Web Series

A couple years ago, I wrote about how small businesses can use web TV series to introduce new products or generally market themselves.

This month, I learned about how specialty insurer Hiscox has launched a new, scripted comedy web series called "Leap Year." The show, which will have 10 episodes, tracks the entrepreneurial highs and lows of starting a business and features cameos from small business experts.

Sounds like a fun way to promote a product that is not usually described as "fun."

Finding Freelancers

One question I get over and over again from small business owners is where to find freelance marketers, PR people, publicists, graphic artists, writers and editors.

MarketingZone has done a survey and compiled an absolute wealth of information and advice on hiring freelancers, where to find good ones and what to pay them.

Check this site out.

Eschew Your Comfort Zone

I'm a person fairly addicted to comfort. Not luxury, not wealth; but I do very much enjoy my comfortable routines and my comfortable life.

When a friend told me once how much she loved putting herself in risky, scary situations to see how she'd respond, I just shook my head: Does Not Compute. I don't like roller coasters, either.

As an introvert, getting out of my cave and shaking up my routine takes work and doesn't really feel ... comfortable. But I know that I have to fight this tendency to burrow in. I have to pry myself out of my comfort zone every once in a while. And when I do, it is usually with good results. (Not always, but usually.)

Last week, I got out of my routine for a couple of days and attended the Invent Your Future conference for women in Santa Clara.

It brought together entrepreneurs and professional women in a dynamic confluence of networking, learning and encouragement. I got to meet some terrific women, racked up a bunch of column ideas and ledes and heard Guy Kawasaki's presentation on "enchantment."

It is rather sad that Guy - the only guy on the speaker's roster at a women's conference - was the big hit of the event. But he's at a really high level when it comes to presentations, and he even gives some advice on presenting that I found very helpful.

Listen to his lecture or just review his slides. I hope they push you out of your comfort zone (once in a while), too.

Naked, Naked, Naked

Yes, I'm quoting Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld.

But I'm also letting you in on a (not so) super-secret marketing tool that I stumbled into by accident last week.

I was looking over my Google Analytics and noticing a nice uptick in blog/site traffic for 2011. Then all of I sudden I clicked on a graphic and thought, "What the heck!?"

The little line went along fairly steadily all month and then - wow! - it shot way up and plunged back down the next day. In that one high-traffic day, I got close to 5,000 visits.

What in the world? I wondered if someone try to hack my site or pull a bot attack. And then I looked up the blog post for that day and noticed the headline:

Working Naked Day

I shared my findings with my web guru, Paula Johnson. Being a marketing genius, she suggested I elaborate on the theme.

Add naked to all your headlines:

New trends in naked small business financing.

Developing a slogan for your naked company

Marketing secrets from the band Bare Naked Ladies

I don't know about that.

But at least now I know why they call it Naked Juice.

Branding Gone Bad

Hang on a sec: 7-Up in baby bottles and husbands spanking their wives for not buying the right coffee?

Sounds awfully kinky, right?

Actually, these are examples of the worst ad campaigns of all time, as compiled by Bschool.com.

Check it out, and let it be a cautionary tale when it's time to update your own marketing/advertising plan.

Specialty Networking

Entrepreneurs are often told to narrow their marketing efforts and target specific customers. But how effective is the highly targeted networking that is enabled online these days?

I address that question in telling the story of a new social networking group for LGBT professionals and their allies. Check it out.

Misner Q&A

As promised, here is BNI CEO Ivan Misner's take on what entrepreneurs are doing wrong when it comes to social media marketing.

A Local Connection

Interviewed Ivan Misner, founder and chairman of BNI, this morning about social networking "best practices." In contrast to a lot of big shots I interview (BNI claims to be the world's largest business networking organization, with 5,600 chapters worldwide, and Misner's been called the "Father of Networking" by CNN), it would be hard to find a nicer guy.

On the phone at least, Misner comes across as genuine, down-to-earth and funny. When we discovered a local connection (he lives in Claremont), he stopped for a 10-minute chat on restaurants. For the record, he recommends Tutti Mangia and Aruffo's Italian Cuisine, and he commented favorably on Yianni's, a Greek place I went to just last weekend.

Turns out that Misner started BNI in 1985 in Arcadia. In fact, the founding chapter still meets at the Coco's on Santa Anita! The second chapter started a few weeks later in Pasadena and things spread from there. Misner said it was one year and 20 chapters later when he finally figured out he had created a phenomenon and sat down to write a business plan for it.

The group operates on the philosophy that networking is about giving, and relationship building, rather than selling and promotion. True to his word, before we wrapped up the interview, Misner was mentioning that he knows loads of business owners and would be happy to connect me with some if I ever need sources.

Definitely a class act. The interview was very interesting, too. I'll post a link here when it is published next week.

I'm Lovin' It

What makes someone love your small business - or hate it?

There's a rather mysterious pull about companies that inspire strong feelings from their customers, but most agree that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.

