Marketing

  • Know Your Uniqueness and Score Big on Social Media

    6-a-uniqueSocial media marketing requires unique positioning just like the rest of your marketing. In fact, it might be even more crucial in social media because you’re competing with hundreds or even thousands of other voices vying for attention at the exact same time. 

    When someone comes to your website, you still need to grab their attention, but there aren’t a bunch of other people shouting their latest tweet or status update all over your page. Unfortunately, that’s how it is on social media. Whether it’s your personality that shines through or the type of information you provide, there needs to be a reason your audience looks forward to your social media updates. 

    Start by thinking about why your readers are drawn to you. Why do they like and share your stuff? How are you fulfilling their wishes, helping them achieve their goals or how are you easing their worries? If you don’t know why, simply ask them. 

    If you’re still not sure what makes you different, take a look at your competition or other companies that you follow on social media. What do they do that makes them unique? Write a list of about 10 companies and determine their unique social positioning. That doesn’t mean you have to copy what they do, but by exploring it and being able to recognize uniqueness, you can find your own too.

    Some of the things that might make you and others unique include the ability:

    6-b-questions– to make people laugh
    – to inspire people
    – to make people ask themselves tough questions

    …and just about anything else that evokes a strong emotion or thought. How can you get your audience feeling and thinking about something?

    Your uniqueness can also be found by the type of media you are known for sharing, whether it’s:

    – Video
    – Images

    …but there needs to be something unique about those videos, images or other media. After all, everyone and their dog has their own YouTube channel, but what makes your production different than everyone else?

    Well, one way to ensure your content is different is to understand that uniqueness requires some self-development as well. It sounds airy-fairy, but it’s absolutely true. Offering something deeper doesn’t come because you want it to, it comes from being deeper yourself. That includes:

    – Sharing an opinion: Don’t be afraid to say what you think, even if it’s not conventional wisdom. It doesn’t matter if people think you’re wrong, you’re getting people to think and you’re showing yourself as someone who is able to think for themselves.

    – Look at things from different perspectives: In addition to having an opinion, take the time to understand different perspectives. The more you understand the opinions that oppose yours, the stronger your opinion will be.

    – Avoid simply copying what everyone else is doing: Just because ABC Company is doing a series of videos on gardening tips, doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. The more you can pay attention to your own audience’s needs and disregard your competition (unless you’re in a one on one battle of some type), the more likely you’re to find your uniqueness.

    – Experience things: Don’t just talk about stuff on social media, get out and do it. By doing more, you have more valuable content to share with your audience. Whether it’s opinions based on your experiences, photos, videos or something else, by getting out and experiencing life, you bring more to the table for your audience. 

    If you look at all this again, you’ll see that being unique really comes from bringing your best self forward.

    If you want to stand out from the crowd, dig deep to find your best self and serve your audience faithfully. The benefits will be worth it.…and just about anything else that evokes a strong emotion or thought.

    At Strategize Your Success we help women entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. 

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  • 5 Reasons Marketing Should Be a Business Priority for the New Year

    HatsSmall business owners wear many hats.  They are often the accountant, receptionist, secretary, repairperson, and much more.  They multi-task like there’s no tomorrow, tackling administrative, sales, and all sorts of other functions.  Even if they hire employees or contractors to handle some of these things, they still have a lot to do.  So it’s easy to forget about marketing.

    But marketing is one of those things that it pays not to forget about.  It is essential to every business, no matter how large or small.  Here are five reasons that marketing should be one of our top business priorities for the New Year:

    • Marketing can bring us new customers.  Doing a great job is wonderful, but if you don’t have any customers in the first place, who’s going to know what great work your business does?  Marketing introduces your business to new people who may be interested in your products or services.
    • Marketing keeps current customers happy.  Customer loyalty promotions and sales keep those who have previously done business with you coming back for more.  Those happy customers are also a good source of referrals.
    • Putting forth the right image is crucial to our success.  Large companies often spend a huge portion of their budgets making sure that their image is just right.  Smaller businesses may not have the big budgets that larger ones do, but it’s just as important that they present themselves in a way that is pleasing to their target markets.
    • Marketing is not all about advertising and finding other ways to market effectively can lead to higher profits.  Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective ways to get customers, and the costs associated with it are low in comparison to paid advertising.  Taking the time to examine customer service policies and other factors in customer satisfaction can pay big dividends in the long run.
    • Good marketing can keep you a step ahead of the competition.  If your competition is running large marketing campaigns and you’re not doing any marketing, you could be left in the dust.  That doesn’t mean that you should try to outspend the competition, it just means that you need to make sure that they’re not the only visible player in the game.

