Business Development Archives | Jane Tabachnick & Co

4 Ways That Writing A Book Can Help Grow Your Business

Have you ever thought about writing a book?

Maybe you have, but you dismissed the idea because you don’t think of yourself as a writer.

Or maybe you’ve even gone so far as to walk up to a shelf in a bookstore and clear out space where your book would go, if you ever got around to writing it.

Even if neither scenario applies to you, the bottom line is this…

Writing a book can help grow your business; in fact, it can be the biggest leverage point in that yields the fastest results.

In fact, 63% of business owners who wrote a book reported that it had a “very strong” or “strong” influence on their ability to attract new customers.

How Writing a Book Can Grow Your Business

Let’s look at some of the surprising ways that writing a book can help kick your business growth into high gear.

WRITING A BOOK GIVES YOU INSTANT CREDIBILITY

The first benefit of writing a book that’s related to your business is that it gives you instant credibility – in the same way that an experienced PR person can help you by getting you access to opportunities you might not otherwise have.

How?

• While self-publishing is very common today, that wasn’t always the case. It used to be fairly difficult to get a book published. Potential clients will be impressed when they see that you’re a published author.

• A well-written book about a topic that’s relevant to your target audience demonstrates that you are someone knowledgeable – someone they can trust.

Today’s consumers tend to search for companies and people before they do business with them. When a potential customer sees your book on Amazon when they Google you, they’ll know that you are an authority in your industry.

WRITING A BOOK GETS YOU FREE EXPOSURE

When you’re trying to grow a business, it can be a struggle to get people to notice you – particularly if you’re in a competitive industry. That barrier is greatly reduced when you write a book. It’s standard practice for newspapers, industry publications, and even television shows to review books and interview their authors.
Instead of trying to cajole influencers to talk about you, your book can convince them to approach you – or at least help you open the door when you approach them.
WRITING A BOOK RAISES YOUR ONLINE PROFILE

If you know anything at all about online marketing, you know that regardless of your industry, you’re in competition with many other companies and websites for the attention of your target audience.

How can you stand out from the crowd?

When you’re the author of a book that speaks to the needs and problems of your target audience, it’s like standing on a stage while your competitors are milling around in the theater. Your book puts you in a position to command attention and respect, and will also come up in search results for your topic.

Just as a PR person can make sure that people know your name, a published book can help raise your profile and increase your visibility online.

When you list your book for sale, whether it’s on your own website, on Amazon, or even on social media sites like Facebook, you automatically increase the chances that people in your target audience will notice your online footprint instead of your competitor’s. This can even improve your SEO as various sites and publications link back to your company’s website.
WRITING A BOOK ALLOWS YOU TO CHARGE MORE

The final benefit – and one that business owners love – is that the cache of having written a book allows them to raise their prices.

Why?

Think of it this way. Every commodity that sells, whether it’s a product or a service, is subject to the law of supply and demand. The higher the demand is, the lower the supply tends to be…
And the more you can charge for whatever you’re selling.
The author of an authoritative book is likely to be in demand. As you gain visibility and credibility, the number of people who want to work with you will inevitably increase. And when that happens, you can raise your prices. You might even decide to offer high-end consulting services as a way of capitalizing on your notoriety as an author.

When Should You Start Writing?

If you had the money to hire a PR person, you’d want to do it as soon as possible, right?
The same goes for writing your book. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer, you know that you have specialized knowledge just by virtue of being a business owner. Your experience and expertise can be working for you 24 hours a day in a published book.

The average non-fiction book that sells on Amazon is only about 10,000 words long. If you wrote only 500 words a day, you could have a completed first draft in less than a month.
You have the expertise. All you need is to carve out a little bit of time and write it.

And as soon as your book is published, it can start working for you – bringing you the credibility, publicity, and success you deserve.

