In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re going to talk about how you can get a guest post on a big blog.

If you like these videos consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see covered in future episodes!

Hey what’s up guys, welcome to Inside The Mind where we talk about online marketing strategy,
what it is, why it’s important, and why you should care.

In last week’s episode we talked about 101 ways to increase blog , and this week, I’m going to share with you my three phase strategy on writing guest posts for popular blogs.

Now what’s in today’s episode is a distilled version of the information I learned in Jon Morrow’s Guest Blogging program, and like I’ve said before… (harp ripple) I Highly, highly highly, recommend you take Jon Morrow’s guest blogging course which you can find the link by going right *ding* there.

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At the foundation of any good guest post is the relationship between the guest poster and the site owner.

What you don’t see are the friendly emails, tweets, and comments that happen between guest authors and popular bloggers.

Without building a relationship, no matter what you do, when you’re pitching a guest post, it’s going to always come off like this.

To avoid looking like this, you have to enter what I call Phase 1 – (The Stalker Phase.)

This is really just a creepy way of saying you have to filter out their stuff from everyone elses

Create individual lists on Twitter and Facebook, and a separate circle on Google + to get a better feel for who these bloggers are, and how to befriend them.

Remember folks, these are people, not platforms.

What you’ll want to be looking out for are:

• Smaller forums they hang out in.
• Music, movies, and other general interest things they share.
• Live webinar’s with Q&A at the end.

The whole idea here is to find ways that you can help them & connect on a more human level.

If you’ve both seen the same movie, ask them their favorite part. If you both like the same type of music, share links to your favorite tracks… that type of thing.

In terms of “helping out” most popular bloggers won’t ask the “I don’t know this, can you help me” type questions on Facebook or Twitter, but will have no problems opening up in a smaller, more private forum.

So… If you’re both members of the same forum, you can look for opportunities to share what you know in a more private setting. Just remember, there are other people in the forum too, and the more helpful you become to the entire community, the better you look to everyone.

You can also “help out” by attending their webinars and ask questions make them look good. Often times webinars are held as a means to sell something, so if your question leads to more money in their pocket, that’ll go a long way in helping you stand out.

Once you feel like you’ve established a good foundation for your  relationship, you’re ready for phase 2

(The Mind Expansion Stage)

Now that you “know” the popular blogger, it’s time to get to know their readers. The best way for you to do this is to

• Read ALL the “Most Popular” posts,
• Read 20 – 30 of their most recent posts,
• Read as many comment threads as your brain can handle.

It’s a lot of work, and here’s why – ”Most popular” posts are always featured because of the high amount of comments, shares, and attention the post received.

Reading it all ingrains the “high bar” caliber your guest post must be to go viral.
The “Most Popular” section is your blueprint.

The writing style, sentence structure, and headline formatting you need are all right there, laying the groundwork for your successful guest post.

Also pay careful attention to how they open the article, how they close it, and how each line leads into the next.
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Commenter questions are ripe topics for viral guest post topics.

In the comments of the “Most Popular” posts, look for gaps in the reader’s knowledge, specifically where they’re asking for more detail.

Also reading the last 20-30 most recent articles show’s you where the A-List blogger’s mind is lately.

Like I said, I know it’s a lot of work, but doing all of this research will help you to write a post that gets people whipped into a commenting frenzy and make the blogger happy they took a chance on you.

Without the research, you’re just shooting in the dark and are leaving it to luck as to whether or not your post is well received.

Phase 3- (Is the Pitch)

Believe it or not, this is actually the easiest part of the process.

First – Send an email with the subject line Guest Post or Guest Post for (their website), anything more complicated than that can trip their spam filter and does not easily get your point across.

Second - An email like

Hey (blogger’s name),

How are you? I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep this brief.

I was reading through some of your most recent and popular articles, and I had a couple ideas I wanted to run by you that I think would be perfect. Do you have time to take a quick look?

Thanks,

(your name)

The whole idea here is just to establish contact and get permission to send post ideas.

Popular websites get bombarded with ideas all day long, so asking if it’s ok, gives you a few extra kudos on the karma scale.

If they say yes, then the next thing you want to do is pitch your post as quickly as possible.

This structure will keep you focused and prevent you from wasting anyone’s time.

You’ll want to present: (generated media)

1. Evidence it’s a good topic
2. Your interpretation of the evidence
3. Post idea based on the evidence.

An email would look something like this

Ok, great! Here’s what I was thinking:

The other day I was looking through your popular posts and I noticed there are (x) amount of posts on (topic), but no one has talked about (subtopic) which is another (worry/problem/solution/interest) (audience) has.

So I was thinking of writing a post titled “headline” which would talk about (explanation of what the post is about)

I’d be happy to write a draft of the post if you’d like, and you can take it from there, or if that doesn’t work, I can come up with some other ideas.

Thanks so much,

(your name)

Now, if you’ve truly done the research in the first two phases, you should have very few problems having your guest post get accepted.

But now comes the hard part…

Your work is about to be read by potentially thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people.
If now is not your time to level up, I don’t know when is.

It’s not just about putting words on the screen, it’s about choosing words that move people, that inspire people, and hold their attention for Every. Single. Line.

Now there are a ton of places that you could learn to be a better writer, but I can say with the utmost honesty and the best lessons I’ve ever gotten were from Jon’s Guest blogging course.

I’ve used what I learned there to get guest posts on sites like problogger, remarkablogger, freelance folder, technorati and Chrisbrogan.com (to name a few)

This is one of only a few programs that I can say were game changing for me, and if you’re looking to use blogging as a part of your online marketing strategy, I would highly recommend you look into it. You can do so by following this link right here.

And… that’s all I’ve got for this week’s episode of Inside the Mind, thank you so much for watching and there are only two episodes left of this season.

If you want to get all of the episodes delivered to your email, and get exclusive bonus goodies Go there, and if you liked this episode or found it really useful, I would appreciate a little thumbs up, and a comment!

Please leave your creative or interesting responses in the comments below, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus.

Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you next week!

In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re going to talk about 101 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic

If you like these videos consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see covered in future episodes!

Hey What’s up guys, welcome to inside the mind where we talk about online marketing strategy, what it is, why it’s important, and why you should care.

First up, just to let you know, there are only four more episodes left this season (insert kids awww here) I know, I know… Don’t worry though, we’ve got some really cool stuff planned for season 2, we just need to take some time off for planning, production, and promotion.

The good news is, these last four episodes will be jam packed full of information for you to use.

Like today’s episode, which is 101 ways to increase blog .

(Note: This list was originally created for IncomeDiary.com. You can read the original article by clicking here.)

1. Write Guest Posts

Probe for the opportunity, do your research on the audience, and suggest a topic as part of your request for a guest posting opportunity.

2. Create Mind-Blowing Content

Minds are not blown by reiterating the same points everyone else is.

If it’s the same thing everyone else is saying, make it your own by arguing, defending, or somehow adding to it.

