Shiny, happy people

With a lovely unsullied year ahead, now is a great time to give your reputation marketing plan either a makeover or a shiny polish.

You can never underestimate the power of what people are gossiping about – and, while the public seem to focus on the negative, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have some stand out positive things to feed the chatline.

The question is what will get people talking positively about you and your business?

The more value you give, the more fans you’ll gather.  This can be in the form of:

• Tips and advice in social media posts
• Great content in groups where your community hangs out
• Useful information in blogs
• Valuable guidance in newsletters
• Free webinars explaining how to do something
• Live Q&A sessions
• YouTube channel featuring video information
• Free ecourses
• Short presentations at networking meetings that educate, rather than sell
• Conference keynote speeches

The more you can give, the more people will hear about you and appreciate your knowledge sharing.

When do I get paid?

If you’re looking at the above list and thinking ‘that’s a lot of free stuff to give away’, you’re right – but, if people have sampled your amazing-ness, they’re much more likely to want to pay for more of the same.

In today’s world, where knowledge is available at the click of a mouse, you need to build a horde of raving fans.  These are the people that follow you, rate you and will recommend you.

If you get your reputation marketing system running on high octane fuel, you’ll find that payment comes on its heels.

The secret of success is in the plan

One thing that is important, if you’re not going to spend hours doing all this, is to know what you want to do, how often, when and how.  Then it can become part of your marketing routine – and/or outsourced to experts.  

You can’t abdicate all responsibility, as nobody can BE you, but you can get help with content generation.

A well-planned marketing system will pay dividends in the long-term with a shiny reputation, people talking about you positively and that should put a big smile on your face!

I’m just a big show off!

Many business owners I meet feel uncomfortable about marketing.  They don’t want to be ‘pushy’.  But marketing doesn’t have to be selling or pushing products or services at people who don’t want them.  

In an ideal world marketing is about finding the people who are actually interested in your products and services and then impressing the socks off them!  

This is where blogs come in.  They’re a wonderful way to show off your expertise and give your readers an insight into your considerable knowledge and let them experience your approach, without having to part with any hard cash.

Use your blog as a guide

Your blog should deliver massive value.  And if you’re thinking ‘I’m not giving away all my secrets’, park that thought.  If someone is going to use your blog as a DIY guide and try and eliminate the need for your paid services – they’re probably never going to be a customer anyway.

Most people do what they like and are good at, but when it comes to things that sit outside their comfort zone, they’re more likely to outsource to someone.  If they’ve been impressed with what you have to say – there’s a high likelihood that will be you.

Use engaging headlines

Ted Nicholas (the late and great copywriter), you should spend 80% of your writing time crafting the headline.  If you are looking for headlines that capture attention these might be useful:

• 5 steps to [achieve what?]
• 17 hot tips on [subject]
• 3 [subject] mistakes [target audience} make – and how to avoid them
• Your [subject] checklist

For instance:

• 5 steps to make bookkeeping simple
• 17 hot tips on managing your inbox
• 3 marketing mistakes small business owners make – and how to avoid them
• Your health and safety checklist

Publish everywhere

Add an interesting image and upload your blog to your website – but don’t stop there.  

Unless you have a big following, people won’t see your blog so make sure to:

• Share the link on social media – not just once, but several times at different times
• Use it to lead your newsletter with great value
• Upload it as an article to your LinkedIn profile – and on any other platform where you can post articles.

When you know you’re sharing great value, it doesn’t matter that you’re showing off – people will appreciate it.

How to write a non-fiction book

A book is a great way to set yourself apart from your competitors.  Being an author gives you a certain kudos – as long as you’re working with a good editor/writer who will take your amazing ideas and polish them to a fine shine.

If you’re planning to share your expertise a book is a great way to get interest and attract potential clients.  A book can become a seminar, a speech or an online course – the opportunities are there if you’re ready to leverage them.

However, putting together a successful book requires planning.  I’ve written more than 20 books and have developed a system that doesn’t just work for me, but can work for you too!  Here are the steps I follow:

1: A clear summary

Don’t worry about the title yet, but it is important to know what the book will cover, who your readers are and what will be of value to them.  This will help you to create an overview of your book.

2: A chapter overview

Make a list of what content each chapter will cover and sort them into a logical order.  This can then be developed into key content for each chapter, whether this will be anecdotes, case studies, quotes, models, etc.

3: Develop your chapter ‘recipe’

Every chapter should have a common structure, so the reader knows what to expect.  You can decide what your chapter recipe looks like – whether you start – or end – with a quotation, a summary or bullet list or a story.  And, perhaps, how many words your target is for each chapter.

4: Schedule writing time

If you don’t do this, your book will progress when you have time, but other things will get in the way and it’s easy to find a few months have passed and you haven’t written anything.  Treat it as a project (because it is!) and write regularly.  You’ll be surprised how quickly your manuscript will grow.

5: Work on one chapter at a time

Being a left-brain systems freak, I actually write my chapter recipe down as a series of headings and save it as a template, then I use this template for each chapter, replacing the generic headings with subheadings and filling each section out.  It’s like having a skeleton to flesh out.  It means I don’t ever get blank page syndrome!

When you’ve got a completed first draft of your manuscript, it’s time to talk to an editor who will review it, make suggestions for improvements, tidy it up and polish it up generally.

When your second draft is done and you’re happy with it the last stage before publication is to have it proof-read for typos, spelling and stray punctuation.  Generally, the proof-reader is not your editor – they fulfil different roles and your proof-reader really needs to be a fresh pair of eyes.

Some books go through more than two drafts (the most I’ve ever worked on had ten), but if you have a clear plan to start with and follow the first steps, you’ll be reducing the number of drafts needed. 

Home sweet home

How fast does your website visitor understand what you do and how it helps them?

You’ve got about 7 seconds before they give up and go elsewhere, so that first thing they see had better tell them what they need to know.

That means that the first screen they see:

• Needs to have an explanatory headline
• Should feature a message that is about them, not about you
• Has images that support the message – not just be random eye-candy
• Has your contact information visible (some people want to talk to you rather than read)

If the message is targeted at your ideal customers more of them will explore further.

Make it easy to get around

A menu (navigation) should help your website visitor to find what they want.  There are two aspects to great navigation:

1. Idiot-proof titles on the navigation tabs
2. Logical organisation of pages and groups of pages

If I had £1 for every website I’ve visited that has menu pages called – Our work; Our approach; Company profile; What we do; Who we are; etc. I’d be rich beyond imagination!

The words ‘our’ and ‘we’ have very little place on a website, especially on a menu – it’s not about you, it’s about your reader.  Frankly, I don’t care about you and what you do – I want to know if you’ve got what I want.

Think of your products and services and sort them into key categories.  You’re probably not in the same situation as Amazon where a menu is almost impossible as there are just too many categories.  You don’t want more than about 7 or 8 tabs on your navigation – and that includes ‘Home’, ‘About’, ‘Blog’ and ‘Contact’.  However, you can group all product selections or service offerings as sub-pages under a main category.

As different people approach the process of discovery in different ways, it’s also wise to offer people alternative routes to where they want to go.  The simplest additional option is to add your core categories to the main area of your home page as clickable links, boxes or images.

To blog or not to blog

A blog has a few benefits.  Firstly, it means you’re adding new content (hopefully, around your key words and phrases), which is good for search engine optimisation so your site appears more in searches.  

Secondly, a blog gives you an opportunity to show off the depth and breadth of your knowledge, which influences the reader to want to work with you as an expert.

A blog also provides material to use on social media and in a newsletter to keep those people who are on your list conscious of the massive value you offer.

Featuring two or three recent blogs on your homepage as an image and headline and, maybe, a one line summary is a great way to attract people.

Make everything work for its place

Your home page is where you keep – or lose – new visitors.  Make sure that everything on that page earns its place.  If it doesn’t help people to connect with you it shouldn’t be there.

Strategy isn’t a dirty word

I go to a variety of networking events and that word ‘strategy’ comes up regularly.  I used to think that this indicated that most small business owners had a strategy for their business and a plan to put it into practice.  

Consequently, when I ask more in depth questions I am always surprised to find that many of them don’t have the answers.

I’m not a business consultant, but I’ve been around the block a few times, worked in corporate land, been a business owner myself for approaching 30 years and been a management trainer (in another lifetime!)  I’ve learned a lot and I know that a business plan or strategy document that is filed away somewhere isn’t a useful document.

There are some basic things that, once you get them in place, can transform your business growth.

The hard questions

These are the deceptively tough questions – but if you persevere and create comprehensive answers you’ll equip yourself with extremely valuable information that will help you to focus your business.

1. What does an ideal customer look like?  What are their characteristics – personally and from a business perspective?
2. What kind of challenges keep them awake at night?  Why are these a problem for them?
3. What solutions could you offer to fix their problems?  How would they work and what would the outcomes do for their business?

The answers to those questions alone will give you a great start.  Now you know what your clients really want and need and that will allow you to present your products or services in a highly focused way.

If you want to get more customers you now know exactly what you’re looking for and can start researching where this kind of person hangs out.  That means that when you promote your products or services you’ll be talking to the right people, not just throwing a lot of stuff at a wall and hoping some of it sticks.

And then you’ll need a plan

A strategy alone is not enough, but transforming the strategy into a plan will create a process that can be applied by you and your team.  Processes that can be systematised are really useful, that means everyone knows what to do and when to do it and there’s less room for ‘forgetfulness’. 

Consistent action is the secret to success.

Measure your results

What are your targets?  What do you want to achieve?

These can be sales per month, new customers per month, enquiries, website visits from your social media posts – or something else.

Don’t get diverted by ‘likes’ and ‘comments’, what you need to know is where your sales conversations come from.  Include the question ‘how did you find us?’ in all your conversations with potential new customers – and record it.  Then you can do more of whatever generates the best results.

Lights, Camera, Action!

You may not have dreamed of being a film star, but if you’re running a business you would benefit from creating video material to raise your profile.  

If you hate having your photo taken, you’re probably not enthusiastic about appearing on camera, but the good news is that you can create good content without actually having to appear on screen.  However, if you can get comfortable talking to the camera, there’s nothing like a real person appearing on screen, it all adds to the authenticity.

There are alternatives and there are a number of ways to create video – with various costs associated with them.  

1: DIY

Most mobile phones today have good quality video recorders so you could be your own director – but you’ll certainly need video editing software to produce a professional result and that takes time.  

If you have an Apple computer you’ll have built in video editing software, but if you’re on an android device you’ll need to download a video editing app.  There are some free apps, but you’ll also need to learn how to use them.

An alternative is to find someone who does video editing maybe on Fiverr or a similar site.  To get the result you want you’ll need to give them a very specific brief.

2: Slides to video

If you have PowerPoint you can create a slide show and there is a facility to record these as a video and narrate them too.  The ‘Record’ button is usually top right.

The advantage to this is that you can have your brand featured throughout and a professional title page and end screen.

The downside is that the images are static only moving when you go to the next slide.

3: Video creation app

There are any number of these.  I use Invideo, but there are many others.  They allow you to create a combination of stills that move slowly and video clips with text.  You can choose to add a voice over or a music accompaniment.

With still images they use something called the Burns effect to give the impression of a moving image.  It just adds a little bit of ‘sizzle’ to the finished product.

4: Get a professional

You can find people who will make professional videos locally or online, but there is always a higher cost to having bespoke videos created.  If you’re looking for video to feature on your website, it’s probably worth the cost.  If you just want disposable videos for social media, the cost may not be cost-effective.

Some professional social media consultants offer video creation as part of their package.

How does email marketing really work?

People often steer away from email marketing because they think it’s ‘spammy’.  But that’s missing a huge opportunity.

Of course, nobody wants to receive spam and you certainly don’t want to be the sender of anything that would be categorised as spam.  But you do want to promote your products or services, so how can you tick both these, apparently contradictory, boxes?

There are several factors that come into play:

1. The right list
2. Know your audience
3. Deliver value
4. Get the message right

The power of the list

You’ve probably heard people say ‘the money is in the list’.  That can be true, but it depends on the list.  Who have you got in your list?  Are they everyone you’ve met networking or a random selection of contacts collected over many years?

A powerful list is made up of people who have actually demonstrated an interest in what you offer.  

The easiest way to get these people to self-identify is to offer a free download that is highly targeted at the needs of the people who fulfil your ideal customer profile.  People who are willing to provide their name and email to get this download are saying ‘I want this kind of information’.

If you don’t really know who the people are in your list some of them are likely to view what you send them as spam, if they don’t want what you’re offering.

However, those who do will value what you send out if you get your messages right.

Big companies who do this well are B&Q and HomeServe, who both send out marketing emails promoting their products and services, but attach links to useful articles featuring ‘how to …’ advice with captivating titles. 

Less is more

Or, to be grammatically correct, ‘fewer’.  A few accurately targeted contacts are worth far more than hundreds of random contacts.

If you think about the best client you’ve ever had and what was important to them, ideally you need people who are a close match to their profile.  That way you’ll be preaching to the converted – they’re the ones who want what you’re offering and value your expertise.  That means they’ll usually be happy to hear from you. 

Lead with value

In today’s fast-consuming world people are looking for value.  If you can deliver value that is a massive step towards long term engagement.  This only works if you know what people want (read the last section again!)