This post was first published on She Owns It

5 Ways You Should be Using Your Nonfiction Book to Make Money

It’s been said that your book is your best business card. In many ways it is, because as it introduces you, it also positions you as a credible expert.
Your nonfiction book can and should make you money. There are a number of tactics you can use to help you convert more readers into paying clients. One of the easiest ways to do this, is to invite your readers to interact with you outside the book.

5 Ways a Nonfiction Book Can Make Money

1. Build an email list.
You have probably heard the expression ‘the money is in the list.’ There are numerous benefits to having a list of interested prospects, before you publish and afterwards, so that you have a ready audience waiting to hear from you and buy your latest books or programs. It has been said that prospects now need as many as 12 touches [emails, social media…] before they are ready to buy. With an email list, it is easy to create those touches by sending out updates and information of interest to your audience.

2. Put an offer inside your book.
It is very easy to put an offer inside your book. A client of mine put an offer inside her book for her biannual live event. She used a large graphic of a certificate, which entitled the reader to a free seat at her event. She started getting signups for her event months in advance [earlier than she usually has people signing up.] Once people get a taste of you and what you offer from reading your book, they want to meet you, work with you….

3. Offer a related bonus within your book.
With my coaching and consultant authors, I often recommend putting a worksheet[s] in their book, to help the reader get more value out of the book, and an introduction to their process. We offer the worksheet in the book, directing the reader to a webpage with a download link, which also signs them up the author’s email list. The worksheets are a great way to get started, but while using them, many people feel that they need personal coaching and help to achieve the results that they are seeking, so they realize they need to hire you.

4. Invite readers to events
Once your reader has a taste of your work via your book, they will want to know more. They may not be ready to hire you, but would welcome a chance to hear you speak and possibly meet you in person. Let them know that you give talks and workshops and have your schedule posted online, and give them the web address. I recommend creating a separate page for this in your book, so it doesn’t get buried within your bio, and stands out. Hearing you speak and meeting you in person or online, can accelerate the need for 12 touches, and can confirm for the reader that they want to work with you.

5. Let readers know how to work with you.
In your bio section or about the author section in your book, I recommend you put in information about how people can work with you. Let them know you offer consulting, workshops and presentations, group coaching, one on one coaching, complimentary strategy sessions, or any other ways people can work with you. It plants the seed of working with you, as well as taking the mystery out of how you work, and what options they can have working with you.

With a little thought and planning before you publish, you can build these simple tactics into your book to help you convert more readers into clients, so your nonfiction book can make you money. If you have already published your book, you can also revise it and republish it to include these. The reader was attracted to your book because it resonates with them. You just have to make it easy for them to see the possibilities and the how of becoming a client and working with you.

author profits book marketing book sales client attraction convert readers to customers customer experience self-publishing

How a Nonfiction Author Can Get New Clients From Media

For authors, getting visibility helps put them in front of more potential readers. It also helps put them in front of more potential prospects. Nonfiction authors can get new clients from media coverage; especially if they know how to maximize the coverage that they get. The temptation to spend an interview talking about your book is great. With a bit of thought and planning, you can use your interviews to really connect with your audience, and make the case for why they need to work with you.

Here are my top 5 steps a nonfiction author get new clients using media coverage:

Speak in sound bites
“A sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that captures the essence of what the speaker was trying to say, and is used to summarize information and entice the reader or viewer,” according to Wikipedia. By speaking in sound bites you grab the reader or viewer’s attention and are able to connection quickly as people have short attention spans. A great sound bite is one that resonates with them and is memorable. It is the kind of content that may inspire them to share it on social media, and could easily fit on Twitter, whose limit is 140 characters.

Tell stories about the big problems you solve
Talk about the big problem that keeps your clients up at night. I don’t mean talk about your process. Tell a story about the big problem a client had, and how you were able to solve it. This lets your reader see themselves in your story, especially if this a problem they have. Your audience is going to think. I need that, I want that solution.

