciting. It brings motivation with it. It gets them up early in the mornings and keeps them up late at night. Everything is new. A blank slate. A new beginning. Endless possibilities.

Then, after a while, the real work begins. Not the new enterprise, shiny work. The real nitty-gritty work:

  • The sales calls.
  • The rejections.
  • The unreturned mail.
  • The broken promises from those who said they would help.
  • The cash flow problems.
  • The hard knocks.

As the shine wears off, the momentum drops for the serial starters. So, they look for the next big thing, rather than finishing what they started. The cycle repeats unless they summon the grit to make it to the finish line.

More about grit than money

You don’t need to start of rich, to be an entrepreneur or serial entrepreneur. You do need grit though.

Yes, some entrepreneurs, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, inherit a multi-million dollar business from their parents, and can use that wealth to get all the additional investment they need and branch into other enterprises. However, most of us start off with little more than an idea, grit and commitment.

Ev Williams, who I mentioned earlier, is a textbook example of starting without money. Like most entrepreneurs, he had to do it the hard way. No wealthy parents. No million dollar assets. No easy way to access the financial investment he needed.

Ev was so broke when he started Blogger that he was living on a friend’s couch! He’s now worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Read Ev’s inspirational story and watch the video, here.

History shows us that when it comes to business, money is less important than grit. Remember, Steve Jobs came from a blue collar family! The key is to decide what you want and then commit to doing what’s required, to make it happen.

It’s that simple. And that hard.

How to get free access to the world’s best marketing writers

By |

Write better marketing copy, marketing messages

Yes, you read the title of today’s post correctly. I have lifelong, free access to the world’s best marketing writers, and you can have it too.

This post started off with an email from Deborah.

My associate Deborah has a seemingly limitless capacity to ask great questions. The kind of question’s I’ve never asked myself before. Earlier today, Deborah asked me for book recommendations, to help her improve her writing. She’s already a great writer, and it’s easy to see why when she’s always seeking out ways to further improve.

That wasn’t the question that prompted this post. It was only her starter question.

Her follow-up was the kicker!

Just one book?

I recommended a book by Roy Peter Clark, called “How to write short” and it’s a classic from a master of the craft. He shows you how to write compelling messages and engaging content, using as few words as required. I don’t do book reviews. I don’t do affiliate links. You can search for it or find it on his website, using the link above. If it sounds like something you want to improve on, grab a copy. In my eyes he’s the boss of writing short, highly effective copy.

Back to Deborah’s question.

She thanked me for the recommendation. Then she asked me the question that inspired this post. She wondered why I only recommended one book!

Here’s my answer.

More importantly, here’s where you’ll discover how to have unlimited, free access to the world’s best marketing writers and communicators!

I study and practice my craft, daily

When I started out in this business, I learned everything I knew about sales and marketing, by studying the work of others. Initially I studied the work of colleagues, who were older and more experienced than me. Then I widened it out to all my inputs.

So, whenever I read or heard a powerful message, I’d write it down. Then, I would unpack the message to figure out why it was so powerful or motivating. I wanted to learn from it.

And I still do the exact same thing today.

I gather inspiration and rather than just swipe it, I swipe it and study it. The wordplay, the rhythm of the syllables. The mental imagery generated. The degree of urgency created… anything I can learn and grow from.

small business turn around, turn around times tough, things tough business

Here are some examples I noted and studied today.

They’re all from leading companies and brands – – those with the financial resources to hire the greatest marketing writers in the world.

I studied.

  • High converting text from website buttons and contact forms.
  • Powerful calls-to-action on store signs.
  • High yield headlines.
  • Motivating paragraphs from marketing emails and letters.
  • Memorable straplines.
  • Engaging tweets.
  • Powerful slogans.
  • The copy used on packaging and products.
  • Social media profile copy.
  • Instantly clickable email subject lines.
  • … and everything else that attracts my eye or my ear.

Rolls Royce, Apple, Rolex, Disney… international brands of that size and influence don’t hire $100 an hour marketing writers. They hire the very best and money is no object. Their wording (like the examples on that tiny list) is worth a fortune to you and your business.

You don’t have to wonder if their copy works. Yes, it works!

You don’t have to wonder if the copy writer knows what they’re doing. Yes, they REALLY do know what they’re doing!

My task and yours, if you’re interested, is to look for the lessons. Let these masters of the art teach you with their examples of excellence.

Then, use your version of it.

Put it into play.

Test what you’ve learned and measure the results.

Refine it, and then test again.

It’s a great way to improve. Because I publish information very regularly, I’m able to test what I learn just as regularly. I can quickly discover what’s effective and what’s less useful. This is one of the many reasons I believe every professional should write a blog and / or a newsletter. It’s perfect for developing your skills and style.

Making your work stand out

By not reading the same books (or subscribing to the same publications, podcasts and Youtube channels) as others in my profession, I’ve been able to develop my own style. It’s a style that’s often rough around the edges. It’s unorthodox. It’s certainly not perfect.