Assuming you know your audience and what kind of information they will find valuable, this step should be simple.  It’s not about selling – it’s about giving.  When you consistently give great value you’re opening the door for future sales.

This might be in the form of useful advice, tips or processes – share your expertise and your readers will realise how good you are at what you do.  Guess where they’ll look when they need your kind of help?

Get your message right

The best email marketing doesn’t ‘feel’ like a sales pitch.  The really good ones make the reader feel like they know you, that you’re talking directly to them and the message isn’t just useful, it’s entertaining too.

Nick Stephenson (YourFirst10KReaders.com) is very good at this.  He shares his family trials and tribulations in a humorous and self-deprecating way that leads into something he’s offering completely free of charge.  The free courses he runs are exceptional value, and he offers upgraded versions that you can pay for with even more great value. 

You may need to be creative to come up with your version of this approach.  Whether you write your own emails or get a professional copywriter to do them for you, they need to sound like you’re talking directly to the recipient.

When you’ve got all these features organised you can write amazing email marketing campaigns that deliver profitable results.

Do lead funnels work?

If you haven’t heard of a lead magnet, let’s start with the simple description: it’s an item of value to your target audience, that you offer free of charge in exchange for their name and email info.

It’s a way to build your marketing list using reciprocity as the currency.

However, as I’ve pointed out in previous blogs, lead magnets don’t work in isolation - or at least not very well.  You need a lead funnel underpinning it to build relationships, deliver more value, become a welcome item in the recipients’ inboxes and educate them on your value.  Eventually, to encourage them to become a paying customer.

In case you haven’t noticed, things change, particularly digitally.  What worked a few years ago is less effective now.  For instance:

• In 2006 LinkedIn didn’t have groups or the option to share content
• In 2010 good tips got lots of followers on Twitter – not any longer
• In 2014 a Facebook Page was a very effective tool in gathering fans and getting new business, particularly if you’re selling B2C – now nobody sees it unless you pay for advertising and fewer people are looking at Facebook today – they’re all on Instagram and TikTok

I could go on – but you get the drift.  The way we use our digital platforms has changed.  In 2012 text only content worked, then Instagram and Pinterest gained ground and people expected images.  Today, videos are the primary attention grabber.

The holy grail is engagement – which is harder and harder to get.  So what does this all have to do with lead funnels?

You need a community

The traditional lead funnel starts with a lead magnet, then moves the ‘freebie’ people through a process offering a low cost item, then a one-to-many membership, subscription or course, with just a few becoming 1-2-1 customers.

The model is changing as your audience is more interested in being part of a dedicated community than part of a process.  Business has changed too as people work differently.  

Lead funnels build communities by giving away more free information, but providing it only to those who join the community.  This might be a private group on a social media platform or a dedicated website where members log in.

The theory works by delivering massive value until the member realises that there’s even more value if they are willing to pay for it.  By then they are committed members of your tribe and not only know that you know your stuff, but like your style and want to be involved.

So the lead funnel now looks very different with not only a free lead magnet, but also:

• Free webinars
• Free ‘how to’ material on YouTube or in a private group
• Free updates on your specialist subject
• Free monthly learning events

And more.

If you’re thinking ‘this all costs money and how will I get paid for it?’ the answer is that what people do pay for will be of huge value to them – and they’ll be willing to pay more for it.  Also you’ll be building a network of raving fans who will virtually do your marketing for you. 

It’s a leap of faith, but like everything else, if you’re not staying ahead of the competition, you’ll be left in the dust!

Make your editor happy

The good old press release is far less effective than it used to be.  Editors have access to massive amounts of information and are no longer reliant on what their reporters dig up and what businesses send in.  A couple of clicks and they can get gobs of information through their chosen search engine.

From a business owner’s perspective generating an interesting press release regularly is challenging.  Very few businesses have many real news stories and are resorting to:

• A new member of staff (who is interested, besides the family of the new team member?)
• A special offer (editors just see this as a sales pitch and hit ‘delete’)
• A bigger and better office (only interesting to people who work there or need to visit for some reason)
• Launch of a new product (unless it’s really ground breaking, editors will see this as a sales pitch too)
• New client (apart from you and the client, most people won’t be interested)

A blanket press release isn’t very effective.

The way to go is bespoke

You’ll get much further by selecting a handful of publications that you know your target audience read and getting to know what kind of material these journals or magazines publish.

If you actually talk to the editors about what they would find useful/valuable, you’ll get a lot further.  Typically, you can then suggest some titles for articles that would fit into the kind of article they publish.  Then you can write it knowing that it’s already got the seal of approval.

What kind of articles might work?

• Thought leader articles where you explore your take on an area where you’re an expert.
• How to articles, where you explain something and share the steps to success.
• A profile:  Your journey to success, how you overcame setbacks and what gave you that vital boost
• Q&A:  a series of questions that you answer.  Some publications have a format for this or get someone else to generate the questions that would make an interesting article.
• Hot topics:  things that are in the news or are making waves (as long as you have relevant knowledge/expertise)

Don’t waste your efforts on a ‘one-size fits all’ approach, create dedicated articles for specific publications and you’ll get a lot further.

Warm and fuzzy feelings

If you send out a newsletter, regularly or irregularly, what is the purpose of it?

There are lots of answers to this:

• To remind people what we do
• To keep people up-to-date with what we’re doing
• To introduce new team members to our list
• To let people know about new products or services
• To tell people what we’ve achieved
• To sell our products or services.

However, I’ll put money on the fact that most recipients of your newsletter don’t value any of those reasons much.

Why not?

They’re all about you – not about the reader.

What does your reader want?

We’re all pretty self-absorbed and when I’m going through my inbox I know I delete anything I don’t perceive to be of value – particularly when I’m busy.  I don’t have time to read every newsletter that arrives – or I wouldn’t do much else.

Mostly, I unsubscribe from regular emails that don’t give me anything of value.  Those I keep getting either deliver value in every issue or deliver enough occasional value for me to give the headlines a once-over and read the bits that look interesting/useful/applicable to me or my business.

What about you?  What do you delete/read/skim?

Now rethink that in relation to what your newsletter delivers to readers.  What do they want and how can you deliver that?

Reposition your message

Ideally, when someone gets your newsletter it gives them warm and fuzzy feelings – like they’re getting a gift.  So how well do you know your readers and what they want?

What would they find valuable?  What can you share that they could actually put into practice and reap results?

The more good stuff you give, the more likely people are to not only choose you when they need your kind of help, but also recommend you to other people.

Does social media still work?

I commented to one of my clients that their social media needed revamping as the posts they were scheduling weren’t really effective.  They pointed out that I had originally written these posts – five years ago!  They hadn’t considered how much social media has changed in that five years.

