More Than A Few Words

In this episode I had a chance to chat with Alison K about research.  I know you're sitting there saying I already know everything about my business. Well guess what, you don't! So you need to listen to this short and lively conversation about affordable ways you can conduct market research to make better decisions about your business. Alison explains as businesses owners, especially in service area know the end goal it to make the sale.  We know our target clients and their pain points.  We already understand what will happen when they're done. However. our ideal audience is the prospects who aren't ready yet. In their evaluation they may consider a whole bevy of people you wouldn't consider your competition or contemporaries. Audience research allows us to get our own heads out of our butts see the world through the eyes of our customers.

After 13 years of podcasting, I have found tools I rely on. My two favorites are Podmatch   - It is kind of like a dating application. Instead of finding dates I use it to book podcast interviews on high profile shows and interesting guests . And now, they have rolled out a new feature that allows me to get paid to host guests on my show. Learn more at : https://www.joinpodmatch.com/mtfw For recording interviews, I love  Zencastr  It is a great all in one tool. Audio only or audio and video are possible. I use if to record because it creates transcripts of every conversation which saves me tons of time on production. Learn more at https://zencastr.com/ And finally, if you want to be a guest on a podcast you will want to pay attention to what Kelly Mosser has to say about pitches. The biggest mistake most potential guest make is the emphasis of the pitch. The message boils down to “I want airtime on your show. Here’s why I deserve it. Here’s why you should give it to me.” This one-sided approach misses the key

Jennifer  Denney is obsessed with measurement and marketing data.  She believes you can't improve what you don't measure. But there are a lot of challenges for marketers right now, as they try to measure the effectiveness of a particular type of marketing, Recent changes from Apple have cut off all apps from being able to know what happens after you click on a ad and leave their site. And there is more data loss coming in July 2023 with the changes to Google Analytics. Trying to map individual customers to individual campaigns or attribution is going to be harder than ever to figure out. So marketers who have been obsessed with trying to attribute marketing to one data source or another are going to be frustrated, and Jennifer thinks that logic was flawed even before the changes. Consider this: It wasn't the last beer that you drank that got you drunk, it's all the beers. And it's the same way in marketing, you need to look at the interactions of all your marketing, recognizing the cumulative effect of your e

Have you ever done something for the first time, without prior knowledge and been able to achieve success? If so, you’re truly unique. Most humans find themselves meeting new challenges with a series of frustrations and failures. Imagine an infant as they decide to walk for the first time, they stand up then they stagger and inevitably they fall. To become consistent walkers they repeat the stand-stagger-fall cycle for a few weeks or months. This pattern of stand-stagger-fall is repeated throughout our lives. Over time we learn that practicing tasks makes eventual success more likely. We also learn that preparation is a bit of a grind certainly not enjoyable and nearly always hard work. But learning to effectively gain new skills and improve performance with existing skills is the key task we all face as adults. So, we learn to practice. This week, I get to chat with Matt Nettleton about the importance of practice and the danger of over practicing.

If your blog titles don't grab reader's attention, they're not going to read your blog posts.  While it might seem that people want to see something positive in these challenging times, surprisingly negative titles work better. Look at the newsfeed on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn. Posts with negative titles stand out and are more likely to be read, create engagement and be shared. So, I want you to commit to not boring readers with weak language in your subject line. If you start your blog post with words like improve common mistakes tips for success, your titles look like all the other articles on the same subject. We all want to improve, so you'd think these safe titles would work, but they don't. These nice helpful blog titles are like a serving of broccoli. We know it's good for us, but the Devil's Food Cake is so much more enticing. One of the most successful series of posts, white papers and seminars I created were built around the theme of why people hate your website. The series was and still is ef

Would you like to be a guest on a podcast?  If so, you want to pay attention to what Kelly Mosser has to say about pitches. The biggest mistake most potential guest make is the emphasis of the pitch. The message boils down to "I want airtime on your show. Here's why I deserve it. Here's why you should give it to me." This one-sided approach misses the key detail that podcasts are a business collaboration.  When you focus on what you can get, and what the audience might take away, the host and the show are kind of forgotten. Put yourself in the shoes of the host. Why would they want someone on their show who doesn't care about them. If you understand you are entering a business partnership with the host together it is easier to think about how can you help the host achieve his/her goals. Then you need to explain what you bring to the audience.  When you start with that approach  you are much more likely to be invited to be a guest on the show.