I interviewed brand marketing guru B.J. Bueno about encouraging brand fanatics and managing brand detractors (he pointed out that some people even become brand terrorists, which I've actually seen) in a recent Smart Answers column.

It's much easier for entertainment brands to spawn love/hate relationships, mostly because we are hardwired to respond to stories. Check out these examples of fan-atic love for ABC TV's Lost, which ends its six-season run of sci-fi mega-madness this weekend.

Think that only TV shows and rock bands can inspire such loyalty? Think again and check out this shopper-produced YouTube anthem to Trader Joe's.

Now the only question is, how can your small business connect so strongly with customers that it inspires spontaneous poems and videos?

Wonderful Weekend

I am still basking in my whirlwind weekend. First was an Algonquin Round Table-style dinner, hosted on Friday by my friend Sam Horn, who was in town for the Pop! personal branding seminar and the Innovation & Humanity Summit at Chapman College.

Friday's sparkling evening of smart information and fun, funny people - most of them are members of the National Speakers Association, so you can imagine the level of discourse! - was followed on Saturday by a truly amazing day focused on the intersection of entrepreneurship, ethics and social change.

Just to be in a room with hundreds of attendees who put a priority on the "double bottom line" (where companies are concerned with both profits and making the world a better place) was invigorating. I met tons of terrific people and resolved anew to pursue a book idea I have been researching on this very topic.

Finally, last but definitely not least, was Sunday's seminar. A group of writers, entrepreneurs and job-seekers got to watch Sam in action and participate in a series of interactive exercises:



Joining Sam in leadership was Lilli Cloud, a SoCal branding and marketing expert who has been helping people find their "blue feet" (what makes them stand out) for the past several years:



One of the attendees mentioned how seamlessly Sam and Lilli integrated their material. You'd never know that these two women first met just a few minutes before the workshop started!

There was vital energy in the room yesterday and we've gotten loads of great feedback from those who were there. I think everyone was inspired - I know I was!



Thanks to everyone who attended and all who helped make the day a success. My friends Susan and Paula worked hard to get the word out and they were terrific. It sure is nice to know a Connector and a Maven! (h/t Gladwell)

Last Call

Ever since I met author and speaker Sam Horn at a conference last year, I've been singing her praises. This Sunday you have a chance to meet her too!

Tickets are still available for this Sunday's seminar in Pasadena.

I'm invited to a dinner round table that Sam is hosting in Orange County this evening. She brings together eclectic groups of friends and colleagues to share ideas and insights over a meal. I'm really excited to be attending and hope I can contribute something of interest to the group.

Don't Forget to Pop!

Personal branding is all the rage these days. But, to tell the truth, lots of people aren't really sure what it means - or why they need to do it.

The reality is that in tough times and in a crowded marketplace, no one can afford to blend in.

You’ve got to break out to land that book deal, contract or new job that you want. You’ve got to figure out how you are one-of-a-kind (vs. one of many), so you get noticed by decision-makers – for all the right reasons.

Start the new year right with a half-day seminar on Sunday, Jan. 24 in Pasadena, co-sponsored by the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) and Financially inKleined.

Take advantage of this opportunity to develop purposeful, original, pithy positioning of your priority project – be it a new job, consulting contract, book or business.

Our presenters, Sam Horn and Lilli Cloud, have priced this half-day program so it’s affordable for freelancers, self-employed individuals and startup entrepreneurs. Just $49 to jump-start your career success.

Buy your ticket now This event is open to the public; I am organizing this event as a way to help my readers, colleagues and friends. I am not profiting from the seminar, except in the most important way: Paying good will forward to the entrepreneurial community.

Pop! Seminar

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting author and consultant Sam Horn at a conference.

I raved about how wonderful she is, had her as a guest on my podcast, and fantasized about getting her in a room so all my writer and entrepreneur friends could benefit from her magic.

Well, it's a new year and dreams do come true. Sam and my good friend Lilli Cloud have teamed up on a personal branding/marketing/motivating seminar that will be held in Southern California on Sunday, Jan. 24!

Do you have a business idea, a book proposal, or a career that needs some attention? Sam and Lilli will show you how to stand out and have the confidence to put your creative work front and center in our crowded marketplace of ideas.

Sam and Lilli have priced this half-day program far below what they would normally charge, so it’s affordable for writers, startups and people in career transition. We'll spend all afternoon being informed, juiced up and enlightened at the beautiful Pasadena Conference Center - all for just $49!

I'm not making a dime off this event, which is being co-sponsored by a nonprofit group I belong to, IWOSC (the Independent Writers of Southern California). But I am hoping we can fill the room!

Buy your ticket online now and get signed up. Then tell your friends and colleagues to do the same. You will be very glad you did, I promise.

Nine Lives

My long-time source and friend Paul Edwards has a new blog.

It's called "9LivesForYourBook" and it's all about book marketing and particularly ebooks.

Paul and his wife, Sarah, are truly the experts. Between them, they've written 18 books, most of them about entrepreneurship and work-at-home careers.

