Win a Marketing Makeover!

Calling all boring websites, clip art logos and bland brochures:

Win a MARKETING MAKEOVER worth over $10,000.
You’re in business, and you know the way you’re perceived is important. And while you’re careful to leave your house looking polished, your brand looks like it’s wearing sweatpants.

If your marketing needs a face-lift, you should enter our contest.

13thirtyone Design and Inkwell Marketing are accepting applicants for a Marketing Makeover that includes:

• Website design (four pages)
• Website content (four pages)
• Logo design
• Tag line creation
• Stationary design (letterhead and envelopes)
• Brochure design
• Brochure content
• Press release

The value? Dollar-wise: over ten grand. Reality-wise: a heckofa lot more. (We can’t put an exact number on increased confidence, perceived professionalism, and infinite new clients.)

Even if you don’t win the package, you could come in second and get 50% off a marketing service of your choice.

Does this sound like a good deal? Cool. Before you apply, read our application requirements and fine print.

Application requirements:
1. You’ve been in business for two years or longer.
2. You have current marketing materials you use to woo prospects and win clients. You are not pleased with these pieces. These should include (but are not limited to) logo, website, tag line, etc.
3. You want your brand to work harder for you.
4. No whining: you are willing to allow two professionals do their job. Simply: you hand over creative control. (No worries, you’re not going to get something you hate. We take client input very seriously, but in this case the idea is to give a makeover. We need freedom to do this.)
5. Before you apply, please view our web sites for our styles: www.13thirtyone.com and www.inkwell-marketing.com. It’s important that you like our aesthetic and writing style before you sign-on. Sure, this is a chance to win something FREE, but it’s pointless unless you’re happy with it.

RULES AND REGULATIONS (Otherwise known as fine print.) PLEASE READ.

• All entries must be received by 11:59pm Eastern time, December 18, 2009.
• Only one entry is accepted per business.
• All fields on the application must be completed in order for entries to be accepted.
• By submitting the application form you certify the following statement "I certify that I am the author of the material I am submitting to 13thirtyone Design and Inkwell Marketing. 13thirtyone Design, Inkwell Marketing, and their licensees may reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works and otherwise use the material for any purpose in any form and on any media. I agree to indemnify 13thirtyone Design and Inkwell Marketing for all damages and expenses that may be incurred in connection with the material."
• A grand prize and first place winner will be selected.
• Winners will be announced January 22, 2010 on the 13thirtyone Design and Inkwell Marketing blogs and newsletters.
• Grand Prize winner will receive a professional marketing package provided by sponsors 13thirtyone Design and Inkwell Marketing. First place winner will receive 50% discount on desired marketing project.
• Prizes do not include printing costs, domain name fees, or hosting costs. Unfortunately, eCommerce sites are not included.

Does everything sound kosher?

CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION.

Positive Mental Attitude is Mandatory for Success.

I'm a fan of Jeffrey Gitomer: he's a great motivator, with a no B.S. attitude. I like that about him. Anyway, I know there's a lot going on in the world right now, but when it comes down to it, WE are in control of how we react (or don't react) to things. This video is a little reminder that with the right mental attitude, anything is possible. Enjoy!

Oh Seth Godin, I think you're great.

Happy Friday: another great Seth Godin video. (And, it so happens, a message to all those Twitter spammers--you're just annoying me, I'm not going to buy from you.)

Website Launch: Flavors of Italia

If you're ever in Stillwater, MN and want some caffeine, you should stop in at the Daily Grind Espresso Cafe. They offer up the finest coffee in town, AND a platform to do serious networking with entrepreneurs of all kinds. It's simply a hub for indie-business types, and it's where I met Barb Brandt and her daughter Molly.

Barb and Molly are two of the most adventurous people I've met: Barb is a travel-junkie and has been to so many places she could serve as U.S. ambassador to the world, and Molly has been to almost as many places, with a brief hiatus to become a fantastic chef and graduate from the CIA in record time. (By the way, that's Culinary Institute of America to all us laymen, not C.I.A. like spies and stuff.)

Well, I was sipping coffee when Barb and Molly told me about their latest project: setting up culinary-focused villa vacations in Tuscany. They needed a website and I was hooked. Hello people, we're talking about pampered vacations: Molly will cook for you, you'll have a personal English-speaking concierge named Giorgio, and Barb will make sure everything you need is taken care of on your stay.

I was thrilled when Barb and Molly asked me to do the writing for their site: when I was punching my computer keys, I literally traveled to Italy in my mind and took a virtual vacation (yes, I know I'm nuts). If you have time today, jump over to their site and take a mini-vacation as well. Better yet, book a real vacation: I know you won't be sorry!

Here's the address if you missed it: www.flavorsofitalia.com. And a few pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Website Launch: Kevin Weinstein Photography

It's been a crazy summer for me. As you've probably noticed, I've written nary a blog post and I apologize. On the good side of things, it's because I've been really busy. And today, I want to share with you one of the projects I've completed.

