Paper & Pen

Perhaps you’ve heard of these items from the olden days.

In today’s digital world we don’t rely on paper and pen very much. But personally, I love my handy-dandy notebook and pen for my online business for a few reasons:

• Writing things down on paper means full concentration. There are no Internet distractions with good old fashioned paper.  No Twitter, YouTube or email.

• You get time to really review and think before you publish anything in digital format. Normally, you log into WordPress, type something and hit publish without much though. Paper gives you the opportunity for more well thought out content and copy.

• It’s accessible anytime. I have an iPhone and it has built in notes, but it’s not quite the same. Getting my thoughts out on paper whenever the need arises just feels right. It’s also easy to refer to and add ideas. Some of my best notebook pages are a mess of crossed out ideas, arrows and extra notes. It’s how my brain works!

Now, I’m not saying I write everything on paper before I publish it. It’s just an extra tool for organizing thoughts and ideas…and sometimes comes in very handy.

Here’s what I use paper and pen for:

• Business planning. I take stock in what I’ve going on, what can stay, what I can do better and what needs to be scrapped.

• Promotion planning. I work out a schedule for promotions, what emails will be written (and what will be said) and any freebies that need to be put together.

• Content ideas. I love making lists of topic ideas (you know, an editorial calendar). It makes it easier to crank out the content later when I’m in a writing mood.

• Article and blog post writing. I get paper out when I’m having trouble focusing, am out and about. Sometimes I write full articles and other times, just point form ideas.

• To do lists. Again, we’ve got all kinds of digital options for to do lists, but writing it on paper makes me slow down and think about if something really belongs on my to do list.

Keeping Your Notebook Organized:

If you’re using a notebook for all kinds of things I mentioned above, it can become a mish-mashed mess and you might prefer to have a few notebooks. Personally, I work from one notebook. I find it simpler, easier to carry around and refer to whenever I need. My high-tech and very sophisticated trick is simply to use post-it flags. The flags make it easy to find my current to-do list, my business plan, editorial calendar, etc. The folks at 3M are geniuses.

Of course, we’ve all got our own preference, but if you haven’t used paper and pen in a while, I highly recommend it. The focus, the extra time to think and brainstorm…it’s priceless.

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Does Your Content Have Purpose?

So big question, hey? No, I’m not talking about whether your content is deep, meaningful and will cause a life-changing epiphany for your readers.

Not at all…good content doesn’t have to be your life’s work or anything close to it.If you’re writing content for business purposes, it simply needs to serve a need for your readers…and in turn, how does it benefit your business?

A few days ago Annette, gave us some advice on using an editorial calendar and Kathryn provided more tips for planning your content.

All that planning is all well and good, but what I’m wondering is if you have a reason WHY you publish your content? It may not be something you think about consciously, but if you’re creating content, having a PURPOSE for that content is going to go a long way for you and your business. Because let’s face it, publishing content for content’s sake is only going to drain your time and/or wallet. So instead, consciously think about the purpose for each piece of content you publish.

Here are some purposes that your content might serve:

Search Engine Food: Get people to find your site through keyword searches that lead to highly targeted content pages. In other words, create content the subjects your target market is readily searching for.

Word-of-Mouth Material: Content that gets people talking candrive traffic. Whether it’s informative, entertaining or controversial, it can build traffic and readership.

Pre-Sell Material: Pre-sell your readers on your products or services. For example, if you sell a potty designed for easier toddler training, write articles on potty training that talk about your product, publish reviews, show product comparisons, etc.

Ethical Bribes: Quality information can serve as an ethical bribe to get someone on your list. If you sell debt consulting services, give your readers something they can use to learn more about solving their debt issues. For example, a report on understanding your credit, information on how creditors actually work against debtors, etc.

Establishment of Expertise: Content can establish your expertise, so that people will call on you to work with them. Whether it’s as a contractor or contributing author, good content can get you noticed. Put together a report, publish articles, make guest blog posts that highlight your skills and knowledge. Just make sure the people who read the content know how to join your mailing list, request your products and services.

Reader Satisfaction: There’s something to be said about keeping your current readers satisfied. They come to expect certain quality from you, so deliver that. If you use content to build an audience and generate sales, do it with some consistency. That doesn’t mean YOU have to write day in and day out. You can employ ghostwriters, use PLR or guest writers.

Customer Relationships: Content for customers that helps them consume your products, make BETTER use of them and shows how further products can help them is a win-win for all. Give them a surprise bonus guide that shares stories from other parents who successfully used the potty (and include information on other helpful products for parents of toddlers). Or give them even further strategies and introduce products that will help your clients reduce their debt even faster.

A Product to Sell: Of course some content is a product itself. Sell ebooks, checklists, resources, spreadsheets…whatever satisfies your target market’s wants and desires.

So what purpose does YOUR content serve? Are you just publishing content because you heard it was a good idea…or do you have a purpose?

