I’m not the writer in the family.  Far from it.

My sister was always the one. She was always busy reading, reading, reading, writing, writing, writing. 

Now, it is her chosen profession.  She tells me she’s always “writing” in her head.  When she sits down at her computer, the words just come. Not so with me.

I didn’t have that talent. I was always too busy looking at pictures, photographs, and drawing them.

Charcoal, or a paint brush.  That was my medium of choice. 

So when I realized that to make this marketing business work and work well, I’d have to learn to write, I said “forget it.”  I might as well go back to styling full time. 

Only, certain reasons wouldn’t allow those 18 hour days anymore. Like wanting to have kids.  And, wanting to lie on a beach somewhere while my business “ran” itself.

So I had felt no choice.  I dug my heels in and secretly hoped I could bribe my sister into doing a lot of it for me.  She did help me a lot in the beginning.  And I started to learn a few things. 

My sister wrote on things like “how to write” and “getting started,” what to do if you get stuck;” things like that.  Probably because I complained so much.  :-)  But as I read over what she wrote for me, I started to follow the steps myself.  That’s when I discovered a secret.

This “secret” put a totally different perspective on staring at that blank screen.  Which, up until now, I had done on a daily basis.  

And, to get out of staring at the blank screen, I concentrated on other types of marketing.  But everything I did, even videos, seemed to point back at writing. (a good video needs some sort of script or point list.)

I looked at outsourcing.  Now that seemed like a plan.

Only, because I didn’t know very much about writing, and /or what I should be writing about, I spent a lot of money, and got these “articles” that weren’t all that great.  I could have done them. (!) 

They were stuffed with keywords alright, but they really didn’t “say” anything.   Nothing, that wasn’t common knowledge about network marketing, even from my limited perspective.

Now let me just say that there are some great people and companies out there that are excellent at what they do; they will gladly write for you.

And sometimes that’s the way to go. Outsourcing can be a wonderful thing, especially (for instance) when you’re working on your business but still have your job.  Or, when your business takes off and your time becomes very limited.

But the truth is, you still should know about this skill.

Notice I said “skill.”   Because it is one.

And because it’s a skill, it can be learned.

Now, maybe you’re thinking that you don’t want to.   (I can hear those wheels turning… 

Let me ask you this: how much more beneficial to you if you were to actually break through this wall and learn this new skill called writing?  You will see it show up in your business (translate: bank account) over and over. 

Now you know the secret. 

Why?  Because writing is a skill that will be used again and again in your marketing:  blogging, emails, press releases, sales letters (for your web site), ads, and of course, article marketing. 

And the best part is, you can learn this new skill, just like I did.  Next time, I’ll show you how. 

 

 

 

P.S. What struggles are you having or did you have with writing?

One of the things that I hear often from well-meaning folks who want to use low-cost marketing methods is “I’d love to do article marketing. But I can’t write…”

Although this is a task that can be outsourced, it’s much more beneficial to you if you actually break through this wall,  because writing is a skill that will be used over and over in your marketing:  blogging, emails, press releases, sales letters (for your web site), ads, and of course, article marketing.

And because it’s a skill, it can be learned.

Here is a simple 3-step formula for writing anything.

So, first, do some keyword research.  This will give you marvelous ideas.

Here is the difference between writing a novel to be published, and writing an article for marketing purposes; you want to know what people are searching for.

Do a search for “free key-word tools.” Use the tools to find what popular searches are being done. Choose several, and then narrow it down.  For instance, you might choose “Social Media Marketing,” then narrow down to one or two types.

Second, ask yourself what problems did you have when you (for instance) started your business?  This is a very easy way to narrow down your topics.  Then formulate that in “things to do” and “things not to do.”

Now you are ready to begin.    

Third, start writing in sections:  Articles basically have 4 parts:

   1) Title

   2) Introduction .

   3) Body

   4) Close

The Title is important. This is your headline and must entice your audience to continue reading. Keep it simple, and use a question that evokes curiosity, or a statement that strikes a chord.   You can also use the “tips” or “how to” title.  (”5 Ways To Get Great Traffic Quickly.”)

The Introduction will tell your audience 2 things:   what you are going to tell them, and why it’s important.  Write this out very simply at first.  What is the problem they are having?  What is the solution?

The Body is where you actually tell them how to solve the problem.  You can easily do this by making a list.

For example, if your title is “5 Ways to Get Great Traffic Quickly,” make out a list, 1 to 5, and simply fill in the blanks. 

You can do the same thing with “things not to do,” such as “3 Things to Avoid When Starting an Online Business.”  Write down those 3 things.  You can combine “things to do” and “things not to do” in the same article, or just use one.  Save the other for your second article.

This is a great way to start.

