How to drive traffic with a crazy challenge or outlandish stunt

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online-business-drive-traffic-crazy-claimsOne way to build up a great following fast is to do something just a little crazy.

If you’ve ever watched a reality TV show such as Amazing Race or Survivor, then you know what a draw it can be to attempt something just a little crazy. Millions of people tune in each and every week to see which team will survive (or not) in Amazing Race and what new catastrophes will befall the cast of Survivor.

Now imagine if you could generate that kind of traffic to your blog or website, just by attempting something off the wall.

In fact, this is a tried and true marketing technique that companies have been using for more than a century and you can easily do something similar in your business.

There are many examples, but consider this stunt in 1954.  A.W. Fawcett, Guinness’ Managing Director, came up with the idea of dropping 50,000 sealed Guinness bottles into the ocean, each one of them sealed with a message which asked the finder to tear off a part of the message and return it to Guinness. Many did so and each received a personal reply and memento of the event. While today, environmentalists would protest, at the time, it was a big success.

Write a Book…Or 20 Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

Video: Why you need it to market your business

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If you have a message to share with the world, you need to promote it. You want people to hear — or read — what you have to say. You can’t get around this — you have to promote widely.

This can be hard for certain people.

Maybe you don’t think of yourself as a marketer or don’t like promoting yourself or even your content.

You might be an introvert.

Yet you need to get your message out there.

You might have heard about the power of video to elicit a reaction. On social media, for example, there’s quite a bit of research about the value of video to get “likes” and shares.

Before I explain ways you can use video even if you aren’t comfortable with promotion, let me give you some statistics.

Why you should be using video

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by Ellen Finkelstein

3 reasons why webinars are more powerful than speaking to a live audience

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online-business-webinars-1I’ve done my share of speaking to a live audience, but having kids at home (that was a while back) and living in a small, rural town made it hard. Instead, I focused on webinars. And webinars have been a great way for me to reach many people.

Speaking, however you do it, is a powerful way to connect with your audience, your potential customers or clients, your target market. People are more enlivened when they listen to your voice than they are when they read what you write (which is what you’re doing now). You can elicit a strong, emotional response more easily by speaking than you can by writing. Of course, many people have been inspired by writing, but unless you’re a very skilled writer, you’ll find engaging your audience is easier when you speak.

Speaking to a live audience is very powerful and the connection is strongest when you’re in the same room with your audience, but speaking live has some disadvantages.

So here are my 3 reasons why webinars are more powerful than speaking to a live audience. Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

Why aren’t you speaking? (Survey results)

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why aren't you speaking-1I believe that you need to speak to get your message out to the world. Yes, you can write, but people get to know you better when you speak. And I’m a firm believer in speaking online because you can:

  • Reach more people
  • Save time and money
  • Grow your subscriber list faster
  • Easily partner with others who will promote you

But many people aren’t speaking. To find out why, I did a survey, asking people why they weren’t speaking. Some of the results were typical, but some surprised me!

When I asked, “Are you reaching enough people now?” almost everyone said, “No.”

Here are the results and my comments.

I hate hearing my voice

What? I’d never heard this before! I’ve heard, “I hate how I look” but not this. Here’s my take… Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

Why authors may not be good marketers–and what to do about it

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online-business-authors-business-1A subscriber wrote me, “Mostly I need to learn how to promote my books. I am good at writing but a novice at promoting.”

Is that you?

Authors tend to like being solitary. After all, writing is basically something you do by yourself.

Promotion is the process of connecting with others — and encouraging them to connect with you. It isn’t something you do by yourself.

Accept the fact that you need to connect with others to promote your books. It might feel scary, but you just need to set up a step-by-step system and follow it.

Find where likely readers hang out

Luckily, you don’t need to promote to people who are not likely to be interested in your books. This is a good thing, because you’ll get more support and fewer rejections when you stick to people who are already interested in the topic of your books. Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein