Work Better, Not Harder

It's not secret, magic or special but it IS important. If you don't start your content strategy with these steps, you'll be thinking about them later... perhaps too late. Click to Tweet this Article

You know that a killer marketing campaign is critical to your event's success. But, wow, it's a lot of work! While every event marketing project I take on is a little different, there is a general process I follow to create the marketing collateral. Creating the various items in an overlapping sequence allows me to save time...  and my clients to save money. Perhaps my process can give you some ideas to improve your productivity, too. #1. Assemble, create and edit all the components of the marketing message. This includes things like logos, graphics and images, taglines and text, biographies, PayPal button code, and ALL the logistics, such as date, location and price. #2. Create and edit images. Canva for Work doesn’t give you all the power of Photoshop but it pulls its weight when it comes to productivity. I can quickly make a whole raft of sizes and versions to suit every online or print need. #3. Create the email message in a bulk email program. I usually s...

A recent iContact webinar listed "lack of presentation skills" among the top content marketing challenges . The others are no time, fear, and lack of imagination. The term "presentation skills" makes me think of PowerPoint, not online marketing. It's certainly an apt description but what does it mean specifically? Technical skills related to using software applications Technical skills related to graphic design Creativity and an eye for design Hyper-attention to detail If you don't excel at these things, you should be delegating them to someone who does... and spend your time doing what you do best. An expert will help you overcome those other challenges , too! photo by alexander.lissa / Flickr Click to Tweet this Article

You know that awkward feeling when someone you don't know very well blurts out something really personal? Too much information, you think. Email marketing can be like that, too. I received this message on Facebook from Earl Smith - TMG The Mortgage Group : What do you think of personal life content within a professional newsletter? I've been told by an enewsletter service provider that it's a "necessity" They believe that, by having a little bit of personal content in each newsletter, it connects with your clients better. Examples they give are photos of you with your kids briefly describing an activity you did. Photo of your dog playing in the snow with a caption. Describing a trip you recently took. I understand the theory but wanted to get another perspective on this method. I disagree that it's a necessity and here's why. It all depends on your marketing strategy. Your strategy should reflect your personality but that doesn't mean it h...

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The devil is in the details when it comes to planning an event. There's so much that can go wrong just in the marketing of it. For instance, there's nothing like a wrong date for generating a flurry of emails. Wednesday, April 19th... oops, April 19th is a Tuesday! It helps to have a planner so I made one - download fillable PDF here . It really has 2 purposes: To ensure all the details are captured in one place and can be easily referenced. To communicate the details to others who will help market the event. Tips: Once you identify your marketing platforms, you can create a more detailed campaign plan which includes messaging and frequency. Don't forget the visual! It's so important to have an image that connects with your ideal customer. The platforms you identify will also determine your image requirements (different sizes). Double-check the details and proof all the text, especially if you'll be sharing your planner with others. The informati...

When it comes to email marketing, the most important lessons aren't necessarily common sense. I've had a few a-ha moments along the way. If you are struggling to get results from your efforts, perhaps you'll find the reason and solution here. #1. While you might say you can sell to anyone, you can't create an email campaign that will appeal to everyone. Don't waste your time trying - diluted content is boring. Identify the best niche within your overall target market and create your newsletter for them. #2. Give subscribers what THEY want, not what you want to give them. Start with what would be useful or interesting for your target market , then compare that to your goals to find a sweet spot. #3. What can you give your subscribers that they can't get anywhere else?  Identify that, find a way to deliver it, and you've got it made. #4. Don't hide your unsubscribe link. You want your readers to know they can signal their lack of interes...

How's your static content? Say what? Yup, I'm inventing new words to categorize all those things many of us small business owners call 'marketing stuff'. The word 'content' is part of my everyday vocabulary but maybe not part of yours yet. Whether you call it content or stuff, it represents you, your business and your brand to everyone that encounters it . There are lots of ways to slice and dice content but one important distinction is whether it is dynamic or static. Dynamic content is new and ever changing - the articles and videos you create, the messages you post on Facebook and Twitter, your newsletter, and so on. Static content includes the messages you create once and continue to use. Things like your tagline and advertising text, everything on your website, your social media profiles, business cards, and so on. While you're busy working on your dynamic content all the time, it's easy to forget about that static content. You might ...

