By Jessica Albon
I resolutely believe more writing makes you a better writer–it’s a skill that must be practiced if you intend to communicate clearly and well. And, heck, last year, I wrote a post on how to write 20,000 words in a weekend.
But, when it comes to an individual piece of writing, it’s important not to fall too madly in love with your words and be entirely unwilling to give any of them up–or you risk sacrificing clarity for your “flourish.”
About a month ago, I became obsessed with finding a very particular tool. I was convinced this new tool would help me cull my writing and write *less* so that I was communicating more. Several broken nails later… I can confirm that yes, my new tool indeed made a huge difference in the quality of what I was writing. I tried it out on a sales letter and …
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By Jessica Albon
A few years ago, we started a new tradition around here (at Thrive Your Tribe, I mean). Instead of sending paper holiday cards, we take that money and make a big donation to an awesome charity. I figure you probably get a bunch of cards this month, and besides, I was having a lot of trouble getting them out on time! So, while this means our dear clients, friends, and readers don’t get something in their mailboxes signed by Izzy, this year, it means OxFam is getting a check instead.
This year, when I was writing that check, I was struck by how amazing *you* are. (Yes, I really do mean YOU!) Thank you for being here, reading along with me, even those times when I don’t have a clue what I want to say or how to say it, and also those times when I think I have something …
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By Jessica Albon
Effective websites make good use of multimedia. Video, audio, and presentations all keep your visitors at your site longer, help them be more likely to buy, and make them more likely to share your site with others.
BUT, we’ve all seen what happens when multimedia goes horribly, horribly wrong. Creating multimedia content is way too time consuming to dive in with no strategy. That’s where today’s audio comes in–I’m going to take you straight to the core of where YOU should be focusing your multimedia efforts in an easy-to-follow way. So listen with me. I’d love to hear your thoughts once you’ve enjoyed the audio!
[wpaudio url="http://www.thriveyourtribe.com/audio/stylemedia.mp3" text="Listen to Your Multimedia Strategy" dl="0"]
(If you haven’t already, take the quiz. And, if you need the script instead, you can download the pdf. Whether you read or listen, make sure to leave your comments here.)
…
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By Jessica Albon
Long time, no see–I’ve missed you! I hurt my back right around the time of the last post and since then, typing or any sitting at the computer, has been cut to the bare minimum so that I could recover. Which meant giving up some of my very favorite things–like writing to you–so that I could make sure I kept my clients taken care of and projects on track while letting my body heal.
I’m finally starting to feel better, and though it’ll still be a bit longer before I’m back to my old self, I could not wait any longer to say hello. So, hello!
Today, I’m wondering why the heck you do a newsletter (or a blog, if you do that instead). Is it a way to “pay” for your readers’ attention and goodwill so they’ll feel indebted and buy from you? Is it a place to sell more …
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By Jessica Albon
Today I have a great piece for you about using your Spotlight Style to design a multimedia strategy that will get you clients… But it needs to be delivered as an audio and I have absolutely no voice. I’ve tried everything (teas, honey, etc, etc) and no-go.
I promise it’s well worth waiting for and to give you a tiny taste, if you’re the Edith Head type, you’ll be learning once and for all why blogging traditionally will never work for you… and what to do instead. Katharine will learn how to use multimedia to look *less* smart (trust me, this is a good thing for Kats). Audreys will learn why the advice to share “high value” content only leads to frustration, and Judy will learn to stop being so distracted by all the possibilities and focus on one step at a time (follow the yellow brick road, my …
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By Jessica Albon
One of the biggest places people get stuck in their businesses is they tell stories that their customers can’t relate to–and that means you wind up with fewer customers. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be taking a look at how you can tell better stories, and to get us started, I wanted to share this quote from Winston Churchill:
“The human story does not always unfold like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes in life they make five or minus three; and sometimes the blackboard topples down in the middle of the sum and leaves the class in disorder and the pedagogue with a black eye.”
It’s available in two sizes as a downloadable computer desktop wallpaper. If you’d like to share the wallpaper, please send people to this post so they can get their own copy.
Download the …
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By Jessica Albon
Two years ago, the 8 x 10 storage shed in my backyard was a problem. It blocked a window, wasn’t very convenient to use, and was taking up space that would have made a great patio.
But, I couldn’t move it myself and wasn’t quite sure how to go about *getting* it moved. And so it sat in its inconvenient spot for over a year.
Sometimes, big projects, whether a storage shed relocation or newsletter issue get put on the back burner because we’re not sure how to move forward. And sometimes, we put them on hold because we can’t give them the attention they need.
