Specializing in social marketing and business communications training

10 communication things every entrepreneur must know

guitar in bar in CCIt’s been 4,745 days of being self-employed.  In April, 2001, I started my PR and communications company.   

A few years ago, my accountant, who is also self-employed, shared his definition of an entrepreneur:

“I am a self-employed individual working for a lunatic.”

As I mark this proud milestone, I have taken time to reflect on the entrepreneurial roller coaster I have ridden.

Here are 10 communication tactics every small business owner must know:

1. You must know how to sell. Too many people decide to hang their shingle out only to learn they don’t know bubkus about sales. Entrepreneurs must be diligent at developing the self-confidence, attitude,   discipline, and perseverance to ask people to hand over their hard-earned money.

 2. You must live the ‘publish or perish’ mentality. In my pre-blogging days, I wrote bylined articles for trade publications and membership newsletters. Early on, I landed a spot as a columnist for the Princeton (NJ) Business Journal. I generated content and built my credibility. My volunteer gig lasted more than two years, and ended when the paper merged with another publication.   

 3. You must be willing to speak in public. You were brave enough to launch a small business. There’s no time for being shy or nervous. Partner with a networking group to be the guest expert at a meeting, conference, or webinar. You’ll be front and center with dozens of potential prospects interested in your topic. Beats cold-calling.  

 4. You must be able to validate others.  Validation is an acknowledgement that the other person (your prospect or client) is being heard. Validation is proof that you are listening. For example:  “I can imagine that the loss of your vendor has been difficult.”  

 5. You must know how to ask for what you need.  No one expects you to know everything. That’s why there are contact lists, databases, and rolodexes filled with names of people who can provide products and services to you. Get rid of this self-induced pressure and be willing to speak up. Asking for help is a sign of a true leader.

 6. You must be able to identify your ideal customers. This is accomplished by self-communication. Ask yourself: Who do I enjoy working with? What niche am I passionate about? Who needs my expertise? Do these people have the budget or resources to pay me?

 7. You must have thick skin. People can be awfully mean. They say crap that’s not helpful or positive. Entrepreneurs are so fully vested in their own businesses that it’s hard not to take things personally. Don’t take the BS to heart.

8. You must communicate patience when educating people. Clients do business with you because you offer a valuable product or service that they want or need.  You, on the other hand, are entrenched in your niche or business and will have to slow down to educate those who don’t know all the ins and outs like you do.

 9. You must develop charisma. Charisma is that special charm or personality trait that draws people to you. Self-confidence, along with a friendly and easy demeanor, will take you a long way in business.

 10. You must be willing to reinvent yourself. Chances are you are planning to be self-employed for a long time. Businesses and people change. It’s a given. How can you effectively communicate changes in your messages and direction, without alienating people?

Cheers to the brave small business owners around the world! What have you learned along the journey?

Beyond SEO: 3 secrets to finding your real audience

painted window view“The game has changed in the SEO world. You’re not just looking at clicks; you must know the value of a visitor and start to quantify it.” 

That’s the message from Melanie Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Search Strategy and Marketing at Digitas, a global integrated brand agency. During our recent interview, Mitchell shared the following ways for businesses to create content and convert prospects into customers. 

1. Understand consumer behavior at its core. Businesses must know what the consumer is doing across content, social, mobile, and search. We can’t think about silos of search or social strategies. We have to look at where the consumer is and then make sure we’re intersecting that consumer at their point of interest.

2. Understand the search journey. We have to measure analytics at a deeper level that just clicks. Most people begin with a generic search and are led down a certain path as they gather information online. Fully understand the consumer’s journey. What tools are they using and what tools do you need as your paths intersect?

3. Understand how people use your content.  Are they engaging with you, sharing it, converting, and increasing your revenue?  You must determine if you have the right message. And if it’s not the right message and content, what do you have to do to course correct?

How does Mitchell bring it all together? ”It’s really about finding your audience. What’s their journey; how do you connect with them?”  

