Michael Boezi: Consider the Source

Good or bad, transitions are the interesting parts of life. And I'm definitely in a transitional period at the moment. With that, here's an announcement:  “Leaving” is my 1st new studio single in 10 years! It's now live on all streaming platforms: Spotify, Pandora, Apple, Amazon, or Bandcamp. This episode is a little background on the track. Links from the episode: Subscribe to the music side of me: https://michaelboezi.com/subscribe Exclusives and early access for patrons: https://patreon.com/mboezi

In your marketing, does what you say about yourself match what your customers say about you? If it doesn’t, you may have a trust problem – and you may not get a second chance to repair the damage. 

I often produce little mini-series within this podcast. This structured way of writing is how I prefer to work, because it keeps me on track. It's good for my audience too – and I have the data to back that up. So, would this method work for you? Let's take a look. In the episode, I referenced a couple recent mini-series in this podcast: Repurposing Content Series (6-part series) http://bit.ly/reuse-of-content The Social Media Strategy Series (16-part series) http://bit.ly/social-media-strategy-series But they don't have to all be long series! You can produce small, structured pieces that are worthwhile too. Here are a couple that are only 2-3 segments: Overcoming the Resistance to Social Media http://bit.ly/resistance-to-social-media Syndicating Content Safely for SEO http://bit.ly/syndicating-content

In today's world, the selling process really is about teaching. Here's my method to streamline the process of creating a online course that you can use for customer acquisition, customer on-boarding, or just to "productize" your knowledge and create a new revenue stream. Sign up for my online course on the topic: https://controlmousemedia.com/repurposing-content

If you're not repurposing blog content for your social posts, you are missing a huge opportunity to save time and effort. In this episode, I cover how to reuse the meta description, the post excerpt, and the post content itself so you can streamline your social media activities. This is what I call my Downstream Method. I also have an Upstream Method, which is the topic of the episode before this one. Sign up for my online course on the topic: https://controlmousemedia.com/repurposing-content

Have you ever thought about writing a book, but can't find the time? In this week's episode, I lay out my entire blog-to-book process – from planning to execution. It allows you to achieve two goals at the same time: Completing a large project and building an audience while you do it.  This is what I call my Upstream Method. I also have a Downstream Method, which I'll get into in the next episode.  Sign up for my online course on the topic: https://controlmousemedia.com/repurposing-content

Marketing is getting highly personalized. Each channel is its own community, which means that one "message" won't cut it anymore. Let's look at the ways this affects how you repurpose content across different channels, in different contexts. Sign up for my online course on the topic: https://controlmousemedia.com/repurposing-content

Are you repurposing blog posts into email newsletters? This and other strategies for making more than one use out of your content can make you much more efficient. Here's how to do it safely and effectively. Sign up for my online course on the topic: https://controlmousemedia.com/repurposing-content

Are you making multiple uses of blog posts, press releases, and emails to customers? With a little planning up front, content strategy helps you think a few steps ahead and save yourself valuable time – while building a set of content as a business asset.  Sign up for my online course on the topic: https://controlmousemedia.com/repurposing-content

In building your business, are you always feeling behind? Like you can never live up to the countless stories of success? Maybe it's time to stop setting impossible standards. Here's one small change in perspective that can shorten your goal horizon. 

In order to activate the power of content marketing, you need other people to carry your ideas. That means that there are two things about your content that are really critical: It has to be compelling enough to share. It must be remarkable, or it won't "travel." It has to be easy to share. You have to try to reduce as much friction as you can. In this episode, let's look at why people share – and the way that people share – so that it can inform the way that your create and propagate your content.

