Posts filed under 'Marketing for Consultants'
“Do you read much?”
That’s the question Diane Eble asked in her blog post today. I had to share this post. Why? Because one of the ways to drive traffic to your website is to have your name and website appear on high traffic sites. In her post, Diane goes on to explain how reviewing books in your field increases your visibility to people who might be your ideal prospects and on search engines.
Here’s the rest of Diane’s post including instructions for how to do what she suggests. Thanks, Diane!
As an author or aspiring author, I assume you do.
Here’s a way to use your reading to get traffic back to your own website.
First, a pop-quiz question: What’s a site that gets a LOT of traffic? Like, thousands if not millions a day….
If you guessed amazon.com, you’re right!
So, when you post a review of a book that’s related to your area of expertise, you get to create a link back to your site.
Because the link comes from a credible, highly-trafficked site, you will rise in the search engines.
Here’s how:
Create an account at Amazon. If you’re already a member at Amazon then you’ve probably already bought something from them and that’s even better. You’re an established member of and you’ve already completed your first step. Amazon won’t allow you to make comments unless you’ve purchased something there. (May I suggest a great book that made it to #3 on amazon recently–a book that will, if you implement it, change every area of your life in amazing ways? It’s here—and yes, I did write a review!)
Create your profile. Talk about yourself, using relevant keywords. And of course, put a link to your site.
Review products. The next thing you need to do is to give product reviews of items for sale on Amazon. If there are books you’ve read, then go the section where they ask you for your review of the product and give one. Each time you give your review of a product make certain you leave your name and in your signature should be a link back to your website.
Do you know how many people visit Amazon on a daily basis? More than visit your site, that’s for sure. Each time someone sees your review, they will see your name and the link back to your website. This is a simple, free and easy way to put your name out there and get more traffic back to your website.
Use this powerful method and let me know your results with it. It’s one of the more fun ways I use in the “Multiple Presences on the Web” strategy. (I once decided my dream job would be to get paid well to read. This is at least mildly related to that.)
Diane Eble is “Your Book Publishing Coach.” Her blog is worth following if you’re an author or aspire to be.
Tags: Become an Expert, Business development, Independent Service Professionals, Information Marketing, Internet Marketing, Marketing for Professionals
June 8th, 2010
Do you want to make more money doing what you’re already doing? Do you want to serve more people doing what you love?
Do you want to love the life you’re living?
One way to achieve all this and more is to be known as an authority in your niche. Here’s the direction I recommend you go to be well seen and well heard so you can be well known and well paid.
You need to be a VIP with VIP ~ a Very Important Professional with Valuable Intellectual Property, AKA Valuable Information Products.
“Why this path?” you may be wondering.
Because once your expertise is out of your head and in physical and digital form, you can contribute it to the world. That way it can generate leads and income.
Content may be king. The question is what content? Before we can create content that others will find valuable, we need to know who those others are who we want to attract and serve.
We may need to create and share clear, concise, and compelling messages and to know where to put them so they can be easily found by those looking for us. Before we can we write messages that leave a trail of breadcrumbs that lead to our door, we need to know who we want to talk to, who we want to attract, who we want to serve.
So start by building a strong foundation. Here are a few questions I suggest you answer.
Who are our ideal clients? Think of 3 categories:
- ones we love to work with (our passion) and who love to work with us (their passion)
- ones we’re expert at helping (our expertise)
- ones with whom we make the most money (income)
What problem(s) do they have that you solve for them or help them solve?
How do you do that?
What results do they get when they work with us and how do they benefit from those results?
What makes us, what we do and how we do it unique so people would be crazy to work with anyone else?
In the coming weeks I’ll be blogging more about what you can do to be a VIP with VIP. I’ll be offering tips, tools, techniques, and strategies you can use. I’ll be creating Success Activities you can do quickly and easily. And I’ll be offering programs to help you get unstuck, overcome Marketing Resistance Syndrome, and take the next steps that help you take yourself, your business, and your life where you want to go.