Introducing Kevin Weinstein Photography. Kevin is a wedding photojournalist based in Chicago, and his work is simply awesome. If I ever get married (still single fellas), he's definitely the number one candidate for photography.

Of course, I'm a writer. Things like coding and designing are WAY beyond my skill-set, and I'm proud to have worked with the FANTASTIC Deb Pang Davis of Cococello. If you're looking for design, I cannot recommend her highly enough: she's diligent, thorough, fun, and extremely talented. Also, be sure to check out her letterpress stationary as well at Coco Paperie.

This project spanned the country: from the Midwest to West Coast, and it was a blast. If you've ever read a good book or series (Harry Potter comes to mind), the end of this project brought on a twinge of melancholy. The process was exciting and fun, so the ending was a little sad: this collaboration left me wanting more.

Anyway, check out the pictures below, but a click-over is worth it: www.kevinweinstein.com.

Seth Godin's 10 Secrets of the Marketing Process.

If Seth Godin wasn't married, I'd marry him. But not in that lovey-dovey sort of way. More like the kids on the playground "if you love pickles so much, why don't you marry them" sort of way.

I love his outlook. I love his common-sense, insight, and advice.

I feel like I need to share this post with you. It's an old post (circa 2006). But, it's still relevant, it's still important. But, as you know, most great ideas stand the test of time. (Please note, this is verbatim Seth Godin. I did not write it. It's in a different font to indicate as much. In addition, here's another link to the original: link.)

Enjoy:

If my previous post confused you, it's because of the difference between tactics and innovation. Try these 10 ideas to get you started down the path of scientific marketing tactics:

1. Don’t run out of money. It always takes longer and costs more than you expect to spread your idea. You can budget for it or you can fail.

2. You won’t get it right the first time. Your campaign will need to be reinvented, adjusted or scrapped. Count on it.

3. Convenient choices are not often the best choices. Just because an agency, an asset or a bizdev deal are easy to do doesn’t mean that they are your best choice.

4. Irrational, strongly held beliefs of close advisors should be ignored. It doesn’t matter if they don’t like your logo.

5. If it makes you nervous, it’s probably a good idea. If you’re sure you’re right, you probably aren’t.

6. Focusing obsessively on one niche, one feature and one market is almost always a better idea than trying to satisfy everyone.

7. At some point, you’re either going to have to stick to your convictions or do what the market tells you. It’s hard to do both.

8. Compromise in marketing is almost always a bad idea. Extreme A could work. Extreme B could work. The average of A and B will almost never work.

9. Test, measure and optimize. Figure out what's working and do it more.

10. Read and learn. There are a million clues, case studies, books and proven tactics out there. You can't profitably ignore them until you know them, and you don't have the time or the money to make the same mistake someone else made last week. It's cheaper and faster to read about it than it is to do it.

Tribes

I'm reading Seth Godin's book, Tribes.

So far, I like it.

But....

I'm not that far into it.

For a book that has this much hype, I think a review is in order.

I'll post my thoughts when I finish.

Super-inspiring.

It's Friday.

If you're looking for a little something inspiring to help you push through to weekend-time, look no further than Live Now.

A pretty fun website, you click on the pictures for inspiring illustrations and quotes (like the one below). They're all positive messages and each encourages you to live now.

Picture created by idrawallday.

Yes, I'm still alive.

Sorry I haven't been posting at all. With all the summer activities, new projects, and extra things that I say "yes" to, I've been neglecting my blog. My apologies.

Here's the good news:

I am working on a blog re-design! YAY. This new and "improved" blog will include fresh new posts, a great new look, and more regular contributions.

In the meantime, I hope some cool pictures of hot air balloons will tide you over. (In my spare time, I crew for a local company.) Let's just say it's my super random hobby.

Have a great day everyone!

Twitter 101: How to use it for business.

It's no secret: I use Twitter. If you're interested, you can follow me @lindsayberger.

Anyway, I came across an interesting article today that shares how to use Twitter for business, and I thought you'd be interested, too.

Here's the link: http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/

I hope you get some great ideas and insight about how to use this tool to grow your business.

Cheers!

Marketing kick in the butt.

Today, as I was doing my usual online "research," I came across a post on Biznik by fellow marketer Robert Middleton. He challenged fellow networkers to reveal the marketing projects that they've been putting off for too long. Here's the post:

Bet your car marketing projects.

Recently, with a group of business owners I'm coaching, I gave them a challenge to take on a marketing project that they were resisting or procrastinating about. In addition, there was a consequence if they did not complete this project by a given time - usually a donation to a group they'd prefer not to donate to!

Here's the challenge: What is a marketing project that you will initiate (or complete) by a certain time? And would you "bet your car" that you'll complete it? No, I won't come and collect your car if you don't, but thinking this way really changes your perspective and often propels you into action.

Just list the project you will initiate or complete and, if you like, the consequence you will pay if you don't complete it.

I thought that his post was very thought-provoking and interesting. Having a consequence for not doing my marketing puts it in perspective: if I had to donate money to a group I despised, I would definitely get my projects going!

