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Posts from the 'Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!"' Category
August 29th, 2008 by Lani Voivod
In a recent blog post, Duct Tape Marketing’s John Jantsch saves us all time, trouble, and headaches by tossing in his two cents regarding the Top 10 Business Applications for Facebook.
If you’re not familiar with Mr. Jantsch, he’s got a strong, results-oriented, no-nonsense approach about what works and what doesn’t in today’s marketing realm. For example:
There are thousands of application available with one click once you have a Facebook profile. But, don’t get caught up in adding every goofy dodad, just because you can. Think logically about your goals for being on Facebook and then choose the tools that will help your communicate, achieve and amplify those objectives.
The post is a solid, boiled-down list and explanation of what to use - and why to use - Facebook to grow your network, reputation, and business.
Sweet.
As a Facebook newbie who’s just starting to understand its potential as a powerful way to “A-Ha Yourself!” (get your message, mission, and vision OUT THERE to your ideal audience, in fun and profitable ways), short cuts like Mr. Janstsch’s Top 10 list go a long way toward salvaging my social networking sanity. (Or what’s left of it.)
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August 8th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
 I’m not sure how we got on their mailing list, but we got a postcard from Getty Images not too long ago, announcing the debut of a new brainstorming tool called Moodstream. From their materials:
“Whether you want images, footage or audio, or you just need a stream of fresh ideas, tweak the Moodstream sliders to bring a whole new creative palette straight to you.”
I’ve been playing with it here and there today, and I’ve gotta say, it’s very distracting - in a good way. It’s like watching a mashed-up slideshow of thousands of people’s photos and videos, in brief snippets, accompanied by 10-15 second snippets of music. And if you want to buy any of it for use in your business, it’s clickably simple.
I started by switching the Preset Wheel from settings like “Excite,” “Inspire,” and “Simplify” (be sure to click “Refresh Stream” button to get those changes to take effect - unlike me, who took about a minute to figure that one out). I didn’t play in depth with the Happy/Sad, Calm/Lively, Humorous/Serious, and other sliders, but the couple tweaks I made resulted in noticeable differences in what was presented visually and aurally.
Even for a non-designer type like me, this proved to be a very cool new tool - inspiration for content doesn’t just come from reading other people’s words, after all.
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June 26th, 2008 by Lani Voivod
Okay, so Allen and I have been proudly calling ourselves “The Content Lovers” of Epiphanies, Inc. for a couple of years now. Which is to say…
- We love content (duh, right?)
- We believe in the power of great content to build businesses and skyrocket profits
- We champion its vital role in all marcom for ALL ventures - from the solo pro’s email signature or website to corporate white papers, CEO podcasts, social networking pages, tweets, text messages, YouTube clips…the works.
Then this Joe Pulizzi dude of Junta42.com strolls into the picture, and all I want to do is build him a monument, declare him the King of Content, and bow down to his passion and commitment to everything content-related until the end of my days.
I can only imagine he’s got an army of brilliant content trolls working underground 24/7 to pull off what he’s been doing over the last year or so. Not only has he launched and declared a CONTENT REVOLUTION (and explained it in quick, rock-n-roll powered 2-minute videos!), but he’s created Junta42 Match – the eHarmony for Publishers and Content Providers — a place they can flirt, assess needs and expectations, and go all the way with their missions and visions, if that’s the way the relationship plays out.
Jeez, Joe. Do you sleep? How are you doing this all so well?
Here’s the quick YouTube vid, if you’d like to find out more about how you can use Junta42 Match to help take your message, mission, and vision to the next level. It’s a killer idea, and it sure looks like Joe has executed the idea like a rockstar. Hope you can use this resource to drive your profits and build your business with stellar content! (Which, of course, is a KILLER way to “A-Ha Yourself!”)
And, if you end up using Junta42 Match, please let us know how it goes for ya. 
Posted in All About Content, How do you "A-Ha Yourself"?, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 1 Comment »
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on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 7:52 pm and is filed under All About Content, How do you "A-Ha Yourself"?, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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March 11th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
When it comes to Content Catapults - the tools you use to launch your message, mission, and vision out to your Ideal Audience - you have hundreds, if not thousands, of options and sub-options to choose from.
As micro-preneurs, we’ve narrowed down that world of options to a select set of the most effective, cost-friendly, fun, and straightforward ways to promote yourself, your business, and what you stand for.
We’ve done most, if not all, of these for ourselves and our clients, and we’d like to share some related advice, information, and resources with you.
Choose the ones that most interest you, that look the most fun, and/or play best to your strengths and talents, and go deeper with articles, audio, and examples from the links below:
- Articles
- Blogging
- News releases
- Websites
- Email marketing (ezines, autoresponders, e-courses, etc.)
