THIS BLOG HAS MOVED!

Click on one of the images above to be taken to my new blog or my website.

Blog: Sage Advice Blog Website: Write On Marketing & Copywriting

I’ve moved this blog because it wasn’t adding anything to the internet except clutter. I’ve got a new view on marketing and life in general, through the eyes of my dog, Sage. I also added a website to describe what I do, because let’s face it, dogs don’t write.

So I hope to see you on my new blog, and I hope you’ll add some animal stories of your own. Sage will wag her tail if you subscribe to her posts!

So go to Sage Advice Blog now. If you post a comment, Sage will give you a big slurpy ear kiss!

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design (or a combination of them) intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.”

Many companies spend time, money, and effort in developing just the right combination of color, font, and graphics to form an image that customers will notice and think is clever. They stress that this image be “just right.” I’m not saying a graphical image isn’t important, but I do think the process is backwards.

Branding comes naturally with your products and services. As customers interact with your company, you develop a reputation. This reputation is your brand. It is much more important than any graphical representation you use. The most reputable brands are those that are dependable as well as ego-boosting. In other words they make people feel good about themselves.

I don’t buy Durango boots because everyone sees the name (which is stamped on the bottom of the sole). I buy Durango boots because they look cool, are comfortable, and last forever. This is the type of branding that matters to me when I choose shoes. This is the type of branding that makes me feel good about myself.

Let’s face it: The color of your logo is not going to determine whether or not your customers buy from you. They are much more likely to buy from you because of how you make them feel. So how can you use this information to develop your brand?

• Understand the wants and needs of your customers.
• Offer high-quality products or services that people want.
• Make sure your product or service is something you love as well.
• Do what you say you will do.
• Give your clients great customer service in the rare event that something goes awry.

Your brand dwells in the hearts and minds of your customers. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions with your company. If you understand your customers and fill their needs, your business will automatically develop a following of satisfied customers and in turn become a brand.

So what exactly is the difference? Vanillas are nice, people-pleasing people. They don’t like to make waves. They don’t stand out in the crowd. There is very seldom anything STRONG about their personalities.

Jalapeno Chocolate Crunch individuals, on the other hand, are either loved or hated. They don’t mind being hated because it is not their purpose in life to be a pleaser. They are who they are and not everyone likes them.

When vanilla individuals go into business for themselves they start with a whimper. It takes them time to get their momentum. It takes time to establish their USP – probably because they don’t want to offend anyone. This fear can keep them stuck. Therefore, it is a bit more difficult for them to gather a following.

When Jalapeno Chocolate Crunch businesses emerge, they do so with a bang. Some people hate them and some people love them. They develop a following because of their strength. They know who they are. They are not worried about everybody liking them (at least on the exterior.) I admire that.

My favorite example of a Jalapeno Chocolate Crunch business is ittybiz. Naomi, the proprietress has a strong personal web presence. She tells it like she sees it. People either love her or hate her – I personally adore the woman and think she is usually ‘right on the mark’ when she expresses her views.

Vanilla-type personalities are not likely to turn into Jalapeno Chocolate Crunchies because it would be too uncomfortable for them. Now, for the clincher – (drum roll please) how does a vanilla become memorable?

If you’ve shopped in the supermarket lately you’ve probably noticed that there are a lot of different types of vanilla; Home-style vanilla, French vanilla, vanilla bean, etc. Different kinds of vanilla ice cream become memorable by distinguishing themselves from other vanillas. They might not be as distinctive as Jalapeno Chocolate Crunch, but they are noticeable and they can become unforgettable. (I overhead a woman at the store the day before Christmas lamenting the fact that there was no Canadian-vanilla ice cream available. It was her Christmas tradition to have some with hot, apple pie, and regular vanilla just wouldn’t do.)

My business might have started out with a whimper, but as people have gotten to know, like, and trust me, they now call me and refer others to me. These calls and referrals have had two positive effects on me: one, I have more business; and two, I have become more secure in what I do.