Isn't it funny how motivated you become once there's some negative reinforcement?

What marketing projects have you been putting off and would get started if the consequence was really bad? Share, please!

Think you need a website? Consider this.

Marketing conclusions.

Ok, as you know I had my marketing brainstorm on Monday. One thing is crystal clear: I need to get my crap together!

I've heard that publicly announcing one's goals encourages them and motivates them to get them done quicker. So, I'm going to do just that.

Here's some marketing to-do tasks I identified during my "brainstorm":

1. Blog redesign: Wordpress or Squarespace? I dunno, still debating on that one.

2. More frequent blog posts

3. More participation and article posting on Biznik, LinkedIn, and Freelance Switch

4. Email newsletters: get em done! (Grr).

5. Perhaps a direct mail campaign. I'm debating on the logistics of this. It would definitely require me creating a mailing list.

What items are on your marketing to-do list? What things fall by the wayside, despite your best intentions? Share, please: misery loves company!

Marketing brainstorm.

Recently, I've been inundated with client projects (yay--I'm NOT complaining). But, because I've been focusing on these projects, my personal marketing plan has fallen by the wayside. I've neglected it--readers of this blog have probably noticed I've been posting less and less regularly. Thanks for sticking around, though--I appreciate you putting up with my crap.

So, to get back on track, my friend Angela (owner of 13thirtyone) and I are going to have a marketing brainstorm day at her office in Hudson. Her office is the perfect place for ideation: there's a whiteboard, large table, and huge windows perfect for zoning out (don't laugh, but some of my best ideas come when I daydream)! The whole day devoted to nothing but generating ideas, plans, and action steps.

I'm pretty excited about it. Plus, I'm hoping the result will be a blog-makeover (this standard blogger lay-out just isn't doing it for me anymore), some cool direct mail ideas, and perhaps more consistency in my email newsletters.

Here's my question, dear readers: do you find it difficult to manage your marketing plan when you're busy? How do you balance consistent marketing with client projects? Any tips or strategies? Do tell.

Why you need to know your target audience.

It's 1:06 on the Friday afternoon before Independence Day weekend. I'm really trying to be a good business owner: I'm diligently finishing some work before I shut down my computer. But, I need a break.

So what do I do?

I decide to rock-out to Aerosmith. Out loud. I turn on my iTunes and start playing "Amazing."

Shoot. It's really embarrassing to sing out loud and mess up the lyrics. So what do I do? Type in "Aerosmith Amazing Lyrics" into Google. I click on the first link:

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/a/aerosmith/amazing.html

I bust out! Yes. Vocal heaven (or hell if you're my neighbors).

But, as I'm singing I notice an annoying undercurrent of noise. What's this? A video advertisement in the corner of my lyrics page! (See those owls in upper left hand corner of the picture?)

Seriously.

Don't the owners of this site know that people only look up lyrics when they want to sing along with the song? A loud advertisement only ruins my experience and motivates me to never visit this site again.

Know your audience. When you do, you'll know why they're purchasing your service or product. You'll know why they visit your website. When you know when and why they use you, you can figure out how to make them happy, not annoyed.

Video you must see!

Angela, from 13thirtyone posted this video to her blog today, and I had to share it with you. All I can say is "enjoy."

Need a thesaurus?

Ok, so maybe this isn't a surprise, but I like words. A lot.

So, I want to share one of my favorite word tools with you: Visual Thesaurus.

If you're a fan of brain mapping, you'll love Visual Thesaurus because it's a map of related words. Try it once and let me know if you become as addicted as me.

The most important word you can ever say.

NO.

I'll explain more later.

When to quit blogging.

Are you a blogger? Do you want to be a blogger?

I love blogging. Sure, it can be a challenge to balance posting regularly with my client projects, but I enjoy the process and sharing my information. (Maybe some of you enjoy my randomness, too?)

But, from time to time I wonder if all this blogging is working for me is it time to upgrade platforms? Brainstorm a bunch of ideas? How do I really make this blog work!?!

Today, I found the perfect article to answer my questions over at Copyblogger: "It's time to shoot your blog." I highly recommend reading it if you have a blog and have ever considered quitting. It's great motivation to keep trying and improving even if the current version of your blog leaves much to be desired.

The article just motivated me to improve on this blog: stay tuned for improvements! Also, feel free to leave a comment about what you'd like to read about. (Isn't that what it's all about, anyway?)

How to get a lot of traffic on Twitter. (And a FREE iPhone.)

Run a promotion and give away something for free. (Something that almost everyone wants, that is.)

For 30 days, SquareSpace is giving away a $199 Apple gift certificate to a lucky winner that tweets the keyword: #squarespace. This is a good way to get a lot of attention (and traffic) fast.

If you don't know what SquareSpace is, I bet you're now a tiny bit interested.

Brilliant.

What can you give away? How can you use social media to promote your product and make people interested in YOU? 

