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guest post: 3 must-have’s for online marketing success in your holistic business

By: Tad | Published: September 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment

by Suzanne Monroe

Something that gets me so excited in life is being able to run my business virtually. Oh, who am I kidding…it’s actually up there with one of the most over-the-top amazing things in my life! Running my business online is pure euphoria for me.

Euphoria?! Yes, euphoria. The Definition of euphoria made me smile today.

Wikipedia defines euphoria as this: Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental and emotional state defined as a profound sense of well-being…an intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment.

Yep, that’s sounding like me when I’m running my business. But wait, there’s more….

Euphoria is sometimes induced by the use of psychoactive drugs. However, some natural behaviors, such as activities resulting in orgasm, love and the triumph of an athlete, can induce brief states of euphoria. Euphoria has also been cited during certain religious or spiritual rituals and meditation

Want some of that, don’t you?

So if love, sex, meditation, running a marathon and even drugs can cause euphoria, your business can too! I’m calling for an addition to the definition of Euphoria = Following Your Passion in Business, because what I know today is that holistic entrepreneurs are so tapping into their passion and making big impacts that they are definitely euphoric.

How to Experience More Euphoria in Your Biz

Achieving euphoria in your business happens when you are totally tapped into your passion and purpose and serving the world from your heart. You’re giving and receiving and are excited to wake up everyday to all of the possibilities that await you, and you go after them while experiencing ease and joy.

Running my biz actually gives me tingles when I think of how amazing it is. There’s so much AWESOMENESS being able to set my own hours, connecting with people all around the world, and creating an in’come that isn’t limited by a company’s rules or a hidden “glass ceiling”. (Yuck, corporate old school stuff!) Not that many years ago, when I was lugging around in a day job I despised, having a virtual business wasn’t even something in my awareness. Now I can’t imagine my life without it and the way things are going, it’s an opportunity that anyone have…if that’s what your heart desires.

One reason I love being online and running my business virtually is that I get to reach so many people in so many different places. Just last week I connected with a client in South Africa. We have people from across the world joining the IAWP and our training programs.

As a holistic biz owner, I know you, too, value freedom, flexibility and being able to help people with your work just about anywhere. So that’s why I wanted to share with you the 3 main things that you need to have in place to have online success in your holistic business…and experience more euphoria along the way.

The 3 Secrets to Online Business Success

These 3 things are essential to online success and as a result, biz euhporia, no matter if you’ve already taken yourself online or if you’re just getting started. No exceptions, you just gotta have these:

1. A Problem Solving Program –
This one’s a biggy. Whether you’re a coach or a service provider, you can design whatever it is that you currently offer into a “program” that solves your potential client’s problem. If you have a website with tons of offerings and you’re finding it isn’t working for you, make sure that your programs are truly SOLUTIONS that will solve a problem for your clients. If you aren’t solving a problem for a specific group of people who need support, your work won’t stand out to anyone in particular. Which means less traffic, less clients and less biz for you. Take an inventory of your programs right now and make sure they’re Solutions to the Big Problems your clients are facing.

2. Lead Seeds –
The second most important thing you need for online success in your holistic business are what I call “Lead Seeds”. Lead Seeds are essentially all of the places your ideal client hangs out online. In internet lingo, it’s essentially “traffic”. Where are your clients coming from? If you don’t know, you need to get very clear on this so you can spend your marketing efforts and time wisely. There’s many ways to connect with your ideal client online, from speaking to joint ventures to social media, but the important thing is knowing where your clients are and where you can connect with them.

3. Signature Support System –
You have to have a way to stay connected and offer your support. Don’t sit around waiting for people to contact you. The way to get your phone ringing and your contact button on your site pressed is for you to step up and lead your client communications. You can do that when you have A Signature Support System. It’s simply the specific steps that clients take with you through your business. Every Signature Support System needs to have starter steps and bigger leaps that clients can take. And the support system only works if you are providing value to your clients and continuing to solve their problem at every step along the way. If you don’t have a Signature Support System in place, you’ll want to start by creating a “signature freebie”, something valuable you can giveaway and share with your community. (To see an example, check out ours here at http://www.iawp-connect.com )From there, staying in contact and finding out how you can serve and support are the ways to building a sustainable, thriving business doing what you love.

If you’re marketing your holistic business online (which I sure hope you are!), then get make sure you’re getting these steps in place so you can experience euphoria…and help others get some of that energy, too.

Thriving Together,

Suzanne Monroe

Founder & CEO

The International Association of Wellness Professionals

Are you a wellness professional, holistic health practitioner, or other health-minded, heart-centered entrepreneur who wants to learn the business and marketing tools to create lasting success? Get your FREE Wellness Professional’s Success Starter Kit at http://www.iawp-connect.com and jumpstart your wellness practice today. Suzanne Monroe is a Holistic Business Coach and the Founder & CEO of the International Association of Wellness Professionals, where passionate practices become thriving businesses.

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| Categories: becoming a hub - Tags: becoming a hub, building trust, empathy, online marketing

the client love connection

By: Tad | Published: September 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I was just interviewed via video by Rebecca Cowan (pictured here) for her new program The Client Love Connection.

We had such a lovely conversation. I made some pretty impressive drawing on my white board for her. We seemed to resonate a lot on our concerns about the marketing world. So I asked her to write me a blog post about her experiences in the marketing world.

I bet you can relate to it.

I remember when I first wanted to be in business for myself, my boyfriend at the time had called me a capitalist and broke up with me over it!

He thought, like lots of people, that business is bad and the evil corporations are ruining the world. It’s actually a pretty common stigma. And with some of the business strategies I learned when I started my first business as a very “woo-woo” hypnotherapist, I don’t blame them!

For me, it wasn’t about world domination or making so much money that I could buy my own country. I wanted to heal people! I had the goal to make the world happier by making people healthier.

Noble cause, right?

But the part that was hardest was the marketing and the business strategies I was told I had to use to be successful.

I wanted to hide away most days when I thought about the kinds of things I had to do to promote my business. I thought there must be something wrong with me that I didn’t want to use them.

I had learned how to have sales conversations, how to sell from stage, and lots and lots of internet marketing strategies: creating products, writing sales letters, using Facebook and Twitter to fill my events.

Even though I had all this knowledge, I didn’t like who I had to be to use it.

Most of the marketing I had learned was based on…

    •   Competition!

    •   Pushing or bullying other people into buying your products or services by keeping up the appearance of an authority or perfection.

   •   Using a “magic” set of words or a formula for marketing that feels like you’ve just tricked them into being your client.

   •   Preying on human psychological needs for acceptance or love and extorting that need for profit.

   •   Drawing in clients with big promises, whether you can fulfill them or not or puffing up your “perceived value” to seem more attractive.

   •   Attracting lots of clients whether they are right for your business or not.

   •   Being someone you’re not…

And the strange part was that I was taught lots of my business methods from other spiritual, heart-based entrepreneurs! The old models of marketing are still thick even amongst well-meaning

When I changed my business and found an alignment with teaching entrepreneurs about making marketing videos, I discovered that I didn’t want to teach my clients the same marketing tactics that I’d learned. I wanted them nowhere near my business!

I wanted to teach my clients how to connect with potential clients through video and give them permission to express their true selves on film and actually do more business because of it! I wanted my clients to feel safe doing business and find those perfect clients that were waiting for them.

I feel that there is a lot of healing that can be done in business. So when I decided to create The Client Love Connection Online Marketing Experience I wanted to gather other entrepreneurs who were teaching marketing in a new way.