As I continue learning, developing my USP, and working with wonderful clients, my vanilla profile is churning into pralines and cream. I’ve actually discovered a benefit of being vanilla – it’s easier to change a few things without upsetting people. With these changes I am able to get down to work faster as I now have direction and can set definable goals. This also helps my customers as we are more in sync.

You can do this same thing in your business. Some things that have helped me, and might help you are:

• Developing your ideal client and knowing your target market.
• Defining what makes your business unique.
• Gathering customer testimonials. By talking with your customers, you find the reasons they use your product or service. Sometimes these reasons are actually different than what you thought.

So, for the New Year I wish you lots of ice cream. Personally, I’m thrilled there are so many flavors of ice cream, businesses, and people. It makes life so much more interesting and fun.

Why do we fail in keeping our resolutions?

Many people set goals and then focus on the downside of not achieving those goals. Wherever your focus is, is where you’re headed. Thus by focusing on failure, you fail.

Others set goals and hope to “attract” those goals into their lives. Positive focus is great, but inadequate. I’m not implying that no one should set goals or think positively about them. But, it’s not enough to cut out a picture of a slim model and tape it onto your fridge. You have to actually do something different than what you are currently doing to achieve your goal. You have to take action.

We are conditioned in school to focus on the grade at the end of the term. This teaches us that it is only the result that matters; when it is really the process along the way that changes us.

An Easier Way to Make Resolutions:

A resolution is a resolve to achieve a goal. People who achieve their goals have some things in common. These include:

1. Make a plan. Setting a goal and not making a plan is not a resolution, it is wishful thinking. Spend some time deciding on your plan. For example, if you want to lose some weight, how are you going to do this? Your plan could include things such as only eating when you are hungry (instead of eating for emotional reasons) and exercising for 30 minutes 5 days a week.
2. Set a deadline. Deadlines keep you from infinite procrastination (or overindulging in New Year’s Dinner). They help you visualize an end.
3. Decide on a reward. Rewards are good. They are treats for the end of the process. They are like a grade. However, it’s best to keep the reward in line with the goal. If you are trying to lose weight, a good reward would be a new article of clothing. A not-so-good reward would be a trip to the local bakery. If your goal is going to take a long time or require a lot of effort, setting some mid-term rewards can help you maintain your motivation.
4. Start immediately. Many people make goals and then procrastinate putting them into practice because they want to start “at the beginning of the week,” “when it gets warmer,” or some other future time. If you don’t start immediately, you often lose your initial steam, or just plain forget you set the goal at all. Realize that by starting immediately you are doing something different and are on your way to success.
5. Break your goal into chunks. By breaking your goal into bite-size pieces, it makes it seem more attainable. If you want to lose weight, set mini-goals – such as exercise 3 days this week; exercise 4 days next week; exercise 5 days the following week, and every week thereafter. By breaking your goal down, it becomes easier to grasp and success seems easier.
6. Write your goal down. This helps you put your goal into concrete form. Put reminders of your goal where you will see them: on the fridge, in your car, on your computer screen.
7. Keep a “goal” journal. By writing down your successes, and sometimes your not so successful experiences, you can see what is working and where your weak spots are. If you are hungry every afternoon at 2:00, decide to eat something at that time that fits into your plan. A goal journal works better for me when combined with a progress chart. The progress chart shows me when I have worked on my goal. The journal gives me feedback as to why I didn’t work on my goal.
8. Tell a friend. By telling someone else about your goal, it adds the element of accountability. You can exchange this responsibility by also helping your friend with a goal. Pick someone who will be gentle and encouraging if you don’t stay on track, but who will also help you get back to your goal. This goal exchange can be online, on the telephone, or in person. It generally works best if you have a short “check-in” time weekly, or on another regularly-scheduled basis.
9. Be flexible. After you start changing your habits, sometimes other things change as well. Maybe you can’t exercise 30 minutes a day anymore during your lunch hour. Don’t set your goal aside – change the method of achieving it. Maybe you can exercise for 30 minutes before or after work. Or maybe you can exercise 15 minutes before work and 15 minutes after work. There is usually a workable option for any situation; you just have to think about it.
   Life is experienced throughout the process – not at the end when the goal is achieved. It is the work that is done while you are trying to achieve something that is important. Sometimes the goal itself will change. That’s okay. When you are working towards a goal, the struggle changes you for the better.
10. Expect setbacks. Achieving a goal is like learning to drive a car: you don’t learn in one smooth process. Sometimes it seems as if you will never learn to parallel park, but (unless you’re me) eventually you get there. Setbacks are part of the process and are to be expected. If you treat them as just lapses, their impact will be much less and you will get to your goal.
11. One thing at a time. Life is busy and if you set several goals, they can become overwhelming. So work on one at a time. Keep your future goals on a piece of paper or on your computer, so you don’t forget them. Or, work on one goal each day, week, or month as Benjamin Franklin did. Either way, stay underwhelmed.
    (To learn more about Benjamin Franklin & his goals see Benjamin Franklin’s the Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living)
12. Make a goal for you. Don’t let others pressure you into making a goal. You need to be motivated by you – not others’ opinions. It has to be the right goal and the right time for you. Maybe New Year’s isn’t the right time.