Wordpress or Blogger?

Hi All, I hope your week is off to a fantastic start.

Say, I have a question for all of you who have blogs: Wordpress or Blogger? As a blog writer, which do you find easiest to use? As a blog reader, which do you find easiest (most pleasant) to read?

I'm looking for your opinions, here, because I'm thinking of making the transition from Blogger to Wordpress and I'm desperately seeking expert guidance!

Thanks in advance!

Does your home page content suck?

A quick look at common home page content problems and solutions.

Most likely, your website is the hub of your marketing. 

Here’s the thing: if you have a bad home page or landing page, you’re not making a good impression. When your home page sucks, you make it easy for customers to click over to your competitor’s website and throw marketing dollars down the toilet. 

A good website is more than a standing brochure: it provides information, collects sales leads, and (hopefully) converts prospects into clients. How can you tell if your website stinks? Below, I’ve listed four common content problems.

Problem #1: Over-saturated with keywords (keyword stuffing).

Yes, we want to rank high on Google and we want our website to be search engine optimized. Too bad many of us have forgotten the definition of moderation. Stuffing your content with keywords does two things:

1. Turns off human site visitors and does absolutely nothing to convert them into customers.
   
2. Makes your site look spammy. The search engine spiders will pick this up, and it may hurt your TrustRank (your credibility with automated bots).
   

Fix #1: Write like you talk, and (try to) be natural.

Yes, by all means use your keywords. Just don’t go overboard--keep your writing natural. If you find that you have too many keywords and are frustrated because you can’t get them all into one space, relax. Google ranks pages, not sites: create different pages to focus on specific keyword categories instead of jamming them all onto your home page. 

Problem #2: Too much info (or not enough info and too many words).

It’s a hot debate: long vs. short home page content. While there doesn’t seem to be a clear winner, I feel comfortable reading less content on the home page. Maybe it’s just me, but for some reason I just don’t trust web pages with sales copy that scrolls down for eons. (Why are they trying so hard to convince me?)

Fix #2: Less is more.

When too much information comes to me at one time, I feel overwhelmed. I don’t know about you, but I visit websites because I want specific information. If I have to scroll down a page and sift through tons of content, I become frustrated and get annoyed; when I don’t get answers easily, I go somewhere else. When you keep your *quality* content short and sweet, visitors get what they want: answers. Because you helped them, they’re happy and more likely to stick around for a while. 

Problem #3: Generic, “play it safe” content.

Too often, small business owners try to appeal to everyone--they put on a marketing hat and start writing content the way they think they’re supposed to. In their attempt to sound “official” and “professional” they end up sounding boring and generic. They lose what appeals to their target audience: their voice.

Fix #3: Shock and awe.

Ok, ok. So shock and awe is a little extreme. But, you do want your home page content to stand out and get visitors to sit up and take notice. (Trust me, the same old just won’t do it for you.) It’s common knowledge that people do business with people they like and trust, but I’ll take it one step further: people do business with people like themselves. Website visitors want to relate to what you’re saying and they want to relate to you. The people you want to work with (your target audience) sound like you. So quit trying so hard to write “right.” Take the monkey off your back: write like you talk. Your website customers will thank you.

Problem #4: Hiding your USP.

In journalism, this problem is called “burying the lead.” Your USP (unique selling proposition) is what distinguishes you from your competition and is why customers buy from you in lieu of a competitor. If your customers can’t tell you apart from your competition, you’re making things hard for yourself. Too often, we hide what makes us THE choice. We bury our USP down the page or leave it off the home page entirely. 

Fix #4: Display your USP prominently.

Recently, I needed a dry cleaner (oh joy) and had a choice to make: there are around 15 cleaners in my small city. Fortunately, I was looking for an eco-friendly cleaner and only one of my 15 options offered this service. Had they not explained this on their home page, I might have gone elsewhere (left with no other green options, of course). Other ways cleaners differ: specializing in wedding gowns, restoration, laundry delivery, or having an in-store laundromat. Find out how you differ from your competition and feature it prominently on your home page. Your point of difference is why people purchase from you.

Long story short:

While this is by no means an exhaustive list for making your home page content the best-ever, it’s a start to improve what you have. When it comes down to it, your home page is your first introduction to new clients and a large component of your marketing: use it to put your best foot forward.

Take your social media offline.

I have a dirty little secret.

Ok, so it's not so dirty, but it's kinda sad: my best friend is my computer. 

My computer is

1) With me all the time.

2) Provides all the advice I need.

3) My entertainment.

The worse part? I miss it when I leave the house. I feel "empty." (Don't take me seriously, folks.)

If you've found that your computer is your best friend lately, I'm here to tell you that you're not alone: with the explosion of social media sites and pressure small business owners feel to keep up with the craze, it's no surprise that computers are "man's" new best friend. We're spending more hours than ever networking, socializing, and doing business online.

I don't know about you, but I think it's time we take a break from our computers. Let's take our businesses offline (sort of) by combining the best social media has to offer with real-world experiences.