According to Stacey Hall when we create marketing content it should not be about our products and services.  So stop talking about your products and focus on how you solve problems. She has a simple three step process to help you do just that. 1) Start with a question that is relevant to your customer and their problem 2) Explain what causes the problem 3) Provide the solution to your problem.  Great content is just that easy.    Stacey is one of the contributing authors in MORE THAN A FEW WRITTEN WORDS, a collection of essays by some of my favorite guests. It is available on Amazon

Social media is all about ego. No matter how many followers and fans you have, it’s always fun to see a new follower, a retweet, or reply, like, love or share. All of those things signal to us that we’ve been accepted and esteemed by the community. And that feeling of acceptance is really one of the most basic human needs. When you are using social media for business. Your objective is to make other people feel that way. If you spend the majority of your time on social media, liking and commenting and interacting with others, making them feel valuable and important, there is a great chance that they will return the favor.  They will be more likely to like, share and interact with you  both personally, and with your brand. So your assignment for today is to get out on social media and be active and friendly. Don’t just like a post; share, comment and interact. Maybe share a comment on one of my social media posts.

Many potential customers read your bio to figure out who you are, and what it is going to be like to work with  you.  Danielle Hughes believes you need to give them a sense of who you are as a person instead of a litany of tasks and accomplishments.  That task list  doesn't help them start the conversation with you or get to know you in any way. When somebody reads your bio and then meets you or they has a conversation with you. it should be the exact same person. They shouldn't feel that there's a disconnect. They shouldn't feel like the words on the page were stiffer than the person they're talking to or vice versa right. The trick is to present genuine self  so that somebody feels like they already know you or they want to know you or they want to ask you a question.   Danielle is one of the contributing authors in MORE THAN A FEW WRITTEN WORDS, a collection of essays by some of my favorite guests.  It is available on Amazon 

During the pandemic many people started businesses and even more are sitting in a corporate role right now thinking you're going to start a business and leave the 9 to 5 behind. That's all great, but when the elation of the start up phase is over, you need to be able to sustain that new business through the long run. Anna Lundberg suggests you need to start with your "why".  If you are not clear about why you do what you do, what you want to accomplish as a person and a business it will be hard to find real success. 

If you’ve been using social media for any length of time, you’ve probably seen your share of memes. What makes memes popular is the way they give people a common topic or trend to make jokes about. This creates a community as the meme is expanded and shared.  People love memes, but what about brands? Are they invited to the party? That is a question every social media manager grapples with at some point.  The answer is more complicated than you think. Why? Because memes move quickly. What’s funny today is outdated tomorrow. If your organization is not prepared to jump on a trend quickly, it may be something you simply want to avoid. Secondly, meme humor can sometimes be cutting or biting. If that doesn’t fit with your brand, again, you may want to avoid the topic entirely.

I'm an extrovert. I love people.  I love being around people and talking to people.  But there are a whole bunch of people, introverts, who really don't enjoy interacting they way I do.  Here's the trick,  you've got to be able to reach both of those audiences. And if you're an introvert you have to learn how to participate in the world. This week's guest Amanda Watts share some great tips on how introverts can be effective, and maybe even enjoy of networking. It stars with understanding where your energy comes from. An extrovert, she explains, will wake up in the morning and even though they are well rested they will be a little low on energy. They actually gain energy with every interaction they have with someone. Each conversation is like a coin in your energy bank. So you gain coins throughout the day and at the end of the day if someone suggests you go out partying you're ready to go. In contrast, an introvert starts with the most energy at the beginning of the day. Every time they interact with someone

I have a confession to make. I am a networking junkie. I love getting out in meeting people. Unlike people with other addictions, I'm not looking for a cure for my networking addiction, because I think it's healthy for my business. There are lots of business owners who don't necessarily love networking and many don't even know where to start.  That's why I've taught hundreds and hundreds of business owners the tricks to improving their networking skills.  I have also written a book on the subject. There have also been lots of conversations about networking ere on MTFW, including this one from our archive, where Jarred Juett and I sat down in the front seat of my car to talk about networking.  This conversation was almost 10 years ago.  Much has changed since we had that conversation but the tips on marketing are as good and relevant as they ever were. When you are done listening, grab a copy of my book:  Build Healthy Networking Habits - Lessons from a Networking Junkie