    I usually set goals 3 times a year; New Years, May, and August. They are in different areas because my life is different at each of these times. I usually have weight to lose and organizing to do around New Years. In May school gets out and the hot summer is here. In August school starts and Christmas is coming. (Maybe I should learn from these repeats and not gain weight or become unorganized in the first place, huh?)

Success is Easy

Life is about picking yourself up again and again. Babies go from being helpless infants to toddlers in about 12 months’ time. During this time they fail much more than they succeed. But ultimately they succeed because they keep trying.

Many individuals are raised to feel that life should be easy and when it’s not they wonder what is wrong. This eats at their self-esteem, their motivation, and their actions. Life isn’t meant to be easy. Life is meant to be interesting and a growth-experience. Once you realize this, it actually becomes easy. Expect difficulties. Expect failure. Expect opposition. Just go through it anyway and the success will seem easy.

P.S. Obviously I’ve used the “weight-loss” goal because that is one of my goals for 2010. The above process can be used for any goal YOU want to achieve. Also it’s a lot easier to write about these things, than actually act. That’s why I have to pick myself up again and again.

These resources have helped me in achieving my goals:

Franklin Covey
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
MyGoals
Mind Tools

Have you failed, or been successful, with a New Year’s Resolution? I’d like to hear about it, so feel free to leave a comment.

Hope for a world where people love and care for one another. Hope for kindness. Hope for equality; and hope for a land of plenty.

Children come to a time when they stop believing in Santa, but they don’t want to reveal that to their parents just yet. Most children have seen their fair share of adult hypocrisy by this stage. However, this is the first time they’ve been asked to play along. Deep down they know and their parents know they know, but everyone acts their part in the play because no one wants it to end.

Santa comes into his glory at this time. Children realize that they can be like him; caring, giving, understanding, and jolly-good fun. Santa brings out the best in kids. This belief lets them play along and most are loath to reveal their knowledge to the younger set. The yearning for a true Santa conjures flying reindeer, sleigh bells, and hordes of elves who love children.

Santa embodies the elements of Christianity; yet he is easier for children to identify with than a small baby. Babies are cute; but they aren’t selfless. Santa demonstrates the Christian values in a way even small children can understand.

So let the stories and songs of Christmas ring out this season – both of reindeer and stables. Carry hope in your hearts and in your actions.

Merry Christmas

I’m frequently asked if a business needs a blog if it already has a website. That really depends on what you are trying to accomplish. In this series on Beginning Blogging, I’ve discussed the benefits of having a business blog. If you already have a website, but would like to take advantage of these benefits you have three integration choices:

Use a subdomain of your existing site and create a blog in this directory.