3. Offer Freebies

Make sure what you’re offering is high quality, and make sure it’s something people can actually use. If it’s something with an already-established price, drop that information into the offer. If not, let them know how much it will cost, after the promotion is done. If simply coming to your site is all it takes to save them a possible $20 in the future, they’ll come just to be sure.

4. Create A Course

I’ve seen this done by dozens of different companies and it never gets old. Information is valuable. Entice readers with a series of posts, videos, or even automated emails teaching them something vital.

5. Interview Influencers In Your Field

By interviewing power players you are not only enhancing your existing audience’s experience of your site, but you’re building an important relationship with someone in your field. Not only that but a slice of their audience will come your way as well, to hear what their favorite guru shared with you.

Subscribe to inside the mind & on the first monday receive An interview with Julien Smith.

6. Tweet Often

Automated content programs are great, and have their place, but since Twitter is a social arena the best way to get retweeted is to be yourself.

Share your thoughts and allow Twitter to show a bit of who you are, and your followers will be more likely to want to read your latest post or watch your latest video, not to mention sharing it with their followers. It’s what friends do, right?

7. Don’t Neglect Your Facebook Page

Assuming you have already created a Facebook page for your business, make sure you use it. Add a “like” box to your site and encourage your fans to share with each other. And remember – Facebook isn’t anonymous. A simple, personal “thank you” to the folks who share will encourage them to share in the future.

8. Create Infographics

With sites like reddit, digg, pinterest and even 9gag.com, infographics can bring you a lot of quickly. Why? Because people like to absorb information as rapidly as possible, and if that information is detailed or extensive, it’s easier to stay focused if there is a strong visual aspect.

9. Compile A Hack List

Everyone has a handful of hacks that they use almost without realizing it. Focus on what you do differently from everyone else and make a short .pdf or e-book about it. It may be anything from organizing a home office to editing a video in less than X number of hours. Whatever it is, put it in a document and share it with people.

10. Create Helpful Tutorials

People love DIY videos, and it doesn’t matter at all what they are about, as long as you can speak knowledgeably on your chosen subject and be interesting. Chefs and crafters have been doing this for years, but why not create a five minute video showing a part of your day that is unique to your business?

11. Hold a Subscriber Contest

This can be a one-off or a regular contest for your audience that encourages them to refer you and by proxy, increase blog .
You can track links to see how many subscribers someone has referred, or you can just do it lottery style by offering a prize to a randomly-selected member once you’ve reached a certain subscriber count.

12. Use Sharing Plugins

I can’t imagine why, in 2012, people would still choose not to add social sharing buttons to their work. Maybe they just don’t like the way it looks.

Aesthetics aside, you will do more harm than good by neglecting to provide these buttons, since people hate to click away from a page. If they want to share and you don’t give them an easy way to do it, they will either simply not share your work, or they’ll click over to Facebook to post the link themselves. And once they’re on Facebook, good luck getting their attention back on yourself.

13. Connect with Your Audience Via Podcast

For awhile, it seemed like everyone forgot about podcasting. But it’s on the rise again, and with good reason. Being able to subscribe to a podcast means your audience is connecting with your voice and hearing your thoughts, which keeps your words top of mind when they are in a position to recommend you to someone else.

Derek Halpern says his podcast has helped him increase blog by 69%.

14. Simplify Starting Points

There’s nothing worse than referring a friend or coworker to a site loaded with information and having to tell them, “To start, you’ll want to search for this post titled, I think it was… I can’t remember, something like—” Create a page that will act as a starting point to give visitors a frame of reference within your site, and create a page that is about you or your brand.

15. Create Your Own 404 Error Page

While you don’t want people to end up here on purpose, you also know it will happen every now and again. Instead of losing their interest with a dead-end “oops!” page, revamp the error page to suggest other core content. The most effective 404 pages I have seen offer a link to the “start here” page, core content, and an archive search tool.

16. Make The Most Of Signatures

When you send an email, is your site linked to your signature? When you communicate via email, each email is an opportunity to draw that person to your site. Plus, if your email is forwarded along or shared with colleagues, your link will be right there for them, too.

17. Highlight Popular Posts

Make it easy for your audience to find and share the posts that made them think of you. So much new that comes from existing subscribers is because they’re’ talking about you. You have become relevant to their conversation. Don’t bring their conversation to a halt by making them dig through your site to find a link.

18. Build Backlinks

Easier said than done, this will usually require you to either a) purchase the link or b) build a relationship with the site you want the link from. A may be quicker, but B is the safest bet in terms of search rankings. Not to mention, building relationships with influential people is just as helpful to your business as a quality link is.

19.Optimize Title Tags

If you are trying to rank for certain keywords, make sure you’re using them properly for Google to notice them. Your title should be clear and concise, feature your keyword, and not be overly short or long. Try to keep it under 70 characters, maximum.

Scribe Seo is a great tool for making sure the search engines see your page the way you want it seen.

20. Optimize for Mobile

Smartphones make up approximately one quarter of all mobile usage. Common complaints smartphone users will make about a website are: clicking an external link to a site that redirects to a mobile homepage instead of the intended article, sites that do not resize or utilize scripting that is unusable on a smartphone, and sites built so poorly that even the desktop version doesn’t fit itself to a smartphone screen.

21. Create a Forum

Managing a community on your own website may be tricky, but paid dividends in keeping conversations alive at all hours of the day or night. It’s a great way to see what your audience is really like, and a fantastic source for content or inspiration.

22. Do Your Keyword Research

Google offers an easy to use keyword research tool to test competition for key terms. By researching during the content creation process you’ll be able to fill in the gaps for lesser-searched terms as well as pursue the #1 spot for more competitive words.

23. Advertise on Facebook

Facebook is expecting to reach one billion users by August. You can advertise on Facebook and reach your target market for a few dollars per month.

24. Advertise using AdWords

Google is literally almost everywhere online. Once you understand the ppc basics, you’ll be able to get in front of the exact right people.

25. Create a comprehensive list

Not only will lists get shared when they are initially posted, they will also continue to bring over time provided they do not become outdated.

26. Leave Thoughtful Comments

Spark conversation. Get people thinking. You know, that sort of thing.

27. Open The Door For Real Discussion

Most people are pretty good at providing a call to action at the end of their post or video, but it’s rare that the post actually inspires discussion. Present a divisive situation, controversial information, or a stance where opinions vary wildly and provide links to more information or opposing viewpoints. Lead the conversation to an educated place and get beyond the simple, “What do you think?”-type call to action.

28. Ask For Tips Or Advice

If there’s one thing people will share even more willingly than their opinion, it’s advice. You don’t necessarily have to need their advice to ask for it.

29. Do A Compilation of Recommended Content

Bloggers and site owners with high stats frequently provide a weekly content roundup. Check out sites like marksdailyapple.com or everywhereist.com to see examples of valuable information, briefly discussed and shared with the audience.

