Entrepreneurs Need to Stop Doing These 10 Things, Right Now

Being an entrepreneur is hard. It's really hard. There isn't a playbook, instructional manual, video or biography that can possibly provide you with enough information to make it easy.

 

While the difficulty is just part of the deal, there are a number of things that founders often find themselves entangled in that, without question, make it harder. Let’s take a look at a list of the things that you, as a founder, need to stop doing -- right now.

 

1. Lying to yourself or others about your traction

 

It’s awesome if you’ve had 70,000 downloads for your new app in the first three months or that you generated over $1 million last year in revenue. It’s not awesome if you only have 2,000 monthly active users or actually lost $2 million overall. These are numbers that you are hiding behind, lying both to yourself and everyone else as you shout them from the mountaintop. At some point, you’ll begin to believe them -- then you’re in serious trouble.

 

2. Focusing on too many things at once

 

Guess what? You only have 100 percent of your time to split up between your professional activities. If you do too many different things simultaneously, you’re just splitting up your 100 percent into pieces that ultimately resemble slivers of poor performance. Instead, spend 100 percent of your time and focus on becoming excellent at one thing.

 

3. Working yourself to death

 

The concept that you need to work grueling hours to be an entrepreneur is not a rule, it’s a choice. Technology has advanced to the point where you can get inexpensive help with literally anything. If you’ve chosen not to learn to use the wealth of outsourcing and automation opportunities that would allow you to have a life and a normal night of sleep, that’s your fault and nobody else’s.

 

4. Following shiny objects

 

There’s no quicker way to drown your new enterprise than chasing too many opportunities. Yes, it’s in our nature as entrepreneurs to notice new opportunities and look for solutions to them, but you must remain focused on the task at hand. The best entrepreneurs in the world remain unshakably focused, and you must too.

 

5. Building terrible "lean" products

 

The "minimum viable product" (MVP) concept has a lot of value, in theory, but doesn’t always translate to production-level quality. So stop using the lean startup methodology as an excuse to put out crappy, underdeveloped products. You’re only wasting your own time.

 

6. Using the word "I"

 

Humility is important, particularly when your company begins to grow and bring on outside team members. There is no better way to disenfranchise them than to take credit for everything that comes out of the door. Stop being arrogant and replace “I” with “we.”

 

7. Building companies with no revenue

 

If I hear one more pitch where the entrepreneur says, “we’re not worrying about revenue until X happens,” I’m going to poke my eyes out. You’re starting a business, not a hobby, and the likelihood of you building the next Snapchat is fantastically low. Instead, create something that provides users with this magical thing called “value.” If you’re lucky (or smart) people will be willing to pay for it.

 

8. Asking investors to sign non-disclosure agreements

 

If you’re doing this, you’re screaming, “I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing”, which doesn’t typically bode well for potential investment. Here’s the thing, investors are investing, not stealing ideas and building companies. On top of that, it can take quite a long time to build your brand and networks as an investor and I can assure you that if they were indeed stealing ideas, it would fly through the startup community like wildfire.

 

If you’ve found the secret to creating nuclear fusion and are truly worried about it, be sure to work only with known and respected investors.

 

9. Thinking that you're the only company in your space

 

When you claim to not have competition, you’re either being dishonest or ignorant. Here’s the problem: competitors aren’t always direct replicas of your business -- think Walgreens and CVS -- but can be other larger companies with potential interest in your space -- Apple or Google -- that have huge amounts of cash to throw at the problem you’re trying to solve.

 

10. Building photo sharing and mobile dating apps

 

Sorry to break your heart, but those ships have sailed. You need to stop building companies that are incrementally, or 10 percent, better than what already exists. Instead, be creative and build your business around new innovations, ideas and even industries.

 

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243324

 

How Could Photos Help Your SEO?

Many people are visually oriented, preferring a good photo to a written description. While a photo may not help a search engine, it probably would help a searcher decide if your link was worth the click.

 

Matt Southern of Search Engine Journal took a look at a recent development: Google Gives Business Owners More Control Over Photos Displayed In Search Results. What it means for business owners is options like having one photo for Google+ and a different image for other Google properties, like search.

 

How many different photos you use is up to you, but you can opt for different categories like interior or exterior photos, or shots of your team or workplace. If you want to explore your options, log into your business profile, go to the Photos section, and use the new intuitive feature to see what is possible.

 

People Like Pictures

 

You know that old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”? It’s an old saying that keeps being repeated because people like pictures. Images that actually reflect your business are going to be better than stock photos because they trigger a more specific response.

• Hey, I know that person! He handled my account.
• We ate in that dining room, the meal was delicious and the atmosphere is great.
• I loved that sweater because it was comfortable and it stayed that way after washing.
• Those lamps look perfect, we should go see them in the showroom.
• So that’s who I spoke to on the phone. She was so helpful.
• That business looks familiar…of course, I’ve driven past it. I should stop next time.

 

Optimize Photos According to Publishing Guidelines

 

If you use your own photos, then do your homework and follow image publishing guidelines. Make sure those photos are high-quality, too. That isn’t really as difficult as it sounds if you can find an enthusiastic photographer in your area. That person may already be on staff. [Or take your own product and staff photos!]

 

There are definitely some things to be careful with. Some of those things include attribution, image site maps, and formatting. You also have to be careful with the mix of mobile and loading photos.

 

But along with the increased complications of images, the fact remains that people like pictures and a search result with a good photo is probably going to be picked over plain text. That’s why Google is adding the photo options, and that’s why you should look into the possibilities.