    time

    If you don’t have the time or inclination to deal with marketing, you could hire an assistant to handle it.  Having someone who can dedicate a fair amount of time to marketing efforts is more economical than letting it eat into your work time, and it can pay off generously in the long run.

    Marketing is an important part of any business and should always be a priority.  Without it, no one would know that we exist or what we do.  By making marketing one of our top priorities, we give our businesses the opportunity to grow and prosper.

    At Strategize Your Success we help women entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with online strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help
    make your business THRIVE.

     

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  • Using Articles to Market Your Business

    The Internet is filled with content. Content of all types can be found on websites and posted on forums. Just about any subject you are looking to learn about can be accessed on the Internet. Using articles to market your business is a free promotion that is highly effective.

    What have you spent? You may have spent a few hours doing research on your topic and then you sat down to write some interesting content. The content was posted on your own site or sold to other sites that deal in buying articles.

    The best way to use article marketing is to write about something that you know. A topic that is familiar offers a host of different spins on one subject that can be marketed in a variety of places. You can submit articles to online sites, e-zines, print magazines, and newsletters. Any one of these places will give your work more exposure.


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    Come up with several ideas for article content. Keep a notebook with you so that you can jot down article subjects and titles. If you are putting together several “how to” articles, keep a list of what to include in the articles. The more information that you have on hand, the quicker you will be able to produce an article.

    Surf the Web to see what types of articles are out there. If the subject that you have chosen is pretty much done to distraction, choose something else to focus on. Most of us have more than one area of interest or expertise so we can use that to find another marketing avenue.

    What about rewrites? If you are the owner of the content, exercise your right to use it again and rewrite it from another angle to get more use out of the subject. Tailor your articles to the specific guidelines of the site or publication where you will be submitting them for consideration.

    Above all, don’t forget to plug your website or product at the end of the article. Most sites will let you have a small bio at the end. If they do, use it to the hilt. Always, always include a hyperlink to your website so that people can find you easily. They will want to read more on the subject and this can’t be done if they can’t locate your site.

    A hyperlink will take them directly to the website. If you forget to use the http:// at the beginning, they will have to copy and paste into the browser. People want things to be as easy as possible and so do you if you want their traffic.

    Article marketing is free and fun. Use the knowledge that you have gained on a particular subject to enhance your business and make you some money. People are always looking for good sources of information.

    At Strategize Your Success we help women entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. 

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  • Top Tips for Advertising

    As with any industry in its day-to-day life, such as advertising and business, there are always tips on how best to deal with situations, how best to approach people depending upon the circumstances and the reason for approaching.  

    For the world of advertising, here are some basic tips that will help you along and help you achieve your desired goal more expediently and effectively.
    Coach showing the right way to follow
    • Find your target audience.  You will have to do some initial research.  For online advertising you’ll want to use an ad tracker, as this will give you an idea of where your ad is going and what industry setting you get the most views from. 

    • Know your competitive edge.  What can you offer that others can’t?  Maybe they can offer the same thing but can you find a different spin or edge to make your product more appealing?  Maybe you can go one step further in offering up just a little bit more.  Maybe you have more experience or knowledge.  There are a lot of ways to form a competitive edge.  Know your market and your competitors and be creative.

    • Establishing your image can be the best or worst thing for you depending on how you project.  If you project a bad image for yourself or your company, then your sales will most definitely not be where you want them to be.  Always be professional.  Be careful of what you say, whether it be on air or in print.  Use a catchy logo and tag line.  Make your image good and consistent so that it becomes recognizable.

