Blogs are the up and coming tool for marketing your business. Might be. I've blogged off and on for five years. It was a simple way for me to note places I had visited and to record my thoughts. As I grow my own business, this blog chronicles some of my thoughts on design, business and odd stuff that I read as I travel the web.
How to Do What You Love A long essay but extremely well thought out. And something that I'm sending along to my kids. A lesson that has taken me a long time to learn and I would venture to say I haven't learned it well even yet.
Astronomy Picture of the Day I visit the Astronomy pic of the Day - each day to help me keep perspective on the size of our universe. Today's post on the New Horizon craft leaving for Pluto is just one of those amazing events that keeps me humble. Planning for something that will have little to no result for ten years just truly amazes me and dwarfs my petty concerns in the immenseness of the universe.
Demonstrating Blogging is always interesting. It is easy and very straightforward.
Account Management as a Marketing Investment: A Lesson from the Airlines | MarketingProfs.com: "Take a First Cut at Your Strategy To achieve the promise of account management, create a specific marketing strategy for each key client that includes eight elements: 1. The top five issues your client faces 2. How you can help with those problems 3. How you stand out from others in meeting the client's challenges 4. The status of your relationships with key decision makers 5. Which relationships you'll build and which you'll shore up 6. The marketing tactics you'll use to position yourself in the minds of key client decision makers and influencers 7. Your marketing budget for the client in terms of time and money 8. How you will measure the success of each client relationship."
For several days I have wanted to try using ecto to publish to my blog. I have not been able to get it to function but after changing my feed to the atom format. (and there may be other reasons for doing that.) and letting it use the default setting for Blogger I'm finally home free.
Digital Web Magazine - Designing for the Web
Many times I have trouble explaining these issues to clients. I tend not to unless they come up in the particular design that I have chosen.
Marketing Art on the Web : SEO Book.com:
This provocative post got me thinking about other areas that similar tactics would work for SEO marketing of freelancers and a lot of small businesses.
"So how would I recommend marketing art?
Sudoku - Games for the Brain I've been wondering about the Sudoku craze for awhile. What it was and how it was played... Addictive it is!
I recently received an email from Jim Edwards with the text below. Not only was I impressed with the quality of the lead in - but the follow through. Marketing really is about the swing. Getting ready, swinging, and then following through. And then swinging again if you miss.
Why are some authors doing so much better than others? We've discovered seven key mistakes that most ebook authors make (and in doing so, hold themselves back from major success):
1. They don't write to a specific, target audience.
The biggest mistake most ebook authors make is they don't clearly define, identify and visualize who they are selling their ebook to. On the Web, to be successful, you must write to a specific group of people who have specific interests. Make sure that you know exactly who is going to buy your ebook, and where you can find them online.
2. They don't automate as many of their business activities as possible.
Selling ebooks, though it is highly profitable, is not a business where you make hundreds of dollars per sale.
Automate everything you can - credit card processing, ebook delivery, as much technical support as possible. If you can't automate a function, delegate it to someone else.
3. They don't have a compelling title for their ebook.
Use words that convey the benefit of what's in the ebook, as well as words your audience is familiar with.
A bad title for an ebook: "Online Marketing for Newbies." A good title for the same ebook: "97 Ways to Promote Your Website - No Experience Required."
4. They try to cover too much ground.
Many ebook authors convey a lot of information but don't cover anything in-depth. As a result, they never fully explain anything in enough detail to provide any useful value to their readers. This is a very bad mistake to make, especially when it comes to how-to ebooks, which happen to be the best type to write.
5. They are not proactive in their marketing.
It would be nice if marketing for your ebook simply happened on its own - but it doesn't. You have to do it yourself. After you've promoted your ebook to the people on your own mailing list (if you have one), then you have to contact other Website owners and persuade them to be your affiliates. You should do this continually.
6. They don't differentiate their ebook from its competitors.
When you choose your topic, even if there are a hundred other ebooks out there on same general subject, choose an angle for yours that will make it easy for yours to be distinguished from the others.
For example, right now job-hunting ebooks are very popular. There are dozens that are big sellers. "Secrets of Breaking Into Pharmaceutical Sales" has a very specific title that sets it apart from the competition, and is aimed at a clearly identified target audience. Incidentally, it's selling very well itself.
7. They write ebooks that nobody will pay for.
Many ebook authors write about information that either people can get for free, or that people are not actually interested in enough to pay for the information.
Before you invest weeks or months into the writing of your ebook, invest a little time investigating whether other ebooks in the same subject area are selling on the Web.
So, there you have it - the seven big mistakes to avoid. Remember, the opportunities are plentiful - and huge - right now for anyone who wants to become a best-selling ebook author. Simply use common sense, follow our advice, and let your literary career flourish!
The J-Walk Blog: Blond Joke I can't believe I'm posting a joke in my webblog and a blonde one at that
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