Use third party testimonials or descriptions
It can be hard to speak about yourself, especially in glowing terms without sounding boastful. If you have had a client describe you or your work in a very positive and concise way, then use it in your interviews as this can boost your trust and credibility with the audience. For example, “my clients call me the ‘Publicity Queen and Mentor’ and tell me that I make publicity very easy for them to understand and implement on their own.” This serves as both an elegant way to state your expertise, while also building additional third party credibility with the testimonial.

Cite statistics
Statistics sound authoritative and are called ‘sticky content’; they are easily shared and journalists love them. It’s even more powerful if you can cite your own survey or statistics. It doesn’t have to be a huge survey of 1000 clients. If 10 out of 20 clients have the problem that you solve, you can state that ‘50% of the companies we speak to are struggling with this problem.’

Use language that talks about the benefits of your solution
Well chosen words can really reach the audience and help make them desire your solution and want to work with you. Again, this is not intended to be a sales pitch but part of your story. The client was happy because our solution was ____________ [fill in the blank]. Great benefits to cover are how you save time, money or stress. Words, like cheaper, easier, faster, better will grab the audience’s attention. Who doesn’t want more results like that in their business.

Don’t be afraid to be a bit mysterious and suggest that the audience will have to get the book to find out exactly how you achieved an outcome, but do tell great stories and give them enough information to intrigue them. Make a specific reference in your interview to your book. For example, ‘I cover this in chapter 3’. That draws your reader or listener back to the book and suggests they get it to read chapter 3 for themselves.

Finally, include an invitation, also known as a call to action. In print media, it’s up to the journalist or publication what they will include it in the article or profile, so it may not be possible; you’ll want to ask if they can include your invitation. A good call to action can be ‘sign up for my newsletter’, ‘download a free report’ or ‘download a sample chapter of the book’ on my website. When you are being interviewed on radio, podcast or TV you can usually make a call to action. I recommend discussing it with the media outlet beforehand. They will often be happy to segue into your call to action by asking, “If the listener would like more information about your work, what is the best way for them to find out?” Here is where you invite the reader or listener to connect with you, download your content or engage with you on social media.

Related Content

Tips for Successful HARO Pitches

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Why Do-Overs Need to be Part of Your Marketing Strategy

I started thinking about do-overs and second chances after attending my cousin’s second wedding [same groom – the first wedding took place in the groom’s native country]. How they can be both positive and critical to your business success. I was thinking of all the times I stopped myself when I was probably inches or millimeters away from success. Can you relate?

Even if the improvement is only a millimeter over the last run, do-overs can make all the difference. Watching the Olympics recently, I saw a few races where millimeters or milliseconds were what separated the gold medalist from the rest of the competitors.

Anthony Robbins talks about how the difference between success and failure is only a millimeter apart in this inspiring video.

I am not talking about a Mulligan – the do-over in golf you request because you didn’t like your first shot. I am talking about an informed do-over. There are a number of places where the do-over make sense in your business and I believe should be built into your business practice. Part of the key to success, is to use available feedback or tools to help you improve on your previous attempts or initiatives.

Here Are a Few examples of How Using a Do-Over in Your Marketing Can Be The Key To Success

Headlines, Blog Post Titles, and even Book Titles or Sub Titles

A mentor of mine recently suggested that perhaps better blog post titles would help with readership and engagement. I decided to use an A/B split test tool to see if my original post title [‘A’], could be improved with an alternate [‘B’] . I used a free plugin called Title Experiments Free that randomly displays the 2 post titles and ranks them based on performance. I tested three titles: in two out of three cases, my original ‘A’ title was preferred, and in the third case, the alternative headline is proving to be a better option than my original headline.

Pitching the Press

If your story idea or pitch doesn’t land the first time, you can go back to a journalist or publication with a revised pitch or a new one altogether. Clearly, if you have gotten feedback from the journalist or media outlet on what improvement or changes your pitch needs to get them interested , that is ideal but that’s not always an option. You can do your own research by looking at some of their published stories and see if you can identify how they are different from your pitch, and use this insight to improve your stories before re-submitting.

