Some people might think a winter garden is a bare and dreary place.  If you live in a warmer climate, like Sonoma, you may grow roses. If so, you know that you need to prune them severely in the wintertime in order for them to have full blossoms in the spring.

Here in the Wine Country, we have been experiencing an unseasonably warm and cold winter. This time of year, there is a lot to do in preparation for spring. Usually, the garden would be nearly devoid of flowers this month, but because it has been so warm, some color and bright spots are popping up already, like the first daffodils rising from their leafy bed. Oranges are nearly ripe and ready to eat.

There are many examples of fruit trees and other blooming plants that need to be pruned severely in order to produce new wood and healthy blossoms and fruit. In fact, with out a good pruning, these plants suffer and decline.

During the winter months it’s a good time to take stock of your business and see what needs to be pruned away as well.

I’m in the process of culling files from my office and my computer. In fact I had a major system issue with my computer which is forced me to look at the files that could have been causing the problem and clearing them off so that I could have a good computing experience once again. Sometimes even the smallest disturbance can cause major problems.

In business, you may have one customer who is consuming more than 80% of your time. When you look at how much revenue they are generating, it is probably less than 20%. On the reverse side, according to Parato’s principal, you probably have a client who takes up only 20% of your time and generates 80% of your income, so take a look and see what you can cut out of your life if it isn’t working for you, and do more of what is working for you instead. Like the winter garden, there is activity even when you don’t see it.

 

Begin with the end in mind

It is a great way to start any project and keep you going when you hit bumps along the way.

I started writing two books this year. The outline for both of them came fast and furious and I scrambled to keep up with the energy flowing through me. I knew then that I was onto powerful ideas as I channeled the information into outlines for each book.

I imagined that I am about to launch my book. I have done all my prep work, researched my audience, connected with them where they are, gotten feedback which I incorporated into the book(s). My blog site is up. I have prepared my marketing platform, initiated conversations about the topics covered in each book(s) and now I am ready to start harvesting the seeds I planted when I began my author’s journey.

It occurred to me that, almost by osmosis, I have soaked up wisdom by attending meetings of the the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. BAIPA has educated me. I now serve as the President of the organization. I have picked up valuable and useful tips on how to successfully publish, launch and market a book. I have also learned about how to go beyond the book from speakers like Jim Horan, author of the One Page Business Plan, and How to Be the Media from David Mathison. They also shared ways to convert content into other types of information products.

5 Questions to Ask and Answer Before You Write Your Book

If you are considering sharing your expertise by writing a book, here are five questions to ask yourself before you start:

1. Who is your intended audience?
2. Why will they buy your book?
3. How will it impact them?
4. What will this book do for you?
5. How will you launch your book?

I’ll keep you posted as I move ahead with my book projects. I know that by answering these questions before I get too far into writing, I am building something that people want, like, and need.

I invite you to learn about self-publishing from the experts at BAIPA if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area. If not, find a local group likes ours and get answers to your questions as well as inspiration and support throughout your journey.

Before_You_Write_Your_Book_01

 

Want your next workshop to sell out?

Act like a rock star.

If you have ever tried to get tickets to your favorite band, you may have been astonished to find that all the seats were sold in just a few minutes. When well-known performers, like the Rolling Stones announce a new show, they are able to sell out scheduled performances in just a few minutes.

What’s their secret?

They have a huge fan base. When the word goes out, their fans already know them, like them, and are tuned in to consume their music and their life events.

How To Get Similar Results

You can stimulate the same kind of response for your products and services when you take these steps:

Build Your Fan base

If you have a blog you may have subscribers. But it is a common mistake that people can’t find out how to subscribe to your blog. You need to make it easy for people to subscribe to your blog. Where you place your subscribe button or form can make a huge difference in how many people take action and sign up.

If you have a Facebook page for yourself or your business, do you have have satisfied customers and supporters who like you on Facebook? Are you inviting people to “like” your page? What content are you providing to keep them engaged?

Perhaps you belong to online forums or groups. You might be posting questions or answering questions on LinkedIn.

You could upload videos, share slides, create podcasts or video casts, create a customized channel on YouTube, well, these are just a few of the social media opportunities out there. All of these channels have one thing in common, they are great places to engage in a conversation. Conversations are an exchange of ideas and through them, people connect. Connecting is just 1st step.

