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Fellow blogger Brad McCarty has a very interesting and useful post on social media, sparked by TWiT’s Leo Laporte anti-social media rant. It’s worth a read, especially if you are a fan of social media, as Brad defends its corner in a tight way.

But I think his last sentence is the key: “It’s your time, so spend it how you choose.”

Social media will work for the right people in the right circumstances, but there’s no denying that it can take time. Not just in terms of learning as much as possible about how to use each social media outlet, but also taking the time to ‘know’ your audience and give them what they want as well as work out how best to deliver it via social networking.

Moreover, I think it’s worth asking yourself what you want to get out of social media. Far too often, people jump on the bandwagon that’s carrying the latest craze without stopping to work out WHY they’re joining up in the first place.

So, if someone were to ask you what you want to get out of social media, would you know instantly?

Once you are clean on your objectives, then surely you are better placed to come up with a strategy for a better return on your investment … of time.

What do you think — is it time to re-think your own approach to social media?

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Do you struggle with your marketing? Or perhaps you need to increase the response of your advertising or your website?

Well, take a leaf from Socrates’ book (or clay tablet, as it was centuries ago)…

Socrates was perhaps the greatest master of persuasion. His tactic was to get people to agree with him, or concede their side of the argument, belief, or debate, by getting them to say “yes”. He would do this by asking questions that people would simply have to answer in the affirmative. And he’d do this over and over until they agreed with him!

How does this help you?

By getting your prospects to agree with your statements or questions, then each time they do they are one step closer to becoming a buyer.

Why not try this ‘Socrates Method’ in your advertising and marketing, and see what happens? Oh, and feel free to report any findings here.

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Here’s a question I received from reader Latoya Pennant, which, along with my answer, I though you might find helpful:

Question: “How can I write clearly and concisely?”

Answer: I cover this in detail in my TeleClass Better Writing Skills 101 – Write Your Way to Blockbuster Results and BOOST Business to Boot. Basically, it’s about using simple language (not using ‘utilise’ or ‘employ’ when ‘use’ will do, for example), writing short sentences and paragraphs, and sticking to one main point in your communication.

For example, compare this sentence: “High-quality, high-yield learning environments are a necessary precondition for facilitation and enhancement of the ongoing learning process.”

With this: “Students need good schools if they are to learn properly.”

The latter is much clearer and to the point. As a result, it’s also a LOT easier to understand than the gobbledygook in the first sentence.

Almost anything or anyone can be written about using plain English. That doesn’t mean you have to ‘dumb down’ your writing. Rather, just make sure you really think about the message you wish to impart and keep things simple. Don’t just write words willy-nilly. You have to make every single word count.

Also, make sure you write in logical sentences and paragraphs that can be easily understood. That way, your writing will be much better received … and more effective.

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Now that the initial dust has settled on the budget it is time to take a serious look at your cash flow. Yes, granted some of the measures introduced –– higher rates of tax, reductions in relief, increased employer NICs –– raise the anxiety barometer, but there are specific tactics that can help keep your business afloat (and help reduce your blood pressure):

1. Cut Debt via Efficient Invoicing. Most companies have a monthly bill cycle, but if you were to invoice as soon as projects are completed, then you could effectively improve your cash flow by 30 days. Better still, offer an incentive to bill a client at the beginning of the project. Try to better manage late-payers, too. Invoices should be re-issued a limited number of times, and if payment still isn’t forthcoming then consider a more serious course of action.
2. Attract More Customers. If you rely heavily on just one or two major clients and you suddenly lose them, then your income may well go below zero overnight. Your business will be much safer if you have a large client base. That way, if a client goes bankrupt and can’t (or won’t) pay and  that represents 10 per cent of your income, you still have a heart-relieving 90 per cent of left.
3. Encourage Long-Term Retainers. Not every job need be a one-off. Charging a retainer fee for a regular type of work –– such as blog ghost-writing, SEO or website maintenance –- can give your business security when it comes to cash flow. Clients may be encouraged to work on a retainer basis with you if you offer them a discount on your usual fees on account of the fact that the work will be consistent. Most people charge up front for retainer work (ie, in advance at the beginning of each month).
4. Prioritise Your Workload. Organisation and time management is a challenge for any freelancer or small-business-owner, but to keep your cash flow healthy you need to keep focused AND prioritise the ‘high-yield’ income earners. This means doing the work that will bring you the most cash in the least amount of time first BEFORE you check your blog or Facebook page. Completing billable work is always your cash-flow’s best friend.
5. Outsource. Taking on someone with the skills and experience of a good copywriter, say, as an employee is prohibitively expensive. This is especially true as copywriting isn’t your typical day-to-day, full-year activity for most organisations. Which is why outsourcing to a freelance or self-employed professional makes sound financial sense. By varying the type and amount of services you buy in, you’re paying only for the actual skills needed. Additional benefits include no overtime, sick or holiday leave to pay, no PAYEE or national insurance to fork out for, no recruitment or training costs and no paying for people sitting at their desk twiddling their thumbs when there’s a shortage of projects.