[clickToTweet tweet=”‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ – Wayne Gretksy. via Why You Get a Do-Over” quote=”‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ – Wayne Gretksy”]

Your book launch or book marketing

Perhaps your book didn’t get the kind of reception that you had hoped for. Maybe you got rejected by publishing houses you submitted your book to. You are not alone. Agatha Christie’s book pitches were continually rejected for 5 years, before she landed a publishing deal. Her book sales are now second to the best selling author of all time, William Shakespeare.

There is no reason you can’t go back to your book for a do-over and make some tweaks until you succeed. This can include any aspect from the book pitch, the book title or subtitle, the book description, the cover, the book category it is listed under in Amazon and Barnes and Noble, to your book landing page design and content.

Coca Cola has done this numerous times, releasing ‘New’ versions of coke. Some have disappeared quickly and some have succeeded and stuck around.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Don’t Give Up Before the Magic Happens- F Flagg via Do-Overs Need to Be Part of Marketing” quote=”‘Don’t Give Up Before the Magic Happens’- Fanny Flagg”]

Where are there opportunities in your marketing for a do-over that can make all the difference in your success?

book marketing book promotion Business Planning Content Marketing free resources Media Mentions media plan template pitching the media PR Strategy success tools

Build Your List of Book Buyers Before You Even Publish

Your Opportunity to Make Book Sales with One Email

You have probably heard that the money is in the list. It’s never been more true than for authors, who can build a list of book buyers before you even publish. Set yourself up right in advance, and you can make book sales with one email.

Having a list of interested readers, ready to buy your book as soon as it’s published or available for pre-order, is a major asset.

Many authors make the mistake of focusing on writing and publishing their book and not thinking at all about their marketing until their book is already completed. Building your author platform takes time; building a prospect list also takes time. It’s understandable to put off even thinking about marketing, considering how much concentrated effort goes into the writing and publishing of a book. There’s nothing worse than publishing your book after all your hard work, and hearing crickets – no sales, no reviews, nada. It’s actually pretty depressing; and it doesn’t have to be that way.

Smart authors spend some time building their author platform in advance of publishing their book so that even before they launch, they have generated some interest in their book. By building an email list of interested people, that interest can turn to buzz and sales the minute you publish.

Build a List of Book Buyers Before You Even Publish

The simplest way to build an email list, is to create a book landing page that allows potential readers to opt-in. That way while you’re busy completing, editing, and polishing your book, you can be gathering the email addresses of interested people so that the minute you publish you can let them know about it. Your book has a waiting and ready audience even before it’s published. Once it is, you know you can send one email and make book sales. This is great insurance that your book will make sales, get read, and your hard work will pay off.

Once you have built your list, you can use the time before you publish to build engagement with your audience. Here are a few topics for those emails:

Behind the scenes of a day in the life of you, the writer
Ask for input – on a cover, a subtitle…
Let them know about a major endorsement the book received
Update them – let them know where you are in the writing/publishing process

Building engagement helps create a sense of know, like and trust. This will have your list rooting for you, supporting you and even more committed to buying your book as soon as it’s released. The great news is that if you build a list of book buyers and keep up the engagement, you’ll have a list of hungry readers and buyers for all your future books as well.

author marketing author platform book marketing book promotion Kindle list building resources self-publishing

Your Business Bucket List

A successful and satisfying career, like a well-lived life, can benefit from a bucket list. Interviews with highly successful individuals consistently reveal that they set targets and goals and then plan their actions to move them closer to achieving them.

Your business bucket list is the perfect way to set major milestone goals for your career or entrepreneurial journey. As I began thinking about this topic, I heard “You Can’t Take That Away From Me” start playing in my subterranean jukebox. While the song’s lyrics aren’t directly analogous to your business bucket list, the title is what brought it to mind for me, and one of the key reasons to create your own list.

