Tag: marketing

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Heed the mouse: Who do you serve and what do they need?

Posted on by Maria Ross

02.17.15 Brands for all markets (blog)

A trip to Disneyland and my husband’s profound comment recently put me in my place. Here’s the tale:

In my own book, Branding Basics for Small Business (2nd Edition), there’s a passage titled: All Markets Have a Brand Need. In it, I seek to clarify that “brand” is not just about high-end “luxury brands” but about being clear and consistent in the audience you reach and the market need you fill. From page 49:

Sometimes people think brand means expensive, as in “brand name.” High cost and exquisite quality are indeed brand attributes, but you could choose to sell a generic T-shirt or dinnerware that’s cheap and disposable, since certain audience segments have a real need for those items. As long as you clearly convey this message in everything you do, you can become known as the place to buy inexpensive white T-shirts or the most stylish, cheap, disposable dinnerware. Doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with that.

Having a strong brand doesn’t mean you have to charge the highest prices or offer the highest quality. It’s a nice side effect that often brand loyalty means customers are not buying based on price alone. But if your brand represents low prices (Wal-Mart) you can’t just all of the sudden start charging a boatload.

Brand is about setting expectations – and delivering on them. (Tweet this!)

Witness my recent trip to the Disneyland Resort to deliver a conference keynote. I texted a good friend that the Disney experience was so perplexing. High-touch customer service, calling you by name, a VIP Concierge at my beck and call (well, as the speaker, I guess!), and all staff (cast members) catering to your every whim. Such white-glove service – juxtaposed with people walking into a high-end steakhouse with flip-flops, mouse ears, and football jerseys.

And then I got snarky. As I’m prone to do.

“But such class and yet so much trashiness in one place is very confusing.”

OK, so I’m not proud of the “trashy’ comment. People are on vacation. Sometimes a vacation for which they’ve saved up for years. It was incredibly snobby even though I was just trying to be funny.  (Sorry, I’m human)

When I tempered this remark to my husband later on the phone, explaining how perplexed I was by the contradicting Disney brand experience, this clever man said,

“That’s what Disney is all about, though: that everyone deserves special VIP treatment, especially when they are on vacation. Doesn’t matter who you are: Disney treats you like royalty. That is their brand.”

And it hit me like a ton of bricks. There was no duality in the Disney brand. It was perfectly consistent with that brand strategy, as my husband described it. There are markets for everything and Disney’s market is making everyday people feel like royalty. So you see a wide array of demographics when you visit. Because it’s not about incomes, or tastes, or whether you like the opera or NASCAR. It’s about serving people of all ages who want to experience magic. Who want to be treated like VIP’s. Who want to be awed, delighted and spoiled rotten for a brief period of time.

There are all kinds of markets. And there are indeed all kinds of brands to serve those markets. Disney is not confused. It knows exactly who it serves and why.

The question is: Do you know who you serve? And can those people quickly tell from everything you say, do and offer that you will serve them exactly what they want and need?

Heed the Mouse. He’s a pretty smart little guy, isn’t he? (And so is my husband)

Your turn: Can you describe your target audience’s main desire that you serve? Or do you feel like you sometimes serve multiple audiences and have challenges creating a consistent brand as a result? Fire away in the Comments below!

Image Credit: Sean MacEntee via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

The problem with perfection

Posted on by Maria Ross

02.10.15 seek substance before perfection (blog)

I have seen too many smart, savvy, brilliant people let their ideas die on the vine because they want to do something that many of us think is admirable. And it should make all of us angry and sad:

They want to be perfect.

All the stories that people need to hear. All the talent that could make the world a better place. All the benefits customers and clients are aching to achieve. None of it seeing the light of day because:

“I can’t start my business until I have the perfect website worthy of Vogue or Fast Company” (Right, because everyone expects a Phase 1 website to look as slick as an Apple ad)

“I can’t write my book because I don’t know enough about publishing or story structure so I need to attend more conferences and get more credentials.” (Right, because there is a “right” way to publish a good story and, besides, there’s no one who can help you along the way)

“I can’t send that email or post that blog post until I have an editor thoroughly check it for grammatical mistakes or typos.” (Right, because good ideas that have impacted everything from society at large down to one individual life were mocked because someone wrote “there” instead of “their.”)

Please make no mistake: This is not a defense of shoddy quality or mediocrity. I’m not even advocating poor design. You’re talking to the woman who cries when she realizes there’s a typo in my writing.

