Promotion or Elevation?

Do you use Twitter to promote yourself or to elevate your likeability?

Be quiet and listen for a change

No, I’m not talking about monitoring for complaints or accolades. I’m talking about listening from a place of caring.

What do people complain about? What’s important to them? What brings them pleasure?

Position yourself as someone who cares

Instead of using Twitter to pump out self-serving messages, try using it to understand what people want. Ask yourself questions like:

• How can I make this person smile?
• How can I be of service?
• How can I make this person’s day?
• Do I know someone who can help this person?
• Can I offer a useful tip?

Remember: people buy from people they know, trust and like.

Position yourself as the expert

Another approach is to listen for opportunities to offer your expertise. Ask yourself these questions:

• Can I offer information that might give this person direction?
• Do I know a website, a book, some facts that might answer this person’s question?
• Can I offer a solution?

The right information positions you as an expert in your field. Help out one person and just think of the volume of listeners who will see your reply.

Listening and offering kindness or support may not bring you a sale today. But it won’t likely be forgotten. Furthermore, people are more likely to tell others about your generosity than about your promotion.

Think about it. What would you respond most positively to?

When was the last time you laughed uncontrollably?

As ambitious entrepreneurs, we can get so caught up in our quest for more, we forget about the importance of stepping off the racetrack once in a while.

In this photo, I’m away at a friend’s cabin which floats on the water, in what feels like the middle of nowhere. I’m showing my friends a favourite yoga pose.

They were all hysterical trying to accomplish balancing their tail bones on the weather beaten deck, and we all forgot about life at home for a while.

This kind of childlike behaviour is so good for the soul. I came back invigorated and ready to take on the world.

We often make the mistake of thinking we can’t afford to take time away, when the truth is we can’t afford not to.

I know nothing about web design – help!

Finding the right web designer is a bit of a crap shoot, isn’t it? There are so many variables to what you get for your money, and an incredible range in price. One client told me she got two separate quotes of $500 and $5000 for the very same project. How do you know who to trust?

Many people don’t know what to ask for, or what’s involved. They often find out months after their website is completed and have to work backwards, wasting both time and money.

Let’s break down the components:

1. Domain name registration
2. Hosting
3. Visual design
4. Functionality of website
5. SEO (search engine optimization)
6. Written content
7. Branding (visual and written communication)
8. Marketing strategy
9. Social Media
10. Ongoing maintenance / updates to website

Does this list make you twitch?

If most of the above is unfamiliar to you, you will either need to do some research, or depend on others for guidance. Numbers 1 – 5 are usually part of a website package, but be sure to confirm this. Numbers 6 – 9 are usually left up to you. Number 10 varies from one designer to the next, but most will take care of your updates for a fee, if that’s your preference.

If you intend on doing your own updates, be sure content management is included in the offering. Ask what level of expertise is needed to use it. This can vary from a system as easy as using a Word document, to one that requires some experience with content management software.

The Skinny Answer

If you want a quick and simple answer to ‘how to find the right web designer’, start by finding someone who’s already happy with their web designer. Then ask for a preliminary meeting to get a feel for his or her approach.

Does he / she seem to care about your individual requirements? Does she / he ask about your business, your goals, your vision? Address all the items in the list above. Who is expected to provide each component?

The Keg-size answer – let’s explore options

Domain name registration options:

1. Register it yourself. I like Fat Cow, but a lot of people use GoDaddy. Advantage: you will own the name.
2. Have your web designer register it. Advantage: no stress, your web designer knows what to do.
3. Have your web designer register it in your name, using your credit card number. Advantage: no stress, and you own it.

Hosting options:

1. Arrange your own hosting (see Fat Cow). Advantage: Sometimes new users get specials deals.
2. Most web designers will host your website for you. Ask if there is a fee. Advantage: no stress, sometimes it’s free.

Visual Design Options:

1. Trust your web design to accurately reflect your brand in the design. Advantage: less work.
2. Provide your own images and sketches or examples of your vision. Advantage: more control.

