Author Archive

Quick post:  Check out this great post from the folks at Splash Media.  What’s stopping you from blogging?  If it’s time, consider outsourcing. I have some good resources I can recommend.

I have the privilege of hosting a group of colleagues from the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant network in Austin this weekend. We shared some of our favorite online marketing and business tools. Some cool stuff here to help you take action, get organized and more!



Universal Business Listing

Great service to get your business listed online. There’s a fee, but look for the fine print on the bottom for the $39 basic package to get started. Might be the best $39 you’ll spend this year to help your business get found online.

Meeting Burner
Host an online webinar to educate clients or generate leads or just hold meetings- free.

KnowEm
KnowEm allows you to check for the use of your brand, product, personal name or username instantly on over 550 popular and emerging social media websites. Grab your name and secure your brand before someone else does.

After a hiatus, the Marketing with Moxie blog is back!! Have you missed us? As part of my effort to think bigger in 2012, I’ve decided to take a more proactive approach to my posts here.

So look for marketing tips and tidbits in three general categories.

1. Tips and cool tools. Once a week or so, I’ll summarize the latest and greatest marketing gadgets, websites, or tools any small business owner can use. I run across things all the time in my news feeds, via the Duct Tape Marketing blog and in my in box.

2. Marketing strategy. I’m a firm believer in strategy before tactics. I have also found that focusing on strategies first is like pulling teeth for many small business owners. A lot of them just want a “sure-fire” tactic that will generate leads and create sales. Mention strategy, and they’re likely to glaze over. But that’s a huge mistake. While stand-alone tactics can sometimes do the trick to grow your business, tactics backed by a strategic marketing foundation will work better, almost every time. I’ll be going through the Seven Steps of Marketing Success again this year – the proven system created by John Jantsch. But thanks to a new and revised version of the steps, you’ll see even more relevant strategies to grow your business.

3. Small business owners with marketing moxie. When I started this blog, I intended to profile small business owners who have  an “inner marketing moxie.” These people are natural marketers. They just think bigger all the time like Zappo’s founder Tony Hseih – the source of the quote in this post. They just seem to inherently get marketing and sometimes do it without even knowing it is marketing. Others are very intentional about it, and have stories to tell. I’ll be inviting these business owners to write guest blogs to share their “secret marketing sauce,” or I’ll interview one from time to time. Are you a small business owner with marketing moxie? I want to hear from you!!

So, all the best to you in 2012 as you work to grow your business, and as all of us involved in the Duct Tape Marketing network like to say this year – Think Bigger!

Hundreds of speakers and experts have submitted their ideas for SXSW Interactive 2012 sessions and the public at large can chime in until this Friday, Sept. 2. I proposed a panel called “Real Small Business Owners on Google.” I invite you log on to the SXSW Panel Picker, and give me a thumbs up! Click here to learn more and vote today. With all the buzz about Google+ and what it might do for small business, I thought it would be a great session. Here’s the deal: If this panel is selected, after Google unveils its business page for Google+ I’ll invite my Duct Tape Marketing colleagues to help me find four guinea pig business owners to use Google+ to grow their business. If you’re selected, I’ll chart your progress and invite you to submit guest blog posts along the way here at Marketing with Moxie.   And here’s the cool part, you’ll be able to share your story as a SXSW panelist.  So vote now, and invite your friends to vote too!  We could all be going to Austin!  (Well, I’m already here, but it’ll still be a blast to be a part of one of the best conferences in the world!)

I have been getting a lot of info about Google+.  For this edition of Stuff with Moxie, I’m posting some info worth checking out if you want to drill down a bit on Google+ for your business — and life.

Good “insider” interview with Google’s Joseph Smarr

What’s New in Google+

An easier way to invite:  Hey Everyone, We’ve heard that you want to invite your friends, but sometimes you don’t know their email addresses… or sometimes its not easy to find it. To address this, we’ll be rolling out a new feature over the next few days that lets you invite others simply by using a link.  Read more.

1.  Wow… this is cool.  Wish I could get in.  This is kind of like walking by a cool new store. I peer through the windows.  The lights are on.  But the doors are locked. Will someone invite me — please?

2.  Drat. I got an invitation, but Google is picky about who’ll they’ll let in. Pretty good marketing strategy – dangle the carrot.  That won’t work for most business launches, but Google is well, Google.  The buggers.