But you also know, if you’ve been with me a while, that – news flash – I’m human and I make mistakes. We ALL do. But it doesn’t stop me from continuing to serve you and deliver value. Waiting until something is 100% perfect before you share it with the world is just crazy – and impossible. You will always want to tweak something later. Always. It’s called “learning and evolving.” Besides, 80% of great is better than 100% of nothing, any day.

Think first about why you are chasing perfection? Is it fear holding you back? Tara Mohr, in her recent book Playing Big, purports that many talented women use this as an excuse to mask their fear and hide their light. But I’ve seen many men do this, too. “Perfection-seeking as delay tactic” crosses gender lines. I know, because I’ve been there myself and fight this everyday.

Seek to create substance, value, and inspiration first rather than perfection. (Tweet this!)

Don’t lose momentum. Get your message out in to the world. Shape it as you go. Learn from the feedback you get and improve things further. It’s why innovative companies launch beta projects: to gauge reaction and work out the kinks, fast.

Kindly request forgiveness from your audience. But don’t let the pursuit of perfection stop your message from reaching the people who need it most.

This is not permission to let quality slip. It’s a rallying cry to get your ideas out into the world and shape them as you go.

Do you agree? Where has this shown up in your own work? What ideas have you sat on for fear of them not being perfect? Please share in the Comments below!

Image Credit: finchlake2000 via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

4 Clever Ways to Make it Easy for Others to Promote You

Posted on by Maria Ross

2.3.15 help others promote you (blog)Whether you’re launching your website, promoting a special deal or simply sharing with the world your newest creation, one of the best ways to exponentially reach more people with the news is to partner up.

We’ve all done it: You create this gorgeous new 6 week course or value-packed free webinar and you send an email to your friends, family and colleagues asking them nicely to “Please share this!”

But too often I see everyone from entrepreneurs to authors standing in their own way when it comes to rallying others to spread the word. They put all the burden on the person they are asking. They expect them to take time out of their busy day to look up the information, come up with the copy for the post, find the email link to the sales page or – in some cases – even leave out the ACTUAL name of the thing they want promoted!

We’re all busy, folks. Your big launch is not even a blip on someone else’s radar. They have their own stuff to deal with. I mean, seriously, they have work to do, kids to raise and binge episodes of House of Cards to catch up on. Respect their time.

You have to make it as easy as possible for someone to promote you so they don’t even think twice about it. (Tweet this!)

Here are 4 clever ways to make it super easy for people to promote you:

1. Be Brief and Use Bullets: Don’t simply make them link to a page they’ll be forced to sift through. Or worse send them 9 paragraphs painfully detailing the ins and outs. Instead, give them the highlights in the email: Name of (whatever it is), dates, cost, target audience, and WHY that person’s own tribe will or should care. People are often reading this on the go, so respect that. Bulleting out the main points can help.

Example:

Hi Trish! Would you mind sharing the news of my latest coaching program with your community of working women? It’s right up their alley as they work to save money and fund their dreams!

  • 6 Weeks to Solvency: A 6 week virtual coaching program
  • 10 am to 11 am Pacific Time Wednesdays starting August x ending on September Y
  • It’s perfect for anyone in your tribe who is struggling to pay off loans or credit card debt to help them fund their future.
  • Registration and Details: xxx.com
  • Cost: $250

2. Write the Copy for Them: If you are asking someone to Tweet, post or send info in their next email newsletter, don’t just say, “Would you please promote this thing for me? Thanks!” Instead take the time to craft the actual tweets, posts or copy so they can easily cut and paste. Give them some options so they can choose the platform that works best for them. When you ask someone a favor, you have to make it a no-brainer because even if they really, truly do want to help, they’ve got stuff to do.

Please don’t forget to SHORTEN THE LINK and embed it for them! It’s crazy to make them cut and paste the link, embed it and then share it…..and add your own social media handle so they don’t have to find you and tag you.

PS: This is the part where you can link them to a promotional page that specifically has all the copy/posts ready to cut and paste. I see this with book promotions all the time. It’s useful if you are offering a lot of options yet you want to keep the email itself short and sweet. Just depends on how much you’re offering them for the promotion.

Example:

Here’s are some snappy tweets, Facebook posts or some newsletter copy you can use which I crafted for you to save you some time – but please feel free to edit and add your own flair!