Functionality options:

1. Do you need any interactive elements, such as a shopping cart, user feedback forms, a blog, etc?
2. Make sure you explain thoroughly what you want your website to DO and what you want a user (your potential client) to DO with your website: view images, read information, buy something, contact you, become informed, educated, excited, motivated…

SEO (search engine optimization) options:

1. Ask your web designer which SEO features will be provided with your website. At a minimum, you should expect SEO friendly coding and structure. Optional features might include: incorporating key words into the title tags, meta description tags, and the body of the written page content.
2. You can also hire an SEO expert to work with your web designer. Advantage: potentially better results. (When hiring: do your due diligence and if possible, get a referral from a happy customer.)

Written content options:

1. Write your own content (this is normally expected). Advantage: You know your business best.
2. Ask your web designer to interview you and have your content written for you (will usually incur extras fees). Advantage: SEO can be incorporated, content may be more effective at selling your offer.

I remember this little game we used to play in the early 90′s. Someone asked me what my three favourite animals were and why. I said something like:

1) Dog: cute, friendly and loyal
2) Cat: graceful and mysterious
3) Zebra: wild and exotic

This apparently revealed 1) who I think I am, 2) how others see me, and 3) who I really am! I thought this was great fun and went around asking everyone who would answer me.

You can guess where I’m going with this… Who we present, what others see, and our true nature might just be three different personas.

Who are you really?

Here are some questions that should help you define your personal brand:

1) What would you be like if you were entirely free to be who you want to be?

2) If your life ended right now, what would you regret not having done?

3) Imagine you are at your own funeral listening to everyone talking about you. What do you think they would be saying / how would they describe you?

4) Choose a few people you feel comfortable with. Ask them to describe you, openly and honestly, in as much detail as possible.

5) Then compare all the answers. Are there any contradictions? Any insights?

If you’d like to learn more about yourself, the Spark program has helped change lives. Read testimonials…

You are god’s gift to the world!

First and foremost, always be true to yourself. The best gift you can give others is to be who you were truly born to be. Why try to be a second rate version of someone else when you can be a fabulously unique you?

You are a brand. It’s that simple. In business, if Who You Really Are is harmonious with what you’re offering, it can catapult you to success.

If your true nature clashes with the essence of your business, how can you be passionate about what you’re doing? How can you expect to be genuine?

Violette Clark, an artist and friend of mine is wonderful example of living your true self. She paints any surface she feels inspired by, rides a vintage bicycle, and follows her heart. I just love this illustration she created.

Illustration by Violette Clark

Do you know who you really are?

This is tough for a lot of people. We’ve been trained to follow the leader, to copy successful people. (If it was that easy, everyone would be successful, wouldn’t they?)

Try stripping away everything you’ve learned, what you’ve been told is right and wrong. Allow yourself to focus on the things you’re naturally drawn to, forgotten dreams, what your dream life would be like if you had no one to impress but yourself.

Ready to give it a try?

Try this – it’s an insightful peek inside your true self…

More to come…

No two people will give me the same answer to this question. Why? I think it’s because branding has evolved. We don’t push our message anymore – we pull people in. More on new marketing vs. old marketing here…

Branding is what people see, think and feel about you

Your brand extends far beyond your logo, to what people say to their friends about you, and to what connects them emotionally to you.

What people see

Let’s start with your visual identity. This involves how you package your business: your logo, your website design, product packaging, brochures, business cards, store exterior and interior, professional image, and so on. Your aim here is visual recognition.

Connecting with us visually (view full size)…

What people think

If your slogan is “With us, everyone is a VIP”, and your customers tell all their friends that you make them feel like the most important person in the room, you have succeeded in communicating your brand. Your aim here is creating an accurate public perception of your brand.