Grow your fan base

How can you have an ongoing relationship with your fans? You need to interact regularly. A small group of active fans is far more valuable than a big list where there is little loyalty, commitment or engagement. You need to nurture your relationships in cyberspace as well as those off line. Consistency, such as publishing new content on a regular, predictable basis can help people invest in you and build their trust in you as an expert and resource.

Capture Contact Information

Interruptive marketing (like paid commercials on radio or broadcast television, telemarketing calls) are perceived as annoying because they take you out of the experience of enjoying the story or music you were experiencing. Permission-based marketing is the new model for growing your business. It means that people who like what you have to offer, knowledge, services, or products, have given you permission to be in contact with them. On Facebook, we like people or their pages, on Twitter, we follow them, on YouTube, it is possible to subscribe a channel or to become a friend. I think you’re getting the idea. In each of these cases, there is an easy way for people to indicate that they want more of what they just consumed. There is a convenient way for them to opt in (join) your list.

Give It Away and They Will Come

Your opt in box should be prominently featured on your website. To incentivize people to opt in, you may offer something for free that is of value in exchange for their contact information. We have all willingly given our business cards away for a chance to win something valuable. The same idea works on line when you offer a free report or sample of your services in exchange for your visitors’ contact information.

“The Tim Ferris Effect”

I read a great post today on the forbes.com blog. It was about how to have a successful book launch. The author is a friend of Tim Ferriss (The 4 Hour Work Week, The 4 Hour Body). His book launch as tracked on Amazon was hugely successful because he posted as a guest on Tim’s blog. He went from being listed as 1,295 to an Amazon Best Seller at #45 on the day he posted to Tim’s blog. If you know someone with a very focused and loyal set of followers, you might consider strategies for getting to be mentioned on their blog or offering to create a “guest” post. The big guys do this all the time. When someone in the “Guerilla Marketing” stable publishes, they cross promote themselves on each others web site and email lists.

Start now to build your list and get growing!

btw – If you would like to create an action plan for building your list, see my special offer.

 

I began an outline for a book on marketing organically. I revamped my business cards with this idea in mind. During the last weeks of 2011, I began purging files from my computer, paper from my office and other items that I wasn’t using any longer. I find shedding with no longer serves me to be a meditative process. For several years I studied the art of placement, Feng Shui, and while I may not be the tidiest person, I understand the principles of flow and keeping areas clear of obstacles. Physical obstacles like clutter are manifestations of emotional obstacles. This lead me to think about marketing like growing a garden.

What’s in your Marketing Garden?

This line of thinking made me look at my marketing strategies. While it is good to stretch beyond our comfort zone, practically speaking, taking on habits we think we should embrace without a strong commitment and belief in the results we want is an exercise in futility. Just because others tell you to do something, unless it is a match for who you are and what is important to you, you are wasting your time expecting yourself to be someone, or do things that do not fit you.

In gardening, there are plants that flourish in the right environment and perish in the wrong ones. Your marketing strategy is like a plant. It starts out as a seed. With care and nourishment it can grow into a healthy and productive organism. If you neglect your marketing, just like a plant it may wither and die. When you cultivate your plant, providing us the soil, sun, nutrition, and water to create an optimum environment, your plant thrives. Removing weeds and eliminating pests is part of a maintaining a healthy garden. The same is true of your business. Getting rid of the stuff and people that don’t support you is as important as attracting the right people to you. Toxic people are like weeds and can choke the life right out of you while preventing healthy growth and productivity.

Marketing is like a plant

Plants have their own schedule. They don’t care if you’re busy, they are genetically programmed to propagate on their own schedule. I finished reading a very thought-provoking book, Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond, ISBN 0-393-31755-2. It is about how the rise of civilizations were in large part determined by which plants and animals were available and could be domesticated and how these factors influenced spread of people and knowledge.

As you plan strategies for growing your business make sure that the actions you intend to take on are ones you can sustain over time. Keep it simple, keep it alignment with your values, and be in integrity with your word and deeds.