Recommended: Mitchell says she’s big fan of BrightEdge, a free measurement tool. ”You can cut and slice data in many interesting ways. You can look at what’s happening in your video, content, image, and shopping. But you can also look at the competitive space in social and who is winning in these areas. This will help you decide if you want to play in that space and find out if there’s an opportunity to cut through the noise. BrightEdge lets you track it, not just from a traffic standpoint, but at the conversion level.” 

PS: If you want hundreds of tips on content, blogging, marketing, and PR pitches, check out The Badass Book of Social Media and Business Communication. 

The business of improving leadership and communication

WallyHow horrified were you these past few weeks as members of Congress huddled in cliques to avoid their self-imposed ‘fiscal cliff’? 

One thing I noticed about our elected officials: No one was wearing a shirt that states, “Plays nice with others.”

That’s because they don’t play nice. Their communication skills, manners, leadership, and basic common sense stand to be scrutinized. A frustrated electorate watched in disgust as our busy and ineffective representatives who have taken an oath of serving the public managed to give themselves pay raises. The days were passing, the media pundits were yapping, the fiscal cliff was looming, and suddenly all the clocks on Capitol Hill had stopped.

Where was the trainer who was supposed to provide a presentation on time management? Didn’t Congress get the memo? How could such an important issue have been pushed off to the last few hours of 2012?   

This is not about political parties. This post is about the core of communication and leadership. It’s about a political system that needs to be run like a business.   

The definition of scary

Existing in the imaginary world of the Beltway has clearly taken a toll on the players and processes. There are many politicians who have had brilliant business experiences outside of DC. Until our government can begin to operate like a business, and not an inefficient, bloated bureaucracy stuffed with people masquerading as leaders, the American people are screwed.  Are these public servants really serving us? Or are they too caught up in their own egos, power struggles, and hidden agendas? 

Could a business treat its customers like this and be successful? No way.

Back to basics

I’ve been writing extensively about interpersonal communication and leadership. My new book, The Badass Book of Social Media and Business Communication offers numerous sections that can serve as a primer for our politicians.

Let’s look at a few key areas in which our representatives, including President Obama, have failed miserably. And let us understand that if our elected officials pulled any of this nonsense in private business, they would be unemployed.  If the government could get out of its own way and operate on basic business values, we would all be better off.

Interpersonal skills: Getting stuck in problems is not an option. Strong leaders envision positive and amicable outcomes before the negotiations begin. They are adept at finding similarities instead of focusing on differences. They are masters at conflict resolution.

Time management: True leaders plan their work and don’t scramble at the 11th hour to reach an agreement or resolve an important issue. Cramming may work for college students but has no place in business. Leaders also don’t get backed into a corner of “we’re on holiday break.” They understand the importance of the task at hand and work until it’s completed. No exceptions. No excuses. I have to believe Congress and President Obama knew that Christmas and New Year’s were on the calendar.   

Communicating with empathy:  The Arbinger Institute is a global business leadership and training company. They describe people with poor communication skills as “in the box.” These folks are isolated and treat others as objects, not as human beings with feelings and emotions. Leaders who are “inside the box” behave as if they are better than others. They lack emotional intelligence.

When people are “outside the box”, they show compassion and care for their fellow humans. If two people in a conversation are both “in the box”, there’s little room for progress, negotiation, and positive outcomes. The following example in Arbinger’s Leadership and Self-Deception will resonate with you:  

You’re sitting on a crowded bus and the seat next to you is empty. Do you put your bag on it and hide behind your newspaper hoping no one will squeeze in? We’ve all been on both sides of this situation—the one who is seated and “in the box”, and the stressed passenger desperately searching for a place to sit down. If the seated passenger was “out the box”, he would make eye contact and smile at someone, silently sending a welcome signal to take the open seat.

The 113th Congressional session is underway.  “Business as usual” on Capitol Hill is a frightening thought.