I sought out marketing experts that were teaching collaboration, honesty, freedom of expression, and client attraction in a way that would make entrepreneurs embrace marketing. I want to allow client and entrepreneur to connect on a human level and make the decision to work together because it’s the right match, not because you’ve used a marketing trick that you didn’t like using in the first place.

Our businesses all have a light filled message and purpose for the world. Your marketing should reflect that as well. If marketing hasn’t felt very good and you’ve found yourself avoiding it, that’s fine! It’s normal. It’s time that marketing fit your business instead of changing yourself to fit marketing that you don’t like in the first place

The Client Love Connection Online Marketing Experience is an online VIDEO summit of 18 interviews with the experts in client attraction and connection. This event will change how you feel about marketing and bring you new tools for growing your business that feel like the natural fit for the good-hearted person that you are.

If this message has hit home with you, then I hope you can join us and I really look forward to connecting with you.

Love,
Rebecca Cowan
Client Love Connection Creator
And Marketing Video Master

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| Categories: Ethics in Advertising, holistic practitioners, marketing philosophy - Tags: authenticity, building trust, generosity based business, pressure free

the four stages all clients must go through

By: Tad | Published: September 7, 2011 · Leave a Comment

My colleague Vrinda Normand (pictured here) just wrote a brilliant little piece in her latest newsletter about the four stages clients must, invariably go through before they choose to do business with you. This is a useful shorthand to explore – where are things stuck.

1.    Your potential clients become painfully aware of the problems they’re struggling with. People need to be more conscious of the pain in order to change — because change is uncomfortable. They will be much more hungry for your solution and ready to invest when they are present to the consequences of staying where they are.

2.    They become hopeful about what their life can be like instead. What’s their dream? What results do they want to enjoy? This is where you awaken their desire and give them hope that a new reality IS possible.

3.    They gain TRUST in you and your solution – and they clearly see you’re the best person to help them make this transformation. Your potential clients feel connected to you, like they can really relate to you as a person. They feel like you “get” them, you understand what they need, and you deliver quality and results.

4.    Your potential clients are excited and ready to take the next step with you. They’re hungry for your solution, and they want it now! They’re eager to be free of their problems and create inspiring results with your help. At this point you’ve just helped them say YES to themselves and to getting the support they need to make that change.

In some situations, your clients walk in with the first level handled. They know there’s a problem and they know it must change. Sometimes they’re at level two. They know it must change – and they know that change is possible. Where you start in your marketing will depend on where they’re at. Take a good look and ask yourself where your clients are and where your marketing is.

And often it can take a bit of time to go through these. The one that can take the most time is level three – trust. Building trust is the foundation of any business. This can be done in so many ways: in person through conversation, sharing case studies and stories, doing talks, through having a relevant and uplifting social media presence, through word of mouth and referrals, through a kick ass blog, by becoming an author, getting endorsed by the right person, by taking a stand for something bigger than your business. So many ways. But it must be built. There is no excitement without trust.

Most businesses are stuck at level one. They aren’t speaking to the real life situation that their ideal clients are dealing with – instead their websites and brochures start with “Our company is . . .” and it’s all about them.

The art of writing those first few lines of a website or sales letter is just that . . . an art. But if you can’t establish that first level – that there’s a problem – nothing else will move. Nothing else will happen. Vrinda has written a course about how to write irresistible headlines. You can check it out here.

| Categories: marketing strategy - Tags: building trust, irresistible offers, relevance, safety

case study: toronto’s inner garden

By: Tad | Published: August 16, 2011 · 2 Comments

Ever wanted to create your own holistic hub or event center for cool things?

My pal Rob Helmer (pictured here with his daughter) did it in Toronto with his Inner Garden space and shares his lessons, thoughts and success secrets here.

What is the inner garden?

Basically, it’s a beautiful space in the heart of downtown Toronto that we rent out for events. Our goal is to co-create space for an intriguing array of events & gatherings. We provide teachers, healers musicians, performers and facilitators the opportunity to connect & share with the local community in an inspiring venue.

Can you describe your space for those who haven’t seen it?

Put simply, the event space has an earthy-zen look to it, the real hard word floors, natural tree-stump seating and greenery make the ambiance warm and inviting.

The physical appearance reflects the lush and abundant gardens that are stylistic of the West and the simple elegance of gardens from the east. This merging of east and west has created a site for people to find rest and relaxation, where they can embrace Being fully, and also be stimulated and nourished.

The space is blessed with natural light filtering in during the day, through a large skylight in the central space and large windows in every room. For evening events, our lighting we have installed allows the user to create the ambiance they desire at night.

Did I mention we have tree stumps?

What’s the story of how this started? How did you get to be doing this?

In short, like all great things in life i did not plan it this way i just fell into it.

But you were doing Chinese medicine before. How does one go from being a Chinese medical practitioner to an event space organizer?

I have been involved in TCM for over 12 years. I originally moved into the space a year ago wanting to open the first school dedicated specifically dedicated to Chinese herbal medicine outside of China. The teachers (some of the best in the world were in place) and cur

riculum were in place but I could not find private funding to support the project and with recent professional regulations being passed in Ontario I decided to delay the project (and now with the event space consuming most of my time I have let go of this idea altogether).

My business model (at that time) included three aspects a herbal medicine school, an event space and clinical space (with free student clinics for the general public). My idea was to have the school be the hub for the other two. Fifteen months later, the events space is front and central and the further I remove myself from TCM the better things seem to flow for me financially. I feel this new venture helps me “fit my life into my job instead of my job into my life” (thanks for this Alex Baisley). Most importantly, it allows me greater freedom to spend more time with my daughter and others I I hold close to my heart.

In some ways, it was difficult for me to let go of practicing Chinese medicine full-time, similar to a bad relationship that is providing a person with some good elements but is not nourishing them and sustaining them on all levels. TCM (treating patients, writing, teaching etc.) was my main (i.e. only) source of income for a dozen years so the biggest thing I needed to let go of was the financial security this provided me (or at least that is what my mind was telling me). However, in the end I feel I was meant to leave TCM as my energy and passion for it diminished in the last year so did my income.

I really only made a commitment to running the event space as more of a full-time gig in October 2010 when we launched the new website and renamed the space.

This coincided with spending time with Alex Baisley and yourself last fall which was very useful and reminded me of some things I had forgotten previously that had worked for me in the past and and this time also helped me gain a clearer vision of what I would like to do moving forward. Some people (patients, students or interns of mine in the past, colleagues, my parents) that have found out are a little perplexed by the shift but this is the direction life is taking me.

And what was the need or opportunity you saw in the community that had you decide to do this?

I saw the limitations of medicine (both modern medicine and alternative medicine). I wanted to offer events in the space that would help people heal and ease their suffering, i.e. satsang, healing music, or events that focused on going beyond the mind and ego were the first events to take place in the space and a year later these events remain the cornerstone of what we offer.

What kinds of events have you run?

The space is really a blank canvas or playground for people to explore and make their dreams reality. The event space has only been available for one year and just about everything has taken place here from day long silent retreats to concerts with dancing or yoga with live music, from networking events for social entrepreneurs, fundraising events to singer-songwriter nights to Playback theatre and opera. One of the most exciting things is there is always new things happening in the space.

In general we are proud to honour the many paths that are available to us as humans on this journey and my experience has been over the last year is it is more important who is running the event than what they are offering.

On the horizon we will be offering documentary film nights and storytelling evenings on a regular basis.

67669 165568320138327 165565316805294 454970 279287 n1 300x200 case study: torontos inner garden

Which events have been most popular?

I don’t know if I see it that way. I think every event serves its purpose. Events range from a handful of people gathering to over a hundred people. It is hard to judge what is popular – in general i find people want to feel oneness or connected with others so the tendency in the last several months is the space is attracting people that are looking for a sacred or intimate place to build community whether that is through a group of singer/song writers, satsang, those interested in food security, healing music or something else.

