MarketingMoment

For this week’s main article, I want to turn back the clock to a feature I originally wrote for MediaMinister’s newsletter, Communiqué for Success. Although a few years have passed since, it is still as relevant now as it was then.

The two-part article takes a look at ten of the major lessons learned in marketing, and how they can help ANY entrepreneur or business-owner when the calendar turns to the next year.

You can read part one here.

I hope you enjoy reading it, and please do post any questions in the comments box below … or, indeed, any other insights that may help other readers. Thank you.

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The holidays are nigh upon us. Have you done your Christmas shopping yet (smug? Moi? Actually, I haven’t managed to get it all done. Still a few bits and pieces to get yet. Heyelp!)? If not, for last-minute gifts for people anywhere in the world you can’t beat ‘flexi’ vouchers. Click here to read more: http://tinyurl.com/y2cfce. 

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From time to time, I like to post a little inspiration on this blog…

Today, in memory of my wonderful mother, whose light went out in this world 11 years ago today (yet who still lives on forever in my heart and my memories), I would like to share this lovely little movie clip:

http://www.thedashmovie.com/

Wherever you are today, I urge you to please take some time out to reflect on who or what matters to you most, be grateful for all the good things you have in your life, and make a pact to start living it with the passion it deserves.  :)

Picture by ‘madhavan’ via stock.xchng

As this is my first post of 2011, I have to officially say … HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So we have a new year ahead of us and we are going to make it count. No ifs. No buts. We are, and we jolly well will! 

That means taking time to look at the next 6-12 months and decide what you want for yourself AND your business. Then, once you know what that is, think long and hard about this: What do you have to do or become to get there?

For example, many solopreneurs tell me they want to start a second stream of income or grow their existing business by leaps and bounds, but they admit they don’t have the self-discipline to make it happen. They may have learned all the right things to do, they tell me, but DOING them is another matter.

To get help with this, do what I do: Learn from the best. Enrol yourself in a mentoring programme. It’s the commitment, accountability, CONTINUAL support, guidance and feedback that will make the biggest difference in your success.

This is precisely why I’m so excited about the year ahead. My business coach and I are making BIG plans for my business in 2011, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a rather SPLENDID year.

I wish you the same, along with everything that your heart desires in 2011.

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As anyone who knows me well will testify, I’m not great at blowing my own horn (unless I happen to be in the car and some ‘white-van man’ cuts me up in a wreckless and dangerous fashion). So today I am about to change all that (for today, at least).

One of the best things about my working life is receiving feedback from my clients. (And the lovelier it is, then all the better!)

Knowing that my clients are satisfied with the work I produce makes me happy, too. And, let’s face it, when you are working ‘home alone’ on your own, it can be wonderfully motivating to get a nice pat on the back every now and then.

So here’s a rather nice extract from an email I received today from one of my favourite clients in response to the very first draft of the copy I submitted:

 “You are one truly talented writer…

“You’ve managed to capture the essence of our business
and the copy is quite simply stunning.
When can we book you again?”

Awww, that’s nice.

Expect to see further shameless plugs from time to time at a blog near you…

(And if you happen to have anything nice to say, please don’t hold back!)

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Picture by ‘plain’ via stock.xchng

Laughter is the best medicine, or so people say, and, in light of this being a bleary-eyed Tuesday I thought I’d share some of my favourite headline howlers (which, believe it or not, are taken from actual newspapers):

1. Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
2. Miners Refuse to Work After Death
3. Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
4. Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted
5. Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case
6. Survivor of Siamese Twins Joins Parents 
7. Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge

Do you know any other howlers? Or perhaps, on the flip side, you’ve been suitably impressed by a newspaper’s headline… Please share using the comments link below. I hope to compile the best (and worst!) ones for a future post.