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/2015-03-02/how-could-photos-help-your-seo
 

6 Steps to Building a Loyal Online Audience

Are you looking for ways to build a loyal online audience? Do you know what a loyal audience can do for your business?

 

To be successful online you’ll need a group of brand advocates who will help to push your business forward. Those that will read your posts, share your content and recommend you to their friends, family and colleagues.

 

To help build that audience QuickSprout have put together their 6 steps in the infographic below.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2015/02/27/6-steps-to-building-a-loyal-online-audience/

 

Google Plans to Index Tweets in Real Time: How This Could Impact Your SEO

 

Years ago, it was commonplace to find real-time tweets in Google Search results. Twitter and Google had inked a deal that gave the search giant access to the social network's data stream. In turn, Google would display tweets in search results in real time. But that agreement expired, and in the middle of 2011, Google lost access to Twitter's data stream. 

 

Now, nearly four years later, the gang's back together.
Recently, Google and Twitter announced that they are working together again to index tweets as soon as they are posted.

 

How should a marketer to react to this news? In this post, I will focus on how you can benefit from the new deal between Google and Twitter. You will need to be active on Twitter to obtain these benefits, but I will include some tips for those of you who are just getting started -- you can still benefit from this development if you're doing the right things. The good news is that it will take some time for Google to implement changes based on the new data they will be getting from Twitter, so you have some time to get ready. But the sooner you get started, the better.

 

So let's dive into what the deal actually is and learn how you can take advantage of it.

 

What's the Deal With This New Deal?

 

Basically, this deal gives Google real-time access to tweets via a data feed, commonly called the Twitter Firehose. While the agreement seems to be in effect already, the two companies are saying only that it will take effect in Google Search sometime in the first half of 2015. The reason it will take some time to implement is that Twitter needs to figure out how to prep the data for Google, and Google needs to look at this data stream and decide what they want to do with it. However, one thing we know they will do is increase the number of tweets that they are indexing. What that means is that your tweets could start showing up in the search results.

 

Google actually does show some tweets in its search results today, but it's only a very small portion of what's on Twitter. My company, Stone Temple Consulting, recently did a study of 133,000 tweets to see how Google indexes tweets, and what we found is that Google indexes less than 8% of all the tweets we tested.

 

 

That's not a high level of indexation at all. To make matters worse, it also appears that Google is quite slow to index tweets, as you can see in the chart below:

 

 

Currently, that means tweets have little chance of getting indexed. In fact, the people whose tweets were most likely to be indexed, according to our study, had much higher than average followings. For people who are just starting out on Twitter, chances are that the indexation rate is near zero.

 

The new deal between Google and Twitter may well change all that. It's hard to predict just how many more tweets Google will index, but you can count on it being a significant change -- otherwise doing this deal makes no sense for Google.

 

As a result, you may have an opportunity to use Twitter to increase your presence in Google's SERPs. However, remember that Google will need a few months to implement changes to leverage the Twitter data feed, so don't expect instant results.

 

How Will Google Choose Which Tweets to Index?

 

Google has made no statements about what their plans are, so we don't know for sure. But, based on their history, we figure that Google is going to work hard to find the tweets that offer the most value to their audience. They will also most likely implement strong anti-spam measures.

 

While the new Twitter data feed will be valuable to them, frankly, it's an add-on. They will be conservative in what they allow into the results, and they will only include things that they have a very high degree of confidence are not spam.

 

As a consequence of that, trying to game this new arrangement will likely be very difficult to do. Google is going to look for signals that certain tweets have greater value. Here are the types of signals that could be available to them:

1. Links from third party web sites to the tweets. (This signal is already available to them today.)
2. Links from third party web sites to a user's profile. (This signal is already available to them today.)
3. How many times a tweet is retweeted, and by whom. They may get this info directly from Twitter, or they may use their own means to determine it. (This will be new data for them.)
4. How many times a tweet is favorited, and by whom. They may get this info directly from Twitter, or they may use their own means to determine it. (This will be new data for them.)

I don't see how this deal makes sense for Google unless they get the info on points 3 and 4 above, or at least number 3. This would mean that Google can use retweet data, and the knowledge of who is performing the RTs to determine which tweets have the most value. This is the source of where I see significant potential value for companies and publishers.

 

Maximize your engagement on Twitter, and you are sending out signals that your tweeted content is valuable. So how do you get more engagement?

 

How Should You Maximize Engagement on Twitter?

 

This was the subject of another study my company did recently on Twitter engagement. This particular study focused on what factors within your Twitter content cause increases in retweets and favorites. By far the most significant factor was the use of images in your tweets:

 

 

Here you can see that your chances of getting at least one retweet are more than doubled for most low and moderate social authority accounts. That's quite a significant difference. Our data also showed that you can also get five to nine times as many total retweets by including images. That's a big deal!

 

Other factors that matter, though not quite as much as images, were the use of hashtags and implementing longer tweets. Factors that mattered less were time of day, including links to content off of Twitter, or mentions of others.

 

While the above info can definitely help you optimize your own presence, you can't forget the importance of developing relationships on Twitter. Focusing on key friendships and relationships with influencers is a big key to success, especially if your presence on the platform is not currently that strong. 

 

Imagine someone with a highly influential account retweeting your most important content. This could be gold for you, as it can make Google aware of the content very quickly. The influencer's tweet with the link to your content may appear in search results and help expose it to much wider audiences. Of course, this may also result in more links to your content as well.

 

Even if Google does not get information in the Twitter data feed that allows it to understand who is retweeting whom, Google could still use link data to better understand whose profiles are most important. Then, they can place more value on their tweets, and place them within their index, driving traffic and exposure to that tweet. If it contains a link to your content, your traffic and exposure could go up.