30. Create or Join Niche Groups

Forums, Facebook groups, off-Facebook social networks: get yourself out there, put a link to your stuff in your profile, and start meeting real people who are interested in the same things you are. If you can’t find a group, create one using Ning.com, or go local with Meetup.com

31. Comment Strategically

When you choose which websites to comment on, it’s not enough that they have a high follower count. You want to find sites that have consistently high comment counts, and only comment where you will provide value. “Great post!” is not something that inspires other commenters to click, but a thoughtfully presented piece of information definitely will pique their curiosity about who you are and what else you know.

32. Link to Others Strategically

When comes in from a new source, most people don’t mind finding a context for a return link in a future post. When you select a site to link to, choose one that is well-ked and also somehow related to the information you are providing.

33. Be Audacious

State your beliefs boldly. Trying to please everyone will turn your readers off. The ones who believe what you believe will share your work because it’s in line with their own thoughts. That’s how you find the true evangelicals among your audience.

34. Take An Alternate Position

When content goes viral, there’s always a wave of dissenters. Be at their forefront by going toe-to-toe in the same way it’s presented. Be as funny, as engaging, but most importantly: be as valuable as the original, and explain why it’s all wrong.

35. Create A Competition Between Yourself and Someone Else

It’s nice if they’re in on the gag, but they don’t have to be. Look at the Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN Twitter follower competition, or the success of Regretsy as it takes on a one-sided fight with Etsy.com.

36. Tell A Story

In the rush to be entertaining and provide value, storytelling is a lost art. That’s exactly why it’s such a valuable tool to encourage sharing of your content: stories appeal to a wider audience than your niche.

37. Tell A Story With A Cliffhanger

Series posts are fascinating. Not only will cliffhangers keep your audience engaged and talking among themselves about what happens next, you’ll get more subscribers when people are afraid of missing something.

38. Do Research and Report Your Findings

Simply put, provide indisputable information that is of interest to your market and explain why this information should matter to them.

39. Debunk A Myth

There’s a reason mythbusters is such a popular television show. The internet has been around long enough that Old Wives’ Tales are starting to take hold in the collective subconscious. Choose one, experiment with it, share it.

40. Switch Posting Style

By switching up your posting style you’re inviting from a whole new wave of people. Do you normally write? Try a video and get the YouTube audience on board. Do you normally podcast? Create an infographic and share it with image-based platforms.

41. Continue A Thought Started Elsewhere

Take a popular post from an influential figure and say, “What this posts neglects to mention is…” Talk about the effects of putting their information into practice, reveal the process that led to their conclusion, anything. Just add more.

42. Admit A Mistake

Did you design your website poorly? Run a bad ad campaign? Create a Less than perfect landing page? Give false information unknowingly? Get on the wrong side of a debate? Talk it out.

43. Summarize What You’ve Learned Upon Reaching A Milestone

Milestones can be anything from the half-birthday of your blog to the 500th post, to the 10000th subscriber. Summarize the journey that took you from point A to point B and where you hope to go next.

44. Address A common Problem In Your Niche

Rampant bad information, poor customer service, Facebook timeline: find something you can all complain about together, but don’t just end there. Present a workable solution or lead a revolution to get people really invested in sharing your post.

45. Expose Little-Known Secrets Of Your Industry

This is not so much for the insiders in your industry, who will know these things already. This is for everyone else, because gossip sells.

46. Dissect A Popularly-Held Thought Or Trope Taught By Your Industry Leader

You can disprove their teaching if you want to, or simply provide your audience with more information on it. Just because the information is already out there doesn’t meant they’ve seen it already.

47. Write A Post That Exposes The Fruitlessness Of Certain Actions

By doing this you will help people avoid wasting time, which is incredibly valuable.

48. Address FAQs

By addressing FAQs you’re skipping the background information and providing people what what most of them really want to know. The bonus here is that this can become part of your site’s core content after it’s published.

49. Elevate Something “Good” to “Great” And Defend Its Title

You’ll see this done all the time with Twitter. Take something underappreciated or mundane and tell people why it rocks, and how to make it work harder for them than they ever imagined possible.

50. Select A Blog Theme For A Set Amount Of Time

You can choose to do a 7-day spread of a month-long run on a topic. By doing so you establish yourself as an authority and create a reliable stream of during that time.

51. Host A Post “Carnival”

Get other bloggers involved in writing posts on a certain topic with round-robin links to the other posts. Typically the topic is posted a month in advance and as many bloggers as possible contribute their take on the matter. The hosting site publishes all the content (or the best of the best) and links to the authors, and the authors post their own and link to other posts on the hosting site for further reading

52. Trade Links With A Select Group

Introduce yourself and your reason for being online, and arrange a shared link-trade with other folks in your niche.

53. Sponsor Things

Sponsor a tweet-up, a free webinar, a charity event, sports team, or contest with a desirable prize.

54. Add An Unexpected Dimension To Your Site

This is a chance to have a little fun and share your creative side. Add your flickr stream, a playlist of the music you listen to while working, or a marketplace of odd items you’ve collected and are now selling.

55. Make The Value Obvious

Ever seen a headline and shared the info before you even had a chance to read it, because it was that important? Make it possible for people to do that for you by being sharp, specific, and useful.

56. Move Outside Your Circle

Once you’re established in a field it’s easy to share posts with, tweet to, and create content with the same handful of professionals. this is great at first, but stagnates quickly unless you are part of a well-known power team. if you aren’t gaining or maintaining traction, expand your circle to include new folks with new audiences.

57. Increase Visibility Rapidly

Set a goal of making a splash in a few different places within a set amount of time. Fifty guest blog posts in thirty days, a video marathon, name your own price consulting offers all work very well.

58. Reply To Everyone

Spammers aside, everyone who goes out of their way to contribute to your conversation deserves acknowledgment.

59. Cover An Event

If you can get to one of the cornerstone events that happen on a regular basis, do so and share it with your audience as it happens. make use of all the tools available, twitter, photos, video, and live-blogging to get as deep into the experience as possible.

60. Report Important News

It may seem like everyone is talking about the latest thing google did or the latest stats released by Facebook, but none of them are giving it your spin. Present the info to your audience and give a commentary on what it means for you, your audience, or the rest of the world and why exactly everyone is up in arms over it.

61. Compete With Yourself

People love to see limits pushed. Set a public goal (365 project, 1000 words per day for 30 days, a one-minute video every hour for 24 hours, etc.) and then execute.

62. Be Inspiring

Tell your audience about overcoming adversity, or the mindset necessary to do so. Encourage them to keep trying, or set up a challenge that they can use as motivation to complete something important.

63. Share The Love

Sharing the best comments you’ve received encourages more interaction as well as entertains your fanbase.

64. Share The Hate

People love a good beatdown, even better if it’s presented with a dose of good humor. It’s entertaining and gets people on your side.

65. Find Your Most Influential Sharers

Offer exclusive content or news to your most influential sharers to encourage them to be proactive on your behalf.

66. Write About Companies or People with “News” Scanners

Companies with alerts for links related to their content will frequently link back, share, and/or retweet articles where they are mentioned and linked to.