And remember, if it’s got to get done, let me help you make it fun!
Fun is a prerequisite to excellence.
Play is the behavior of enlightenment.
P.S. If you want to be known as an authority in your niche, join Mari-Lynn Harris and myself every Wednesday 2-3 pm est on BlitzTime. It’s the coolest place to meet like-minded people. We gather on the phone to network, build relationships, and learn how to do what it takes to become well seen and well heard so you can be well paid. Click on this link. You’ll land on our event’s page. You’re in the place to register for one or more calls for ”How to Be an Authority in YOUR Niche.” Your first 2 calls are free! Try it. You’ll like it!
Tags: Become an Expert, BlitzTime, Develop Your Audience, Effective Communicating, Independent Service Professionals, Information Marketing, Marketing for Professionals, Marketing Resistance Syndrome, Strategies for Success, Take your business to the next level, VIP with VIP
April 28th, 2010
I’d venture a guess that whether our clients are conscious of it or not, what they really want, what they’re looking for, and what they hope we can provide, or more accurately, facilitate in them is TRANSFORMATION.
So I’d like to ask you, “What leads to transformation: more information or more interaction?”
Because I know you’re a wise coach or consultant, I know you said “Interaction,” right? You want to become known as the expert whose interaction lead to breakthroughs and transformations, don’t you?
Then why are so many coaches doing free teleseminars that only offer more information?
This is a wake-up call. While many of the new things that available to us are positive tools, techniques, and strategies, one approach to how we coaches used to get prospects to know, like, and trust us was through interaction.
Remember those wonderful teleclasses that were a combination of information and interaction?
I know I want to experience someone leading a lively discussion or leading an individual through a breakthrough to transformation before I’m going to pay them big bucks for a course that promises to do that. How about you?
Yet every time I download email I get one or more opportunities to get more information. Sometimes it’s in the form of an e-book, sometimes an audio, sometimes a video. It may be a webinar or a teleseminar (talking heads only these days – no interaction please – it may reduce the quality of the recording, you know.) Sometimes the information is right there in the email.
I don’t know about you. I know more than enough to accomplish everything on my project and my task lists. And anything I don’t know, I can find out by picking up the phone, sending an email or an email blast to my own network, or getting on Google. And I’ll bet the same is true for your prospects and clients, too.
What I do want and need is more interaction.
I want to talk about my ideas and hear about yours. I want to commit to you what I’ll do today or this week and I want you to feel free to do the same. I want support and encouragement when I’m facing a challenge, sorting out what I believe from what I was taught to believe, and especially when a light is dawning within about a pattern of thinking, feeling, and/or behaving that’s limiting my joy, my inner peace, and my success. And I offer you the same.
I want interaction because interaction leads to collaboration.
More important, I want interaction because interaction leads to transformation.
I believe with continued transformation, I create more inner peace, love and joy. I create energy and momentum. I create space for being more creative and innovative.
Truth be told, through interaction, I can admit to a trusted friend or adviser that my quest for more information is in part fueled by my fears and insecurities. In part, it’s fueled by my hopes that in this next offer I’ll find the key that shuts of my negative self-talk and delivers that missing piece so I can quickly, easily, yes, and finally achieve the success I dream of and work toward.
I sure wish more information could do all that for me. Yet I’ve gone down that path enough times to know it’s a delay, a detour, maybe even a dead end. Still I know more information isn’t the key to my success. So during my interaction, I can agree to gently and lovingly set aside my quest for the holy grail and spend the time and energy I’ve freed up to do something that will contribute to my joyfully making progress on my journey toward success.
Now, from my new perspective, the information I already have within or is already at my fingertips may become useful. I can see it in a new light, use it in a new way. If I need something new, I’ve got the juice, the motivation to find, experience, and integrate and apply it.
