Attracting Ideal Clients

How Meetup Was Started as a Result of 9/11

I received the following message today and thought I would share it. I have been a participant of multiple Meetup groups. I also launched a local networking group using the Meetup site called the Roseville Growth Network.

On the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I thought this was amazing story of how Americans grew in a positive way in the face of tragic and frightening events.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing & Social Media Expert

Here is the message:

From: Meetup
Date: Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 1:25 PM
Subject: 9/11 & us
To:

Fellow Meetuppers,

I don't write to our whole community often, but this week is
special because it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many
people don't know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.

Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles
from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought
local community doesn't matter much if we've got the internet
and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I
hoped they wouldn't bother me.

When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors
in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to
neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they'd normally
ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each
other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being
neighborly.

A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring
people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was
born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet -- and
grow local communities?

We didn't know if it would work. Most people thought it was a
crazy idea -- especially because terrorism is designed to make
people distrust one another.

A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months
after 9/11.

Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it's
working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups,
Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups... a wild variety of
100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common -- except one
thing.

Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to
neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me.
They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and
motivate each other, they babysit each other's kids and find
other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace
together. They make friends and form powerful community. It's
powerful stuff.

It's a wonderful revolution in local community, and it's thanks
to everyone who shows up.

Meetups aren't about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it
weren't for 9/11.

9/11 didn't make us too scared to go outside or talk to
strangers. 9/11 didn't rip us apart. No, we're building new
community together!!!!

The towers fell, but we rise up. And we're just getting started
with these Meetups.

Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
New York City
September 2011

Blog Whisperer Jerry Kennedy Reviews Crush It from Gary Vaynerchuk

Jerry Kennedy, the Blog Whisperer recently wrote about Gary Vaynerchuk's book Crush It. Jerry says,

"He writes about the importance of building your personal brand as it relates to major markets.  A lot of Fortune 500 companies are still quite wary of allowing their employees to share their connection to the company online along with their employees’ personal online presence. Companies should heed the advice Gary has in encouraging businesses to allow employees to further a company’s brand via their online presence and online connections. Companies not doing this should realize they are missing an untapped marketing resource."

Jerry brings up a good point. This is a huge untapped marketing resource for many companies. I will be giving a presentation on Twitter to a group of strategic marketing professionals in a few months. One of my messages is that their companies should encourage people to blog and to use social media. This is a challenge for a lot of companies to give up control of their message. But, in reality, the control they think they have is an illusion.

People are already blogging about your company. They are already posting on social media. And if they aren't, you're missing the boat!

So, heed Gary's message and get into action. Expand your online presence and your online connections.

Use GoogleDocs to Write Blog Content - Part 1

GoogleDocs is a great tool for writing and tracking blog content. I have used a lot of strategies to write blog posts. I’d like to share some of these methods so you can learn from them.

Methods to write blog posts:

-Typepad/Wordpress

The disadvantage of this method is that you end up with a lot of drafts and it obscures your posted content (on the back-end). I’ve generally found it best to write my blog content outside of the blogging platform and then copy and paste when the content is ready. There are exceptions to that rule.

-Notepad

This is one of my favorite tools for creating web content. It is a simplified form of content without any of the underlying code that comes from a Word document. The disadvantage is that line breaks are sometimes an issue. You may end up having to go through your post and change the line breaks manually. One disadvantage is that Notepad does not have spell-check. And I don't know about you, but I occasionally spell words incorrectly.

-Microsoft Word

Word is a great tool for writing any kind of document, but you often run into issues when transferring to a web publishing tool. Word has a lot of underlying code that can be misinterpreted when published on the web. For an example of this, simply copy and paste a document into your blogging platform and then click the html button. You will see all sorts of strange code. (Not good.) When you actually view the published web page, you may see strange characters.

-GoogleDocs

I have used GoogleDocs for writing blog content for a few weeks. It seems to work pretty well. You can create folders and documents. The text transfers well into my blogging platform. (Note that there is sometimes a lag time after you save something before you see it in the folder. It’s a little unnerving, but it shows up within a few minutes.)

In Part 2 of blog post series, I will share details about how I track blog topics. (Hint: I make a list of topics that I want to write about in advance.)

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing Expert

Drive Traffic by Commenting on Blogs

There are many reasons to become a blogger. One of the best is simply to generate leads. And yet, the challenge is always to get people to your blog. You can't generate a lead unless someone lands on your web page.

So, once you are in the habit of blogging and you have the ability to capture leads, then you simply need to send more people to your blog.