Have you been reposting your blog content on Medium?  It's a great way to extend your reach, and with Medium's "Import a Story" feature, it's incredibly easy – and 100% safe for SEO. Here's a quick overview of how to incorporate this into your content strategy.  So you can see it in action, here's an example of my own content syndication: Here's the original blog post: Taking a Stand Against Deceptive Marketing Tactics (here on this site) And the same post, syndicated on Medium: Taking a Stand Against Deceptive Marketing Tactics

Duplicate content is bad for SEO – or is it? Content syndication, done properly, is not only safe – but encouraged. There are 4 methods for syndicating content, two of which I endorse for a clean and effective content strategy.  Here are links to the articles I mentioned in the episode: Example of Content Syndication Here's an example of my own content syndication. I published a blog post and podcast episode on the same topic: Starbucks Rewards: An Evolution in Data-Driven Marketing (Blog version) Know Your Customer: Starbucks and Data-Driven Marketing (Podcast version) While they are based on the same content, you'll notice that they are each presented a little differently to respond the differences in context. Example of 301 Redirect Here's an example of using a 301 redirect. Sometimes when I publish something here on my business blog, I want to include it on my personal blog too. So I just use a redirect: When you click: http://michaelboezi.com/2016/09/using-social-media-for-business/ It redirects to: https://controlmousemedia.com/using-social-media-for-business/ Using "rel=canonical" Properly Use this code: Put it in the head section of the page, anywhere between and If you want to learn more, the folks at Yoast have a great how-to called rel=canonical: the ultimate guide.

Do you like to be sold to? I don't. "Push marketing" can only generate awareness. While awareness is important, it's only Step 1. Trust comes when you try to teach your customers instead – bring some value to them instead of just pushing product on them.  Spending more on awareness campaigns won't scale. Input = output (that is... if you're lucky). Teaching your customers is a better path, and all you have to do is align your content strategy with this principle. Continuing my thread from last week, there are four key factors that will help you activate this dynamic: Experience, Generosity, Collaboration, and Strategy.

When you educate your customers, you can lead them to a better, more informed purchasing decision. One that they feel good about – and one that sticks. That means that you are an educator. In running your content strategy, can you think like a teacher?  There are four key factors to producing good educational content: Structure, Sequence, Pacing, and Resources. So let's dig in and start to educate your customers!

I love the fall. Feels like a "reset" every year. Maybe it's because we're all used to back-to-school, or maybe it's just the transition from warm weather to cool, crisp autumn days (at least here in New England). In the spirit of transitions, let's start Season 5 by introducing a 3 new series that are in the pipeline – all of which will help you make better use of the content you are producing for your audience. 

Ethical business practices don't have to be the exception to the rule. But since they often are, it's worth highlighting the good people who run good businesses. This week's episode breaks from the regular format of the show and presents a story from an experience I had last weekend.  –– This story features Nantel Musique in Montréal. If you visit, ask for Jonathan, he's amazing! To hear my music, here's the latest full-length record I released with my band, The Rockmores: Interrupting Everything, along with the list of gear I used. If you are new to the show, here's a little bit about me. I am a practitioner who shares what I learn "in the field" in my podcast and blog. I do this for free to "pay it forward." If you are able, fuel my efforts with a cup of coffee! You can also support this podcast via Patreon.

The Starbucks Star Rewards Program provides a great lesson to small businesses about the power of data-driven marketing.  Here are links to the articles I mentioned in the episode, and a couple others of interest.  First, the blog version of this episode (with graphics): Starbucks Rewards: An Evolution in Data-Driven Marketing On the backlash when the program was first introduced: Starbucks' controversial new rewards program launches today — here are the major changes you should know about Starbucks Customers Are Pissed About the New Rewards Program And some info about Starbucks' profit structure: The Economics of a Starbucks Cappuccino Grande Understanding Starbucks’ cost structure and operating expenses