So, if you’re in information overload and you are looking for relief, do an experiment, take a risk, and delete all your new emails offering you, promising you your missing keys. Take that time to tackle the project or task that’s been standing in your way blocking your progress. Take that time to be still and connect with your Source, or to exercise, or to spend quality time interacting with that someone in your life who is there for you and you for them, that you might move beyond information into transformation. The treasures that await you will delight you.
And who knows, you may serendipitously pick up a gem of information or two along the way. Happy journeying!
P.S. I hope you find this blog post isn’t just another bit of information. I hope it inspires you to interact with someone close to you, or to interact with your prospects and clients instead of ‘just’ offering the more information.
And if you’d like to participate in some juicy interaction, I encourage you to join Christine Laureano and myself on Wednesday, December 23, 2009, at 12 noon Eastern. I’ll be her guest on her Internet radio show, Coach in the Moment. You can listen at www.blogtalkradio.com/Coach-in-the-Moment or on your phone at (347) 215-8095. That’s the same number you’ll dial to talk with Christine and me. I hope you’ll join us.
Guess what we’ll be talking about? You got it. Does Information vs. Interaction Lead to True Transformation?
If you miss the call, come back here. I’ll post a link to the recording in a few days, so ‘ya all come back now.’
To your ever-expanding Joy and Success,
The Energizer Bonnie
Tags: Become an Expert, Develop Your Audience, Marketing for Consultants, Marketing for Professionals
December 21st, 2009
It’s time to take action. Securing your website(s) and blogsite(s) is a good precaution.This is is the type of thing I hear myself saying, “I’m such a little player (no matter how big I really am…) Why would someone choose my site?
Several months ago, my blogsite (worth reading, I might add) had been spammed many times over. I installed an akismet and the problem went away.
So I can no longer think, “This can’t happen to me.”
That’s why I’m going to follow the suggestions Michelle Shaeffer made in her blog post entitled Seven Steps to Secure WordPress.
I suggest you do the same.
Better to be safe than sorry, don’t you think?
P.S. Michelle’s suggestions apply to WordPress blogs. You’ll need to do additional research to find out what to do to protect other blogsites and websites. Or contact your webmaster. If you don’t have one, and you’re not a techie, I’d be glad to share mine. His name is Rick and you can reach him at rich@wwwebfx.com. He’s excellent, he’s quick, he’s priced to delight your pocketbook, and he’s valuable t o have on you team. Take it from me!
P.P.S. I like to know why I’m doing what I’m doing… That’s why I asked Michelle about why people would even want to hack our sites. At her post you’ll find her answers. I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go ’round.
Tags: Strategies for Success
December 19th, 2009
I immediately bought the book and signed up for Tim’s e-course I receive via emails.
Today’s issue #29 was exactly what I needed to read today. By the time I got his email, I had created the draft of a PowerPoint presentation for a project I’m working on for a client, I had a meeting with him while taking my morning walk, I wrote another blog post, read and when appropriate answered about 40 emails, and discovered about 10 new sources of knowledge and expertise I’ll explore after I finish this post.
Yet, even having done all that before noon, I felt pushed and pressured by myself to do more faster. Then I read Tim’s advice. I found what he had to say so helpful I wanted to share it with you… I know I am in good company with others like myself 
Here’s what Tim shared:
Making your life a direct expression of your purpose is the most fulfilling and rewarding choice. It is also something that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to make an orderly transition from how you are currently living to a new, purpose-centered life.
This may or may not involve changes in profession or other life circumstances. Remember, a purpose isn’t a job, a job is an expression of a purpose.
Living fully from purpose requires consistently making purpose-based choices. More on that in a later issue.
There are a couple of significant disadvantages to this strategy. The most common problem people face with this approach is fear of the unknown. They imagine that they will be unable to support themselves, that people they love will reject them, or any of a number of other fears. These fears rarely come to pass, but the imagination of them can deter people in their movement towards manifesting their purpose.