Starbucks’ brand is about human connection and community. Take a look at how all their communication with the public supports this promise or ‘core message’:

Connecting with our thoughts (view full size)…

What people feel (the magic ingredient)

If someone thinks you do a great job, they won’t necessarily tell all their friends. However, if you make them FEEL something (important, excited, motivated, beautiful), they want to tell everyone about you. If you connect with them on something that matters to them, they become your advocate. We call it the tribe mentality.

People like to belong. When they feel like they’re part of something that matters, they want their friends to join in. When they care about something, they want their friends to care too.

This is marketing magic. It’s free, it’s genuine, and it grows.

Connecting with us emotionally

If your brand makes people feel something positive, and consistently lives up to its promise, you’ve found your magic.

It’s easy to understand how contagious feelings can be. How often have you heard someone talking vehemently about how a service provider made them feel angry or like they were treated unfairly? Imagine if you could apply this powerful force to a positive feeling!

Are you ready to harness the power of emotions?

Contact me and let’s chat!

Do you feel like you just don’t get it?

I felt that way, not long ago. But once I wrapped my head around the concept behind social media, I began to understand how to act, and what to say.

New marketing vs. traditional marketing

In the past, the average person didn’t have a voice in the media. Merchants did. So they told us what to buy and where to buy it. That dynamic has completely changed. Everyone has a voice and it can travel at lightning speed.

So the best form of advertising – word of mouth – is no longer limited to real world conversation. It’s magnitude is unlimited and very powerful. Don’t you tend to buy what your friends recommend over something you saw a splashy advertisement for?

Pull, don’t push

Traditional marketing was about pushing your message onto your audience. Social media marketing is about pulling people in with your message (or your magnetic charm). Avoid using social media to blatantly sell yourself. Use it to earn trust and interest. How?

Tempt, don’t tell

Abandon the idea that you’re going to tell people to buy from you, or tell people how fabulous your shiny new toy or life-changing service is.

ENGAGE. Act like you would at a social gathering. Show interest in others. Listen. Show that you care. Earn their trust.

Aren’t you more likely to buy from someone you trust and who genuinely cares about you, than someone who’s just trying to make a buck?

Seduce, don’t sell

When you’re listening, you’ll find people who can benefit from what you do, or what you sell. Don’t jump in right away with a sales pitch. Be seductive!

Simply offer value: a tip, a resource, a helpful suggestion. In other words, give something away. People are drawn to someone who gives without expecting anything back. (And you really shouldn’t expect anything back. Your kindness might not lead to a sale, but could lead to a referral.)

Be patient

It’s important to understand that social media is about building rapport and cultivating relationships. In most cases, it takes weeks and even months to reap the rewards. But if you follow these tips, and you’re consistent, it will pay off.

What if it’s still not working?

There may be a problem with your brand. How do you differentiate yourself from the competition? Why should people buy from you? If you’d like to investigate this further, you can request a free consultation.

Any questions? Feel free too ask…

I used to be a Skinny Bitch. As in one of those people everyone secretly hated because I was 105 pounds and could eat massive amounts of ice-cream and chocolate and cheese and pasta without gaining an ounce.

Retribution

Somewhere in my late 30’s, I fell into a state of stagnant contentment and entertained myself most nights with a half litre of Haagen Dazs. I lost my Skinny Bitch self and got fat. Well, maybe not exactly fat, but my late friend Greg affectionately later referred to it as the time I “blimped out”.

Then I moved to Ireland and put on another five pounds of whiskey. (Drinking in rural Ireland is kind of a prerequisite if you want a social life.)

Reality Check

When I eventually copped on and realized it was actually me and not my clothes that were all wrong, I got my act together and lost the weight. That’s not to say it was easy. I quickly gained empathy for the people who used to hate me.

At 115 pounds, I’m not as thin as I used to be, and people no longer get to hate me for being able to eat whatever I want. I can pull off one big binge a month – but that’s where I draw the line.

A new kind of Skinny Bitch

A few months ago, a friend told me she went vegan, after learning about the disturbing abuse and violent slaughter of the animals we eat. Then another friend told me his son who’s a competitive body builder has gone vegan. How many body builders do you know who don’t eat meat?