Tweet: In debt? Check out this new course from my gal @twitterID to get footloose and fancy free: bit.ly/6weekssolvency

FB: We all know being in debt sucks. It’s sucks your money, energy and even health. Make this the year you stop the madness! My good pal, @JaneDoe is a money expert and wise woman who can help you get from stressed to solvent in no time. 6 Weeks to Solvency starts on August x so sign up now and grab your spot! Details: bit.ly/6weekssolvency

Newsletter Copy: (You get the idea….!)

3. Make images available: Images help our social media posts stand out so why not offer them an option to share some cool ones? Especially if they use Pinterest or Instagram. You may want to send them to a page where they can download images of various sizes to use (unless you think your images are small enough to not clog up their email server), Not sure of how to size the images for each platform? Check out this image size cheat sheet.

4. Offer an incentive that helps their brand: Why not make this opportunity one in which they can earn brownie points with their peeps? Create a special discount code just for their community or throw in a little something extra that can boost their brand as well. And PS, Depending on how exclusive you want the offer to be (i.e., not for all their Twitter fans, let’s say, but just their email subscribers), you can add this code straight into the pre-written posts– again, to make it super easy for them to share.

Example:

If you’d like to offer them some extra love, please accept this unique discount code just for your people. Just have them type the code SAVVY at checkout and they will automatically get $50 off!

Or

And let’s do something special for your community: if you’re game. I’m willing to put together a free webcast and co-host it with you (I’ll do all the work!) that we can promote exclusively to your list. This way, we can promote the course and code, but you can also talk to them about what you’ve got cooking, too!

The bottom line: when you ask for promotional help, you have to make it as easy as possible for the person to say yes and take immediate action.

Ready to share your brilliant work? Get your FREE action guide, 4 Clever Ways to Make it Easy for Others to Promote You by clicking the button below.  🙂

GET YOUR GUIDE NOW!

Image Credit: Ben Grey via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

How to Use a Press Release

Posted on by Maria Ross

1.20.15 press release (blog)

Ah, the poor press release. It’s been abused, distorted, asked to work miracles and is one of the biggest marketing and brand awareness misconceptions I’ve ever encountered in my 20+ year career.

Most business owners (and frankly, large company CEO’s) just don’t understand what a press release can – and cannot – do for your business and how to use it most effectively. Some people think everything they do is newsworthy; others treat it like a sales page or pump one out every week. Still others think you can produce one press release and – BAM! You’re on the cover of Fast Company.

Never fear. Help is on the way….

Use a press release the RIGHT way if you actually want press! (Tweet this!)

Nicole Francois is a marketing communication expert and runs MarketWell, an agency focused on health-related business.   She and I collaborate often and I love her practical, tough-love approach to getting press exposure. She even served as publicist for my memoir, Rebooting My Brain. Nicole majored in Journalism, produced news for major television networks and cut her teeth on press releases.  While the bulk of Nicole’s career has been focused on marketing, Nicole pulls from her six years of journalistic experience almost everyday.

I asked Nicole to weigh in on the ever-popular press release and how it really works for your business.

RS: OK, give us the straight scoop: what is a press release and how is it actually used or seen by the media?

NF: A press release can be many different things.  That stated it should always be a fact-based, and fact-focused document that is written in terms the media understands.  That means typically not leading with a quote from your CEO (unless he just media bombed at a women in tech conference, but I digress) but instead, start with a compelling ‘lead’ with the important components like: Who? What? When? Why? Where? How?  At least three of these questions should be answered in your first two sentences — and those sentences should be concise and easy to read. And if you expect to be taken seriously you must use AP-Style guidelines.

The media uses press releases to gather information.  About 90% of the releases I received as a journalist were trashed (and PR people considered me a nice / warm contact). If there is interest, however, the media will consider how it might use the information.  If the media decides to pursue the information put forth in the release you or your media contact will likely hear from them — that’s when we ask follow up questions to vet the ‘news’ in the release and find out if the information fits our angles.  Then, the reporter/media host/editor usually has some options:

  • Follow up immediately and cover the story
  • Take the story idea to the editorial meeting where a bunch of journalists weight in on its value and a decision for coverage is rendered
  • Shrink the story into a quick write-up or reader (for broadcast)
  • Turn it down
  • Or – rarely – enlarge the story with the information offered because it’s so rich it deserves a lot of journalistic research and developed story-telling.  These coveted stories are held for big editions, or ratings period broadcast.