How much do you charge people to rent the space?

Event prices range with many events being accessible to anyone wanting to attend (as many people offer events on a suggested donation basis)

$90 a night or $150 for a day are the suggested donation for use of the space

You seem to give a lot away – letting people rent for free sometimes – what’s your perspective on that?

In the first 6-9 months of running the space we let people use the space for free.

I wish we could give more away. In time when the space sustains itself more we will be able to give back more to the local community. In the meantime we do the best we can.

The space only exists due to the generosity of others and to be honest really has nothing to do with me (I am just fortunate to be a witness of the transformation). The personal transformation I have went through from witnessing the generosity and love and support from the local community for this space cannot be described in words (but it can be felt if you spend enough time in the space). On a personal level I had nothing a year ago ( although it is not relevant I was at the bottom of the barrel financially as I had claimed bankruptcy about six months prior to moving into the space = no money and could not borrow any money from a financial institution) and The Inner Garden grew out of this darkness and nothingness similar to a water lily growing out out of a muddy pond.

I did not ask people for favors or discounted services when renovating and creating the space (although several people did step forward to loan me money). I just handpicked the people whose professional ability I respected and valued not worried about cost and they all felt the nature of what we were trying to do and everyone went above and beyond what was expected.

Quite magical really!

I am blessed to be surrounded by people in my life that demonstrate to me how to give without expecting anything in return. Being in service to humanity and giving from your heart are probably the most important qualities that we try to bring into the space.

Personal note – if you remember our relationship began by me calling you up and offering you the space for free (after hearing about you from several people I loved and respected). Of course, you did pay me for use for the space but I did not expect anything in return. From working together our relationship blossomed and through you I met so many amazing people and from a financial perspective made thousands of dollars.

The great thing is when you give without expecting anything in return you become a magnet for people that do the same thing.

So you’re saying when you give so generously – that you tend to attract others who are willing to give generously – and that this might take the form of them wanting to pay you even when you’ve not asked for anything? I’m curious what other forms this generosity has shown up in.

I don’t usually discuss things but if it can be an example to empower other entrepreneurs to build their businesses and success through love, compassion and tolerance than I am willing to share a few examples.

One example, is we have offered several potlucks for lazy people for those in our building (which is one of the coolest buildings in the city – www.richmond.net) where we offered the use of the space for free and bought food and drink for sixty people. This was a great success and really appreciated by those who attended and now together with a few businesses in the building we have set up a C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) for the building. In other words, we are helping a local farmer sell directly to people in our building. These types of events are focused on building community without expecting anything in return.
This type of offering is difficult for people to comprehend at first because based on past experience they are looking for the catch but there isn’t one.

I do not worry about them paying ever. I just follow my heart and give what I can. I know i will be provided what I need in this life.
The forms of generosity are abundant. Another recent example, a person I lent the space to on a donation basis about ten times over the last year has recently purchased a professional sound system for the space which was a much needed asset for the space.

I also regularly invite people to attend events at the space for free as my guests. I usually do this to help increase awareness of the great things happening at the space + it allows me to connect with those attending the events at the space and get to know them better + it gives me a way to thank people for supporting past events in the space by allowing them to come for free.

Creating community – some events are used to build community and not make money – this is great because people relax and let down their barriers. I never want people to feel like they are being sold something in the space

What do you think happens when people feel like they’re being ‘sold‘ something?

They don’t let their guard down and you cannot truly connect with them. Doesn’t make me feel good to connect on this level. It also does not make me feel good when people are only promoting their own work and not helping others.

Right. I have the same thing with my pay what you can workshop. People are like, ‘what’s the deal? Where’s the catch? When’s the big pitch going to come?’ and it never does. And then people are just delighted. When they finally realize that it’s just my offering to the community . . . It’s such a beautiful thing. I have people coming up to me at the end of weekends with tears in their eyes sometimes because they’re so grateful and amazed at what was created over the weekend. I love it.

You are real. This is what I love about you. In my opinion, you are very authentic. Many people try to do what you do but for them it is a marketing strategy which for me can be easy to identify and I think on some level this can be sensed by most people. I have felt this way about several projects that initially started using the space or wanted to use the space and I decided to distance myself from them and suggest they use a different space.

Do you feel like most people try to push the relationship too far too fast? Or try to formalize it before it’s ready? Or push it in a box?

This can happen. I don’t usually resonate with people that do this and I assume they do not resonate with me either. I compare it to dating and relationships and the various levels relationships may take

1) friends

2) dating

3) committed realtionship

4) intimacy (of course this can happen earlier in this process )

5) marriage

6) kids

Etc.

So some people you meet you are feeling like you are just on the first level and they want to jump to #5 after five minutes of conversation or because they know someone you know. You must get this a lot- someone hears about you – thinks this dude knows a lot of people – next they contact you and want you to be their pimp or best friend, lover , husband, father to their child and you are thinking who the f$%* is this person, maybe i should check their criminal record or at least their credit rating. Are you following my madness?

I did this a couple times trying to be helpful and support people but discovered it was not wise.

It is so, so, so important who you co-associate with. Being friends with someone is different then promoting their work or putting your name on the line for them.

Was it hard in the beginning – when you were so broke to be so generous?

No. I was glad i was able to give back to the communities that had nourished me and supported me during my most difficult times

Offering the space for free for the first six months and co-creating with the right people who promote the space were both essential to help us grow in the beginning.

Allowing people to come to you and let relationships organically grow is also important if you want to be a hub for events.

What’s the response been so far?

Wonderful. We are almost at the point where the space can start to sustain itself in less than a year.

How are you marketing this? What’s been most effective?

As you can see from our website we don’t market the event space directly we just advertise the events that occur at the space on our website and facebook.

The space and the experience of being in the space sells itself. Most people who approach us about renting have previously attended an event at the space themselves.

Personally, if there is a type of event that I would like to personally have happening at the space I try to connect with Hubs in that community and invite them for tea. That is my main advertising. I basically sit with people and chat to discuss their hopes and dreams (and sometimes The Inner Garden can support them in making their dreams reality). I meet with anyone really i.e. I meet with those interested in meeting and connecting not just people that want to rent space.

But you do have an email newsletter which you send out yes? How many people are on that list at this point?

Yes, the newsletter is for the events not the rentals though (although having a nice newsletter attracts customers). Rachelle is the creative mastermind at The Inner Garden that takes care of everything that we require to promote the space and events. Our long-term plan is to have a monthly newsletter + weekly updates that feature (a specific event) each week.

Not sure how many people (approx. 500) are on our list but we do have people requesting to be on the list each week (maybe 5 people a week) through our website.

One idea (long-term) was to offer to include people on our website and newsletter for free in exchange for circulating our newsletter to their contact list. This would not be policed but just done on a honor system. I trust that this would help build their reputation with their own contact list by showing their contacts the great space they are using and what other great people are using the community space that they are using.

This helps us build a community and bypasses me trying to collect emails at someone else’s event (which is awkward). For instance, if 12 groups use the space each month and they each have 500 people in their list each person’s event gets to 6000 people instead of 500. This goes further if 40 groups use the space over the course of the year now your newsletter is going to 20000 people. We are currently offering the links and newsletter for free now but to become sustainable long-term we may have to do something.

If someone wanted to do a similar thing what would you say are the biggest mistakes to avoid?

Have people pay in advance in full. People who cannot commit ahead of time will probably not be successful and will be more likely to drop out on you. This happened several times and cost me ++ money

Be mindful of how much time you spend promoting events. Sometimes it is important to cut your losses (and admit your mistakes). Communicate clearly.

