Posted by David Newman

1. Tweet more regularly about resources, tools and ideas that link back to your website. Use tools like Hootsuite, TweetAdder and Buffer.
2. Create short 2-3 minute videos on YouTube and make sure to add titles near the beginning and end of the video inviting viewers to get more resources from your website.

3. Also make sure to optimize your videos’ titles, descriptions, tags and use your full url (meaning include the http:// part!) as the first line of your video description so people see it right away without needing to scroll down. Example: Business Card Kung Fu

4. Get to know Pinterest. It is the fastest growing social media site in history and it’s also a lot of fun. Visit my free marketing resources page and grab a fresh hot copy of “How to Use Pinterest for Business.” Example: http://pinterest.com/marketingexpert/
5. Slideshare: You know you’ve got ‘em – PowerPoints. PDF’s. All kinds of goodies probably littering your hard drive and you’re not take advantage of ANY of ‘em as marketing assets. But sure enough, you can start a free Slideshare account, upload your favorite 5-6 PPT or PDF documents, optimize the tags, titles and descriptions, and BAM – more web traffic for you. Example: http://www.slideshare.net/doitmarketing

6. Build an about.me page that collects all your important web links and can serve as an online “business card” or switchboard to connect folks to all your social media accounts in one handy place. Example: http://about.me/doitmarketing

7. Build a brand reputation profile on BrandYourself.com. It’s a great way to monitor your online reputation AND build Google juice so you are more visible, more findable and more credible to folks searching for your type of product, service or expertise. Example: http://bobgarlick.brandyourself.com/

8. Boost the impact and SEO value of your LinkedIn profile. My pal, LinkedIn guru Viveka Von Rosen has 12 kickass tips for you on 12 Ways to Spice Up Your LinkedIn Profile. Hint: You also totally need to pick up Viveka’s book LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day.

9. Blog, baby, blog… Research from our partners at Hubspot proves that businesses that blog twice a week generate 60% more traffic and leads than businesses that blog once a week or less. Not every blog needs to be a novel. Short is good. Medium is good. Long is good. Not blogging regularly is bad. Ya dig?

10. Infographics. Love ‘em or hate ‘em – they’re hotter than a Vegas sidewalk in August. How can you present a simple, visual, and valuable piece of content that your readers, prospects and customers would really appreciate? Example: 12 Home Page Must-Haves.

11. Post to relevant LinkedIn groups. LinkedIn is THE social network for business. But all I see in your message stream is who you connected with yesterday, who you endorsed as a great accountant, and that you changed your photo (which is great because that brown tie wasn’t helping you). Post LINKS to your great content. Post provocative, interesting questions. Post answers in relevant Q&A Discussions.

12. Don’t ignore PR: Do everything you can to put yourself in a position to be quoted, interviewed, linked to, and featured in relevant blogs, articles, publications and newsletters aimed at your target market. If you’re not sure where to begin, start with PRLeads.com and PressReleaseSender.com

13. According to my pal Jay Baer of Convince and Convert, text is going away. Everything online is moving to pictures and video. If that’s true (and trust Jay – it is), then your two new best friends will be…

14. Flickr.com: Post pictures of you, your clients, your projects, your meetings, your team, your best work. Don’t be shy – Flickr is a great place to strut your stuff in an immediately impactful way. A picture is worth a thousand words, yadda yadda. Here’s a great example from my pal Scott Ginsberg.

15. Animoto.com: Video, baby, video. Turn your photos, video clips, and music into stunning video masterpieces to share with everyone. Fast, free, and shockingly easy! You can use these for yourself, your products, your services, your programs and your ideas. You can also export your creations to YouTube and optimize them further there (See point #3 above.) Example: Top 10 Differences Between Girls and Bodacious Women.

16. Don’t ignore email marketing. One of the most common reasons you may be losing web traffic is simply because people who know you and like you have forgotten about how awesome you are. Email marketing reminds them. Not sure where to begin? Start with a Constant Contact free trial.