Get your social media strategy in order! Here’s a rapid-fire, integrated strategy that can apply to any small business – a capstone to my series on content strategy for social media. I cover each of these platforms, categorized: Social Media Must-Haves: Twitter, Facebook Business Page, and LinkedIn. Ignore Google Plus – it folded in April 2019. Images and Video: YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Slideshare Social Blogging: Medium and LinkedIn Pulse Social Ad Strategy: Twitter Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and Pinterest Ads Curated Community: Facebook Groups, Google Hangouts, Houseparty, and Bebo Live Video: Periscope (part of Twitter now), Facebook Live, and Facebook 360 Other Platforms to Consider: Ello, Anchor, Musical.ly (now called Tik Tok), Quora

While LinkedIn is a low-commitment way to get started with blogging for business, you really need a strategy to get the most out of it. Here are two distinct game plans for you to consider: Which one is worth the time investment? 

With organic reach down to 5% or lower, Facebook has become purely a pay-to-play platform for businesses. Facebook Groups are the exception, and may be one of the most powerful marketing tools available. Here’s my strategy for how to build and nurture an audience of super-fans.  Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Social media is a great starting point to drive awareness of your business, but let's face it – there's a ton of noise out there. One strategy that can help: Twitter Ads. If you haven’t tried ads yet as a part of your content strategy, here's a quick guide to getting started.  Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

There are no shortcuts in building a business. At least it’s not worth playing the odds of putting stuff out there and hoping to get lucky. Or looking for tricks to beat the system. Time and time again, I get people who come to me asking for quick hacks and work-arounds. “I need to build an audience – quick. Can you help me?” The answer is no. Building an audience requires honesty, patience, and a genuine desire to solve problems for others. And those things take time. Yes, a little luck along the way can help. But as I say all the time, "hope is not a marketing plan."

Medium is a "social blogging" platform run by the folks at Twitter that is focused on long-form content, and it is an often-overlooked platform for business. Medium has a ready-made audience, and delivers your content to your followers (and others via algorithm) via an e-mail feed. You can gain more a lot more potential exposure this way, which might help you boost your own blog. The downside is that it’s a lot of work to produce another set of long-form content separately from your blog. But can't you do both? Or is it bad for SEO? I believe that you can coordinate the two without succumbing to what’s called "digital sharecropping." Listen to the episode to hear me discuss the considerations from each side of the two potential strategies you might use. Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Running an ad serves only one purpose – awareness. People can't take the next step with your business if they're not aware of it. There are a number of ways to create awareness, but using an ad as a part of your overall content strategy can give you a chance to accelerate the process a little. Awareness doesn't guarantee attention, and it certainly doesn't guarantee that someone's going to care about what you do. That's where the principles of content marketing come in – providing real value to real people, over and over again, until they come to trust you enough to do business with you. Listen to the complete episode for how to do this, including some starter strategies if you're new to Facebook Ads.  Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Pinterest is still one of the most popular social media platforms, and it has been evolving into a great marketing tool for small businesses. Here's a "starter strategy" to get you up and running and taking advantage of their business-friendly features.   Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Instagram and Snapchat are each powerful social platforms that can help you construct a visual narrative around you or your business. But each have specific limitations as well. Here’s a quick comparison so you can make a decision for your business.  Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

"Should I be on Snapchat?" is one of the most frequent questions I get from small business owners.   Snapchat provides an opportunity for you to show a side of your business that's more personal – that there are real people in your company, doing real things. The flavor of it is different than the other platforms, though. By its very nature, it's not for hyper-produced content. It's for stuff that is more real or raw. But like anything in business, you want to do it with a strategy behind it.  In the episode, I highlighted a few examples of people making good use of Snapchat for business: Mark Suster (@msuster), Erica Blair (@theericablair), and Jay Acunzo (@jayacunzo). — Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

It’s fun to create and share images. So it’s easy to see why Instagram is one of the Web’s most popular platforms. But under Facebook’s ownership, Instagram is evolving quickly. What we’re seeing is a series of strategic moves to make the platform much more brand-friendly. Here's an overview of some of the key Instagram strategies for business: How to use Instagram as a storytelling device for your brand; How to set up a clear, direct, and optimized user profile; Two strategies for how to make the most out of Instagram’s one-link restriction; Setting up a business account in Instagram and why it’s important; Hashtagging etiquette for business accounts; The basics of creating a Facebook Business Manager account so you can run ads on Instagram. Here's my account should you wish to see some of my images: http://instagram.com/mboezi.