Any of the items on my recommended business bucket list, once accomplished, will pay you big dividends for the rest of your life. These are the kind of achievements that set you apart, open doors and unmistakably position you as a top expert in your field or niche, and provide acceleration to your career.

They also increase your pay scale and revenue significantly.

By establishing your instant credibility, as well as providing 3rd party credibility, there is more trust in you and your expertise. It’s no longer ‘what you say about you’ that people are interested in. Think of it like trying to decide on which new restaurant, which new printer, or service provider to select; we now go and check out the online reviews and recommendations before making a decision. These bucket list items offer the equivalent of a 5 star review from a third party, providing a trust factor and predisposing others to you. They are more inclined to hiring you or buy from you, and they will be willing to pay higher fees for the privilege of working with you.

With all the noise and competition out there, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. There are certain accomplishments that insure you are immediately noticed and respected. Whether you are seeking a job, to close a big deal, set yourself apart from the sea of competition get more visibility, get in front of your ideal audience more easily and close the deal, land your coveted job, get more speaking gigs… your bucket list achievements pre-sell others on you. They also inspire others to seek you out, rather than vice versa.

5 Bucket List Goals To Skyrocket Your Business:

Top Industry Award

Whether it’s a Pulitzer Prize for literature, a Stevie Award, MacArthur Genius Grant, Making the Inc 500 list, or a more regional industry prize, being honored with one of these types of awards is priceless. In addition to the honor, it is recognition for your excellence and hard work often determined by an esteemed panel of judges and by your peers.

While the voting and selection may be out of your control, you can still proactively position yourself for awards. It goes without saying you need to do your best work. Build a list of the top awards in your industry along with the deadlines to apply; that way when you feel you have achieved sufficient professional accomplishment, you and your team will have the information on hand to begin the application process. Some awards are based on third party nominations, not applications. In this case consider asking a trusted colleague or client if they would consider nominating you.

Being honored offers third party credibility and recognition, along with incredible visibility – the organization giving out the awards typically initiates a publicity campaign that features you!

Media Darling

Getting featured in the media gives you increased visibility and lends credibility and authority; these days it also adds an additional trust factor. In what has been called the Trust or Reputation economy, media coverage, whether you are mentioned, quoted or featured provides third party credibility and the perception that the media is endorsing you.

Whether it’s the NY Times, the Today Show or the Huffington Post, or a smaller regional media outlet, once featured, you are a lifetime media winner!

You can and should leverage the publicity you receive by showcasing it in both text and graphics. We are becoming more and more visually oriented and the media logos on your site or marketing materials grab immediate attention and act as a trust trigger, instantly associating you with the credibility and exalted status that is attributed to the recognized media outlet.

Bestselling Author

Many people want to write a book, yet they never manage to get around to it. Writing a book is a big accomplishment [only 8% of aspiring writers succeed] and will serve you well throughout your business life.

There is even greater respect and recognition that comes with being a bestselling author. Whether you are a business owner, a speaker, or a full-time author, being able to call yourself a bestseller dramatically increases your credibility and positions you at the very top of your field. It often leads to additional opportunities such as speaking invitations, guest professorships and consulting projects.

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret – Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Keynote Talk

Being invited to speak at an event is always an honor. It can be an accomplishment, especially when you are selected to deliver the keynote at an event whose audience are your professional peers. The fact that you were the one selected to speak is one of the ultimate forms of professional recognition.

The pinnacle in recognition for a keynote talk is one that gets posted online and goes viral. It could be a Ted Talk, which on its own carries great cache, a university graduation speech or another top event. The beauty of your talk going viral, in addition to the obvious one of increased visibility, is that this usually indicates that your talk has resonated with people on a deep level, one that typically transcends industries or country. This extends your recognition and opens up new opportunities across disciplines, around the globe.

I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champ’ – Muhammad Ali

Personal Physical Challenge

‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’, states the nursery rhyme. While we’ve been conditioned to keep a separation of church and state when it comes to business and personal matters, there are a few accomplishments that shouldcrossover and be highlighted. One of them is completing an arduous physical challenge, as it is a noteworthy achievement, and as such should be showcased.