What are the things you think people could mis-communicate on doing the kind of thing you do?

Lack of clarity on boundaries and expectations. From when money is due to what hours they are able to use the space from to what is and is not allowed in the space

Most people i co-associate are just super grateful so i don’t really have any problems. Above was just mostly growing pains

I’d also say follow your gut instinct of what you should have in the space or who you should get involved with and most importantly it is more important to have quality events then it is to have quantity of events

Can you share a story of a time you didn’t trust your gut and what happened?

Last year I had an artist whose art I agreed to display.

In my opinion, I did a huge favor for someone else that uses one of the offices in the space. My gut said no, no no but i tried to be nice and I needed the money. The artist ended up damaging the place (costing me a lot of personal hours to fix up the place), and then yelling and swearing at me etc. So i returned his $300 without being asked and moved on. I considered it taxing myself for not following my gut. The great thing was he was transformed in this process.

He was transformed from a person that was very angry and felt like he was taken advantage of to a person who now smiles at me in the hallway and talks to me. So instead of having someone spreading false rumors about the space and me he came to me insisting on returning the money and appologized for his actions.

What do you think are the most important things to making this kind of thing work?

The most important is a clear vision of what you would like to do.

What does this mean to you and why is it important. Most people would say they have a clear vision. What’s the cost of not having this clear?

If you are not clear you will attract people and situations that you do not want to wish to have in your life.

And then it’s all about love and support from those close to you, and a willingness to change your direction if things are not working out.

I’m curious where you’ve had to change your direction with this.

The whole direction of the space changed (see above) from a school to an event space. Also i think you need to be open to how others want to use the space not just your own ideas (but at the same time following your gut and having a clear vision which can be a fine line at times).

For more info just visit the Inner Garden website.

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business - Tags: authenticity, becoming a hub, building trust, generosity based business

how to write a lovable homepage

By: Tad | Published: August 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment

You might have alreadry met my friend Carrie Klassen (pictured here). She’s released her very first product I want to tell you about.

A while ago, I released my first product. It’s all about a simple thing you can do to your homepage which can have way more people opting in to be on your email list.

But quite frankly, it’s of little use if a certain part of your website itself isn’t working. So, I want to talk to you about your website.

More specifically, it’s about a particular part of your website.

It’s a part of your website that is absolutely, no questions, no debating it – the most vital part of your website. It’s the first thing people see and it makes or breaks you website. Full stop. Period. End of discussion.

Any marketing consultant would agree with me on this.

What is it? Well, as the blog post title suggests, it’s . . .

Your homepage.

And I want to be lovingly blunt here: I would give a failing grade to most homepages I see. And I’ve looked at a lot of them trying to find examples of homepages that kicked ass. I can count on two hands the number of kick ass homepages I’ve seen.

But I think most people think that their homepage is ‘good enough’.

This could be true, but the vast majority of homepages I’ve seen are either: boring as hell, all about the business and how great it is, full of jargon, confusing or arrogant.

And, of course, you don’t want any of those.

Because you’ve got about three seconds to win them over. Three seconds before they decide ‘this isn’t relevant to me’ or before they break out in a huge smile because they finally found something just perfect for them.

You want a homepage that is clear, loveable, honest, warm and compelling.

You want a homepage that you love and are so excited to share with the people you meet.

You want a homepage that your ideal clients land on and it’s as if they walked up to your home and you opened the door and said, ‘It’s you! Welcome!’ and gave them a hot cup of their favourite drink as they smell the wafts of their favourite meal coming from your beautifully crafted, oak wood front door.

You want a homepage that your ideal clients will love.

And, I mean this with so much love and understanding of how overwhelming business can be . . . your homepage probably isn’t there right now.

Tough love (but I love you!)

So, what can you do?

There’s a simple, 15 question diagnostic quiz you can take to find out for sure (and workbook you can use to make it just perfect). If your website is the happy exception then you’ll only need to spend five minutes at the most and have something to brag about all week.

I always speak about the importance of having a great homepage at my workshops, but I’ve never considered myself an expert. And, for years, I’ve been craving a resource that I could whole-heartedly recommend on this topic.

Finally, it’s here.

It’s called the ‘ How to Write a Lovable Homepage ‘ workbook.

I can’t rave about it enough.

And, once you get it, you’ll be raving too.

It is charming, easy, fun, affordable and will help you create a homepage that has zero grossness, hype, arrogance or dullness.

Carrie has an incredible gift of helping her clients creative marketing that is so clear, irresistible and lovely all at once. It’s candle lit marketing – not neon lights. It’s piping hot, organic tea – not coca cola. It’s warm sweaters on cold days. She’s got a gift for helping people find their own unique voice.

When I heard she was writing this ebook I couldn’t have been more excited.

I promise it will be worth every penny you spend.

To give you a bit of a teaser and some good direction – I did a little interview with Carrie I’d like to share here.

why are you writing an ebook about website homepages?

Every day I hear from amazing entrepreneurs doing such important, good work. And they’re struggling to attract enough clients, to pay their bills, to really enjoy their businesses. And they’re not helping as many people as they could. (Lots of “my people” are holistic practitioners so their reach is really important for more reasons than money.) When I’d look at their websites, it would be clear to me that a huge part of why they’re not reaching enough clients or the right clients was an ineffective homepage, or, worse, one that was harmful.

I ached to re-write these homepages for them. (Running your own business is hard enough, but if your website is working against you, well that just makes my stomach hurt.) But many entrepreneurs don’t feel confident or able to invest in their businesses when their income is unpredictable (which I totally get). For those in that situation, I didn’t want them to feel on their own, rudderless. If they’re in a position where do-it-yourself marketing makes most sense, then I wanted them to have really good support.

why do you feel credible to write an ebook on this topic?

I’m an award-winning copywriter whose been writing for the web for 11 years, so there’s that.

I’m also an award-winning marketing strategist, so while I love beautiful words, I want them to be smart too. I poured my own professional experience into this workbook, but I also researched best practices for website content and engagement from other perspectives. I learned from other writing instructors (like my own cherished writing coach, Chris Kay Fraser at Firefly Creative Writing). I ran live workshops with the same exercises as in the workbook so I could see which were easy to follow and which weren’t. I conducted focus groups for the workbook and then revised it based on the feedback.

I knew that I knew my stuff but a couple weeks ago, when I attended a talk by online strategist and researcher Brian Cugelman, PhD, a fellow who happened to write his dissertation on persuasive websites (among other things), I left feeling giddy. He quoted study after study, outlining the essential components of an effective landing page and while he used bigger words, he was essentially describing my little-workbook-that-could.

why do homepages matter? what are the stats and reality that you can give us?

Homepages are so so so so important.

I just read a Razorfish study that said 64% of consumers have made a first purchase with a business because of a website experience.

That’s crazy!

No other marketing medium has ever had that kind of effect. But it’s what we do now – we consume information online. Your homepage is the top entrance point for your site. It’s the place where critical decisions are being made by your visitors – Do they trust you? Do they like you? Do you have what they’re looking for? If your homepage content is properly structured, you’ll engage the right clients and they’ll continue through other parts of your site right on to whatever your call to action is (buy a product, book an appointment, call for a consultation, etc).

If you mess up with that first page, they’re gone.