Even a couple of years ago the holy grail for social media was engagement.  Today that’s much harder to generate as people’s attention span is shorter and there is a tendency to read, observe and not engage.  It doesn’t mean that content isn’t interesting, it just has to rock the world to get enough emotion to get someone to actually respond.

The question my clients ask is “Is it worth bothering with social media if few people actually engage?’.  

My answer “Give up posting for a couple of months and see what happens.”

OK, that might be a bit cynical – but if you lose visibility, it will have a long-term impact on your business.  Even if people aren’t engaging, it doesn’t mean they’re ignoring you.

Build a community

If you really want to get dedicated engagement you need a community of raving fans.  People who value what you share and will rave about you to others.

Give away your valuable information and people will start to rate your expertise and authority.  

If you’re rolling your eyes and saying “But if I give it all away, how do I get people to pay me?”  That’s where you’re missing a piece of the jigsaw puzzle.  As online content guru Peter Thomson says “Give away lots of good value and the pay wall will be breached.”  In other words, when people start following you and valuing what you share, they begin to see you as an expert and there is a level of reciprocity i.e. they owe you (at least in most people’s minds).  When they need an expert, guess who they’re going to call?

Roger Hamilton, futurist and creator of the Entrepreneur Dynamics profiling, believes that in Society 5.0, a high tech and high touch approach with the mobile workforce who want to work whenever and wherever they choose is the way forward.  He also advocates giving away information to establish your reputation as an informed leader and expert.

A new approach

If you want social media to ‘work’, you’re going to need to know your target market inside out.  What is important to them and what are you prepared to share in a community that will keep them coming back for more?

This is where a group will work better than a page as people are more likely to visit a group and get involved.

By all means post on your Facebook Page and company page on LinkedIn, but you’ll need a different kind of content for your group.

Invest time in developing the kind of content that your audience will love.  This can be a combination of tips, video information, processes, opinions, entertainment and more.  Be creative and you’ll find social media still works – if you work at it.

Is your reputation bankable?

There is an argument that you can’t put a price on your reputation, but what happens when something happens to dent your reputation?  You don’t want negative feedback on Google or TrustPilot or any other platform – because it influences what people who don’t know you think about you and your business.

It takes time to become known in your local area, build an online network and be able to reach the people who will become customers or recommend you to others, so you definitely want to protect all that hard work building your reputation.

In effect your reputation is based on trust.  Trust isn’t gained overnight; it takes time and effort to build.  Unfortunately, losing it is the work of a moment.  It doesn’t take much to destroy a reputation – one thoughtless post on social media, a rant about a difficult client or even a genuine mistake that is blown out of all proportion by someone else and is outside your control.

The fallout

If your reputation has taken a knock it can definitely have an effect on your bottom line.  While existing clients may forgive you if they know you well and realise that whatever has happened was a mistake – and everyone makes them – potential clients aren’t privileged to know the real you and may simply decide engaging you is too great a risk.

It depends on what the problem is.  If you’ve made an error of judgment publicly then don’t hope it will go away.  The internet doesn’t have a long memory, it has a cache and nothing ever completely goes away.  Rectify the error – be transparent and up front.  Apologise – and mean it.

If the problem stems from someone else’s statement, contact them privately – don’t enter into an online conversation, it never ends well.  Ideally phone them or, better still, invite them for coffee on neutral ground.  Find out what has caused them to say whatever they have.  Try to remain reasonable and understand their point of view, it will make fixing the problem more of a possibility.

Dealing with difficult people

If they’re just being irrational, it may be that they simply don’t want to engage in a conversation about it.  Be willing to listen to them and don’t try to argue or disagree with whatever they say.  Let them get it all off their chests and eventually they will run out of steam.

It’s difficult to refrain from chipping in when they say something you know is wrong or unfair, but bite your tongue and let them run their course. 

Now you can ask questions to ensure you really understand why they’re upset/angry and tell them what you are prepared to do to rectify the situation.  If they accept your offer then treat it as an emergency and do whatever you’ve promised.  If they’re still unwilling to play ball ask them what would make things better for them.

Once you’ve done whatever you’ve promised do follow up.  Find out if they’re happy with it.  Listen to whether they say ‘OK’ or ‘… OK’ – one means ‘Everything is good now,’ the other means “I suppose it will have to do.”  If it’s the latter, you might have to dig a little deeper.

Repairing the damage

If the original dent was made publicly you could ask the person you’ve now satisfied to revisit the post or group and tell them what happened and how they now feel about it.  In most cases someone who has had a problem that has been satisfactorily solved is more loyal than someone who has never experienced a problem with you.

If they’re reluctant to stand up and admit they made a mistake you could tell the story yourself, explaining what you did.  At worst, it shows you’re willing to go the extra mile (don’t you love a good cliché?).

Blog writing for dummies

If you’re not a writer the idea of producing content regularly can be daunting – and prone to slipping off your to do list in favour of other tasks that you feel more comfortable doing!

So what can you do to keep up with producing articles?

Brainstorm your schedule

Spend an hour or two planning for a few months.  Subjects should be your areas of expertise as that’s what you want to show off.  Think about the questions people often ask – those are good subjects.  What tips do you have on each area you’re an expert in?

Keep track

I keep a spreadsheet with the dates I plan to post on, the category each article will be about and the article title.  This keeps me on track and lets me check back on what I’ve covered recently.

Schedule writing time

I have a diary appointment every month to write the articles for the month ahead.  So this article you’re reading is being created during that time that was blocked out.

Don’t reinvent the wheel

An article can be used in many more places than just on your blog.  You can post it on your LinkedIn profile as an article (a post, rather than an update), you can use it as the lead item on your monthly newsletter, you can take quotes out of it for social media, you can turn it into a video or a podcast too.  

If you’re worried that people will think that’s ‘cheating’ - don’t!  Most people will only see/hear one version and if they do happen to have seen your blog AND get your newsletter, for instance, all that happens usually is a validation “Oh yes, that was a good article.”

‘People never consistently do who they aren’t’

This is a quote from Peter Thomson – and, while it’s grammatically incorrect, it’s very true.  The point is if, after trying to write your blogs consistently, you’re still falling by the wayside, it’s time to find a different solution.

• You could dictate them, if writing isn’t something you enjoy, and get them typed up.
• You could delegate them to someone in your team who does write.
• You could talk to a writer who will take your ideas and write them up for you.

If you need some help, our team does this for lots of clients so please give us a call on 01245 473296.  You might find investing in help frees you up to do the things you’re good at.

 

Every book starts with a blank page

Every author has to make a start and each writer has different experiences of getting their book out of their head and into a manuscript.  Even if you find writing easy, organising and developing a whole book can be daunting.  If you have lots of great ideas, but writing isn’t your thing then it’s probably like looking at climbing Everest in trainers and jeans.