17. Never Stop Marketing. That’s both a mantra and the website of my pal Jeremy Epstein. But my point is… Never stop experimenting. Never stop testing. And only KEEP what works for you and generates results. You can safely toss the rest.

Go about your marketing with a sense of positive skepticism. Just because someone else says a strategy or tactic is great, doesn’t mean it’s great for YOU. There is no cookie cutter. You are no cookie.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to read two closely related ones:

Marketing Coach: “You Never Know” Will Kill You

Business Coach: 7 Keys to Help You Focus on Strategy Not Tactics

Nancy Juetten

Out here in free agent nation, millions of independent business professionals are pounding the pavement, attending networking events, and sharing their messages via cyberspace and social networks as they seek more perfect clients and media opportunities. The trouble is, many of them are failing to launch because the stories they tell about their background, experience, and qualifications are falling way too short of the mark.

Now more than ever, decision makers are doing business with PEOPLE as opposed to companies. That means they need to like, trust, and respect you immediately in order to engage.

If the story you share in your online bio or social networking profile is bland, boring, and unremarkable, you’ve built a roadblock that can stand in the way of attracting the perfect engagements you seek. Here are among the most common bio blunders independent business professionals make that can stop opportunity in its tracks.

Arrogance

• Lofty language
• Too many five dollar words that don’t count for a lot
• Too many words that say too little
• The story leaves you with a gut feeling that this emperor has no clothes
• You feel at arm’s length as opposed to wanting to lean in and engage.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Boring, and Boilerplate

• The words scream “Who cares!”
• The story conveys no personality
• Unmemorable and unremarkable information put the reader to sleep

Content

• Crisis of credibility
• Absence of credentials or proof to your claims
• Absence of clarity about who you serve and why it matters
• “Cute” stories that don’t deliver relevant, compelling content
• Too little content, too much content, and absence of “right sized” choices to suit the right media or new business occasion at hand

Differentiation

• Information is disconnected and fails to tell a compelling story
• The words read like every other professional in your category
• Absence of memorable, remarkable, and stunning results, quotes, facts, or compelling information

Failure to Compel

• There is a “so what” reader reaction that doesn’t bring you clients or opportunities fast
• Frustration continues to mount, along with your obligations.

If you are fed up, fired up, and finally ready to do something about it, here are three suggestions.

1. Put your own bio through these filters.
2. Revisit the content to lead with your stunning results, succinct stories, sassy sound bites, and social information to help your ideal clients connect with you.
3. Share your new and improved story with the right decision makers to invite more of the right opportunities you seek.

You get one chance to make a fabulous first impression. Take the time to showcase what you bring to the marketplace in a compelling, memorable way in your online bio and social networking profiles. That will increase the likelihood that ideal clients will learn to like, trust, and respect you more readily, and you will likely get to “YES” a whole lot faster.

Above all else, remember this. It’s your story. Tell it well.

Nancy will lead a  Broadcast Your Brilliance Webinar on September 18, 2012. For info, go to  http://www.authenticvisibility.com

Nancy “Broadcast Your Brilliance” Juetten is a storyteller, workshop leader, and Bye-Bye Boring Bio PLUS! author who shows mission-driven experts how to get seen, heard, celebrated, and COMPEN$ATED for their expert status. Nancy created Bye-Bye Boring Bio PLUS! to guide service professionals, speakers, authors, coaches, and those serious about earning expert status to get ready, get known, and get paid. Leading the Broadcast Your Brilliance Webinar Series and working one-on-one with clients in her Get Known to Get Paid™ Private Mentoring Program are among the most popular ways clients engage to welcome these benefits.  An award-winning copywriter with 12 years of success running her own profitable six-figure business, Nancy has been interviewed in connection with her storytelling and publicity expertise by CNN Radio, National Public Radio, the ABC Radio Network and by engaging and talented radio talk show hosts and information gurus from across America and the world. Nancy’s essential advice is this: “It’s your story. Tell it well.”