    • Spend and make money – many people don’t like this age old adage – You have to spend money to make money.  But it is very true.  You will eventually spend money on advertising, even with free advertising as time alone is money.  
    The more money you spend, generally the better your reach.  You don’t want to lower your effectiveness in sales by cutting corners.  The cheaper and free advertising may be a good short term solution when you’re starting out but eventually you will want to look into different advertising options that may require more money. 

    While most advertising is budgeted, don’t be a stick-in-the-mud with that budget.  All industries have “seasonal” times.  Learn the best times and season for your product or service and during these time increase your budget.  Look at places such as Wal-Mart for back to school or holiday sales – they don’t stay within their set advertising budget.

    Knowing when your high and low sales points are will be will become a cornerstone in determining when to go over budget.  Keep in mind as well that these seasonal times can change according to economy and market changes.

    5-b-pay-attention

    • Know your market; find your niche.  You do not want to advertise in the wrong “community”.  If you want to sell rodeo tickets you don’t go to a baseball game.  Do your research to find your niches.

    • Diversification is a great key to advertising.  You never want to use just one measure of attracting customers.  Generally the wealthiest businesses are the ones that use a many-fold approach in finding new clients and customers.

    • Keep in mind that your product or service will not appeal to everyone, no matter what you do.  If you spend the time and money trying to appeal to everyone, you stand a high risk of losing more than you are gaining.  This is especially so when you are a smaller company.  
    Even the major fast food chains don’t do this.  They have a market and they know who that market is.  

    While these tips don’t sound too difficult, you would be surprised at just how many people struggle with advertising. The key is always to diversify, be persistent and track your results ruthlessly so that you know what’s working and what isn’t. 

    At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE. 

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  • Social Networking Gets Way Easier When You Know Your Target

    5-a-targetIf you’ve been operating your website and business for a while, you probably have a good idea who your target market is. But your social media audience could be considerably different. Plus, each network is unique, so how you approach each one might be quite different.

    It’s important to take the time to explore your target market because the more deeply you understand them, the easier it will be for you to create a connection and keep their attention.

    To get to know your social network target market, here are a few things to look at.

    Know Where Your Customers Are

    Ideally, you want your social media following to be reflective of your target customer base. There is no sense in building up an audience of people who have no interest in buying your products. It seems obvious, I know, but I’m always surprised by people who are more concerned with follower numbers than actually building a targeted connection.

    This report from comScore can give you some clues on how certain demographics of the population are spending their time online, giving you some ideas where your market might be. You can also gather this information by engaging your own audience on your blog and elsewhere to find out where they might be.

    Pay Attention5-b-pay-attention 

    Pay attention to what your current followers like. Take note of what they respond to, comment on and share. Look beyond their interaction with you and look at their own profiles. What is common to the people who seem to follow you?

    Ask Them

    Engage your followers in conversations, so you can get to know them better. You can even create polls and ask them direct questions about what kind of content they’re interested in, what questions they need answered and more.

    Shape Your Own Target

    You certainly have some control over your target market as well. If you share certain types of content, you are more likely to attract a certain type of audience, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

    Add to that, you can shape your following by following targeted people as well. Follow companies and individuals whose social network presence resonates with you. Get involved with their conversations and connect with their audience as well.

    Using This Information5-c-application

    Once you have a good idea about who your target is, you have to deliver the content they are looking for and this may take some experimentation. This is the time to put aside your personal preferences and find out what really gets their attention and engages them.

    To help you start formulating the right kind of content, ask yourself the following questions:

    – What are their key interests?
    – What beliefs are vital to them, as it relates to your niche?
    – What are their goals?
    – What challenges do they have?
    – What are their dreams and wishes? 

    When you have this deep understanding, you can start delivering things that satisfy the questions above. Remember, to experiment with different types of content. Whether it’s images, video, text, links to blog post or just about anything, find out what they like and deliver more of that.

    At Strategize Your Success we help entrepreneurs, coaches and small business owners with strategic goal setting, marketing and planning.  We know what struggles you face and offer solutions to help make your business THRIVE.

