Work Better, Not Harder

Almost 12 years in business and I don't have a bucket list. In fact, it didn't occur to me to have one until I stumbled across mention of it online. It got me thinking, what is the difference between a business bucket list and business goals? You won't put something on a bucket list unless you're going to make the commitment to do more than thinking about it. By its nature, a bucket list is 'do or die'. Things on a bucket list are like dreams and desires but more hardcore because they also have a personal commitment behind them. A bucket list is a list, not a plan. It's about results, not how to achieve them. Some of the items on it may have to be backed up by significant implementation plans. Is a business bucket list rigid and unchangeable? I'm a fan of flexible goals; it's important to be re-evaluating our goals. That means being able to cross things off without having accomplished them. Is the difference really in our perception of t...

Even when we love to write for our blog or newsletter, staring at a blank screen is bound to happen sooner or later. Here are nine writing prompts to help you get past the blank screen: What do you love most about your business? What are the questions you get asked most often when out networking? What are some of the hot topics in your industry right now? What are some of the challenges you are facing in your industry? What is a great resource, book or app that you’ve been delighted with recently? What recent experience can you turn into a success story or case study? What famous person would you like to get some advice from? Why? Do you have a business bucket list? What’s on it? What recent personal experience has led to a business breakthrough? These questions may not translate directly into a topic for your particular blog but they should get you thinking... follow a thread. photo by juliejordanscott / Flickr Click to Tweet this Article

Buried in a blog post by iContact about the importance of relevant content, I found an interesting little segment about the impact of creative isolation. It's hard to imagine being isolated when we can be online and connected whenever we want. When it comes to writing content, these are the consequences iContact identified: Writing generic copy - this is canned content Going off topic - irrelevant and useless content for the target market Being too clever - impenetrable copy stuffed with industry buzzwords and jargon Staring at a blank screen - forcing creativity doesn't work These things happen to me when I... stop looking at results (what are people reading) am too busy to read articles by other experts am not talking to people in my target market The solution? Do more of these things! photo by bionicteaching / Flickr Click to Tweet this Article

Getting other people to share our information is hard work, whether it is a blog post or a workshop announcement. We can be more successful when someone sends an email to a friend or retweets a message about our next event. Whatever our important information is, getting it out to a broader audience is a key marketing goal . I share a lot of information relevant to my small business market via several different methods. When I want to share someone's sale announcement or event details, I'm sometimes frustrated by how hard it is and, unless it's a friend or client, I'm likely to give up before too long. Here are three suggestions for making your information (event, sale campaign, product launch, and so on) more easily shared. Put the information somewhere on a page of its own. Ideally this would be your website but might also be a blog post, Facebook event, EventBrite listing or any number of other ways to get your information online. A unique url is the goal so...

"My newsletter isn't doing anything for me." Over the years I've heard many different versions of this same sentiment, usually accompanied by a big sigh. A month or so later, the newsletters stop. A newsletter does not make a marketing plan. And sending out a newsletter is only a small part of a content marketing strategy . To be successful, there are other related things you need to be doing. Here's a checklist to help you identify what actions to take to improve your results. If you're not doing these things, that's why success is eluding you. Have a sign-up form on a landing page you can promote (i.e. with its own url) so you can actually get complete strangers as new subscribers. Promote your newsletter on social media, your blog, your website and everywhere else, including not online. If you don't actively build your list, it will stagnate. Actively share your newsletter issues on social media multiple times to extend your readersh...

UPDATE Dec-9-18: LinkedIn no longer allows exporting of your contact's email addresses. "Can I add my LinkedIn contacts to my email list?" I get asked this a lot with regard to the Canadian Anti Spam Legislation (CASL). And my answer is exactly the same if you are planning to send only one individual LinkedIn contact a message - both fall under CASL. Can you? Yes, it's not hard to do - Google 'exporting LinkedIn contacts' for instructions. Should you? Like any other marketing activity, consider the implications. Review your LinkedIn list and remove people for whom your information isn't relevant. Know your target market and use common sense. Think about your target market's perceptions; many people do not know the legal definition of spam... but think they do. Is it legal? Implied consent applies when businesses sell to other businesses (B2B). The email you are sending must be relevant to the person's job at the organization they wo...