67. Take A Survey

People like giving feedback, moreso if there’s an incentive. Set up a poll or survey and ask participants to leave a comment or send a tweet with your hashtag as notification they participated. In exchange, select one at random to receive a “thank you” prize.

68. “Update” A Popular Post

The internet has ramped up the speed with which things go out of date, so update your own or someone else’s post ked post with refreshed stats, images, and research.

69. Increase Variety With Daily Posts

Assign a post style to each day of the week. You can classify posts by the kind of information you plan to provide (research, conceptual, review, news, reader-requested) or the format in which you present the information (article, video, podcast, infographic, link roundup.)

70. Post Free Reviews

Review a new tool or popular information source. Make sure your readers know it is done for their benefit, and isn’t a paid post.

71. Do a Sponsored Post

You can solicit these from companies with varying degrees of luck or have them requested of you, depending on your notoriety.

72. Use Something Beloved As A Metaphor

Was there a great toy in your childhood whose very mention makes you nostalgic? What about a television show, a fad item, or even a movie that’s popular now? Show your audience what there is to be learned from the lovable qualities of whatever you choose and gain a level of cult appeal with your post.

73. Introduce A Newcomer

Nothing moves you up the social hierarchy than being the one to introduce someone newer than yourself. Take an interest in the work of the newbies; not only can you collaborate as their career grows, but they and their fledgling network will appreciate the exposure.

74. Interview a Veteran Of Your Field

Do your research. Everyone asks how someone got their start, what they like and dislike about their job, and what they’re working on now. Read their blog, dig deep, and get information out of them that they don’t usually get a chance to share.

75. Interview Someone from “Behind the Scenes”

Your assistant has a different take on things than you do. The small business owner you buy your coffee from has learned a thing or two about marketing, longevity, customer service. Give voice to their unique perspective on your platform.

76. Be Brief

Lengthy posts (like reports, or lists) have their place, but on occasion it’s worth boiling your thoughts down to the most critical points. This is also a great way to be quoted more.

77. Start At The Begining

You may want to attract readers at or above a certain level in the field, and the best way to ensure you find them is to create them yourself. Start at the first step and invest time in teaching them along the way. Within a few months you’ll be writing at a higher level than anticipated, and the context for people to catch up will be in your archives.

78. Post On Weekdays

Web is proven to be higher during the week, take advantage of the peak posting time.

79. Post On Weekends

Since so many sites only post during the week, your content will stand out more. Don’t cheat the weekend readers with weak information, but do aim for conciseness.

80. Invent Something Unique

My new favorite obsession is ZeFrank, who is constantly offering new games, softwares, songs, and generally just engaging his audience wherever they are.

81. Make Your Work A Game

Make a theme of an ongoing game (i.e. Social Media Bingo with a “board” made of stereotypes) and do a post for each square that deserves a mark.

82. Create A Game for Your Audience

Using the Social Media Bingo example referenced above, get your audience in on the game. Send them out as scouts for articles or information that can be used in the game and have them post it on your site to participate in the game.

83. Lead Up To A Great Reveal

More involved than a story with cliffhangers, this involves setting a phenomenal endpoint that will impress, intrigue, and help your audience. Seed posts to build anticipation, throw them slightly off the scent, keep them guessing.

84. Don’t Waste Time Waiting For Epic

“Epic” content is important but if you are only willing to share earth-shattering information, your blog will be silent a lot of the time. You need between paradigm shifts, so I encourage you to pursue epic, but settle for extraordinary more often than not.

85. Use Analytics To Find Opportunities

Analytic software can tell you where your is coming from. They provide this information because you are supposed to use it. You may be popular in a totally unrelated field, and that’s ok – play to those strengths to bring people into the fold.

86. Update Less Frequently

Updating frequently is great, when you’ve got a multi-author site, but if you’re just one person, don’t try to increase blog by trying to get posts out once or twice a day. Instead, follow the 80/20 rule. 80% promotion/20% creation. That way, people will actually see your work.

87. Use Links Wisely (i.e., Sparingly)

If you make your readers slog through three blog posts on other sites just to understand the context that you’re writing in, you’ll lose them. They’ll get distracted, bored, or run out of time. Provide enough information to express your point clearly, with links added for support or further reading.

88. Have Patience

Don’t constantly nag your audience to share, and don’t expect that will spike to an all-time high overnight. If you look for results too soon, you’ll miss them as they’re happening.

89. Get On A Soapbox

Put your support behind a cause and tell people exactly why you feel the way you do. Passion is moving and engaging, whether it’s directly related to your usual content or not.

90. Show Folks A “Day In The Life”

There are a hundred ways to do this. A cartoon panel, youtube clip, time lapse video, photo album, a playlist of your typical day expressed in songs, or a sample of your schedule. Let your audience know you.

91. Explain Industry Terminology

If your niche has its own jargon, or uses common words in an atypical way, create a list of the top ten or twenty most commonly used and explain them for your audience.

92. Update Your Mission Statement

You may or may not have posted your initial mission statement on your blog or website, but don’t let that stop you. Update it with your new goals and let it open discussion with your readers.

93. Know Your Memes

Memes are an important part of internet culture, and no businessman is so serious that an internet denizen would question his participation in a popular meme. They’re entertaining and viral by nature, and seeing a normally serious person take part in some silliness is eye-catching.

94. Encourage Digging In Your Archives

Communication styles change over time. The way you blog or create videos now is different than it was a year ago. Find snippets that are funny, terrible, unexpectedly insightful, or straight up embarrassing and quote yourself.

95. Make Something “For Dummies”

Create an e-book or how-to video on how to accomplish a complicated task or how to digest and comprehend important information.

96. Install A Translator

Some browsers come with a built-in translator, but some don’t. Grab a plugin to reach an audience beyond your native tongue.

97. Answer Questions

Participate in advice forums, LinkedIn, Quora, even Yahoo Answers. Keep your answers concise so they pack a punch, and make sure your site is linked in your profile.

98. Say What Everyone Else Is Thinking

Pretty self-explanatory. People appreciate when someone else addresses the elephant in the room. Things that are glaringly obvious in their wrongness, but go uncorrected because of “etiquette” obviously need shaking up by someone daring.

99. Be Reachable

When you create an online presence you give people the impression you’re merely an email or tweet away. Do your best to actually be that available to your audience.

100. Be Ready To Capitalize On Your 15 Minutes

Have a plan for making the most of the spikes when they come. Are you going to push for sales? Subscriptions? Shares? Will you thank each individual person who RTs or comments on your work? Nail down details and now that you’ve actually increase blog , find ways to make it permanent.

101. Leverage

Traffic is not a game that just “happens.” When something good happens, like a huge guest post, or a big time interview, use that to your advantage, and reach out to other BIG names that might find value from it, and ask if you can do the same for them. Everything is a springboard for something else, so always leverage everything you can.

Phew, alright, can you think of anything else to add to the list?

Please leave your creative or interesting responses in the comments below, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus.

And if you subscribe via email so you can be the first to know when the next video comes out AND get exclusive bonus goodies!

