Wayne’s top tips include:

1. SUMMARIZE:
“Let me see if I correctly heard what you said”

2. ASK QUESTIONS:
Especially when what you have just heard felt
vague and unclear.
Get into the habit of asking open-ended questions:
• What questions – gives definition
“What are the reasons for your decision?”
• Which questions – prioritizes information
“Which one is most important to you?”
• Why questions – offer the strategy behind decision

3. VALIDATE

4. UNDERSTAND

Read the full WAIT – Why Am I Talking article.  If you’d like a PDF of the article, email us @ help (at) webmarketingtherapy (dot) com.

Learn more about Wayne Kosaka, Mediation Expert at http://pointforpoint.net/

Did you miss the first part of our interview with Jess? Read it here!

Jess Weiner - Creating a Confident World Together

9.  What is fun and what is difficult about working as a sole “wild web” entrepreneur?

Fun: Every day is different. Opportunities abound. And life is a great big playground for me to build from.

Difficult: The buck stops (and starts) with me. So the pressure to perform can be tough and I have no one to blame for that but me!

10.  You are a very self-driven individual who values productivity; which web tools helped you increase your productivity the most? Specifically, in what ways did they improve your productivity?

I think Twitter has given me a crash course in how to relay a message as concisely and creatively as possible. It’s been a great brainteaser for me to hone my skills in pitching and enticing. I sometimes find myself creating tweets in my head while I’m driving or exercising – and I love the immediate feedback a great tweet can create for my business.

11.  Do you have any personal “wild web” role models? If so, what do you admire about this person?

Well, would it look like brown-nosing if I mention the original Wild Web Woman – Lorrie Thomas Ross?  (I say yes, but we’ll let it slide, because I would have to agree with you, Lorrie is awesome…wait, does that look like brown-nosing?!?)

She showed me that navigating a business online doesn’t have to be like living on Stress-A-Me Street. It can be fun and loose, and fluid. I also admire Samantha Ettus who writes a great column for ForbesWomen.com – she is a consistent voice in branding and her online web presence is as authentic as it gets!

12.  As far as dealing with competition in your line of work: do you pay special attention to their marketing strategies and adjust yours to stay ahead OR do you mostly focus on your individual marketing plan without worrying too much about your competitors?

I always look around to see what’s happening but I learned early on to run my own race. My career and my work as an entrepreneur is about running a marathon not a sprint. I find that if I continue to weave my voice and my vision into my marketing strategies I feel the most solid. When I try to emulate someone else, it never works out as well.

13.  Being a successful professional embodies being an excellent marketer (so that people know your name and service!), how do you reach out to your wide range of customers to build a trusting relationship?

Nothing in social media can ever replace the genuine feeling of meeting someone in person. I try to live my marketing life as in 3-D as it will allow me to. I love our virtual world for the ease and quickness it may provide but you can’t underestimate the sound of a voice, eye contact, or a shared laugh. That goes a long way to creating an authentic relationship and my relationships are the strongest tool I’ve used to build my business.

14.  Do you utilize both traditional PR and new PR? What is the ratio of your web marketing to traditional marketing (print ads, local newspapers…etc)?

For my kind of work, referrals and word of mouth are more effective than traditional PR and marketing.

In 17 years, I’ve never paid to advertise. I’ve worked to leverage my public image as an expert and TV personality to cultivate new relationships for my business. But I think nowadays I think it’s best to create a combo of traditional and social media PR for your business.  Again, run your own race. If you find that you get great results with ads – do it. But don’t be afraid to try something new or pull back in an area that doesn’t bring you results. Everyone is trying to find the magic fit – and PR is not about magic. It’s always about relationships and perception. Not always in that order. J

15.  When marketing your business, do you find yourself more often seeking risks or avoiding risks? What are some risks you have taken on the web that resulted in positive outcomes?

I took a big risk – personally and professionally – writing a very intimate piece for a national women’s magazine that basically was going to reveal to my most loyal fans that a big part of my past brand rhetoric was changing and evolving. I took a risk knowing I could lose a few fans. And I did. But what I gained far outweighed the positives. I reached millions of people with this new line of honest communication, I opened up a new portal for doing business in an area I’ve been wanting to explore, and my loyal fans became even more loyal because they saw me take a public risk and applauded me for it.

16.  Business-wise, where do you see yourself in ten years?

I hope no matter where I am in my career, that I continue to be this happy, excited by life, and healthy to enjoy it!

Thank you Jess for sharing your inner-most online marketing thoughts with me and our readers!  We so appreciate all of your words of wisdom!  Connect with Jess to be inspired daily at @JessWeiner or on Facebook or read one of her best selling books “A Very Hungry Girl” or “Life Doesn’t begin 5 Pounds from Now“.  Have a WONDERFUL day!

A key example of this was my relaxed browsing of the internet the other night. Sitting on the couch with the iPad I visited my favorite blogs; usually fashion, design and food related. It’s fun and inspiring and relaxing, but what struck me that night was how I stumbled upon content, created and posted in 2011, that I fell in love with; Kate Spade’s Year of Color campaign.

Kate Spade Website Homepage

The process of discovery was illuminating:

Starting on Part and Parcel’s (art production company) website, I found a video that was commissioned by Kate Spade, the clothing and accessories brand, on the theme of the color pink. My curiosity was so peaked that I wanted to know what other colors had been creatively conceptualized in films for Kate Spade.

Search via Google brought me a plethora of options including another blog (ATELIER TALLY) that shared more videos and directed me to the Kate Spade YouTube page. From there I watched every Year of Color video I could feast my eyes on (and then some)! They were fun, creative, inspiring and entertaining.