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  • Is Anybody Listening? How to Get More Comments on Your Blog

    It’s the frustration of many a blogger. They keep writing, writing, writing, but the comments are few and far between. If you’ve dealt with this, you may have felt like you were talking to yourself. I’ve been there myself, so know how you feel.

    The good news is that commenting is not a true indicator of success for anyone who blogs for profit. You can measure your success by whether or not you are reaching profit goals for your blog. The fact of the matter is, we can have a nice sized audience reading our content, appreciating it and taking action on it, but they may never leave a comment.

    Still, a nice steady stream of comments is good for community building and provides a sort of social proof for your blog. It shows that people are reading your content and like it, so others may follow suit. So the goal of increasing comments is a good one, as long as that is not your main focus in your blogging for profit journey.

    To help you, here are 14 ways you can encourage more comments on your blog:

    1. The first key to more comments is simple. It’s traffic. If you’re only getting a few hundred visitors per day or less, you probably won’t see a lot of comment activity. That doesn’t mean the traffic isn’t valuable, but it means you shouldn’t be alarmed by low comment volume. So your first step is to increase your traffic and we’ll actually talk about growing your following in the next post, so be sure to come back for that one.

    2. Ask questions in your posts. If you want people to leave a comment, ask them a direct question. Ask questions about things people are passionate about to get a bigger response.

    3. Use Controversy. When a post is controversial or shows a very strong opinion, that’s when you’ll find the commenters come out of the wood work. That doesn’t mean you have to be rude or offend, but just make people think and don’t be afraid to express yourself.

    4. Humor. Just like controversy, humor is something that gets people talking. Make people laugh and they’ll thank you, share their own jokes and more. Making people smile is a good thing too.

    5. Reply to comments. Think of comments as the start of a conversation. Where possible, reply to your comments and engage your readers. They’ll be more likely to come back and comment more if they feel like someone listens to and appreciates what they have to say.

    6. Make response posts. If you get a great comment that opens up a new discussion, make a new post out of it. It’s a continued conversation and encourages the same people to come back and add even more to the conversation.

    7. Ask friends and family to give you a boost. If you’re just getting started, ask people you know to come by and get a little discussion going. Others are more likely to speak up if they see others doing it too.

    8. Don’t require registration. If you feel you’re in need of comments, don’t put up barriers for your readers to make comments, including registration. Requiring registration just creates a couple more steps for someone before they comments and most people will simply click away, rather than bother.

    9. If comments are moderated, do it swiftly. If you moderate all your comments before they’re posted, make sure you do so quickly and frequently. Making people wait is a definite conversation killer.

    10. Consider using a Facebook commenting plugin. There are a variety of plugins that allow your readers to post their comments through Facebook. This can encourage discussion because the comments can appear on your visitor’s timelines and then their friends can join in the discussion as well. Just remember, not everyone has a Facebook account, so it’s a good idea to have other options too.

    11. Make it easy to reply directly to specific comments. Make sure that your commenting system is set up so people can comment to specific posts. It makes is easier to create sub-conversations from the main post and it’s also easier for your readers to follow the comments.

    12. Use your mailing list. Tell your subscribers about new blog posts and encourage them to come by. These are people who have already indicated they are interested in your content, so share it with them.

    13. Respect and encourage the opinions of others. People will disagree with you, but you can still respond respectfully and engage them in a discussion that is educational for both sides. It’s a great opportunity to show that you’re open to other ideas and you’re willing to discuss the issues.

    14. Acknowledge your regulars. If people comment more than once, welcome that back and thank them for their contribution. After all, by commenting they are contributing to your blog and making it more vibrant. Show you’re grateful for that and they’ll be back to do it again.

    Think of your blog as your community. If you want people to be active, you need to be a gracious host and be active yourself. While traffic will usually increase your comment volume, there are other things you can do to encourage comments from the visitors you already have.

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  • Using Images to Create Unique Blog Content

    Today’s web is far more visual than it was just 5, 7 or 10 years ago. These days, with faster Internet speeds and sophisticated mobile devices, it’s possible to use more images in your content. 