This is easy to do from the technical standpoint of WordPress. It might not be very easy from the standpoint of your existing site and how it looks. You want the two sites to look integrated. You may need to hire a web designer to fully incorporate the look of the two sites and add functionality with linking from the traditional website to your blog. (You can add the links from the blog to your traditional website because they are so easy.)

Start a blog and link to it from your website.

If you don’t know if you really want a blog, this is the way to go. You can create a blog and if you decide blogging isn’t for you, then you can just stop. You can also create a different look and feel. Maybe your website is very professional with proper business language. This corporate website attracts a particular type of customer. If you want to reach out to a very different client, you could try blogging.

You don’t even have to link to your blog from your website at first. You could just start one and see how it goes. If this works, then you could incorporate some links from your website to your blog.

Recreate your website in WordPress.

Besides just having posts, WordPress also has a way to create pages. In fact most business blogs have several pages in addition to blog posts. These pages can increase the information about your business and let customers know how to contact you. They can help you sell things with shopping carts. These pages can be tabs on your site, or you can designate one as “sticky” so that it appears as your main page, with the blog as a tab.

If your website has become stale and not much fun, try this option. This lets you redesign your site at minimal cost. You can freshen up your information and really get going. (There is also the added perk that it’s easy to optimize WordPress blogs for SEO with a few tweaks and plugins. It will probably be much more spider friendly than your current site.)

So the jury is in: it’s good to have a blog even if you have a “traditional” website. If you don’t have a blog, try one. You’ll probably like it.

Previous: What is a Blog?
Types of Blogs
Why Do You Need a Blog?
How a Blog can Help Your Business.
Blogging and Editorial Calendars
Next: SEO and Blogs

Many people start a blog and have a great deal of fun for the first two weeks. After that it becomes a drag to them as they try to decide what to write about. An editorial calendar can help overcome this tendency.

An Editorial Calendar is a calendar that lists the things you are going to write about. It is very helpful for listing specific topics that you want to talk about at specific times of the year. You can use any calendar you choose; an online calendar, a spreadsheet in Excel, or an old-fashioned wall calendar. Use whatever works for you.

Organizing Holiday and Seasonal Blog Posts

An editorial calendar can help you plan for holidays. (They do seem to really jump out at you if you don’t plan for them.) For instance, if you have a great idea for New Year’s Resolutions, it’s a good idea to post the article at the end of December. If you wait until the middle of January, you will have lost a lot of traffic because people are searching for articles about keeping New Year’s Resolutions around the holiday.

It’s also helpful when you get an idea that’s off season. For instance if in July you have a great idea for a New Year’s Resolution, you can go ahead and write the post and just note it on your calendar. The same thing goes for other topics. If you have a gardening site and you have some great ideas for spring planting, but it’s August, write your article and note it on your calendar for planting time (which is February or March where I live.)

Organizing Recurring Blog Posts

An editorial calendar helps you to organize posts. You may have different types of posts such as “tips,” “customer stories,” and “new FAQ’s” You can plan these posts so you are consistent in adding them to your website and you have different types of articles coming out all the time.

This can also help you keep on a consistent posting schedule so you don’t go several weeks without updating your blog. Most people stop adding posts because they are out of topic ideas. An hour spent with an editorial calendar each month can overcome this.

Organizing Blog Topics

Most blogs discuss more than one topic. Even niche blogs (blogs on very narrow topics) break these topics down into smaller subtopics. Having an editorial calendar can help you with a series of posts (like the series you are reading right now on beginning blogging). It can help you spread out your topics if desired. A great example is if you have a blog on desserts. On Mondays you could discuss cakes; Tuesdays healthy desserts; Wednesdays pies; Thursdays cookies; and reserve Fridays exclusively for chocolate (my favorite day and dessert).

An editorial calendar can actually help you think of ideas for articles as you sit down and ponder the upcoming month. Grab your calendar for January right now and think about what you want to write on. New Year’s Resolutions? Martin Luther King Jr.? Winter? If you can’t come up with any ideas, try Brownielocks a site that lists lots of holidays and other observances. You’re sure to find one that ties into your subject.