The other “problem” is an interesting one. Moving towards your purpose tends to increase the amount of serendipity and synchronicity in your life: people show up to help you and things that you imagine will be difficult become easy. This creates a feeling of “acceleration” which can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine a better problem to have: the question becomes, how much exhilaration, meaning, passion, and success can you tolerate? It seems like a silly question, but it really isn’t. I often find myself “hitting the brakes” a little bit to keep the rapid progress towards my purpose at a rate I can manage.
Copyright © 2003-2009 Timothy A. Kelley. All rights reserved. “Know Your Purpose” and “Purpose Hunting” are trademarks of Timothy A. Kelley
Back to my thoughts…
I’m wondering if Tim’s perspective was helpful to you. If so, how specifically?
Equally important, how do you manage the pace you operate at because you’re driven by your passion ?
Please share as I know we are in good company and what’s working for you may help me and others, too.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
Tags: Become an Expert, Information Marketing, Information Products, Internet Marketing, Marketing for Professionals, Professionals
December 15th, 2009
I just got an email from ??? Can’t even tell you at the moment. Whatever they said, whatever they offered, I nibbled, I bit, I got hooked.
They did everything right including thanking me for taking action. On the thank you page was a list of related resources. Many looked interesting and valuable and free. So I selected the ones most relevant for me. Here’s what I discovered…
All are by different authors. How do I know? I got emails from the different authors - the double opt-in type. Each therefore had a link for me to click to confirm I wanted what they were offering. I went to a different website for each information product I had selected. All were nice enough websites…
Some were offering additional products for a fee. Some now had me subscribed to a new newsletter.
And I now have access to lots of new informatin I said I wanted in the first place.
On one hand, I’m impressed with this strategy. A very cool approach in theory… All of this was professionally done. No complaints in that regard.
Here’s my growing concern as I get email after email offering more information. Not just the ones I mentioned above… From lots of other people ~ some I know, some I don’t and have no idea how they got my name in the first place (whether the info they’re offering is valuable or not…)
I’m on information overload – not so much the information itself, mind you. I love learning new stuff. The world’s changing so fast, I’m grateful there are so many people out there keeping up with this aspect or that, and are offering to let me in on their secret.
Free or fee, receiving access to all this information isn’t the problem.
It’s the time involved with reading the original email, clicking, entering my info, getting opt-in email, clicking, either waiting for next email or getting immediate access to the resource – which I usually have to save as I’m not in the stop and read mode.
I know I’m not alone. How are you dealing with it on the receiving end? Deleting? Unsubscribing?
Here’s my BIGGER question:
What if you’re a consultant wanting to serve more people and make more money? What’s a consultant to do to stand out in a noisy and crowded marketplace?
Any ideas? I sure would love to hear from you!
Woops, I just left myself wide open to get yet another bunch of new emails offering me yet another bunch of new information products or services promising to solve this problem or that.
What’s a girl to do?
More important, what’s a consultant to do?
Tags: Become an Expert, Email marketing, Information Marketing, Internet Marketing, Marketing for Consultants, Marketing for Professionals
December 14th, 2009
So you want to be well seen, well known, and well paid for doing what you know and love to do, right?
Maybe you call yourself a professional, maybe a consultant, maybe both.
Anyone can declare the same. All you need is some qualifications: experience, credentials, a degree (not necessarily related to what you’re doing now.)
More and more people are doing just that as they are laid off.
That means you’re swimming in a crowded Red Ocean of competition. There are many consequences of playing in this arena. Consultants chase business, winning clients is more difficult, and your piece of the pie is smaller. People want to bargain with you about your fee. You end up customizing what you offer for new clients. You know the drill.
What’s the alternative?
Swim out into a Blue Ocean. In fact, you can create your own Blue Ocean where you become known as an expert in your field. You get treated as a VIP, with all the perks. Business chases experts. People trust experts because they’re known as experts. Experts get to charge more, and people don’t expect a bargain.