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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 

Despite the official end to the recession, the UK’s economy is still wavering and the immediate future looks anything BUT bright. So it’s little wonder if you’re feeling like most people in business; looking over your shoulder, wondering if you’re next in line to lose your job. If you own a business, then it’s likely you’re worried about the latest ’sales slump’. One thing is for sure; you can’t afford to be complacent right now. You absolutely MUST continue to market … perhaps more aggressively than ever before. (See my blog post, Business Survival Tools: Don’t Get Left Behind: http://TwitPWR.com/au6/)

The lead article in MediaMinister’s latest newsletter, Communiqué for Success, shows you how you can promote yourself in new, creative and low-cost (or F.R.E.E.) ways to bring customers through the door in ANY economy.

To read the full article and gain *hidden links* to recent CfS newsletter editions, you’ll have to become a subscriber. (That’s a good thing, by the way, or so CfS readers tell me!) As well as being FREE, you’ll receive a business-building report and audio CD that can dramatically improve sales simply for signing up and trying it out.

Subscribe here.

(You can unsubscribe at any time, and I NEVER abuse my subscriber’s email address. Your details are safe with me.)

Recent CfS newsletter issues cover:

Subscribe here.

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There’s still time to nominate your favourite female entrepreneur or business-owner. Although I’m not associated in any way with the awards (apart from being a bonafide woman and possible entrant — hint, hint!), these can open doors for nominees and winners alike.

The NatWest EveryWoman Awards were created to celebrate “the woman behind the business, her personal successes and achievements and how she individually inspires others.” Judging by past winners standards, this year should see some remarkably strong women contenders.

Visit the awards web page to find out more or to nominate. Entries close 30 July 2010.

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If you read copy written by someone other than a copywriter, chances are it will scream Features! Features! Features! OK, features are a very good thing indeed and, yes, readers do need to know about them. But not all of them. And NOT right up front.

Instead, you need to do what every good copywriter 
MUST do in order to educate or make the sale: turn features into benefits, and put those benefits at the beginning of your copy.

These benefits must be tied into your readers’ desires, needs and wants. So, when you solve your readers’ problems, they’ll go looking for the features — meaning they WILL bother to read the rest of your marketing message.

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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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I received the following question recently, which sums up a lot of the queries I receive from both clients and prospects alike:

”I’m having trouble attracting people to my website, more specifically opt-in members for my list. Can you help?“

I’d like to share a recent post I wrote in response, but will add another tip in the wake of the social-media craze…

>>>

Answer: There are a myriad ways of achieving your goals. Here are a some to get you going:

1.  Make sure your website is targeted for your ideal customer, using language and ‘triggers’ that will appeal accordingly.
2. Optimise your web pages, especially your home page, using SEO (search engine optimisation) techniques to drive more search engines to your site, and help your visibility among the search results.
3. Start a blog, and link back to your website. Search engines love fresh content, and writing regular blog posts is an excellent way of keeping them happy.
4. Make sure your newsletter sign-up box appears not only on your web pages, but also your blog.
5. Make it worthwhile subscribing to your ezine –– just because it’s free is no longer a valid reason.
6. Write articles and submit them to online article directories. Make sure your ‘author bio’ or resource box features a live hyperlink to your newsletter, and offer a gift to subscribe.
7. Use Google Adwords to get qualified traffic. Make sure the landing page is suitably targeted.

Hopefully, this little lot should be enough to get you started and keep you busy for a while! Good luck, and let us know how you get on…

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Another relatively quick and easy way to grow your database is to make full use of social media. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn seem to be the top three social networks. But if you don’t know where to start or are unsure whether social media is ‘right’ for your business, then you need to read one of the most popular feature articles ever seen in my newsletter, Communiqué for Success. You’ll need to 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: http://twitpwr.com/44Q/

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