Sorry seems to be the hardest word – or not

Apologies are big this week on the net. After 3 days of more and more nasty name-calling and creepy suggestions regarding her personal life, Rush Limbaugh issued a half-hearted apology to Sandra Fluke.

Nobody took it seriously. Advertisers continued to bail. Sandra herself dismissed the apology, saying it changed nothing. News outlets like Slate Magazine dissected Rush’s statement and pointed out why it was not affective in stopping the bad press.

All in all, this was a textbook example for anybody who’s in business or in the public eye of how NOT to apologize. Because, let’s face it, sooner or later we screw up and somebody is upset. How should we act?

Apologize right away and mean it.

I worked for a guy years ago who advised me to say the words “I apologize” rather than “I’m sorry” when dealing with a customer complaint. He said it was better for the business relationship as it didn’t imply any personal fault.

Dictionary.com defines “apologize” in this context as “to offer an apology or excuse for some fault, insult, failure, or injury,” and “to make a formal defense in speech or writing.”

“Sorry” is defined as “feeling regret, compunction, sympathy, pity, etc.”

I disagree with that long-ago employer. According to the definitions above, when you say you apologize, you’re really making a formal defense of your mistake. But, there’s no personal feeling of regret. In today’s hyper-media times where a corporate or a political goof goes viral on Twitter in minutes, you need to show that you do “feel regret” and say that you’re sorry.

Small business owners ask me about what they should do if someone posts a complaint about them on a review site or on their Facebook page. The answer isn’t any different than what they’d do if a customer walked into their store with a complaint. They should say they’re sorry and try to make it right. And they should mean it.

 

 

March 9, 2012 · Mary · One Comment
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Running your small business, Social media marketing

You’re boring and that’s bad!

I was so happy for you. You were so excited by your shiny new blog and Facebook page. You made all sorts of plans for the posts you wanted to write, the knowledge you wanted to share.

You were going to record podcasts….VIDEO….interviews….maybe start blogging that book!

What happened?

You did okay at first. Posted twice a week. Collected lots of new fans for your Facebook page. Then, within a few months, nothing. Couldn’t remember what you were going to write about, why you were so excited. Boy, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen WRITERS, people who have written entire books, freeze up when they start to blog. And they suddenly have nothing to say on Facebook. All of a sudden, you’re……boring. And your traffic is terrible, your sales have tanked, and you’re wondering why you started this in the first place.

You can do better than that. Let’s go back to basics.

Start with the “why.”

What do you want to get out of a blog? Do you just want to sell your book? Expand your consulting services? Blog ideas for your next book? Make a list.

Now let’s fill in the “how.”

Then expand the list to topics. What keeps your audience up at night? What questions do they ask. What make you write the book or start a business in the first place?

What’s going on in your field? Do you agree with what’s happening? Offer your opinions, critiques, reviews of new products, new books on the topic. Start posting excerpts of your book. Post some of the research you did for it. Tell some good stories. Interview an expert or two. Record it and post the audio – or video.

Now don’t stop -

Keep a list of ongoing ideas for your blog and social media. Once a month, carve out a day to write drafts of posts you can finish and post during the week.

Still struggling to find ideas?

Watch for my new webinar, “Now That I’m on Social Media, What Do I Say?” 25 (and counting) ideas for your blog and social media.

 

March 1, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: All about blogging, Social media marketing

Ebook readers are cheapskates

I should know, I’m one of them. There’s bunches of websites devoted to how to find cheap and free ebooks to fill up our Kindles, Nooks, and iPads. I’m working on filling up my regular Kindle (the b&w one) and the Kindle Fire I got for Christmas. Now I hunt for both cheap ebooks AND apps.

Am I part of a trend? Oh, yeah.

I did a Google search on “average prices of ebooks” and found this nifty infographic from Booklr:

 Now aside from my admitted prejudice in favor of Kindle books (as I own 2 of them) the thing that most strikes me about this infographic is that 35% of Amazon’s kindle books are priced under $2. An additional 61% are under $6. In the Nook store, 39% are under $6.

I went back and looked at my ebook purchases over the last 6 months. Of the 34 books I downloaded, 14 were free, 6 of them were $.99, 6 were $1.99, 5 were $2.99, 2 were $3.99, and one was $7.99.  I only paid for 1 app, a game that I bought for $1.99 in a moment of weakness. (I used to play it a lot years ago.)

