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CAT | blogging
A guest post over at Problogger.net recently commented, “Treat the blog … as a promotional vehicle for an actual business. This isn’t to say all you do is pimp your products. On the contrary, you provide really great content in order to build the relationship up with your reader. However, you do it with the aim of converting into a sale of your own product.”
With the opening bell of the 30-day blogging challenge convened by Jeanette Cates, Ph.D., it’s important to consider the attitude and approach our blogs are taking. Every blog takes a somewhat different approach, and certainly they are designed as one piece of our businesses.
So, while this is true, that the blog is a promotional tool, it seems to me much more than that. We sell ourselves, our clients/customers, and our content short if making the sale is the sole focus. While we are in business, it’s also important to create an appropriate space for relationships to expand and unfold.
Blogs are perfect places to share value and build community. For me, the part of the quote that does hit the mark is, “…great content to build relationship with your readers.” Marketing, in particular soft sell marketing, is all about making the connections and building the relationships in a respectful way.
Ultimately we are not serving our perfect customers and clients well if we don’t move into meeting their needs by selling our products/services in the spirit of serving them. Maybe that’s why the line, “…you do it with the aim of converting into a sale…” somehow rubs me the wrong way. It doesn’t hit at the nuances of care for your perfect customers that I think is a critical ingredient, especially in my market of visionaries, messengers, authors, writers, conscious creators, soul-preneurs, and healers.
As a solo professional, the “product” at the moment is me–and the services I provide to help visionaries and conscious creators get their messages out to their perfect customers/clients.
But as a writer, the blog is also a place for developing book content and other creative solutions for people– who may “just” be readers of the blog. It’s designed to give my own perfect clients a taste of my philosophy, values, and style. They can get a sense of whether it’s a “fit” to consider working with me in a more in-depth way.
So this blog focuses on publishing content in the service of relationship-building, which is itself the foundation of marketing. It’s also a place for people to learn and gain value even if they don’t buy something right away.
To fully serve people, the next step is to sell something. At the same time, I am committed to the importance of publishing remarkable content as a way to build relationships.
Just minutes to Jeanette Cates’ webinar to launch #blog30, the 30-day blog challenge.
http://meetourmembers.com/blog-challenge-begins/
(also wanting to test the Twitter Tools. Can I figure out how to automate??)
Many thanks to @piotrkrzyzek for his instructions on Twitter Tools.
http://www.piotrkrzyzek.com/automatically-tweet-when-you-make-a-wordpress-blog-post/#comment-53396811
Thank you!
It’s been quiet over here at http://www.writesynergiescopywriting.com
since I completed Connie Green’s 30-day blog challenge
earlier this month. But lots of things are
simmering on the back burner, so watch for the
feasts and creative explosions to come!
I was revisiting some of the posts a few days ago.
They still sound pretty good! I invite you over
to partake in the synergies that are growing!
There’s another 30-Day Blogging Challenge
coming up! For the entire
month of June, (1-30) there’s a group forming to
continue the blogging fun and business-building.
This time, Jeanette Cates is leading the group.
Go to http://twitter.com/JeanetteCates and search
for #blog30 or connect with her at
http://jeanettecates.com/what-makes-a-great-blog-challenge/
to join the blogging challenge.
Join the fun!
Plus: Today (5-28) Jeanette has “feature member profile”
of yours truly at the customized member site for this
month’s blog challenge at http://meetourmembers.com/
(So, yes, you’d need to register to see my profile!)
Happy Blogging to All!
9
Blown Away Blog Challenge 30 of 30 The Peeps Edition
18 Comments | Posted by Bobbye in blogging
Blown Away 1: Todd
I didn’t even think about winning a contest when I used (some of) the social media tools I’ve gotten more comfortable with over the past month to spread the word about Todd Temaat’s “Win Your Local Market” contest. He was looking to generate interest in his work and his upcoming training/membership program.
I was speechless when I heard I’d won his incredibly valuable grand prize of two months of his coaching for communicating all things local online. I literally couldn’t even process the news. Thank you Todd. I look forward to participating in your magical process. And, I think it’s sometimes tough for local market-focused people to “get” all that they can actually do with social media. Many are in the beginning stages, and the steps of your contest might have seemed daunting for someone not already somewhere in the stream already.
