Confession time. The one thing I didn’t get done before my vacation last week was my podcast episode for today. But hey, I’m the boss, so sometimes you’ve got to let things slide.
Instead today we have a fun post – the top 5 most popular Marketing Moxie episodes to date!
1. How to Promote Your Posts with Sophie Bujold
2. Suzi Istvan Talks Brilliant Branding
3. Get Started with Guest Posting
4. Creating a Highly Effective About Page with Erica Lee Strauss
5. Figuring Out Your Brand Voice
(You can listen to the Top Five by clicking on the titles above or subscribing using the button below.)
Next week we’ll resume our regularly scheduled podcasting and later this month we’ll be into a brand new series with some seriously awesome guest experts.
If you are digging the show, I would LOVE (that’s right in all caps) for you to leave a review on iTunes. Click the button below to find us over on iTunes.
As an entrepreneur, so much marketing, so little time. So it’s easy to put off promoting yourself because, it is like, totally freakin’ scary.
I know. Even I get a little queasy sometimes when it comes time to put myself out there. While I’ve got experience in the trenches doing it for other people, it still can set my teeth on edge and give me a hardcore case of the sweats.
Why? Because it can feel shameless. Look at me, how awesome I am! I am a whip smart, expert ninja rockstar! I instantly think…oh please sit down already.
Normal people ALL feel that way, especially when it comes to building a personal brand. I say “normal” because those of you that love it, I just don’t get you. (I still love you, I just don’t get WHY you’d want to put yourself out there…)
Fact. To play the game, you need to promote yourself. It’s that simple.
[Tweet “To play the game you’ve got to promote. @magspatterson has ideas on how to do it without the ick http://bit.ly/1fxb1UP “]
You need to give your fear a talking to and just get going. (And if you need a pep talk, we’ve got your back over in my The Playground group on Facebook. Join us.)
Where the #$@$# Do I Start?
First things first. You need to start somewhere. So if you are brand new to this whole “promoting” yourself thing, think of it like a pyramid. You are going to start by creating a solid foundation that you can build on over time. Where a local media opportunity leads to bigger things, or your guest post on a niche site helps you work up to the big one you’ve been eyeing up.
Promoting yourself takes patience. I know you want it all RIGHT NOW, but consistency and creating a great personal brand will take time to unfold. No overnight success stories here.
Here’s three of my favorite ways to get started and start putting yourself out there. Use them individually or all together:
Working with Your Local Media
Local media outlets including newspapers, magazines, TV and radio offer you a great way to build your profile. Acting as an expert that can comment on issues, provide timely news and offer story ideas are a great way to secure coverage.
Get to know the key players in your local media market and build relationships so they can use you as a go-to source for information on specific topics. If you are tech expert, you can comment on the latest iPhone or a lawyer can comment on a high profile legal matter. The key is to position yourself as an expert and then be highly responsive to their requests.
Taking the Stage
Getting out there in front of an audience helps you reach new audiences and build connections. Seek out local business or networking organizations and see if they are looking for speakers. Also, keep an eye out for “Calls for Papers” for shows within your industry or in your community.
Once you identify possible places to speak, you will want to develop a series of topics you can address, a summary of about 100 words for each and a short speaker’s bio.
Get Guest Posting
Guest posting is where you get to be the special guest star on a blog by providing them with content that showcases your expertise. Research targets online that accept article or guest posts and look for any writer’s guidelines on their site.
From there, review the publication and then identify stories that would be a fit for their audience. Finally, send the blogger or community manager an email to pitch your idea. Once your pitch is accepted, you’ll need to write the article and submit it. You can learn more about guest posting on my new niche site, called Get Guest Posting.
Pick your poison and get to work! How are you going to promote yourself, share in the comments below? Or if you are already, what’s been most effective?
[Tweet “”3 sleaze free ways to promote you and your business with @magspatterson”]
More basics today! We’re talking about working with a designer. I wanted to add this episode to the series as it’s one of the most misunderstood things around. So many times people don’t truly get the intricacies of the process and what we need to do to get ready for our design project. Guest expert Zsofi Koller shares a whole load of things you need to know about working with a designer.
