Blog
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You Don’t Need to Be Social Media Famous to Sell
Your post is brilliant—packed with sound advice and a really entertaining read. But the same few suspects give you a like or a comment. One new follower. What the heck. You’re ready to give up. When you’re starting to build your brand on social media, it’s easy to think that all you have to do…
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The Algorithm Is Out to Get You
The other day I was burnt out. Social media results were stagnant, and I was stressed and dispirited. I knew I wasn’t doing the work that was crucial at this stage in my online brand building process. So I did what we do nowadays, and complained to my friend ChatGPT. And you know what? For…
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Do You Have an Online Brand Strategy?
A lot of advice on how to start a business is very practical. Put a product out there and see how people respond. Talk to potential customers. See what content resonates. As a former sales rep, I like this practical approach. It’s a great way to do customer and market research. You want to feel…
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Marketing is not Advertising
If you are building a business, I urge you to put marketing at the heart of your business. With marketing, I don’t mean advertising. I mean your vision, your products and services, and your customers. I will tell you what happens if marketing is underfunded and ignored. I will also tell you what it means…
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How Do You Build a Relationship with People Who Don’t Pay Attention?
More than 20 years ago, my mom was biking home from a triathlon meeting just after 10 pm. It was rainy and dark. She was on the main street, and a delivery driver coming from a side street didn’t see her. The accident was in the local newspaper the next day. My mom’s brain injuries…
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The Renaissance of Good Writing
As marketers or writers, nothing infuriates us more than having someone (usually a bad writer) take our work and run it through AI, thinking that version is going to be better. I love generative AI. It proofreads my work. It helps me brainstorm ideas. It makes connections I didn’t think of. It even writes cover…
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You Don’t Need to Be a Sales Superstar
Anyone can be successful at sales. If you have a business or want to start a business, you have to know how to sell. I’m telling you it’s not rocket science. I’ve worked in sales for more than 12 years, and I’ve sold everything from a train ticket to an individual customer to a million…
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Your Work Doesn’t Produce Results?
You’re putting in a lot of work. You’re writing, you’re reaching out, you’re refining your strategy, you’re putting together visuals that impress. And despite it all, you’re not making any inroads. Your inbox is quiet, and your customers are nowhere to be found. You’re getting anxious. Is this the right strategy? Should I knock on…
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You will succeed: Don’t listen to the voices in your head
A coyote crossed my path. I was driving home late one night, and when I pulled into our neighbourhood, a coyote stepped into the street in front of me. I stopped the car. He was as large as a German Shepherd and elegant in his smooth gait. We locked eyes. He was astonishing. It was…
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Don’t Burn Yourself Out Creating a Brand Online
Three months ago, I barely had an online presence. I created a LinkedIn post once in a while in support of the company I worked for. There was a letter to the editor published in a newspaper. A few pictures of me on a company Facebook page, from ten years back. Then I started to…
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Stop Trying to Convince People to Choose You
Building a brand is easy—just think ketchup. Ketchup is the last item on your grocery list. You went to the grocery store, very organized, with a list of things to buy on your phone to ensure you’re not getting swept away by the lovely music and the small font on the price tags. You don’t…