- Collateral (biz cards, flyers, stationery, brochures)
- Snail mail (postcards, newsletters, promos)
- Storytelling (success stories, examples, testimonials, etc.)
- Networking
- Interviews (as interviewer and interviewee)
- Public speaking
- Teleclasses/teleseminars
- Info products (special reports, e-books, audios, etc.)
- Workshops, workshops, and more workshops
- Multimedia (podcasts, vlogging, webinars, etc.)
- Social media - MySpace, Facebook (Allen’s, Lani’s), LinkedIn (Allen’s, Lani’s), Squidoo, etc.
- Create Your Own Catapult!
If you’d like to go even further with these, just check out the “A-Ha Yourself!” Action Guide.
Posted in Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 2 Comments »
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on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 11:34 pm and is filed under Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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February 5th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
You know that weird phenomenon where you notice something, or mention it offhand, or it comes up in conversation, and suddenly you’re attuned to it? You’re picking up on it everywhere you turn?
That’s been happening with us on the subject of cold calling recently. It’s one thing to be doing it on the phone - our financial adviser just told us she has to do it face-to-face, knocking on door after door in local neighborhoods. With a goal of 24 doors in a day, every day! Good grief, that seems intense.
And Lani and I were just recently saying how strange it is that, despite being pretty outgoing people, the idea of cold calling actually freaks us out a bit. So far, it hasn’t been necessary to grow our business…but we know it’s a fact of life for lots of folks.
Well, by an odd coincidence, we got a note from Virtual Assistant extraordinaire Erin Blaskie about Wendy Weiss, the “Queen of Cold Calling.” Wendy’s putting on a free teleclass to talk about cold calling, appointment setting, and how to develop new business. In her words:
What would happen to your business if you were able to double the number of qualified, prospects you are able to reach?
How would it affect your bottom line if you met with and/or had comprehensive telephone conversations with twice the number of qualified, decision-makers?
How would it feel to have qualified, decision-makers eager, willing and delighted to meet with you?
For people who cold call for their business, it sounds like this would be pretty powerful. The teleclass is happening today, Feb. 5th, at 4pm ET - sign up for it here.
We trust Erin very much, so we’re sure there’s going to be a lot of good stuff on this call. Take advantage of it, and afterward, let us know what you liked best with a comment here!
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on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 11:39 am and is filed under Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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December 28th, 2007 by Lani and Allen
Trackbacking is one of 10 “inbound link strategies” flagged by Acorn Creative’s Kevin Skarritt as vital to increasing your online visibility and cuddle up with search engines. (Not hip to trackbacking? There’s a tutorial here, and the always helpful Wikipedia has good info on it as well.)
In fact, we’re creating our own trackback on his site with this post, because we not only think his post is the bee’s knees when it comes to getting links, we also think it’s relevant to the “A-Ha!”
All 10 of his strategies require you to create content (however long or short it may need to be), and all of them are ways to “A-Ha Yourself!” - to put your best and boldest ideas out there, and share your passion with the people who need to hear about it.
Wanna learn about the other 9? Head over to the Nuts & Bolts of Brand Blog to check them out!
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on Friday, December 28th, 2007 at 4:39 pm and is filed under Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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October 27th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
So Brand Maven Kevin Skarritt and I sat in on two final sessions at PodCamp Boston 2, and both were about how to “monetize” new media - specifically, web series, podcasts, and video online.
The answers, according to Paul Kontonis, Chief Executive of For Your Imagination, are:
1. Advertising
2. Sponsorship
3. Licensing
4. Merchandising
5. Franchising
And according to John Federico of On Digital Media, the answer is advertising, but not really, because of a technical issue with iTunes that would make it hard for advertisers to trust any listener stats you report.
I respectfully submit that they’ve both missed a vital way to monetize audio and video - one that has nothing to do with advertising.
With a strong Content Strategy in place, any podcaster could structure a series of audio episodes with the intention of collecting and compiling a series of podcasts into an information product.
The podcaster could have the episodes transcribed to package with the audio, and after reviewing the whole series, it’s likely the podcaster would be inspired to create a few bonus items to naturally supplement the material he or she patiently created over the course of weeks, months, or years.
This awesome and highly useful package could be sold:
1. By the podcaster
2. By anyone else through an affiliate program
3. By any strategic partners of the podcaster (I’m looking forward to a session along this vein in tomorrow’s sessions)
4. Through a service like ClickBank or Commission Junction
And more ways I’m sure I could think of, had my sweet 21-day-old son not kept me up all last night. 
How did Kontonis and Federico miss this one? Well, Kontonis’ clients are more entertainment-based by all appearances, and Federico is focused on metrics, an issue that’s bedeviled a lot of people trying to analyze the ROI of things like blogs, podcasts, and other non-traditional website offerings.
The way to monetize with information products relies on the concept of what we call “Dignity Marketing” - sharing your passion, knowledge, experience, and personality in a natural, educational, entertaining, and relationship-building way.