Items Discussed in this Episode:
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What to expect from the design process
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Why that design brief is so critical and it should be comprehensive
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How to get your ideas out of your head and share them with your designer
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What you can do before you hire a designer
- Things you should consider when you’re looking to hire a designer
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The difference between custom and templated designs
- The cool factor of being able to do pretty much anything with custom design
[Tweet “Talking about the need to knows of design with @zsofikoller #marketingmoxie”]
Top 3 Takeaways for this Episode:
- Really do your homework before you hire a designer and make a notes on what you like/don’t like on the web.
- For you to find a designer that fits with you. Have a conversation, look
- Create a brand that is true to you so it cohesive and consistent across the web.
Links in this episode:
Categories
Why DIY PR Totally Works
There’s been a whole string of articles lately on how the media are sick of dealing with PR people. As someone who’s worked in the PR trenches for years doing hands-on media relations this is nothing new.
In the past, I always felt like this articles calling for no PR involvement and more transparency weren’t directed at me because I’ve never been the typical crappy PR person who smiles and dials.
Long ago, I started refusing to engage in things like “call downs” where you call a list of reporters to pitch them a story or the practice of “spray and pray” where you blast out an email pitch or press release to a list of people. (Yes, that’s me not playing by the rules. Surprising, I know.)
For some reason, lately I’ve really taking these articles such as this one from Medium and this one on First Round Review to heart. And then you add Mark Cuban to the mix… do you know how much I heart Mark Cuban? Back in 2012, he wrote a piece on how startups shouldn’t hire PR firms which makes some insanely valid points. (And that’s saying something as someone who grew up in a PR firm working for startups.)
While I think there’s a time and a place for smart PR people to help you and your business get on the map, the world has changed. You don’t need a publicist or PR rep for you to get started.
The Media Are More Accessible Than You Realize
If we go on a quick trip in the wayback machine, back then you needed PR to help you get connected using their relationships and their fancypants media databases. Today, you can easily find most contact info in the matter of a few clicks while reading everything the reporter has ever written.
You have the information you need at your fingertips. You just need to learn how to use it and as a business owner if you can master pitching, you’ll stand out.
The sad, sad reality is that most of the “pitches” reporters receive suck. So if you can formulate a solid pitch, you’ll be able to rise to the top of the pack.
Add a solid pitch to the fact that you as the owner, the actual person they are going to be speaking with, is contacting them and you are winning. Your chances of a yes are increasing greatly.
The media want to hear from you. They want the direct line to the source and not publicist controlling the interaction.
[Tweet “The media wants to hear from you and not your publicist. @magspatterson elaborates http://bit.ly/R3Ruj0 “]
That’s not to say you should run out and pitch the Wall Street Journal today, as you need some credibility as a source, but start where you are today. Get your website in order so that when you do pitch the editor doesn’t burst out laughing. (For more on this, grab The Press Kit Principle Guide.)
Relationships, Press Releases and Other PR BS
Maybe the idea of pitching the media makes you feel a little queasy. I get it. I seriously do. I’ve personally been doing it forever, (or at least it feels that way) and there’s still that little moment of apprehension. It’s healthy, and that wee bit of fear makes you ensure things are pitch perfect.
Maybe part of your fear around pitching yourself is fueled by some of the big myths that PR people spread in the impulse for self-preservation.
Let’s quickly debunk my three favorites.
1. You need a publicist for relationships. Sure a publicist or PR pro can get you connected, but you don’t necessarily need them. Yes, relationships are useful, but if your story blows and you are a terrible spokesperson, all the relationships in the world don’t matter. Not to mention, even the best PR person only has so many relationships, so don’t hire anyone based on their relationships. Hire them because they have a track record and can deliver the goods. Not because they can name drop like a D-list celeb.
2. You need to do press releases. No and no. More explanation here. 9/10 times you don’t need a press release. Anyone selling you a press release package is stuck in the 90s or straight up shady business. Oh and while we’re debunking this one, a press release posted on a big name site is NOT media coverage for your “as seen on”. Tacky, tacky, tacky. Be better than that.
3. DIYing your PR makes you look like small potatoes. This is one I used to tell my clients all the time (and I did fully believe this) but it’s patently untrue here in 2014. DIYing your media relations makes you smart. Do you want to to be the one building that relationship with your #1 trade reporter or your publicist? Exactly. Plus, you are probably the most qualified person to tell your story, even if you need a bit of help to refine it.
There you have it. You totally can and should be working with the media (and bloggers) to raise your profile.
If you want some help getting started, check out my brand spanking new website dedicated to Guest Posting or the revamped Marketing Moxie package.