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Tags: headlines, English grammar gaffes, headline howlers, funny headline 

Picture by Clix via stock.xchng

According to internet marketing master Marlon Sanders, the top six ways to drive traffic to your websites are:

1. Getting affiliates to promote your products to their lists.
2. Article marketing — see http://bit.ly/9eMN3j and http://bit.ly/9KpIfn for more information.
3. Buying ads in other people’s ezines.
4. Search engine optimisation (SEO) — to generate more organic traffic.
5. Google Ad Words — and other pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
6. Banner advertising — once dismissed, now making a comeback.

Here are a few others you might want to try: joint ventures (JVs) … co-registration … social media/networking … PR … postcard marketing … blogging.

Source: Bob Bly email, 1/7/09

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Once upon a time, before I managed so many businesses (www.MediaMinister.co.uk and www.advantageinc.co.uk being the chief ‘runners’), I was known to donate a lot of my time helping other entrepreneurs and business-owners. Perhaps too much time, in retrospect.

I’d take on voluntary roles and tasks, and always be ready to offer help and advice to those that sought it. But lately, I’ve had to be a bit, well, mean…

As nice as it is to meet interesting people over coffee (if you’re lucky) or lunch (if you’re REALLY lucky), I’ve had to put my foot down and say no to those who want to meet up to ‘pick my brain’ (what a horrible image that conjures up!). I simply don’t have the time or the energy. Besides, I wouldn’t expect my lawyer to give me free and impartial advice in exchange for a few hours of my undying attention. Actually, I can almost hear his response: “Of course you can pick my brain . . . for £250 an hour.” 

Psychologists and behaviorists have observed that women in business tend to fall into the trap of giving away our time and ideas for free because we’re afraid to ask for compensation. Being the ‘carers’ in society (and presumably in business), we are almost conditioned to WANT to help people. But ultimately there is the danger that we end up feeling overwhelmed and undervalued — especially if we try to be everything to everyone, or simply give too much of ourselves away.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I’m too busy to help people full stop. I still relish the idea of being able to share my opinions, knowledge, ideas and experiences in the hope it will make a difference to someone’s life or business. That’s why I publish a newsletter and am active on social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s why I do teleclasses/workshops and produce business-building tools. It’s why I always try to help as many people as I can. And it’s why I am a blogger.

It’s a well-worn, clichéd ‘win-win situation’ for everyone — my ‘reach’ is extended so more people benefit and my ‘life-balance’ is a little kinder thanks to the freed-up time I have stolen back from no longer partaking in ‘pick-my-brain-for-free’ meetings. 

What about you? How do you deal with the ‘brain-picker’? I’d love to hear your thoughts — especially if you are a fellow consultant or freelancer.

• Related post: Are You Investing Your Time Wisely?

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Sometimes, it can seem as if the world is conspiring against you and your marketing efforts. But not if you use a time-tested powerful headline.

In the world of marketing communications, both online or offline, your headline can lead to marketing success … or failure. Copywriting and marketing pros alike turn to certain headline formulas that they know will always work well.

In the lead article in MediaMinister’s latest newsletter, Communiqué for Success,  I present my favourites, and show you how you can use each one in your own marketing. To read “Top Proven Headlines to Boost Sales” as well as the rest of the ezine, please sign up first. (You can unsubscribe at any time, and I NEVER abuse my subscriber’s email address. Your details are safe with me.)

Subscribe here.

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For every 80p spent on health promotion and intervention programmes, £4 can be saved due to reduced absenteeism, temporary staff and improved motivation, says The European Network for Workplace Health Promotion.

Which is one of the reasons The Sussex Active & Healthy Workplace Initiative has launched the ’small grants scheme’. This has been set up specifically to help Sussex-based businesses improve the health and well-being of their workforce, and to “support employers to make a positive change by increasing the opportunities available to employees throughout Sussex and working towards improving the health of the local workforce”.

These businesses will also be supported through the Active & Healthy Workplace programme giving them access to many additional benefits.

For more information or to apply for your grant, visit www.sussexsport.org (all grant applications must be received by Friday 30 April).

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