 

Summary

 

Will this fundamentally alter the digital landscape? No, but it does mean that a strong presence on Twitter will have more value than it did before. To capitalize on this shift, do the following:

1. Increase your time invested in Twitter.
2. Create engaging content that people will want to retweet and favorite.
3. Build relationships with others who will help amplify your content.
4. Make sure to build relationships with influencers whose tweets are more likely to get indexed by Google.
5. Watch the indexation of your tweets grow while you build your own influence on the platform.

As the full partnership takes effect, we may discover other ways to optimize our Twitter strategies for search, but until then, preparing for the shift using the steps above is a wise move.

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/google-twitter-indexing-tweets-data

 

LinkedIn Marketing: 8 Huge Benefits and 8 Awesome Tips to Master It

Ae you using LinkedIn as a platform to market your business? Do you need convincing about its benefits and want some tips to get started?

 

If you’re a B2B company LinkedIn is an absolute must, but that’s not to say a B2C company can’t achieve success too. LinkedIn offers a unique platform to build brand awareness amongst a targeted professional audience.

 

QuickSprout have put together this infographic showing the benefits of LinkedIn and some tips on how to implement your strategy.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2015/02/17/linkedin-marketing-8-huge-benefits-and-8-awesome-tips-to-master-it/

 

How to Write an Irresistible Headline

Let’s start with a fundamental question: How are posts shared?

 

It’s not the blog post, tool, or resource that gets shared. That might be what motivates the person who is sharing it, but all that ends up getting shared is the headline. The headline is what you share with your subscribers, it’s what people see in search results, and it’s what gets passed around

.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a good headline is going to help your traffic prospects.

 

What’s less obvious is that sometimes the best way to come up with an idea is to start with the headline. Here’s why: If you start with the resource, you might end up putting a lot of time into it before you realize that there’s no way to summarize it with an irresistible headline. This is a lot like the death sentence most products face if they don’t have an “elevator pitch” on which to build.

 

 

What Makes a Good Headline?

 

According to a study published in The Guardian, these changes help your headline’s click-through rate:1

• Headlines with 8 words do 21% better than average.
• Using a hyphen or colon will add 9% to your CTR.
• Thumbnails and images boost clicks by 27%, so use them on every platform you can.
• List posts tend to do better. They do even better if the number of list elements is odd instead of even. In fact, odd-numbered posts do 20 percent better than even-numbered posts. I suspect, however, that “10” is an exception to this rule.
• Headlines that end with a question mark do better according to this study. On top of that, a university study has also found that question headlines do better. They also discovered that question headlines did even better if they referenced the reader with “you” or “your,” as opposed to rhetorical questions or other types of questions.
• Headlines that end with three exclamation points get twice as many clicks as headlines with any other punctuation!!! Obviously, you can do this too much!!! You’ll start to lose your credibility after a while!!! But if you’re going to use an exclamation point, you might as well use three instead of one!!!

 

What Do the Top Blogs Do?

 

Using a script, Startup Moon scraped several blogs and organized the posts from most to least shared on social networks. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the most shareable headlines, but it’s probably a good indication that these posts attracted more traffic than usual. Posts in the top 20% tended to use the following tactics:

• Startup Moon was looking at tech blogs, but some of the most successful posts used words like “kill,” “fear,” “dark,” “bleeding,” and “war.” It looks like violent language gets attention, even when the subject isn’t about violence at all.
• The negative spin on a post tends to do better. Words like “without,” “no,” and “stop” showed up in a lot of the top posts. A study by Outbrain reached a similar result. They found that the negative superlatives “never” and “worst” performed 30% better than average and 59% better than positive superlatives. I’d bet that this all comes down to the human bias called loss aversion. Even when the outcome is the same, we pay more attention when the outcome is framed as avoiding a loss instead of gaining something.
• Obviously, people like seeing numbers in headlines. But it’s not just list posts that do this. Numbers of any kind apparently add credibility to headlines by adding specificity. Bigger numbers also tend to do better because they make things sound more dramatic. Use digits to represent numbers, not words. Time units also help, probably because they indicate exactly how much time it will take to learn something new. Finally, it’s best if the headline starts with the number.
• Guides do very well. Using words like “introduction,” “beginner’s guide,” “in 5 minutes,” and “DIY” will help your CTR.
• Piggybacking on big brands and hot topics also helps, even when the articles are only using those brands or topics metaphorically to make a comparison with something very different.
• A few random words also seemed to help: smart, surprising, science, history, hacks/hacking/hackers, huge/big, critical.
• The study also found that these words seem to hurt: announcing, wins, celebrates, grows.

 

Finally, if you want better headlines, your content needs to be built on a broader base of subjects and topics. This is where you look for inspiration from the top brands and widen your content strategy to include as many themes and ideas related to your industry as you can.

 

In another study, Ripenn analyzed 2,616 headlines on sites known for their ability to elicit clicks: BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, ViralNova, and Wimp. Here’s what they recommend as a result of their findings:

• Reference current trends, celebrities, and popular movies but with a unique spin on them.
• Inject headlines with curiosity. Elicit an interest, but don’t give it all away in the title.
• Use emotional words.
• Use action words. This is backed up by Dan Zarrella’s research on Twitter click-through rates. More adverbs and verbs will help CTR, while more nouns and adjectives will hurt it. We like to hear stories about things that are being done or learn how to do things. We don’t like stories about things just sitting there.
• Make bold claims.
• Write relatable, human headlines, and don’t get too formal.