3.  Yes!  I’m in. I feel like a kid who was waiting in line to get concert tickets for a rock band.  Now what?  Act like I know what I’m doing, that’s what.  Act like Guy Kawasaki — I mean, he’s a newbie too, right?

4.  Pretty cool.  I get it. For the most part.  Sparks?  Wha?

5. Awesome… there’s someone I know.  Hey… hey John… over here!  How’s the water?  You know me, really.  Can I be in your Circle?

6.  Circles. Wow.  I get this. Actually, this makes sense. I’m gonna proceed cautiously here.  Wish I’d have been able to separate out interests and contacts like this when I set up my personal Facebook page, which is a mishmash of business colleagues, good friends, and people from high school I really don’t know any more.

7.  Wow… people are adding me to their circles. Wait, who the hell is THAT guy?  Should I circle him too?   Um, no.  Can I ignore him?

8.  Ah.. more people are coming in. Quick, Act like you know what you’re doing.  Share other peoples stuff about G+

9.  Do I write Google Plus… Google+  G+  ?

10.  Okay.  I’ll stay. Now, I just need to figure out a system to integrate all this into my social media routine.  Crap.  Google, I think you did this one right. I can’t ignore this one like I did Buzz.

More quick links of interesting marketing tips, tools and info that came to my attention over the last week.

Google Circles

Google’s taking on Facebook

Watching this one closely as Google rolls out Google +.   It’s invitation only right now (I didn’t get one, bummer), but here’s how Google describes it in their tour: http://www.google.com/+/demo/.

There’s a good review in Inc. about what people are saying about Google+. There seems to be potential for work and business use.  Read the full article.

Do the Work

I’ve been laughing and crying over the book Do the Work by Steven Pressfield.

It’s a quick read filled with pithy, thought-provoking ideas that every entrepreneur and small business owner should read.  Get it.  Read it.  Fight the Resistance.

Go to Amazon and click on the “Read the First Chapter Free” button.

The folks at Ring Central (my virtual phone service of choice by the way), asked its customers what Independence day meant for them. Pretty inspirational comments here that I could relate to.  Read the full post here.

Happy Independence Day everyone.  May you have a safe and blessed time with family and friends.

Here’s the second part of my interview with “The Book Doula” Liz Alexander. If you’ve wondered about writing a book to share your knowledge or expertise, it could add value to your business.

Moxie Marketing:  Okay, let’s say a business owner is inspired to start writing.  What subject should she pick?  Does it have to be about her business?

The Book Doula: Let me start by saying that I don’t believe anything counts until it sells. A book written that no one buys or reads might as well not exist in my view. Fine, if someone wants to write a book just so they can call themselves an “author,” that’s their prerogative. They’re not the folks I want to work with. My passion lies in helping people share their subject matter expertise with a wider audience, in service of their business. I’m all about ROI: you invest in a professional to help you birth a good book in order to boost your business or future-proof your career.

Second, let me share publishing’s least understood dirty little secret. You are NOT going to make much money from selling books. But that’s not the point when you recognize the huge indirect benefits to your business. And there’s plenty of data, anecdotal and empirical that supports that, which I’ll be sharing in an upcoming eBook. (And if readers would like a free copy, they can email me; this won’t be available until late July or early August.)

If you’re unsure what topic to write about, check out the video at the bottom of my home page (www.bookdoula.biz) in which I advise you to write a book that takes your business or career where you want it to be, rather than just promote where it is now.

That’s one of the conversations I love to have with new clients, helping them identify the most salient subject that both serves their readers and their business.

Moxie Marketing: This probably isn’t for everyone. Do you have a checklist or series of questions that might help business owners discover if writing a book would be right for them?

The Book Doula: Absolutely. The first thing I do with my clients is to take them through a 10-question process that helps them see that they have more to offer than they realize. In fact, with the right guidance and support I can’t think of any reason why a business owner shouldn’t write a book. The beauty of self-publishing means that you can showcase your knowledge and expertise with a short eBook that can be available for download on your website very quickly; books don’t have to be 400-page hardbacks any more.

Here are three of those questions. And if anyone would like to email me at drliz@bookdoula.biz putting “Questions” in the subject line, I’ll be happy to share the other seven with them J

a)    WHAT’S YOUR MAIN MOTIVATION FOR WRITING THIS BOOK? (What’s in it for you? Note: we’re not interested in the reader with this question.)

b)    WHO ARE YOU WRITING THIS BOOK FOR? (Who needs/wants it?)

c)    WHAT SPECIFIC PAIN POINT(S) WILL YOUR BOOK ADDRESS? (What’s in it for them? Why will your reader need/want it?)