Word of mouth is the absolute most important contributor to business growth. We know from research that over 70% of buying decisions are made because someone we know made a recommendation. 70% of those recommendations happen online. These are important numbers when it comes to homepages for two reasons:

If your homepage is well-structured, I will understand it and be able to articulate what you do to my friends. (Women, in particular, are continually considering “who can this help?” while they take in information. So even if your service or product isn’t right for me, I am thinking about whether my sister could use it.)
If I like your business and your site is decent, I will share it with my friends and colleagues directly and on social media sites. The power of that is magnificent! By changing your homepage alone, you can supercharge word of mouth marketing – the most effective influence – in your favour.

what are the three biggest blunders you see people making on their homepages?

The top one has to be starting off with “At [Business Name], we offer…” It’s like marching over to a stranger at a quiet cocktail party and announcing “I’m going to tell you about myself right now”.

Websites need social graces too.

Start with what I call “The Inviting Proclamation” – that’s a headline that tells your reader what becomes possible for them when they work with you. It’s about them, not you. It’s nice. Same with the first section, which I call “The Current Troubling Situation (and How it Feels)”. Empathize with your reader. Acknowledge the challenge they’re having that led them to you.

Another mistake is having too little content. If you have fewer than 250 words on your homepage, you have some writing to do. There are lots of different opinions on the subject but many search engine optimization (SEO) experts suggest 500 words is a good number. Having Google find you would be a bonus. I just want you to be genuinely compelling, and you need more than a few sentences to do that.

The third most common mistake I see would be a lack of any clear “call to action”. I read the page and then it’s fuzzy what I should do next. Should I call you? Or read your testimonials? If there’s no discernible flow, that, however subtly, stresses people out. Be kind and be helpful… add that one-line instruction at the bottom of your text.

What’s are the three/four/five? things that a homepage must do to be a successful homepage? what are the goals of a homepage in your mind?

A homepage must sincerely engage the right reader (you don’t want to appeal to everyone, just the folks who are most likely to love you and want what you’ve got). It must reflect the tone of your business. (Professional? Playful?) It must simply and memorably articulate what you do. It must inspire readers to connect with you (either through an immediate purchase or a newsletter sign-up… some form of relationship must begin).

What are the key elements behind a great homepage?

For content: an inviting headline, an assessment of your reader’s “problem” and “hopes”, a short introduction to the real people behind the business, a clear list of services (that hyperlink to other pages within the site) and a direct call to action.

For design: simple navigation, proper treatment of headings and subheadings (this is important for SEO too), real photography of you and your business (not stock photography).

Can you give three examples of homepages you love and maybe tell us why you love them so much?

Three entrepreneurs I’ve seen who have made great homepages for themselves are Danette Relic, Tami Smith and you, Mr. Hargrave.

Danette’s Radical Creative Sanctuary: http://www.danetterelic.com/

So, Danette had me right at her business name (so awesome!) but I also love her headline so much: Your life is meant to be beautiful and meaningful. Don’t you just feel that right in your stomach? She goes on to write a homepage that feels like we’re having a conversation in a cafe. I already feel safe with her. That is profound for a coach. I like how she’s structured all her content, and I also like the richness and earthiness of the colours she’s chosen. They’re kind of lusty, and that’s very “Danette”.

Tami’s Targeted Traffic Strategies: http://www.targetedtrafficstrategies.com/

Tami’s homepage feels like a fresh, spring day to me. All the windows are open and the curtains are billowing. It is so clean. That’s gracious design, because it allows the reader’s eye some peace and it gives the reader psychological space to insert herself. I also love what Tami’s written. Her voice is so welcoming. “I’m Tami Smith and I’m a searchologist. That means I make it my business to know how search works, what makes Google love you and how to show up when someone is looking for your solution. I guess you could say I’m a match-maker; I match you to your perfect people when they are searching.” SEO is complicated and Tami could impress you with lots of buzz words and jargon and the fact that she used to work at Google (Tami’s a pretty big deal), but instead, she keeps it friendly, setting a positive tone. You can do this.

Tad’s Marketing for Hippies: http://marketingforhippies.com/

Tad, I like your headline so much, I use it as an example in How to Write a Lovable Homepage: “Conscious Business Folk: Are you struggling to attract enough clients?” It isn’t doom and gloom. You don’t use fear as a motivator (that goes against everything I believe, despite what many “marketing experts will say”) but you do, gently, hit that nerve. And if I am a conscious entrepreneur struggling to attract enough clients, right from the very first line you’ve made me feel like I’m in the right place and you’re going to help me. That is so kind. You’ve offered me a post-marathon glass of water and foot rub.

Beautiful!

Our homepages aren’t just marketing tools or faces for our business – they’re our arms and mouths in the world too. They can be used for good. We can write things that inspire, that reassure, that inform, that help, that heal. That doesn’t mean you don’t ask, too. But make buying your book or signing up for your newsletter – your ask – make it an invitation to continue a relationship. We’re all hungry for connection and what you do, Tad, is give that so generously.

Can you tell us a bit about your workbook?

It’s a labour of love and a gazillion hours worth of Carrie. I’m so excited about it. It really feels important. It isn’t just an e-book that you sit back and read and then have to figure out how to apply what you’ve learned to your own situation – it’s a workbook. You’ll roll up your sleeves and I’ll take you through a series of very short (a few minutes each) writing exercises. At the end, I tell you how to put them together and – voila! – you have a new homepage, in about two hours’ time. I don’t know of anything else like it.

And the thing I really love about it is that even if you only get one new client because of the workbook, you’ve made back your investment. Just like that. That makes me feel amazing.

To take the Lovable Homepage Quiz go here (you’ll have to sign up for Carrie’s newsletter – but it’s one of those you will thank me for. They come out rarely and each one is a gem – plus you can unsubscribe whenever you like. Also – you get a lovely little ebook that I adore).

To get Carrie’s ebook ‘How to Write a Lovable Homepage‘ go here .

If you'd like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you'll also get a free copy of my

fancy new ebook "Marketing for Hippies" when it's done.

| Categories: becoming a hub, Branding, Case Studies of Inspiring Business - Tags: becoming a hub, building trust, online marketing, real, safety

case study: release your dragon spirit

By: Tad | Published: August 8, 2011 · 2 Comments

A few months ago, I attended the Spiritual Marketing Quest. It’s one of the best marketing workshops I’ve ever been to – as this story will attest to.

At a certain point, a woman named Holly Tse (pictured below) stood up and shared an idea that gave everyone goosebumps. It was a project idea that tied both into her most personal wounds but also the cultural wounds she’d inherited and allowed her to transform those wounds into her gift for the world. Such a perfect example of authentic niching and becoming a hub.

I asked her if she’d be okay talking about where it’s at right now – even though she’s just starting and she was kind enough to say yes.

What is the name of your project?

The Lotus Blossoming Telesummit

What’s the story of how this came about? What was the need you saw in the community that it emerged from?

In May 2011, I attended a conference called the Spiritual Marketing Quest. It was about finding your core audience and developing your message. Basically I wanted to know who am I here to help? I knew I had a burning desire to make an impact and to help uplift others, but I just didn’t know exactly how or who.

I went on the Quest to gain insights for my reflexology practice and instead left with an epiphany that I was meant to lead a movement to empower Asian women. Growing up Asian, I always felt like I had to squelch my own voice in order to fit in and do the right thing. I realized that this experience was shared by many Asians, especially women and I felt a burning passion to help others find their inner voice, or as I call it, to release their inner Dragon Spirit.

At the Quest, my inner voice urged me to create an online telesummit that would feature Asian women who own their power as speakers. That was on May 15th. In less than 6 weeks, I organized the entire event from scratch–everything from recruiting speakers to building the website.

As a full-time mom to a toddler, I had just two hours each evening to work on the event (and do laundry, wash dishes, prep meals, spend time with her husband and friends, and find some “me time” too). As my son would say, “Wow!”