Nothing looks worse than going to a branded Facebook page or Twitter account with high amounts of fans or followers, and seeing posts that are dull and monotonous  and two or three comments.If you’re going to spend the time to drive to your social media channels, it’s important that you engage these people. Not waste their time.

I’ve touched on it when I said brand persona was the #1 secret to brand marketing in social media.I was hinting at it when explaining the importance of being useful.

If you want to stop wasting people’s time and start getting them interested in you… keep reading…

Understanding Brand Character

In the last episode we talked about Destroying Images to make way for new media and how that’s improved sales and engagement for other businesses. Before that, we talked about Why Customer Satisfaction matters with Stephen Allen of Zappos.

Today, we’re going to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart, which is Brand Character, the core of your online presence.

Now the way most people go about starting an online business is like this…

You build a website,
Fill it with content
Jump into the social web

Then go uhhhhh….

and your customers go Uhhhh

(cut back and forth between uhhhs)

Until somebody gives up…

(whispers) it’s usually the business…

See most people are so wrapped up in just getting their online business launched that they get lost in the technical details. Technical details like creating the blog, finding a theme, writing content, creating a product, doing keyword research. BUT, The thread that ties it together, makes it cohesive and brings it home for customers tends to get lost in the mix and becomes an afterthought, at best.

And it’s not just small businesses either. Brands like cisco & cheetos have seen this happen before too… more on that in a second.

It’s time to bring Brand Character to the forefront. Brand Character stems from understanding your market so well that your brand starts to actually embody the traits that your customers hope to see in you.

Brand character is an evolution of brand identity. It is more than your logo, typeface, and tagline. It’s what turns a brand into a living, breathing, entity that is allowed to co-exist and interact with real people in a social setting. It is what makes your company “likeable.”

It’s about playing to a particular emotion in your customer and being able to invoke that whenever they see you.

To really assess your own brand character, look at your ideal customers & start asking questions like:

• How old are they mentally? How do they view themselves?
• How do they dress?
• What kind of music do they listen to? Who do they read? Do they read books, magazines or nothing at all?
• Where do they work? Where do they go to unwind?
• When do they go online? How often? What websites, other than Facebook, do they visit.
• How educated are they? What is their highest level of schooling?
• Are they free-spirited? Do they need to be comforted?
• What life stage are they in?

The goal of asking and answering questions like these is to create a fleshed out archetype of you’re talking to. In the beginning, It might even be worth clipping magazines to give yourself an actual visual.

If your existing brand character is weak or appealing to the wrong crowd, you can -and must- change it to be relevant again.

Olson Zaltman and Associates had a similar problem when Cheetos needed help redeveloping their Brand Character.

Throughout its 60 year history, Cheetos had advertised to kids and families. Chester Cheetah introduced in 1986, was a real cool cat as long as he had his Cheetos, otherwise he became depraved and a little crazy, and would go to enormous lengths to get his cheetos snacks.

Everything was great until 2007 when other cheese snack competitors started spending more on their ads and the company lost 2% in their household penetration. Their parent company Pepsico signed an agreement that said they would no longer advertise “unhealthy” products to children under 12.

This forced the company  to re-evaluate its 60 year growth strategy and appeal to a new demographic if they wanted to stay relevant.

To say that the risks were enormous would be an understatement.

To up the ante just a little more, the company also had to increase their sales by 6.4%, to make up for lost time.

Olson Zaltman, the firm in charge of re-defining Cheetos brand character, set out on this risky quest by doing something novel: they started talking to the customers.

They interviewed parents, adult non parents, and children aged 10-13  who all ate cheetos at least once a week, to discover what exactly the “Cheetos Experience” was all about.

What they discovered was that both groups felt relatively stressed and anxious in the face of life’s demands but “Consuming Cheetos snacks gives them moments of escape and refuge by inspiring playfulness and mischief.”

Ask yourself questions about your brand like:

• If my brand were a celebrity, who would they be most like?
• How would my brand dress?
• If my brand were a rockstar, what genre of music would they play?
• How old is my brand mentally?
• What is my brand’s sense of humor? What comedian would my brand most resemble?

Do these questions seem familiar?

Developing this character gives fans an idea of what to expect and how to behave, not only when interacting with you but with other members of the community. Having a distinct voice sets the tone.

In the case of Cheetos, Olson Zaltman & Associates found that “adults were looking for permission to not act their age and not conform to the expectations of adult behavior.”

That smiles and orange fingers were brandished proudly, like a badge of honor.

The result? :

According to IRI, Cheetos’ sales increased by 11.3%, almost double the target rate of 6.4%

And… their core product, The cheetos you see in the commercial had an increase in sales by 14.4% !

The reason I share this with you is in world where there are 60 hours of youtube video uploaded every minute, 290 million tweets per month, and 4 billion items shared on Facebook every day, your ability to connect with people on a one to one level is the most powerful outlet that you can use to connect with your market and really stand out to them.

Your brand character will influence every aspect of your online marketing strategy, from blog topic ideas to  landing page copy and landing page design.

So tell me, what would an embodiment of your brand look like?

Will you fall into the ranks of the status quo, or are you an innovative alternative?

Please leave your creative or interesting responses in the comments below, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus.

And if you subscribe to “Inside The Mind” via email by going to this link right here, you can be the first to know when the next video comes out AND get exclusive bonus goodies!

In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re going to DESTROY IMAGES- BWAHAHAHAHA!

If you like these videos consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see covered in future episodes!

Hey What’s Up Guys, Welcome to Inside The Mind Where We Talk About Online Marketing Strategy, What It is, Why It’s important And Why You Should Care.

First up, a quick announcement! If you want to get all of the episodes of Inside The Mind delivered to your email, I’ve just created a new mailing list that will send you all of the “reruns” and you’ll  some exclusive goodies like this interview with Julien Smith. (sound clip)

If sign up, Go here

This week we’re going to talk about standing out using new media formats which means we’re going to destroy all images.

In order to delve deeper into my own mind and really get this information laid out for you, I’m going to take you to meet someone, kind of special to me.

As much as I am the creative side, he is data-oriented. As casually as I try to handle my business, he’s all about order and, well – he’s agreed to talk to us, so let’s go meet him.

(cut to You walking in to greet Thomas Walker.)

Welcome to the inner sanctum. This is where the “magic” (finger quotes/wry dork-smile) happens. Learning. Mind expansion. (touches fingertips together and bows slightly) Namaste.

(Tommy) Now you have some interesting theories on how the internet works, before we get into moving beyond text and images, share with us your thoughts on that.

(Thomas) Man could not fathom the vastness of the universe, so he created his own. The internetiverse is really just a representation of the human subconscious. And we have only just begun to scratch the surface on how we can tap into it.

Just like the internet disrupted traditional media, the internet has started to disrupt itself.

It is no longer sufficient to just have words on pre-made themes.

Fonts. Images. Quality. All of these things matter. But, it’s only the beginning.

Let me say two words to you: Youtube. Pinterest. 60 hours of video per day, plus 4 billion page views, all to the credit of YouTube.