I’m a bit of a systems freak – well, quite a lot of one really!  I love a good process and I’ve created a step-by-step process for getting your book out of your head and into MS format.  The system below is aimed at non-fiction authors.  Fiction is a different animal and, while some of these things will help, it’s a somewhat different process.

Step 1 – Allocate time in your diary

If you are serious about writing a book, then allocate time to work on it.  If you don’t and think you’ll do a bit ‘when you have time’, it will either never happen or will take much, much longer than you thought it would.

Block out time for planning – steps 2-6 – and for writing – step 7.  When you’ve completed steps 2-6 and written the first chapter, you should have an idea of how long a chapter takes to write and can adjust your time allocation to ensure you have allowed enough to finish the book.

Step 2 – Who is it for?

If you know exactly who you’re writing the book for you can keep them in mind while you develop it, so the tone and approach are consistent.

Step 3 – What is your overall goal/purpose for the book?

Another key thing to keep in mind to keep you on track.  

NOTE: I recommend writing both these pieces of information down and pinning them up somewhere you can see them while you write.

Step 4 – Create your chapter plan

This is where you identify what each chapter will be about.  At this stage you’re looking at overall subject, rather than the nitty gritty – that will come next.  

NOTE: I find using mind mapping techniques is a useful way to do this – I do one map for the whole book and then one for each chapter.

Step 5 – Develop your chapter recipe

What is a chapter recipe?  It’s a format that you use for every chapter.  For instance, if you start Chapter 1 with a quotation, then every chapter following should also start with a quotation.  If you have a summary at the end of a chapter, then all chapters should also have this.

Why is this important?  Because your reader will subconsciously ‘learn’ your format in chapter 1 and if chapter 2 looks a lot different, some people will stop ‘to get a coffee’ and never pick the book up again!  Your subconscious is a big fan of familiarity and likes things that follow a pattern.

Step 6 – Develop your chapters’ content

Now you’re getting down to the nitty-gritty!  This is where you map out each chapter:

• List all the things you want to cover in relation to that chapter’s main subject matter
• Find the quotations you want to use
• Develop any anecdotes or case studies you’ll be including
• Research or clarify models, charts, graphs, etc.
• Check sources for data

Step 7 – Write your manuscript

With a clear plan for each chapter, putting it together will be much easier than looking at a blank screen and waiting for inspiration.  Writing will take less time because you know where you’re going, effectively you’re just fleshing out the skeleton plan.

Remember that this is not the end of the process – your manuscript will need editing and, eventually, proof-reading before it goes to be published.  However, you will have scaled the first big obstacle, which means you can celebrate!

Is your website helping your reputation?

Keeping your business website up-to-date is important to preserve potential customers’ perception of your business.  Out-of-date website = outdated services (in their subconscious).

The regular tasks are things like ensuring the links all still work – that’s basic housekeeping, but there’s more to a website than being functional on a basic level.

First – it has to look good.

When a new visitor lands, do they think “This looks smart,” or “Hmmm, it’s a bit dated, I wonder what their service is like?”  

Websites go through trends.  In the early days  it was all left-hand menus and long copy, then it was banner images and more white space, then it moved on to centralised columns and hamburger menus – and that’s just the major evolution, there are subtle changes in fashion year by year.  So which era is your website reflecting?

Second – it has to be easy to understand

Your website is not the place for cryptic copy.  Clear headlines that tell people what they get is essential.  Given the reduced attention span the average visitor has in comparison with even 10 years ago, you need to get your message across FAST. 

Don’t expect people to make an effort to find things out for themselves, if it’s not served up front and centre, they’ll be off to something ‘easier’ that doesn’t strain the brain.

Third – it has to be easy to navigate

The latest ‘fashion’ is for long home pages that allow the user to scroll down (or use the menu to jump down) covering all the key subjects the website offers.  Yes, the home page serves as an ‘index’ with easy access to specific parts of the website, but infinite scrolling pages aren’t always serving you – or your visitor – best.

• Too many different subjects on a page and you’re shooting your SEO in the foot.  
• Some people won’t make the effort to scroll down to find what they’re looking for and will just go if they can’t see it.
• Long pages can take longer to load, especially if they have lots of images.  Slower loading can dislodge impatient visitors!
• If someone is looking for specific items and scrolls past them, it can be hard for them to refind those later – especially if they’ve left the site and come back.  They can’t bookmark how far down the page they were.
• What about if someone wants to get to the footer for contact info or T&Cs (yes, some people do actually read them)  – and they’re on a page with infinite scrolling?  They’ll never find it.

There are places where infinite scrolling works – social media, forums, product lists, etc., and people using a smartphone love being able to just scroll on down – until they can’t carry out a function they want!  

Most business – brochure-style – websites need separate pages for dedicated products or services, which are optimised for that key word or phrase and turn up in search relevant results.

People want a small amount of written information, some useful images to help get the message across and an easy to follow call to action.

Ask a few people who may be potential customers to do a simple usability test – ask them to carry out three or four tasks and ask them how easy it was.  This might be to find out how to buy a particular product, to book an appointment, or to find contact details (phone/address?).

It will help you to tweak your website and ensure you’re keeping the majority of the people who visit your site.

When money is tight

I had a Yorkshire mother – and they can give the Scots a run for their money when it comes to being frugal.  She recycled and reused long before it was a thing and always found ways to make a little go a long way.  

Now we’re in a different age and sustainability is important because if we don’t pay attention our throw-away society will do the environment damage.  But the critical factor today is money.  

Prices are rising – energy, fuel, transport costs – and strikes for more pay have been popping up all over the place as people are desperate to be paid a living wage, not just barely enough to scrape by.  Inflation and interest rates are soaring – it all sounds like doom and gloom for business people.

Of course, your running costs will go up.  Even if you’re a home-based worker you’ll need to keep warm this winter and you need food to survive.  Business costs are going up too as part of this upwards spiral.  So practically, what can you do?

Audit your outgoings

Get a spreadsheet out and list all your business outgoings – monthly and occasional.  Do the same for your personal expenses.  Now you’ll have two figures – one for your business and one for your household.

• What are you paying for that you’re not really using?  Cancel those payments right away!
• What are you paying for and using, but may have a lower cost alternative?  Get on your research and make changes.
• What are you paying for and using, but you could use better?  Take action – even if it takes a little time to get it organised.

Review your income

With your new awareness of what you need for you and your business to survive, your next step is to ensure that income exceeds outgoings.  Logic, but something not everyone checks on regularly.  We’re not talking about the end of year balance sheet (although that can be useful), but a simple monthly check and balance process.