This article by Debi Hartlen MacDonald ( New Life Business Solutions ) was published in our newsletter in 2012. I keep having to go find it to refer to - yes, it's that good - so I asked Debi if I could share it with you here on our blog. Here goes... 1. The Pain or the Challenge - What is the pain that your prospect wants to address, as it relates to your product?  My example: "I help small business owners who are working their buns off and not making the strides in their business that they want to."  2. Desired Outcome - What result does your prospect want?  My example: "I help clients attract more clients, make more money, and have more free time."  3. Solution - What do you do that helps them solve this problem?  My example: "I help clients create focused, well thought out, and clearly defined sales and marketing strategies."  4. Why Choose You - What makes you different from your competition?  My example: "Unlike other ...

There are so many things to consider and details to look after when it comes to email marketing that the big picture can easily be lost. Here is what small business owners like us always need to keep in mind: #1. You want your subscribers to be from your target market , or have influence with your target market. #2. To get and keep those subscribers, your content - whether it's articles or advertisements - needs to be interesting or useful to your target market. Let me repeat that: your content is for your target market. Which means it's not about you - and doesn't even have to be about what you do . If you are starting out, before you think about what you want to include, first think about what your subscribers would want. If you can find an answer to this question, you've got it made: What can you give your target market that they can't get anywhere else? Click to Tweet this Article

You really want to know what your clients think about your business. And getting suggestions and feedback from your subscribers would be a bonus. An electronic survey seems like the perfect solution. The reality is that only some of your close friends and fans will complete a survey because there is something in it for them (helping you). But you likely already know what they think. What's in it for everyone else? Stop and answer that question before you go any further. Ask for only what you absolutely need . The inclination will be to ask a lot of questions. But the more questions you ask, the less likely someone will be to complete your survey. For each question, think about what you will do with the result. If there is no action you will take, don't ask the question. To help whittle down your questions, consider what you would be comfortable asking if you were to do the survey by phone with your best customer. Offer an incentive. Expect to pay to get ...

You might be the nicest person in the world to work with. You might be the best at your craft. You might offer the greatest value for money. You might do all the right things. But your potential customers won't know that unless your personality and 'secret sauce' come through in your marketing. Marketing is progressing beyond words and pictures... to actions. Did you reply to that Facebook comment? Have you kept to the schedule you've promised your blog or newsletter readers? Are you regularly sharing your expertise with others, without expectation of something in return? Are you making people laugh? And are you there to share in it? photo by Art Dino / Flickr Click to Tweet this Article

These are our top picks of the best guest articles from the Work Better, Not Harder newsletter during 2015, not in any particular order. Essential Elements of Storytelling Neil Everton, Podium Media and Communications Coaching The heart of storytelling is the hero-quest: Luke Skywalker and the forces of good battling Darth Vader and the forces of evil (and rescuing the princess). Any compelling story has four essential elements.  Read on... Adding Audio to Your Content Natasha Marchewka Voiceover Services Have you considered adding audio to your blog or enewsletter? Adding audio to marketing adds to the multi-media dimension, offering readers more for engagement.  Read on... The Eggnog Challenge Steve Foran, Gratitude at Work The Eggnog Challenge put an end to a hotly debated subject in our house... which eggnog is the best. I discovered a treacherous danger in comparison... a danger I've before never considered.  Read on... How to Make a ‘Thank You’ Spe...

Rushing can lead to mistakes. We all know that but still we rush. Sometimes it simply means spending valuable time redoing something. Haste can waste more than time.  It can also hurt my reputation if my mistakes are public. A little risk assessment before we start hurrying can save us heartbreak. I'll risk my time but I won't needlessly risk my reputation. Sometimes just showing up isn't enough. Click to Tweet this Article

Many people have yet to embrace the concept of content management. I'm going to show you a simple way to get your arms around it, and keep them firmly gripped. First, print or use this fillable worksheet (or draw 3 columns on a sheet of paper) and grab a pen. OK, don't overthink this - it shouldn't take any more than 10 minutes. Content for Different Places In the first column, make a quick list of all the places you have (or need to have) content. Examples of things on this list might be your website, blog, newsletter, social media posts, social media profiles, ezines, brochures, profiles on membership websites, other people's blogs/newsletters, and so on. Content for Different Purposes In the second column, capture your reasons for having content ... your goals. This is not a list where you brainstorm - it's where you focus on your main goals. Otherwise you'll be too scattered. Some examples: to be seen as an expert, to build relationships, to ha...