 

What does social media mean to you?

fence graffitiCommunication, conversation, and connection.

These are just a few of the words used by 10 Twitter stars who I asked to define social media.  Don’t mind the abbreviations; the goal was to offer a definition in 140 characters or less. 

Feel free to comment below and share your own 140 character snippet.

1. SM allows me to participate in discussions about entrepreneurship that I hope will one day change the world. I also get to give back. @BrianMoran

2. Social=meaning friendly gathering. Media=form of communication. Reminding us to gather friendly when we communicate with others. @JessicaNorthey

3. SM has totally shifted the way that small & large businesses connect with audience. It is about the hand shake, conversation, relationship online. @MamaBritt

4. Social Media = Global Diversity – The ability to have a local, national or global & inclusive conversation. Do you have what it takes? @FleeJack

5. Social media is a great way to share insight & connect with people globally. It’s the perfect give & get communications medium. @Rieva

6. Welcome to the ‘Age of Influence,’ where anyone can build an audience, build relationships, effect change… and make a difference. @TedRubin

7. Social media is a great way to connect and inspire your target audience. It is also a great place to build real relationships with those you want. @RayHigdon

8. It’s an opportunity to ‘meet’ people you would have never met otherwise, to share what you know and learn some too! @LeadToday

9. SM is an unprecedented opportunity 2 elevate/expand ur influence. Each tweet/share is a chance 2B more informed, amazed & appreciative. @AngelaMaiers

10. SM gives me the ability to make wonderful connections with people that would be all but impossible in an analog world. @MackCollier

Be sure to follow these folks on Twitter and other social channels. They are smart, savvy, and succinct!

The most important second

sheet music“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”—Spanish Proverb

Much has been written about time and procrastination. We often don’t realize how precious time is until faced with a crisis, usually related to our health or mortality. 

We spend obscene amounts of time watching mindless reality shows and TV. We dwell on our past mistakes and worry about future problems. We read books and attend presentations on time management and productivity. We fool ourselves.

And here we are on New Year’s Eve when everyone is keenly aware of the time. Social channels are filled with posts and stories assessing the past 12 months, and predicting trends for the next 12 months.

We stay up until midnight, count down the seconds, and watch festivities on TV. We kiss our loved ones.

That one second seems so important, and then it’s gone. In that split second of the clock striking 12, the calendar page turns and…here we are.

What’s really changed?

Most of us go back to the same patterns and habits that frustrated us last year. We fail to take on new challenges and opportunities to learn, grow, and change. We’re stuck in a comfort zone of mediocrity. Our fears and paralyzing beliefs have joined us in the New Year. Damn.  

We don’t need a clock or resolution to become better people and discover our gifts and talents. We simply need to decide that it’s time.  We can decide in February, July, or September. Don’t procrastinate on living your life with purpose and soul. 

The Bottom Line: The most important second is not on New Year’s Eve. It’s right now. 

Happy New Year!

 

 

10 PR stars reveal secrets for social media success in 2013

Seats at a tableWant to kick-start your social media optimization in 2013? Of course you do. 

I asked 10 distinguished PR and social media pros to share their views on how it can be done. 

Here are their responses, with my appreciation for their insights!

Margo Mateas, Founder, The PR Trainer:  “PR pros need to remember to take time to become part of the communities they want to reach, and not just engage in ‘driveby’ social media. It only takes a second to ‘Like’ someone else’s post or to leave a supportive comment. This strengthens trust and makes it more likely for them reciprocate the next time you’re promoting something.”

Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO, Pure Performance Communications:  “Take the best of your communications past into 2013; your ethics, accountability, critical thinking and great communications skills. At the same time, be open to different types of engagement through social media, by experimenting and embracing new technology to build stronger relationships with stakeholders. You need to be 10 steps ahead to counsel senior executives about the changing media landscape, and on the same page with savvy, wired consumers to understand their preferences and to better serve their needs.”  