[Tweet “Press releases are straight out of the 90s. @magspatterson explains #PR #socialPR http://bit.ly/R3Ruj0 “]
Today we’re talking messaging. Big word. Lots of meaning and something that most people are completely overwhelmed by. Guest expert Rebecca Tracey from The Uncaged Life has a way of cutting through the crap and getting to the heart of a message. She’s worked with 100s of entrepreneurs to help them do just that.
Items Discussed in this Episode:
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Why being obsessed with your message just holds you back.
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How to cut through messaging chaos.
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The must-haves for a good, clear message.
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Finding the big picture why and teaming up what you with how you do it.
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The importance of the high level so that you are connected to your business.
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Ideas for staying connected to your why.
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Why you need to invest in your business so you can learn the stuff you don’t know about running a business.
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What you need to do in your first year of business to actually sell your offering.
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How getting started is the key figuring out what will really work.
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The power of listening to your clients for creating small, problem-based packages.
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How much of your email list actually will buy from you and why that matters for group packages.
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How you can gain confidence with 1:1 work and the importance of getting feedback from clients.
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Success stories and how long it really takes to build a successful online business.
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Life situations and why it’s okay to grow things slowly.
[Tweet “Too much planning is just procrastination and other true stories with @rebecca_tracey #marketingmoxie #podcast http://maggiepatterson.com/episode16/”]
Top 3 Takeaways for this episode:
1. A message is two things. Determine what you stand for + what you do and who you do it for.
2. Remember you can be really good at what you do but, you need to learn the business and invest in yourself to master the basics.
3. Refine as you go and start where you are today. You just need to start.
Links in this Episode:
I recently did a podcast interview and we got to talking about my take on the marketing shoulds. You know the idea that you should do this, or you should do that to build your business.
The next thing you are shoulding all over yourself and you feel all kinds of wrong.
And why? Because someone told you should.
I don’t know about you, but the day I jumped out of the plane with no parachute and quit my super comfy career complete with fancy title and paycheck, it was because I didn’t want to be told what I should do for another second.
So why are you letting the shoulds run your business?
That case of the shoulds is what has you running around trying to be on 7 social networks and launching a million things without a plan. Without an idea of how they really map to your big picture goals.
Save the shoulds for suckers who don’t know better.
[Tweet “Stop shoulding all over yourself. Do this instead. New post with @magspatterson http://bit.ly/1ihBSV0 “]
Best Practices are a Starting Point
But Maggie? What about best practices? If so and so says to do it, they are successful so I should too.
See how that works? Before you know it, you’re running a business based on the success of someone else who in all actual fact is not at all like you at all. Or has a different market. Or flexible ethics.
Did you get into this business to do exactly what someone else tells you?
Best practices or shoulds are like the 101 course on how to do things. Learn the principles and take it and make it your own.
Your willingness and ability to make it your own is where the rubber meets the road for your business.
Here’s some common business and marketing shoulds that I decided simply aren’t for me:
- Popups on websites. So. Annoying.
- 49 page long sales letters.
- Pricing where I have to hit the buy button to see the cost. Also, pricing where I have to watch 20 minute of video to get the price.
- Sending me the “wrong link” and another email with a special offer right after with an apology. Please.
- Hating on one-on-one work and trading time for dollars.
- Drivebys where you stop by a group with your salesy post and can’t be bothered to participate any other time.
- Talking about six figures as a goal.
- Sales conversations that tell me I can’t afford not to do something.
- Acting like everyone should be an entrepreneur or expert. Some people, just no.
- Kissing ass to get ahead. Not now. Not ever.
What’s your list of things that you aren’t going to do? That you won’t accept? That you want to do better for your marketing and your business?
Afterall, it is YOUR business, not the million dollar making expert or the latest it girl. Hit me in the comments with some of your shoulds that have got to go.
[Tweet “Are you running a business based on shoulds? @magspatterson wants to know what’s got to go. http://bit.ly/1ihBSV0 “]
Want Help Clearing Up Your Shoulds?
Check out the brand spanking new Marketing Makeover package. This package is designed to give you a marketing kick in the ass to help you get over the shoulds and lay out an action plan. It’s like a trip to an awesome hairstylist who changes your look and boosts your confidence.
You can get the goods and pricing on this limited time package. (And no, that’s not me being cheeky, I really only have a couple spots due to ongoing work.)