In my case, a quick call to my dad, a couple weeks of planning, and the shed was relocated completely in two days. In your case, let’s take a look at 5 great ways to get your newsletter back on track in a lot …
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By Jessica Albon
This weekend was the local Oktoberfest celebration and though it rained all night the night before and stayed gray and windy the whole day *of* it was still great fun to wander around the Main Street shops and booths. There’s lots to love about small town celebrations like these, but what I especially adore is meeting all the craftspeople who pour so much of themselves into their work. Oh, sure, there are business mishaps galore (business cards, people, bring lots and lots of business cards!) but getting to chat with the woman who makes clay badge holders or the man who made amazing copper sculptures–it’s a really delightful way to spend a Saturday morning, learning what people are most passionate about building.
October tends to make me feel a little gray around the edges, a little uncreative and dull. I think it has a lot to do with the way …
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By Jessica Albon
Your Client Attraction Style gives you a complete roadmap on everything from your website design to how to write your newsletter. What you might not have realized was that it can also point you in the right direction of the details, too. For instance, your Client Attraction Style is the perfect place to look for the right color scheme for your marketing materials! Find your type below to see what it means to the colors you use.
Katharine Hepburn
Kats are funnier than the rest of us–they’re the ones who can get away with long rants in their blogs and newsletters and people shower them with love and adoration. The ones who need to bring plenty of “tough love” to their work with clients, and balance it with a soft touch. They’re straight shooters with a playful side and require a color scheme to back that up.
The …
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By Jessica Albon
There are a few things that have been going out in the newsletter that I haven’t been posting to the blog. (Which, btw is a great reason to sign up for the newsletter!)
How to Get Clients
First, if you haven’t yet checked out my call on Emergency Client Attraction, do. We did the live call about a month ago, and the recording’s been edited and is ready for download. Already people who were on the live call are racking up thousands of dollars worth of new business and they’re just getting started. I’ll be adding testimonials to that page soon, and when I do, I’ll also be making other changes, including raising the price… So, why not pick it up now so you can get started attracting clients right away *and* save yourself some coin!
Where Else You Can Find Me
Also, I’ve been doing more …
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By Jessica Albon
Your Client Attraction Style gives you a complete roadmap on everything from your website design to how to write your newsletter. What you might not have realized was that it can also point you in the right direction of the details, too. For instance, your Client Attraction Style is the perfect place to look for the right color scheme for your marketing materials! Find your type below to see what it means to the colors you use.
Edith Head
The Edith Head brand is marked by calculated risks. This means stepping outside traditional website color schemes, using super saturated colors, and setting the tone by choosing colors that expand on what you’re saying. You can get away with more colors than most people can (typically, a good color scheme uses no more than 3-5 colors), but you also might decide to choose a less colorful scheme than others. Whether …
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By Jessica Albon
Apparently, double opt in versus single opt in* is making the rounds again because I’ve been getting a lot of emails about it. If you, too, have been wondering whether single opt in or double opt in is better, there’s only one question you need to answer:
Are you looking for readers who take the time to read and follow directions or for people who can’t be bothered?
If you’re building a list in which you plan to have strong relationships with your readers, your answer is easy. If you’re All About The Numbers and just want a big list in a hurry, then, sure, single opt in will do you just fine.
If you do it right, you can easily get 90% of potential subscribers to take the extra step. The 10% you’ll lose, in my opinion, probably wouldn’t have been the best subscribers anyway.
But, don’t just take …
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By Jessica Albon
Last Saturday, I offered a call on how to get web design clients (and copywriting clients). (By the way, you’re welcome to pick it up and you’ll get the recording and all the materials.)
I don’t do a lot of teleclasses, so I carefully tested my tech for this one. I recruited a friend to listen in and make sure things worked properly. And then came Saturday. I called in early, chatted with an early arrival (not seeing that new people had joined us–I didn’t realize the system I was using didn’t have an entry chime–sorry guys!) and then started the recording… Or so I thought.
Turned out, I actually *stopped* the recording and kicked everyone out of the call. Yeah, I can program a computer, but apparently, I can’t use a phone system…
An hour later, we were finally up and running and everyone could hear and post …
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By Jessica Albon
Image by Respres on Flickr
Remember Slip ‘N Slides? You set up the slippery plastic on a hill or flat part in the yard, hook it to the hose, and turn the water on. Then, you run, jump, and slide down the length.
