A few weeks ago, my 8-year-old daughter, Caitlin, had her first team softball practice. Her coach brought in a couple extra coaches to go over fundamentals – proper throwing motion, how to stand in the batter’s box, how to swing the bat, etc. The coach who was teaching a good batting stance had obviously been around the block. He was an older guy who knew his stuff.
Read more...Why Unsubscribes Are Not a Sign of the Apocalypse
I have to admit, I used to get pretty bummed when someone would unsubscribe from my blog. Especially if it was a former client, a decent prospect, or someone who I had a good conversation with at a networking event. The notion that certain people did not find my content riveting was unfathomable. In some […]
Read more...Is Your Call-to-Action Wishful Thinking?
A few weeks ago, I shopped for a car for the first time in seven years. I wasn’t looking for a particular brand or model. I just wanted a small SUV that I could lease on the cheap with no money out of pocket. I used email and chat on a bunch of dealerships’ websites to get a few quotes. My goal was to avoid visiting multiple dealerships. I made this clear to each dealership I contacted.
Read more...As You Chase Google Algorithms, Are You Leaving Your Audience Behind? (Part 2)
In the previous article, I aired my frustration about marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) “consultants” who tell their clients that the quality of their marketing content is secondary… In this article, I want to focus on another trend that tends to abandon audiences in favor of feeding the Google beast. This one involves an editorial calendar – the schedule of topics for blogs, newsletters, videos, podcasts, etc. – that’s completely fixated on Google.
Read more...As You Chase Google Algorithms, Are You Leaving Your Audience Behind? (Part 1)
I’ve noticed two troubling trends that motivated me to write this article. The first involves “consultants” telling business owners that the quality of their content isn’t very important. They’re just trying to improve their client’s search rankings, so as long as they get the keywords in there, quality really doesn’t matter. The second involves editorial calendars that are driven completely by search engine optimization (SEO). In other words, every topic is chosen based on keyword research and search popularity.
Read more...Newsletter or Blog? Wrong Question.
Should I do a newsletter or blog? Which is better? I have this conversation all the time with clients who want to find the magic formula for getting their content in front of people, earning their trust and generating sales leads. Problem is, people tend to get so hung up on the label that they overlook what’s most important.
Read more...The Ron Swanson Guide to Marketing: 9 Quotes to Live or Die By
He loves breakfast food, meat, the outdoors and privacy. He hates government, vegetables, human interaction and his ex-wives. He buries gold. He builds chairs. He moonlights as jazz saxophonist Duke Silver. And deep down, he’s a marketing genius, although he would likely scoff at the notion. He’s Ron Swanson, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana.
Read more...How the Right Marketing Content Can Speed Up the Sales Process
Everybody gets the “know, like and trust” component of good marketing content. But most companies don’t recognize how good marketing content – and bad marketing content – affect the sales process. Bad marketing content lacks clarity. It’s filled with shameless self-promotion instead of helpful information. There’s no strategy behind the subject matter, the distribution, or how to incorporate content into your sales arsenal. That ain’t helping anyone close a sale.
Read more...Tired of Dealing with the Wrong Clients? Blame Your Marketing, Not Your Clients.
How much time do you spend each day on work that you really don’t want to be doing? Do you have clients who, if you had a choice, you’d rather not be working with? When you launched your company, is this the kind of business you envisioned for yourself? This is a common conundrum for small business owners.
Read more...7 Ways a Business Blog Generates Legit Business Leads
I constantly talk about the value of a business blog, whether I’m meeting people at a networking event or discussing a project with a client. Yes, I make money by writing blog articles for companies that use their business blog as a strategic marketing tool. But I’m such a big believer in business blogging because of my own firsthand experiences. My blog is the reason I was able to take my business full-time and keep it going for the past five years or so. It’s my biggest revenue generator.
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