Brad Phillips, Mr. Media Training, author, The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview: “Few public relations professionals can keep up with all of the new social networking sites that seem to pop up on a monthly basis. So as a New Year’s resolution, PR pros should try to familiarize themselves with each of the platforms—and then commit to participating in the one that is most likely to help them reach their audiences and accomplish their goals.” 

Amy D. Howell, CEO, Howell Marketing Strategies, LLC “Our firm will be measuring how the social posts are driving more traffic to client websites and how that is helping their SEO. We have completed upgrades to client websites to include integration of social platforms.”  

Jeff Domansky, The PR Coach & Principal, Peak Communications: ”I’m excited about 2013. It will be the year of the ‘visual.’ Whether you’re storytelling, blogging, content marketing, doing media relations or social PR, great pics and video will drive your success. And everything you do better work on mobile, too.”

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs: “Focus less on what you think you ‘have’ to do to maintain a social presence. Focus more on what is meaningful for your brand.”

Stacey Acevero, Social Media Manager, Vocus/PRWeb: “Think about social media as a book, or a timeline of the story of your business. But it’s not storytelling, it’s telling a true story well–so write social media posts that inspire conversation, share thoughts and real outcomes that resonate with your audience. Be less ‘braggy’ and involve the insights of others in your PR story.”

Joan Stewart, aka The Publicity Hound: ”Recycle your content, create it in multiple formats, and share it on the social media sites. Example: Take a how-to blog post and turn it into an MP3, and then a video (record yourself offering 3 tips from the article), and then a slideshow for LinkedIn, and then a series of photos for a Pinterest board. Note to self: Do this in 2013 and stop creating content from scratch!”   

Michael Cherenson,  APR, Executive VP, Success Communications Group; 2009, Chair and CEO, PRSA: “Social media is public relations and today’s professionals, to better serve their clients and help advance their own careers, need to invest in training and learn how to re-learn the art of communications. Every public relations professional must become an active participant, native to various social media platforms. And PR pros need to recognize Google’s algorithm is now one of our most important publics; your content needs to entice your audience and Google’s search engine.”

Shonali Burke, Principal, Shonali Burke Consulting, Inc.:  “I see far too many PR pros functioning in a bubble. Offline, they live and work in the bubble of the agency world, and online they don’t interact with people from different industries and walks of life. One of the best things about social media is the way it can connect you with just about anyone else in the world who is using that platform. It’s amazing what we can learn from people so very different from us. So as we embark on 2013, let’s rediscover what makes social media so wonderful-the ability to converse with literally just about anyone.”

Which piece of advice will you be focusing on in 2013?

Communicators: You are in sales

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Don’t be shocked, but marketing, PR, and communications pros are in sales.

Think about it.

We are:    

  • Selling messages to clients
  • Selling ourselves to execs in the C-suite
  • Selling (pitching) stories to the media
  • Selling our time
  • Selling our intellectual capital
  • Selling our creativity
  • Selling access to our media and social contacts

 

To be a holistic business communicator, it’s time to stop selling and start building. Build your listening skills and relationships with prospects, the C-suite, colleagues, and reporters. We must move away from the “What can we get?” attitude to “What can we give?”

The holistic communicator

In a typical day, people are trying to get our e-mail addresses. They are trying to get us to sign-up for something. They are trying to get our hard-earned money. They are trying to get access to our personal information. They are often trying to get over on us. Get, get, get. This approach only brings short-lived success.  

The flip side of get, get, get is give, give, give. 

The most successful people in business are those who focus on what they can give to others, and not what they can get, get, get. High achievers are comfortable in deflecting attention away from themselves. These givers have absolute faith that by being tuned in to others, success will one day come to them. Individuals who live by this mindset aren’t in a hurry to get the deal. Instead, their priority is to build relationships and give value. The givers trust that they will be rewarded with abundance because that’s the way the universe works.

The proof of this is most evident in sales. When people in sales stop chasing money and shift their attention to genuinely helping a prospect, they won’t have to sell anything. Prospects will want to buy from them based on the generosity of the relationship. 