What journalists hate most of all is the advertising -release.  This, in our eyes, lowers your credibility and in journalism, credibility is everything.  So if you hammer a news department with faux-news, wannabe ad releases you, your business, and all of your clients are pretty much dirt.

While follow-up is important, we also hate publicist-types who keep trying once we’ve given a firm ‘no’.  We know if you’ve undermined us and you might even get away with it once or twice, but keep it up and you’ll be a target for vengeance.

RS: What won’t a press release do for you or your business?

NF: It won’t get you a free ad, it won’t get your domain or phone number automatically listed.  It will definitely not make you famous, unless it’s for all the wrong reasons.  It won’t get you a million new customers.  It won’t earn you media attention just because it’s a press release.  It might help your SEO standing — but be very careful with this side of press releases.  It will most likely make your mama proud.

RS: What should a business owner do before sending that next press release?

NF: Ask these 3 questions first and ensure the answer is “yes” before you hit SEND:

  • Is this information timely and relevant to the community-at-large?
  • Have I emphasized facts that are important to the targeted media’s audience?
  • Are their visual opportunities for coverage that I have pointed out in this release?

Image Credit: Surreal Name Given via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

5 Books to Ignite Your Business and Brand in the New Year

Posted on by Maria Ross

1.6.15 ignite your business (blog)

You have big plans for the New Year. I just know it! You want to build your business, increase your brand awareness, streamline your marketing efforts and, essentially, get your irresistible message out there – with style and grace, naturally.

Whether you are a business owner, or have a book, cause, or project to get off the ground, here are five plucky and practical books I recommend to amplify your message and ignite your efforts this year. (Tweet this!)

Propel: Five Ways to Amp Up Your Marketing and Accelerate Business

Whitney Keyes is a consultant, international speaker and professor who offers smart, simple and super fast marketing strategies for organizations big and small. Plus, she’s a trusted colleague and I’ve seen her work her magic first-hand. This book breaks down a marketing and sales plan into something doable, practical and – dare I say – fun to execute.

I’m at a Networking Event—Now What??? A Guide to Getting the Most Out of Any Networking Event

This book will make you love and appreciate the art of networking. Seriously. Whether you’re an introvert, or simply and extrovert who hates business card-swapping and idle small talk, Sandy Jones-Kaminski is a networking maven and shows you how to network the right way so its fun and fruitful. One hint: It starts with generosity and curiosity – not forceful sales pitching. Sandy shares helpful conversation starters, online connection do’s and don’ts and ways you can get more out of that next conference or event – other than parking yourself by the pastry table.

The 11 Laws of Likability: Relationship Networking…Because People Do Business with People They Like

Michelle Tillis Lederman is an executive coach and corporate trainer who has boiled her years of experience with large corporations down to 11 simple principles for making sales, forming partnerships and managing teams. This book is a perfect read for entrepreneurs, business leaders and job seekers alike if you’re trying to get out there and promote your message or mission.

The Digital Mystique: How the Culture of Connectivity Can Empower Your Life – Online and Off

Sarah Granger is an online guru, technology master and digital marketing consultant who has worked with clients ranging from political campaigns to corporations. This book is a great primer on how to seize digital opportunities to make both your personal and professional life richer. Her tips and case studies cover important guidelines on everything from making online connections with possible clients and partners met to privacy to encouraging your kids to behave responsibly online. Sarah offers a positive spin on the digital revolution and how it can help us connect, create and collaborate when used appropriately.

Branding Basics for Small Business (2nd Edition): How to Create an Irresistible Brand on Any Budget

Sorry, couldn’t resist adding my book, especially since I’ve added more robust content in this 2nd edition on networking, social media and content marketing, in addition to new case studies and interviews with marketing experts such as Jay Baer, Ann Handley and Mike Michalowicz. The book outlines a simple ten-step questioning process to clarify your brand strategy, focus on your ideal audience and make thousands of marketing decisions with more ease and confidence. The goal is to help you attract more of the right customers and save valuable time and money by avoiding “random acts of marketing.” Doesn’t that sound good?!

Which books do you recommend to boost your business or brand? Please tweet me @redslice and let me know.

Image Credit Ulmann Patrik vis Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Get inspired! 20 of the best branding + business quotes

Posted on by Maria Ross

12.9 inspiring marketing quotes (blog)

2015 is right around the corner (seriously?! What the….?!). If you’re like me, you are hibernating in a bit of strategy and reflection mode for what to do with your business or brand in the coming year.