Build Your Garden With Care

When building a garden, you do it in the right order if you are looking to produce a good result. The first step is dreaming about what it will be like when your job is completed. Your vision will help you stay on track during the hard work required to achieve the results you want. Your vision influences the actions you will take to make your dream come true. During the planning process, you need to evaluate where you are now, the reality of your environment, any obstacles that may be in your way and must be removed before you proceed, and the resources available to you as you move forward with your plans. Realistically assessing your time, the money, the skills, and the beliefs you hold can help you map out a strategy that makes sense and is achievable. It will help you see if there are gaps between what you desire and the skills and capabilities you have. Planning is an opportunity for you to invite and enlist the support and resources from others to help you reach your goals.

Then there is the actual work. The step-by-step actions needed to go from idea to implementation. Sometimes it is possible to do it all yourself. Other times this can be a poor strategy. In most cases I would recommend sharing your ideas with your trusted advisors and getting their honest feedback. We all have our blind spots, and sometimes the missing ingredient will be revealed through conversations with our friends and associates.

Invest in Success

If you are planning to put in a new garden, you probably would not just go out to the nursery and buy random plants and some soil and hope for the best. You would be far more likely to study what plants would do well where you live and ask for advice from the nursery to select the best ones for your space, light and budget and maintenance level. When you’re expending time, energy and cash, you are likely to be careful and considerate with your investment in your garden. Take the same approach with your marketing and like your garden it to can be beautiful and productive.

 

The first thing I learned about video is not to take myself too seriously. It is a great medium and I love it. I admit it. I am somewhat of a ham in front of the camera, on stage, well, anyplace I have an audience. Growing up, I was painfully shy. I learned to get over my shyness (fear of rejection) by acting. If I could be someone else, then it didn’t matter if people did or didn’t like me. It wasn’t me they were connecting with, it was my character.

Fear of Rejection isn’t Fatal and it doesn’t have to be a life sentence

But what about showing up as myself, not as someone else? I can still remember being in front of my speech class in junior high. I thought everyone could see me trembling, knees knocking together in fear. It was a revelation that no one but me knew I was nervous. I learned to take my fear and re-channel  it into excitement about my message. Shifting my focus from myself to the people in the audience who chose to come and see me and doing my best to deliver an entertaining and educational experience.

I am not suggesting that this reframing was instantaneous. It was a gradual process for me. I come from a family of shy people. I didn’t have outgoing role models in my immediate family. I craved connection, so I had to get over my fear.

When I saw this video, it made me laugh.

It is a hoot and it also makes some good points about why people enjoy video.

Video is a great tool for marketing

Video content is growing at an exponential rate. YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes are probably the best know channels for online video. There is video email too. Face it, video is an important communication tool. Just yesterday I was introduced to a new product via a demonstration video. As access to tools like smart phones and tablets with video capture has expanded, so too has the number of new content creators. I use a variety of video capture tools, from the easy ones like iMovie to the big guns in the Adobe Production Premium Suite (Adobe Premiere, After Effects and Encore).

But what if you are self-conscious, shy or don’t like how you look, or are afraid to speak in public? What then? There are many ways to “skin a cat.” I had the help of a mentor. I sought out ways to challenge myself and as I got out into the work world, I met amazing people like Susan RoAne, author of several great books on networking, and my good friend, Joan Gale Frank. Joan created “Instant Guts” an audio program that gives step-by-step inspiration and practical exercises to help overcome fear and turn it into action. It is fun, funny and it works.

Become a Top Cat

Action Steps

1. Prepare some talking points to open a conversation
2. Rehearse what you intend to say in a relaxed setting
3. Join a networking group where you have an opportunity to speak on a regular basis
4. Join a group like Toastmasters where you learn to think on your feet
5. Don’t expect perfection
6. Be authentic, it is more valuable than being perfect
7. Focus on your audience

 Storyboards

As you saw in the cat video, storyboards help you prepare and organize the information you intend to share. Here is link to a great free resource for storyboard forms. Did you know, Walt Disney is the father of storyboarding? Cinematographers have used storyboards to map out their films. You can use it for creating a visual map for your live presentations and for your next great video production.

 What I learned from Cats

I still have days when I am more introvert than extrovert. Lucky for me, I have an in-house relaxation coach, my cat Simba. He has his priorities straight: eat, sleep, get hugs and love every day. And he is never camera-shy.

 

If you’re a fisherman, a can-of-worms is a beautiful thing. It’s your bait for catching fish. The more plump and juicy worms you have, the better your fishing expedition will be. Of course if the fish you want to catch only eat mayflies, worms no matter how juicy, are the wrong bait.