Say what?

Our attention is a hot commodity.

The concept of silent listening is the genesis of holistic business. Silent listening requires us to mentally slow down and quiet the unrelenting soundtrack that plays in our heads 24/7. Silent listening requires our undivided attention, free of distractions, judgments, and response planning. It calls for us to be fully present and in the moment.

How many times have you asked someone a question that you were genuinely interested in and as soon as they responded, your mind was jumping around aimlessly with random thoughts?

These mental interruptions occur in a flash. They pull us away from conversations and leave us at a disadvantage as we miss important information that is essential to connecting with people.

For example, you are meeting with a prospect about doing PR for their credit union. Someone mentions that they have ‘service centers,’ not branches. If you write up a proposal to promote their 18 branches, you lose. A split second distraction becomes a costly lesson. 

Silent listening is an essential business skill. It shows people that you are fully engaged, and care about the message.

Welcome to sales. 

PS: I invite you to take a peek at my new Kindle book, published today!

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4 success attributes for today’s workplace

As quickly as our world is changing, many things remain the same. Yes, TV has morphed into tablets and small screens. Telephones are now for texting. Networking is all about LinkedIn. 

But many of our everyday business activities are timeless. Technology may come into play, but it can’t replace the human factor of collaboration, confidence, caring, and checking.    

Collaboration: “When it comes to collaboration, people are your best resource.” That’s according to CNBC.com’s Donny Deutsch.  He says collaboration trumps competition in our new business landscape. Deutsch explains that it takes courage to move from the self-serving, “What’s in it for me?” mentality to a shared sense of purpose, or ‘we’ mentality.  Another important aspect of collaboration is trust, which Deutsch maintains brings about a framework for free thinking. These days, open dialogues that invite diversity trump top-down directives.    

Confidence: Today’s employees and managers alike must exude confidence in their organizations, work ethic, talents, and decisions. They must believe in themselves. Not too much pressure, right? First-class leaders understand the fine line between confidence and arrogance. Somewhere in the middle lies humility. These are timeless human attributes that technology can’t touch. And rightfully so.    

Caring: Real professionals know that a sense of compassion is needed when interacting with others. If you haven’t learned about Emotional Intelligence and how to get along with others, it’s time to get started. A study from U.S. News & World Report found that 90 percent of people are fired because of poor attitudes. Only 10 percent lose their jobs due to lack of skill or ability. 

Checking: This is not about direct deposits and bank routing numbers. This is about checking and verifying sources when writing blog posts and reports. It’s about checking in with co-workers who may be having a rough time. It’s about checking opportunities to learn new skills and technology. The most important checking you will likely do:  Checking your attitude.

Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

The original version of this post was published on Monster.com 

6 social tools for communicating in our new era

Have you noticed our collective world seems to be all about convenience, time, and social media? 

Based on this, I want to share a few social tech tools for efficiently communicating in our new digital era.

  1.  Headline Analyzer from the Advanced Marketing Institute -Need help writing psychologically powered headlines that compel people to read—and buy—from you?  Business communicators and sales professionals understand that buying a product, service, or idea, is based on emotions. That’s where this simple tool comes into play.

AMI explains the “emotional marketing value of a headline” on its website: “We have developed a software program which has access to our EMV impact words. The program uses special algorithms to quickly compare the words of your headline with the words from the EMV Impact list.”

What’s the importance of a high EMV rating?  “The key to communication is being able to reach the client at an emotional level. Involving them in your copy, and invoking their deeper thoughts,” states the AMI site.  “While many marketers ‘guess’ how people will react to various words and offers, we have determined a test which will give you an actual rating that you can use to judge how well-received your copy will be to others.”