Oprah

Oprah is a queen and no one can say a bad word about her. But the story of her last year – the first year when she left network TV to start her OWN network, is instructive.

1. She lost her base. You’d think her loyal followers of 20 years would follow her to cable, but they didn’t. Why? Doesn’t everyone have cable? Is it too hard to switch from Channel 4 to Channel 400 (or whatever)? It doesn’t make sense, but people didn’t follow.
2. She has the world’s biggest platform – 100 percent name recognition and a magazine that keeps her face in front of everyone who shops in a supermarket. But they still didn’t watch her new network. What’s up with that?

3. She’s appearing on other people’s talk shows. She never did that before. She had enough celebrity that she didn’t have to do PR or shill her work. Now she is.

What’s the bottom line lesson?

1. What goes up, can come down.

2. Nothing lasts forever.

3. Don’t take your celebrity for granted.

4. Be nice to the people on the way up because… (you know the rest).

I wish Oprah all the best. She is an amazing person who has helped millions of people directly and indirectly.

If her story can happen to her, it can happen to the rest of us. Oprah has taught us well in the past. Let’s use this lesson to help guide us in the future.

Lois Creamer

By Lois Creamer

“The Great Recession was an event masquerading as a trend.” T. Scott Gross

Scott Gross is a thought-leader. You probably have heard of Scott. He wrote the terrific book on customer service, “Positively Outrageous Service”. He really has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the world of customer service. I think he also has his finger on the pulse of what is happening to speakers and consultants in what I call “the new economy”.

We all know what happened in the speaking industry a few years ago. There are many who are no longer in the business. Simply put, they could not hang on for better days. However, better days did come. I know, and my clients know, that things are better than they were. But no denying, things have changed. I think forever changed.
Years ago, we knew what our calendars looked like a year in advance. Yes, a year in advance. Now, meeting planning may take place a week in advance. We have to be flexible.
When I first started my business, I quoted Connie Podesta, CSP, CPAE. She said “Fee, flee or free.” Meaning, fee – I’ll get my fee. Flee – forget it, I’m outta here. Free – I’ll waive my fee and do the program for free. Times have changed. Even speakers bureaus are asking speakers to negotiate fees. Where does this leave you?
If you work with bureaus, be careful. They expect that a prospect will pay the same if they hire you directly, or, if the bureau brings you the business. I think it’s unethical for you to quote someone one fee over the phone,while expecting a bureau to get full fee every time. If a bureau asks you to negotiate, it’s up to you whether you wish to do so or not. Regardless, I always say anytime someone asks you to GIVE something, you should ASK for something in return. This is, for some, an epiphany! If anyone asks you for example to throw in something like product, you should ask in return .. “If I could do that, what else of value could you offer me?” (I consider that sentence to one of my “phrase that pays”!
If you don’t work with bureaus, I believe you have more latitude when it comes to fees. But you must always approach fees thoughtfully. If you target market, you better be very careful in maintaining fee integrity. Take my business for example. I work with professional speakers and consultants. I swim in a small pond. I cannot vary my fees. People talk in my market, and I always know what they are saying!
I think there are three things you can negotiate and still maintain fee integrity. The three are:

* Time – would you be willing to do an afternoon session in addition to your morning program? Would you do a keynote and a breakout for your keynote fee?
* Expenses – would you be willing to throw in expenses to get your fee? Maybe you can cash in some frequent flier miles.
* Product – are you willing to throw in some product, i.e. books, audios, videos, manuals, to get your fee? Much here depends on what your cost of creating your product is.
Sometimes it makes since to seek creative ways of adding value to get the job. I was being considered to do a sales training for an association that sells services. I knew in order to get the job I would have to lower my fee or add value. I offered to hold a sales teleconference 30 days after the engagement. I would supply a phone number, and anyone who was at the meeting could call in and talk about what was working, what was not working, ask about sales objections, anything they wanted. The association chose me! I didn’t give any on my fee, but I did give them additional time. Guess how many of the 200 who attended the meeting joined me on the one hour call? 10! If you have product, or are willing to do something like I did above, it gives you a little more flexibility when talking fees. It may also allow you to get your full fee.
So, business is down. What are you going to do about it? You can moan and groan and use the economy as an excuse for not working hard, or, you can think of creative approaches to use in your marketplace. I’m choosing the latter. I hope you do too!
—
Lois Creamer. Lois Creamer works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes! She can be reached in the following ways:
Lois@BookMoreBusiness.comTwitter: @loiscreamer
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/loiscreamerLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/loiscreamer
For more information on Lois’ business check out http://www.bookmorebusiness.com as well as http://www.bookmorebusiness.tv!