Rick, this has been a lot of fun. Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog.

Moxie Marketing: My pleasure. It’s was great to have you!  To learn more about Liz and her business, visit her web site:  www.bookdoula.biz

Have you ever purchased a product or service after reading a book by a business leader or hearing an expert speaker talk about the subject of his or her book?  Yes?  Then you’ve encountered the king of content marketing  - the business book.

You’ve heard me talk frequently about how content that educates does more to get people to know, like and trust your business than just about any other marketing activity. So, why not write a book?  Well, because it’s hard. More than one business book author has told me that getting his or her book published was like giving birth. Enter the “Book Doula,” Liz Alexander. She helps people give birth to books. I spoke with her recently. Here’s the first part of our Q&A:

Liz Alexander

Moxie Marketing: What’s a book doula?

The Book Doula: Book coaches, book doctors, book midwives, book shepherds…there are a lot of author services folks out there. I’m The Book Doula, not just because I’m also drawing on the metaphor of “birthing” a book, but because there’s more to a successful birth than what goes on in the delivery room.

In ancient Greek times a “doula” was a female servant who provided practical and emotional support before, during, and shortly after a birth. There’s so much more to writing and publishing a book than the mechanics of it. Just because I can teach you “how” to write a book doesn’t mean you’re going to start or finish it.

As I wrote in my latest eBook Birth Your Book, there are all sorts of underlying reasons why aspiring authors face “writer’s block” or procrastination, or don’t find their original topic compelling enough to maintain writing about it for months on end. That’s where someone like me comes in. I’m going to set you up for success by helping you identify the most compelling reasons why this book needs to be birthed.  Then I’m going to keep you inspired and accountable. These are challenging things to do on your own.

The other reason why I like the concept of a doula as opposed to a coach or doctor or midwife, is because of my approach of “structured flexibility.” Every client is different and, given that I’m not a fan of cookie-cutter approaches anyhow, I prefer to work with people who trust that after 25 years as a successful published author and entrepreneur, I can guide them where they want to be…without always knowing precisely how that’s going to happen.

Moxie Marketing: Is this something small business owners should consider doing?  I mean, you don’t have to be a titan of industry to write a book, do you?

The Book Doula: My clients have included:

• A sales manager for a leading real estate company who wanted to share his innovative approach for helping realtors become more trusted, referred, and rewarded.
• Several “solopreneur” coaches who recognized that writing a book would help them branch out into speaking and consulting, in order to attract new, higher revenue streams.
• The owner of a nutritional services company who already offered a number of recipe eBooks but wanted a “signature book” in which to relate her philosophy about overcoming stress and fatigue;
• The co-founder of an independent insurance agency who specialized in eldercare issues. She wrote a short book aimed at helping adult children overcome their anxieties and insecurities around talking about later life issues with their aging parents.

These folks are all “titans” in my eyes because they’ve gone beyond what most people do –- dream about writing a book without taking the action that would make that dream a reality – but they’re not famous or running multi-million dollar enterprises by any means.

I call these people “everyday thought leaders” because they help shape and influence conversations and actions in areas of life that affect us all, whether that be how to convert more leads into sales, ways to inject more fun into our lives, how to improve our health, or communicate more effectively with our loved ones.

I’d rather hear from them than a titan of industry any day, wouldn’t you?

[Part two of my Q&A with Liz Alexander, the Book Doula, will be in my next post.  Visit Liz's web site at www.bookdoula.biz]

I came across this interesting article on the Marketing Profs Blog about how to make your business cards do more work to promote your business. Tara Horner offers five great ideas, and I’ll add two more:

1. Be sure to include your social media links – your blog site name and your Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter profile names.
2. Got an offer, a free report or a newsletter sign-up form on your web site? Put a QR code for it on the back of your card. What’s a QR code?  With the rising popularity of smart phones, you’ll be seeing more of these box-shaped squiggly codes in ads and flyers. Similar to a bar code at your grocery store, you point your smart phone camera, enabled with a QR code app, at the QR code box.  Bada bing bada boom! Your mobile web browser goes to the web page you encoded with the QR code. Check out this article in Tech Crunch about how to make a QR code on Bit.ly.