If you’re on a knife edge or not confident you can keep ahead of the game it’s time for action.

Think big

It’s not about expanding by 2-3% - you need to stretch your imagination.  So, for example, if you need £5,000 a month to pay all the business bills AND yourself enough to live on, adding an extra £150 to your income won’t make a massive difference and you’ll probably just do more of the same.  

Add a nought and you’ll need to think differently.  So if you want £50,000 a month – what strategies, plans and tactics will you need to achieve that?

Don’t worry about falling short of your target – as the saying goes ‘aim for the stars and you may reach the moon’.  It’s not about success or failure, it’s about thinking in a different way.

Things change

When was the last time you asked your customers (and potential customers) what they really wanted?  As the economy changes, what people value will change too.  Invite your customers to share their challenges with you so you can ensure that whatever you deliver to them ticks all their boxes.

There may be huge untapped potential you haven’t explored yet.

Also you may find it’s time to discontinue unprofitable products/services.

Even in the luxury market place customers’ expectations change – even when money isn’t an issue.

Think creatively

The secret of a successful business is diversity, flexibility and the ability to see what’s needed and lead the field.

Welcome to YouTube

If you’re thinking of putting video content onto your social media, don’t forget to upload it to YouTube.  

YouTube is often used like a search engine – if you need to know something people are quite likely to search YouTube directly rather than use their search engine.  There is a ton of learning, how tos, archive video that’s been digitalised from pre-internet times and so much more.

Also, because YouTube is owned by Google, content from YouTube usually ranks well on Google too.

What to post

Not everyone is comfortable in front of a camera, but you don’t have to appear in your videos.  You can use a myriad of different tools:

• PowerPoint slides – and you can narrate these and record an MP4 directly from PowerPoint
• Cartoon software like Doodly or Doodlemaker
• A platform like InVideo or Wave to create professional level video – with either backing music or narration
• Selfie video taken on your phone with a quick update

There’s no rule that says videos have to be any particular length.  Some people say keep it short – a couple of minutes – others say it has to be at least 8 minutes, but I think it needs to be as long as you need to get your point across.  I’ve watched some how to tutorials that are an hour or more – but packed with great content.

Do your preparation

You know the cliché 

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

Guess what?  It’s true!

Time spent planning your content is worthwhile – even if it’s a few bullet points on a scrap of paper.

You should have a beginning or introduction, a middle and an end, ideally with a call to action.  

• Don’t let your intro become dry, use active language and signpost the big benefits your video will deliver.  
• Ensure there’s some value for the viewer in the middle
• Know what you want people to do when they’ve got to the end and ask them to do that.

Before you upload your video make sure you know what key words you want it to be found for.  Check out answerthepublic.com for your keywords to find out what people are currently searching for around that.  It’s a good strategy to name your video with that key phrase that people are searching for.

You’ll also want to add your key phrase to the file details (right click the file and check out Properties or Details) and ensure your title and key phrase are entered.

This key phrase also needs to be entered in the description when you upload the file to YouTube.

Professionally produced videos are great, but they also cane your marketing budget.  If you’ve got a big launch or something really important then it’s worth the investment, but for everyday video content, play with some of the tools and you’ll soon be able to create good quality videos yourself.

Don’t be a spammer

When I talk to clients about email marketing the most common comment I hear is “I don’t want to be a spammer.”

This says a lot about the view of email marketing – it’s seen as unwanted junk landing in your inbox.  In other words it’s got a bad reputation – but why?

Mostly because it is unwanted junk.

Is it because none of us like being sold to?

Is it because you got on a list because you bought something from the company once and that identified you as someone who would buy again?

The answer to both those questions is usually ‘yes’.  But some email marketing is enormously successful – or nobody would still be doing it.  So what’s the difference between successful and unsuccessful email marketing?

Let’s look at some scenarios:

• A shop you have a loyalty card for sends you this week’s offers.
• A company you are a regular customer of sends you useful links to articles about ‘life-hacks’ that you can use – without trying to sell you something.
• A consultant that operates in an area you’re really interested in sends you amusing emails, often with free advice – and occasionally includes a paid-for offer.

Do you mind getting this kind of email marketing?  Mostly it’s useful, so you’ll stick with it.

What about:

• A booking agent that sends you every show that is on in every theatre they have, regardless of what you’ve bought tickets for before.
• A company that you bought one product from, sends you a barrage of emails about everything else they offer, regardless of whether it’s relevant to your original purchase.
• You downloaded a free document about social media for small companies and the supplier now sends you all kinds of ‘opportunities to buy’ relating to subjects such as HR practices for corporates, marketing in the retail environment, just-in-time ordering, and other unrelated and not useful things.  

I’m guessing these are more likely to irritate you and head for the ‘delete’ or ‘unsubscribe’ button.

Of course, any business wants to educate their customers about what other things they offer, but when someone buys something – or downloads a free document – there’s a strong possibility they’ll be interested in similar items.  It’s like them putting up their hand and saying ‘this is what I want’.  

What is my point?

Know your audience.

Know what they want and give them more of that kind of thing.  Most email marketing platforms allow you to tag or separate people in your lists so they only get the emails that are of interest to them.

Instead of becoming a spammer, you’ll be building a loyal audience of fans.

Are you missing opportunities?

When you’re running a small business one of the toughest – and most critical – tasks is attracting new customers.  This is doubly true if you’re not a natural sales person.

In reality, after a couple of decades in business, I’ve found that most of my customers come to me as a result of either a recommendation by someone else or by coming into contact with me in some way through networking online or offline.  In the first instance, someone who already knows, likes and trusts me is passing on that trust to their contact.  In the second situation, it’s usually that the customer has started to get to know me before making that decision.

However, this is a fairly random and not always consistent way to find new clients.  But what if you could start building those relationships that bring potential customers to you consistently.

Attract the right people

What are the biggest problems that your customers experience?  Could you give them the solution as a written document?

If you can give them a guide or ‘How to …’ document they’ll be willing to share their email address to get something that has significant value.

This is a lead magnet – and lots of people have them, but they’re not always focused on the right content.  If you already have a lead magnet, review it and ensure it’s exactly what your perfect customer will find impossible to resist!

Let people know about it

You don’t need to invest in Google or Facebook advertising (although you could if you want to), you just need to tell your social networks about it.  If you’ve got the right title for your document, it should be easy to attract people.

What’s the right title?  Here are some examples:

• How [your target audience e.g. printers] can compete successfully with [biggest challenge e.g. digital media] and win.
• The 7 essential keys to help [target audience, e.g. accountants] stand out from their competitors
• How [target audience] can double their business, without making a single phone call.

You’ll notice they are quite long – but that’s not a bad thing, it helps them to self-identify and is highly focused on their problem – and offers a solution.

