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Year: 2015
Haste Makes Waste
Rushing can lead to mistakes. We all know that but still we rush. Sometimes it simply means spending valuable time redoing something. Haste can waste more than time. It can also hurt my reputation if my mistakes are public. A little risk assessment before we start … Keep reading…
A Simple Content Management Tool (includes worksheet)
Many people have yet to embrace the concept of content management. I’m going to show you a simple way to get your arms around it, and keep them firmly gripped. First, print or use this fillable worksheet (or draw 3 columns on a sheet of … Keep reading…
Automation can be Creepy
If your ideal customer is new to social media, your autoresponder messages might be creeping them out. At one time I had this vision of some big guy hunched over his keyboard poised to pounce on my ‘Follow’. If your ideal customer is more tech … Keep reading…
What do iWatches and Zombies have to do with eMail Marketing?
Perhaps nothing. Using a news story or pop culture as a hook can create interest that attracts readers. Keep your subject line (or headline) relevant and appropriate, though, or you’ll forsake credibility. “What will Happen to eMail Marketing on the iWatch?” is a good example, … Keep reading…
Are You a Poet and Didn’t Know It?
Work is especially fun at this time of year because I’m busy putting together holiday ecards for clients. After a few, though, the messages of joy and peace start to become a tad lacklustre. And then Lea Brovedani sent me the message to go into … Keep reading…
Write without Fear, Edit without Mercy
Do you get hung up over finding the perfect word? Distracted by comma placement? Or just stuck looking at a blank screen? I’ve told many people I’m a wannabe writer. Now, closing on 350 articles, I still feel like a wannabe. That’s because I’m a … Keep reading…
Pantone Colour of the Year for 2016
Colour has a big impact on all of the work I do so I’m always eager to see the colour trends published by Pantone. The seasonal colour schemes are based on trends in clothing design. I’m not sure what the 2016 Colour of the Year … Keep reading…
Gratitude Yields Results in Many Ways: An eMail Marketing Success Story
Steve Foran is my hero. While he deserves that label for many reasons to do with his altruistic message and goal to make his community a better place, he’s also my hero because of his email marketing practices. First, some background. Steve works with leaders … Keep reading…
8 Tips for Composing Testimonials that Sell
You’ve just had a great experience working with another small business owner. You know how important testimonials are, but writing them is not a comfortable experience for you. So, you procrastinate. Here are some tips to get that off your TO DO list. #1. Jot … Keep reading…
Leave Out the Parts People Skip
Has anyone really read every word of Gone with the Wind? Be honest now. I’ve read it twice and I remember skipping whole pages of scene-setting descriptive text. When I read this quote by Elmore Leonard, whose books I read, it resonated with me. “I … Keep reading…
Learning to Pitch Business Ideas
It started with The Dragon’s Den, or at least it did for me. Now students are learning it in school. How awesome is that? That’s me in the middle at the judges’ table on stage in the photo above. I was delighted to be asked … Keep reading…
How to Write the Introduction to Your First Newsletter
(updated Oct-21) You want to start strong and the way to do that is to make a personal connection with your new readers. While there are many ways to make that connection in each newsletter issue, your first issue is where you set up expectations … Keep reading…
Call to Action: Why Would I Subscribe?
Aside from having a catchy subscription process on your website, you can use calls to action on your social media platforms to attract new readers. While doing a little research recently on Twitter, here are some examples I found – bad examples first. I have … Keep reading…
How to Find Time to Create Content
Whether you write for your blog, newsletter or social media – or all three – there are two approaches to creating your content: on the fly or by scheduling time. They both have to do with finding time to do it well. You can spend … Keep reading…
9 Types of Customer Generated Content
Do you want more customers like the ones you already have? You can use experiences with your current customers to develop content that will attract more of the same. Customer-generated content is akin to ‘social proof’ – it elevates your reputation. By ‘content’ I mean … Keep reading…
Your Marketing Made Easy
We have a LOT of options when it comes to our online marketing. The choices can be staggering, often leading to no action at all. Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate as a facilitator at the Your Marketing Made Easy conference in Regina, SK. … Keep reading…
eMail Marketing is Not an Expense
I know your accountant will want you to log it as such, but here’s why you shouldn’t think of email marketing as an expense: it has an ROI. Unlike many other marketing channels, the results are more evident with email marketing. You can tell if … Keep reading…
Research – What are your Competitors Doing?
If you’ve been doing a newsletter for more than a year, it’s a good idea to examine your strategy, look at your stats, and implement some positive change. You don’t want your email campaign to get stale. Doing that, of course, means generating ideas. One … Keep reading…
What I Learned at BlogJam2015
Anita Hovey and I acting out I thought I would be spending the day with other business owners. I thought blogging was a marketing tool. I thought that swearing in public wasn’t nice. None of these turned out to be true at BlogJam2015 at the … Keep reading…
25 Ways to Help Another Small Business Owner
This list was inspired by 25 Ways to Help a Fellow Human Being Today and co-authored by my Twitter colleague @LinosVersion. When we help each other, we all grow stronger! Give them a testimonial. Make it social and do it on LinkedIn or Twitter. Tell … Keep reading…
Take the News out of Newsletter
I’m campaigning to rename ‘newsletter’, but I know it will take Google forever to catch on. Do you sign up for newsletters in excited anticipation of getting company news? I didn’t think so. Granted a newsletter can be a great source of industry news if … Keep reading…
Branding 101 Workbook
When I start to work with new clients, it’s imperative that I understand their brand. I can’t do a good job for them if I don’t understand what they do, who they do it for, and why it’s so important. With some clients I’m even … Keep reading…
Branding Audit Checklist
When was the last time you audited your brand? If it’s been more than a year, it’s time. Your brand is more than your logo – a lot more. It’s also more than all the pieces you can touch or look at. But all of … Keep reading…
Tweet to Promote your Newsletter and Blog
Sure you’re doing lots of writing but is anyone reading it? Social media is a great way to promote your newsletter and blog to get more reading and more subscriptions. Particularly on Twitter, you could post a different call-to-action as often as daily. Here are … Keep reading…