    In the past, you’d have to be worried about page load speeds and while you still need to aware of it today, more web users expect a more visual experience when consuming content. The good news is, not only do your readers expect it, using images also benefits you and your blog.

    Using images in your content has a number of benefits including:

    – They have visual appeal and grab attention.
    – Images can make people laugh, cry or bring out other emotions.
    – Personal pictures from your own life can create deeper connections with your readers.
    – Photos and screenshots can illustrate concepts and processes.
    – Your content is easier to absorb by visual learners.
    – Images break up your writing into easier to read written chunks.

    It’s easier than ever to make your own image and to find commercial-use images online…even for free…so there is no excuse not to start experimenting with them.

    A few ways to use images in your blogging:

    – Adding an image to the top of your posts can get attention, instantly provide clues as to what the content is and keep your readers interested.

    – If you’re creating how-to posts, you can use photos or screenshots to show each step or the critical steps in the process.

    – If you write reviews, add images of the product being used, the results of using the product, pictures of you with the product and more.

    – Upload a photo and have fun with it. Ask your readers to caption it.

    – Create eye-catching and thought-provoking images that you can use for social media and then link them to your content. Try adding quotations, funny sayings and giving them food for thought.

    – Get your readers to submit images. You can run photo contests, ask them to show them using your product and so forth.

    No one said you had to make or find all the images for your blog. 

    Of course, knowing how to quickly and easily find images is going to make this a lot easier.

    So here are a few ideas and resources for you: 

    Obviously, you can make your own. Sometimes an iPhone or mobile phone works, but it doesn’t hurt to invest in a good camera to produce top quality images.

    – Take screenshots. You can take a picture of anything you do on your computer and edit the screenshot with any graphics editing program.

    – Pay for stock photos at sites like iStockPhoto and BigStockPhoto. Some of the photos can be a bit on the expensive side, but the image quality is very good and they have a good selection.

    – There are also free stock photos sites that offer a pretty decent selection. Try sites like Stock.xchng, MorgueFile.com and Public-Domain-Photos.com.

    – If you use the advanced image search on Google Images, you can search by “usage rights” and look for images that are “labeled for commercial use”. Be aware that the search may not always be accurate and you should double check image licenses before using them. Attribution may be required and there may be other restrictions.

    – You can do a similar advanced search on Flickr for commercially available images. Just like with a Google Images search, make sure to double check all licenses.

    There are many uses for images and plenty of sources where you can find them for little to no cost, so there’s no excuse for not using them in your blogging. Test different types of images for different purposes and see what works well for you. You may find you have a more engaged and interested audience as a result.

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  • Beat Blogger’s Block: Fifteen Blog Topic Brainstorming Methods

    There’s nothing worse than sitting down at your computer and finding you have absolutely nothing to write about. And even though you might be a prolific blogger, it happens to all of us at one point or another. The great thing is that there are plenty of brainstorming methods we can use to hear the tap, tap, tap of our keyboards again.

    Here are 15 of those methods

    1. Be ready anytime. It’s funny how blogging ideas strike as at odd times. Sometimes, it’s when we’re watching a movie or standing in line at the bank. Other times, it might be when we’re exercising or watching our kid’s soccer game. While you can’t always take the time to blog the moment an idea strikes, you can certainly take note of those great ideas. Always keep a notebook with you or keep your mobile device handy. You can write down your ideas in the notes feature of your device or use the audio recorder for later review, if you prefer. It doesn’t matter how you record your ideas, just make sure you do.

    2. Expand. There is always so much more that can be said on just about any topic. If you’ve written a popular post about teaching children how to save money and it turns out to be very popular, do more with it. You can expand on each point you made in the original post, create budget spreadsheets for kids, recommend related products and so much more. Always leverage the work you’ve done in the past to create more of what your audience wants now.

    3. Fill your RSS reader. Other bloggers can be a great source of inspiration. Fill your RSS reader with blogs in your niche and scan them regularly to find the hot topics and latest news that you can incorporate into your own blog.