What I’ve realized as a consumer is that my perception of ebooks is that they should be inexpensive, sort of like buying a pack of gum at the grocery checkout. I’m more inclined to take a chance on a writer that I’m not familiar with, but I do look at the reviews before I buy. Would I buy an ebook for ten bucks or more? Maybe. But not very often.

How will low priced ebooks affect the publishing industry?  I can’t help but think that getting a lot of people to buy a lot of books can’t help but be a good thing. I can’t help but think, though, that the days of printed books are in decline. The cheaper the readers get, the more people will switch over to ebooks. The pull of instant gratification will be too strong.

Can authors make money publishing ebooks? Yes, but with a couple of caveats:

1. Make sure your book is good. Even at $1.99, readers expect a book with a book plot, good ideas, and few or no typos.

2. Make sure your book is professionally formatted. If it’s impossible to read due to bad formatting, you’ll see returns no matter how good your content is. Take the time for both.

 

February 26, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: ebooks

3 quick tips on how to leverage your book’s reviews

Your book has just been reviewed in a major newspaper! That’s terrific, but don’t let the publicity train stop there. Here’s 3 ways to leverage that review and spread the love:

1. Pitch other newspapers by letting them know about your great review. (If somebody else big has reviewed it, they are more likely to review it too.) However, avoid giving them the same-old, same-old pitch. Reporters want a fresh angle that appeals directly to their readers. Be sure to read the publication and that reporter’s stories to see what will appeal to them.

2. Shout your good news from the rooftops! Post it on your blog, your facebook page, tweet it! Email your friends with the link. Enjoy your moment in the sun.

3. As you spread the word, create a media list of contacts for future publicity. This list should include:

  • Your social media profiles
  • Email contact list
  • Reporters, publications, details on how they like to be contacted
  • Bloggers

February 21, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Marketing

My social media ideal is……Dave’s Mom

I spent most of today working on the content for my new class on social media marketing. It’s titled “Now That I’m On Social Media, What Do I Say?” It’s interesting to me that people who wrote an entire book get writer’s block when they’re confronted by their new blog or Facebook page.

I was trying to think of a great example of someone who is totally genuine – a poster child for how to act on social media – when I remembered David Letterman’s Mom.

Remember Dorothy? Dave sent her to the 1994 Winter Olympics as his show’s correspondent. She was wonderful – enthusiastic, down to earth, and very funny. So, all of you social media newbies, check out Dorothy’s report to Dave and her interview with Hillary Clinton below and take note:

February 16, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Social media marketing

The Return of the Three Wolf Moon t-shirt

I clicked on Amazon.com and there it was again: The Three Wolf Moon t-shirt. I had written about the t-shirt before, several years ago. It hadn’t changed. Except there were even more reviews about the wonders of wearing this fabulous t-shirt – 2,091 of them to be exact:

 

353 people have uploaded images of themselves wearing the shirt, including Stephen Colbert and William Shatner. Who knew celebrities would embrace this fabulous fashion statement?

What can we learn from the Three Wolf Moon shirt?

1. There are people out there who will spend lots of time writing hilarious reviews of the damnedest things. You can only hope they embrace your book or product and do the same.

2. Apparently this is a real chick magnet.

3. To learn how to turn your book into a cultural phenomenon, check out my Amazon for Authors webinar on Feb 15 and March 8. Learn more here.

 

February 7, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Amazon.com

Fish or cut bait

Fish or cut bait. S— or get off the pot.Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

How many euphamisms can you think of for “take action?” Sooner or later, you have to move or die. I know a lot of small business owners, consultants, and would-be authors who operate on the “I’m busy so I must be accomplishing something” mode.

The trouble is, they’re not. Activity does not always equal progress. It just makes you feel better so you can delay real action a little longer.

Real action can be painful. It means you have to make the hard phone call, write the proposal, draft the novel, practice the speech, ask for the sale. It means you have to risk failure.

It’s way easier to put that off by taking one more meeting at Starbucks, secure in the fantasy that you’re working on getting that next client. Except that he’ll never be your next client if you don’t write the proposal and ask for the order. But that would be risking a “no.”

I worked with a guy years ago at a small newspaper who used to say, “I might as well meet with so-and-so. I already don’t have the sale.” I loved that attitude. If you lose the sale, what have you lost? What you already didn’t have.