Good things happen when you respect your audience enough to let them come to a buying decision on their own. Are you willing to give up some control for a deeper relationship with your customers? 

YouTube is still the king of video, despite powerful challenges from Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. In Part 5 of the Social Media Strategy Series, I talk about how YouTube might fit into your overall content strategy, including how to monetize the platform.    Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business –– SHOW NOTES Please note: As I mentioned in the last episode, Google Plus is officially shutting down as of April 2, 2019.  Here are the standout YouTube channels that I mentioned in this episode: Gary Vaynerchuk: Wine Library TV and The #AskGaryVee Show Marie Forleo: MarieTV Amy Schmittauer: Savvy Sexy Social Nick Jaffe: Just Nick Here's my channel: http://youtube.com/MichaelBoezi, and a couple of examples of how I use playlists to "chain" content together in one narrative: Content Strategy For Small Businesses Twitter Basics Series If you want to get into using YouTube Ads, here's a good starting point for you: Allowing ads on your videos or even creating your own ads Joining the YouTube Partner Program Google's Creator Academy

Google Plus is shutting down on April 2, 2019. Here's a quick overview of how (and why) to download all your data before it disappears forever. Google makes this easy, but you have act BEFORE April 2, 2019. And then I get into a few simple things to make sure your Google presence is optimized for SEO.  LINKS:  Google Takeout: Click this link and it will preload the four Google Plus properties to download: https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout/custom/circles,plus_one,plus_communities,stream?pli=1 SEO for Small Business Series: https://controlmousemedia.com/keywords/seo-for-small-business Content Marketing 201 Series: https://controlmousemedia.com/keywords/content-marketing-201

Just because today's Facebook is an advertising platform doesn't mean that it's the only method to get success out of the platform. Let's look at how Facebook's algorithm works and how to optimize for as much "organic reach" as you can get – without paying for ads.  Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Many people think of LinkedIn as an online resume, but it's so much more than that. Here’s how to use LinkedIn as a marketing tool for your business. In this episode, I cover: Why LinkedIn is more than just your online resume. Why it's my least favorite platform (in interface and UX), but is still my 2nd best channel. What the Microsoft acquisition of LinkedIn means for you, and how it might change your strategy. How Microsoft is doubling down on becoming the hub for professionals of all types. Should you maintain a LinkedIn business page or not? If so, what’s your strategy? Should you pay for upgrade to LinkedIn Premium Professional or not? Should LinkedIn Advertising be a part of your strategy or not? What is LinkedIn Pulse and is it a worthwhile strategy – or will simple Updates suffice? What is your overall strategy with original content vs. curated content? Some simple guidelines for using LinkedIn Groups. Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Tons of people use Twitter as a marketing tool, but will it be effective for your business? Here are some considerations and strategies to help you decide. Yes, Twitter has its problems. But to me, it’s still the most effective channel for building an audience. Once you listen to the episode, I think you’ll understand why it’s my best channel, by far (see: @mboezi). In this episode, I cover: What are the benefits of using Twitter for audience-building, if you get it right. What are the potential pitfalls, including how to manage the "firehose" of posts. How to find the right blend between broadcast and bi-directional activity. How to find people to connect with – either directly or indirectly. How images and videos boost your click-through rate (CTR) – especially native images. Using lists to help keep you organized – and be strategic about audience-building. How you can do some clever automating with Twitter – if you're careful. A brief rant about auto-DMs. Spoiler alert: It's spam. Using Twitter's Analytics to measure performance and iterate. And a bunch of other strategies for engaging with an audience. Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business 