Businesses and entrepreneurs recognize the mind body connection. There is great respect for someone who undertakes the kind of herculean training and endurance test that running a marathon, completing a triathlon, climbing Mt. Everest and hiking the entire Appalachian Trail encompasses.

A successful and major physical challenge demonstrates to your business prospect or prospective employer that you plan your training, set goals, and then meet them despite how tough the going gets. It shows that you have the mental toughness and discipline to achieve what most of us mortals will only dream of, yet never even undertake. It inspires confidence that you will bring this excellence and determination to whatever you do whether it’s personal or in business.

There are no traffic jams along the extra mile- Roger Staubach

Whether you are a solo-preneur, a coach, a business owner or an employee, a business bucket list will help you achieve your goals faster and propel your career forward at lightening speed and with more ease.

These bucket list goals are ones that will pre-sell you to strangers and create a favorable instant impression when used on your resume, as part of your professional bio, when you are introduced as a guest speaker, on your website, in your press kit, in the bio section of client proposals …

Ready to check items off your own bucket list?

I am available to help you strategize your own business bucket list. Ask me about our accelerated Media Darling and Bestselling Author programs.

My own business bucket list is still evolving. So far…

Top Industry Award [FastCompany – Top 100 People Online, NYWA – Galaxy Award]
Media Darling: Featured in national media [there is always room for more]
Bestselling Author: my recent book “Business Leadership Blueprints”
Physical Challenge: Completed the Dublin Marathon

This article first appeared on Linkedin Pulse

Your Customer Experience Equals PR

Customer experience is a part of your PR. A very important component.

Studies have shown that there are two types of customers who talk about your brand and your business – ones that are raving fans and love you and those who are very unhappy with you or the experience they’ve had with your company.

What is the experience people have with your company?

Your customer experience equals PR for your brand

A few examples – Let’s start with the happy experience

Fat Witch Brownies, make the yummiest brownies I know. I like to send a box of their brownies as a gifts to help celebrate happy occasions and to thank business colleagues for referrals or other generous actions.

I had recently ordered a gift box of brownies to thank a business colleague for his help on a project, when they didn’t arrive at the recipient’s office, I found out that I had used the wrong address.

I called the Fat Witch and asked if there’s a way to check on where they had delivered my order to, and if there was a way to get them rerouted. I fessed up that I had made a mistake with the address. They said no, unfortunately they couldn’t trace the package, however they would gladly send the brownies again and only charge me the shipping. This had been my mistake, and yet they were willing to share some of the cost to resend my package.

Customers who encounter positive social customer care experiences are nearly 3 times more likely to recommend a brand. Source: HBR

The bad customer experience

I went online to use Haiku Deck, a presentation software that I had been using for awhile. After spending over an hour creating a new presentation I saved it and went to export it. A window popped up telling me that to export it into Powerpoint, I would have to upgrade to the paid version for $9.95. This was a new requirement, but I was fine with paying to use their service – that is until I completed payment and returned to my work area on Haiku Deck only to find that my hours worth of work hadn’t been saved.

Yes, technology is great when it works.

I was extremely frustrated, first about the the loss of time, but also that I had just paid and was now left with nothing. I contacted customer service whose response was that I had done something wrong. They had tested the software therefore I had done something wrong.

95% of dissatisfied customers tell others about their bad experience. Source : Dimensional Research.

Time lost in creating the presentation. Time lost talking to customer service. Not a happy camper. Now the mere mention or thought of Haiku Deck brings up the unpleasant experience, which is now imprinted on my brain.

71% of customers say that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do to provide good service. Source: Forrester

Now back to how customer experience, and particularly customer service is part of your PR.

Public relations by definition is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public.

Consumers trust recommendations from friends and family, online reviews, and the media – in that order. Consumers make buying decisions based on recommendations online reviews and companies they read about in the media.