Blown Away 2 – ??
Can’t even count all the pleasures and friendships that have grown up over the past month from #blog30 community that grew up around the 30 Day blogging challenge. Of course, to start, there’s the incomparable Connie Ragan Green herself, the woman who convened, gathered, and offered the #blog30 group a “home base” throughout. She’s an inspiring, self-made empire builder who wants to help others build lots of other empires!
Then I connected with writing maven Debra Marrs who started the #blog30 challenge. It worked so well that she got so busy with clients that she didn’t finish. Her encouragement out of the starting gate really fueled me in those early days when I didn’t “know” anyone else. (We’d met through Christina Hills’ Web Site Creation Workshop.)
Can’t even say where to begin to thank all the remarkable people I’ve shared the past month with. Some I’ve gotten to know better than others, but each of you is remarkable, as a person, entrepreneur, and a creator. Thank you. I look forward to staying connected and deepening the conversations as we proceed onward. Hope to see some of you on the June #blog30 under the guidance of Dr. Jeannette Cates.
When in Southern California, I know I have a second home with Melanie Kissell and all the love from the Solo Mompreneur crew. Her heart is bigger than the state of California.
When headed to the East coast, to South Carolina, there’s storyteller and businesswoman extraordinaire, Jeanne Kolenda. Jeanne’s stories are alchemical transformations of everyday life to something more. She’s partnered in biz with Sue White (on Twitter as @WhiteSue )
Greetings to Terrie Wurzbacher in San Antonio, a warm-hearted doc sharing the wisdom from universal laws at getunstuckllc.com.
My new go-to techXpert: @MyWebGal, Deb Augur, in Washington state.
Heather Bestel in Scotland shows us all how to move from mad dash to organised simplicity with great warmth and charm.
New friends, resources, experts, supporters — Many thanks to all who commented, retweeted, posted, and generally spread the great energy as part of the #blog30 including
Martha Giffen, online maven extraordinaire.
Marcia Hoeck, for all things breakthrough for your business.
Geoff Hoff, writer’s writer w/ a theatrical flair.
Piotr Krzyzek on marketing and social media.
With gratitude to Annette Nack for her part in the 30 Day blog challenge.
Get fit with 50 and Fit founder, Kazi
Meet Vernon Harleston on The High Road
Find all things health with the All-health expert Robert Britt
Get happy with Happiness Guru Evelyn Roberts Brooks
Where to go for innovation ideas? Innovation Expert Steve Sponseller
Thanks to Gwen Tanner who is inspiring me to reshape my offerings in her role as @ecoursemaster.
Kudos to Helen Raptoplous an energetic proponent of Moving your Business Forward: Action Habits that Matter Most.
Acknowledging Janet Eisenbise from Coach4LifeChange, sharing insights with grace and wisdom.
Oh, my. Loving apologies for omissions and those I haven’t caught up with this time. Let’s connect in the follow-on #blog30–coming in June and hosted by Dr. Jeannette Cates! And it will use the same twitter #blog30 hashtag! Thanks to everyone for your support!!
16
The New Follow Friday Round-Up — Blog Challenge Day 7 Post 8
2 Comments | Posted by Bobbye in blogging
Connie Ragan Green’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge has gotten me to step deeper into the fast rushing river that is Twitter. So in addition to doing the posts, I am tweeting them out — finding ways to let people in the social media universe know about the content I am creating. So, my first #FF (or “Follow Friday”–It’s a twitter thang) recommendation is Connie Ragan Green. #FF @ConnieGreen
I met Connie in 2008 at Judith and Jim’s Bridging Heart and Marketing Conference for soft sell marketers. As founders of the Soft Sell Marketers Association, Judith and Jim are on my #FF list too. Their association offers exceptional value. And I want to highlight Judith and Jim’s tagline: They say “It’s all in the connection.” This rings a resonant bell with me! #FF @JudithandJim (and hugs!)
