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Archive for May, 2007
May 30th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
Time: 12 minutes, 17 seconds. (It’s a veritable thrill ride of an audio. Click to listen below.)
Featured Expert: Steve Forkey, SEO Director, WebAction Group
Summary: Three things a successful website depends on, and the top three ways to build on that foundation with targeted traffic!
Teaser Quip: “It’s the word combinations.”
Posted in ADD Info Summits | No Comments »
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on Wednesday, May 30th, 2007 at 2:07 pm and is filed under ADD Info Summits.
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May 29th, 2007 by Lani Voivod
When you think of Microbusinesses, South Korea may not be the first thing that pops up in your mind.
But I just got a quick email from Tara Dolphin, the Marketing & Communications Manager/Goddess at MicroCredit-NH, that really brought home the fact that when it comes to companies with five or fewer employees, expanding the scope and vision beyond US borders is easier than ever:
“We hosted representatives from a microenterprise program from Seoul, Korea this week, so it’s been hectic. They were so nice! Their organization was founded by the Grameen Bank, the Nobel Peace Prize winner. I’ve attached a picture so you can see them visiting one of our member businesses in Windham, Journeys’ Horsemanship Center.”
To borrow from a much overused Disney-ism: “It’s a small world after all…” And Microenterprises seem to play a big role in our ever-converging global economy.
The message? Don’t underestimate the might of the Micro!
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 Microenterprises R Us | 1 Comment »
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on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Microenterprises R Us.
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May 25th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
I had the pleasure of speaking with Melanie Benson Strick (The Entrepreneur’s Success Coach) yesterday, and she gave me a neat little gift – an alternative to “reacting.”
This has been an issue for me in business. Historically, I’ve just jumped at any work that was thrown my way, regardless of whether it fit into our lives, our goals, or our interests. It was classic “reacting,” and I had a heck of a time in 2006 trying to do something other than reacting.
For some reason, the word “respond” never entered my vocabulary. And that could have made a ton of difference for me. Whereas “reacting” is purely the result of an outside stimulus, “responding” comes from taking that stimulus, and processing it internally against something – goals, plans, strategies, etc. – before you act.
Melanie and I had been talking about a coaching decision Lani and I had made, and Melanie described that decision as a response, not a reaction. Which made me feel fantastic about the progress we’ve made over the last year, Lani and I, in redefining our lives and trying to do something different, more focused and powerful, with our knowledge, passion, and expertise.
If you feel like your own life and business are getting a bit out of control … if you feel like you’re just reacting to whatever comes your way, rather than defining what you want, going for it, and saying “No” to anything that doesn’t fit with what you want … then it’s never a bad time to sit back and lay that foundation.
Life and business have gotten easier for us as we’ve gotten better at defining what we want. We’re not perfect at it – not even close, really – but we’re improving, and seeing the difference in our business this year as a result.
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!
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on Friday, May 25th, 2007 at 11:12 am and is filed under Dances With Gurus.
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May 24th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
 Two things I don’t normally do: Run two miles in the morning, and watch CNBC’s Squawk Box. And yet I did both this past Monday morning, and got rewarded with an interview with Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric, the largest corporation in the world.
I guess he’s made some comments recently that made people think he might sell NBC Universal, a subsidiary of GE. And he put those concerns to rest with an insight I just had to share. (This is a rough transcript from multiple playbacks.)
I think NBC Universal is still well-positioned strategically…the challenge we’ve had the last couple of years wasn’t our strategy, it’s that our shows weren’t good enough, and our movies weren’t good enough.
We’re well on track to turning that around. Our cable properties are great, we’ve got a great film lineup for the rest of this year. We’ve got a very strong content positioning…our digital revenues will go from four or five hundred last year to 700 (presumably million) this year.
 I’ve invested in this business, and I think we’re turning the corner. Our operating profit will be up about 20% in the 2nd quarter if you discount the impact of the station sale last year. I think NBC Universal’s got a lot of tailwind right now.
We’re still going to transfer assets online, I think digital is still one of the growth prospects of the future. But the one thing I’m completely convinced about in the digital age is that content is king. Content is everything. That’s only moving more to our strengths as time goes on.
