 |
 |
|
Archive for October, 2006
October 31st, 2006 by Lani Voivod
The pumpkin: A bulbous, awkward, vibrant vegetable that runs amok two months a year, then retreats to oblivion for the other ten.
Odds are you got at least one out of habit - to carve, adorn, or use ornamentally - but have you made the most of your gourd’s assets?
Thinking of my yet-carved mound of orange flesh plopped upon my woodstove, I was struck by how similar pumpkins are to our existing content, which is our single most valuable business asset.
If you’re staring at your 17-lb veggie - or the fruits of your own labor from the last couple of years - and you don’t know what the heck to do with it, take a few tips from these innovative pumpkin creations and the maestros who loved them.
 1. Turn your content on its side and dress it up for a fresh perspective. Did it shock you the first time you saw someone use the stem as the nose? It shocked me. Seemed so obvious, somehow, but there it was. Same holds true for content.
Consider hiring someone to turn your marketing message into a Flash animation, animated GIF, or creative image you can use on your site or in your marketing materials. Beef up a tip sheet with a few stories, charts, and examples and it morphs into a special report. Take your 50-page idea book, pluck out the most important highlights, and fit them on one page to see what’s born. You can say the same thing lots of different ways - especially if you experiment with new mediums. Your audience will dig the variety.
 2. Serve up your vision of what’s possible, not what everyone else is doing. This is a tough one, because many business and marketing experts swear by a few unswerving tenets. Don’t reinvent wheels, don’t bring products to market that haven’t demonstrated a demand, and use step-by-step formulas as often as possible.
But with content, it’s up to you to decide what you can do, and how far you’re willing to go. In this insta-publish environment, creativity, boldness, and originality rules the roost. If you want to put out a set of video mini-lessons on You Tube, do it! It’s your business, your brand. Break a few rules and let your imagination run wild!
 3. Let ‘em see your innards. Who says the inner workings of your daily grind can’t become part of the overall masterpiece?
People are searching, wondering about your business or industry, how you’ve set it up, what you do, and how you make money doing it. Why are you hiding this information from them? Let them get to know you! Start a blog, an audio journal, or a newsletter. Weave a personal anecdote or family photo into your next business presentation. Frame your kids’ latest school project and display it in your brick-n-mortar. Adding an honest dose of YOU keeps you from being cookie-cutter forgettable, no matter what you’re doing for your paycheck.
 4. Flash your strengths and join forces with other like-minded allies. Do you own a coffee shop? Invite a local artist to put on a workshop for VIP patrons. Are you a CFO of a Fortune 500 company? Have someone record an interview series about best financial strategies and Fortune-500 thinking, and make it available to small business owners. Are you a career coach? Offer an afterschool class to graduating seniors - then invite your local newspaper to cover the event. Or, write a press release about it yourself and post it on your site, send it to clients and prospects, include it in your newsletter…
You and your content - what you know, what you’ve done, what you’ve already put out there, and what you can do for others - is just waiting to be discovered by your next favorite person.
Get it out there, quickly and often, and opportunities will abound. You’ll have your pick of the patch, so to speak.
Happy Halloween!
Posted in All About Content | No Comments »
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 at 4:59 pm and is filed under All About Content.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 27th, 2006 by Lani Voivod
Check out this “Dove Film” – a 1-2 minute movie that shows a makeup-less, ordinary woman get transformed into a billboard hottie. It ends with the message: “No wonder our view of beauty is distorted” (or something like that). (I found out about it on the fab “Nuts & Bolts” blog.)
What I love about this – aside from the gawker value and what it says about unreasonable beauty expectations – is that the Dove brand is using it to advertise these “Real Beauty” workshops designed for 8-12 year-old girls and their moms, sisters, or caregivers. Unbelievable leveraging. What a smart way to take a normal consumer product and turn it into a movement that can have a profound effect on the world (or at least the girls who live here!).
Well done.
Hey - if Dove can change how people think, and attach a giant world-changing cause, through something as squeaky clean and plain as soap, imagine what you can do with your widget?
(Can’t wait to see!)
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in All About Content, Brand Funk, Fun With Marketing | 1 Comment »
This entry was posted
on Friday, October 27th, 2006 at 11:26 am and is filed under All About Content, Brand Funk, Fun With Marketing.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 24th, 2006 by Allen Voivod
So my mother is officially part of my “network” now, and I never saw it coming.
Which is ridiculous. One of the cardinal rules of networking is to start with your family, right? And yes, I talk with my Mom about what Lani and I are up to, here in the wilds of New Hampshire. But I think I’ve looked at those conversations as simply keeping Mom in the loop.