For me, it’s about helping you (and myself) create more marketing with meaning. To find a deeper purpose in the work. To stand out by not trying to reach the lowest common denominator but by inspiring people who are committed to making the world a better place with their ideas, in ways big and small. (ahem…people like YOU!)

Whether you’re focused on your business, book, online platform or non-profit project next year, here’s some inspiration and clarity for you: 20 of the best branding and business quotes out there. Does one resonate with you? If so, write it down and pin it to your computer or desk so you can keep that focus right in front of you.

And please Tweet or share your favorite ones. There’s a tweetable down below for you with mine!

  1. “Content is of great importance, but we must not underestimate the value of style” ― Maya Angelou, Author
  2. “What people want is the extra, the emotional bonus they get when they buy something they love” ―Seth Godin, best selling author, marketer, and entrepreneur
  3. “Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get where they would like to go. Every time we waste that opportunity, every sentence that doesn’t do enough to advance the cause, is a waste.” ― Seth Godin
  4. “Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.” ― Seth Godin
  5. “Time, energy and talent can be more important than a budget “― Scott Harrison, founder charity:water
  6. “A business has to be evolving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative interests.” ― Richard Branson
  7. “Engage rather than sell … work as a co-creator, not a marketer.” ― Tom H.C. Anderson, NextGen Market Research
  8. “Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.” ― Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman, and motivational speaker
  9. “Give them QUALITY. That’s the best kind of advertising.” ― Milton Hershey, Founder of The Hersey Chocolate Company
  10. “Tell a story. Make it true. Make it compelling. And make it relevant.” ― Rand Fishkin, Founder of Moz (Tweet this!)
  11. “The future of business is SOCIAL” ― Barry Libert, Strategic Advisor
  12. “In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.” ― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time
  13. “People change, and so do their aspirations, and so should brands.” ― Laura Busche, Lean Branding
  14. “Make sure you test your brand story’s recipe with whomever you’re cooking it for.” ― Laura Busche, Lean Branding
  15. “Always remember: a brand is the most valuable piece of real estate in the world; a corner of someone’s mind.” ― John Hegarty, Hegarty on Advertising
  16. Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” ― Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com
  17. “Too many companies want their brands to reflect some idealized, perfected image of themselves. As a consequence, their brands acquire no texture, no character and no public trust.” ― Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group
  18. “If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.” ― Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks
  19. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Author
  20. “Entrepreneurs average 3.8 failures before final success. What sets the successful ones apart is their amazing persistence.” ― Lisa M. Amos

Photo Credit: C. Jill Reed via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Why you are called to create something that matters

Posted on by Red Slice

Do you want to create something that matters? A business that makes a difference? If you want to change the world with your work, click through for advice from someone who has!

Do you want to create something that matters?

That sort of seems like a trick question, right? Who says “I’d like to create work that’s superficial, boring, and disposable?”

Nobody, right?

But sometimes we’re reminded about the importance of putting good things into the world by … magazines in the grocery store checkout line.

There I was, three months after giving birth to my son and buying a few groceries in a rare respite outside of the house. As I waited in line, my eyes scanned across the magazine headlines screaming at me from the checkout stand:

“Hate Your Butt? 5 Secrets to A Body You’ll Love!”
“Miracle Cream Erases Wrinkles Forever!”
“How to Be Rich and Powerful…And Work Less Than Three Days A Week!”
“(CELEB) Tells All About Her Life, Loves and Drug Use in Hot New Autobiography Buy it Today!”

A wave of panic flooded over me as tears sprang to my eyes. Frustrated tears. Angry tears.

Was this the world my darling little boy has just entered? This is what he has to look forward to once he learns how to read? Yikes.

Maybe it was post-partum hormones but, really…no. Anyone who knows me knows I have hated hyperbolic marketing and trashy reality TV (worse, people who are famous just for acting like infants) for a while.

And the digital marketing world is no different: people promising riches, 6-figure incomes, and pretty much everything but an evil lair in your own mountain hideaway (although it’s probably out there).

Despairing, I surfed social media when I got home and just felt sicker. All the noise, empty claims, the “Buy This!” and “You Need That!” It seemed everyone was promising people – entrepreneurs and women especially – a pot of gold at the end of their own personal rainbow.

