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Step Away From The Crossword Puzzle

By Mike Sansone on September 20, 2011 in Blog Coach with 0 Comments

It’s so sad, I sometimes get angry.

I walk into a rural retail business. The bell above the wooden door rings as I walk in. A head pops up from behind the glass display counter. She stands and pushes up the eyeglasses from the edge of her nose.

“G’mornin’ Can I help you?” A tired smile appears.

We talk a little bit about her store and how she got started. She was laid off a few years ago and decided to have a go at her own.

There’s plenty of street parking, she says. There has been for a few years now. Nobody comes around much anymore. Except maybe during lunch at the diner across the street. At night the tavern gets pretty busy. And the thrift store usually brings business down to “old town” on the weekends.

This is the Main Street in Ruralville, USA. And its sad.

We talk a bit about using social media and creating different forms of revenue. But she really doesn’t have time to do much else — the store keeps her pretty busy.

Nice folks here. We bid pleasantries to each other on my way out. Then I see it as I turn with a final wave .

She smiles as she sits back down . . . to attend to her crossword puzzle.

Gone Fishing? How Big is Your Fish?

By Mike Sansone on September 18, 2011 in Blog Coach, Marketing with 1 Comment

Gone Fishing.

Maybe that’s what you wish you would have done today. Or could’ve done. Well, maybe that’s what you should be doing.

But let’s not put the boat in the water just yet. Let’s look at a few things that “Gone Fishing” can do in and for your business. (You didn’t think I was suggesting taking the day off did you?)

Folks who go fishing pay attention to some numbers and measurements:

What time is the right time
How many can/have they caught. How many got away.
Sizes of the fish. Where they gather.
Where are the others who are after the same fish
Weights, line thickness, type of bait
What they want the outcome of the day to be (e.g., food, relaxation, bragging rights, etc.).

They are prepared at the beginning of each trip and know what a successful ending looks like.

And what if each fishing trip was actually a marketing project. By knowing the desired outcome, how much time they would be fishing, and what to measure along the way, well, by knowing all that they’re sure to find the right spot to go fishing.

They gotta know the “Four Whats.”

The “Four Whats” are a mini-checklist to keep you on track and in the black.

For What – This is your “why.” What is it you’re after (not “likes” or “followers” or even “subscribers”). What is it you’re really looking for? More customers, more walk-ins, more appointments, speaking gigs, recognition . . . why are you doing this piece of marketing? What’s success going to look like?
So What – This is their “why.” What’s in it for them? If you’re not helping them improve their life somehow, whatever success you do experience will be a flash in the pan, not a fish in the pan.
With What – This is your fishing pole, your bait, and your tackle. Are you going to use social media or a newsletter? Give away an eBook or a special limited time offer? What kind of cross promotion will you do? If you’re doing a campaign on Facebook, how will you promote it offline? If you’re doing something offline, will you YouTube it online?
Do What – This is their “action” – what do you want them to do? Call you? Sign up to your list? Make an appointment? Buy what your selling online?

If you’re not in the habit measuring the “Four Whats” – you’re not alone. A lot of business owners can tell you the bottom line, but not the top line. They can tell you what they made in sales, but not how many calls to get the appointment, or how many appointments to get a sale. They can tell you how many sales went through the register, but they can’t tell you how many walk-ins went through the door . . . empty-handed.

Don’t fall into that trap. Measure your way to success. Otherwise, you’ll be drawing up a sign and grabbing a pole.

Photo on Flickr by Basil Gloo

Finding Your Three Keys for Great Content Curation

By Mike Sansone on September 9, 2011 in Blog Coach, Conversations, Marketing, Social Media with 0 Comments

Finding great content to share will make others more aware and show them how much you really care.

One of the first exercises we do with a small business getting into social media is learn to be a resource for the target they want to serve.

The thinking here is that by knowing who you want to attract and what is important to them - by being a resource towards their values and wants – you will attract them.