Meanwhile, Pinterest, is a virtual collection of all the weird things that each of its users likes. You may be shocked to realize that since it’s inception in 2010, Pinterest has already become the third largest social network in existence. It is also invite only.

(Close up shot, straight on)

Clearly, you are all enjoying the visual stimulation.

It is time to seek however, beyond the obvious, beyond the popular. To gain soshequity, you must be keenly aware of your surroundings like a digital ninja.

Cue: slideshows. Mashable. com uses slide shows on a regular basis. Weeks worth of imagery can now be viewed in seconds. Faster, even, for those who can click rhythmically (mimics rapidly clicking a mouse.)

Or, consider Gifs. A long-abused and discarded digital art form, now enjoying a Phoenix-like rebirth in the form of *cinemagraphs* .

These beautiful images are more than a photo, yet not quite a movie.

Ms. Jamie Beck and Mr. Kevin Burg are the mad geniuses who introduced these cinemagraphs in 2009, and I believe they are sorely underutilized by the citizens of the internet.

Moving. Pictures. Imagine it. Use it. Make. It. Happen.

Another way gifs being used are in subtle animated calls to actions. Buy Now, Follow Me… these terms were once like stickers on a flat wall, unmoving and cold, but now… with just the slightest glint, these calls to action are no longer dependent solely on location and color.

I suppose you need motivation? Well.

Marketing Sherpa shared a case study in which Lake Champlain Chocolates Christmas Campaign experienced a sales increase of 49% over the previous year. The only major change? They used animated gifs in the emails.

I realize you may be intimidated. A new form of digital wizardry. However, instead of constantly fighting for your market’s attention, why not add something they likely haven’t seen yet?

Try this for yourself. Be bold. Be daring.  See what happens. Perhaps an animated call to action or a slideshow. Maybe gifified social sharing icons or cinemagraphs. Make it your own, just be sure to remain subtle.

There are resources for all of these in the description.

(Tommy) Wow man, it seems like there’s a lot of stuff going on out there that people aren’t taking advantage of.

TW
Merely the tip of the iceberg. They say old fashions always come back around? Well. Podcasting is making a comeback.

Yes, like my favorite green pants and (touches chin) personal facial hair stylings, their true value is being uncovered once again.

It’s amazing to me how often I hear people say, I want to do the online thing, but am a terrible writer.

Podcasting, in my opinion, is a viable alternative and has a lot more freedom, and you can connect on so many more levels. The truth of the matter is, audio is a lot more portable than text, and talking to people when it’s convenient for them never really goes out of style.

(Tommy) Isn’t podcasting kind of expensive?

TW Is $25 – 50 expensive?

Of course, if you’re going top of the line you will pay more. But in the beginning you can make it work for far less than you may anticipate.

I would even consider broadcasting live. Clearly that won’t work for some, but it’s as simple as setting up a webcam and signing up for a a stickam or a livestream account.

Once I saw an independent artist do a live stream of a piece he was working on. I was even more surprised that I was one of 300 other people in the room.

Bands have gone so far to live stream their practices, and many businesses are now holding Live Q&A events.

People have a real need to be connected to each other, and it’s increasingly more difficult to keep people captivated by flat text and static images.

Technology and broadband saturation has made it possible to go beyond the superficial level. It sounds simple, but most people are still only using text and image and formats on the web.

When you break free of the expectations of the typical website, how much more likely are you to become a part of peoples twitonomy?

Now, if you will excuse me. I have a cosplay event coming up and have to sew some feathers into my headpiece.

(cut back to Tommy in studio)

Well there you have it, new media formats is really where it’s at if you’re looking to really connect with people. And I’m curious, have you tried any of the stuff we talked about here? If so what were your results?

(Tommy) Please be sure to leave your responses in the comments below, or on Facebook Twitter or Google Plus!

oh yeah, and if you want to be notified when new episodes go live click right here (subscribe link) or to get them by email and the occasional bonus goodie, follow the link in the description to get signed up there.

In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re going to talk about why satisfaction matters.

If you like these videos consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see covered in future episodes!

Now you’re probably thinking, what’s going on with the mouth shoes… two reasons… one, the show’s called inside the mind, which means from time to time you’re subject to see the weird ways I visualize things…

and second… I just had an awesome experience with Zappos.com which made me think “You know, we should dedicate an episode to them.”

Just over a year ago I bought a pair of sneakers from zappos and was very excited to get them in the mail.

However, after about a month and a half they fell apart.

After wearing other inferior footwear, I settled upon wearing my indestructible work boots for the rest of the year, and while they did make me a little taller, they weren’t terribly comfortable and started to cause me pain.

And just when I thought I had enough,I got an email from Zappos that essentially said

“Hi Tommy, you bought these shoes a year ago and we wanted to say thanks, and remind you that we have more of the same. If there’s anything we can do to improve our service, please don’t hesitate to let us know!”

To which I responded

Hey there, thanks for reminding me

Though I have to admit, these shoes only lasted me a month and a half.
I’m not overly hard on my shoes but for some reason, these just fell apart.

Within hours, their satisfaction team notified me that my account had been upgraded, and my credit card had been refunded…

(cut back to shoe mouths) Which is why we’re here now

And which is why today’s episode is all about “why experience matters”

See a lot of us are so worried about “getting more sales” that we forget about developing an end to end satisfaction plan.

But before I go on about satisfaction, Let’s talk to Stephen Allen, the man in charge of speaking for Tony (shay) Hsish, the Ceo of Zappos

1. What would say is the short term and long term value of a satisfied ?

The short term value of a satisfied is that they leave happy and want to talk about what a great experience they had with a company, and the long term value is it creates brand loyalty.

2. Let’s say a business has few or no s, at what point should they start thinking about their satisfaction policies?

Honestly, I would say from day one. Any business to company is only going to exist with the s purchasing, and even business to business companies have their own “s” so I would say they should think of it from the start.

3. What would you say the foundational elements of any good satisfaction plan?

I would say helping the needs and then going above and beyond and helping their implied needs creates great satisfaction.

4. What role has satisfaction played into the success of zappos?

Without satisfaction, there is no Zappos. It’s the foundation of everything we do here.

5. Is it more important to focus on creating satisfied s or acquiring new s.

Both are pretty important, but if I had to pick one, I would say satisfied s since new s aren’t s for long if they aren’t satisfied.

6. Could you give us some tips on how to create a bullet proof satisfaction plan?

There’s no such thing as a bullet proof plan because there are always extreme scenarios, but helping with a positive attitude, understanding the ‘s needs and going above and beyond is as close as you can get.

So to recap, create your satisfaction plan from Day 1, go above and beyond expectations, and always have a positive attitude.

Seems pretty straightforward right?

Well maybe, but so many of us only think about service when something goes wrong…  So… what does a satisfaction plan from Day 1 look like?

Pop Quiz!

Raise your hand if you’ve bought something from a website that made you feel a little… icky.