I’m all for optimism. But I’m also for truth and value. For putting in the hard work required to build something wonderful. And many people I know offer such value to their clients and customers every day. You just can’t always hear them above the din.

Then, I finally got it. It’s not about silencing the crazies. They will always be there, promising people the sun, moon and stars, and yes, they will find an audience to believe.

But the more of us who pledge to put something good out into the world, something decent, and thoughtful and true – the more the tide will rise and lift us all up. It’s not about stopping them. It’s about stepping up ourselves and ensuring the stories we tell are honest, the work we deliver is quality and, most importantly, the marketing we create has value and meaning.

We see examples everywhere, if we look hard enough. People like Marie Forleo, Alexandra Franzen, and Jay Baer market themselves and what they offer with integrity, hope, and meaning. These are the ones we should emulate. These are the people we should strive to become.

Make meaning. You owe it to this noisy world to create something amazing and market it truthfully. (Tweet this!)

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Who is the hero of your brand?

Posted on by Maria Ross

How to be the Hero of Your Brand

You can always tell “ego brands.” They are the heroes of their own story, it’s all about them and they could care less about the value, satisfaction or delight of their customers or clients.

C’mon: I KNOW you’re thinking of an example right now!

Great brands like Apple, Starbucks (yes, despite my break up with them), Disney, Nike, Tom’s Shoes, Virgin America, Zappos all make the customer the hero. It’s about their needs, their experience, what the brand says about them as a person.

It’s about delighting the heroes of their story: their customers. (Tweet this!)

Good story structure always has a protagonist facing an antagonist to achieve his or her ultimate goal. Without the conflict, there is no good story. Who wants to read about Cinderella being this perfectly happy young girl who went to a ball and married her prince?

Yawn.

But throw in some mean stepsisters, a deadline of midnight and her unhappy life standing between her and her prince and – BAM – you get a riveting classic.

Your customer is the hero, the protagonist. Their pain points and unmet needs are all the conflicts they face. And your brand is the handsome prince. But never forget that the story is called Cinderella – not The Handsome Prince. It was never really about the prince. The story is about her.

How do you make your customers or clients the heroes of their own story? How do you solve their problems, remove the conflict and utterly delight and surprise them?

This post was inspired by a video I recently saw from Scotland’s Celtic football club – my husband’s favorite team from back home. This young boy is one of the team’s biggest fans and they have adopted him as their own, often having him in the team huddle (click here for the video plus full backstory). This moment will leave you in speechless tears of joy. The brand could have just celebrated its own win that day. But the team chose to share it with their biggest fan. This – THIS – is how you make your customers – your fans – the real heroes of the story.

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

3 Foolproof Networking Tips to Survive the Holidays

Posted on by Maria Ross

11.3 networking tips (blog)

Trick or treaters, pumpkin spice lattes and chilly weather usually signify one thing (the chilly weather part for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere anyway): the holidays are right around the corner.

And with that…the dreaded holiday networking mixer circuit.

While you know you should be doing more networking to boost your brand awareness and grow your business, it’s sort of like knowing you SHOULD be having more kale smoothies – but the thought makes you want to vomit.

But no need to dread, my friend. Here to share 3 tips to survive the holiday networking chaos is my friend and frequent Red Slice collaborator (some of you have read her guest posts here before), networking expert and author Sandy Jones-Kaminski of Bella Domain Media.

Holiday networking is not all eggnog, idle chit chat and cheesy sweaters. It CAN benefit your brand, too (Tweet this!)

  1. Don’t take networking too seriously. It can and should be fun. Connect with the intention of helping others rather than simply expecting to find the elusive perfect client or biz partner. Relax, take the pressure off yourself and focus on what you can bring to the party or offer in the form of ideas, knowledge or resources (websites, apps, connections, etc).
  2. Improve your outlook and your fortune will change. If you have a negative outlook on networking, you’re probably sabotaging your chances at connecting with the “right” people. Put all the negative or disappointing encounters behind you and focus on “what’s possible.”
  3. Take a proactive approach and get off the couch or out from behind your screen and get out there! You eventually have to meet people to know if you’ll really connect with them, and the more people you meet, the more likely you are to find the “right” people for you or your business.

 

 

What sanity-saving tips do you have for surviving the holiday networking season? Please share your thoughts below so we can all breathe easier!