I saw a marvelous women’s basketball game the other night. My hometown Minnesota Lynx played the Bing Boosts.

At least that’s what their jerseys said.

I had no idea where they were from.

Someone pointed out that they were really from Seattle and their team name was Storm.

Not Bing.

Not Boost.

Apparently the WNBA has sold out. Ads are printed on their uniforms.

While race car drivers and tennis stars have sold the rights to put advertisements on their uniforms, and every football players seems to have a Nike swoosh on their jerseys, no league has gone so far as to remove the name of the real team in favor of a sponsor.

In fact, when I looked at the WNBA store, I saw other teams had co-opted their uniforms. The Bings were not alone.

Oddly enough, I saw a game last year and I just assumed the opposing team was named “Farmers.” I didn’t realize it was an ad!

Does this help branding?

Well, I had never heard of Boost before. So now I know who they are.

Score one for the WNBA.

But as for building the brand identity for the team, I think they fouled out.

How does this relate to you?

Well, do you have a zillion ads on your website or ezine?

Do those ads take away from your main message?

Do those ads confuse the reader?

If so, you might be in danger of ruining your brand in exchange for ad dollars.

There’s a delicate balance.

Be careful not to cross the line.

The lesson for you is to be authentic. Use your voice. You’ll stand out from the crowd and the people who were meant to work with you will know it in their hearts and minds.

It seems they’ve been nominated for “best new website design for a company with less than $100 in revenues” or “best new book” and they need to get as many votes as possible so they can win a button to put on their website.

While I might like to help friends of friends of friends of people I don’t really know, I have to draw the line somewhere.

Here’s why I won’t vote for you.

1.     It’s a stupid award. What are you going to do with the award it if you win? Place a button your site saying you won Best Website Design of the week from fly-by-night.org?
2.     You’re competing against every other person the contest connived into balloting, so what chance do you really have? You might be better off spending a dollar on your state lottery. You might have better odds there.

3.     You do realize this is just a publicity stunt to get new eyeballs to view the contest provider’s site, don’t you? This promotion has absolutely nothing to do with helping you market anything.

4.     You’re destroying your brand value with me. I lose an amount of trust and respect for you because you aren’t doing anything to help me. It’s all about you. That’s not a fair trade.

Of course, I do believe in karma and law of attraction and what goes around will come around. But I consider asking for votes in a bogus contest to be a form of spam. And I’d rather not have that come around. So I’m stopping it dead in its tracks right now.  Please don’t enable the spammers.

Here are 10 ways to improve the re-tweetability of your tweets and reach more prospects.

1.       You don’t have anything to say. People don’t care what you ate for breakfast, where you went for lunch or what cute thing your kid did.

2.       They don’t know you are alive. Start networking, following tweeting and sharing your info. They can’t share what they don’t know about. People love to retweet interesting material. They can do that only if they know about you.

3.       Your tweets are un-retweetable. You all know that Twitter has a limit of 160 characters. But if you use each of those characters, then there’s no room for additional comments or hash tags – the tools that give your tweet a new life.

4.       You promote yourself too much. I don’t care if you’ve just finished an awesome coaching session or delivered and awesome webinar. Yes, you can subtly self- promote, but add value. For example, “Coached a client on how to manage Outlook calendar.” Then link to an article you wrote about that topic. Granted, you can’t say much in 160 characters, but try to focus on the reader, not you.