So, what other things can you think of that could be put on an editorial calendar?

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Types of Blogs
Why Do YOU need a blog?
How a Blog can Help Your Business.
Up Next: Do you need a blog if you already have a Website?

It’s December. That means decorations, parties, and Christmas presents. It’s a time when packages arrive on porches announced by the ringing of the doorbell. It’s a time when the postal service, Fed Ex, and UPS are very busy.

Saturday I got a wonderful package from my sister. I was in the middle of writing when I saw the UPS truck drive up. It was exciting to see what he was bringing. As I opened the door I thought about how UPS has a unique USP. (Yes a play on letters here). UPS this season says, “Delivering holiday spirit worldwide. UPS makes the holiday flurry a little easier.” I don’t know what their official USP is; however, I do know that they communicate a sense of caring through making my life easier. They do this with timely package pick up and delivery, inexpensive copying services, mailbox services, and packing my boxes carefully for shipment.

What is a USP?

USP stands for unique selling proposition. A USP is the foundation of great marketing. It sets you apart from your competition. It tells customers why they should do business with you, instead of anyone else.

Why does a business need a USP?

Every business communicates a USP whether they want to or not. Having a USP can help you make decisions concerning your business. It is a way to also develop your brand. A brand based on the experience you give your customers.

Use these lucky 13 questions to help you find your very own, specific USP:

1. Why would someone want to do business with me instead of choosing my competitor?
2. What don’t they like about the competition that I can offer instead?
3. Why would someone choose my service or product at all? (Why change what they are currently doing? – which is usually nothing.)
4. Who are my customers?
5. Who do I want to be my customers?
6. What are the facts about my business now?
7. What do I want my business to look like in the future (your vision)?
8. What are the features of my business?
9. What are the benefits of these features?
10. What am I really selling (emotional benefits)?
11. What metaphor might help clients understand my message quickly?
12. Do I want to share my personality in my marketing? If so,What essentials features (of my personality) do I want to share?
13. What makes me memorable?

In answering these questions, remember that it’s not what you specifically do, it’s what you specifically communicate.

So, what is your USP? Or, if you don’t have one, what would you like it to be?

More on USP’s in January.

Meeting the needs of your customers can be fun and rewarding as you develop better associations with those customers. Some reasons to have a business blog that will help your customers are:

• Show your expertise. You can express your authority, knowledge, and passion about your field. This helps customers gain confidence in using you. This can also have a secondary effect as you become a resource for others in your niche.
• Provide help. Many business blogs have tips on how to best use products or services. This is an excellent way to add value to what you already offer.
• Highlight customers. Blogs are a wonderful place to showcase how your products or services have helped real people. As you highlight different customers, other customers using the same products/services will respond with comments. Sometimes these comments will be about benefits you hadn’t realized existed.
• Release new info. News, updated information, and events are natural things to write about on your blog. Blogs are also a great place to build momentum when you are launching a new product or service.

More and more businesses have blogs for the above reasons. They realize the benefits to their customers. There are also benefits to you as a company from having a business blog. These include:

• Providing a place for existing customers to have access to relevant information. When you release an update on something, you don’t have to send out a ton of mail. You can send an email and link to the information on your blog.
• Gaining insight from customers as to why they like certain products and services.
• Spending less money on traditional marketing methods. Blogs are cheaper than other advertising methods and they are usually more effective as well because you can speak in your own voice.
• Increasing your company’s web presence.
• Attracting new customers.
• Creating a venue to put FAQ’s which will cut down on customer service calls.
• The last, best, and most fun benefit is that if you meet or exceed customer expectations, you will develop a following around your blog.

I know I haven’t listed all the benefits to customers or businesses of having a blog.

What other benefits do you see of having a business blog?

Previous: What is a Blog?
Types of Blogs
Why Do You Need a Blog?
Next: Beginning Blogging: Blogging and Editorial Calendars.