 

Working together with Ripenn on that study, BufferApp was able to discover that these were some of the most popular phrases in successful headlines:

 

Image via BufferApp

Image via BufferApp

 

What If You Just Want to Sell?

 

While these are great tactics for sparking interest in a subject, many of them will backfire if you’re trying to target users who are already looking for something specific. Several case studies from ContentVerve at Unbounce demonstrate that, when it comes to landing pages:

• Question titles almost always perform worst. (“Need a Free MP3 Player?”)
• Loss-aversion titles tend to come in second unless there is a very clear thing people are trying to avoid. (“Don’t Waste Money on Expensive Mp3 Converters”)
• Titles expressing a very clear benefit tend to do best. (“Get Your Free YouTube Converter”)

 

The business of writing headlines for landing pages is very different from the business of writing headlines for blog posts. With landing pages, you’re trying to capture the attention of people who are already looking for something specific. Clever headlines just force them to think harder about what you’re offering.

 

With blog posts, on the other hand, you’re usually trying to elicit interest in a subject.

 

Over to You

 

Think carefully about which goal you’re trying to accomplish before you write your headline. In fact, this will probably depend on the platform. You’ll usually want to write more creative headlines for platforms like Facebook and Twitter, while you will often want to use more straightforward headlines for paid search or email.

 

It all comes down to the question of serendipitous discovery versus goal-oriented search.

 

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-write-a-headline/

 

36 Tried-and-True Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts

There are lots of things you need to do to have a successful blog. Not only do your posts need to be well-written, helpful, and relevant to your target audience, but you've also got to make sure you're promoting them correctly so they get in front of people who could become your fans -- and maybe even your customers.

 

Luckily, you have many creative options when it comes to promoting your blog content.

 

In the infographic below from ReferralCandy, we hear from over 40 marketing experts about their favorite blog promotion tactics -- everything from relationship building to email segmentation to social media. Check it out.

 

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blog-promotion-tactics

 

8-Step Mantra Marketing Action Plan For Growing Your Brand & Presence

If there is one thing I have learned about marketing it’s this: marketing feels awkward and uncomfortable.

 

Why?

 

You have great things to share, you want to share them and profit from your knowledge and expertise but somehow, the marketing part feels icky and itchy, and you just don’t have the time to commit to marketing and growing your brand. Right?

 

Is that really why?

 

I bet that is part of the reason, but here’s the REAL reason why:

 

There’s a little voice inside you that starts talking and she is stopping you. She is saying: Who do you think you are? You are not good enough! You don’t deserve to have fabulous clients! Everybody knows you are not going to really deliver all that you say you can!

 

Or: fill in the blank for what your personal inner meanie tells you.

 

One of the secrets to my own personal achievement has been shutting up that little voice and creating simple actions to move myself forward. I learned through lots of trial and error that the actions don’t work unless I attach a strategy for quieting the voice.

 

This is where mantras come in.

 

A mantra is a phrase (or sound or word) that you repeat when you meditate or pray.

 

When I grew my business from 100K to 1M it took me eight years. Yep, eight steady years of intentionally (and sometimes painfully) moving myself out of the way over and over again. During this time, I found powerful mantas to be incredibly helpful.

 

So, since my area of expertise is coaching people to their own online marketing greatness I have created this 8-step mantra marketing action kit for you!

 

Why would a marketer choose the number 8? We are supposed to stick with 5, 7 and 9s for maximum effectiveness, right? Even my book and signature system is called Music Success in 9 Weeks for goodness sakes!

 

A trip to numerology.com revealed my answer:

 

“The number 8, more than any other number, puts the emphasis in the areas of career, business, finances and authority. However, as with many other single-digit numbers, the shape of the number reflects its most important attribute, and in the case of the number 8, that is, first and foremost, balance… When the 8 comes knocking, you can be assured that you will reap what you’ve sown.”

Hmmm… Coincidence that it took me eight years to build my business? I think NOT!

Meanwhile, here we go with a mantra system just for you:
 

CYBER PR’S 8-STEP MANTRA MARKETING ACTION PLAN FOR GROWING YOUR BRAND & PRESENCE

 How do you break through and get noticed on social media? Don’t try to get noticed. It’s all about relationships, conversation, and interaction. But it’s also about believing that you can. Behold:

 

Action #1: Identify Your Ideal Customer and Only Speak to Her.
Mantra: Less is More.

 

You’ve seen all of the numbers. There are a billion people on Facebook, and 500 million on Twitter etc. etc. The landscape is vast. Don’t even try to think you can talk to everyone.

 

Instead, consider the characteristics of the ideal customer you would most like to engage. What’s her name? Does she have kids? What does she like to do, eat, and read? Most importantly, what makes her tick and what objections would she have if she were buying what you have to offer? All of these questions should lead your content. Write posts and create content only to her and she will show up to read it.

 

Action #2: Don’t Hype.
Mantra: I am Helpful.

 

Sales pitches have their place and they will emerge when the time is right, however too much and your followers will tune you out.

 

If you are going to take the time to get it right and ultimately establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche, be genuine and share what is meaningful to you. People will connect to your passion and therefore connect with you.

 

Action #3: Shine a Light on Other People.
Mantra: Social Media is not a Competition.

 

If you are willing to lift people up in public, it shows that you are a person of integrity who is not threatened by others. Highlight other people’s ideas, successes, and talents often. Share links to great blog posts, congratulate a promotion on LinkedIn, and Tweet a fantastic quote from someone you admire (or even better from your competitors).

 

Action #4: Make Your Content Easy to Share.
Mantra: I Share My Knowledge & Expertise.