If your if your customers are going online and writing about you, posting on social media, or making recommendations to friends and family, what are they saying?

Remember, like me your customers remember the excellent and exceptional experiences and the terrible ones, and that’s what they will talk about.

I know which experience I want my customers to have and what I want my customers to be talking about.

The Fat Witch, has a made me even more of a raving fan. I just had to go and tell a few friends on social media to show my appreciation.

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Customer Experiences – A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs

How do you show up to your audience?

How you show up, and the customer experiences they have with your brand, can make all the difference to you personally, to your business success as well as your satisfaction in life.

Here is a tale of two entrepreneurs.
When you do a lot of marketing and networking online, as I do, it’s exciting to actually get to actually meet a fellow entrepreneur in person or speak to them via Skype.

I was at a marketing conference last year and was entering the ballroom after the break, when I recognized a guy in front of me, a fellow marketer, whose list I had been on for a few years after buying a few of his training products. Waiting until he finished conversing with another attendee, I approached him, excited to have the opportunity to meet him in person. I introduced myself to him and told him who I was and that I had been on his list for a while. To my great disappointment, I didn’t even get a smile. I got a grunt of acknowledgement before he stepped up his pace to catch up with the buddies he had been with, or to get away from me faster.

People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel – Maya Angelou

The second marketer.

I was on a webinar with a marketer whose list I have also been on for a few years after buying an info product from him at one point. I was interested in the offer he was making and I had a question about the bonus.

I sent him an email, expecting that the response I got would actually come from his customer service person. Here is the email that I received:

Hi Jane! 🙂

It always makes me smile to see your name pop up in my inbox. I think you’ve been one of my longest customers. Thanks 🙂 I really appreciate it. 🙂

Roxie (my wonderful head of support / affiliate manager) has everything put together in a package so I’m going to forward this e-mail to her and she’ll take care of it.

Thanks again & I hope you’re well. 🙂

Have a great day

Cheers

– Adam

Wow. Isn’t that lovely! It made me feel warm, fuzzy and appreciated. Adam has a customer for life, as well a [an even more] raving fan.

How are you showing up and treating your prospects and customers? I know which interaction I prefer to have – the same customer experience I strive to deliver.

As for the first marketer – I came home from the conference and unsubscribed from his list.

Related Content:

PR is Part of Your Customer Experience

authenticity customer experience customer service customers email list prospects public relations

2 Steps to Becoming a Media Darling

Today I want to share with you how to be a Media Darling – A celebrity who is especially popular and who receives frequent and very favorable attention in the news media. It’s easier than you think! Done right, it can have the media seeking you out on a regular basis!

There are two keys to being a Media Darling. Mindset is the first aspect.

Be a go giver and help other people get what they want [journalists] so that you can then get what you want [publicity]

Give journalists what they need. A great story, all the information in a neat package they can just cut and paste from, as well as showing them support and love on their work – not just the stories that feature you.

A recent study by MuckRack revealed:

76% of journalists feel more pressure now to think about their story’s potential to get shared on social platforms (which can be measured with our Who Shared My Link tool).
75% of journalists use Twitter to build their own brand. (And 86% of them check Twitter several times per day.)
82% of journalists said incorporating an image is the #1 important ingredient for content share ability.

So more than ever before, Journalists feel more pressure to get their stories shared. You can show them the love by Retweeting, liking, commenting on and sharing their stories.

This works because it helps the journalist get social proof and positive feedback on their work. It also helps put you on their radar. When they see your comments, likes and re tweets, they view you as a friend, an ally, and a familiar name. When you go pitch them, they recognize your name, associate it with your support and social love, and will give your pitch more attention than other pitches they get. In other words, they are predisposed to want to like your pitch!

Now the Second Part are your media assets. The tools journalists expect you to have. These are an online media room and a press kit.

87% of journalists surveyed in the Tek Newsroom survey 2014, expect companies of all sizes to have an online newsroom.