 And then she does what any good member of a network does - she sends a great little interview article from AP via the Los Angeles Daily News with the authors of Your Attention Please. Paul Brown and Alison Davis subtitled their new book, “How to Appeal to Today’s Distracted, Disinterested, Disengaged, Disenchanted, and Busy Consumer.”
Actually, I’m overwhelmed by the subtitle, but I’ll break through that by sharing with you this important tidbit, from Ms. Davis:
“The No. 1 core of our advice is, the more your communication is aimed at meeting somebody else’s needs, (namely) the person you’re trying to reach - the less it’s about you and the more it’s about them - the more likely they’re going to engage.”
I needed a reminder, and in case you need it, too: Keep everyone in the loop about what you’re up to - even (and especially) your mother. They never stop looking out for you.
Posted in A-Has in the Ether, All About Content | 2 Comments »
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 at 12:50 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether, All About Content.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 20th, 2006 by Lani Voivod
 One of the best things about getting out of your home office and going to networking events, workshops, and boot camps (aside from the colossal amount of stuff you learn, the mindset shifts, the gale-force energy, etc.) is meeting cool people you’d never otherwise meet.
And when they’re entrepreneurial events, marketing gigs, or solo-professional hubs, you get the added bonus of learning about businesses and biz ideas outside of your normal scope. Such is the case with Ms. Carmel Morgan, founder and owner of Transition Nutrition and Transition Yoga. Carmel created a mobile wellness company that specializes in Stress Reduction Programs for corporations and businesses. Isn’t that awesome? (And SOOO necessary during these stress-filled times!)
 Carmel was kind enough to send me the above pic of us, and the grand group shot we snapped just before we left the four-day intensive with Adam Urbanski, Marketing Mentor Extraordinaire.
As you can see, it was a fairly intimate gathering - not one of those cattle-call events where you’re just an anonymous name tag toter. The range of experience and talent in that room was simply mind-blowing. Real estate brokers, life coaches, authors, self-made millionaires, and even a mogul of the children’s entertainment industry…and that barely covers it.
If you’re doing your 2007 budget, consider taking the plunge and checking out a live event that suits your business needs and goals. Throwing yourself into a mix of bigger thinkers, daring doers, and passionate business owners rubs off on you.
Seeing what’s out there and who’s doing what has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us this year. We’ll never be the same.
And hey - it’s really, really fun, too. 
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in Dances With Gurus, Entrepreneur Diaries, Fun With Marketing | No Comments »
This entry was posted
on Friday, October 20th, 2006 at 10:08 pm and is filed under Dances With Gurus, Entrepreneur Diaries, Fun With Marketing.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 19th, 2006 by Lani Voivod
“Great minds think alike.”
Yes, we’ve all heard the expression. But it’s missing the a most vital element - one that could be the difference between your struggling business and a thriving, money-generating powerhouse, and that is:
“Great minds ALSO think very differently…and when they combine forces, they’re virtually UNSTOPPABLE.”
It’s THIS distinction that makes a Mastermind Group one of the most powerful and effective forces behind every great success story.
Allen and I joined a Mastermind group in June. Our group consists of seven other small business owners (2 folks from New York, five from California, and Allen and I representin’ New Hampshire).
We’re REALLY lucky, cuz our group is led by the dynamic and incomparable Adam Urbanski (this guy is changing our lives and bank account this year for the way, way better! We LOVE Adam!), and it’s totally transformed the way we think about our business.
In fact, the Mastermind experience is proving to be so important to our growth and success, Al and I are forming a local one with Mr. Kevin Skarritt this month. (Woohoo!)I’m so excited I can barely see straight.
But, what exactly IS a Mastermind Group? And how the heck do you go about starting your own?
As luck would have it, I’ve found someone who saved me a bunch of time and energy by answering this question for inquiring minds. Her name is Karyn Greenstreet, a self-employment expert and owner of Passion for Business, LLC.
Check out Karyn’s article, How to Create and Run a MasterMind Group, and then go on and download her FREE E-Book on the subject, right below the article. It’s everything you need to get started, and to make 2007 the year that KICKS BUTT for you and your bank account!
Thanks, Karyn!!!
And by the way, Karyn’s blog looks like a fab resource for the self-employed of all stripes. Gotta love the Internet!
Posted in Masterminding | No Comments »
This entry was posted
on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Masterminding.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 19th, 2006 by Lani and Allen
WARNING: This one is much better than parts one and two, all things considered. Here you go!