We’ve got the goods that can take us in any direction we want to go in NBC Universal, so I feel great about the operations. And the other thing I would tell you is, [NBC Universal] gets more valuable every day. Because of everything going on, being a big content guy just makes us more valuable every day.
Now, whether it’s blogging, articles, press releases, special reports, teleclasses, podcasts, or any of a hundred other content vehicles, here’s the point. If the CEO of the biggest company in the world says content is king - a guy who earns $500,000 every minute - that’s a piece of advice you can take to the bank.
And as the “Content Lovers,” this makes us very, very happy indeed.
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 | 1 Comment »
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on Thursday, May 24th, 2007 at 12:30 pm and is filed under All About Content.
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May 21st, 2007 by Lani Voivod
Kudos to Red Hot Copywriting Expert Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero for taking on the LONG COPY VS. SHORT COPY battle once and for all, and leaving the loser in the indisputable dust.
[So as not to leave you hanging: When it comes to writing copy for the purpose of SELLING or MARKETING to a specific target market, long copy is the hands-down winner. If you're scoffing in disbelief right now, go on and read her article yourself!]
This is a battle near and dear to MY heart, personally, because of my unique history with it.
As someone who’s been writing for www.Barbie.com since 2001, I am more aware than most people of the importance of word count and how it affects your connection with your target demographic.
You see, five-year-old girls really don’t have the desire, energy, or capacity to scroll down through a sea of words to *feel* the connection between them and the world’s #1 girls’ brand. They want pictures, magical activities, inspirational themes, sparkly environments, and fun, levity-rich copy delights.
However, as these five year olds get older, their needs change.
While many still love and appreciate beautiful, fantasical images (and often the love affair is a life-long thing!), many more want to connect more deeply, uncover information that helps them discover themselves, and just get lost in a “fantasy world” more rich and real than their five-year-old selves were ready to conquer.
Do you know any 8-13 year-old girls? Have you seen what they take out of your local library? These are girls on a mission, eager to learn - and yearning to experience! - everything the world has to offer them. These girls want more.
And your IDEAL audience wants more, too.
So many times over the years I’ve worked with web designers, programmers, print designers, and a slew of very talented, passionate business folks who insist no one wants to “read a bunch of copy,” or “the ad is too busy,” or “we don’t need all that crap on our website.”
Maybe you don’t. Maybe a pretty picture, a logo, and a snappy tagline is fine for your purposes - be it an ad in your local paper, industry magazine, brochure, or even on your business card.
But chances are, you’re not thinking about the needs of your ideal audience. Your perfect target market. The one person who will want to go further with you, buy your product, invest in your service, etc.
THAT person wants to know you’re real, you care, and you’re actually doing everything you can to engage them on their own terms. They want information, insight, entertainment, knowledge, honesty…all of that, and more.
Now, you may not have a bunch of space to give it all to them in a 2X3 print ad, but you can certainly invite them to a special webpage with a dedicated link, right? You can give them something other than your phone number, or even your URL. Maybe an ecourse? Or Special Report? Or a tip sheet, an ezine, free resources, useful stats, or some sort of time-sensitive special offer that’s truly worth their time and energy to pursue?
It’s simply too easy these days not to.
So go on - keep the designs on your ads, your marketing collateral, and your websites clean and easy on the eyes. By all means, don’t “clutter” them with a bunch of blabidy-blab-blather that’s all about you and your company and how great y’all are.
But DO consider that the RIGHT eyeballs on your brochure, the PERFECT guest to your website, would very much like to connect with you, learn more, and feel like a VIP in their day-to-day meanderings.
If you could give them the gift of that feeling, you’ll be in a really powerful, and ultimately profitable, place.
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 | No Comments »
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on Monday, May 21st, 2007 at 11:24 am and is filed under All About Content.
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May 20th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
Well, that happened!
The Attract Clients Like Crazy boot camp is over, and it’s been an intense four days of strategizing, brainstorming, and deep dives into the how-to of building the marketing and lead generation machine for our businesses.
