One of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year was to write a book. I’ve heard for many years and from many different people that “everyone has a book within them” and when I wrote that goal it was because I decided to finally act on that premise. I guess only time will tell if it’s true or not with me!
At any rate, I’ve started the process many times of sitting down to try and actually start the process. Needless to say, I haven’t gotten far.
And not to say that’s it’s been completely frustrating, but it has been a bit maddening, especially since it’s one of my goals that I really REALLY want to get knocked off this year.
So, what to do about this giant obstacle standing in my way?
Well, I was recently reading a book, Social Media 101 by Chris Brogan and I can’t remember if he just comes out and admits it or not, but the book is basically a collection of blog posts he wrote. Once I made the realization, it was like the light switch flipped on! (Yes, I’ll readily admit that it isn’t always on).
So, in following the example of Chris, and other well known authors as I’ve come to learn, I’ll be using my blog as a testing ground for my book. I’m hoping to follow the same basic structure and outline in my blog that I’ll be using for my book.
What will the book be about?
Well, since my blog is about local marketing and how you can do it more effectively, it only makes sense that the book will follow the same categorization.
Again, my goal is to have a completed book by the end of 2010 and since we’re already well into the 7th month of the year, it’s safe to say I have quite a bit of work to do.
I also know that no matter how painful or challenging it might be, my very first step is to sit down and come up with the outline or structure for the book. As I’ve been talking about, teaching, and helping countless small businesses with their marketing efforts for quite some time now, coming up with the content won’t be a problem. Organizing it into an easy-to-follow and enjoyably digestable format, if there even is such a thing, will be my biggest challenge.
So, if you haven’t already bookmarked this blog and you’re interested in getting a bird’s eye view at a book in the making, then go ahead and bookmark it right now.
If you don’t, that’s okay too, but I can’t promise there will be a blooper real at the end, so you might just miss out on a lot of the fun!
If you’re a local business and are looking for ways to get more people through your doors, get the word out about your business, and ultimately drive new sales, the Internet offers lots of opportunities to do just that. Now even though I talk quite frequently of the overall power the Internet has to help local businesses, what I’m talking about here is using specific tools to drive people to your business.
One such tool is a service/website/social game called Foursquare.
If you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically a location based application that works on smartphones like the iPhone, the Android, or Blackberry. Any time a user arrives at your location, they ‘check-in’, which is the same as telling everyone in their social network that they’ve arrived at your location.
Now, while many might view Foursquare as a gigantic waste of time (let’s face it, there are some people that think ANYTHING social media related is a giant waste of time!), it has a lot of potential to be a very powerful marketing tool for your local business as you look to grow using the Internet.
First, it has a game component so it’s fun for people to do. I mean really, what’s the benefit of checking in to a particular location and why would hundreds of thousands of users be doing this on a daily basis if it wasn’t fun? When someone check-in to a location, they’re essentially letting other know they’ve arrived at a place that’s worthy of talking about.
Second, anytime someone checks in to a location, they notify their network of friends, which in many cases includes their Facebook and Twitter universe of friends! This is essentially word-of-mouth marketing on steroids because again, they’ve deemed your business worthy of the shout-out and they’re telling what could be a whooooole lot of people about it.
Third, you have the ability to make some kind of offer via Foresquare to people that visit your business. When you sign up for a Foresquare account you can offer users something to come into your place of business, which again, is another fantastic opportunity to introduce yourself to your target market.
Now, I will say that Foursquare isn’t for every business and most of the participants are restaurants or retail locations. That’s not to say it can’t work if you’re a lawn care guy, attorney, or some other service provider, but you will definitely need to be creative.
Overall though, Foursquare is a perfect example of some of the increasing number of tools available to the local business owner looking to grow his business using the Internet. And just like every other tool out there, it can be extremely powerful when used correctly, but it can also be a HUGE distraction if you allow it to be.
As long as you have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve online, you’ll be better able to analyze the tools like Foursquare and determine if it’s going to help you grow your business or just become a giant distraction.
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So much of the marketing and advertising we see on a daily basis is downright ‘put you to sleep’ boring. Well, the guys over at 37 Signals, creators of some fantastic small business project management, CRM, and other productivity tools, recently created a unique ad to help propel their new book to the top of the best sellers list.
You see, Karl Rove, the Chief of Staff to former President G.W. Bush, released his new book about the same time and because he has a rather long list of friends in powerful media positions, he’s been on a rather rampant tour lately promoting his book.
As a result and without much surprise, his book is ranked higher than the guys at 37 Signals. In spite of a much smaller list of friends in high media positions and not to be outdone, they set out to do everything within their power to help propel their book to the top of the list.
And when it comes to dealing with politicians, what could be more appropriate than a good ol’ attack ad?
Yep, you read that right, an attack ad pitting Rove’s book, Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight, against the work of 37 Signals, REWORK.
If you ask me, I’d say it’s a pretty ingenious way to get the word out about their book. Will it be successful in pushing the 37 Signals guys to the top of the list? Who knows, but I think it’s an incredibly creative way to use something that most people despise in a fun and entertaining way.
Take a look and tell me what you think:
I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but I don’t think I’ve ever watched a complete episode of the popular TV show ‘24′. You know, the one where super-agent Jack Bauer races around killing terrorists, stopping diabolical schemes, and ultimately, keeping the world a safer place for our kids.
I hear from all my friends that watch it that it’s a great show, and as evidenced by the fact that it’s back for who knows which season and that millions of people tune in each week, they must be doing something right.
Well, have you ever thought about what that show would’ve looked like 15 or so years ago?
We talk all the time about the dramatic impact technology has had on our lives, and this ‘un-aired’ pilot (wink wink) of the show ‘24′ gives us a first-hand look at how differently things would be without all the technological advances we enjoy today.