Image credit USACE Europe via Flickr

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

7 tips on how to create powerful joint ventures

Posted on by Red Slice

Today’s guest post comes from Nancy Juetten, PR strategist, speaker and creator of Bye Bye Boring Business Bio – a great resource if you want to get known and be seen as an expert in your field. She’s built a successful business by creating lucrative partnerships and affiliate relationships. Today she shares her tips on how to foster these joint ventures so that you are exponentially seen, heard and celebrated – by clients and media alike.

Having worked as a publicist for experts and entrepreneurs for many years, advocating for others is a well-honed skill. Earning publicity is all about positioning experts and information in a timely, newsworthy and relevant way so even more people can learn about the top priority that is trend-worthy and useful at the moment.

Getting seen, heard, and celebrated via the media that matter for your message can make big noise and invite more of the right opportunities to connect with ideal clients and others who need to know about whatever it is that is YOUR priority. Media coverage gets people talking, sharing, and taking action. That is powerful for building brand, reputation, and buzz. And, when more people know about what you have to offer, you are more easily found, referred, and hired, and those are outcomes that give business owners everywhere reasons to cheer.

When I first learned about the value of joint ventures for expert positioning and getting the word out, the parallels to the power of publicity were clear to me and also aligned with my skill set. During a joint venture with a strategic partner, colleagues share information that is timely, newsworthy and relevant with their carefully nurtured tribes of fans to build know-like-trust and inspire action. Sometimes, the communication is about sharing a useful report that solves a specific problem. Other times, the communication is about inviting a specific buying action. Either way, the common thread is that the information or offer being extended is relevant, of service, and intended to make a positive impact. The audience for the message is well served, and everyone wins.

So, when I got started with joint venture partnerships in 2006, I started by doing my homework. What steps did I take?

And more to the point, what steps might you take now that your desire to make joint ventures part of your get known to get paid strategy has become crystal clear to you?  Here are suggestions, based on my path so far.

  1. Identify a product or service that your tribe needs, wants, and is likely to invest into to get the benefit or the relief.
  2. Investigate the best-of-breed service providers who offer that solution and start a relationship.  Not a transaction. A relationship.
  3. Learn about and use the product or service to know that it truly is the best available so as to be in a solid position to provide meaningful and credible advocacy.
  4. Invite opportunities to promote the work of high quality partners in the spirit of service to your own tribe.
  5. Deliver on every promise  made, and go the extra mile to deliver results as measured by opt ins and referred sales.
  6. Invite conversations with partners for reciprocal promotions or other creative ways to collaborate for great results, once and all.
  7. Nurture the relationships over time.  By making powerful introductions to other people of influence, being available to mastermind or brainstorm to solve problems, going the extra mile whenever possible, and showing up as a great colleague, co-collaborator, and friend, you can develop lasting and rewarding relationships with your partners.  In doing so, everyone is in great position to serve more of the perfect clients we are here to serve and make a bigger impact through our work.

If you are new to the world of publicity or joint ventures, consider today a NEW day to approach both arenas as students who are serious about learning best practices.  Take action on what you learn.  Keep track of your results.  And keep advancing along the path to mastery.

We all bloom where we are planted and grow from there. In the spirit of authentic visibility, it  gets a bit intimidating at times to see how big some partners play, how well they use technology to their advantage, and how elaborate some of their promotions are.

As much as I’ve learned since starting down this path, there is still so much more to learn and do, and I’ll keep moving forward in a step by step and sometimes leaps and bounds kind of way.

I will also say that it is a privilege to learn from those who are playing big and take the best of what they do and apply it in my own best way to make my own impact with clients and the marketplace.

What I know based on my own experience is that when your advocacy puts your name on the top of a leader board for a joint venture in which many of your industry’s most influential players are participating, that means that people with names you likely recognize will soon be calling your name. And that just might be the most intoxicating benefit of all.

You can listen to a webinar replay I gave about Joint Ventures and gain access to two relevant gifts to guide you forward,

About Guest Blogger Nancy Juetten:

Since 2009, Business Bio Expert and Get Known to Get Paid Mentor Nancy Juetten has earned a reputation as the “go to” expert for helping aspiring experts transform their boring business bios from wallpaper to wow to attract clients now. Access your “Heal Your Boring Business Bio to Attract Clients and Cash Now” gift booklet today, and invite your friends to do the same.

Are joint ventures and affiliate programs part of your business and marketing model? What have you achieved and which people are doing cool things in this area? Please share in the Comments below and get the conversation going!