Social media marketing is an optimization problem. You want to focus on the right activities, in the right channels, to maximize your impact. But none of this will happen without the right content. There are three considerations in finding the balance between 1) what you can produce, and 2) what your audience wants.  – Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Getting the most out of your social media marketing efforts starts with channel selection. In this episode, let’s look at my four basic criteria for picking the right social channels for your particular business.  – Sign up for my online course Social Media Strategy for Business: https://controlmousemedia.com/social-media-strategy-for-business

Why do some businesses underinvest in their social media strategy? The time and effort are worth it – if you do it right. Here's a rubric that might help you. 

The promise of the Internet has been ruined by advertising. There is no article you can read, video you can view, or social feed you can scroll through without being interrupted by some advertiser’s desperate attempt to steal your attention. Every time I experience this, I feel like I’ve been Rickrolled. Another rant this week, folks... -- If you don’t know what a Rickroll is, let me Rickroll you right here (though it’s not Rickrolling if you know it’s coming). Or you can skip to 8:28 of this episode (after the music) and I’ll define it for you in 20 seconds. If you want to know more about how soft-touch, ethical marketing is not only more respectful to us as consumers, but more effective too, here’s an overview of The New Marketing and Sales: https://controlmousemedia.com/new-marketing-and-sales 

People don't mean to diminish your work, but that's exactly what they are doing when they use this one insidious little word. This word undervalues your expertise and experience by making it sound simple - as a way to sell you on doing something, paying you less than you're worth, or not paying you at all. Subscribe here for the new upcoming series I mention in the episode: https://controlmousemedia.com/subscribe/

Today's consumers are savvy. Before a purchase, they're going to research you, read reviews, and ask their friends about you. They're going to make determinations about you – even before the first "touch." Are you set up to influence the process? Let's take a look. For more on the topic, please see The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints: https://controlmousemedia.com/customer-journey

How do you behave as a consumer? What's your evaluation process for a new product or service? Looking at your own process may offer some insight into how you present your offer to your customers and prospective customers. For more on the topic, please see The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints: https://controlmousemedia.com/customer-journey

Word-of-mouth marketing can happen on its own, but you don't want to leave it to chance. Here's how to make your customers are a part of your overall content strategy. For more on the topic, please see The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints: https://controlmousemedia.com/customer-journey

BREAKING NEWS TODAY (2/6/19): Anchor just announced that it was acquired by Spotify. I have mixed feelings about this. Here's the announcement.  

It's a missed opportunity if you don't give your customers a seat at the table early on. First, if the customer has no effect on product development, you'll probably get the product wrong. Also, the right customers have the potential to be your best sales reps, if you handle it right. For more on the topic, please see The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints: https://controlmousemedia.com/customer-journey

Not all customers are created equal. There are some that your business can't live without, and there are others who are more trouble than they're worth. Are you selecting the right customers - the one who provide more value than they extract? For more on the topic, please see The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints: https://controlmousemedia.com/customer-journey

There's no milestone more important to your business than finding the first person who will actually pay you. This episode is about really focusing on whom you are trying to serve and making your content work towards the singular goal of earning your VERY FIRST customer. For more on the topic, please see The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints: https://controlmousemedia.com/customer-journey

Technically, it's not a business without customers. So let's talk about that – I'm kicking off a new series that gets into all the nuances of managing the customer lifecycle. For more on the topic, please see The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints: https://controlmousemedia.com/customer-journey

I play the part of a Google Bot scanning your site. Spoiler alert: I don't often like what I see. I cover the two most common SEO issues that I see with small business websites: 1) Site structure, and 2) Page structure. For an overview of my approach, see my SEO for Small Business Series: http://bit.ly/seo-series Book a quick 45-min session with me to do an SEO audit together on screenshare: https://controlmousemedia.com/45-min

One of the single biggest things you can do to impact your business is to become more efficient with your content strategy. Here’s how to treat your content as an investment in a reusable business asset, saving you time in the process. 

