Image credit: Mark Setchell
Many, many moons ago, I finished a lengthy document and saved it to one of those portable thumb drives? Shortly thereafter the crappy little thing died, the document was irretrievably lost, and I had to do it over.
A short and somewhat ordinary story in retrospect, but if you’ve ever lost a document—or an afternoon’s work—you know that the actual moment was long and vibrant, full of colorful language, whimpers of denial, and gnashing of teeth.
The aftermath was just as exciting, between trying to revive the thumb drive (deader than a hammer), attempting to recover something—anything!—from the computer I had worked on (a public PC wiped clean between users), then sadly and frantically recreating what I had lost. All before a nearing deadline.
And all because I didn’t have a backup. I could have avoided those hours of tearful re-work by simply emailing myself a copy.
Thankfully, with nifty Web tools and the Internet’s nostalgic tendency, it’s nearly as simple to store all of our files somewhere (else) safe and recover archived copies of our Web work.
If you read Business Card Gallery: Beyond The Template way back in the day, you know that I’m not a big fan of a blank page. Frankly, I hate ‘em.
A blank sheet of paper can be threatening instead of thrilling when there’s a lot at stake or there’s a lot to do. If you’ve ever had writer’s block, you know that putting the first mark on the page can feel like a mammoth, impossible step.
This can also be true on our first encounter with a new process or product. Whether it’s self-help or software or something for dinner, this new thing is a blank page that we stare at and wonder: Where and how do we start?
The smart money is on authors and vendors and service providers who anticipate this question and provide checklists, worksheets, and samples to help new customers get started.
Great examples are everywhere, and so are places where the added value is needed. As you read through these, think on simple tools you could create to add value to your content, give an easy and unintimidating jump start for your service, or provide suggestions on how to use your product. Read more
Gone Fishin’
Filed Under In General | 14 Comments
Image credit: johnshepherd
How long can your business last without you?
This is not a new topic, of course, but I’ve been sick and the necessary time-out brought alarming clarity to some things. Among them, we’re walking a knife’s edge when there’s nothing in place to earn for us when we can’t earn for ourselves.
Like I touched on in What’s So Great About SEO?, as it is now this blog requires my daily attention. I don’t have even one article held in reserve, no guest posts stashed away, no co-authors to respond to comments or add content, and most new site visitors arrive directly from my activity in social media arenas.
I realized that this blog could only last a day or two, and you can bet I’ll be addressing that tout de suite.
As you read through this, think on what you have tucked away for a rainy day, and also who (or what) would do your work and bring new customers your way if you couldn’t do it yourself.
What’s So Great About SEO?
Filed Under In General | 8 Comments
Image credit: Eoseye
Like we talked about earlier, word-of-mouth marketing is tops for spreading the word about a microbusiness. We could spend money on advertising and hope for a return, but it’s more cash flow friendly to get new business referrals from delighted customers, and then pay them a commission for the done deal.
The same apples to online businesses: build the business by providing referral bonuses, whether informally or with an affiliate/commission program. Brick-and-mortar or on the Web, the value in word-of-mouth is how it affordably and effectively extends our message to customers that are beyond our reach.
But online, there’s a way to reach people outside of these typical one or two degrees of separation… Read more
Did you catch the 3-part case study about Alexandria Brown’s information marketing money machine? The one where Ali provides 750 Silver Mastermind group members with exclusive access to monthly teleseminars at $47 per month?
The membership fees total $423,000 annually. Yup.
So anyway, this post is an extension of Part 1’s “Selling access to information”. If you missed the series or want a refresher, read: Making a Million With 1000 True Fans: Be a Toll Booth on the Information Highway.
Image credit: *** ___ The System ***
Yesterday I got the inside scoop on a new Ali Brown product. At least, it was new to the Scooper…Scoopee? Anyway…
A Silver Mastermind group member said Ali is offering CD recordings of their monthly teleseminars for $47.
This made no sense to me because the Silver membership already includes a CD-by-mail of that month’s teleseminar. Also, members can download the calls from their exclusive access area.
My question was, “If the members already get a CD by mail, and they can download the calls whenever they want, why would they buy another CD?”
And then Ms. Scoop clued me in— Read more
The Dream Meme
Filed Under In General | 18 Comments
Yesterday we shared our kid dreams of what we would work at when we grew up, and got a peek at the totally wicked cool kids you all were! Every comment made me smile or giggle or wonder in awe at your clever, imaginative, and daring younger selves. Y’all haven’t changed a bit!
My Big Dream
I could kick/kiss Bob from the Writing Journey for his Dream Meme. It’s a fantastic goal-setting exercise because: 1) by being specific we’re compelled to perceive our dreams as doable, and 2) by posting them we’re accountable to follow through. Darn/Thank you, Bob! Read more
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