The Close will be a short summary of what you just told your readers, and a call to action. What is it you want your audience to do?  Again, don’t over complicate your message, and end on a positive note.

And you’re done.

Here’s a tip:  Break it up, and use short paragraphs or it will be too hard to read.

Remember people are busy, and they are skimming, so keep it simple and conversational.  This will make it easier for you as well!

Writing is not as hard as most people think…it’s simply a process of breaking it down in steps.

 And you don’t have to be a professional to do this.  In return for learning this skill, you will get lots of quality, free traffic to your site.  Which is your goal, right?

Start writing!

 

 

 P.S.  Leave me a comment and let me know if this was helpful, and what struggles you are having.  I’m sure I’ve had the same ones…we’ll talk about it. 

 

For Every Person that is born, fifteen dogs and forty-five cats are also born.

That’s 15 dogs.

 

That’s 45 cats. Out in the world.  Cold, hungry, unwanted and unloved.
 
What can you do?  Education is the key. 

 

 Pet overpopulation is EVERYBODY’s problem:
 
Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born EVER finds a permanent home.

 

Only 1 out of every 12 cats born EVER finds a permanent home. 

 

In Sonoma county alone, where I live, scores of kittens are “dumped” on the steps of shelters every spring…sometimes with the mom, sometimes not.  If no one claims them, they are all euthanized; the mom too.

 

Then, there the kittens you chance to hear in the bushes, without food for days because the mom was run over or shot by some uneducated person. (See my photo above…it happens.)
They are so starving, they will come right up to you in most cases.

 

And if you’ve ever looked into those tiny, pleading eyes, you’ll never be the same.

 

You may be wondering “There are so many, where do you even start, and what do you do?”

 

That’s exactly what I thought 16 years ago when I first stumbled on this “problem” after getting married and first coming to the tree farm.  They were everywhere.
 
The first step is education.   I had never seen so many kittens and cats in my life, many of them sick.
 
The first thing that went through my mind was “where did they all come from?”  

 

I would later learn that 2 adult cats can create 2 to 3 litters a year.  Not all survive, but in a young cat, that’s 8 to 12 kittens a year.  These grow up and reproduce, and year 2 is around 66 cats.  The third year is 2,201 cats.  Now we’re talking.  By the fourth year, the number goes up to 3,822. 

 

Then year five is the big jump:   12,680 cats. 

 

I could hardly believe it!    This all started with 2 cats that were left alone and forgotten.

 

You don’t know what you don’t know, and sometimes you’d rather not know.  But the problem doesn’t go away.  (More on what I did in a future post.)

Just by reading this, you are becoming aware, or being reminded to think about it again. 

 

That’s the beginning.
 
Second, start with your own pet, and pets of people you know.

 

Make absolutely sure that your pet, or one that “shows up” occasionally that you feed, is spayed or neutered.  (I’m basically talking about cats here, but dogs too.)
 
Letting your pet have a litter so your children can “experience” the miracle of birth is a poor reason.  After the amazing moment is over, then what?  Some people tire of it, and then the kittens get pulled away and “dumped.” 

 

If you want your child to be around baby animals, take her/him and go visit the local shelter, or look in the paper…you’ll have lots of choices.
 
Mention it to your neighbor.  Most people don’t mean to be thoughtless, they just have no idea of the suffering that goes on because of ignorance.  
 
One common mistake that many people make (and yes, I did this too)  is thinking your pet isn’t old enough to be “thinking about that”….it happens.  According to Best Friends Animal Society, “Female cats can become pregnant at the age of four months. People don’t know that cats can get pregnant so young.”

 

Another thing to do is call your local animal shelter.  There are never enough hands/ laps to go around, they all desperately need volunteers, and will be very grateful for even an hour or two a week from you. 

 

That’s one wonderful thing about having a home business; you have the time freedom to be a volunteer.  If you’re unable to right now, however,  donations are always needed, and it doesn’t have to be money. 

 

 You might have things on hand such as old towels and blankets you no longer use…these would be much appreciated, and needed now.   February is National Spay/Neuter Month.   

 

As the operator of a small animal rescue myself, and “mom” to many fostered litters over the years, (currently managing a colony of 15 regulars,)  I have seen first hand the needless sufferering that goes on, apparently unnoticed.  Animals have no choice.  But we do.
 
Do you have a cat/dog story to share?  Although I’ve written primarily about cats, I love dogs too… please share!    Love to hear other’s pet stories!

 

Thanks for listening, and
Have a great day everyone!

 

              

 

                   

 

             PS.  A great site to take a look at….  “Don’t make more, fix by four!” 

 

 

Since branding is a form of marketing, some refer to creating a brand for business as “brand marketing.” Brand marketing involves creating an essence for your business.

What is an “essence” for your business you may wonder?

