Social media is a lie. It promises a podium. But instead, it hires you to be unpaid labor. Can you still get something out of it? Sure, but we have to see through the misconceptions to find a smart strategy.
Stop Mimicking What Marketers Do
How will we get our good ideas across if we are turning people off in the way we present ourselves to the world? Are we inadvertently giving people the wrong impression?
How to Change My Mind: An Experiment
Jessica Valenti changed my mind about cancel culture. How? By speaking with clarity and empathy. This serves as a great example of what I’ve been exploring lately in my new project, Consider the Source. This episode is available exclusively as part of this new project: Listen to it here. Wait, why? Marketing is about experimenting, […]
Consider the Source: Series Overview
If we want to create positive change in the world, it will take strong ideas expressed with clarity and empathy. To that end, I’m launching a new project called “Consider the Source” that audits the way we consume, share, and produce media.
Promoting and Syndicating Your Podcast
In promoting your podcast, it pays to be efficient. Automation is a key part of this, in syndication, social promotion, and email marketing. Here’s how to get set up.
Now We Know
It feels good to celebrate, with good reason. But record turnout revealed something about the coming challenges we face as a culture.
How to Attract an Agent, Publisher, or Label
An agent, producer, or publisher has to make decisions based on money. If they invest in you, will they get that investment back? Will they make a profit? If the answer to these questions is, “I’m not sure,” then you are not going to get picked. It’s as simple as that. Let’s remedy that.
Closing Up Shop
175 episodes is a long run. With all that’s going on, it’s safe to say that someone other than me should have the microphone. So I’ll be closing up shop for awhile. Here’s my reasoning, and a look into the foggy future.
Making the Sale: Online Store Strategy 201
Your online store is the last and most important point in the customer’s journey. In the first episode of this 3-part mini-series, I cover how to set up your store site, optimize product pages, and gather the data you need to make smart strategic adjustments.
When to Use Facebook Ads: Social Strategy 201
There are two cases where it really makes sense to run a Facebook Ad. But it cannot be a standalone strategy. Let’s look at what needs to be set up before you start running ads or boosting posts, so that you don’t spend your money on useless “eyeballs.”
How Small Businesses Can Survive the Coronavirus Crisis
The pandemic is having a huge impact on small businesses, including my own. Here are a few specific strategies to weather a prolonged downturn, and an offer to use what expertise and experience I have to help you directly, one-to-one, for free.
Small Groups vs. Large Followings: Social Strategy 201
In Episode 168, I question the concept of getting a large social media following. Large numbers of “eyeballs” often don’t do us much good compared to the tight connections of smaller groups to cultivate an ardent community of supporters.
Domain Renewal Scams: How to Avoid Them
Domain scammers have upped their game. I encountered a new variant of the Domain Name Expiration Scam recently. Episode 167 is about how to spot this new strategy and what to do if you are targeted.
Measurement and Iteration: Social Strategy 201
By treating our marketing efforts like an experiment, we can set metrics, collect data, analyze the results, and then make the necessary adjustments. Episode 166 is about how to put a simple plan in action to get better results from your social campaigns.
Rethinking Our Social Media Interactions: Social Strategy 201
The algorithms are working against us now. Episode 165 offers two strategies to adapt to the new, more restrictive world of social media marketing: How to do an end-run around the algorithms, and three steps to lean into what is still the best part of social.
Social Is Not What It Used to Be: Social Strategy 201
The glory days of social are over. Free organic reach is a thing of the past. What used to work is no longer effective. So, are there still ways for us to use social media to build relationships with an audience without having to pay-to-play? Of course there are.
Your Facebook Page Has Been Hacked
Your business is at risk if you don’t have ownership of one of your most important assets: Your audience. While a Facebook Page is convenient for connecting with customers, what happens when your account gets hacked, deactivated, or deleted? This happened to a client of mine.
List Hygiene and Maintenance: Email Marketing 201
You can’t do good email marketing without maintaining a clean email list. Good list hygiene not only helps you save money, but it also helps you increase your open rate and click rate.
How to Market Your Book: A Complete Strategy in 5 Stages
Today’s successful writers are entrepreneurs. While this may seem intimidating at first, the good news is that building a business around your writing doesn’t have to happen all at once. It can be built little by little, in stages. Here’s a blueprint to get your content strategy in order, connect with the right people, and form a supportive community.
Content Marketing Has Changed
Have you noticed that social media is not as effective anymore? That your website traffic is down? That people aren’t opening your email newsletters as much? Content marketing has changed – a lot – over the past 5 years alone.