Here’s the thing. While anyone can be self-declared professional or consultant, you can’t declare yourself an expert. Well, you can. Without much in your court that validates your declaration, I’m just not sure how credible others will find it.
What does it take to truly be recognized as an expert? Others need to say it’s so. Your clients, peers and experts in your field, the media, people with authority deem you an expert.
How do you win their endorsement? How do you become more visible, credible, valuable and, eventually, you become more profitable?
Have you ever heard of Milgram’s Law? The marketplace will blindly believe the words of an expert. You must be perceived as an expert.
Who’s an expert? Milgram says it’s someone who’s an author. While an author does have instant credibility, I believe today we have other options.
You can become a VIP with VIP ~ a Very Important Person with Valuable Intellectual Property. Turn your expertise into physical, tangible information products. It can be text, audio, video or multi-media. It can be physical or digital. You can offer it for free or a fee. There are many other criteria by which you can describe your Valuable Information Products. The important thing is that they exist. The evidence of your expertise then speaks for itself.
So what’s a consultant to do? Click here to discover 10 Blue Ocean Strategies I propose you implement to transform yourself into an expert in your field.
Here’s the thing. While it takes only a moment to read each strategy, becoming known as an expert isn’t instant pudding. You’ll need to invest time, energy, expertise, and maybe some money to implement each. Do consider working with someone who’s an expert at turning consultants into experts and expertise into Valuable Intellectual Property. You’ll achieve the coveted status more quickly and easily, with less wasted resources, than if you make the journey on your own. I’m here ready to extend a helping hand. All you need to do is ask.
The rewards of being known as an expert in your field is well worth the effort it’s going to take to get there. It’s the quality of your journey as much as the destination, so as you take one step after the other, remember to do so with a joyful heart. “Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down in the most delightful way.” If it’s got to be done, make it fun. Your vibration serves as a homing beacon. You attract what you vibrate in harmony with. You get what you put your attention on whether it’s what you want or don’t want.
So keep your eyes on the prize ~ you being known as an expert in your field and enjoying the perks that come with the status.
Tags: Become an Expert, Information Marketing, Information Products, Marketing for Consultants, Marketing for Professionals, VIP with VIP
December 4th, 2009
I’m still reading Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. My business partner and friend, Russ, had been recommending it for a while now. I’m glad I am. It’s one of those pivotal books for me.My dear friend and business partner, Russell Cox, has been talking about Blue Ocean Strategies for some time. He brought it up again during a recent conversation with Rick Hadsock, the third in our team.
What’s a Blue Ocean and why is it important to you and me? “Blue oceans are defined by unknown, and therefore, untapped market space, demand creation, and the opportunity for highly profitable growth.”
This is compared with Red Oceans which represent all industries in existence today in which “industry boundaries are defined and accepted, and the competitive rules of the game are known. Here, companies try to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share of existing demand. As the market space gets crowded, prospects profits and growth are reduced. Products become commodities, and cutthroat competition turns the red ocean bloody.
“Although some blue oceans are created well beyond existing industry boundaries, most are created from within red oceans by expanding existing industry boundaries. In blue oceans, competition is irrelevant because the rules are waiting to be set.
“It will always be important to swim successfully in the red ocean by outcompeting rivals. Red oceans will always matter and will always be a fact of business life. But with supply exceeding demand in more industries, competing for a share of contracting markets, while necessary, will not be sufficient to sustain high performance. Companies need to go beyond competing. To seize new profits and growth opportunities, they also need to create blue oceans.”
If you want to learn more without (or before) reading the book, click on this link. You’ll be taken to a website from which you can download files about Blue Ocean Strategy ~ a few summary slide presentations,
The best files start with Blue Ocean Strategy. Start with them.
Enjoy and happy sailing!
Tags: Become an Expert, Information Marketing, Marketing for Consultants
December 3rd, 2009