Promote it regularly – this is not a one-hit kind of activity; you should be reminding people about this valuable resource every week.

One swallow does not make a summer

One email – providing the download link – doesn’t create a relationship either!  You need to follow up and nurture your relationship with people who have self-identified as potential customers.

My recommendation is a series of emails that follow up with additional value and remind the recipient to revisit (or get around to reading) the valuable information they’ve already downloaded.

After a few (3-5) you could then offer an upgrade – this might be a video or e-course, a book or a webinar series – be creative.  It will need to be a follow-on, but more in-depth information – and be priced at an affordable level.  Typically, this is usually under £50.

Then ‘rinse and repeat’.  Keep in touch with your list, keep sending them great value and some of them will become valuable customers.

It’s not just about the press

When you look at PR opportunities, where do you want to appear?

If you’ve been reading my blogs a while you’ll know that the national dailies are not the first target for most businesses.  If you’re aiming to build a reputation for being an expert in your field you need to be where your target audience are looking.  National dailies are too random – the demographics of their readership is so broad that it’s almost ‘anyone’!

However, while your ideal client’s industry journals are a good first choice, don’t ignore broadcast media.

OK – the ‘This Morning’ sofa might be a big step, but there are better – and easier – places to start.  

Have you tried local radio?

If you check your area there will be lots of local radio stations.  Some are online only, others broadcast over the radio waves, but they all have audiences and different audience demographics at different times of day.

A quick search of Radio stations in Essex produced a list of 10 FM broadcast stations and quite a few online digital stations.  I’m sure your area will be the same.  Radio stations are always looking for interesting stories that relate to the local area, so if you can put together a good story for the press, you can do the same for local radio.

Pick your station and the presenter or producer that handles the shows that are ideal for your audience.  For instance, if you want to reach business people, the early morning show and drive-time are probably your best bets.

Once you’ve appeared once, you’ll usually be on their radar and may be asked to appear on future shows that have relevant content.  Also some of the smaller stations are open to discussing a regular slot if you’ve got good content to share.

Most counties have a BBC radio station too and if your story does well on a local station it can be picked up by BBC national stations.

Become an expert

If you really want to get onto the mainstream media you could register on sites such as FindaTVExpert or Expert Sources.  These are subscription sites, but, along with other similar databases, are where producers of talk shows and news programmes go to find someone who can comment on whatever they’re discussing.

Our top tip is to ensure you are:

a. easy to contact and respond positively
b. available – or they probably won’t try a second time

c. if a producer asks you to get back to them by a certain time – don’t miss their deadline.

If you’re willing to accommodate their requirements they’ll come back to you.  If you do well they’ll pass on your details to other producers/journalists.

Generally, it’s good to have an up-to-date website that features your core subjects prominently and, ideally, has either video or audio material of you so producers can see how you come over and get an idea of what you’re expert in.  You may need to invest in SEO to ensure your website – or the particular page you want people to find – shows up on the first page or two of searches.

A blog is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise too.  It shows you know what you’re talking about and gives a flavour of your opinions.

What IS a newsletter?

There are many opinions about what a newsletter is.  There is a faction that says the secret is in the name ‘NEWS-letter’.  However, what constitutes news for your audience?

It’s probably not what YOU consider to be news, but remember that you’re delivering content to help, support, inform, educate or entertain your reader.

In other words they don’t want to know YOUR news, they want THEIR news.

The newsletters I read frequently are:

• Entertaining
• Written as though the writer is talking to me
• Deliver something of value and/or interest TO ME
• Don’t ramble – I’m busy
• Make it clear and easy to take further action if it’s relevant. 

Do your research

If you’re still not sure what your audience want, ask them what they read, what they delete and what they mean to read, but don’t get around to.

Sign up to the lists they follow and see what kind of content they like!  

That third category ‘What they mean to read, but don’t get around to’, is worth looking at – it clearly delivers something they’re interested in, but not in a way that they find easy to consume.  In other words, getting the value takes effort.  

Could you deliver similar content – in a more engaging way?

That’s Entertainment!

Why have I put Entertaining at the top of the list?

Because that’s what attracts us to newsletters.  We want to be entertained (I spent 5 minutes this morning whacking penguins – thank you Alan Stevens!)  Entertainment doesn’t mean that the content has to be irrelevant, it just needs to entertain the reader.  That might be:

• A relevant cartoon (check copyright)
• A quiz or questionnaire with a result (e.g. what personality type are you?)
• A game
• A video link to something funny or bizarre

However, it might be simply your writing style.  One of the newsletters I get – and read, usually starts with a humorous comment or two about the writer's current situation.  

I'm celebrating 3 very important things today:

1. The weather has momentarily stopped being a heatwave - putting rest to Mrs S's insistence that we're all destined to spontaneously combust and should ready the hosepipe, post haste.
2. I was able to watch the entire first 7 minutes of my TV show before the kids came in to complain about the volume (a new record).
3. Lesson Two of your $0 to $1k From Book Sales free course is now ready (woop). 

There are plenty of ways to entertain your audience while delivering great value – and that’s the secret of a really good newsletter – deliver value.

The latest fashion

Recently I suggested that a client should update their regular social media posts as I didn’t think they were working very well.  I got thrown a challenge “But you wrote them?”

The answer was that social media has changed and the type of content people post needs to keep up with the latest ‘fashion’!

When Facebook appeared on the scene (2005), posts were chatty, personal and social, then along came Twitter and we all had to learn to write our thoughts into 140 characters!  To be honest this was a useful education for all writers as short and simple always trumps long and rambly!

Then LinkedIn upgraded their services and the business version of Facebook emerged.

But YouTube came along, followed by Pinterest and then Instagram, which means that pictures and video got centre stage.

Fashion

Twitter is less popular with business people these days, unless you want to connect with celebrities or journalists.

Facebook is – so I’m told – for ‘old people’!!!  But lots of small businesses still use it as a means of connecting with their tribes – some enormously successfully.

Instagram remains very popular, but requires an image that attracts attention.  And, of course, TikTok has given us the Twitter version of video – short and easy to consume.

LinkedIn has moved with the times and follows the trends established by other platforms, with a lot of video and image based content, with a business focus (mostly).

Frequency

Twitter encouraged people to post frequently – often several times a day.  Even if your weren’t following many people the home feed moved so fast that multiple posts vanished quickly.

However, that approach doesn’t work so well on other platforms and today, for businesses, fewer posts, but better content is the rule to follow.

You’re not just looking for views, or even likes, but engagement.  Given the millions of people on any given platform, that’s hard to achieve.  

Focus

Getting that all important engagement depends on two key factors:

1. Know your target audience intimately – what they’re interested in, what gets them involved.
2. Deliver great content.

This may be simple, but neither of these are easy, but they are the secrets of success.  