It can’t be perfect.

Here’s why.

The moment you’ve written something perfectly aligned with the style-guide, you’re camouflaged among the thousands who strive for that same version of perfection. Lost in an ocean of similar writing.

You’re no longer a voice. You’re an echo.

You’re no longer a signal. You’re a noise.

The way I write is imperfectly my style. And it constantly evolves, as the marketplace does.

Conclusion

You can learn a lot about written communication from the most effective and talented experts on the planet – – by way of non-obvious sources. The work of these genius writers is everywhere.

Seriously.

It’s on cereal boxes. It’s the book titles on the world’s best-selling books. It’s what catches your eye on magazine covers. It’s in movie trailers… it’s everywhere. And the people paid to write that material are among the best paid, most effective writers in the world. They’re really good. And worthy of our attention.

That’s not all.

By pulling from these priceless, non-obvious sources, different sources, you also give yourself the freedom to develop your own style and your own voice. Essential assets if you want your message, your work and your products or services to get the attention they need.

The world’s best are there for you to study and learn from. It’s free. And yours for life.

What an amazing opportunity.

Do lead magnets work?

By |

lead magnets, lead magnets still work? How to lead magnets

Photo: Shutterstock.

Business owners often ask me “do lead magnets work?“, as a way to grow their newsletter lists. If you’re considering using them, or you’re wondering why they’re not working for you, you should find the following useful.

Let’s go.

Lead magnets?

For those who don’t already know, the term lead magnets was made popular by internet marketing gurus / social media gurus (and pretty much every get-rich-quick guru). However, the concept has been around for decades.

It refers to a freebie, which is used to entice people to give you their contact details. The most common freebies include ‘special reports’, white papers, ‘exclusive’ audio / video content or some kind of information that’s only available via email. In return for the freebie, people are asked to provide their contact details.

Because of the negativity attached to lead magnets, many internet marketing gurus refer to them as ethical bribes. I’m not sure why they think a bribe sounds better.

Lead magnets and list building

Probably the most common use of lead magnets, is list building for newsletters. On the surface they seem like a no-brainer. You certainly can attract lots of contact details with them. That’s for sure.

However, there’s a major downside.

Lead magnets are notorious for attracting the lowest possible quality contact details. That’s because the use of free stuff as bait, is most attractive to so-called freebie hunters; who are attracted to freebies like moths to a flame.

Why does this result in such low quality?

Many / most freebie hunters use dedicated email addresses, just for getting their free offers. It’s used for nothing else. It’s only checked after they sign-up when they’re waiting for the freebie to arrive. As such, lists built from lead magnets can be really poor quality. Yes, you’ll probably attract some genuine contacts, too. But the overall quality will be massively lower than a normal list.

That said, there are some instances where lead magnets are worth considering.

Really?

Yes. Really.

Lead magnets can work

One example where lead magnets can work extremely well, is if you’re building a newsletter readership, where your business model is exclusively advertising.

Offering a freebie to people, who in return send you an email address, even a very low quality one, can be a pretty good fit. That’s because email advertising is still regularly sold, based on how big the advertising provider’s list is… which is absolutely nuts. The list size is close to worthless, without knowing all the relevant data.

Sigh.

Where lead magnets work least well

Without doubt, the area where lead magnets work least well is with service providers; lawyers, accountants, coaches, consultants, mentors and designers, etc., etc.

I regularly hear from service providers, who have built lists using lead magnets and seen terrible results. In fact, I was prompted to write about this after an email I received from a reader in Sydney, Australia. She’s a copywriter and has built a list of over 45,000 lead magnet contacts, which she’d mailed for 12-months. It didn’t generate one paying client. She showed me some of the emails she’d sent, and as you’d expect from a professional writer, they were superb. But the list itself just wasn’t worth mailing.

There are a couple of key reasons why lead magnets are so ineffective for service providers:

  1. Freebie hunters and prospective clients are totally different people. The level of commitment or interest required to download a freebie, is close to zero. However, the commitment and interest required to hire the services of an expert is absolutely huge.
  2. The service provider needs to somehow reposition themselves as a professional, who offers a high quality service. This, after showing they were fine offering ethical bribes / freebies, in an effort to get clients. At best, it looks a little needy. At worst it looks shoddy. Either way, that’s a considerable barrier to overcome.

Conclusion: So, do lead magnets work?

Yes. Yes, they absolutely have their uses.

My advice is to pause and think. Consider why you need lead magnets and what you hope to achieve. Unless you sell advertising based on list size, it’s usually a pretty poor strategy.

Tip: Here’s a massively better list building strategy: How to build a list that builds your business.

The most valuable lists, by far, are those that grow organically. No lead magnets required. Organic lists grow because people are genuinely interested in knowing more about what you do. These interested people are of enormous value to your business. They not only share your newsletter with their friends, they truly are prospective clients.