An online newsroom and media or press kit are great because they make it easier for journalists to write about you. It may be 3 am… they are on a deadline… They are looking for information they can grab to complete their article. They don’t have the time to call you, trade messages and finally get to speak to you. Your newsroom gives them everything they need to write about you – 24/7, even if you are playing golf or sleeping. Its a win-win. They get their story. You get media coverage. Sweet.

The newsroom is also a place to showcase your media coverage. Over time, you will build up an impressive list of media mentions and self-generated news. Your prospects, clients and partners will also use it to learn more about you. The newsroom gives you additional expert status and credibility – as media mentions are perceived like endorsements from the media or a 5 star review on Yelp. Additionally, while your competition may have media coverage, chances are they aren’t showcasing it. If you don’t let people know about it, its like it doesn’t even exist…… If a tree falls in the forest….

Your newsroom can simply be a page on your website that you add content to regularly.

No newsroom would be complete without a press kit. This is a downloadable folder of information about you and your company. It can simply be a PDF containing key information about your company, as well as a high-resolution headshot and high-resolution book cover or product shot [as appropriate].

As many of you know, my passion is creating DIY [do it yourself ] tools that make it easier to do your own marketing and promotion.

One of these tools is my Magnetic Media Kits for Authors. They come with the standard Jane design – elegant, simple, and no technical skills are required.

media assets media darling online press room press kit public relations

The Best Gifts – Ones You Give Yourself

The best gift, or gifts, are sometimes the ones you can give yourself. So as we come to the end of the year and the beginning of a fabulous new one, with all its great possibilities……. I ask you to consider this:

“Hard Now, Easy Later…… Easy Now, Hard Later”

When I heard the very wise Debi Silber, the Mojo Coach, say this at an event recently, it really left an impression on me. For example. Peace of mind and a sound, solid business.

Huh? You may be thinking. If you are one of those people who go to sleep going over your to do list….. instead of counting sheep… imagine being able to drift off to sleep, knowing your list is short, and that you have taken care of the most critical business details. That leads to good, sound and peaceful sleep. Awesome. I’ll take more of that kind of sleep, and I bet you will too!

That tech issue that sidetracked me this week- 10 of my websites got hacked. A malicious malaware was able to infiltrate them. Perhaps it was my fault, maybe there was nothing I could have done about it.

All I know is that when you went to one of my sites you got a red warning page…..not the way you want anyone to think of your brand. Ever. Even if they recognize its not your own fault.

You see, at times. I opted for Easy now……Not that planning publicity is hard……. or the tasks I am about to share…. What can be hard is allocating the time to JUST get it done!

My sometimes taking the ‘easy now’ approach, lead to this week when I paid the price. You see, on my list of to –do’s was to set up a backup process for my websites. For some reason my host company stopped backing them up… and despite knowing that I could lose all the content, the images, and my online business in a heartbeat….. I did nothing.

So when I got hit with the malaware….the first question the tech folks I consulted with to help solve the problem asked was…. Do you have your sites backed up?

Luckily, I was able to save the majority of my content without a backup, but that might not have been the case. Had I added additional security measures that had been recommended to me months ago, maybe I would not have been hacked. $425 later and I am back online, backed up and with additional security.

In an effort to insure you have a most joyous holiday season, as well as the most prosperous, stress free and wonderful 2015, I invite you to take the time to do the things that just tend to stay on your to do list…… do them now. I invite you to have an easy, joyous and prosperous 2015.

Whether its planning for your publicity and content for the year – now, or more basic housekeeping like website and computer back ups. Make them a priority. It’s like insurance for your business and you deserve to have peace of mind.

Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

Bill Gates

What are you planning for 2015? I’d love to know. Please post in the comments below.

To your publicity success! And all things Joyous, Easy, Prosperous and a Sound Business in 2015

Jane

P.S. Here are two articles on backing up your site

WordPress Website Backups

Backup Your Word Press Site to Dropbox

Business Planning