5.       Signal to noise ratio is way out of line. If marketing messages are noise, then what’s-in-it-for-me info is signal. The unofficial rule of thumb is four signals to one noise. Your audience might have a higher or lower threshold for advertising, so monitor this “rule” closely.

6.       You use long URLs, which eat up too much space in a Tweet. Shorten URLs with tools available on HootSuite and other programs.

7.       You write about religion or politics. Twitter is about business. Business people don’t let their colleagues know what political party they belong to or what church they go to. It’s bad for business. Of course, if you want to alienate 49 percent of your audience and focus on the rest, that’s fine. They will probably retweet your material – and you won’t risk offending anyone.

8.       You don’t use hashtags (#). Those wonderful tic-tac-toe signs can expose your tweets to a targeted audience that can retweet your message to other groups. The hash tag is the most wonderful free publicity tool marketers have.

9.       You are boring. If you can’t think of something good to tweet, then retweet someone who is interesting. They’ll get publicity and you’ll get publicity. As Shakespeare wrote, “The hand that bears the rose retains the scent.” It’s a lazy way to get retweeted but it works!

10.    You aren’t posting regularly. If you have too many things to do (and don’t we all), then use a program like TweetAdder (http://bit.ly/MbCadI) to automate your message distribution and retweet messages from people you trust.

If you follow these free publicity tactics, you’ll have a better chance of getting free publicity for your small business.

Have you ever clicked on an ad?

I’m not sure I’ve ever clicked on an ad, but I do know that they know who I am. Nearly every ad I see is related to publicity. They know I’m a PR guy, not a dance instructor. What else they might know about me is plain scary.

Facebook and Wall Street are betting big bucks that you love to see ads on Facebook.

But the real point of this article is to talk about GM pulling its ad budge from Facebook just days before the company went public.

That’s sending a big message.

Not only does it say that GM doesn’t think that Facebook ads work (and really, would you go to Facebook to buy a truck?) but they gave Facebook a black eye by publicly announcing the move at the time when Facebook was gather a ton of momentum to launch its IPO.

Time will tell who the real winner is here, but here is a good example that disproves the adage, “All publicity is good publicity.”

He’s the only person to have started two Fortune 500 companies – KB Home (originally known as Kaufman and Broad), and SunAmerica.

Along the way he’s become a billionaire (with a b) and a philanthropist. He continues to be a major influence in the art scene in Los Angeles by donating his own money and raising money from others; and spearheading campaigns to build the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Plus he founded The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and three stem cell research centers.

Whew!

So what are his secrets to success?

Be unreasonable.

That’s how he says people describe him.

Or as George Bernard Shaw says:

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.”

After reading his fast-paced book with bite-sized info/motivational chapters, you’ll see that by that definition, Eli is unreasonable. But based on results and world view, I’d have to say this is one of the more reasonable business biographies I’ve read, but the “Art of Being Reasonable” is a not as good a title as the “Art of Being Unreasonable,” which is published by John Wiley.

Well played, Eli.

So what are his key points?
1. Set high goals and don’t let people tell you that you can’t achieve them.
2. Do you homework.
3. Leverage your assets.
4. Take reasonable risks.
5. Defy conventional wisdom.
6. Treat your employees well and motivate them by challenging them.
7. Form alliances and listen to people.

For me, the best chapter was called “Why Not?: The Powerful Question.” We’ve all seen this before, as is in why can’t I do x? But this one rang with authenticity because of the personal case studies and examples. And so much better than the “fake it until you make it” theory found in other books, which were written by non-billionaires.

Also, the chapter on “The Value of Being Second” was a real sceneshifter. This isn’t the Avis vs. Hertz story retold. This shows that when you add value and service you can displace the leader. Well played, Eli.

The best line in the book is attributed to television pioneer David Sarnoff who said “Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in men.” LOL! Eli said competition does bring out the best in people.

All in all, a good book, as Eli shares the benefit of his unconventional thinking.