The Gatekeeper is not really on your side anyway – so don't wait for their approval. It doesn't matter if they say it's good or not.  If your audience likes what you do and is willing to pay for it, who cares about rejection letters? Build your own willing audience, and the Gatekeepers will come looking for YOU instead. 

The right information, delivered at the right time, is powerful. The opposite is true, too. Getting the timing and frequency right in your content strategy is one of the most important things you can do in building trust with your audience. 

Acceleration is something that most entrepreneurs seek, but often find to be out of reach. Kelly Roach, a former Fortune 500 executive, has an amazing story of career acceleration – both in her corporate career and in running her own agency. Kelly shares her story, along with strategies that you can apply to your own business. Connect with Kelly: Web: http://kellyroachcoaching.com - Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellyroachint - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kellyroachint - Facebook: https://facebook.com/kellyroachinternational

The principles of event marketing can be applied to small businesses of all types. In my interview with event producer Louie La Vella, we look at some counterintuitive strategies involving live video (including Facebook Live tips), affiliate marketing, and influencer marketing.   To connect with Louie:  Web: http://louielavella.com Facebox: http://fb.com/louielavella Twitter: http://twitter.com/louielavella

The world of work is changing quickly. It doesn't matter if you're an employer or employee, starting your own business, or freelancing. Everything's different, from the way we work to our expectations of what work should be.  Katy Tynan talks about the trends and how they will affect your career. She believes that work doesn't have to suck – but can be incredibly fulfilling if you can find your superpower at the "intersection of talent, interest, and value."  To connect with Katy: Web: http://katytynan.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/katytynan LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/katytynan

How can brick and mortar businesses make the most of social media?  Laura Nunemaker used to own and run her own bakery in Atlanta, so she has first-hand experience with what works and what doesn't. Now she’s helping other cafés and restaurants reach their customers via a social strategy.  In this episode, we talk about Laura's specific strategies for offline businesses, clever cross-promotion opportunities, and careful automation to help make you more efficient.  To connect with Laura: Web: https://socialforsmall.biz  Twitter: https://twitter.com/socialforsmallb

It's Interview Week! Give a listen throughout this week, then I'd like to hear from you whether or not you like this format or not. Interview show or monologue show? Which do you prefer from me?   Call in to the show: https://anchor.fm/mboezi Tweet me: https://twitter.com/mboezi Here's what's coming this week: Social Media Strategy for Brick and Mortar Businesses // Interview with Laura Nunemaker  How to Find Your Superpower and Focus on the Right Stuff // Interview with Katy Tynan  Challenging Conventional Wisdom in Content Marketing // Interview with Louie La Vella  From Adversity to Acceleration: Business Growth Strategies // Interview with Kelly Roach 

Anchor does it again! Here's an overview of how they make SPONSORSHIPS easy to activate. Yes, you can now get paid for your podcast. I've been podcasting weekly since 2015 and this is truly a way to simplify something that's difficult in the regular (i.e. non-Anchor) world. Here's an overview of how it works, so you can do it yourself.  For the complete list of episodes, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

How do you get media coverage for your business? On this week’s episode, I interview Chris Well about his strategy for how to build your media kit, identify the right outlets, craft the perfect pitch, and set up a series of appearances that can help boost your authority. For links to Chris' work, please see: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/how-to-get-publicity. For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

In working with a variety of small businesses over the past 5 years, a clear pattern emerges: There are three distinct stages of a growing business. A good marketing plan takes this into account, with three matched activities: Build, Connect, Optimize. This "thinking in threes" has significantly affected my recent projects – and it might do the same for you! All the projects I mentioned in the episode can be found here on this page: https://controlmousemedia.com/courses Any discounts that I offer to you, my listeners, are always here: https://controlmousemedia.com/mwm