I felt like I was being guided by a force greater than myself to create the Lotus Blossoming Telesummit. I followed my heart and it allowed me to make this event happen in such a short time with ease and grace.

what does the term ‘dragon spirit’ mean to you and where does it come from culturally?

Dragon Spirit is the inner voice inside that loves adventure, exploration and learning. It also happens to be the part of you that is all knowing and uber-wise .

There is not a cultural reference for it. I went to the Quest and as we were filling out the worksheets, I had a block on one of the questions, which was, “What is the name of your product or service?” That evening, I meditated and channelled my Higher Self and was surprised when I felt compelled to speak out loud. In an ethereal other-world voice, I answered myself and said, “Release your Dragon Spirit”. As soon as I said it, I knew I had found my voice.

what was it about growing up asian that had you feeling like your voice was squelched? in your community what was ‘the right thing’ to do? and what had you realized it might be a cultural wound vs. just a personal one?

When I was six years old, my teacher asked the class to write about what we wanted to be when we grew up. While all the other kids wrote things like “fireman” and “princess”, I wrote that I wanted to be a “l-o-y-e-r”. When the teacher handed me back my paper and corrected the spelling, I totally thought she had it wrong. There was no way that loyer could be spelled, “lawyer”.

And so it was, that while my mom was nowhere near the Tiger Mom of recent lore, she did believe in guiding her children to professions that she thought would lead them to happiness and success in life. Personal interests and passions were to be set aside in order to “put food on the table”.

There’s a Japanese saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. And while I’m a second generation Chinese-Canadian (currently living in California), I often felt that this proverb applied to me while growing up, especially when it came to expressing my emotions and desires. It’s very important to save face, not show the world your problems and to fit in with the community rather than stand out as an individual.

Ironically, I grew up in a predominantly WASP neighbourhood so there was no way that I could possibly fit in since we stuck out as the only Chinese family around.

What’s the response been to this so far?

I’ll be flat out honest. There are just over 50 people registered right now from around the world. I need help getting the word out. Because I chose to manifest this so quickly, I did not give my speakers enough time to promote the event. The “power-hitters” are speaking towards the end of the telesummit and are mailing in the next week or two.

When I share the event with people, the response is magical. They light up and want to be a part of it. It has led me to new friendships that I know will last a lifetime. And it also created a new business model for me where I learned that I am here to guide women to find the next steps for their businesses. I create a space where they can connect with their own Dragon Spirits to learn, know feel and experience what it is they should do next in order to expand their businesses with ease and grace and fast.

I just got a download that there are two more things I should write you. Will do my best to do so w/ my 2 yr old in my lap now.

Since you position your blogs with the voice of sharing lessons that others can learn from, here is the key lesson:

Even though you may have a judgment beforehand of what success is supposed to look like when you embark on a new venture, the universe may deliver it to you in a completely different form. Follow through on the course and the next step in your path will illuminate naturally for you. I did not know what would come of the Telesummit. I heard of others who added thousands of people to their lists and I *thought* that’s what my goal should be, even though I had no clue what I would do with a list of thousands of people.

Fortunately, my Dragon Spirit prevailed and told me that this was just one step along my path and that if I continued following the path, it would lead me to where I wanted to go. And so it did. While speaking with one of the speakers for the telesummit, I shared with her how I had experienced past lives. She said she had tried to do so herself it in the past, but hadn’t been able to do so. My Dragon Spirit (DS) told me to tell her that I was supposed to help her do this even though I’d never done this before. Spontaneously, we began to explore our past life connection and she did experience a past life and received a message about the next evolution of her business.

After our conversation, I felt such love and light. My DS told me that this was what I was meant to do and that I should offer Dragon Spirit guided sessions to 5 people for free. Each session brought clarity to me and the person I was working with. A pattern started to emerge. On my 4th session, everything aligned perfectly. Both parties had amazing breakthroughs and not only that, my client told me she had 6 friends who would love a session. I felt a tremendous connection with Source Energy when she said this because two days prior, my DS had told me that I would lead monthly Dragon Spirit group “pods” and that each pod would have exactly 6 people. I just got my first pod!

What are the top three most effective ways you’ve found to market this?

1. Identify the energy that you want to share when you are marketing as opposed to sales or marketing numbers. When you reach out with an authentic energy to uplift others, they respond.

2. Be open and vulnerable in your communications. Writing with your authentic voice is much more effective and easier to do than coming up with the “right” headline or marketing lingo.

3. Ask your inner Dragon Spirit! Meditate and then ask yourself out loud what to do next.

What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

1. Follow and TRUST your heart.

2. Have a personal goal in mind that is not about what you can do for others, but what you are doing for yourself. For me, I wanted to make new friends who shared similar passions and interests as me. (And I did!)

3. Only act when you are in a space of feeling good.

What’s the next level for your project? What are you most excited about that’s coming up?

During the creation of the Lotus Blossoming Telesummit, I discovered that not only could I channel my Dragon Spirit for myself, I could create a space for others to do the same and that we could do this over the phone. I’m excited that this creates a whole new way for me to be of service to others. An online “Release Your Dragon Spirit” workshop is in the works and I now offer personal Dragon Spirit guided sessions.

For more information on this telesummit just go to:

http://www.lotusblossoming.com

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business, event promotion, Niche Marketing - Tags: authenticity, becoming a hub, building trust, niche, relevance

five steps to identify your point of view – the short course

By: Tad | Published: August 6, 2011 · 1 Comment

I’ve been blogging a lot about point of view (which is helping me sort out my own point of view on it) and I thought it might be nice to take all of it and boil it down a bit into some simple steps on how you can really focus your own point of view.

STEP #1: Think of your deepest wounds and clarify what they are. You need a sandbox to play in – not just ‘life’ and ‘helping people who are stressed.’ What’s the journey you know most intimately? You can read more about this here.

STEP #2: Refine your point of view on that particular journey to you’ve undergone heal your wounds. What have you learned? To help you delve deeper here consider answering these questions about your story and these questions about your point of view.

STEP #3: Ask yourself where people who have undergone the same journey and who share your point of view are already congregated. Identify your hubs.

STEP #4: craft offerings that can help people on their journey (which has also been your journey) and that are aligned with, embody and express your truest point of view.

STEP #5: share your offerings through the hubs you’ve identified.

| Categories: becoming a hub, Branding, marketing strategy, Niche Marketing - Tags: authenticity, becoming a hub, building trust, niche, point of view

51 examples of content for blogs, social media and newsletters

By: Tad | Published: August 2, 2011 · Leave a Comment

When I do my workshops, I often get people to brainstorm the types of content they might use to stay in touch with the people on their lists. And people come up with great ones.

So, here’s the harvest from my past few workshops. I hope it inspires you with ideas. Notice how many of them express a really clear point of view and how the ones that focus on a particular niche are particularly cool and useful.

If you’re feeling stuck on what kinds of content you could create read the below and then go and answer these questions. I promise content ideas galore.

Enjoy!

Mortgage Broker:

- monthly interviews with realtors, home inspectors, lawyers, title insurance brokers about the marketplace and their expertise in buying a new home.
- niehgbourhood spotlight: putting together a package of coupons for that area, doing a walking tour of the area for folks interested, introduce them to local businesses

Massage for Cancer Patients:
- interviews with cancer survivors who’ve had massage and valued it
- interviews with doctors and nurses who are open to massage
- directly addressing myths: cancer can’t be spread through massage

Childbirth:
- movie screenings of birth related movies
- youtube videos of people interviewed
- website reviews
- articles you’ve already written
- top ten things you DON’T need that people tell you you need when having a baby

Blaire Finney:
- top ten tips for supporting a family member who’s been hospitalized in a psych ward
- nutrient dense foods for addicts (that are easy to absorb)
- top five complimentary modalities for addicts

Midwife:
- How to set up a birth pool.

