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Small Business Blogging: Your Third Post

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Now that you’ve got a start with your first and second posts, let’s tackle a listicle (a list turned into an article). Grab a pen and notepad and we’ll get started. The “What You Need to Know” Article Listicles are my favourite blog posts to … Keep reading…

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Small Business Blogging: Your Second Post

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Following on from Small Business Blogging: Your First Post, this time you’ll be thinking about the future of your business. In fact, you’re going to do a brainstorming exercise to help potential customers find you by internet search. (If you haven’t done the first post … Keep reading…

writing with pencil

Small Business Blogging: Your First Post

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A recent comment on Twitter reminded me again that each person has their own challenges when it comes to creating marketing content. But if you run a business, there’s always something to say. Ideation, like writing, gets easier with practice. But if you really don’t … Keep reading…

Saved by the Last-Minute Content Idea

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You’ve been busy working in your small business – time flies when you’re having fun, right? But lying in bed at night, you mentally review all the things you keep putting off, like your next newsletter or blog post. You’ve just been too busy to … Keep reading…

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Perseverance. Persistence. Patience. Repetition. Determination!

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When Ann Perry first got in touch to ask if I could help her with ActiveCampaign, I had no clue what I was in for. But I was hooked right away because she had just under 5000 email subscribers and almost 20K YouTube subscribers. One … Keep reading…

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Always Showing Up

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One night last week I dreamed that Mary Jane Copps and I co-authored a best-selling book called “Always Showing Up”. It was about the importance of being seen often and always bringing value to clients, potential clients and referrers – the commitment to building relationships … Keep reading…

What are You Curious About? That’s Your Marketing Content!

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My friend Anita Kirkbride has been digging deep into all the social media platforms for years and regularly shares updates on changes and new developments. Another friend Alison Knott enjoys reading about stats, trends and best practices, and shares interesting tidbits in her monthly newsletter … Keep reading…

men talking

Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About

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THIS is yet another good reason to be creating marketing content: “Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about.” – Cory Doctorow While I would argue that content is more than just something to talk about (or should be), I love this sentiment! … Keep reading…

Perpetual One-Question Survey = Evergreen Content

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You and I both know it can be a lot of work to keep the content machine going – blogging, email marketing, social media and more. When I find an idea I can execute in 15 minutes that will give me social media posts and … Keep reading…

Find Gems in Your Sent Mail

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Perhaps you’re wondering, “What the heck am I going to write about this week?” Look no further than your Sent mailbox. Over the past month or so, I’ve answered a lot of questions by email. I bet you have, too. Have you considered that, if … Keep reading…

Try a Newsletter Full of Tidbits

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Tidbit is defined as “a small and particularly interesting item of gossip or information.” (Just in case you’re Canadian and were thinking about chocolate Timbits.) The most successful newsletters I’ve seen are full of tidbits. A tidbit is short, delightful and easily digested (just like … Keep reading…

Content Template – Share a Concept

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You just had an a-ha moment – by thinking, researching, reading, discussing, learning, teaching, experimenting, or problem-solving. And now you’re anxious to share that new insight with your readers who will also benefit from it. Not sure how to organize your ideas and get writing? Download … Keep reading…

Don’t Ignore the Obvious: Daily Tips Work

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One of the best things I ever did was to take Anita Kirkbride‘s advice when she told me I should post daily enewsletter tips on social media. It was a very specific and fairly easy task to do. I ended up with an Excel spreadsheet with … Keep reading…

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Find Marketing Opportunities in Your Own Content

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Marketing analytics can be confusing. You need to learn how to use the software to get data. Then you need to figure out what information you want from the data. Then you need to figure out what actions to take now that you’re wiser. Here’s … Keep reading…

Boost Your Expert Reputation with an Evergreen Series

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Writing a series of articles is a great way to connect related content together. It is also an attention-getter, encouraging readers to subscribe or return for the next installment in the series. And it can be a showcase for demonstrating your expertise on a particular … Keep reading…

How to Share Yourself Through Your Content

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Content marketing strategy can be complicated but this is a good place to start. Are you a learner? Share your learning. Are you a teacher? Share what you teach. Are you an experimenter? Share what you discover. Are you thoughtful? Share your conclusions. Are you … Keep reading…

Unique Content: Do You Have an Opinion?

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The one truly unique type of content you can create contains your opinions. Certainly, there are other unique types of content that will work for some… but not for everyone. If you are an expert, an influencer, a salesperson… you have opinions. Opinions make for … Keep reading…

Summer Content Ideas – Loosen Up a Little

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If there’s any time of year to get more personal with your content, it’s during the summer. The rules are relaxed and people have more time to read deeper. Here are a few ideas you can try: Create a roundup of summer reading appropriate for … Keep reading…

Finding a New Angle for Your Best Information

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Stuck, uninspired, unmotivated, feeling stale – anyone who blogs regularly is going to experience those things from time to time. Especially when we’re busy, it’s hard to take time to get inspired. Sometimes I don’t need inspiration so much as a new angle – a … Keep reading…

Pick a Topic Like You Would Pick an Apple

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Consider how likely you would be to open/read articles with these titles: How to Be a Politician Small Business Marketing Healthy Foods for Everyone Dressing for Work The Benefits of Travel How to Find Any Job How to Be a Millionaire Nothing much exciting… been … Keep reading…

End the Year with a Blog

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If you’re buried in holiday preparations – at home or for your business – perhaps blogging is low on your to-do list. What if you knew exactly what to write about for the rest of the year? Here are a few no-fail ideas to wrap … Keep reading…

Back to the Grind Content Ideas

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As you get back to your routine after summer’s break, remember there are lots of ways to make the return to school and work useful to your small business content marketing plans. Back to School Stress and excitement go hand in hand for many families … Keep reading…

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17 Reasons to Email Your Contacts Before Your Next Newsletter Goes Out

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NOTE! Don’t jump directly to the list below. There’s a caveat and it’s an important one. While these are your reasons for emailing your list, you need to create value or point it out to readers. Frame all your messaging around the thought, “What’s in … Keep reading…

gift basket

Why and How to Do a Wrap-up Article

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A wrap-up article is a logical and unique grouping of pieces of content where the grouping provides value to the reader beyond the individual pieces on their own. You might think of it like a themed gift basket. There are several reasons we need to … Keep reading…