We watched a documentary together about the correlation between meat and dairy consumption and cancer. He found it very disturbing; he thought he’d been taking good care of himself.

I thought, uh oh, what if getting blimpy wasn’t the worst thing I did to myself binging on ice-cream?

I mentioned my decision to go vegan to another friend. She gave me her Skinny Bitch book to read. I read it in two days, and immediately decided I was going to become a Skinny Bitch, but not the kind people hate.

She swears a lot. She'll make you laugh. She'll make you think every time you lift your fork.

Ignorance is Bliss

There was one part of the chapter, “You are what you eat”, where I felt like I’d been punched. Tears came to my eyes and I had to put the book down and compose myself in order to read on. I won’t repeat any part of the horrifying few pages that made me feel this way. It’s your choice to read the book, and whether or not you take it seriously. I won’t judge. I’ve been eating meat and dairy all my life. Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?

What I will say is that more of us need to look into this, if only for our own health, and that of our children’s. Far too many people are diagnosed with preventable illnesses, often too late.

I will never eat another animal again. Or eggs, or milk. (Soy milk takes some getting used to, but hey, I’m not giving up coffee.) And there’s always Rice Dream ‘ice-cream’ for my binges.

The Verdict

If after a couple of months of abstinence, I start bouncing out of bed in the morning like I did twenty years ago, I’ll let you know. That will be definitive proof that there’s something wrong with eating meat and dairy, at least for me.

Why should you care?

1. Do you feel fabulous every day?
2. Do you love how you look in those brightly lit change rooms?
3. Are you sure the meat you eat wasn’t violently slaughtered and skinned alive?
4. Do you know what the unregulated term, “free-range” really means?

If you answered no to any of these questions, I propose you care enough to do your own research. Skinny Bitch is a great start and a quick, entertaining read. (If you don’t mind a lot of cursing.)

What a great title. Kudos to Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin for brilliant branding.

It’s not really about being skinny.

It’s about caring. It’s about taking control of your own health. Because one thing you can be sure of is the government isn’t going to do it for you.

This is my first post, of my very first blog, and a bit scary.

I feel like I’m standing on a stage blinded by the spotlight, my voice echoing into a huge black auditorium of empty seats. Strange feeling. But I’ve always liked trying new things. So here goes…

I was wondering where to start, when the obvious occurred to me. Greg. One of my very best friends died two years ago today, at age 44. I slept through the midnight phone call from his ex-wife and best friend of mine, and woke up to her message on Remembrance Day.

Greg, Pam and me, at Stepho's in Vancouver

Greg had the most amazing smile.

His big grey eyes always shined with mischief and childlike innocence and you just couldn’t possibly be in a bad mood around him. During the 11 months he was sick, he never once complained to me.

I remember asking him how he was doing and he said, "Well… I can hardly eat, I can hardly walk, and I can hardly breathe. But other than that, I’m awesome!!"

That was Greg.

In his 44 years, he lived three times the life most people do. If he wanted to do something, he went for it. He never worried too much about what other people thought.

Carpe diem.

Early 90's party: Greg decided they should throw me up in the air

He told everyone not to worry about him. He had lived a good life. A great life, in fact. He said he was going to heaven to play poker with his dad. We should be having a party here too.

Our little wake

So that’s what we did. Late in November, his long time best friends all got together for the first time in years for his funeral. We travelled up to his home town of Powell River and had a party in his house. It was just like the parties we’d had twenty years ago. We drank and laughed and reminisced. It was the most fun we’d had – well probably since the last group party.

November 2009: our little wake, in the spirit of Greg

It might sound a bit odd, like we weren’t supposed to be having such a good time. But it’s exactly what he would have wanted. In fact, I was sure I could feel him watching and laughing too.

Showing the group an album I made, celebrating Greg's life

We could all learn something from Greg. I know I did.