Here's a simple technique that people often overlook. Many people look for the more challenging or complicated techniques. I look first to do the simple things that will drive traffic and create backlinks to your site.

The technique is simply to comment on other people's blogs.

It's a simple idea in concept, but how do you actually implement it consistently?

Here are 3 simple tips:

1) Compile a list of blogs where you can post comments

It's not enough to simply post a comment once and you're done. To be effective, you should post periodically to different blogs. When you get started, post a comment on a site once per week. Then, later cut back to once or twice a month.

Engage Other Bloggers in Conversation

Why this often? First, you want to engage the other blogger in dialogue. It's just like connecting on a social networking site. If you post often enough, people will remember who you are and you will become friends.

In addition to that, if they like your ideas, they might actually feature you or their blog. Or, they might share a resource you offer.

2) Keep your comments short

Remember, this is their blog. Don't write a novel, keep it brief.

If you feel compelled to write more on the topic, write it on your blog. Then, link back.

Don't include a hyperlink in the body of the comment. See the next section for more details on how to send people to your blog.

3) Link back to your blog

When you post your comment, you have the opportunity to include a link back to a website. There will be fields for name, email and website. But, where should you send people? Should you send them to a lead capture page, a website, or a blog?

In general, the best approach is to send people to your blog. If a person is interested in reading blogs, then they will probably be interested in reading another similar blog.

So, should you send people to the home page of your blog? The SEO experts say that it's best to include a link directly to one of the posts on your blog. Pick a post that has similar content to the one you are commenting on. Or, write a new post and link to it.

Are you in the habit of commenting on blogs? Or, is this a new idea for you?

If you want more traffic to your blog, then try this strategy. And be sure to pick some high profile blogs to comment on also. Make sure the topics are relevant. If you're writing about organization tips, don't comment on a political blog. Different audiences, different interests.

Set a goal now to comment on 3 blogs in the next 2 weeks. And while you're reading this post, take a moment now to comment on this blog. Make it happen!

Rick Cooper
Marketing Coach

Capitalize on your Knowledge

What are you doing to leverage the knowledge you have to grow your business? You have a unique skill set and information that other people want to know. Are you really using that information strategically?

There are many ways that you can use the information in your head to communicate and educate clients and prospects.

Here are 3 methods to share information that will provide value.

1. Post to a Blog

One of the best tools to create a name for yourself and begin to build an audience is through a blog. Many people like to read information on blogs, and they're a great tool to generate organic traffic on the internet.

The technology can be overwhelming at first. There’s a lot to learn. The good news is that you can find people to help you. Just set a goal to start a blog and start taking action.

2. Write an article

Articles are extremely versatile. You can post them on sites like EzineArticles.com. You can also include articles in your own email newsletter, or even print an article to hand out.

Keep your articles to about 400 to 600 words. Make them simple and easy to read. People have limited time, so get to the point. Pick a topic that people will be interested in.

3. Write a Special Report

At some point, you will realize that you need a resource to offer as a lead generation tool. One of the best resources you can create that will have value is a special report. Typically about 8-15 pages, it's a short document that focuses on solving a problem or communicating information that your ideal clients want to learn.

Repurpose your Content

An interesting point to consider is that you can take the content from a special report and break it into 5-7 articles. You can repurpose content to leverage it in numerous ways.

Writing is a learned skill. You can improve your ability to write. It takes practice.

Commit to write something every week. Produce something and share it with others. This will build your self-confidence and encourage you to write more in the future.

Rick Cooper
Marketng Coach

Grab Attention with a Compelling Headline

Copywriting is an art as much as it is a science. It takes commitment and creativity to craft copy that will engage your reader. You need to know who you're speaking to and what their needs are.

One of the most important elements of any copy is the headline. And whether you are writing a direct mail sales letter or a sales page for a website, you need a great headline to grab the attention of your prospect.

Since the headline is usually the first thing a visitor will read, make sure it compels the visitor to want to read more about your product or service.

A great headline should instantly engage your prospect and get them excited. A poor headline will distract them and make them leave your site.

4 tips to write an effective headline:

• Make sure the headline addresses the problem of your web site visitor.

• Capitalize the first letter of every word in your headline to attract more sales.

• Highlight important words to attract more attention to them.

• Always use a large bold font. Make sure the headline text is larger than any other text on your sales page.

Test and Tweak Your Headlines

It’s amazing how much one single change to a headline can increase your online sales. Always test and tweak your headlines until you are satisfied with the results. Ask for feedback from clients, prospects, mentors and coaches.

Rick Cooper
Marketing Coach

Keys to Create Content for your Blog

One of the challenges most bloggers face is what to write about on their blog.