Now, they're changing with the times and investigating the details of ebooks and what they mean, particularly for writers. I'll be following Paul's blog - I hope you will, too!

Give It Away

Great story from a fiction writer about how he used Web 2.0 tools to get his book published*.

Where there's a will ... right!?

*Hat tip to the IWOSC newsletter, which reprinted the article from earlier this year.

Popping Your Elevator Intro

My Smart Answers podcast this week features Sam Horn.

She's the marketing guru I blogged about earlier this month.

In the interview, Sam lays out some terrific advice on a marketing opportunity that all of us get daily - and most of us squander just as often.

I won't give it all away, but it has to do with your response to that common question, "So, what kind of work do you do?"

I'm just as guilty as anyone of mumbling a half-baked response, but Sam inspired me to do better. In fact, I came up with a pretty good question (Sam advises that you answer the question with a question of your own) and tried it out over the weekend.

Just as Sam predicted, I got one of those "ah-ha!" moments in reply. Very nice technique - check it out!

We're All in This ...

Togetherness is the hot marketing concept of 2009, according to a new survey.

My long-time source Eric Swartz, president of Tagline Guru, surveyed 150 corporate taglines that debuted in 2009.

He lists the top 10 words from those taglines.

Here's the takeaway:

Although the impact of “innovation” has been diminished from overuse, and words like “new” and “more” are typical of jaunty sales jargon, concepts such as “together,” “you,” “imagine,” and “future” paint a picture that is decidedly more intimate, inclusive, and optimistic.

Pop!

I waited a few minutes to introduce myself to Sam Horn at a conference last week.

The man in front of me kept apologizing, but he couldn't tear himself away from Sam. When their conversation was over, he hugged her and gave her a kiss.

Well! What was it about this prolific author and marketing/branding guru that inspired such devotion?

I said hi and told Sam I'd like to have her guest on my podcast sometime soon. She graciously agreed and then she did something I've rarely seen. Instead of telling me all about herself and her books and her work and her speaking business - like most people do - she started asking about ... ME.

"You're a writer, you must have a book in mind," she said, smiling. Well ... I had to admit that like most writers I did have some dormant aspirations in that direction.

Sam smiled again, flipped over the notebook she was holding, and started scribbling in it. "What do think you'd write a book about?" "What's been your most popular column?" "What's another column that got a lot of feedback and attention?"

Before I knew it, Sam showed me what she had been writing as we talked. Not only did she have a book cover sketched out (with my name on it!) she also had a catchy title and an idea for turning the book into a series.

All this in less than five minutes. Wow!

Both of us were on a five-minute pitch panel later that day, an event where would-be entrepreneurs had one minute to present their business ideas and four of us four judges had one minute to comment, question and give advice. Sam was similarly helpful and expansive in that arena.

Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed. For many years, I've been telling entrepreneurs to give, not sell. Make their business all about listening and meeting clients needs.

But I've only rarely seen people truly embody that advice so thoroughly and charmingly. Sam is the genuine article.

Social Media Tips

I attended a brown-bag lunch meeting today of a local LinkedIn group. Its aim is to share information and advice about social media and how it enhances business online.

Thought I would share a few of the tips I got out of the very informative session:

1) It's hard to know whether your marketing efforts are having any effect unless you measure things like traffic to your website or blog. The good news is that you can measure those things, quite precisely and inexpensively, with free tools such as Google Analytics.

2) Even if you know about Google Analytics and have it installed for your website, you may not really know what all the terms mean and which are most important. "Unique visitors" is what you want to notice. "Hits" apparently just describes how many unique pieces of code are downloaded each time someone calls up your site. Unless you're a programmer, the number of "hits" you get is not important.

3) To measure visitors' engagement with your company website or blog, look at the categories called "Page Views" and "Bounce Rate." You want to increase your page views (how many pages visitors to your site are looking at) and decrease your bounce rate (the number of people who click on your site but navigate away from it almost immediately). In order to keep people on your site, give them something to do (like "order now" or "click here") right up front.

4) You also want to encourage people to stay on your site longer and increase your subscribers. In order to do this, you need to build an interactive community - rather than think of your customers and potential customers as an audience you will be selling to.

The last point I think is very important, but it's not easy to grasp. As business has moved online, there's an interactive component to customer relations that is really quite revolutionary.

I've written a little about it here and here.

I Want My Web TV

I thought podcasting was scary when I was first asked to record a weekly podcast a few years ago, but it's gotten easier over time.

But what about writing, recording, editing and starring in your own Web TV show?

That's what increasing numbers of small business owners are doing, thanks to new technology and inexpensive equipment. I chronicle the trend toward online shows in today's Smart Answers column.

It's pretty darned interesting, if I do say so. Check it out.

Speaking of the podcast, this week I interview a long-time source of mine who's also an author and speaker on small business topics. She's just written a new book that compiles best practices from more than 50 successful entrepreneurs. She shares a few of the tips she gleaned here.