In marketing, the right offer is just as important as having the right food for the fish you want to catch when you go fishing. If what you are offering is not a fit in the pond where you are fishing, you may be in the wrong pond or you may have the wrong bait.

In nature it’s very obvious how the ecosystem works. For every plant and animal there is a companion food source. One organism feeds on another. Many plants and animals are very picky. There is only one thing they can and will eat. This is also true of some customers.

Take another look at that can-of-worms.

It might appear as a wriggling, disgusting, dangerous, and unpleasant source of pain. It’s not attractive and I wish it would just disappear. But knowing that it can also symbolize having the right message, to attract the customers I am looking for, I can turn that negative into a positive.

If you’re phobic about worms it may be harder for you to get over your fear and repulsion. This could also be true when you think about marketing. The visual and visceral reaction you experience when you think about worms and marketing is real. However your thoughts about worms and marketing may not be true.

I’ve been trained to help you reframe your negative thoughts about marketing. Sometimes we confuse thoughts with facts. Thoughts are changeable. They are influenced by our feelings. The difference between a thought and the fact can be huge.

If you’re hungry and you know you can catch fish and feed your family with that can-of-worms, you are far more likely to use it to your advantage.

What are you treating like a nasty can-of-worms in your business? If you’d like to reframe your approach to marketing, or get over your aversion to it, I’ll introduce you to a step-by-step program that gets results and gets you clients.

 

Do you think Prince Charming could find Cinderella if he didn’t know who he was looking for? He searched the land high and low for the woman who fit the glass slipper she had left behind. He knew only one woman was a match. Only one had a foot to fit the shoe he possessed.

When you begin the process of identifying your ideal customer, think like Prince Charming. Hopefully, more than one client is a match for your business. However, narrowing your search is a good place to start when defining your target market.

What are the exact characteristics and attributes of your ideal customers? Where would you be most likely to find them? What makes for a perfect fit with your services? Does your offer perfectly match the needs expressed by your customers? When you match up needs with what you provide, it will be like Cinderella and her perfect fit in the glass slipper.

If you remember the story, Prince Charming searched the land desperately seeking the woman whose foot was an exact match to the glass slipper. It was his only clue to her identity. He spent hours and hours, days upon days, weeks upon weeks, sifting through countless princesses, ugly stepsister’s, lots and lots of poor matches before he rediscovered his one true mate.

Fortunately for you, your marketing effort doesn’t need to be so difficult. You can start by writing down all of the attributes of your best customers or those who you want to be your best customers. You have tools at your disposal like Linkedin, business directories, networking groups, and of course, referrals from your existing customers.

Think about how persistent Prince Charming was in the pursuit of his goal. He overcame obstacles. He was tireless. He told everyone in his kingdom his plan. He used the tools he had, word-of-mouth, sending out messages of his intentions, declaring what he wanted, what he was looking for and his desired outcome. If you apply this kind of clarity of purpose to your marketing, I guarantee you will see positive results.

Prince Charming was a man with a plan. He knew who he was looking for, how to tell when he found her, and he knew who didn’t fit his plan. How many of you know your market as well as Prince Charming? Have you taken the time to profile your ideal customers? Are you persistent in casting your net in the right places at the right times?

I hope this somewhat fractured fairy tale not only makes you smile, but it makes you think and take action. Of course, having a little help from your Marketing Fairy Godmother is highly recommended.

Judy Baker, your Completely Creative Action Plan Marketing Coach and Marketing Fairy Godmother

 

MacUpdate offers bundles of software at a deep discount. You’ll find a link to their current offering below and on the right side of this page.

The reason I am sharing this with you is it is an insanely great deal. I love my Mac, but the price of software and updates keeps dipping into my bank account. Do yourself a favor and look at the deal. The cost of just one piece of software is more than what you’ll pay for the whole bundle. Even if you don’t use all of the apps, you are still saving money.

The Winter bundle includes Tech Tool Pro 6 and some neat, small utility applications to make your life easier. Don’t wait. These deals are only around for a few days.

 

There are a number of screen sharing applications out there. Some work to varying degrees on both the Mac and PC.

If you ever attended a webinar and had to go through installing software and plug-ins each time, you may have said never mind.

Screen sharing should be easy.

I’ve tried many solutions and found that there was always something difficult or unsatisfactory about the process.