 Adam gave the morning floor over to Melanie Benson Strick, “The Entrepreneur’s Success Coach” (that’s her at right), and most of the insights and important bits of info I’m taking home from the day came through her, including:
1. New stats on small business failures. According to Melanie, the SBA’s latest study found that 33% of all new businesses fail within two years of forming, and the number goes up to 56% after four years. That’s a heck of a lot, but it’s lower than the numbers I’ve heard in the past. And the two biggest reasons why they fail? Lack of marketing, and lack of financial resources.
2. When it’s okay to be brutal. In the corporate world, we wouldn’t put off until tomorrow what the boss asked us to do today. But as our own bosses, we’re much more lenient with ourselves and let things slide. And we let life intrude because as small business owners, we wanted a more unstructured life. But we all have to make money, and that means being brutal and ruthless with our time management. When it’s time to work - in our business or on it - we need to be comfortable setting the boundaries with friends, family, and random people who come crashing into our days.
3. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Our friend and Birthing Business owner Sheri Menelli also took the stage for a half hour to talk about her experiences in marketing to doulas and midwives, and brought home the importance of continued contacts with your target market. Even by doing things imperfectly, the fact that she maintained contact with her audience (not to mention, she had something of value to offer) led to success in her business.
 It’s so different from last year, when I first came to this boot camp. Lani and I are in such a different place in our business, in our marriage, and in our personal development. It feels like I’m seeing and hearing everything through new eyes this time around.
We’re coming to the end of our Platinum VIP Mastermind time with Adam (and potentially moving into a new arrangement), and as long as it took me to come up to speed in our business, I think it would have been years longer if it weren’t for him.
And this happy little scene of people saying their goodbyes was somehow much less intense for me as it was last time. I was in a much more vulnerable place last time, doubting myself and my ability to really own and run my business as an equally contributing partner in it. Now, things are so much different, and so much better.
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May 20th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
 First, a quick note about what’s really going on in the boot camp! I’ve been sharing “A-Ha!” tips that have come out of the event, but the whole of the thing is so much larger, I shouldn’t lose sight of that. Today’s major topics were information product creation and profit multipliers, including step-by-step formulas for leveraging content for minimum work and maximum payout.
That said, the things that really jumped out at me today were:
1. A cheap way to start your direct mail campaigns. If you buy or rent a list, get card stock paper and print postcards four to a page from your home computer. Then cut it, stamp it, and send it - first class. It’ll cost you around 40 cents per piece, and it lets you “scrub” your list (because bad addresses will come back to you as such, and forwarding addresses will be relayed).
2. A way to take ownership of less-than-perfect audio recordings. Call it the “unedited version,” and advertise it as a “you are there” recording where it’s raw, it’s live, and it has the feeling of immediacy and authenticity.
 3. A way to get your learning done in half the time. If you listen to MP3s of teleclasses and workshops, use Windows Media Player. In the current version, go to “Now Playing” in the menu, then select “Enhancements” and finally select “Play Speed Settings.” You can actually affect the playback speed over time, and we recommend sending it to double the average speed to really learn some things in half the time.
And that was the business aspect. After, there was the VIP Party in the 10th Floor Executive Lounge - ooo la la! It’s really fun to go to these, and not just for the free drinks. It’s the conversation that really makes it worthwhile. The brainstorming alone has been worth the price of admission for many people here.
And for all the talk about online marketing, it’s definitely true that offline marketing is alive and well. I’ve already seen different business folks having the initial conversations about what their joint ventures and strategic partnerships might look like, contractually.
Meanwhile, it’s 1am, I’ve had too many glasses of wine, and it’s time to sleep it off. We’ve got Melanie Benson Strick on deck tomorrow, as well as some in-depth Marketing Action Plan work. Time to wrap this boot camp up with a bang!
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on Sunday, May 20th, 2007 at 4:17 am and is filed under Dances With Gurus.
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May 19th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
 The days run away like horses over the hills at these boot camps, let me tell ya!
At the close of Day 2, I can now say I’ve “shared the stage” with Adam Urbanski and Melanie Benson Strick at a four-day boot camp event. (That’s me on the left, and Adam is standing center in the coat and tie.) As one of three ACLC Grad Spotlights, I had a speaking slot today, and as somebody who doesn’t really do public speaking, well…
I used to say, when our son was an infant, that there were two golden rules: 1) Don’t kill the baby. 2) Don’t hurt the baby. And as long as I met those criteria, everything else was bonus points. Of course, I wanted to be the greatest dad ever, but you have to settle for just good sometimes.