Focus on three words or phrases that is most important to your core customer.

This is sometimes a tough exercise – and it should be. It’s important. At the beginning of this exploration, I’m found repeating myself,

“It’s not about your business, right now it’s about their lives – what do they want?”

Whether you do this alone or with a team, write down all the phrases that come up. Post-its or a whiteboard are great here. With each phrase, continue to ask yourself a few “so what…?” – as in “so how does that help them change their lives?” or “why would that matter to them?”

One business recently focused on these three phrases for their core customer: More Energy, Live Longer, Look Good.

Remember, we’re defining these phrases for purposes of being a resource – content curation and knowledge sharing. This is the 70 in the 70-20-10 formula. This exercise isn’t about our unique selling position or to find a great tagline.

This exercise is about focusing on what to share, who to share it with, and filtering signal from noise. It’s both listening and engaging.

Once you get these “Three Keys” – you’ll be able to focus on what RSS feeds to subscribe to, who to follow and retweet on Twitter, and what to write about on your blog.

Be the resource

Photo on Flickr by atconc

Candidio Video: Shoot. Edit. Share. Simple SmallBiz Solution

By Mike Sansone on September 8, 2011 in Blog Coach, Cool Tools, Marketing, Video with 2 Comments

It’s amazing what kind of nuggets you can find in footnotes.

This morning I was scanning through the RSS feeds I read and came across this video with Jay Baer and David Meerman Scott, thinking I could have it run in the background so I could listen while I work (BTW, the conversation between Jay and David is one you should watch too).

What really caught my eye is the note Jay shares about Candidio, a super-simple video editing service. Jay writes:

“Video production, editing, titling by my friends at Candidio. If you need your raw video footage tidied up good, fast, reasonably priced, they are the guys.”

Now Jay has built up a lot of trust in the social business/content marketing space. I respect what he says and shares, so his line about Candido helped guide my next step — a visit to the Candidio site, where I saw this video:

The text on Candidio’s site says a lot with few words:

“You shoot. We edit. You share. Produce quality videos for a 1oth of the cost.”

When it comes to videos, small and rural businesses are concerned about both quality and cost. Candidio looks like they have answers to both and I can’t wait to recommend them to a few folks.

Thanks for the tip, Jay!

3 Ways to Get Back on (Blogging) Track

By Mike Sansone on September 6, 2011 in Blog Coach with 0 Comments

As a small business owner, many things can interrupt your flow of production of social media content. This is especially true if you’re operating as a solopreneur.

You’ve been busy working (and let’s hope that pace is profitable and remains true). Still, part of your marketing strategy includes keeping a freshly updated website and blog.

The wrestling match in your mind when you get back at it is much like the one you had when you first started – “What can I write that will knock their socks off?” -

Better idea: Think “Instant Oatmeal”

Write a Short List Post – No need to go all thesis on your reader. Page depth (many posts) will provide examples of you expertise. No need to prove it in one post. (Hint: This post is a short list post, hmm?)
Use a Quote or a Movie Clip – I’ve done plenty of both. MovieClips.com is a great resource. A simple clip or quote and a few sentences why it resonates or fits into your niche (i.e., helps your customers; motivates your business; etc.)
Use an Interview (or Question) for your Own – If you’ve seen, heard, or read a good interview – make it your own (giving attribution or link back to the original). Even if it’s only expanding on a single question. You can also do this with a book’s table of contents. Here’s an example of a Helena Bonham Carter interview I tweaked, and a SCAMPERing of a John Maxwell book.

No need to dither around about how profound your comeback post should be – work towards prolific. Prolific writing begets profound writing.

Photo on Flickr by Justindc

5 Reasons Your Blog Needs More Than One Contributor (hubspot.com)
Four Content Marketing Ideas for Business Blogs (bayintegratedmarketing.wordpress.com)
Avoid the Social Media Graveyard: Social With a Plan (level343.com)

Cool Tool: Buffer App Saves Time with a Single Click

By Mike Sansone on September 1, 2011 in Blog Coach, Cool Tools, Social Media with 4 Comments

For a long time, I’ve taught the infosumption path as Skim, Scan, Save and Share. Until now.

