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Are You Feeling Stuck? Six Timely Tips for Rebooting!

May 12th, 2012 @ 8:22 pm by Marnie
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Are you faced with an obstacle, feeling overwhelmed, or struggling with indecision?  Well, I’ve been there, done that. And, I’m hoping that my own public confession below may inspire you to evaluate your progress towards your business goals. And, if I may be so bold, I’ll recommend six timely tips for GETTING UNSTUCK.

My own private “MEA CULPA”

It’s long past time for this wannabe blogger to admit a significant “mea culpa”. I have not been practicing what I preach. – not attending to business. Why is that? For the past year, I put everything else as a higher priority than posting to my marketing blog. I frequently promised myself I’d get around to it later, once I completed all my other client and volunteer commitments. After all, they should really come first before my own business needs. Right? Where did that come from?

Reviewing my blog today, it was painfully evident that a year has come and gone and I haven’t gotten around to posting on it at all. Shame on me! So, with this first post in over a year, I’d like to recommend the book that gave me my long overdue wake up call, “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Build Reputation, and Earn Trust”. Authors, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, applied a much needed virtual kick to my backside by pointing out my wrong thinking. For more about Chris Brogan, visit his website Human Business Works . Julien Smith can be found at his website http://juliensmith.com

Earning “Trust” all over again….
“Trust Agents” brought home that my blog readers deserve much more. In order to meet my objective that readers benefit from my blog, the book reminded me, in no uncertain terms. that I must respect readers’ time and intelligence by providing quality content on a consistent basis. From this point on, my blog will be my top priority. I am recommitting to posting at least weekly.

Since I have not as yet finished reading the “Trust Agents” book (a bestseller on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Top 100 lists) I will save a full review for a future post. But, as you can see, this book has already had such an impact on me, that I dropped everything else on my “to do” list to get back on track and took the following actions:

Six steps to your reboot:
#1 – OK accept that “stuff” happens – forgive yourself (i.e. you’re only human like the rest of us)
#2 – Re-establish contact with whatever motivates you – a mentor, a book, a movie, music, a blog.
#3 – Pick a project that excites and challenges you, and then create a plan to implement it
#4 – Make your new plan public (share on Facebook or tell your family) so you have to live up to it
#5 – Break your new plan down into manageable steps so it doesn’t overwhelm you
#6 – Start at step one and “just do it”. And then “just do it” again for each subsequent step.

Congratulations, like me, you’re unstuck and rebuilding momentum!

Marketing Blog for the Canadian Horse and Cattle Industry

April 10th, 2011 @ 8:03 pm by Marnie

Coming up with the idea for a Marketing Tips Blog …

In 2010, I wrestled with the idea of starting a web log (blog). I’ve been a freelance writer since 1997, published in a a variety of well-respected light and heavy horse magazines across North America. I felt this demonstrated I had the writing skills necessary to deliver blog posts on a regular basis.  So, I reviewed my knowledge base for an appropriate topic to blog about, which would be of interest and a benefit to readers.

My website design customers are mainly good friends in the horse and cattle business, who asked for my help in promoting and marketing their operations. It seemed logical that a Marketing Tools/Tips blog could be useful and a natural fit with my web design business. Together with my clients, we discovered what many people don’t realize; that it is not enough to just create a website. (This is also known as the Field of Dreams mentality, or “If you build it, they will come” which only works in the movies!). Websites actually need supporting marketing strategies to drive new and returning traffic to the site.

Coming up with an idea for a syndicated marketing tips column …

As a result of understanding that website owners also need supporting marketing strategies, I began a syndicated column “Top Ten Low Cost or No Cost Marketing Tools/Tips”. This column is currently running in two  industry magazines, Horse Country Magazine and Simmental Focus magazine. I appreciate very much being given this opportunity by my colleagues Linda Hazelwood and Lois Gould, who are the publishers and editors of these two well-respected magazines. (All 10 installments of this syndicated column will be published as separate posts in this blog, as they are published in the two magazines. This post will appear at the top of all my blog posts until all 10 of the installments have been published and posted. Click here for Installment #1)

The cover of Horse Country Magazine The cover of Simmental Focus Magazine


 

My own experience as a marketing/website design consultant was validated by Linda and Lois, regarding  many people involved in the horse and cattle industry. Although they are experts in their own livestock operations, they are also recognizing the need to reach out for information about improving their marketing efforts in a tough economy.

An unlimited supply of good Marketing blogs are available on the Internet, some of which are sophisticated enough to benefit Fortune 500 companies. I have recently done research looking for marketing blogs which apply specifically to livestock producers, especially horse and cattle breeders. I did not find any, in spite of the apparent need. I decided to seize the opportunity and create a “niche” blog to meet the needs of this under served-segment of the  blog target market.  In other words, I am taking my own marketing advise (i.e. find a niche market and fill it).

 

Combining the two marketing ideas …

Generic marketing plans, tools, tips and strategies provided on many marketing blogs are applicable to almost any business. However, sometimes a little help can be beneficial for interpreting how these one-size-fits-all recipes can be applied to the livestock industry. Since I speak the lingo (cowboy),  I aspire to be the interpreter/translator  for my friends in the horse and cattle industry, as well as those who are suppliers of goods and services to this industry.

Dedicating the new blog …

Therefore, this Marketing Tips blog is dedicated specifically to this under-served segment of the industry.  I pledge to identify marketing tools, tips, plans and strategies, including the use of Internet Marketing and Social Networks, to help enhance business opportunities and improve the financial positions of Canadian horse and cattle breeders.

Tell me what you’d like to see covered in this blog …

While I have a number of ideas about what needs to be covered, I really want and need to be sure that I’m listening to  readers and meeting your needs. Please comment on this blog post and let me know what YOU want to hear about? What are your most pressing or urgent needs? If you don’t want to publicly comment in this blog, please feel free to email me privately with your comments and/or suggestions.

Guerrilla Marketing 101

December 7th, 2010 @ 5:16 pm by Marnie

cover image of Guerilla Marketing Book

 

In their book “Guerrilla Marketing For the Home-Based Business” Jay Levinson and Seth Godin teach us “how to think like a guerrilla. Learning how to use your size and speed to your advantage is a critical lesson. You have countless opportunities to create profitable niches in businesses that everyone else believes are saturated.”

Where to start…

You’ll need to learn that you’re now Vice President of Marketing. Business won’t appear on your doorstep. It will come as the result of a consistent, long-term campaign to establish relationships and turn them into sales.

The single biggest mistake…

They (new entrepreneurs) give up too soon. It might take six months, eighteen months, or two years before a prospect is ready to say yes. Instead of switching from one get-rich scheme to another, pick your niche and focus. Hang in there.

The second biggest mistake…

Not having a plan. To embark on a program using many tools and tactics without a plan is foolish. Instead write down how you expect to proceed, how much time and money you intend to invest, and post it on the wall. This road map will make it easier for you to stay the course.”

For tips on creating your marketing plan, Your 2011 Marketing Plan In 7 Easy Steps, (my previous blogpost).

As always, I invite your comments and suggestions to improve this post and blog.