For: office workers
- top five strategies to deal with that person in your office who drains your energy
- ten yoga poses you can do at your desk
- top ten meditative songs to have in your ipod at work

For: parents
- tips for parenting kids at different stages

Energy Workers:
- showing the science behind the woo woo. sharing the studies and results.

For: divorced parents
- how to do homework in two homes
- 5 things your kids are saying about you at school

For: LGBT women in Toronto suffering from anxiety or depression caused by issues around discovering their sexuality and coming out.
- how to get through the holidays
- coming out stories
- the top ten ways to come out to your family and friends
- top ten WORST ways to come out to family and friend (funny)
- top ten ways to come out at work or school
- top ten ways to pick up a chick

For: women with breast cancer looking for alternatives
- how to handle your doctor and get the experience you want and need out of your appointments

For: menopausal women.
- video of older women doing cool stuff (e.g. grannies skydiving or mountain climbing)

For: women suffering from headaches
- top five foods to lighten your toxin load

For: professionals
- top ten questions to help you decide whether you need a career change
- top ten career books

For: those who’ve been traumatized by sexual abuse
- how to protect your child from abuse

For: pet owners whose pets have behavioural issues
- info on upcoming expos and shows focused on behavioural issues

For: smokers who are trying to quit
- 10 minutes of yoga to combat nicotine craving
- list of physiological changes that occur after quitting smoking (broken down chronologically over a year)

For: cancer patients who are choosing alternative treatment options
- book reviews on anti-cancer and The China Study
- list of how homeopathy can help with specific side effects of chemo

For: people with digestive issues
- how to organize your kitchen and recipes for simplicity in cooking

For: parents with children with Autism and ADHD
- answers to top question faced by faced by families with autistic children and strategies on how to deal with them
- current research and study
- videos for common treatments that seem daunting until you see them in action or try them yourself

For: socially awkward young adults.
- tips on how to use improv lessons to improve your life

For: people who are overwhelmed and stressed and craving silence in their lives
- articles on the benefits of silence
- artwork and poetry that evolved out of silence

For: sensitive and powerful men
- “The Man Box” – lies and myths about men
- VIDEO: “Real Moments of Power” – real men sharing a moment where they were powerful that weren’t hurting anyone. 2 minutes each.
- VIDEO SERIES: “Instant Warrior Practice” – practical exercises for vitality, focus and confidence.

For: People with life threatening cancer
- top five ways to look after yourself when you’re struggling with feelings around your cancer

For: Health conscious pet owners with animals that have chronic problems
- biggest feeding mistakes
- why pets need detox too

Do you have any cool examples of content that you’ve seen or created that you want to share? Just write them below.

| Categories: becoming a hub, Branding, newsletters - Tags: becoming a hub, blogs, building trust, generosity based business, online marketing, pressure free, safety, social media

seven ideas on finding your voice

By: Tad | Published: July 24, 2011 · 18 Comments

These are all human eyes.

Each one looks so different (you can find more here)

But that’s not the extraordinary thing.

The extraordinary thing is that each one looks at different things. From different angles. Each one sees the world in a different way.

Just the other day I had a 75 minute skype video conversation with Michael Margolis of www.getstoried.com.

Amazing.

Our conversation somehow wove together the notions of niche, point of view and story telling (and me talking about a sex workshop I went to and all sorts of unintentional innuendo). I’ll be sharing it with you all in the coming months.

And then today, I read an inspiring blog post about ‘finding your voice’. So, I thought I’d jot down some of my understandings about it.

Why is some marketing inspired and inspiring and other marketing feels gross? Why do some websites (like my friend Carrie‘s) feel so wonderful and like home and others feel slick and hypey? Why do some sales letters feel so real and authentic and others feel forced and contrived? Why do some people seem so trustworthy and others . . . we’re not sure.

Probably a lot of reasons, but these days I think that so much of it has to do with finding our voice.

Finding our own style. Our own way of saying things. Our own unique point of view and take on things. Telling our own story of the world from where we stand. Speaking from our own experience without apology. Finding our own way in the midst of a broader community.

It’s not about having the loudest voice – but the truest voice. The one that can harmonize best and solo when needed.

It’s about having the courage to call a spade a spade. To point out when the emperor has no clothes.

When you meet someone who’s found their voice you just melt. They’re so trustworthy. They’re not exuding a false confidence or bravado. They’re not posturing. They’re comfortable in their own skin. They’re not leaning on anyone. They exude what Stuart Wilde spoke of as a Silent Power. They’re walking through the world giving, not taking. There’s something so simple about them. It’s not complicated. It’s clear.

And remember: the confused mind always says no.

As you find your voice (both in tone and message) the world becomes less confused with you. It becomes clear about who you are. And you become not a searchlight desperately looking for people, but a lighthouse. A beacon calling your ships to safe harbour.

You won’t draw everyone; you’ll draw the right people. They’ll self select in. They’ll hear your words and your tone and they’ll say, ‘Yes. I’d like to hear more of that.’

Is there marketing to be done to magnify your voice and make sure it’s heard? Of course. But that’s another conversation.

There are so many ways to find your voice and, in his beautiful post below, Leo Babauta shares his take on this.

Here are a few of my own.

seven ideas on finding your voice

idea #1 – Be curious. I suppose this is the thread through the rest of them. Follow your curiousities. Because you’re the only one in the universe who feels them in just the way that you do. You’re the only one with those particular eyes that see things just as you do.

You can trust your curiosities to lead you perfectly.

They’re the best part of you that guide you your whole life towards wholeness.

idea #2 – Get some space. Do you ever just look at the front door and think, “I just want to walk on out . . . and keep going?” It’s a human itch my colleague Nicole Moen writes about – the urge for pilgrimage. The need to get out of our routines, habits and everything keeping us stuck where we are. The need for a fresh start. The need to begin again. To get space from all the expectations and demands on us so that we can begin to hear ourselves again.

idea #3 – Reflect on your journey. We do a lot of living, but not a lot of reflecting. You’ve been on a journey from somewhere to where you are now. And, on that journey, you’ve learned a lot. Much more than you realize. Think about where you started and where you are now.

What do you know about the journey now you wish you’d known back when you started? Go for coffee with a friend and share your stories. Listen deeply to each other. Reflect what you hear in each others stories. There’s non stop learning to be had here. A note: sometimes we are just too close to our own lives to reflect on it. Sometimes we need a guide to help us. It could be a friend, a guru, a mentor, a counselor or therapist. Someone who loves you and is deeply skilled in listening.

idea #4 – Let yourself bitch (privately). Don’t try to be so positive, people pleasing and accommodating. Stop being so accepting and forgiving for a few hours. Let yourself be human. Let yourself complain viciously about all the bullshit you see around you: in your community, in your industry, in the world. Be ruthlessly honest about what you think and feel. Write it all down.

And realize that you’re not alone.

And realize that others feel this way too and they feel alone.

