Newsletters Vs Facebook Pages

A writer recently told me
that she was concentrating on
growing her Facebook Page likes,
instead of her newsletter subscribers.

Facebook, her publisher told her,
was where her readers were.

Here’s the issue with this.
In order to access her own readers
on her Facebook page,
she’ll have to pay to boost her posts.
Yes, she has to PAY to access
her own readers!
And even then,
she can’t be assured
everyone will see her announcement.

Newsletters, on the other hand,
can be free or very inexpensive.
She controls who receives them.
She can change the newsletter distribution company
any time she likes.

Ideally, she’d do both
–build her newsletter subscriber list
AND her Facebook page likes.

When I have to choose,
I ALWAYS promote my newsletter
as my first means of communication.

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The Bachelorette And Ramping Up Drama

The issue with many so-called reality shows
is that, in order to keep viewers interested,
every season has to be more dramatic
than the previous one.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette show
is a master of ramping up drama.
One of their secrets
is they’ve held back on some drama,
saving it for flatter, less exciting seasons.

For example:
Viewers suspect
the Bachelor/Bachelorette has sex
with some of the candidates.

Until this season,
no one admitted to this.

This poorly kept secret
was then revealed,
creating buzz,
and renewed interest in the show.

I do the same thing
when hosting a marketing event.
I don’t give away the grand prize
in the first contest.
I give it away at the end of event.

To ramp up drama,
you can’t start at a 10 out of 10.

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The Dangers Of Being An Expert

It’s a lawsuit happy world.
Being an expert in this world
is a risky business.

As Jeff Taylor
shares,
regarding the art world,

“It’s so risky
that a lot of authentication boards
have shut down.
There’s just simply too much
legal peril out there.
It’s one of the reasons
why a lot of experts
will not give their opinions.”

I’ve seen this in almost all industries.
My financial adviser doesn’t recommend stocks.
Instead I ask him
which companies he finds interesting.
Experts use softer phrasing like
“you might consider”
and
“you might look into.”
There are very few experts
giving hard specific recommendations.

What does this mean?

If you’re approaching an expert
and you want an answer,
phrase your question
so she doesn’t feel she’ll be liable
for any actions you might take.

If you’re the expert,
phrase your answers
in a way that covers your ass.

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Outsourcing Content

Jayson DeMers
shares

“54 percent of brands
don’t have a dedicated
content director on-site,
and 62 percent outsource
their content marketing.

According to IDG Connect,
84 percent of companies
plan to increase the amount of content
they create and publish.
As such,
it’s safe to assume that
the market for content marketing companies
is going to continue to grow rapidly.”

If the control freak in you cringes
when thinking about outsourcing content,
I’ll share a dirty little secret.
Many professional writers
outsource their content.

James Patterson hasn’t written
a novel on his own in years.
Another writer crafts the book.
He puts his James Patterson touch on it,
tweaking a word here and there.
His readers don’t care.

As long as you maintain quality control,
ensuring the content creator reflects your branding,
your customers won’t care either.

Consider outsourcing your content.

(I don’t outsource my content
for client k.
This is a labor of love for me,
not a business endeavor.)

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Antiques Roadshow And Reusing Content

Antiques Roadshow is entering
its 18th season.

They have 18 seasons of content.
They, of course, could have taken
the easy route
and simply replayed their previous shows
as they were recorded,
slapping a ‘Recorded On’ date
near the valuations.

Instead, they’ve decided
to show the value on the original recording date
AND the value today.
This is more challenging,
has costs associated with it
(they have to ask the experts again)
but it adds value to the viewer.

I drifted away from watching
Antiques Roadshow
but have now returned to the show
because this addition
appeals to the investor in me.

When you reuse content,
can you tweak it
so it is even MORE powerful,
adding more value to your viewers/readers?

Granting and Receiving Favors

If I do something nice for you,
you’ll do something nice for me,
right?

Not usually.

Seth Godin
shares

“Favors aren’t for trading,
they wear out,
they fade away,
they are valued differently
by the giver
and the receiver.”

I promote writing sites and writers
all the time.
It is very rare
that these sites/writers return the favor.