Here are three ways merge social networking with offline marketing:

1. Promote your business around town with posters or fliers. Offer a prize to the first person who poses with your promotional piece and posts to Twitter.

2. Create a video contest for the best home-made commercial for your business on YouTube.

3. Join Biznik: the site offers online networking with real-world events. (Yes, real human to human interaction.)

Of course, this is just a short-list of ideas and the possibilities are endless. I hope, though, these are enough to get your wheels turning and get you away from the computer for at least a little while.

I'm interested to hear about any of your efforts to blend new technology with offline marketing efforts--how'd they work?

Toxic people to avoid.

It's no secret that negative people can get you down. As a solo-entrepreneur, though, these people can be bad for business (you have so much on your plate, you don't need people squashing your dreams, too). 

I read an article by Brett Blumenthal about the 8 Toxic Personalities to Avoid on Yahoo today, and I think it's worth a look. In this post, I've included the personalities I think are the most detrimental to your business. They're below with Brett's description: 

1. Judgmental Jims: 

When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive. If you find people's unique perspectives refreshing, they find them 'wrong'. If you like someone's eclectic taste, they find it 'disturbing' or 'bad'.

Why they are toxic: 

Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers. In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over. If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring. Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

2. Dream Killing Keiths: 

Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can't do it. As you achieve, they try to pull you down. As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

Why they are toxic: 

These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.

3. Insincere Illissas: 

You never quite feel that these people are being sincere. You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh. You feel depressed and sad and they give you a 'there, there' type response. You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

Why they are toxic: 

People who aren't sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria. This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships. When you are really in need of a friend, they won't be there. When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are. When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.

4. Never Enough Nellies: 

You can never give enough to these people to make them happy. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

Why they are toxic: 

You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.

What type of people do you feel are most detrimental to your business? How do you deal with them? What if they're your clients?

Quote binge. (No more for a while, I promise.)

Two quotes in a row is a bit much for me, but this is a good reminder to listen to people, clients, and loved ones (I couldn't help but share):

"The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause."

--Mark Twain

Quote for today

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.

--Elbert Hubbard

Yay Entrepreneurs!

I found this video on the Biznik Blog. For the post, click here. 

Just a great reminder of why I'm working on my own business, and an inspiration to keep moving forward. Enjoy!

When bad copywriting happens to good companies.

You don't always notice good writing. In fact, if you've written something well, you shouldn't really notice the words. 

Here's the thing: if you write something and it's awful, everyone notices. Take note: even copy perfectionists like me get it wrong sometimes, so it's always good to have someone look over your work and save yourself the embarrassment! 

Just for fun, I've here's some examples of bad copywriting. I hope they remind you to take a second look at your marketing pieces.

1. Target: "Black Kid's Computer Desk." Here's an example of bad adjective placement, lol. 

2. USPS: convenient, really?

3. Jewelry store. Let's keep it simple: don't make promises in your marketing copy that you can't keep.

Cheers to editing and proof-reading!

Good, fast, or cheap: choose two of three.

A while back, I wrote an article on Freelance Switch about overcoming price objections (how to do it tactfully and confidently). If you're interested, you can read that article here.

As business owners, we often struggle with pricing: we don't want to underprice ourselves, but we don't want to scare clients away, either. In one of the comments to the article, freelance graphic designer Colin Wright brought up a great way to think about pricing: the project triangle. 

What's a project triangle, you ask? Let me explain, via Colin's comment:

"A good way to deal with questions about your hourly rate or project quote is to refer them to the Project Triangle.

The Project Triangle has three sides: Good, Fast and Cheap. The idea is that any freelancer can be two of the sides, but not all three. I focus (with rare exceptions) on being Good and Fast, and my clients appreciate that, which is a fact I will tell any client who I haven’t worked with before that doesn’t know that about me.

Provided this is true about how you work (it would be very embarrassing to not work Cheap, but also not work Fast or do Good work), it will likely help explain why you are competitive in the market without leaving you with no other response than to put down the competition."

I don't know about you, but I try to work good and fast. I'm interested to hear how others handle pricing issues?

Broken products and services.

These days, more and more customers are getting annoyed with companies and small businesses that provide broken products and services. 

Your business longevity and brand depend on your providing services and products with value. Your livelihood hinges on your customers NOT being annoyed with you. 

If you're not sure what a broken product or service looks like, check out this video by Seth Godin. He explains "broken" in his lively, entertaining style. This video is about 20 minutes, but well worth it!

PWN Tradeshow Booth

Last week was pretty hectic, not only did I have my normal, day-to-day business activities, but I was preparing for a trade show. (Yes, I'm making excuses for being VERY absent from my blog, Twitter, and social media pages in general.)

Overall, the event went well. I like chatting with people and it's fun to check out other booths, too. 

As you know, I was having trouble thinking of ways to display my writing work. And, some of you were kind enough to send me some ideas (thanks Deb!). 