Well, so have your s, and in many online business models, the website is the only way for the to fill their needs.

Sooo if we’re thinking about satisfaction from Day 1…  a well designed, easy to navigate, gives all of the relevant information website not only fills s needs… it helps them feel like they’re coming by the sale honestly..

It also gives you room for the “Go above and beyond” part of a Stellar satisfaction plan that earns you repeat business and that coveted word of mouth advertising.

Ha!

Now this is just my opinion, but I think a lot of businesses fall short on the “go above and beyond expectations” part.

With Zappos, they followed up and gave me a full refund, even though it was a full year after the original purchase.

And the guy who speaks for their CEO was nice enough to answer some questions for you.

All of that went way beyond my expectations, and these are all simple things your business can do.

Another thing you can do is throw in additional bonuses.

Something as simple as a thank you note with a discount has proven to be an effective surprise.

You could also try branded tee-shirts, free lessons, of if you wanted to get a little crazy, a gift card to an online store.

My friend Derek Halpern shared a study from the Journal of Applied Social Psychology in which Waiters received a 23% increase in tips when they brought a second mint to the table after they had already given the check.

http://socialtriggers.com/increase–satisfaction/

IF you can’t do it for everyone, pick a percentage of s where you make a point to exceed their expectations, because people want to tell their friends when they have an awesome experience.

And if they’re not fully satisfied, Be ready to give it all back if it means keeping them happy.

I don’t mean automatically send a refund or replacement, but they’re unhappy, don’t make them jump through hoops to get the level of service you’d want yourself.

Now I’m going to turn it over to you, can you think of a time when you had an awesome experience with a company?

Please share your experience in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus!

In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re going to talk about how to “Be Engaging” while avoiding all the cliches. If you like these videos consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see covered in future episodes! Hey what’s up guys, welcome to Inside the Mind where we talk about Online Marketing Strategy, what it is, why it’s important, and why you should care.

In the last episode we talked about how to provide value and in this week’s episode, we’re wrapping up our two part series on creating awesome content with how to be engaging.

Now Like I said in the last episode, “Being Engaging” is really just code for being a good storyteller.

At the core of every person, we crave a good story. It’s why we buy books, watch movies, or even a web series about online marketing.

Stories take us away from what we’re doing, and bring us somewhere else. Stories are humanities currency.

The better the stories you tell, the more interesting you become.

So is it really any surprise that the businesses who tell the best stories also have the competitive advantage?

Brands like Coca Cola and Starbucks are tell compelling stories about their “ideal” s in everything they do, from television campaigns, to their Facebook Pages and Twitter accounts.

Watching the story unfold gives you a very strong impression of what life is like when you’re a part of their brand.

The massive disruption of the Internet is that it really leveled the playing field and big brands were no longer the only people who could have air time.

Mommybloggers like Dooce and self published authors like E.L James have been able to make pretty decent livings primarily on their ability to tell a compelling story.

The problem is, not everyone who creates content is a good story teller. And because of that, they miss out on readership, social sharing, sales and all the other benefits from successful online marketing strategy

Now there are a number of places you could start to learn about being a better story teller, but I would recommend you start with Robert Mckee’s “Story” which focuses on how Hollywood movies are created and refined.

Granted, you’re probably not off to write the next summer blockbuster, but because everything online is text and image based, the lessons in this book are more relevant than you could imagine.

And while there are way more qualified people than me to go into detail on story telling, here’s a basic structure that works perfectly for telling almost any story.

1. Exposition: scene and setting

2. Conflict: The problem on which the story is based

3. Rising Action: The journey from conflict to resolution

4. Resolution: The solution to the problem (not always something everyone will be happy about)

5. Denouement: What happens after the resolution

But If you really want to be a good story teller, the best thing I can tell you is to practice. Read “Story” for sure, but also look into reading stories from other renown storytellers. A few of my favorites are Stephen King, David Sedaris, and Augustin Burroughs.

If movies and videos more your thing, any of the movies on the Writer’s Guild’s 101 best list are all extraordinary films to watch for storytelling, and I would recommend that you get your hands on the screen play and read along as you watch to see how the words on the page are brought to life.

And finally, try writing your own little mini saga which is a story in exactly 50 words.

Alright, that’s All I’ve got for this episode of Inside The Mind, thanks so much for watching.

And tell me, who’s your favorite story teller?

You can leave your creative or interesting responses by clicking on my face or in the comments section below or on  Facebook Twitter or Google Plus.

In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re going to talk about how to Provide Value while avoiding all the cliches.

If you like these videos consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see covered in future episodes!

Hey What’s up guys welcome to inside the mind where we talk about online marketing strategy, what it is, why it’s important and why you should care.

In last week’s episode we talked about Misunderstanding your Market, and selling your services at a higher price, and in this week’s episode we’re going to start part 1 of a 2 part series on  creating high quality content.

Now let’s just get this out of the way, I’m not going to give you cliched advice like “Provide Value” or “Be Engaging” because every time I say something like that, a T-Rex bites my head off.
(nom nom nom)

Value, and Engagement are all relative.

At the end of the day, your ability to create valuable and engaging content are defined by two things.

Your ability to do research (Value)
and Your skill as a Story Teller (Engagement)

Today, we’ll focus on Providing Value, because it’s one of those big ambiguous cliche’s that are usually explained away with…other cliche’s.

Online, there’s a TON of content based solely on ideas, opinions or personal bias. And while that has it’s place, the content that most people define as “valuable” just happens to be the stuff weaves opinion in with research and is highly actionable.

But Why?

Philosopher David Hume (1711–1776) argued that people best like to make claims about what ought to be on the basis of statements about what is.

In other words, people prefer forming their opinions based on facts.

Think about this for a second, if your work is all opinion, there really is no room for argument, nor is there anything to prove you right or wrong, making it near impossible for someone to have a productive conversation with you.

But  when research and facts are weaved into your work, it provides an authoritative and authentic foundation for your opinions. Which gives your audience freedom to form their own perspective, given the data you’ve provided.

And in case you’re the kind of person who’s not any good with research, here’s a few tips to get you started.

1. Have a research question in mind.
2. Look For Case Studies, Industry Reports, Surveys, and News articles.
3. Don’t be afraid to use the library.
4. Have a system for taking notes (I personally use a notebook)
5.  Write a strong thesis. Your thesis is your statement of intent: what do you intend to demonstrate or prove. The stronger your thesis, the more focused your research will be.
6. Find an unlikely connection. Look for surprising new ways to illustrate a concept.
7. Consult with the experts. Use Social Media Sites and/or email to reach out to experts and ask for their opinion on your topic.

But let’s be honest, even the most valuable content feels like it’ll melt your face off if it’s not engaging….What? No effect?…. hmm

Which is why in the next episode, we’re going to talk about the different ways that you can become better story teller.

(Face melt)

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for this episode of “Inside The Mind” Thanks so much for watching.

I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.
Please be sure to like this video and favorite it for easy viewing.

If you have a question, please be sure to leave a video response by clicking on my face or asking in the comments below.