2. Recitethis.com allows users to insert their own verbiage, quote, or phrase to create a personalized graphic in mere seconds. Users also have the option of pulling a quotation from the site’s library. “Turn a quote into a masterpiece” is the site’s mantra. Here’s an example: 

 

3.  Bottlenose.com  “We analyze and map the world’s attention in real-time. It’s live, visual, interactive and seriously smart.” That’s the homepage message from Bottlenose.com, a monitoring and analytics tool that’s been in beta for a while. Tech reporters say this newbie can give Google a run for its money. The $1 million in new seed funding should help. Christina Farr writes on Venturebeat.com: “Bottlenose infuses social elements into your search ‘stream’ — a term the company uses to refer to the sea of status updates and news. Search for a term on the website, and Bottlenose will surface what the world thinks, organized by relevance to you. Social search is Google’s greatest weakness…” This is a new, real-time dimension into who is paying attention to your company, brand, marketing campaigns, and competitors.

 4. Poll Everywhere- This has been around for a while, but not many communicators or speakers know about it, and use it. Poll Everywhere is an audience response tool that allows users to “gather live responses in any venue: conferences, presentations, classrooms, radio, TV, print — anywhere. And because it works internationally with texting, web, or Twitter, its simplicity and flexibility are earning reviews,” according to its website.

 5. Prezi.com seems to be the successor to PowerPoint.  With complaints about boring bullet points and excessive text, many communicators—myself included—are turning to Prezi. The tag line, “Make your presentations zoom,” helps us understand how this cloud-based software works. The analogy the company website uses is that the main point of your topic is in a graphic or image form, similar to the outside of a house. With each click and zoom, the topic is broken down into detail, or the rooms of the house.

6. Awesome Screenshot prides itself on capturing, annotating, and sharing screenshots. “Capture the whole page or any portion, annotate it with rectangles, circles, arrows, lines and text, one-click upload to share.” This can spice up your presentations, marketing materials, web pages, tutorials, and more.

Are you familiar with any or all of these? Is it time to start using them? Which nifty tech tools do you want to share with us?

 

 

5 signs that PR leaders are impacting business results

Public relations is coming into its own and the industry appears more than ready to embrace a new level of respect.

How do I know this?

Consider the following points:   

1. PR is more strategic than ever. There’s an increased understanding that a broader view of business is required in today’s marketplace. PR pros who fully grasp how their work directly impacts sales and marketing are sitting at the table with the C-suite. Messaging and money go hand-in-hand. 

2. PR pros are communicating like project managers. We are tracking the minutiae in our assignments. We are in constant communication with team members. Our work is completed on time and under budget. That’s because we can course correct in the midst of a project instead of running out of time and resources. We’re using online spreadsheets, graphics, and images to track progress, next steps, and metrics. Communicators are getting better at this thing called communication.

3. PR pros—the good ones, anyway—are buying into the vision. These are the passionate ones; the folks who are curious and courageous. Those who lack passion, including managers, are crap magnets that are blind to the company vision. Passionate PR pros understand the work that needs to get done every day to achieve more and compete in a fierce market. They surround themselves with like-minded people, leaving no room for the mediocre.   

4. PR pros are well-versed in more than just one language.  The smart ones are able to speak to their clients in their own industry language. Whether it’s Software-as-a-Service, designer jewelry, healthcare, or aerospace engineering, PR stars shine brightest when they can hold their own and engage with niche clients.  These PR leaders exude the confidence and knowledge to not only be invited to sit at the proverbial table, but to actually offer ideas and insights as a valued member of the team. Courtesy seats with the C-suite rarely exist.  

5. PR pros recognize what is required to service business-to-business clients. Delving into the needs of the customer’s customer helps solidify B2B relationships. Creativity and projects move to deeper levels and vertical markets, which has customers coming back, and offering referrals. It’s simple.  You get it.    

Business and motivational speaker Denis Waitley said: ”Your success depends on how well you think. You are not paid to collect, sort, store or retrieve information, although you do these things every day. You are paid to interpret that information and create and implement new ideas.”

As we head into the last quarter of 2012, it’s clear that PR means business. Would you agree?