 

If you have a blog, be sure you include ReTweet, Facebook like and Google+ buttons on each post. Add social sharing tools into your newsletters so people can spread your compelling content. Make short links for people so they’re more sharable by using bit.ly. Always think: How can I make what I do online as viral as possible?

 

Action #5: Answer Everyone.
Mantra: I Care About Others.

 

If you don’t care about your audience, they won’t care about you. If someone comments or likes or says something thoughtful about what you’ve written or shared, take time to answer.

 

Everyone is important, so treat everyone that way. They will notice and your social karma and currency will rise quickly.

 

Action #6: Be Bold, Stay Your Course.
Mantra: I am Bold & I am Authentic.

 

Fitting in and neutrality defeats thought leadership. You have important things to say, do not be afraid to say them. Be you, be real, and be bold. Stand out from all the other voices and be consistent and authentic with your message.

 

Action #7: Invite Participation.
Mantra: My Friends Are Here to Help Me.

 

Have friends and colleagues who you consider whip-smart, funny, helpful and an asset to your community become part of your content contribution team. Ask her to guest post and add her own thought leadership to your conversation.

 

It doesn’t have to be someone with a huge social following. In fact, it’s helpful if they don’t already have a large online presence because when others Google them they will be directed to your content! So, get collaborating!

 

Action #8: Put Yourself Out There.
Mantra: Others Benefit Because of Me.

 

While building a platform you have to simultaneously do so in World 1.0 as well as on Web 2.0! Get out there and speak in public, go on TV (or make your own TV on YouTube). Use your content to eventually publish a book. Writing a book is the most amazing calling card in the world.

 

Print the infographic below out and hang it where you can see it next to your desk or bed, or on the fridge. Repeat, repeat and repeat till they sink in.

 

http://cyberpr.com/2014/02/8-step-mantra-marketing-action-plan-growing-brand-presence/

 

9 Things Great Writers Do Every Day

You’re a writer, a content creator. People expect you to churn out really good, really engaging, and really awesome content.

 

What they don’t realize is that it takes some serious effort to create great stuff. That article that is so easy for them read is actually really difficult for you to write.

Thankfully, through the sheer power of habits, you can get to the point where creating awesome content comes naturally. Habits have the uncanny ability to stick with you. They’re a pain to implement, but they flow effortlessly after that. In the interest of making your tough job a little bit easier, here are a few daily habits that will make your content much better.

 

 

Remember, these are daily habits. Skip the weekend if you want, but be sure to put these into practice during the days that you’re expected to produce content.

 

1) Read Something Really Well Written

 

The next few tips have to do with reading. One of the best ways to become a better writer is to read what others have written. You’re not going to become a solid professional writer if you spend all day reading low-quality content. But if you spend more of your day reading professional-grade content, then you will improve.

 

The tough thing is, you have to be discerning to find the really good stuff online. To start, here’s a list of places where the content quality stays high:

• Harvard Business Review
• New York Times
• Slate

Don’t be afraid to pay for top-tier content. There’s a reason it costs money, and it’s often well worth it.

 

2) Read Something Funny

 

Reading humor can help shake up your brain in ways that loosen up the creative portions and help you produce better content. If you need to get your fix of Buzzfeed or The Oatmeal, go ahead. Don’t feel guilty about it.

 

Sometimes, the best few minutes of your day are spent laughing. You’ll enjoy a lot of benefits besides just the kick you got out of the hilarious content. You’ll enjoy the benefit of writing better content yourself. Your content may not be funny, but it will be good.

 

3) Read Something Outside of Your Niche

 

If you want to get better, read broader.

 

Reading other stuff -- really different stuff -- has a way of cross-pollinating your own writing specialty. For example, maybe you write about conversion rate optimization all day. If that’s the case, then take a few minutes to read a blog about yoga.

 

Yoga?! Why? Because the style, approach, and nature of content that is outside your niche can help you within your niche.

 

Good writing, regardless of what it’s about, will help you become a better writer.

 

4) Read Something You Wrote in the Past

 

Great orators spend hours watching their speeches. Professional athletes analyze videos of their moves. Politicians watch themselves on TV.

 

You’re a writer, so you should read content that you wrote in the past. The goal of reading past content is not to edit it. It’s too late for that. Instead, you want to learn from it.

• What was good about it?
• What things do you write best about?
• What wasn’t so good?
• What sounds awkward?

Ask yourself those questions and spend a few minutes getting a better understanding of how you’re doing as a writer.

 

5) Write for at Least 30 Minutes

 

The most powerful tip in this whole list is right here: Write for at least 30 minutes every workday. (Skip the weekends; you deserve the break.)

 

To become a better writer, you have to write. A lot. Every day. There’s no way to improve without actually doing it.

 

When you get into the habit of writing on a daily basis, your brain begins to anticipate it and prepare for it. This is especially true if you write at the same time each day. Way before you put hands to the keyboard, the brain’s juices are flowing, allowing you to be more creative, more precise, and more skillful during your writing time.

 

Every 30 minutes that you spend writing is 30 minutes that you’re getting better. Progress may not be huge, but at least it’s progress.

 

6) Force Yourself to Talk to Someone

 

Talking is different from writing. But talking can help you become a better writer, too.

If you want to write better, then talk better. You can’t improve your talking skills by staying silent all day.

 

If you work by yourself, call up a friend. If you work in an office, shoot the breeze over lunch or coffee. Just pick someone, and be conversational. Using your writing skills to some verbal interchange will actually help your writing become better.

 

7) Go for a Walk

 

Science has proven that taking a walk helps us think better. Some even say that it makes us smarter.