I’m taking a course with Molly Gordon, founder of the Shaboom County community, to learn the process to finding clients who fit just right. Molly is a #FF resource. Totally outstanding. Molly’s coaching is bringing us to a foundation and structure for listening for the words of clients who fit just right (or in my case, “write,”). Molly, like the other folks I so appreciate, really walks her talk over on Twitter @Shaboom (and elsewhere too!)
I learned about the Chris Brogan’s latest post from @ToddTemaat who had created his own #FF blog post at his interesting site, http://www.winyourlocalmarket.com. Todd, you might be interested in a Facebook group all about shopping local: Over on FB I just became a fan of the 3/50 Project. (They’re at the350project.net)
It was such a good idea that Chris Brogan introduced @ his blog. It inspired Todd in his first #FF round-up today on his blog. Todd reported that he heard about it from @HelenRappy. Scope out the original inspiration: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/turn-twitters-follow-friday-in-blog-traffic/ So #FF love to all of you, and it’s so much fun playing together in this social media river and on #blog30
There’s additional thanks to Molly Gordon @Shaboom who retweeted this link (below) to an inspiring piece from Anne LaMott. I mentioned her book, Bird by Bird in blog post #6. So it’s synchroninstic to see a link to one of her recent essays today — well, it’s just this amazingly connected universe that we are playing in.
http://www.sunset.com/travel/anne-lamott-how-to-find-time-00418000067331/
Trying to get a little bit ahead on 30 days of blogging challenge, so it’s post 8 on day 7. #blog30
OK, so here goes: My friend Connie Ragan Green is doing another of her 30-day blogging challenges. I’m stepping up to it this time around because I have a book to develop and create. To read more about the challenge, here’s a link to Connie’s post, along with some great tips to connect through social media for building an audience:
http://ebookwritingandmarketingsecrets.com/30-day-blogging-challenge-2010-connie-ragen-green/
So, why am I taking up the challenge right now? In a related vein, (I’m a writer, after all!) I am starting a three-month mentoring program to get my book (long anticipated in its planning stages and long incomplete) into some serious forward momentum. I’ve been challenged by my Book Breakthrough coaches, Elizabeth Marshall (yes, she of Author Teleseminar fame) and Janet Goldstein (NY publishing uber-consultant) to start to feed out into the universe the ideas, nuggets, processes, and philosophy that will make up the underpinning of Write Synergies, as the book is tentatively titled. (You might notice a commonality with my web site… 
I was pleasantly affirmed today during the monthly meeting of Entrepreneur Group (facilitated by long-time Chicago-area career coach, Robin Sheerer), to learn that “synergies” is the word that expresses the process that people experience when they work with me.
So, part of the plan over these 30 days at the blog is to continue to develop the ideas for the book and start to put them out in a more public way. Hidden away in my notebook, they aren’t especially useful to anyone. This is one way to share the wisdom — and to get some feedback loops going!
Since this dear project has been hanging around for awhile in many iterations, this new version is still finding its way and its content. Stay tuned and be part of the process!
It’s been just over one year since I started generating an online presence for myself. A blogging platform seemed ideal, since I wanted to be able to share a variety of content. Wordpress has been a dream to work with.
A big part of finally getting a web presence was the teaching and training I received last spring from Christina Hills’ Website Creation Workshop. She’s doing it again. As an alum, I’m going through the class again. There’s so much to learn, and Christina is constantly upgrading her course and her own personal knowledge. It’s great to get reminders about what to do and how to do things on my site.
Last fall, she made some cool promotional videos riffing off Julia Child. This year, the amusing video series promo is built around Alice in Wordpress Land.
What follows are some of the fun links to the videos in Christina’s collection. She makes the class as fun as the promos, so it’s a can’t miss opportunity. I’ll be there and hoping to see you too.
To check out the videos, click the links below.
http://cli.gs/AliceInWordPressLand1
And this one is Alice meeting some talking flowers
http://cli.gs/4tzbyN [oops! You can see on this one, I forgot to give it an identifying name!]
In this one, Alice comes across the Tweedles:
http://cli.gs/AliceTweedle
By the way, these links include my affiliate code. I really believe in the value of this course and strongly recommend it to those who want to take control of their online presence and be able to put up their own content without the headaches of waiting around for a webmaster. If you do make a purchase, I will receive a referral fee.