Buffer App is changing the way I consume and share information.

One of the headaches BufferApp solves is what I call (probably you too) “Twitter Noise” where Susie Celebrity (who has 12K followers) tweets something and 100 people immediately re-tweet her.

It might be better for all concerned if there could be some distance between all those retweets. It’s one reason I suggested to folks that we favorite a tweet, then RT it later (or schedule it via HootSuite).

BufferApp changes that – one click from anywhere: Twitter. Google Reader. My browser. Facebook soon!

On Twitter: Just hover over the tweet you want to “buffer” and the BufferApp icon appears. A single click:

You can then schedule it or tweet it right now. And you can edit the tweet to add your 2 cents:

You can do this from any screen or stream on Twitter.

On Google Reader: It gets better. I spend a lot of time in Google Reader reading RSS feeds. Again, a single-click:

If you’ve never used the “Send-To” feature on Google Reader, setting it up is simple.

With a Share Button: If you look to the left of this article on my site, you’ll see I’ve set up a “Share on Buffer” button. Simple.

In your browser: Buffer has goodies for any browser (in Chrome it appears as an extensions at top-right, in Firefox see the bottom-right corner of browser). You can tweet a web page, or you can highlight a quote from a page and tweet the quote.

From your Mobile: There’s an Android app and a way to send to buffer from an iPhone.

On Facebook: I don’t know, because it’s not out yet – but I’ve signed up for the BufferApp/Facebook beta when it comes out.

There’s a few short steps to get your times up (the free version allows you to have 10 updates in the queue at once – you pick the times in advance). I’ve just upgraded to the pro version (50 in the queue, multiple accounts) so I can also buffer tweets from SansoneSpot.

There is a bit of buzz going on with BufferApp, so don’t just take my word for it:

How To: Space Out Your Tweets Without Being Online All Day at Mashable
BufferApp: An Easy Marketing Tool for Bloggers at Blogging Your Passion
A Better Way to Reply to People on Twitter at TweetSmarter
3 Ways to Get 200% More Twitter Exposure at Famous Bloggers

Here’s a video from Buffer to give you a bit more:

If you like this piece, buffer it, hmm?

Does Your Small Business Have a Facebook Landing Page?

By Mike Sansone on August 29, 2011 in Blog Coach, Marketing, Social Media with 0 Comments

As part of the Shingle Page project, I’ve also been working with a company who can do custom landing pages for Facebook Pages.

These pages are great for a small business or local business to convert more visitors into “likes” and more importantly, convert the “likes” into loyal customers.

Some small and rural business folks I talk with are hesitant to get their own web site or page, yet they are very comfortable with Facebook (as one owner said, “. . .it just seems easier”). These Facebook Landing Pages are another way to get your business on the ‘findability’ map.

Check out the kind of work that can be done:

With over 750 million active users on Facebook and 250 million users via mobile devices (source: Facebook Statistics), Facebook may be this generation’s Yellow Pages.

If you or someone you know owns a business and wants to do more with a Facebook Page to present a professional image & convert more of their traffic, a custom landing page might be the way to go.

Contact me to learn more.

Additions to the ConverStations Manifesto

By Mike Sansone on August 27, 2011 in Blog Coach, Whistle Stops with 1 Comment

A while back, I posted a list of mini-mantras I use for myself and in coaching: ConverStations Manifesto

This weekend, I’ve been pondering a few posts and the take-aways I’m adding to the list (and the posts that pricked my brain):

Empty Your Cup: Your Teacup is Full

Take Back Your Strings: Take Back Your Strings

WDJS (What Did Jesus See): 10 Reasons Why WWJD is Not Good

What are some of your mini-mantras?