Let’s face it. Writing is a mental challenge. You must be in keen mental shape to be able to produce the kind of stuff that you’re producing.

 

So, if you want to sharpen your mind, then get out of your chair, head for the door, and don’t come back for at least 10 minutes. This isn't a brainstorming walk. You don’t have to think about anything, let alone your subject matter. Instead, you just move your body, and your mind will take care of the rest.

 

8) Write Fast

 

It may sound strange, but some of my best content is stuff that I wrote really fast.

 

Obviously, it had tons of typos and grammar errors, but overall, the content itself was pretty darn good.

 

I’ve recently discovered the reason for this. The mind can generate thoughts way faster than the hands can type them. If, however, you’re able to type faster, you're able to transcribe more of those thoughts, along with extra nuance and clarity.

 

Your fingers will never be able to match the speed at which you think, but when you do produce content rapidly, it has a much better chance of aligning with what you’re thinking.

 

I’ve met people who say “Oh I can’t write. It just comes so slow!” Actually, I bet they could write, if only they type it out faster.

 

You don’t have to turn on your supersonic speed all the time, but it’s helpful to get in the habit of writing fast.

 

Write fast. Edit slow.

 

9) Google Any Grammar Questions

 

An important part of writing is the mechanical stuff -- making sure you’re not breaking any grammar laws or violating any rules.

 

(A few well-intentioned rule breaking is okay, but if you’re being sloppy, that’s just bad form.)

 

If you come up against a grammar issue while you’re writing, do a quick Google search on it. It will only take a few minutes, but you’ll definitely learn something and possibly avoid an embarrassing mistake. Get into the habit of double-checking your grammar, even if you’re only slightly suspicious of your potential mistake.

 

Conclusion

 

Stay positive. Nobody becomes a better writer automatically. It takes months, even years, to form habits. But once those habits are in place, things can flow without any thought and hardly any effort. Before you know it, your writing is improving exponentially.

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/habits-great-writers

 

Who Actually Clicks on Banner Ads?

Website visitors are banner blind. 

 

And if they do pay attention to the display ads cluttering their online experience, they can put a stop to irrelevant messaging by installing an ad blocker.
Hey, it's tough for any brand to compete with plug-ins that can replace banner ads with pictures of puppies and kittens.

 

But this isn't to say banner ads are all bad. In fact, there have been some pretty creative uses of the display format. But overall, people are tired of being bombarded with ads that don't apply to them or are ill-timed. They lost trust, so they stopped clicking. 

 

But who are the ones actually clicking on banner ads out there? Prestige Marketing figured this out and created the below infographic. The information should make any brand commit to native advertising if they haven't already. Check it out.

 

 

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/banner-ad-clicks

 

How to Get More Likes on Your Facebook Page

Every brand on Facebook is on Facebook for one reason -- to (eventually) get more business. But getting more business from Facebook means different things to different types of businesses. Different brands will have different objectives, such as driving in-store sales, increasing online sales, launching a new product, building awareness, or promoting a mobile app.

 

Regardless of the objective, there are a few steps that happen before Facebook fans can turn into real business. You have to first build an audience on Facebook, then drive inbound traffic to your website, then turn that traffic into qualified leads, and then nurture those leads into customers.

This post is all about the very first step in this whole process: building an audience of fans who actually have an interest in what your company sells. If you recently set up your Facebook Page or could simply use a few pointers on how to get more Facebook Likes, this post is for you.

 

 

How to Get More Facebook Likes

 

1) Fill out your Facebook Page with searchable information. 

 

To grow your number of Facebook fans, every section of your page should include content that's relevant and helpful, but also searchable. Remember: All of the content on your page will be indexed by search engines, helping you attract more Fans to your page.

 

By no means should you should go on a keyword-stuffing spree -- but you should spend time optimizing each section of your page with keywords appropriate for your business.

 

For example, once you’ve created your Facebook Page, make sure the About section of your page includes:

• An overview of what your business has to offer
• A link to your website
• Any other information that will help prospects understand your business better

2) Include Facebook Like Boxes on your website and blog.

 

Making your Facebook Page as discoverable as possible includes promoting your Facebook presence using the marketing channels you already have, and removing any barriers for existing contacts to like your page. 

 

If you have a website or blog, use Facebook’s various social plugins to get people to 'Like' your page without having to go over to Facebook.com.

 

While Facebook's Like Button allows users to like individual pieces of content on the web and share them on Facebook, the Like Box is designed only for Facebook Pages. The Like Box is a great way to leverage social proof to amplify your page. It displays your page's number of Likes along with the faces of some of your Facebook fans.
 

3) Invite existing contacts to Like your page.

 

Chances are, you already have friends, family, and existing customers who would be more than willing to connect with your business on Facebook. All you need to do is ask. Whether in person, via email, or via Facebook, try asking for Likes and positive reviews. Just be cautious about over-promoting to uninterested connections.
 

You can also encourage existing connections to become fans by making it more likely that they'll see a suggestion on Facebook to like your page. How? You'll have to upload a list of emails to Facebook, and those from that list who are on Facebook will be made more likely to see a suggestion to like your page in places like "Recommended Pages." Your contacts who aren't on Facebook won't see this suggestion.
 

To upload a list of email contacts through Facebook, open the "Build Audience" menu (located at the top right of your Facebook Page) and select "Invite Email Contacts."
 

From there, you can upload a maximum of 7,000 contacts per day per page -- and a maximum of 5,000 contacts at a time.
 

4) Invite employees to Like your page.

 

People are more likely to Like pages that already have some sort of following, and your employees can help your business build its initial numbers. After all, they are your strongest and most effective brand advocates.
 