Internet expert Joel Comm writes about this subject on his blog. In his post, "How to Decide What to Write About," Joel states:

"People are always search for how-to do this or that. Just go to Google and search for "how to" and see how many millions of results are returned. In fact, if the search engines like my blog than I can come up on the first couple pages for the phrase "How to decide what to write about." Wouldn't that be interesting?"

Click here to read the full post

I find it helpful to brainstorm a list of topics. You can even create a mindmap starting with one idea in the center and then adding ideas around it.

Above all, writing on a regular basis takes practice. Find the time to write daily. Use simple language and write with a specific audience in mind.

Good luck and happy writing!

Rick Cooper
Marketing Coach

Reach out to your Network

One of the most valuable assets you have in your business is your network. Your network includes anyone you know, whether they are an acquaintance, an associate, a client or a friend.

You have a network, whether you look at it that way or not. There is value in your network. There is the possibility for developing joint venture partnerships, referral opportunities and client relationships.

The question is how do you leverage your network? You have to be deliberate about thinking of your network in a way that will support you. When you have a need, think of specific people you know who can help. Reach out and ask for help.

You will have much better luck if you are proactive in helping others first. If you are always taking and never giving, your network will tire of your requests.

Do you have a strategy to build your network? Isn’t it time you made a plan to build your network and determine how best to make use of this incredible resource?

Be Proactive in Looking for Ways to Help People!

Here are 3 strategies to build your network:

1) Grow your network

One of the simplest ways to grow your network these days is through social media. You have instant access to millions of people. You can quickly connect with people and over time develop closer relationships.

Networking at events is another great way to meet people. Be selective about which events you attend. Look for events that will connect you with your ideal clients or with influential people.

You can also state a goal to develop a relationship with someone you know of but have not met. This is a powerful strategy. It will cause you to step outside of your comfort zone.

2) Connect with your network

A network is meaningless unless you actually reach out and connect with people. You can connect through social media or the phone. The most powerful way to connect with people is directly over the phone or in person. When you talk with someone directly it creates a greater possibility for understanding and opportunity for support.

3) Support your network

Be proactive in looking for ways to help people. Listen to what they are saying. People will often make requests through social media sites, email or on their blog. Watch for opportunities and act on them.

Another idea is to simply ask people what they need help with. This is best done over the phone or by email. Make it personal.

How many people are in your network? What do you plan to do to grow your network? Who are 5 people you want to be in your network? What is one step you can take to reach out to them?

Take action to build your network and you will create opportunities to grow your business in the future.

Time for a Change – How to Improve your Blog

Make your blog more relevant and effective. Have you ever felt like your blog was ready for a facelift? What’s holding you back from making the change?

I recently decided to make some changes to my blog. I just felt like it wasn’t looking as good as it could.

How long did it take me to make the changes? About 10 minutes!

How did I do it? I used Typepad. I’ve had the opportunity to use Wordpress, Blogger and Typepad. While Wordpress sites look great, they’re not the easiest to change. And you might need help from a Wordpress developer to make the changes.

I haven’t used Blogger in years, but the interface seemed a little clunky to me. Maybe it’s changed since then.

On the other hand, Typepad is easy and flexible. It’s to blogging what Constant Contact is to email marketing: simple, flexible and cost effective.

If you feel like your blog is due for a change, then just do it. You can make a plan if you want, but it’s okay to just pick a new template and go with it. Change doesn’t have to be hard!

Rick Cooper
Sales & Marketing Success Coach

Partner with People to Team Up and Increase your Success

One of the strategies that has made me successful is to partner with people. Building a business takes time and effort. As a solopreneur, there's a lot of work to do. You can delegate tasks, but it can be challenging to hand off the right tasks.

If you want to increase your results, look for opportunities to team up. I value people and look for people to partner with. I have been fortunate to find many other entrepreneurs to work with over the last 6 years.

I have gained value from working with coaches and mentors. I have also gotten a lot of value from the relationships I have developed with my fellow business owners.

I recently teamed up and wrote a book with Joy Klepac, Todd Lay, Sonika Tinker, Brian Brunckhorst, Linda Distler and Keith Huggett.

The book is called Seize your Opportunities. It's a collection of tips, strategies and stories to help you identify opportunities to help you succeed in your business.

Seek Out People You Can Partner With!

Who can you partner with? How would you benefit from developing relationships with other business owners?

I encourage you to actively seek out people you can partner with. It can make all the difference in the world!

Click Here to Get your Copy of Seize your Opportunities