It is time for a  Content Based SEO approach. You probably don’t want to hear this. I’m going to do it SEO wrong. You’re spending all your time focused on what search engines want, worrying about stuffing your pages with keywords, inbound links, and outbound links. Search engines don’t buy from you, people do So I want you to think about SEO differently. Start focusing on content that answers questions real people have about your product and service. If you do that, and you do that, well, the search engines will pay attention. LEARN MORE ABOUT BUILDING YOUR OWN CONTENT BASED SEO PROGRAM

Everyone knows testimonials are a powerful sales tool, so why don't more businesses have them?  According to guest, John Hubbard the biggest reason is they don't ask.  And even when they do, customers fail to follow through on the promise to write one.   If you want testimonials, you need to make it easy for customers to give them.  That's why he developed the testimonial interview.   LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS PROCESS   About John Hubbard John Hubbard is a business consultant, mentor and strategic advisor. He is the creator of the online course ‘Get Better Testimonials’ and has been producing video marketing for companies including Nike, Ford, Honda, Oakley, BHP and dozens of others around the world for more than 20 years.

As a business owner there were things I had to do that I absolutely loved and there were other things that really pushed me outside my comfort zone.  My business was successful because I developed skills in both those areas. And that's what I talked to Alex Brueckmann about in this episode. Alex explained: We often grow into our roles as business owners from a starting point of Knowledge. We've done something for awhile and we know it very well so we think we could build a business around that. We get better and better in that subject matter and then we realize there are things we really have no idea about, but should because they are important to the business. Alex is a returning guest to MTFW.  If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check his earlier episode as we chatted about creating a long term strategy. 

 When you were little, your parents probably told you to use an inside voice because it wasn't polite to shout. We've all been there, in a crowded room and you want to get someone's attention. Sometimes you have to shout or raise your voice a little bit to get noticed. Well, the internet is a lot like a crowded room when you're competing with so many other messages. To get the attention of visitors to your website, you have to shout a little bit. Online you shout visually. If you're putting a call to action on your website, use all caps. While this is hard to read in long blocks of text, and considered a little rude in an email, it's critical in your call to action.  The all cap font stops the reader and makes them pay attention. And now I'm going to shout a little bit to and tell you to look subscribe to More than a Few Words wherever you listen to podcasts.

There's a perception that authors are more credible experts than people who are not authors.  Kim Thompson Pinder thinks it is just a perception and not necessarily true. But why not go with the perception? There are however, lots of gurus out there teaching you to write a book and business will fall into your lap. It is not quite that easy, but a book can be an incredible marketing and credibility tool you can use to generate leads. About Kim Thompson-Pinder – The Extraordinary Word Ninja, Chief Visionary Officer of RTI Publishing and Host of the Author To Authority Podcast Kim did not write for 30 years after a teacher told her at seven-years-old that, “She was no good at writing and should stop.” Then, she came to a crossroads and chose to let those painful words go. Since she set her words free, she has gone on to author five books, with two more on the way. Most importantly, Kim started RTI Publishing and has helped over 200 entrepreneurs to become authors and authorities. Kim understands the power of wo

I am an email marketing fan so I was excited to invite Kendra Corman to join me for a conversation on how to make email marketing effective.  She started by explaining why email is so important.  Sure it is great to build a community on social media, but what will you do if Facebook goes down or cuts off your profile. You are stuck.  But if you have email addresses, you  own those contacts and can take them wherever you want. You have the flexibility to contact them when you want and to share information  they want and need to know.

I don't ask for help very often. Maybe it's my personality I like to present this very competent, successful exterior. But the truth is everybody needs help from time to time. So today I have a request. My podcast has hit a plateau and I need your help to reach a wider audience. Follow the link https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-than-a-few-words/id438174063?mt=2 . If you like what you hear subscribe and leave a review If it's really not for you, but you but we're friends and you want to help, feel free to share the link with someone you know who might enjoy it.  Then let me know how I can help you