Ask them to like the official Facebook Page. Then, encourage them to share, Like, and comment on the content your team posts on Facebook, too. Employees who really want to share the love might include a link to your Facebook Page in their email signatures or on their personal social media profiles.
 

5) Incorporate Facebook into your offline communication channels.

 

Have a physical storefront? Think about ways to encourage patrons to become Facebook fans. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Place stickers in your front windows promoting your page's name.
• Include your Facebook URL on your receipts.
• Run a promotion where customers who become Facebook fans on the spot get small discounts.

Market your business offline? Include links to your Facebook Page and other social media profiles on printed ads, flyers, coupons, catalogs, business cards, and direct mail assets.
 

6) Cross promote on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

Add a link to your Facebook Page on your business's Twitter and LinkedIn profiles (and your personal profile, for that matter). Tweet about your Facebook Page occasionally to encourage your Twitter followers and LinkedIn connections to stay in contact with you on another network.
 

Add your Twitter link to your Facebook Page, and occasionally tweet about your Facebook Page. Don’t stop with Twitter and Facebook; you could also cross-promote on LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, etc. Just be sure that your cross promotions are sparing and strategic -- you don't want to spam the other audiences that you've worked so hard to develop.
 

7) Post valuable content.

 

The best way to increase your following on Facebook is by treating your fans like people -- and that means consistently delivering content that is valuable to them. Delivering value really comes into play with the content you create and share with your fans, and how you interact with them.
 

It's all about building long-term relationships with your Facebook fans. They might not remember one individual post to Facebook, but if they notice you consistently publish high quality, helpful, and relevant posts to Facebook, they'll think of you as a valuable resource.
 

So, how do you know what to publish? If you’re in tune with your buyer personas, you probably have a good idea what types of content your ideal customers like. If not, or if you just need some inspiration, consider spending a week taking note of the types of content in your own News Feed that compels you click, comment, or share. What inspired you? Use your observations to inspire future posts.
 

8) Be active.

 

Getting more Facebook Likes isn't just about profile optimization and an initial push. To continue growing steadily, you need to maintain an active, ongoing presence.
 

Not only does this mean posting educational, insightful content on a regular basis, but it also means monitoring your presence and interacting with your fans. Ask questions, answer questions, and participate in discussions with those posting on your page. Find, follow, and build relationships with others in your industry. Create a presence worth following.
 

9) Use Facebook Ads to expand your reach.

 

Growing your Facebook Likes organically is the best way to drive engagement and, ultimately, convert fans into customers. But if you have the budget for it, incorporating some paid advertising into your Facebook strategy can help augment the hard work you're already putting in.
 

Facebook offers a type of ad called a "Page Like Ad," which contains a CTA suggesting that users Like your Facebook Page. These ads can appear in users' News Feeds or in the ad column on the right-hand side of their web browser when they're on Facebook. Here's what a Page Like Ad looks like on a mobile News Feed:
 

Image Credit: Facebook

 

If you’ve exhausted your existing contacts and want to reach people who don’t know about your page yet, but would be interested in hearing from you, you can use Facebook’s granular targeting capabilities to reach your ideal buyer persona(s) and grow your audience.

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/get-more-facebook-likes
 

The Ultimate Social Media Marketing Checklist Every Newbie Must Follow

Are you just starting out on social media as a platform to market your business? Are you unsure about what you should be doing in order to be a success?

 

Take a look at these handy checklists from Andrea Vahl to see how you are getting along. There’s one for Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.

 

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2014/08/05/the-ultimate-social-media-marketing-checklist-every-newbie-must-follow/

 

9 Reasons Why Your Internet Marketing Strategy Will Fail Without a Blog

There’s no getting away from it, your business needs a blog if you want to succeed online!

 

Google’s algorithms demand that you create content that people will want to share and your customers demand information that will help them.

 

Take a look at the infographic below from QuickSprout which gives you 9 reasons why your business should be blogging.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2014/07/25/9-reasons-why-your-internet-marketing-strategy-will-fail-without-a-blog/

 

How to Use Psychological Biases to Sell Better and Faster

For all the powerful processing work the human mind can do, it's still prone to making bizarre assumptions or jumping to an illogical conclusion every now and then. Problem is, we don't even recognize these patterns as strange.

They're built into the fabric of our thought -- so to us, they just seem normal.

 

But upon examination, they're revealed to be anything but normal. Why else would we buy Beanie Babies in bulk? Or consider a rhyming tagline to be "truer" than a non-rhyming tagline? Thanks, psychological biases.

 

Like it or not, these biases are part of us. So those in the business of persuasion can benefit from learning how to spot and play to them. Below are 10 psychological biases that relate to decision-making. Not only can these help you understand why you make the choices you do, each also has a sales takeaway attached to help reps use these brain quirks to sell better.

 

1) The 'Ambiguity' Effect

 

Imagine I gave you two lunch choices. I could either take you out to a place you know and like (although it isn't your favorite), or I could take you somewhere completely random that neither of us have ever been to nor read any reviews about. It could be great, but it could also be awful. 

 

Which would you choose? If your brain works like most people's, you'd probably opt for the first option rather than risk a very unpleasant midday meal. 

 

Ambiguity effect causes people to avoid options with unknown results or those about which they lack information. Now you can tell your significant other there's a scientific reason why it's so hard to venture away from your tried-and-true bar or restaurant. 

 

Sales takeaway: Make sure buyers are informed about what results they can expect if they implement your product, and quickly answer questions or fill in knowledge gaps they might have. If you're so inclined, you could also cast a shadow of doubt over competitive products -- making prospects feel as if your choice is the only sure bet.