When you’re seen as an authority, it opens up all sorts of possibilities to you. Trust in you builds, which accumulates as an asset for you and your business. The value you create sticks with you, and can even transfer to your next business, your next project, or your next job. For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

Getting found and getting heard are a huge challenge in today’s world. Here’s how to set yourself up to be searchable and discoverable so that you have a better shot at it. Smart tactics with no tricks. For the latest episode, please see the show page: controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

A story is at the root of trust, and a good content strategy gives your brand advocates the language to use on your behalf. Since it’s more believable in their hands, you should be doing all you can to make it easier for them. For the latest episode, please see the show page: controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

Content marketing is really about running your business the right way – being honest and building a real relationship with your customers. It’s an antidote to the lies, micro-lies, and lies of omission that marketers have forcing on us for years.

Content marketing is about shifting from you talking about you to customers talking to other customers about you. It’s a lot of work at first, but the only way to see rapid, self-replicating growth.

Just because you present a solution does not mean that people will understand it. Differentiating yourself is one of the primary goals of content marketing.

"Build it and they will come" is a myth. Having a cohesive content strategy is a much safer bet, especially if you are a small business.

For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

A listener question about the effectiveness of emails for people under 25 when it comes to marketing. For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

Is writer's block just an excuse? How can you face up to it, stare it down, and just get back to writing?

Should a book be a part of your content strategy? Yes? Than let's talk about how to get started on a project of this size and scope – from someone who spent 17 years in the publishing industry.

Anchor has a new editing feature that they have just rolled out and I give it a spin to see how it works! Here's my brief report.

If you want to write a book, it helps to have a plan going in. Having a map before you start will focus your efforts, even if you don’t follow it 100%.

Writing a book is a ton of work, but it can be very rewarding. Let’s look at whether or not it’s worth the effort for you and your business strategy.

Your new idea will sound dissonant to the defenders of the status quo. Play it ‘til it’s the tune in everyone’s head.

Running your own business is amazing, but let’s face it - it’s a grind as well. How do you know the difference between enough is enough and when success is right around the corner? Let’s explore.

Crowdfunding can be a great way to validate a new concept or get seed funding to get that project off the ground – BUT you have to have an audience first. That's where content marketing comes in. Photographer Bruce Myren did Kickstarter the right way – learn his process in my 30-min interview with him. See his (excellent!) work at: http://brucemyren.com

Everything starts with an idea. Let's not underestimate how important that is. But unless you can turn it into something, that idea's not worth all that much. So, are you going to work on this project? Realize this idea – turn it into something? Since we all have an upper limit of the same resource – TIME, then it becomes a question about choice and prioritization.

With organic reach on the decline (Facebook Zero, and content saturation in general), what can you do to have a better chance of people actually SEEING the content you create?

What's the ROI of Content Strategy? - Episode 15

Treating Content Strategy as a Promise - Episode 14

Marketing Optimization: Interview with Todd Meisler - Episode 13

Based on my last episode about evergreen content, here's more about how to do some planning up front to create content that will function as a "durable" asset for your business - one that you can use over and over again.

Being timely is good, but in running a content strategy, you want to create a "durable" set of assets that you can use over and over again. Here are a couple quick examples to get you started. For more on the topic: Creating Content as a Business Asset http://bit.ly/business-asset

Anchor made a major update to its platform today - and so far, it’s really great. If you haven’t checked out Anchor yet, today might be a good time to start!

For the latest episode, please see the show page: https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast.

The 3 Types of Content Every Small Business Needs – Episode 8

Is Content Strategy Right for Your Business? - Episode 7

How Your Audience Creates More Audience - Episode 6

The Three Keys to Content Marketing - Episode 5

Building the Foundation of Your Content Strategy - Episode 4

Why Do you Need Content Marketing? - Episode 3

Who Is Content Strategy For? - Episode 2

What Is Content Strategy? A Brief Introduction - Episode 1