    4. Take or share a picture. There is so much truth to the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Pictures can evoke emotions, make people think and get them to pay attention. If you don’t feel like writing, take a picture or share one you already have. Let the picture tell your story.

    5. Ask questions. It’s one of the easiest types of posts to make and they often get the best response. Instead of lecturing to your audience, ask them a question instead. Think of something controversial or something they’ll be passionate about and ask them their opinion.

    6. Accept questions. Create a submission form so that your readers can submit questions to you. It’s an easy way to come up with ready-made topic ideas that you know that your audience is ALREADY interested in. Include your readers name and blog (if they have one) to give them a little recognition and exposure as well.

    7. Write a response to someone else’s post. Once again, the writing of other bloggers can be a great inspiration. If you read a post that you really resonate with or one you vehemently disagree with, you’ve got yourself a brand new topic idea. Of course, if you happen to disagree with a blogger and you don’t want to burn any bridges, always state your case logically and respectfully. Not only is it good content for your readers, but it could be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship with the other blogger.

    8. Have regular topic brainstorming sessions. Coming up with topics on the fly is hard. If you don’t already have that great idea before you sit in front of the screen, you may find yourself dumbfounded, distracted and the next thing you know, a few hours have gone by. Instead, set aside time each week or each month to brainstorm topic ideas. Once you get one idea, it’s easier to come up with more, so making brainstorming a focused activity is very beneficial.

    9. Reintroduce old topics and give a new reason to read it. When you’re super busy, you may not have time to write something new. But if you’ve been blogging for a while, certainly you have a nice library of great posts that much of your audience has probably never seen. Let’s say you’ve been talking to your readers about the importance of composting lately and your readers are really responding to this. Turns out, you wrote about 5 posts on the topic in the past 3 years. This is the perfect opportunity to point your readers to those posts. It’s likely new information for them, but even if they read it before, it’s a great refresher and extra exposure for your existing content.

    10. Interview someone. Instead of you answering the questions all the time, interview someone else. You can interview popular bloggers or experts in your niche, bringing your readers some new perspective and valuable content. You can even ask your readers to help you with the questions you’ll ask in the interview, so they can be part of the interview process as well.

    11. Conduct a case study. A case study allows you to showcase a clients or customers experience with your product, service or advice. It not only provides useful information to your audience, it’s also a source of social proof because your readers can see that you are actually helping real live people. Always keep track of your success stories so that you can showcase them in a case study.

    12. Let someone guest post on your blog. Be open to the idea of having guest bloggers on your blog. Many bloggers will write for free, in return for a byline and link back to their website. Just be selective in the guest posts you publish. It’s your blog and reputation on the line, so choose posts that understand your audience well and delivery exactly the kind of content your readers are looking for.

    13. Review a product. If you’ve recently tried a product that you think would be of interest to your readers, review it. Audiences appreciate detailed and honest reviews from someone they trust (you). Not only do reviews provide your readers with valuable consumer information, you can earn commissions through your recommendations as well.

    14. Search current news and relate it to your topic. In addition to adding bloggers to your RSS feed, you can also sign up for topic notifications from various news sites. For example, at Google News, you can customize their site, so they show more of the stories you’re interested in, you can sign up for RSS feeds in specific categories and more. Staying up-to-date in your niche is crucial and there are plenty of tools to make it quick and easy for you.

    15. Share content and add your commentary. For super easy content on the fly, all it takes is a trip to YouTube, SlideShare or EzineArticles and you can find useful content to share with your readers. Be sure to add your own commentary, so your readers know why you’re sharing it and so they get your unique perspective.

    Coming up with fresh and interesting content, is an important job for any blogger and it’s easy to get stuck sometimes.

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  • Do you really know your “why” for blogging?

    Do You Know Why You Blog? I Mean Really Know…

    It seems kind of like a silly question, but I would guess that most bloggers don’t know the true reason why they blog. And because of that, they flounder and don’t earn as much as they’d hoped.

    I’m hoping that our discussion today will help you dig really deep and help you find the answers, so you can move even closer to the success you’ve always dreamed of.