How should you create it and use it?

Think of it as a thread or piece to tape….woven throughout, and holding it all together.

This means that branding involves creating a look and feel for the business that is then carried into every aspect of the business. It’s the common thread for all your marketing. 

That doesn’t mean that all of your profiles/ social accounts have to look exactly the same, although some marketers do that…but there should be a similar feel…. something that is consistent, and that will be recognized over and over as You, or your company.

Company slogans and logos are two examples of branding.

When a person sees a company representation, it should trigger name recognition  of that particular company, and the products or services that company offers. 

This should happen every time someone sees (or hears) that particular slogan or logo.

Think of Martha Stewart.  Does her picture immediately come to mind?  Think of her magazine.  (yes, guys see it too…)  She consistently uses “Martha Stewart Living” and notice that on the cover, it is always the same font style, in the same place, (top) but the color is changed with each issue, matching the cover shot.

So there’s a consistent thread, but it’s a variation each time. And it works.

So every time a person sees your logo, your picture, your brand, it should be consistent, and they should recognize it…even if they don’t know you or your company yet, and they’re not sure where they saw it before.

Why should you use brand marketing?

Because it’s an effective tool for attraction marketing, used by a variety of companies, involved in a variety of industries around the world.  

It is also a form of attraction marketing, because brand creation is handled in a way that it appeals to the target audience of the company.

That’s why you should have your own. 

When your brand is created in such a way that it’s attractive to the audience you’re trying to reach, it can create a huge influx of Web site traffic or really get your business phone ringing, which is your goal, is it not?

You can do the same thing with your brand that Martha does.

The thing about Martha, is that she’s consistent.  She puts out her magazine every month, and the branding is the same.  (You recognize it with just a glance.) Her photography is great, and her content is something that her readers are interested in, and that one of the ways she appeals to her target audience.

She has branding down.  So can you.

Think about who your target market is, or who it is you are trying to attract to your business.  Create your brand as an extension of yourself, but with your target market in mind, above all else.  Then use it as the “thread” that runs throughout your:

-  website

 -  blog,

 - Twitter account, you-tube, facebook and myspace and more…

Your audience will begin to recognize you, and if you give good content, they will keep coming back. 

Until next time, 

 

 

PS.  What are some issues that are coming up as you create your brand?

Believe me, I had several….please share with me, and we’ll talk about it….

 

 

   

 

 When you’re in a business such as consulting, where the business revolves around you, rather than company branding, you have to work on your personal branding. An easy way to think about creating a personal brand is to use the Queen of branding herself, Oprah. Oprah has created an entire empire – all based on her personal brand.

 

So what exactly is Personal Branding?

 

 

Essentially, personal branding is the way in which you market yourself to your target audience. A brand of a company is how the company, its products and services make its customers feel, the same holds true for your brand.

 

Your brand is how current and prospective customers feel about you.

 While you can control your personal brand to some extent, you cannot fully control what others think about you.  Don’t let this discourage you, however, because you can influence other’s thoughts of you based on your appearance and actions.

 Think of it this way:  When others interact with you, how do they feel?

 

  - what emotions do they associate with being in the same room with you ,  on your site or your profile?

 - what about when they are conducting business with you?

 

    Confident?   Not so sure?

    Excited?   Or not?

    Relaxed?  Tense?

    Cheerful?  Overly serious?

    Helpful?  Waste of time?

    Plenty of Info?  Not knowing what to do next?

    

These are all questions to ask yourself.

 

Now there are many, many other terms you can use as one-word positive/negative descriptions, but the point is….

 

The associations people make with you, or, the labels they assign to you become your personal brand.

 

So the question is, how do others feel when they’re around you?  Who (and what) are you attracting?   Attraction marketing is closely connected with this (more about that in a future post) so you have to realize that what ever “vibes” you portray when you interact with your customer is what you will attract back.  This can become your unspoken brand simply by default.  

 

Your customer will feel it, and respond, one way or another.  You want this to be a positive “vibe” or experience for them, not something that pushes them away.

 

Think about everything you do, every interaction point you have with prospective and current clients.

  

From sending out emails, tweets, and wall posts to designing your web site and shooting videos, everything has potential for an unspoken positive message, an attraction,  which can become your brand.  It’s the same for phone conversations  (not something to do when you’re tired)  and of course, in person.  (Look them in the eye with a smile!)

 

Decide how you want to come across to your audience. Write it down. 

 

Put it in action :  When you send an e-mail or have a conversation with these individuals, remind yourself of these things and make sure that you’re portraying the brand you want customers and prospects to associate with you.

 

 Until next time,

 

 

 

 PS.  Did you find this post helpful?  I would love it if you would leave me a comment, and let me know….Please feel free to tweet and share!