Fortunately, I was sharing a booth with Angela from 13thirtyone Design and we were able to create some booth decorations that simultaneously served to draw people in AND showcase our writing and design abilities. Here are some examples:

Poster

This poster explained how creative professionals help entrepreneurs grow their business. The copy forces people to keep reading (because each point leads into the next) so it kept people at our booth a little longer--yay!

Email sign-up for marketing tip card.

Angela and I gave away a business-card sized brochure that offered six shoestring marketing tips. (You can see it by the sign-up sheet there if you look closely.)  Again, this offered examples of our work and was a piece that visitors could bring home, keep, and use time and time again. The goal was to be helpful while getting residual exposure from the tip card. Plus, we built our client list by having people sign up to get the piece.

Other than the examples above, I did have a HUGE binder full of writing examples. Yes, I know I said this was boring and uninspired. Oh well, it seemed to work well enough.

Like I said, I enjoyed meeting and talking with people at the trade show, and will definitely consider doing a booth again soon! Just out of curiosity, have any of you done a trade show? What have you found works or doesn't work?

Understand Twitter.

Alright, I finally caved. I got a Twitter account. If you're interested, you can follow me here:

@lindsayberger

Here's the thing. I have no idea what I'm doing. Most likely, you've been hearing a lot about Twitter lately and been tempted to join, but have no idea what it's all about either.

I have an article for you!

A fellow Bizniker, Naomi Pollack wrote this information packed tutorial: Understanding Twitter: Why Twitter is Less Like Facebook and More Like Email.

Once you read it, you'll feel a little more comfortable using this new social networking medium.

10 Game-changing Tips from the World's Top Freelancers

Entrepreneurs are in a constant battle to manage time, clients, and business. What separates the best business owners from the status quo?

 

Adrian Try explores advice from some of the world's most successful freelancers in his article, Secret Sauce: 10 Game-changing Tips from the World's Top Freelancers.

The article is posted on Freelance Switch. It's a great read with very helpful, practical advice.

Three blogs I love.

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for new ideas, new insight, and new things to read. For those of you in business for yourselves, it's important to have an excellent grasp of marketing and writing in general.

I want to share three blogs I love to read. There's always good information and helpful advice. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

1. Seth Godin's Blog: Seth Godin is a marketing guru and author of great books like Purple Cow and Permission Marketing. His posts are usually short, but very insightful and interesting.

2. CopyBlogger: Brought to you by Brian Clark, a new media writer and entrepreneur and offers tons of great advice about marketing online.

3. Made to Stick Blog: Perhaps you've read the book Made to Stick? If you haven't, I highly recommend the work by Chip and Dan Heath. The blog, like the book, explores why some ideas stick around, go viral, and basically change the way the world works. If you want your marketing or business ideas to make an impression, you should read this blog.

I know this is a very small sampling of the potential blogs you could read. I'm interested to hear what blogs you enjoy: do you have any "must reads"? Let me know, I'm excited to explore new blogs!

Should solopreneurs work when they're sick?

I must confess: today, I'm not feeling up to par. Dizzy spells, flu-like symptoms, and total lack of mental clarity. Yet, here's my blog post. I'm attempting to be productive. I apologize if I become non-sensical.

My question is this: should I be working at all? Do my clients suffer when I work on their projects in this less-than optimal state? 

As a solo-preneur, time is money. (Cliche? Yes, but totally true.)

There is my true dilemma: how do I balance the need to maintain my livelihood (money) with my sickness that could impact the work I do for my clients (standards)?

Does anyone have a solution to this quandary? I'm stumped.

Say thank you! (Clients love it.)

These days, it seems like basic manners are overlooked. 

However, one of the easiest ways to be remembered by your clients (and just to show you appreciate them) is to say thank you. 

To help you make an impression, I've included a quick list of the ways I show appreciation to my clients.

1. Simple thank you card/letter.

For some reason, a hand-written note goes a long way. With all the communication that happens via email, it's refreshing to see someone's scribble. I especially love the thank-you cards from the following places:

www.gartnerstudios.com: Gartner Studios is based in my hometown (Stillwater, MN) so I have to list them here. They offer a great line of thank-you cards, plus many eco-friendly varieties. Many of Gartner's cards are available at Target.

www.nightowlpapergoods.com: I love the letterpress thank-you options. But, I especially enjoy the wooden cards Night Owl makes. You can customize by adding your own message or logo. These cards make an impression every time and they're good for the environment.

www.pinklovesbrown.com: Pink Loves Brown offers great trendy, modern everyday cards. I think their periodic table of elements theme thank-you cards are great.

2. Send some tasty treats.

Sometimes, instead of sending a card, I send an edible or drinkable thank-you. Here are some of my favorite options:

www.cherylandco.com: Cheryl & Co. offers award-winning cookies, brownies, and other deserts. I know first-hand that they are delicious. If your client has a sweet tooth, you can't go wrong with this thank-you. You can send a great assortment for under $30.

www.personalwine.com: My friend, Angela from 13thirtyone Design sends out personalized bottles of wine in appreciation of her clients. I love this idea: not only are you saying thank you, but you can create your own wine label and remind your customers of you.

www.ediblearrangements.com: Ok, ok. So, sending a fruit basket seems kind of corny. Until you get one. And eat the whole thing in one sitting. Fruit is a good alternative for those folks who can't eat sweets or don't drink alcohol. 