Today, I was introduced to “join.me” an online provider that doesn’t make you sign up for an account, give them your e-mail, and in a few seconds you can be sharing your screen and inviting up to 250 other people to join you.

I forgot to mention that it’s free. They have a Pro version as well. I can’t wait to take it for a spin. Screen sharing is a great way to collaborate at a distance.

If you have the need to share information, if you do training, or if you’d like to get help and troubleshooting problem on your computer, real-time screen sharing is a great option.

 

Patricia V. Davis, author and marketing expert, spoke at the November meeting of the Bay Area independent publishers Association (BAIPA). One of her comments reminded me of one of the best ways to get attention for your business. Write about what you do. Building your platform means helping people understand the results of what you do for them.

People don’t always need to know the details of how you accomplish what you do. They are really interested in the results you produce.

Where can you share information about your results? Here are just a few of the places you may have tried or have overlooked;

Your local newspaper. That’s right I said newspaper. It may be a skinny hard copy, but people are still buying them and most newspapers have an online presence. Where I live, we have:

• The Sonoma Sun - Sonoma
• the Kenwood Press - Kenwood
• The Marin Independent Journal - Marin
• The San Francisco Examiner - Bay Area
• The Argus Courier - Petaluma
• North Bay Bohemian - Sonoma County
• Independent Coast Observer - Gualala
• Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Santa Rosa
• The Business Journal - North Bay
• Sonoma West Times and News - Sebastopol
• The Community Voice - Rohnert Park
• Sonoma Index-Tribune - Sonoma
• NorthBay Biz - North Bay

I think you get the idea. This is not an exhaustive list, but just what I came up in a few minutes time. While print  news may be on the decline, our thirst for information is growing. We are in the midst of a shift in the way in which we interact, and contribute and consume information.

And I forgot to mention: patch.com – which is hyper local news.

There are many small groups that make up your audience. Each one may have their own newsletter, online community, forum, meet up group, wiki Facebook Group, or LinkedIn Group. I think you get the picture.

Go Where People Already Are

I have a blog. You might have one too. You may be reading this article on my blog right now, but someone could have sent it to you as a email, or it may have been printed out.  Where else can the article show up? Did you know you can link your blog to your Facebook page and twitter feed automatically? Now they’re certainly far more people on Facebook and on twitter than are subscribed to my blog. It makes sense to be seen and be active where a group of your customers congregate.Get their attention first and then invite them to your website or blog. That is how you grow your audience.

I’m a strong proponent of telling your story using video. YouTube averages over 200 views a day. More and more people are using you to as their primary search engine when they’re looking for solutions. If you go back to the beginning of this article you will see I recommend telling your story and making it all about the solutions you produce for your clients. Video is a perfect medium for telling your story and demonstrating results.

Write it Once – Share it Many Ways

In our new age of distributed media, you can take your story and share it in many ways and in many places with relative ease.

A written article can become the basis for the script of your video. It could become an audio recording that you share via iTunes in the form of a podcast. That same article can be shared on your blog, with those many local newspapers, both online and in print, with associations, well the list goes on and on.

And once you have a collection of stories, you could create an e-book that you could sell or offer for free to your readers on your website. Okay back to that article, what if you created a slideshow?

Next Steps

I’ve given you a lot to consider. If you’d like help sorting through the best ways for you to leverage your stories, get in touch with me and I’ll help you map out an action plan.

You might also look for places where you can be a regular contributor or columnist. Publications in print and online are constantly looking for good content. Having a byline increases your visibility whether or not people read the articles you write, they do see your name and become aware and then familiar with who you are. It takes time to build your platform. Awareness grows exponentially. Adding content over time is like making deposits into your savings account, their value and interest grow over time.

The longtail model of offering information for free as a way to gain followers works. And if you think you have writers block, try using a program like Dragon Naturally Speaking  that translates spoken word into the written word. I’m using it right now to create this article. It allows me to get my ideas on paper or in this case into the computer without my needing to focus on the mechanics of the process. I find that speaking helps me keep the article conversational.

Conclusion

So writing is just one way to get your name in front of the public. It can lead to other opportunities, such as speaking, training, and of course getting hired to help people solve the problems they have. And if writing isn’t your mode of communication, check out my posts on using video to demonstrate your problem solving skills.