You, as the source of reliable information in your niche, are then top of mind when the buyer’s wallet comes out. Because the stark truth is that people don’t buy when you’re ready to sell - they only buy when they’re ready to buy.
If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, please take a moment to think a year ahead, and ask yourself: How can I create a Content Plan that multi-tasks the effort I put into doing these podcasts?
Posted in All About Content, How do you "A-Ha Yourself"?, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 2 Comments »
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on Saturday, October 27th, 2007 at 10:00 pm and is filed under All About Content, How do you "A-Ha Yourself"?, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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October 27th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
With thanks to Jason Van Orden and his “Podcasting, Blogging, and RSS in Plain English” session:
A podcast is “portable, on-demand, digital media” allowed to be downloaded onto a computer or other storage device.
A podcast feed is just:
1. A text file…
2. …with information about the podcast…
3. …listing individual episodes in reverse chronological order…
4. …with a specific web address.
WordPress and FeedBurner are a great 1-2 punch for getting your podcast out there…
How do you create a podcast?
1. Record an audio file with Audacity.
2. Compress the file to MP3 in Audacity.
3. Upload the MP3 to your web host in your directory.
4. Blog about the podcast.
5. Include a link to where you uploaded the MP3 on your site in your blog post.
6. Publish!
7. Let syndication services and directories know you exist.
Three places to do market research on blogs and podcasts in your field:
1. Technorati
2. iTunes
3. EveryZing
Got legal questions about podcasting? Creative Commons has a guide here.
And the three things your podcast content must do:
1. Inform
2. Entertain
3. Create a sense of belonging
Could it be any easier?
Posted in All About Content, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 1 Comment »
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on Saturday, October 27th, 2007 at 2:55 pm and is filed under All About Content, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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October 23rd, 2007 by Allen Voivod
 So I was walking to the office this morning, and the Prince song “Trust” from the 1989 Batman soundtrack popped into my head, unbidden. Not a bad way to start the morning - and certainly better than having “The Name Game” song stuck in there instead.
But “Trust” got me thinking about a topic Lani and I have talked about a lot amongst ourselves and with business owners looking to establish an online presence. (Yes, it’s true, even though it sounds like a thinly veiled, Carrie-Bradshaw-esque thematic plot device.)
It’s domain names and email addresses, and here’s the best way I can think of, with only half a cup of coffee in my bloodstream, to describe the difference between having your own domain, and not having it.
If you’re on eBay, with all other things being equal, who would you trust more?
1. A seller with a contact address of service@batman.com
2. A seller with a contact address of batman4203@verizon.net
The answer: Neither. Since eBay has a robust customer satisfaction rating system in place, and if these two sellers have the exact same customer satisfaction ratings, then it makes no difference from whom you buy.
But say you’re off of eBay now. Instead, you’ve gone to two different websites, which each sell the exact same product for the exact same price. One website is www.verizon.net/pages/batman4203, and the other is www.batman.com.
Who do you trust more with your purchase - including your contact information and credit card information?
The hands-down winner is www.batman.com. And what this example shows is, if you want to inspire customers to trust you with their private purchasing information, you’d best be using a domain name that matches your business name - and not the free space provided to you by your Internet Service Provider.
We use www.AhaWebHost.com for our domains and website hosting (that links to 1&1, possibly the world’s largest provider), and we’ve been perfectly satisfied with their service and responsiveness.
Having your own domain - and the email addresses to go with it - is the first step to “A-Ha Yourself!” online, putting your boldest insights into joy-filled action.
And now, I’m off to find my old Batman CD….
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on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 9:31 am and is filed under Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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September 27th, 2007 by Lani and Allen
Content vehicles - the means by which your message and mission gets out to your ideal audience. You know, like press releases, articles, blog posts, teleclasses, workshops, podcasts, vlogs, social networking pages, and the like.
So many to choose from, but c’mon, let’s be real. You can’t do ‘em all at once. You have to pick and choose the ones that suit your budget, resources, realities, goals, and vision.
But…but…how do you evaluate them and decide which ones to run with?
We recommend you run ‘em through the FIRES:
- Fun - Complements existing assets, is comfortable, exciting
- Implementable - Skills and tools are available or can be had
- Realistic - Achievable within timeframe and existing workload
- Energizing - Creates momentum, revitalizes and inspires
- Strategic - Supports the goals and bigger vision of your company
Use a 1-5 rating system, where “5″ is highest and “1″ is lowest. Take a look at the content vehicles that strike your fancy. See which ones score the highest. They’re the ones you’ll want to use to FIRE UP your marketing efforts, increase visibility, build your brand, and (ultimately) boost your biz profits.
 Hey - want immediate access to insider knowledge on more than 12 of the easiest, most effective, and most affordable ways to market your products and servic
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