3. Books.

Alright. Maybe it's because I'm a writer that I love reading so much. Or maybe I just like escapism. Who knows. But, I love sending gift certificates or books to my clients. Especially if I know they had one in mind. 

www.barnesandnoble.com: You can order gift certificates and send them right online. 

www.amazon.com: If you're not quite sure about the whole book-lover thing, an Amazon gift card covers just about anything.

www.storyopolis.com: If your client has younger children, it's shows a little extra thought and consideration by getting something for the kids. A basket of books goes a long way. These baskets are on the expensive-side for a client gift ($125-300). However, loyal clients are hard to come by and worth the investment.

While this list of thank-yous is not exhaustive by any means, I hope it gets your brain churning and reminds you to show your clients that you care. I know you'll find that a little consideration goes a long way.

Want to Succeed? Be Relevant in Business.

Last week, Ashton Kutcher reached 1 million followers on Twitter. 

I’m sure you’re wondering why this is a big deal. The beauty of Twitter is that it allows users to find out what’s going on in the world right now. People follow Ashton Kutcher because he updates his posts constantly. His followers know what he’s up to at any given moment. He’s relevant.

These days, I hear a lot of complaining: business is slow, the economy sucks, I don’t have customers, etc. While I realize we’re not in the best of financial times, I have a hard time swallowing the notion that my success is determined by the inner-workings of the stock market or on who gets an enormous government bail-out. 

We’re entrepreneurs, for crying out loud! We got into this business because ultimately, our success (or failure) rests on our shoulders. But, too often we underestimate ourselves. We forget our number one secret weapon:

Agility.

As entrepreneurs, our smallness works in our favor. We have the ability to immediately respond to our customers’ needs at little or no-cost. We can change directions and adjust to the climate of the times with ease if we’re aware enough to know what our customers want. Our agility allows us to be relevant.

If you want to succeed in business, you need to be relevant and give customers what they’re asking for. Here’s how:

Listen:

My Mom always said that I have two ears and one mouth for a reason: I should be doing twice the amount of listening as talking. If you want to find out what’s going on with your customers, you have to listen. What are your customers talking about? What are they writing about? 

When you listen, you’re in touch with your client base and you have information to improve your product or service.

To get your customers talking, ask them questions.

Do you need my product or service?

Do you want this service or product? 

Would you use it after you purchased it?

Would you tell your friends about it?

Does our communication show the clear benefit of using the service/product? 

How does our service/product solve your problem?

Once you start asking questions, listen to the answers. The answers carry power: they show you exactly how to reach your customers, what services they need, and how you can be relevant by solving their problems. 

Keep up on the current trends/ popular sentiment:

If you don’t keep a pulse on what’s happening in the world, you’ll fall behind in business. Your marketing won’t work. People won’t want what you’re selling.

One of the major problems with the American auto industry is that they weren’t keeping up with the times: they were offering big cars when people wanted to be eco-friendly. They didn’t stay in touch with their customers and lost market share. 

Now, I’m not recommending that you change your product or service offerings to adjust to every “in thing” or season. However, it is important to keep tabs on large trends and see how your business measures up. Are you offering what consumers want? Are you keeping up with the times?

To keep relevant, I like watching a few websites to see what’s going on in the world. Check these out, you may find them useful, too:

1. smallbiztrends.com: Business website with blog format. Great for small businesses

(thus, the domain name).

2. google.com/trends: A Google program that allows you to type in keywords to see 

how they’ve been performing in conducted searches. 

3. twitter.com: If you want to see what’s on the mind of millions of people, goto 

Twitter and see what people are talking about right now. It’s always enlightening.

Keeping up with what’s going on in the world helps you measure yourself. In addition, it allows you to see potential upcoming opportunities and areas where you can grow. By studying trends, you can stay on top of your clients’ needs.

Get out in the world.

As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to become wrapped up in our own little world, with our computer, in our own industry. If you want to remain relevant, step out of your shell and get out of your office.

When I’m stuck writing, I often go to a local coffee shop and chat it up with the regulars. It’s surprising how much insight you can get by having a good conversation. Plus, I usually run into one or two people I don’t exactly agree with, so it’s good to stretch my brain and try to understand other points of view.

In addition to just getting out, speak with people in industries not directly related to you. See how large trends or political decisions are effecting people in their line of work. This allows you to see similar problems from different points of view. 

Armed with fresh, new perspectives, re-visit your product or service. How does it address the concerns of the different people you’ve talked to? Analyze your marketing materials: are you communicating effectively?

When you step out of your comfort zone, you can view your product or service from the outside, like your customers do. 