 

2) The 'Anchoring' Effect

 

Like your kindergarten teacher always told you, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Too bad that our brains are hard-wired to do just that. 

 

Whether for good or for bad, the first piece of information we receive about a person or situation will color our overall perception. Why? The initial detail acts as an anchor -- to which all further information is compared. 

 

Sales takeaway: First impressions matter. Carefully plan out how you will introduce yourself and your product. Make sure the first snippet of information the buyer receives about your offering sets a positive tone and high expectation for the rest of the buying process. 

 

3) Hyperbolic Discounting

 

Offer a toddler a candy bar now, or one (or two or three) later on, and you'll see hyperbolic discounting in action. Now is always better than later. You probably won't even finish your sentence before they latch on to the treat and gobble it down.

 

Turns out, this doesn't really change much as we grow up. Our brains are naturally biased toward rewards in the short-term than those in the long-term. The "discounting" part of hyperbolic discounting refers to the fact that the perceived value of a reward decreases the farther it is in the future, until the slope eventually flattens out.  

 

Sales takeaway: Emphasize the quick wins a customer can expect to see shortly after buying your product or service -- especially if the main benefit won't come for months. Build in immediate rewards as much as possible.

 

4) The 'Bandwagon' Effect

 

Beanie Babies. Pet rocks. Troll dolls. Looking back, these toy fads seem kind of silly. But did you buy or have one? Well, yeah, but ... everybody else was doing it!

 

No need to feel ashamed. There's a reason why you hopped on the trend. People naturally gravitate towards products or services they see other people using. And the larger the crowd, the more powerful the psychological pull.  

 

Sales takeaway: Social proof is more powerful than you might think. Play up the number of customers your company has, and introduce prospects to current clients. 

 

5) The 'Decoy' Effect

 

Are you having trouble deciding between two choices? Maybe adding a third will help. 

 

... Huh? My sentiments exactly. But although the decoy effect is totally irrational, it's been scientifically proven.

 

In a study conducted by Duke University, a researcher gave participants two dining choices: a five-star restaurant that was far away, and a three-star that was nearby. The diners were torn. But after introducing a third possibility -- a four-star restaurant even farther away than the five-star -- suddenly it was easy to choose the five-star option. It was the best quality and only moderately far away (when compared with the third choice). 

 

Sales takeaway: Use options to your advantage by presenting multiple versions of an offering or contract. If the prospect is really struggling to decide, introduce a decoy that will reinforce their innate predisposition.

 

6) The 'Rhyme-As-Reason' Effect

 

"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." With this simple couplet, Johnnie Cochran cemented his defense of O.J. Simpson to the jury during the former football player's infamous 1994 murder trial.  

 

While rhymes are naturally easier to remember, Cochran could also have been exploiting the rhyme-as-reason bias. This psychological quirk causes people to perceive rhyming statements as more truthful than non-rhyming ones containing the exact same message. It pays to be a poet -- and now you know it.

 

Sales takeaway: Reformulate your value proposition or a key takeaway about your product into a catchy rhyme. It can also help to apply this tactic to an aspect of your offering that is dubious or unclear.

 

7) The 'IKEA' Effect

 

There's no avoiding the inevitable confusion when trying to decode assembly instructions from the Swedish furniture outlet, but that's not what this bias is about. Instead, the IKEA effect refers to the fact that people value things they had a hand in creating more than similar -- or even superior -- products created by others.

 

While this can have a downside for creators (as their ownership of the project could make them blind to flaws), this brain trick can be exploited for salespeople's benefit rather easily.

 

Sales takeaway: Get prospects involved in customizing or putting their unique spin on your product or service. The more they feel like the offering is "theirs," the more positively they will feel towards it. 

 

8) The 'Illusory Truth' Effect

 

How do hypnotists put people to sleep? At least in movies, they repeat over and over, "You are getting sleepy ..." At first, the patient's eyes are wide open, but eventually their eyelids begin to flutter, and ultimately close. What happened?

 

One possible explanation is the illusory truth effect, which establishes that the more times a person hears a statement, the truer it seems to become. If this sounds impossibly basic (or maybe even insulting to your intelligence), you're not alone. "It seems too simplistic that just repeating a persuasive message should increase its effect, but that’s exactly what psychological research finds (again and again)," writes Dr. Jeremy Dean. "Repetition is one of the easiest and most widespread methods of persuasion." 

 

Sales takeaway: Determine your core message, and then deliver it over, and over, and over again. 

 

9) The Peak-End Rule

 

It's not just first impressions that matter -- speakers often strive to end on a high note. Why? Because people's brains are wired to remember two moments of a presentation above all others: the apex and the end.

 

For instance, if you were to attend a mostly boring movie with a fantastic ending and a single stellar scene, this bias holds that you would remember it more favorably than another movie that was good throughout, but never extraordinary. 

 

Sales takeaway: Make sure that sales presentations hit a deliberate high, and end on a thought-provoking and memorable point. If you're pressed for time, skew your preparation efforts to the ending and a critical moment rather than spending an equal amount of time on the entire presentation. 

 

10) Loss Aversion

With the exception of serial gamblers, most people's brains are risk-averse. Losing something that is already owned has been shown to be far more painful than gaining something advantageous is pleasing. And this knowledge can be valuable when framing product benefits and other sales messaging. 

 

Sales takeaway: Emotions are powerful motivators. Depending on what you sell, play up what prospects stand to lose by sticking with the entrenched status quo (another cognitive bias!). They'll be more willing to take a risk if they feel that something they own is at stake. 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/psychological-biases-sales