12
How Can Write Synergies Copywriting Best Support YOU?
0 Comments | Posted by Bobbye in blogging
“Focus instead on how you can help people. Make your reader the center of your blog, and find ways to help your reader succeed (at whatever you’re teaching). The rest — stats and money and all that — will come later.” So says Leo Baubata in point #13 in Write to Done, the question, “What’s the most important blogging question I’m not asking? A: You should be asking, “How can I most help my reader?”
So for readers of Write Synergies Copywriting, all of you Conscious Creators,
Visionary writers, authors, publishers, speakers, artists, caregivers, and healers, I ask:
What can I do to support you on your journey?
What are you looking for to help get your message out there?
What would encourage you to step up in Owning Your Greatness?
(And the greatness of your book, project, or venture?)
What support do you need in expressing your gifts and connecting with your audience?
What would your life look like if you were Living Your Legacy?
Let me know!
To give credit where credit is due, I’m long past due in thanking Christina Hills for giving me the impetus to come out of the closet and actually start creating my online presence. I took her Website Creation Workshop (WSCW) last spring, and that empowered me take some baby steps. If you want to take control of your web presence, check this out:
Now, one of the remarkable benefits offered by this generous and patient teacher is that past students can retake the class. So, I’m going to be there when Web Site Creation Workshop starts up again next week. If you haven’t experienced Christina’s magical step-by-step and practical hands-on teaching style, you will be absolutely delighted. She’s closing registration on Friday afternoon (5pm Eastern time!).
Technophobes love Christina and WSCW. Anyone who is frustrated with trying to get something done through a webmaster will find a welcome and refreshing relief. Many even “fire” their webmasters. If you’re wondering if there’s an easier way to make yourself visible online, I recommend you check it out and sign up if it speaks to you. Cut to the chase with this shortcut! http://cli.gs/rEhMQG
While Christina has been in final preparation for
this workshop, she has been giving out some great
stuff on her blog.
Webinar Replay – How WordPress Can Be Used in Your Biz
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/freewebinar.htm
Answers to the Top 53 Questions on WordPress
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/top53.htm
Funny Video: What? Julia Child is Cooking Up Websites?
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/juliaintro.htm
Funny Video: Julia Child is Back Cooking Up a Blog Post!
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/juliablog.htm
How I Made My First WordPress Website in 15 Minutes
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/nutcracker.htm
For what it would take you to hire a webmaster one time,
to build only one website for you, Christina will empower
you to build as many websites as you want for your business
or personal passion.
So go now and get registered for the 8 module training.
I’ll see you in the course!
http://WebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734
Open Q&A Webinar "Radio" Show Tonight There's a free webinar on WordPress happening tonight! It's an "Open Q&A" webinar to answer any remaining questions you may have about using WordPress as your website. The link here is for tonight's webinar: http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=www.wcwinfo.com/b/webinartonight.htm And on this call, Christina Hills, my teacher and mentor for hands-on Wordpress training, will answer any remaining questions you have about taking the Website Creation Workshop. -----------Webinar Info------------------------ Date: Thursday, September 17th Time: 8:00pm Eastern/ 5:00pm Pacific Duration: 70-90 minutes Get the Phone Number and webinar info here: http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=www.wcwinfo.com/b/webinartonight.htm (Note you can listen on your computer, or the phone) ----------------------------------------------------- Christina got the idea to do this from the funny Linus and Lucy cartoon of the "Peanuts" that she posted on her blog a couple of days ago: http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=www.websitecreationworkshop.com/blog/information/open-qa-radio-show-this-thursday/ Well, she promises that her "radio show" won't be quite as goofy as that clip, but it should be a lot of fun. I want you to feel confident in making your decision to join her in the 8 module workshop that starts next Tuesday. (As an alum of the course, I'll be there too!) Today and tomorrow is the last day to get registered for the workshop. (here is the registration link for the FULL 8 module course http://WebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734 ) Sincerely, Yours, Bobbye Middendorf The Write Synergies Guru [Click below to register for the full workshop.] http://www.WebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734