In the end, it’s essential to offer a product or service that people want. Your offering needs to be relevant. When you listen, ask questions, keep up with trends, and leave your shell, you’ll gather the powerful information you need to provide solutions for your customers.

Looking for help!

On May 7, I'm going to be in a trade show for professional women. While most of the booth details are taken care of, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to display my writing work. 

I've considered putting my best pieces in a three-ring binder, but that's SO BORING.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd love your input and insight!

Internet marketing continues to amaze me.

I'm continually amazed at the power of internet marketing. In particular, article writing. 

Recently, I've been posting articles on several blogs and social networking sites that provide an article-publishing service. Just when I think the "hype" around a certain article dies down, it starts right up again when other websites, bloggers, and newsletters want to re-print. 

Internet marketing is an effort that builds on itself: it becomes magnified over time. As more people read your article, the potential for re-prints and link-backs increases. YAY. I love it.

For instance, an article I recently wrote for Freelance Switch was picked up by the Australian Businesswomen's Network. How cool!

One note of caution: take a careful look at writing contracts. Some sites pay you for your writing, with the expectation you won't repost the article in its entirety anywhere else without permission and a link back to the original article. 

Moral of the story? Write. Share your expertise with online readers. Not only will they appreciate it, but you'll love the cumulative marketing that happens online.

No offense, but your clients don't care about you. (In its entirety.)

I need to make a couple confessions: 

1. Most marketing pieces I receive end up in the trash.

2. I’m bored easily by most websites.

Maybe I’m a snob? It’s possible, but I don’t think so. I have a feeling that I’m not the only business person sick of reading glorified brag sheets.

Too often, in my opinion, us small business owners and solo-entrepreneurs become too self-involved. We forget that while, yes, we’re in business to make money and put food on the table, we’re ultimately providing a valuable service to our clients. 

The result? We start telling people how long we’ve been around. We boast about being the number one salesperson in the country. We name drop. Here’s the thing: potential clients are savvy consumers, and they don’t care. 

On the top of every prospect’s mind is one question: what can you do for me? 

Before they buy, customers want to know how they’re going to benefit from your product or service. They want to know what’s in it for them. If you tell them, you’ll be in business.

To cut through (the crap) and make an impression, you need to become an audience-focused marketer. Here’s how.

Take stock of your current material:

If your marketing brochure or website sounds like a resume, you’ve got a problem. When is the last time you wanted to read a resume? Umm...never. Too bad many small business owners feel like they have to prove themselves by listing their credentials, years experience, and awards. With marketing, you really only have a couple of seconds to gain your audience’s attention and make a point. Don’t use this time to bore people with factoids. Instead, share how you’re going to help them. How?

1. Focus on one person. 

Too often, we try to pack everything into a small marketing piece or on one page of our website. (We want to appeal to as many people as possible because then we’ll get more business, right?) Wrong. When you try to appeal to everyone, you really appeal to no one. When you craft your marketing pieces, try to imagine one person. This person must be your ideal client: they’ll love your product, get the most benefit from your service, and will tell all their friends about you. When you speak to one person instead of the masses, your marketing gets easier. Your approach changes automatically: instead of spewing a rehearsed pitch, trying to please everyone, the conversation becomes personal. Your marketing message becomes accurate. (It’s like playing pin the tail on the donkey without a blindfold.)

2. Tell stories and create images.

Instead of writing something dull like “We’ve been in this industry for 20 years,” use your marketing content to tell a story. Storytelling creates images in people’s minds. People relate to stories, and when you use a story to show people how you help, they’ll identify, create a mental picture, and seek out your assistance.

Stories don’t have to be super long case studies or go into great detail, they just have to get people to relate, and create an image in their mind. For instance, on my website I have a “Call me when” section on my contact page. One of my favorite call me when lines is: “Call me when your website has been under construction for longer than six months.” Is everyone going to relate to this sentence? No. However, those prospects who have not launched their website because they can’t write their content will. In their mind, a picture of their “Under Construction” page will pop up, and they’ll have the desire to take action. Those are the people I can help, and those are the people I want to call me.

Craft stories and create images for your business. When you do, you’ll have motivated customers knocking on your door. 

3. Features vs. Benefits.

Ahh yes, here we go with the features and benefits rule again. I won’t go into too much detail because I feel like I’m beating a dead horse (this topic has been discussed ad nauseam), but I’ll do a brief re-cap because I wouldn’t be considered a true professional otherwise. 

Features are about you. Benefits are about your clients. 

Example: Lawn Care Company

Feature: We’re the area’s best mowers.

Benefit: You’ll have the area’s best lawn.

To retain your prospect’s attention, you need to talk about benefits. To make a prospect a client, you need to listen and then talk about benefits they care about. If you want more on this subject, I highly recommend reading the article “Benefits Don’t Sell” by fellow Biznik member Paul Anderson. He does a brilliant job laying it out.

The lesson: stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about your customers. How does your business help them? How will they benefit? Once you know, you can craft marketing messages that won’t end up in the trash.