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If Email Marketing Dies, I’ll Eat My Shoe

A few weeks ago, I gave you some encouragement when you just don’t feel like blogging (it’s OKAY!), And in that post, I honed in on an area that deserves plenty of your attention…and that’s email marketing.

And a little later, in my sheer frustration at people who claim email marketing is dead or at least dying some slow death, I asked social media enthusiasts to look at the big picture.

In that post, I mentioned that email runs across all platforms (i.e. you don’t have to be on Twitter to get your messages…people have choice of pop3s, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) and for the online business owner, it also provides:

• Private communication: It’s how your customers can ask questions and get support. And even if you use a ticket system, it’s still in conjunction with email. And yes, while some companies provide basic help to customers through Twitter and other platforms, detailed and private help comes directly through you.

• Privileged communication: Let’s face it, our customers should be treated in a privileged manner. They’ve shown they’re interested and that they are willing to spend money. You want to give them special offers, advanced access and other perks you don’t give to just anyone who becomes a Facebook fan. You can make a TON of cash, just by treating your customers better than everyone else.

• Direct communication of any length: No 140 character limits with email. Say what you want and how you want to say it…no extra clicks to the sale required. THAT is priceless.

• Continuous access: Not everyone checks email every day, but you can bet that IN GENERAL the consistency with the average individual checks it is more consistent than with social media accounts. Of course, there are exceptions for those who live and breathe social media, but we’re talking about the general public here. And yes of course, you need to understand your own market to know what is best for you and for them.

But if that’s not enough for you, here are a couple more reasons why email isn’t going anywhere:

- It’s how people often communicate when more depth and detail is needed. And for many, it’s the only or main way they communicate online.

- It’s how people are notified of their new messages in social media and other collaborative sites. You can bet social media sites are sending out a TON of automated notifications via email each and every day.

For some reason, people feel lower delivery rates (due to aggressive spam filters) has somehow put a nail into the coffin for email. While deliverability is an issue, you have the same issue when it comes to social media sites (not everyone will see your tweet, update, etc.) and many will never drop by or open their RSS feed to read your blog post.

The fact remains, despite some challenges, email is an important part of just about every net savvy person’s life…

Even Facebook is Getting in on the Email Game

You may have heard that Facebook is rumored to be launching its own web-based email application. For the blinded-by-the-light social media starlets this may just seem like further proof that social media is taking over.

But for the shrewd business person, it’s a clear indication that Mark Zuckerberg and the gang understand the power of email. They know this is how people communicate and it’s the missing key to getting all the Facebook addicts completely locked on to their site.

So it’s up to you if you want to believe the hype or not. I recommend building your mailing list, building your RSS subscribers and making tons of “friends” on the net. Then let’s see what brings the best and most consistent results and what really fuels all your marketing, generates new sales and repeat sales. If I’m wrong, I’ll take a little salt and pepper and perhaps a nice glass of Cab Shiraz with my shoe.

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Free Guide to Maximizing Your
Affiliate Profits with Autoresponders

I’ve got a post in the works on email marketing, but wanted to share this freebie first. Okay, it’s a bit of a rant in response to those who claim email marketing is dead.

Email marketing is dead only for those who refuse to use this powerful tool and instead focus on higher-maintenance, lower converting efforts. Ummm…I’ll take email marketing over that. ANY. DAY.

Email still boasts some of the highest conversion rates. Perhaps it’s because email is personal and direct. Or perhaps because the expectation of a blog post or content on a website is different than with emial (i.e. it’s easier to get away with a pitch via email). I tend to think it’s BOTH, making it a very powerful marketing medium.

Anyway, Mila and I have put together a new report you can grab NO OPT-IN REQUIRED – how ironic, since we’re talking about email marketing, hey? We’re feeling generous and we like you.

Just click here to get it (PDF).

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Statistics Will Only Take You So Far

I don’t know if it’s a human being’s desire for having things in a neat box, to have it on paper (if it’s written down, it must be true) or what. Or perhaps it’s just the traditional business approach of using general statistic data, using focus groups and conducting surveys. People seem to want numbers and “facts” from outside sources to prove that what they’re doing is right.

Problem is, if you’re only relying on statistics (that aren’t generated from your own customer data) to reach your target market, you’re making things much more complicated than they need to be. And even worse, you might be entirely missing your mark.

Focus Group? Your Focus Group is THE Internet

I remember a while back when I still owned internetmarketingsweetie.com, I had a woman ask me about how the “sweetie” thing came about. As you may know, that site has an audience of fiercely loyal and passionate followers. In other words, it’s a success. Anyway, this woman didn’t quite relate to the sweetie thing herself (not everyone does and that’s OKAY), so she asked me if I ran a focus group to see if it was a good approach.

Huh? Why would I get 12 people in a room and ask them if they like something, when I can inexpensively set up a website and use the Internet as my testing ground…or focus group, if you will?

If you want to know if something will really work, set up an inexpensive website, drive traffic, build a list and see the response.

Available Target Market Statistics Only Tell Part of the Story

There are services out there where you can gather statistics about general target markets. Quancast is one such service a customer mentioned during my recent Target Market & USP Clinic. According to the Quancast website…

…Quantcast engages all 220 million U.S. Internet users, providing detailed audience profiles for the advertising marketplace to learn more about what consumers are doing online. We also provide advertisers with a new way to evaluate their individual customer profiles against the entire U.S. Internet population, so they can identify prospective customers numbering in the millions, even tens of millions.

While I don’t dispute the value in this service as a starting point, it is likely only going to give you information that is a just the beginning for your business. We’re small business owners and that generally means:

• We target very specific niches.
• We get our market share by differentiate ourselves from the rest of the providers out there.

That last one is really key. On the Internet, we can use our personalities and unique perspectives to reach a specific and highly-passionate segment of a target market. This often means the demographic and psychographic information of our markets will be different from everyone else’s.

For example, if you sell products related to crafting, you might be able to gather data about customers who purchase crafting products. But if you’re targeting homeschoolers specifically or parents with special needs children, you have the opportunity to get a whole new perspective on your market that general statistical data won’t provide.

Again, the Internet is your playground when it comes to gaining intelligence on your specific target market. Listen to your market – read their blogs, read and respond to their comments, look at communities and groups they participate in. Just by paying attention, you’re going to get very valuable insight into your market. This isn’t always quantifiable, but it is most definitely observable and allows you to speak to your audience in a way that is meaningful to them.

Surveys – Say vs. Do

Many people attempt to survey they target market to find the data that they need. While this can help you gather important information, it’s not as valuable as watching and keeping your pulse on what your customers actually do. When people complete surveys, they often answer in a way that they think is desirable, but what they would actually do in a given situation might be completely different.

For example, you can ask your target market about how much they would pay for a product.

OR…

You can run split testing to discover the ideal price of your product based on customer ACTIONS.

In the second instance, you’re giving your customers the opportunity to actually show you what they’re willing to pay. In short, it’s much more valuable data.

Your Own Statistics + Impressions = The Key to Tight Connections with Your Target

It may be tough to operate in a world that is untangible, but I’m not talking about winging it here. I think available statistics provide a good starting point, but it’s your responsibility to gather and work from your own data (your customer information, split testing etc.) and yes, even work from impressions you gather by observing and interacting with your unique target audience.

The more you know about your specific audience, the more you can speak their language. And the more you speak their language, the more likely you’ll be able to deliver them the products they’re just dying to buy.

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When You Just Don’t Feel Like It

A lot of people will tell you that if you blog, you MUST do it regularly or you will lose your audience.  While I can appreciate the value of regular content, I don’t think it’s necessary that YOU personally have to knock yourself out writing day in, day out.

Some people will have noticed that I haven’t blogged here since December 2, 2009 and that post was simply an announcement about a new PLR bundle. Certainly nothing to write home about. And while some people may have wished I wrote more, overall, business has not suffered by my laziness. Traffic is steady, sales are up and I’ve enjoyed my couch potato time.

If you’re facing content writing burnout and are looking for a way out, I’ve got news for you. Actually, a few pieces of good news:

• A blog doesn’t die because you can’t post every day or at regular intervals. A blog thrives when you or your writers have something interesting to say.

• YOU don’t have to do all the writing. The more your business becomes about YOU, the more you’re on the hook for personally keeping your audience entertained and educated. Take this blog, for example. I haven’t blogged for almost 2 months, but there’s been plenty of great advice and perspective to be found. In fact, all my business ventures are a combined effort – relieving pressure on me and increasing profit potential by tapping into a variety of skills and assets.

• If you’re not doing the writing, there are plenty of options:
  • You can have guest bloggers or regular authors on your website.
  • You can accept one-time and sporadic submissions from writers.
  • You can hire a ghostwriter.
  • You can use private label content. PLR can be published as is or used for inspiration for more original content.
  • You can pose questions and allow your readers to generate the content in the form of contents.

• Despite the fact that a blog is a powerful way to connect with your audience, in most online businesses, it’s not going to be your biggest sales driver (but IS very useful for driving TRAFFIC). Even in 2010, the so-called age of social media, email is still the heart of all your marketing. It is your direct contact with your target market and customers. Here’s a few reasons why:
  • Email is still the most important method of online communication for a huge number of people.
  • While social media has replaced a lot of friend-to-friend communication (i.e. Sally can log into Facebook to say hi to Jane instead of sending her an email), this may result in people having less overwhelming email inboxes, meaning your email may just get more attention than it might have received previously.
  • People are busy and will forget about your business. An email can pull them back to you – over and over again.
  • A pitch is often expected through email. While you can also pitch through a blog, it is often more subtle. You can hit them much harder with an email.

If you’ve got limited time or you’re in that “just don’t feel like it” mood, choose your writing focus wisely. Do you really need a blog post or would a few more messages to your autoresponder do the trick? Then leverage the resources and skills of other to round out your blogging and content marketing.

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