I’m not going to go into the benefits of having a website. Most people see the value of have a web presence on the great big WWW. It used to be that this was time-consuming, frustrating, and relatively expensive. Blogs have changed all that and they can actually do things better than a traditional website.

Blogs are Cheap.

You can’t get cheaper than free, and there are blogging platforms that are actually free. If you want a personal blog, then I recommend you use Blogger or Wordpress.com. However, if you want a business or professional blog, then it is best to have your own domain name and web hosting service. (To learn more on how to choose a web host, see my article: 6 Tips for Hosting a Blog.)

A good web hosting service can cost less than $10 per month and a domain name is only about $10 per year. So for about $130 per year you can have a web presence. After you have your domain name and host, you can upload WordPress for free. Many hosting services provide a one-click installation from within your hosting platform. But even if your hosting service doesn’t have this feature, WordPress has a famous 5-minute installation process. WordPress is also the standard in the blogging industry. (To learn more on why WordPress is a great choice, read my article: 7 Reasons to Use Wordpress.) When I talk about blogs and blogging, I will be referring to a WordPress blog hosted on your own server.

Blogs are Easy.

A huge advantage that blogs have over traditional websites is that they are super easy to work with. I just explained how easy it is to load WordPress onto your web server. Adding text, pictures, and video are just as easy. In fact, once you understand the mechanics of the blog, you will realize that it’s only a bit more complicated than your email provider!

All you do is: write your article, create a title, and press the publish button. That’s it. WordPress has a WSYWIG editor (what you see is what you get) as well as an HTML view. So whichever way you are most comfortable with is the way you can get your stuff done.

WordPress also allows you to upload pictures two ways: with a browser uploader or a flash uploader. They also have features for uploading video and audio.

Blogs can be Personalized with Themes.

There are free themes and there are themes that cost money. (Another name for theme is skin or template.) Most of the free themes can be found at WordPress Themes. Custom themes can usually be purchased for just a few hundred dollars.

Even free themes can be changed and modified to fit your personality or reflect the focus of your business. You can start with a free theme, and then upgrade to a custom theme if desired. The nice thing is that you can’t really make a huge mistake. You can always change one theme for another one. Themes are easy to upload into your blog. Last time I checked there were over one million free themes! That’s a lot of choices.

Blogs can have Different Features with Plugins.

Besides choosing different themes, there are thousands of plugins to help you design your blog just the way you want. A plugin is a type of widget that does something specific. You can find most of them at the WordPress Plugin Directory.

There are plugins to help you with SEO, backup, spam control, and other back-end blog operations. There are plugins to help you with communicating to your audience, such as contact forms, commenting features, and subscriptions to RSS feeds. There are even plugins that are just for fun, such as ones that generate quotes, highlight clichés, or even post weird facts. Most of these plugins are free.

Blogs are Great for SEO.

A website’s design can either help or hinder your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). One of the considerations is how frequently your content is updated. A blog is very easy to update, thus they are usually full of relevant information that search engines like. Another consideration of SEO is keywords. Keywords will be discussed later in this series.

Blogs Foster Understanding.

Blogs can help your business grow as you write articles and your customers, or potential customers, comment on your information. This interaction can help you better understand your customers and develop services and products that will better serve their needs.

Blogs are Fun.

If you don’t find updating your blog fun, then consider the reason why. It might be that you are in a business that is stale for you. Or it might just be that you don’t like to write.

If you love your business but don’t like to write, add content in another form. You can add all kinds of visual items. These include drawings, sketches, photos, screen shots, and PowerPoint presentations. You can also add video or MP3 audio. This means that if it’s easier for you to talk to people than write, you can just record your voice and those can be your blog entries!

Next topic is How a Blog can help your Business. If you enjoyed this areticle and don’t want to miss the next one, sign up for my RSS feed. It can be delivered right to your email box.

Previous: What is a Blog?
Types of Blogs
Next: How a Blog can help your Business