Audio #3
Girth: Lani, tempting fate, gives it a third and final try. And sticks the landing!
Time: 2:25
Rambling Factor: 93. Much more focused after two cut-offs, but she gets a penalty for talking about whether she missed her freeway exit.
Gab Grab: “Do the best you can to design the life you want, rather than the one that just happens to you….if you don’t do it, who’s going to?”
A-Ha for You: You might as well start now. Figure out what you want and how you want it, and just make it happen.
Posted in Entrepreneur Diaries | No Comments »
This entry was posted
on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at 9:50 am and is filed under Entrepreneur Diaries.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 19th, 2006 by Lani and Allen
WARNING: As with part one of this “train wreck,” it’s hard to post it, but that’s what pulling back the curtain on this “messy middle” business is all about!
Audio #2
Girth: After being cut off in the last audio for going over the time limit, Lani tries to get
on track, and gets cut off again.
Time: 1:26
Rambling Factor: Off the charts. A shame, since Lani was actually getting somewhere just as she got cut off for the second time.
Gab Grab: “I know the rules of content, I know you’re supposed to keep it short and sweet…and I keep rambling, I’m so sorry!”
A-Ha for You: Content without focus is painful for everyone.
Posted in Entrepreneur Diaries | 1 Comment »
This entry was posted
on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at 9:46 am and is filed under Entrepreneur Diaries.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 19th, 2006 by Lani and Allen
WARNING: We went back and forth on whether to post this. It’s stuttery, painful to listen to, and uses caveman-like language. But being in the messy middle of growing your business isn’t a polished exercise. And neither are these audios. Here’s the first of three…
Audio #1
Girth: Lani on the 405 Freeway, riffing on her meetings with the people at Mattel and Threshold Marketing, including drinking and sleeping with colleagues. (No, it’s not TMI.)
Time: 5:00
Rambling Factor: 538 squared. Note to Lani - Don’t “Entrepreneur Diary” and drive.
Gab Grab: “I love content, I love creative people…seeing people spin their magic into online gold is incredibly thrilling.”
A-Ha for You: Great content gets rewarded by today’s culture. (If you want examples, go to FollowTheFinger.com and Barbie.com!)
Posted in Entrepreneur Diaries | 2 Comments »
This entry was posted
on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at 9:31 am and is filed under Entrepreneur Diaries.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 17th, 2006 by Lani Voivod
My dear friend and mentor, Mr. Kevin Lane Skarritt of Acorn Creative, is many things…not the least of which is a fellow Word Nerd.
Since we Word Nerds are always looking for tools to keep us pistol-sharp and grammatically correct, I give to you the following 20 guidelines for using (and abusing) the English language.
Most common rules broken in the English Language.
1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don’t start a sentence with a conjuction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague.
6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
9. No sentence fragments.
10. Contractions aren’t necessary and shouldn’t be used.
11. One should never generalise.
12. Don’t use no double negatives.
13. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
14. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary.
15. Never use big words when a diminutive one would suffice.
16. Kill all exclamation marks!!!!
17. Use all words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
18. Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed.
19. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
20. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
Thanks, Kev! It be cools of you, as a cunning linguist, to share your smarts with us, at Epiphanies, Inc, etc.!!!!!!!! (And your tops in our book - no matter what other people like to say about you & whatever your into!)
If you’re a stickler about quality content and would like to invite biz-building strategies into your inbox, sign up for our ezine, The Inciter!
Posted in All About Content | 2 Comments »
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, October 17th, 2006 at 5:09 pm and is filed under All About Content.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 17th, 2006 by Allen Voivod
 During a week-long biz trip in LA this month, Lani paid a visit to the insanely talented folks at Threshold Marketing. Michelle Machrone, their V.P. of Production, goes a ways back with us - Lani worked with her at Mattel’s “Girls Interactive Group.”
Nowadays, Michelle and Threshold are working on projects like FollowTheFinger.com, attaching a commodity (Butterfinger candy bars) to a whole experience. How? With fabulous text, animation, and video content, focused on “finding the fun in any and every moment.”
The people at Threshold have an intense dedication to creativity and viral media - their MySpace page for Follow the Finger drew one million visitors in a month, for Pete’s sake! Keep an eye on these folks, for inspiration, insight, and examples of bold action!
The thing we really love about what they’re doing - in addition to “making the most of any moment” - is inviting Butterfinger fans to add their own content and creations. Too few businesses take advantage of the Web’s interactivity. If you have the ways and means to do so, git on it!
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
| |