    For many, the road to blogging starts with the thought, “Hey, I’d like to have my own blog.” They see another successful blogger and make all kinds of assumptions on how (and if) that blogger earns money and decides they’ll do it themselves too.

    But the problem is, there is no plan. 

    There is no plan to create a focused online presence. 

    There is no plan to grow a faithful audience. 

    And worst of all, there is no financial plan.

    Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been blogging for a while, it pays (literally) to take a step back and really examine WHY you’re blogging to ensure you’re on the right track to achieve your goals.

    While there are some examples of bloggers who blog their random daily thoughts and grow a large readership, it’s not the norm.

    The most successful blogs have a focus and something unique to deliver to their audience. So even if you are a mom who blogs about their adventures in motherhood or you’re a student who writes about student life, finding a key focus and unique perspective is what will help you grow a faithful audience.  

    Have an edge, have a point of view and deliver something unique to your audience. It’s your uniqueness that will draw people to you.

    Still, being unique isn’t going to magically make your audience grow. You can’t make a few blog posts this week and expect to be Dooce, Problogger or Techcrunch next week.

    Growing your audience takes time, hard work and even some money. We’re going to be talking about growing your following in a later post, so we’ll be visiting this topic again. If you’re satisfied with a few hundred readers on your blog, that’s perfectly fine, but if you want to have an audience of thousands or tens of thousands, you have to have a plan to get there.

    And finally, a lack of financial plan is the kiss of death when it comes to blogging for profit. Knowing your monetization plan before you start makes it easier to shape your blog around those plans.

    For example, if you plan to sell advertising, designing your blog with this in mind makes it easier to add advertisers when you’re ready. You also need large traffic numbers to earn good money through advertising, so a traffic plan needs to be in place too.

    In my next post, I’ll talk about monetization methods and this should help you carve out a financial plan for yourself. 

    If you’ve been blogging and you’re thinking to yourself that you haven’t really thought some or all of these things through below, don’t worry. All is not lost.

    While it’s easier to start with a concrete plan from the outset, everything can be corrected. That’s the beauty of the Internet…everything can be changed and it doesn’t have to cost much to do it. If this describes you, start brainstorming now.

    What makes you unique in your niche? Why do people come to read your stuff?

    How will you grow your audience?

    How will your blog make you money?

    Just write as many ideas you can for each and don’t worry if the ideas don’t flow quickly right now. Keep those brainstorming sheets as we talk about these topics in more depth in the coming posts. You’ll have plenty more ideas by the time I’m finished here. 🙂

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  • True Freedom: Make Your Summer Business Plan of Attack Your Year-Round Approach


    Over the last little while, I’ve shared a few tips on getting more done with less time and obviously, our focus has been on keeping things together through the many wonderful distractions of summer. But keep in mind, the approaches we’ve discussed can certainly apply all year round.

    Most of us started our businesses because we wanted freedom and really, we have it right here for ourselves when we need it. I’d like to do a little wrap up of my previous posts, so you can create the schedule for your business that you want.

    • Be Disciplined: It may seem contradictory to tell you to be disciplined when you’re actually seeking freedom, but the more disciplined you are, the more time you will have to do what you really want to be doing. Setting your work hours and planning your work days go a long way to ensuring you have time to do everything you set out to do.

    • Be Flexible: On the other hand, not everything has to be written in stone. Sometimes we take on more than we can chew. Other times, we focus on things that just don’t work and we need to make a change. Don’t be afraid to make changes that are good for you and your business.

    • Get Help: I can’t stress it enough, but don’t go it alone. If you’re doing everything, you’ll forever be chained to your computer. Hire an assistant, take on a business partner or even barter where you can.

    • Focus on What You’re Good At: When you have a team in place, it’s easy to focus on the stuff you like to do and do well. It’s much easier to stay disciplined and motivated when you get to do what you love.

    • Plant the Seeds Now: Whether you’re planning a vacation or something unexpected happens, having things in place will help you go far. That includes building your team, growing your mailing list, developing a steady stream of traffic and all the things that you need to keep your business moving along. So enjoy the rest of your summer and enjoy every moment of what you do.

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