On the one hand, we have the Slip ‘N Slide. And on the other, we have small business branding–the act of puffing out your chest and crowing about why folks should hire you and not some other guy in a way that’s got intrigue and drama and story or at least a morsel of integrity.
When you put the two together, you get something like this:
It’s a Slip ‘N Slide’s worth of “Why Sprint is cool and on the pulse of what’s happening and therefore you should use our network.” The first time I saw this commercial, I thought, “Where did they get all those …
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By Jessica Albon
Have you balked at the idea of starting a newsletter because you just don’t see how you could stick to a regular schedule? Does the idea of committing to having something to say every Wednesday at 8 a.m. just sound flat out uninspiring?
If you’ve put off launching a newsletter because you simply don’t like the idea of being expected to show up in a certain way at a certain time, you’re not alone. And you just might find an educational autoresponder to be the approach your rebellious streak can put to work.
What’s an Educational Autoresponder?
An autoresponder is a program that automatically sends an email in response to an email trigger. So, if you’re away on vacation and set up an automatic away message, you’ve just created an autoresponder.
An Educational Autoresponder is a bit different. This is an email (or, more often, several emails on one …
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By Jessica Albon
I’ve got oodles of links to share today! If you happen to be in the office instead of out on vacation, enjoy today’s variety.
If you haven’t yet taken your Web Style Quiz, you want to do that soon. In the next few weeks, I’m going to start talking about how this quiz is the only tool you need to determine that all important Color Scheme. If that’s something you’ve been wrestling with, take the quiz and keep your eyes glued to this spot because I’m going to make it uber easy for you.
Second, my upcoming Client Attraction call was mentioned by Naomi Dunford at Itty Biz. She says really nice things *and* was kind enough to pull out specific sections of the letter you should pay attention to if you want to learn how to write your own copy. Her blog post would be well …
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By Jessica Albon
I formed a resolution to never write a word I did not want to write; to think only of my own tastes and ideals.
C. S. Forester
Is this your approach to your own newsletter or blog: to write only what you want, to think only of your own tastes? If you’re like a lot of business owners, your first, and only, consideration is whether or not you’re interested in a topic. To me, this is akin to thinking your best niche is people who are carbon copies of you. (Like life coaches who only work with women between 45 and 48 who have recently been divorced, have no kids, like to play the ukulele, and watch documentaries about parrots who save people from burning buildings.)
It’s not inherently wrong, but it is limiting, and probably not in the best interests of your readers (and, therefore, you).
If you were …
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By Jessica Albon
Newsletters are magical things–they can attract customers, increase company profits, establish expertise and much more. But, did you know they can also help you increase your search engine rankings?
Your newsletter can help your search engine ranking by specifically focusing on your keyword phrases. Perhaps the easiest way to keep each issue of your newsletter relevant to your keyword phrases is to make a list of the phrases you target and brainstorm article ideas for each phrase. Then, as you write each article from your list, try to incorporate the keyword phrase into the title of the article, and, of course, use it regularly throughout your article (caution: don’t overdo it or your article will be awkward to read).
By posting archives of your newsletter on your website, you’ll be keeping each targeted issue available to search engine spiders. If you archive issues by subject (using your keyword phrases, …
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By Jessica Albon
“A man will give his life for a simple bit of colored ribbon.”
–Napoleon
First-grade-teacher Katrina decided to hold an awards ceremony mid-year to encourage great behavior during that time of year when kids tend to climb the walls.
She announced the ceremony a few weeks before it was to happen and told the kids about the different awards she’d be giving out–things like “Most imaginative color-er” and “Best at hand-raising.” As part of her announcement, she highlighted five specific awards.
“The student who does the best job finishing their homework between now and then will receive the “Homework Good Do-er Award,” she said. She had one student who struggled with his homework considerably. He often brought it back incomplete, usually a mess.
But something about her announcement inspired him and after the rest of the class had gone out to recess, he announced that he planned to win the …
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By Jessica Albon
Have you been being stingy with the spotlight in your newsletter? Shining it directly on yourself and leaving others in the dark?
Sure, your newsletter should be “all about you” in the sense that you want to keep each issue focused on the information and approach you use to serve clients and customers… But, that doesn’t mean sharing the spotlight is a bad idea.
In fact, there are five excellent reasons to start sharing the spotlight today.
- It makes you look well-connected.
Experts associate with other smart people. They don’t work in a cave. That means that when you share articles written by your brilliant friends in the industry, or mention that you found a certain resource through a colleague, that you’re demonstrating to readers your networking prowess. Showing readers that you’re well-connected is a great way to reassure them that you’re well-read and up on all the latest industry
…
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