And subscribe if you want to be the first to know when the next video comes out.

In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re going to talk about how to raise prices and stop misunderstanding your market.

If you like these videos consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see covered in future episodes!

Hey What’s up guys, welcome to Inside The Mind where we talk about online marketing strategy, what it is, why it’s important, and why you should care.

In last week’s episode we talked about the importance of keeping up with your competitors and in this weeks episode (drumroll) We’re answering another subscriber question!

Darlene of Do Bats Eat Cats @Etsy says:

My main challenge is getting more sales. I feel like the demographic who really likes my work and gives me great feedback on it is not also the demographic with the means to pay for my work. I make goth chainmaille jewelry. People who like goth jewelry tend to be starving creatives and are perpetually broke.

She then goes on to talk about how she started making more mainstream jewelery, which did bring in more sales, but also ate into her profit margin, and stripped away what made her unique.

Then says, “ I worry that I’ve spent a lot of time niching my products down to appeal to an audience that, it turns out, can’t afford my work”

Well Darlene, don’t worry, you are not alone.

One of the common things many solo and small business owners do is try to appeal to the largest segment of their market,

(Poof NEGA TOMMY) which sadly also means they’re going after the people who AIN’T GOT NO MONEY!.

Really though, there are two types of s, people who’ve got money, and people who don’t.

(show two different types of goths http://cdn.images.2.ranker.com/user_node_img/6402/1000196282/full/fat-guys-photo-u13.jpg and http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/028/b/7/catfingers_by_pushba_sex-d3897s5.jpg)

Most businesses cater to those who don’t have money, because they’re seemingly the easiest to reach.

(Nega Tommy) But when your s are broke, you’ve got to cut your prices, and good luck raising em after that, because if I can get it for less, I’m gonna.

Based on your designs, my guess is you’d like your target market to the one that has money. .

My suggestion, get friendly with local bands, tattoo artists, and live action role players, because these are all potential s you know are willing to spend good money on their outward appearance.

Getting your work in front of these people who could more easily afford it will not only give you a better chance of improving your sales, but also give you the ability to sell at the price you deserve.

Try to find a local band that you could create an exclusive line for, then take orders at their merch table.

Next time one of your friends gets a tattoo, have them wear one of your pieces in the shot that will be on display in the artists portfolio, then network with the artist and see if they’d be willing to sell your stuff at their shop.

You can take a similar approach by networking with photographers who specialize in “Goth” photography. Sell them a few pieces at cost to let their models “try on” while they shoot, then give them a boat load of business cards, post cards, stickers or other goodies to hand out to their models if they express an interest in your jewelery.

Also, be sure to ask for a credit link if they publish a photograph with one of your pieces in it. Similar to what they do in fashion magazines
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/216138_10150151848511219_6101441218_6624101_494828_n.jpg

Of course, you want to make it worth their while, and give them a commission for doing the selling for you.

Which means when you increase your rates, you start with the base cost of your raw materials, add on what you’d like to make to make the labor worth your time, then add on their commission.

The more people you network with in this way, the less work you’re going to have to do “selling” and the bigger your product’s reach will be.

And if you’re thinking, “What about when I have too many people selling my stuff? How will I track it all? Simple.

Start managing all of your sales through an affiliate program like E-junkie or Shareasale.com

Doing this will allows you to track your top sellers, and communicate with your online buyers all of from one location.

With your buyers, be sure to always throw in something a little extra too, like a percentage off their next order, or a mixed cd of the local bands in your network. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, just something to give them the warm fuzzies when they order from you. Because now that they’ve already bought from you, it’ll be much easier to get them to buy from you again and again.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for this week’s episode of Inside The Mind, thanks so much for watching.

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In this week’s episode of “Inside the Mind“, we’re doing something a little different, and doing a competitive website review for our friends and subscribers over at RazorCoast.com.

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In last week’s episode we talked about Overcoming Resistance and in this week’s episode we’re going to do something a little different and do a competitive website review for our friends and subscribers over at RazorCoast.com

Ian over at RazorCoast says:

We have changed direction a couple of times so it was hard to get our message right.  We’re now in the middle of changing our website.  We mainly contract out trainers to run digital marketing/social media courses and as a side business of that build some facebook apps.  We’ll end up building technology (our background) but the training pays the bills.   We don’t have an effective strategy as we tried many things before working out that managing all the training worked for us.  Now we need to figure out the best content for this!

The first thing I want to recommend Ian is that you should really shift your focus back to tech development.

For two reasons really, first, tech development generally yields higher price points per sale, giving you maximum profitability. And second, contracting outside trainers means they’re operating under your name, and if anything goes wrong between client and trainer it’s your name that’s on the line.

I know the training is what pays the bills right now, but tech development is something that people really need as well. Through good use of paid media, and some of the lead generation techniques we talked about in episode 10, you can get the right people into your funnel and start offering the training as add on to your tech company, not the other way around.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the other websites in the tech dev industry and see what we can learn from what they’re doing.

First up is Buddy Media. The first thing you notice is that they have a slider of their most recent work front and center. This gives us the viewers a very clear idea of the action they’d like us to take.

I want to also note that the site itself uses a lot of white space, and only adds color to where they want their calls to action to be.

Using color sparingly does two things. First it draws the user’s eye exactly to the places that require the most attention, making their click path all but pre-determined. Second, it gives a subconscious impression that the software they build is also “clean” and “easy to use” because the design is free of clutter.

Next up we have GraphEffect.com. This is a single focus site, so their call to action is pretty clear. Take a tour, or get started.

Underneath, you’ll notice an impressive clientel which gives the proof that if some of the biggest names in the market are using this software, than it should work for you too. Subconsciously it’s also price anchoring, which can repel businesses who might be looking for a cheap software solution.

If you scroll down the page, you’ll see only a handful of calls to action, each one giving you more information about the product, easing you into becoming more comfortable signing up for a demo. Also note the use of white space and how they make their calls to action incredibly clear through vibrant colors.

Finally, we have optim.al which again uses lots of whitespace to give “breathing room” for their two main calls to action which are a product tour and the Get Started button. They’ve also got this neat little scrolling ticker of their clients which makes the page more dynamic, but in an unobtrusive way.

I’m also a fan of optim.al’s blog, which showcases interesting uses of their technology like predicting oscar winners, the top 25 interests of Facebook’s employees, and industry news that’s relevant to only their business.

Something I noticed on your blog is that you talk about other tools and tech, and while it is relevant to the community, it isn’t helping your business.  Without going into too much more detail for time’s sake, I want you to take a look at optim.al ‘s blog as well as the other blog’s I’ve linked in the description.

And this isn’t just for RazorCoast, you should be checking in on your competitors on a regular basis, at a minimum every 3 months.

You want to adopt the techniques that you see working for them, and improve on the areas you see their weak. Doing this exposes what Scott Stratten calls “The Experience Gap” in his book UnMarketing, and allows you to become a better business for your s.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for this weeks episode of Inside The Mind, thanks so much for watching.

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