What DOES happen,
though,
is that other
(usually larger)
writers and sites
see that I’m helping others
and they help me.
Everyone wants to promote
good people
and helping others is a sign
of being a good person.

Don’t expect
the same person you helped
to help you.

Questions Outside Your Field

Yesterday, we talked about
Geraldo Rivera and his views on marriage.

He gave advice
on a field he’s not yet an expert on.

What should you do
when you’re asked your expert opinion
on a field you’re not an expert on?

My knee jerk reaction is to answer.
I want to look like I know everything.
Unfortunately, this reaction
will do more harm than good
to my professional reputation.
If I answer incorrectly
(and that’s likely),
I’ll look like an idiot
and everyone involved will question my knowledge
in my field of expertise.

If the interview is completed over email,
I usually contact and quote an expert.
This does two things.
1) It gives me the right answer
or if it is the wrong answer, it won’t be attributed to me
and
2) It shows the world that I know other experts
which makes me look even more knowledgeable

If the interview is live,
I make a joke about knowing nothing
about this field.
If I’m pressed,
I’ll qualify my answer.
“If this held true to the laws of
(whatever area I’m an expert is),
then….”
Interviewers normally love this
because it is showing them a glimpse of the world
seen through my lens.

Don’t pretend to be
an expert in a field you’re not.

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Taking Marriage Advice From Geraldo Rivera

Geraldo Rivera knows how to make news,
how to work the media,
how to make a great living
in the entertainment business.

He doesn’t know sh*t
about building a happy, lasting marriage.
He’s been married five times,
four of these times ending in divorce,
the fifth time no yet lasting long enough
to qualify as a success.

Recently, he spouted off
about what a woman brings to a marriage.

The unnerving thing is…
people listened.
Some talking heads said
we could learn from his mistakes.
He must have learned something.

Did he?
Does HE know what his mistakes are?
Do we have proof
that he’s uncovered the secret
to a long, happy marriage?
Where is the success
backing up his claims?

When weighing advice,
ALWAYS look for success
in the same field as that advice.

Running The Taboo Business

There are plenty of romance novels
with no sex between the pages.
I don’t write those novels.
My characters have sex.

There are some readers
who think sex is wrong
(but babies are okay???).
I’ll never appear on some talk shows,
never hang out with Oprah,
never be accepted by some writers
or win some awards.

I’m fine with this.
I’m writing stories I believe in
and there’s a huge demand for my stories.

Noel Biderman,
the founder and CEO
of Ashley Madison,
a website catering to marital infidelity,
will never be accepted by
proper society either.

When asked if his stance on infidelity
(which he, ironically, doesn’t participate in)
or the business came first,
he shares

“To be fair it was the business
– I wasn’t seeking a Nobel Prize
or trying to turn the world on its head.
People were going on dating sites
and posing as someone they weren’t,
causing collateral damage
and angering others.
So we created a site
where both people put their hands up to do it.
I saw it as a net societal win.”

That, I believe, is key
with running a taboo business.
We have to believe
we’re changing society for the better
by starting it.

Fifty Shades Of Grey Excitement

It’s easy to dismiss
Fifty Shades Of Grey,
the books,
the movie.

It’s mommy porn, right?
The name some people
have smacked on this story
trivializes its appeal.
Sex sells.

Sure, sex sells
but there were 1,000 other ‘mommy porn’ stories
published in the same month.
Many were hotter.
Many were more risque.
None of them sold
100 million copies.

There are many lessons
smart marketers can learn from FSoG.

For example:
Anastasia is a woman
who considers herself average and unremarkable.
She’s accustomed to being overlooked.
Female readers relate to her.

I write ‘average’ heroines all the time
because even my extremely educated,
high powered female executive readers
feel average in some way.

Christian Grey, the hero, sees something special
in this average woman.
He can partner with anyone
but he only wants her.

What prospect doesn’t want
a saleswoman or salesman to look at them
like this,
like they’re special, remarkable, different?

If your target customers are women,
you should consider studying
and learning from Fifty Shades of Grey.

And please don’t ridicule it in public.
Odds are,
many of the women around you
secretly enjoyed this story.

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