You can watch the Kate Spade Year of Color videos (and see the commissioned art prints as well) on their dedicated Special Projects pages. They describe the collaborations as this: “we’ve worked with a few of our favorite artists, creating a spirited series of limited edition prints and short films, designed to be released as each month’s color is revealed”.

Below you can see one of my favorites:

Blue by Celia Rowlson-Hall for Kate Spade New York

Although I loved the entire idea of the campaign and the sheer artsy fun of it all, the thing that really captured my attention (as a web marketer) was how the quality content that was created by Kate Spade was shared around the web, that I was able to find it through the magic of social media and further spread it to the masses (marketing multitasking® in full force!). In addition to that, this content was from a year ago! It goes to show that if you are providing your readers/clients/potential customers with quality web marketing content that educates, entertains or inspires it can continue to give back to your organization well past the release date.

I would love to know what types of content you provide for your clients and the types of content that you yourself enjoy reading/watching/listening to. Please share in the comments section!

Now that you’ve shared below, keep what you like in mind next time you create some web marketing content to live on the web!

To be creatively and educationally inspired by my favorite content follow me on Twitter @jenniejacobs!

Meet Jess Weiner - Positive Web Marketing Role Model and Wild Web Woman

I have been wanting to interview Jess for a LONG time, and the stars finally aligned to allow the tiniest break in her very busy schedule, so I got the chance to hear from Jess about how SHE became a Wild Web Woman as well as learn more about what drives her passion to “Create a Confident World Together” and how she creates such a wonderful online community.  Read on to be inspired, to laugh and to learn!  There is a reason that Forbes.com named Jess one of the top 14 Power Women to follow on Twitter – she has a LOT to say!

1.  Why did you choose your current career and how did you get started?

I don’t know if I chose this career or if this career chose me? I started my first business at the age of 21 and I’ve been an entrepreneur for 17 years. I wanted to find a way to turn my passion into a profitable business model and have been able to do so – running a boutique consulting firm specializing in media strategy, authentic brand management, and utilizing my skills as a speaker, author and confidence expert.

2.  What is your favorite tech-y word? (i.e. “tweet”, “Facebook poke”…etc.)

I love Tumblr – because of the horrible grammar involved – w/ tech talk we become masters of short cuts but I can hear all of my English teachers from school groan collectively when we leave out the “e” on Tumblr.

3.  As far as utilizing social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to communicate your business to your clients, what are some of the challenges and what are some of the benefits to your business?

A challenge is that I work with and sometimes represent large brands and businesses where my ability to be as candid or spontaneous in social media isn’t always an option due to corporate policy. But within my personal brand I find using social media tools gives my fans and clients such an instant access to what inspires me, informs me, and moves me in the world. It’s and efficient, concise and authentic way to connect and since those words define the DNA of my business – it’s great.

4.  Out of all the social media tools on the web you use, which one (if any) are you most “addicted” to just for fun?

Hands down: Facebook. I can lose hours of my life looking at your cute baby photos, your parent’s anniversary pictures, or reading crazy rants by my very outspoken friends!

5.  What are some of the valuable mistakes you have made in the past regarding online marketing and what have you learned from these past setbacks?

What I’ve learned in online marketing is that not everything is one size fits all. Even though something may be a great trend it doesn’t make it great for my business. So I try to be unafraid to take my time and find the best tools that work for my unique brand of work. Also, I’ve learned that everything – especially our websites are pretty much always in beta mode – so I am working on being more flexible creatively and within my own strategy online.

6.  Looking at your history of great professional achievements, what are some of your proudest accomplishments? Reflecting upon these, what skill or personal factor do you believe helped you the most in achieving this accomplishment? (i.e. What motivates you to your success?)

My motivation is simple: I’ve wanted to entertain, inspire, and assist people as they grow personally. I’ve chosen the path to get me there by creating a platform that sits at the intersection of PR, Marketing, and Corporate Social Responsibility. I work directly within the media because it’s the greatest platform available to reach my audience of women and girls. The reason behind my success is also simple: My family, friends, and mentors. Without the strong foundation of a family who said, “YES” to my dreams and the everyday support of friends who are there to pick me up when I fall – I wouldn’t have been able to do this work. And mentors have literally opened doors for me in business that have made me lots of money and created my next level of success. I’m eternally grateful to this amazing group of cheerleaders.

7.  Do you have a personal mantra that you would like to share with other Web Marketing Therapy readers?

My new favorite quote – and one that I have written on the dry erase board in my office is my new mantra for 2012:  “Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.”  I use this to remember who I am when I’m making deals, cultivating my dreams, and reviewing offers for work. I choose now to create and participate in work that makes me feel alive!

8.  If you were shipwrecked on an island and had to run your business from there, what three web tools would you bring with you to use?

I’d really bring 2:  Facebook and LinkedIn. You can find anything and anyone between those two. And the third tool I’d bring is a stack of legal notebooks. I still do my best creating longhand (take that technology!)

Join us on Monday to hear more about what motivates Jess and how she has utilized social media to inspire women and girls all over the country !

Marketing isn’t just about advertising -  how you communicate can dictate your credibility and sellability.

Today’s Marketing RX is to read these Email Etiquette Tips for a healthy marketing reminder to present yourself in a way that is on-brand and on-purpose.

Thanks Paul for the great tips!  Here are my favorites:

-Create a concise and to the point subject line
-Do not over-use the ‘mark as important’ function
-To reply all, or not to reply all – be aware that ‘replying to all’ involves all the recipients in the entire email string.
-Say thank you, again – if someone completes a task, responds quickly, or simply ‘does their job’, a nice friendly thank-you email can go a long way for employee happy-tude.

Read the full Email Etiquette Reminders article!