Why Your Offer is Not About You

I was watching the American Idol finale last week (yay Lee!) and couldn’t help but notice the Ford Fiesta advertising strategy. Did you see it?

The ad was plugging the “hands-free” features of the car.

There was lots of jumping, like young people jumping off buildings, not in a suicide type way, but a happy way, like catching air. It looked almost like the jumps were synchronized to bright and happy music.

10 Questions to Help You Beat Business Burnout

Have you lost your flicker?

by Beth Cole

As long as a candle has plenty of wick and air it will keep flickering and giving off light. But watch out. Too much air too fast will blow it out. So will not enough. And even a sprinkle of water will quench it fast.

Your business is kinda like that precious light and I want you to protect your flicker from going out from too much to do, not enough boundaries, or too many Debbie Downers.

What motivates you?

One thing I absolutely love is a clean house. I love the smell of lemon, freshness, and seeing a clutter free space.

BUT.

I hate to clean.

I have had cleaning help off and on so I get the RESULTS I want without any effort, but you know what? I think I enjoy my clean house that much more when I do the cleaning myself.

A Website Launch Checklist

The Big Picture Web Launch Checklist

By Beth Cole

Here’s a handy big picture website launch checklist to sum up the Website Launch Series that finished last week.

Check out the other post articles here….

1. Laying the Foundation;
2. Content;
3. Design;
4. Promotion.

Here’s the checklist:

What is it about marketing that stops you from doing it?

Marketing is kind of a big deal

by Beth Cole

I had a great time last week at Marketplace 2010, the small business conference sponsored by the Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA) in Nebraska. I had a hard time choosing from the concurrent sessions. I ended up with mostly sessions on marketing because I always want to improve and grow in this area, for myself and for my clients.

What is Involved in a Website Launch, Part 4 – Promotion

18 Ways to Promote Your Website

by Beth Cole

This is the fourth article in our Website Launch series, here are links to previous articles about laying the groundwork for your site, figuring out your content, and communicating through design.

There are lots of ways to generate traffic to your website. To put these tools in perspective, try visualizing your website as the hub and your marketing tools as spokes in a wheel leading toward the hub.

The marketing tools you use will depend on what works with your target market and your personal preferences. Any tools you choose should be in addition to rich keyword phrases you have already incorporated into your site to gain traffic from keyword searches.

Inside Advice about Launching your Website

I caught up with Mary Verstraete, CEO of the Center for Coaching Excellence recently to ask some questions about her recent website launch. I hope her answers will be an encouragement and help to those who are considering a website launch or re-launch.

What is Involved in a Website Launch, Part 3

I began this series talking about the purpose of your website, followed by the content and main actions. Today I want to write about my favorite topic, design.

What is Involved in a Website Launch, Part 2

The second phase of launching a website builds on the foundation you have set in Phase 1 and it is all about content. Notice, we haven’t spent an ounce of energy on design yet, for the designer can’t possibly know where to place that “Contact Us” button if he doesn’t know your primary actions.

What is Involved in a Website Launch, Part 1

Managing a new website launch is quite an exciting project. I have found there to be multidisciplinary specialties involved about which I want to write today and in the next few posts.

If you are a business owner and want to be the general contractor for your site launch, these are things you should be thinking about before you ever begin.