You don’t have to deliver daily inspiring posts and meaty, thought-provoking content, but you do have to deliver content your audience will love, whether that’s information on the newest galaxy to be discovered or cartwheeling cats!  It all depends on your audience.

Two great posts a week are better than mediocre daily posts!

What makes a reputation?

Your reputation is what people say about you, whether verbally or in writing.  To build a good reputation you need to influence two groups of people:

• Those who know you and have experienced your expertise
• Those who don’t know you yet

Customers

This includes clients – or whatever you call the people who pay (or have paid in the past) for your expertise – if you’re a speaker, it might be your audience.

In order that they have positive thoughts about you after they’ve been on the receiving end of your (or your company’s) services, you need to deliver excellence in everything you do – whether it’s the actual advice or produce you deliver or the invoice process.

Unfortunately, people talk a lot more about bad experiences than they do about good ones.  That means that good is not enough – it’s what people expect.  The delivery has to be exceptional in some way.

The best way to achieve this is to talk to your customer, ask them what is important to them and deliver exactly what they want, efficiently, effectively and with enthusiasm.

Contacts

These are people who you may have connected with networking online or offline, who only know what you tell them.

If you’re lucky, other people will reinforce your message, if they know people who have actually been your customer at some point.  But mostly their knowledge of you will be gleaned from social media posts, your online profiles, blogs you’ve written and newsletters or email campaigns they receive.

That means that every word you write has to help to make your reputation shine!

Systems to enhance your reputation

How often do you call your customers for a chat - outside work you’re doing together?  Find out how things are going, check that the problems you started out solving for them are still important.  Discover what their current challenge is.

How often to you make contact with former customers – apart from your newsletter?  Calling up old clients is one of the most effective ways to get them back as a live customer.

How many of your online contacts have you had a 1-2-1 with?  You don’t have to live locally, a 1-2-1 works just as well using Zoom or Google Meet or MS Teams.  Once you’ve had a 1-2-1 the door is open for business and referrals.

All these strategies are not magic – but they do need to be part of your process, a system that will not only shine your reputation as someone who makes an effort and cares, but also as a means of filling your order book!

Blogging to enhance your reputation

A good reputation boosting blog shares your expertise and shows off your depth and/or breadth of knowledge.  

If you’re thinking ‘But that means I’m giving away all my secrets’, that’s OK.  Very few people will try to follow your advice – not because they don’t want to, but because it’s not their ‘thing’ and it’s too much hassle.  But those people still need the skills you have and, now they know how knowledgeable you are, it’s an easy choice for them to call you.

Of course, there will be people who don’t want (or can’t afford) to pay someone to do the work – and they’re the ones who will try and follow your advice.  They’re not potential customers, but could be great advocates for you.

Headlines that attract

The late Ted Nicholas (a massively successful American copywriter) used to say that you should spend 80% of your writing time on the headline!  I wouldn’t go quite that far, but your headline is important – it’s the first point of engagement.

Here are a few ideas:

• How to …  [solve your customers’ biggest problem]  
• The 3 biggest mistakes [your target audience] make – and how to avoid them
• Your [subject] checklist for success
• 27 Hot Tips on … [subject]
• 5 ways to … {do something your target audience want to do]

Questions work well too, e.g.

How do you create a blog that gets engagement?

Content that keeps people reading

Subheadings are good – better still if they’re numbered.  If you’ve used a number in your headline, that will give you the subheadings.  But if you’ve chosen a ‘how to …’ approach, subhead each step – it makes it easy for the reader to follow and keeps them reading.

Deliver value

Don’t ramble – people like to get to the point.  No long explanations, keep everything simple.  You don’t have to give all the minute detail, either people will be able to follow it and apply common sense or they need your help – and you’ve recruited a new customer!

Make sure that you give information that your target audience will find useful.  

Keep going

One blog article won’t get attention, you need to write them regularly – at least a couple each month.  This will:

• Build and confirm your reputation as an expert
• Keep you visible and in people’s awareness
• Position you as the go-to expert in your industry
• Give your website fresh content regularly, to attract the search engines
• Provide material for your newsletter that is of value
• Give you material for good social media posts

3 Top Tips

1. Write in short sentences and short paragraphs to give your copy energy.
2. Add a good image that enhances your message at the top.
3. Say what you have to say and then stop – blogs don’t have to be any particular length.

How to achieve your goals

Find a quiet and undisturbed environment.  With a large pad of paper and plenty of pens, pencils and coloured markers, get comfortable and start writing.

List all the goals you would like to achieve in your life, no matter how outrageous they may appear right now.  You should consider every area such as:

Career goals - positions you would like to achieve; how you would like to develop within your company; where you would like to see yourself in two, three and five years...

Personal Goals - write down everything you have ever wanted to achieve - the places that you would like to visit and everything you have always wanted out of life.  This can include financial goals for savings, holidays, etc.

Domestic and family goals - what you would like to achieve for your family; what the family would like to do together (improved relationships, going on holidays as a unit, etc.); plans for putting children through college....

Educational goals - your further development; courses you would like to attend; qualifications you would like to attain...

Material Goals - things you want to obtain - cars, sporting equipment, things for the home or the office, new stereo, TV, laser disc player, etc.

Physical Goals - improving your fitness, attaining a particular weight or measurements, developing a skill (e.g. to be able to run 10 kilometres, lift 100kgs)...

Business Goals – all the things you want to achieve from the business.  The financial - turnover and profit per month/year and what you want to do to bring in that amount; what type of work, how much of it to hit your financial targets.

Use one sheet for each category.  Don’t worry about importance or order just get everything down – quantity is the key at this stage.  You might want to do this in two sessions – to allow other goals to surface.

Next steps

Take each sheet and using a coloured marker or an ABC system categorise every item as:

A Top priority, very important

B Quite important, but not critical

C Would be nice, but not that important

You may have several ‘A’ items on some sheets and none on others.

Take all the A items and put them onto a single list – now reprioritise it – 1 for the most important of all, 2 for the next most important, and so on.  Create a ‘to do’ list for each objective – individual actions with dates for completion.

You can’t ‘do’ a goal – you do things that get you closer to it.  The next step is to create a to do list and attach dates for completion of these tasks.

Transfer the tasks into your diary and place the complete list on your desk or somewhere you will see it regularly.

After three months review all the goals you originally identified and re-make your list.  You should have achieved many of the goals or be well on the way to achievement.  Some of your B list may now move up to the A list and you may have found some new goals.

Repeat the original exercise.

HOT TIP:  Ask yourself every day ‘What have I done today towards achieving my goals?’  It will keep you focused.

Remember – a goal is only a dream you are prepared to take action on!