Why not speak up and let them know they’re one of many? Why not pose questions in facebook statuses and tweets asking, ‘does anyone else feel this way?’ And now that you know what you’re against take all of that and reverse it – what are you for? What do you want instead? Refine it. Clarify it.

idea #5 – Let yourself appreciate what you appreciate. Think of all the things you’re naturally drawn to in your life. Who are the colleagues you’re most drawn to and why? Who are your mentors? What fascinates you in your industry and in your life? Where are you nerdy? What do you actually spend your time on (vs. where you think you should spend your time).

idea #6 – Answer these questions. In depth. Take a friend out for coffee and give them a print out of these questions and have them ask you each questions, one at a time, until you have nothing left to say and then move onto the next. Delve deep, deep, deep. You might be surprised at how much you have to say. You might be surprised about how strong your opinions are.

idea #7 – Engage in conversation with people about it. Once you’ve bitched, clarified, delved and refined – why not express it in some way? Maybe it’s a poem, a rant, a song, a manifesto, a video, a set of principles, a diagram, a pie chart, a doodle etc. It won’t be perfect – but it will get the conversation going. And that’s what we want. And you will learn a lot from that conversation which will help you clarify for yourself what you believe.

Want some more ideas and thoughts on this? Why not read what Leo has to say below . . .

Finding Your Voice

by Leo Babauta.

Creators of any kind must find their voice.

We are writers, musicians, designers, programmers, parents, builders of anything. But we are not truly expressing ourselves, and speaking the truth, until we’ve found our voice: the tone, style, tenor, pitch, personality we use to express ourselves.

Our voice is our essence, writ plain for the world to see.

A reader and fellow writer asked me how I found my voice. And I have no easy answer — I’m not even sure I can say I’ve fully found my voice yet. It’s a quest that doesn’t seem to end — not a Grail quest, really, but a constant retuning as the essence of who I am neverendingly changes.

But I feel I’ve found something that has the texture of truth, even if only a tactile approximation. I’ll share some of my thoughts, but keep in mind I don’t hold the answers firmly at all.

I’m learning, and I hope my learning helps yours. This is written for writers, but the ideas are the same for anyone who creates anything.

to read the rest of this brilliant post: click here

| Categories: Inner Work, marketing philosophy, Tad's Rants - Tags: authenticity, becoming a hub, building trust, point of view

dan blank opines on how authors should build their platform

By: Tad | Published: July 7, 2011 · 3 Comments

danblankarticleprofile dan blank opines on how authors should build their platform Dan Blank (pictured here) has become one of my favourite bloggers. His posts always seem to just nail it on the themes of authenticity and effectiveness.

And, recently, I’ve been seeing so many marketing workshops for authors and so I thought I’d do a little interview with Dan to get his take on it all.

Dan, what do you do?

I work with writers to help them build their brands and platforms, and with publishers to help them engage their communities. I do this via online courses, consulting, and I try to share as much as I can for free on my blog at WeGrowMedia.com

What are the top three blunders you see writers making with their marketing?

The top three mistakes I see most often are: not having a clear vision of what someone wants to accomplish with their CAREER. Writers need to look beyond just marketing one book, and beyond quantitative sales numbers that are not indicative of the effect they have on the world.

Now some people might say, ‘but having an impact won’t pay the bills. that sounds very warm and fuzzy but how do I make money!” how do you respond to that?

This speaks to another mistake I see people making very often: pursuing marketing tactic after marketing tactic, without a clear understanding of how it relates to their goals, the value to their business or financial needs, and the benefit to their audience or customers. So they run around like a hamster on a wheel, following the latest trends, or buying into the latest article they read on how to convert customers, but it doesn’t align to a core strategy – it doesn’t speak to their customer needs – and isn’t measured and implemented in a way that brings revenue. It’s easy to feel busy, but it’s better to feel successful. When you understand your specific goals, how that aligns to the specific needs of your audience, and take a long term approach. If there is one thing the recession should have taught all of us, it’s that quarter-by-quarter profit is tempting, but in the end, it doesn’t build a solid foundation for true success.

Second is having a clear sense of who their audience is. Oftentimes you find people are extremely general as to who their work might appeal to, in hopes that it appeals to everyone. But how can you build an audience and serve a community if you don’t know who you align to?

I talk about this a lot. how do you suggest people go about this? how does a writer go about defining their audience? can you give me three examples of writers and their audiences?

It can differ based on the type of writing or book – nonfiction, fiction, memoir, etc. For nonfiction, you can target industry organizations, societies, academic programs and leaders, conferences and events, online forums/blogs/etc – all laser focused on a very specific audience with very specific needs.

This is where books such as Malcolm Gladwell’s work (which I enjoy) do a disservice to other writers. Everyone now things that their book on sociology, or sports analogies, or observations on any specific niche, should have a broad mass market appeal. They may shy away from “just” building connections with a smaller niche because they have a grander vision for their work. But in the end, as the saying goes, if you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.

Fiction and memoir can sometimes be different. You have to consider deeper themes that relate to segments of your audience, and consider how those people organize, where they are affiliated, and how they express those passions and desires. For instance, something about Eat, Pray, Love tapped into deeper things that a wide range of people already had within them. Harry Potter is not just a book about wizards, it deals with identity, hope, adventure, family, etc. These are all avenues to find and expand your audience.

Likewise – you have to dig through your book to find any way that it connects with an already-organized community. Is your main character a knitter? Reach out to knitting clubs and media. Does it take place in Oklahoma – reach out to bookstores and reading groups in that state.

Third is that they don’t know what to share. So they mean to connect with their audience in authentic ways, but often share too little, and go too quickly to overt publicity and marketing tactics, hoping to see quick results in terms of sales and audience size.

That’s interesting. i don’t think i’ve ever heard anyone talk about the dangers of marketing too soon. why do you see this as a mistake? what’s the worst case scenario here?

I think their is a difference between building connections to a community – building trust – learning about their passions and needs, and overt publicity and marketing. So it is definitely ideal to begin building connections to a community as early as possible. But if you jump right in with something to sell, you forfeit the opportunity to build real relationships that can last a lifetime. You are just someone selling something to them – a one sided relationship.

What are the top three hopes they need to let go of?

Romanticism seems to pervade many writers’ view of the publishing process. Publishing is a business. It is extremely hard work, whether you go the traditional route with an agent and publishing house, or out on your own self-publishing.

Yes, writers do get lucky – their work spreads like wildfire and magic happens. But for most, it is work – hard work – where every thing you gain is something you earned one small step at a time.

There are sooooo many ‘get your book on the best seller list’ seminars these days. what’s your take on them?

I like to consider what someone is building with their writing CAREER, not the performance of a single book.

You mentioned this before. can you give an example of how these two things might be different? it sounds like you work on the strategic level where as most of the marketing i see works on a very tactical level. can you share your thoughts on how their tactics might shift when they really consider their long term vision and strategy?

This comes back to goals and audience need. All tactics sound good in a vacuum, just as all stock tips sound good in a vacuum. But when you are balancing your own short and long term goals, when your audience has specific passions and needs, their own community practices, tactics alone may not give you the results you hope to find. This is where people can come across as “other” or insensitive.

How do you want your work to affect the world, how do you want to connect with readers. These things are not described in quantitative measures of sales. We get caught up in them though because they are easy benchmarks, and because we ASSUME that with that type of “success” other opportunities follow. But if you start off on your journey on the wrong path, seeking the wrong goals, then you can’t expect to find what you are looking for.

What are most authors really looking for? or what do you think they’d be best served to look for?

That is a complicated answer, and often different for each writer. I think that, in general, when we create and share, we are looking for validation, identity, connection, and a legacy. Sometimes this can be reflected in sales figures, number of books sold, Twitter followers, etc. But not always, and I think an writer or creative person should careful consider their real goals, and how they can be best achieved, regardless of the standard measures of success in the overall publishing industry.

What are the top three foundational marketing approaches you would offer to a writer?

Do your research – know who you are writing for.
Share what you write, get it out of the drawer.
Connect with people – build relationships, not marketing channels.

To learn more about Dan and his fine work just go to:

http://wegrowmedia.com

| Categories: Book Publishing, identifying your hubs - Tags: building trust, stories