 

January 30, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , ,  Â· Posted in: Running your small business

Workshop: Upside-Down Marketing to Make Your Business Soar

Upside-down marketing has a simple premise: Get more of what you want for your business by helping others get what they want.

Marketing ideas that will work today require you to create some new practices for the current business paradigm. In this workshop, you will learn about some marketing strategies that will separate you from the competition and give you the results you desire.

If you want to have “exceptional” results in your business, you will need to put “exceptional” methods to work for you. This workshop is designed to help Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners market their products and services differently in 2012 and beyond.

If you’re in the Denver area, don’t miss this workshop on January 26, 2012, from 8:00 am to noon at the Jefferson County Board of Realtors, 950 Wadsworth Blvd., #101, Lakewood, CO 80214. Cost is only $29.95, limited to the first 100 registrants.

For more details, check out the flyer: UPSIDE-DOWN Marketing Workshop Flyer

The workshop is sponsored by Make-it-Fly and MetaDog Rewards LLC. All profits go to benefit Kudo Communities.

January 12, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Running your small business

Political Lessons: 8 things not to do that WILL go viral on the internet

  1. DO NOT anger Dan Savage by comparing homosexual sex to beastiality. (SEE Santorum.com. No, this is not Rick Santorum’s official campaign website. It’s Dan Savage’s website and ranks higher in Google than the candidate’s official website.)
  2. DO NOT forget to buy your name as a URL. (SEE newtgingrich.com which is really StopRomneysPiousBaloney.com. This is not the website of the presidential candidate.)
  3. DO NOT forget to buy the negative URLs that could be connected to you. (SEE newtgingrichlies.com)
  4. DO NOT admit you don’t know how to use email. (As did John McCain in the 2008 presidential campaign.)
  5. DO NOT run anti-gay ads wearing the same jacket Heath Ledger wore on Brokeback Mountain. (SEE Rick Perry’s anti gay ad and it’s many parodies)
  6. DO NOT make off the cuff “facts” that people can check within minutes. (SEE ALL CANDIDATES and most office holders.)
  7. DO NOT try to make a high school student with a twitter account apologize for calling the Governor of Kansas a jerk. (SEE #heblowsalot on Twitter and the resulting coverage of the incident.)
  8. DO NOT post pictures of your junk on Twitter. (And even if it’s accident, don’t email pictures like this AT ALL.) (See former Rep. Anthony Weiner.)

January 10, 2012 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , ,  Â· Posted in: internet

The Lorelei Lee School of Marketing

Remember Lorelei Lee? Marilyn Monroe played Lorelei in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Lorelei and her best friend Dorothy (Jane Russell) played two showgirls looking for love and diamonds. (Not necessarily in that order.) The highlight of the picture was Marilyn’s iconic performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”

 

You’d think that Lorelei was the epitome of the ditsy blonde bombshell.  When I watched the movie again this week, I realized that Lorelei wasn’t anybody’s plaything. She had a plan for herself – marry her rich boyfriend – and score a tiara from a wealthy conquest. She didn’t waste her time with good looking men who couldn’t give her what she wanted. She set her goals and executed her plan.

Here’s what a marketer could learn from Lorelei:

1. Have a plan!

Most marketing happens randomly – a blog post now and then, a few posts on our Facebook page, a tweet. Plan your marketing efforts – whether it’s posting on social media or getting on radio – and schedule time to carry it out.

2. Take time to target your intended audience.

Lorelei had made up her mind to marry a rich man who would give her diamonds. She didn’t waste time on men who didn’t fit that criteria. Who are you spending your efforts on? Are they the audience you’re looking for?

3. Attract your intended audience by delivering the goods.

Know what they’re looking for. Lorelei’s intended wanted his vision of the ideal woman – gorgeous, innocent, and devoted to him. She never let him suspect she had a brain and a plan.

4. Listen to your audience and they’ll tell you what they want.

How can you become the go-to expert to your audience? Provide solutions to their problems and they’ll turn to you.

5. Keep your eye on the prize and be persistant.

Lorelei and Dorothy got the husbands of their dreams at the end of the movie. What is your business goal and how will you get it?

December 30, 2011 · Mary · No Comments
Tags: , , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Marketing


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