And that’s kind of how I felt about this speaking thing. As long as I didn’t embarrass myself, my family, or anyone in attendance, then it would be a success. And by that very ambition-limited definition, it was. Phew!
And when I wasn’t up in front, I was in a chair, madly scribbling every little “Aha!” in my notebook. Here’s the top three from today’s presentations:
1. Why are narrow niches not just okay, but exactly what you want? Adam threw out the example of the fragmentation of TV stations, and how there’s very few watercooler-type shows anymore where everyone’s seen last night’s episode. (Seinfeld may have been the last in recent memory.) But now we have 500 TV stations, all getting along with very narrow audiences. And your business can, too. Even with a mailing list of 2,000-20,000 people, you can do just fine.
 2. What’s even more important than SEO for traffic and revenue generation? According to Adam, two things: 1) his relationship with the people in his database (his list), and 2) his relationships with his Centers of Influence, or COI. The COI are ten or so people with large lists, not necessarily in direct competition with Adam, who will need his services.
3. When should you stop following up with a potential client? Adam’s simple answer was, “#1, you are dead. #2, they are dead. #3, they tell you to buzz off, and even that’s negotiable.
Honestly, I’m completely wiped, and I’m calling it an early night. But not without having blogged - especially since I had the pleasure of speaking at length with Denise Wakeman of The BlogSquad about everything from S corporation filings to Internet radio shows and everything in between. On of the best things about this event is the opportunity for some intense networking, and it sure feels like I’m getting my money’s worth so far.
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on Saturday, May 19th, 2007 at 1:33 am and is filed under Dances With Gurus.
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May 18th, 2007 by Lani Voivod
 This melifluous quote comes compliments of my Uncle John, a “could-be” and “has-been” if there ever was one! 
“I’d rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I’d rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.” -Milton Berle
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on Friday, May 18th, 2007 at 4:55 pm and is filed under Mood Boosters.
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May 18th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
Okay, so technically it was only a half-day, due to client work and to yesterday’s East Coast thunderstorms that grounded air traffic out of Manchester, NH…
 But there was a heck of a lot of emotion and “Aha!” moments packed into that half a day. There were joyful reunions with friends from past boot camps, including Sheri Menelli of the Birthing Business Institute (that’s her checking in at right), first meetings with people we’ve heard on teleclasses (like Patsi and Denise from The Blog Squad), and had email conversations with (like Adam Hommey of Assess Communicate).
I’m really looking forward to this whole experience. I’m a completely different businessperson (and person in general) from the guy who came to this event last year, with pretty much no idea what he was getting into.
That said, for my brief time in sessions today, here are the top three “Aha!” things I’m bringing out of the boot camp room for you:
1. Need headline help? Go to MSN.com. They have a three panel rotating graphic with their top stories, and the headlines are fabulous. As I type this, their headlines include “There’s Something Alive Down There: Hundreds of bizarre new species found deep in polar waters.” I’m not a huge fan of these kinds of expeditions, but the headline made me click - and so did the “10 Greenest Cities” link. Grab any of their headlines, and substitute your own topic. (I could do something like, “10 Easiest Press Release Topics,” for example.)
2. Speaking of press releases: If you have a list, or at least customers you interact with, come up with a list of 12 questions about your industry, your customers and their needs, anything relevant to your market. Ask your list one a month, then center a press release around the results. “74% of Small Biz Owners Say Attracting Clients Is Their Biggest Problem” was one idea tossed out in the boot camp.
 3. Logos good. If you ship via USPS, FedEx, or UPS, put their logos on your site. If you’re with the Better Business Bureau, get that icon up there, too, as well as any eCommerce seals of approval and such. They give credibility without making waste a lot of room trying to tell people why they should trust you.
And now that the first day has come to an end, I get to curl up in here. I miss Lani and Joe and the baby on board, but it’s hard not to get excited about sleeping in one of these beds for a few nights!
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