Abundance. What a beautiful. luxurious word. Even the way it sounds feels abundant. Ah … bun … dance. There is a dance there; do you see it? Abundance is a dance between the world and its inhabitants. It’s also a dance between you and your prospects. And because your marketing content represents you on the web, you can say that […]
Do you have a North Star for your business?By North Star, I mean a shining light that guides you along the journey. A light that acts as a reference point and keeps you from getting lost when you stray from the path of your intentions. These days, we don’t follow an actual star. We follow a […]
Right now, your Soul’s Purpose is searching for you. I recently read an article by Ponny SH Lam called, “Do You Choose your Soul Purpose, Or Does It Choose You?” In it, Ponny talks about how, when she was a university Career Advisor, the Universe sparked her soul by way of a chance encounter at a fast-food […]
Forget the “ain’t nobody got time for that” memeI had a Zoom meeting with my mastermind recently. (By the way, I highly recommend masterminding … SO GOOD!) We were talking about the progress we’ve been making in our online businesses. That’s when one of the members mentioned something she’d heard from some online guru, something about how sometimes […]
Tune in for a talk about blogs and bloggingGood news! On Friday, August 13th at 10 am EDT, Julian Leahy will interview me for his FollowJulian.com interview series. We’ll talk about blogging … how to use a blog to grow your business … and how to keep the ideas flowing when the initial jubilation of “blogging” has […]
To blog … or not to blog?I’ve been talking a lot about blogging lately. I created a blogging card deck, a 30-day blogging challenge, and I’m working on a program to help solopreneurs and small business owners jumpstart their writing confidence along with their blogs. It’s been “Blog this, blog that, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog” around […]
You’re a solopreneur. Now what? I love being a solopreneur. I love peeling back, refining, and communicating deeper and deeper layers of talent, all with the glorious goal of serving my ideal clients and in some ways changing the world. Yeah, that’s lofty. But it’s also true. If you’re a solopreneur, then your goal might be something similar. You hold […]
From elevator speech to e-speech?During my recent mastermind retreat, I worked on my elevator speech, aka elevator pitch, that sentence or two you say when someone asks you what you do. :: begin conversation :: ME: <extends hand> “Hi, I’m Renae. Nice to meet you.” THEM: <accepts hand, pumps warmly> “Hi, I’m Ideal. Ideal Client. Nice to meet […]
Investing in yourself and your business with a mastermind. You know what it’s like when you do something stupid? For instance … spending $10,000 to join a mastermind? <GULP> “Did I really just do that?!?” “What will I tell my husband?!?” “How will I PAY for it?!?” Well, that’s exactly what I did back in March 2017. I joined a mastermind group. At […]
This post is Part 3 of a three-part series on infusing the know, like, trust factor into your website and content. If you haven’t read them yet, find Part 1 on KNOWING here, and Part 2 on LIKING here. 3. TRUSTTo trust you, your prospect must feel safe with you. Although the trust element is easier to […]
This post is Part 2 of a three-part series on infusing the know, like, trust factor into your website and content. If you haven’t read it yet, find Part 1 on KNOWING here. Part 2: LIKETo like you, your prospect must connect with you. What does it mean to like someone? I’m not talking “like like,” as […]
You’ve heard it said that people prefer to do business with people they know, like, and trust, right? Me, too. Yet everytime I hear that advice, I think, “Okaaaaaay….” It sounds nice, but what does it really mean to know, like, and trust someone? What does it take for someone to know, like, and trust you, or your […]
What’s a manifesto? And do you need one for your business?Did you know that Seth Godin writes a manifesto for every book he publishes?I found that out through Marcy Nelson-Garrison, creator of the Card Deck Master Class, the program I used to create my card deck, The Blog Post Inspiration Deck.The Blog Post Inspiration Deck, […]
What’s most important to you in your work?Take a look at these moving words from Benjamin Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. I have a definition of success. For me, it’s very simple. It’s not about wealth and fame and power. It’s about how many shining eyes I […]
Freelance writer rates: As with all things in life, you get what you pay forThere’s a blog post over at ClearVoice entitled “15 Scenarios When to Pay Freelance Writers Higher Rates.”I wanted to respond to the post right in the comments but, alas, the comments were closed.So I’m writing my reply here as a blog […]
Imperfect action ≠ crappy content The gurus say that imperfect action is better than no action. In a way, I agree: It’s better to have an “imperfect” something out there than nothing at all. BUT. A huge BUT. Imperfect doesn’t mean “crap.” Glaring content issues that shout “CRAP!” to everyone Imperfect doesn’t mean you let content out of the house with […]
When credibility takes a hit, trust does, too. A new study by the UX design folks at Nielsen Norman Group confirmed what I already knew: to sell successfully in the online space, your website must give readers a sense that your company is credible and trustworthy. Although the study focused on B2B buyers in China, its […]
Free, no-email-required guide on know, like, and trustYou’ve probably heard at least one expert say that people buy from people and companies they know, like, and trust. Trouble is … that’s where the guidance stops. It’s like: “Know, like, and trust. You need it, so go do it! Get to it!” But HOW? What does it *really* mean to […]
It seems that everyone loves long-form contentYou know what? I get that long-form content is great for driving traffic. Neil Patel says so. Kissmetrics says so. Search Enging Land says so. Content Marketing Institute says so. I’m not here to argue about the effectiveness of long-form content. Having a supply of long-form content on your site is a good thing. […]
Small business marketing + deep listening = better marketing content You know the feeling that comes over you when you see or hear something transformative? When something about life, love, or small business marketing stops you in your tracks, and becomes, at least temporarily, all consuming? You can’t think of anything else. You feel compelled to share […]
